Yachting USA – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 YACHTING47

REVIEWED> PRINCESS Y 85

and in the leather of the helm seats. ¶ A

few steps forward on the main deck is a

day-head, convenient for guests as well

as for the skipper in the pilothouse. The

helm area is another gathering place and

can be closed off for night running or salon

privacy. Guests can sit at a raised dinette

to port, while the skipper and companion

have raised seats with armrests next to

a pantograph door for side-deck access.

¶ Our test Y85 had a Garmin electronics

suite with three displays at the lower helm,

including a Boening touchscreen display

for ship’s systems. ¶ The galley also has a

door to the side deck to make provisioning

easier. Chefs get a Wolf cooktop, induction

oven and Sub-Zero fridge. There are ice

makers and wine chillers in the galley and

on the bridge. ¶ The master stateroom

spans the yacht’s 20-foot-8-inch beam,

allowing for a centerline king berth, a desk/

vanity to port, and two love seats with a

table to starboard for morning coff ee or

an evening aperitif. This stateroom also

has a walk-in closet, and a double-sink

head is aft with a shower. (A note: When

James Noble, Princess’ vice president of

marketing, and I were exploring the mas-

ter, the yacht was running at full throttle

in the open sea, yet it was so quiet that

noise barely registered on my sound me-

ter. We talked in normal tones despite

thundering 1,900 hp MAN V-12 diesels

just a few feet away.) ¶ The VIP stateroom

forward is notable for having a walk-in

closet and an en suite head, and each of

the other guest staterooms—one a double,

one with twins—has private head access.

¶ I’ll admit to being surprised that, when

the hammer went down, there was a lot

more Princess S (sport) series than I ex-

pected from a Y (yacht). The Y85 topped

out at almost 28 knots while moving about

73 tons of luxury appointments, leather

and marble—a speed made even more

notable because this was the initial sea

trial before the full break-in. According

to Princess, this yacht should hit 30 to

31 knots when the engines are settled. And

this Y85 had returned from a Princess

owners’ rendezvous in the Bahamas, re-

portedly covering more than 180 nautical

miles across the Gulf Stream in nine hours.

¶ Up top, the fl ybridge is fully covered by

a fi berglass hardtop with a louvered sun-

roof, eliminating sliding parts and canvas.

There’s an alfresco entertainment area

with a dinette to port facing an L-shaped

bar, and settees for guests surround the

skipper. The helm electronics—monitors

and all— disappear into the dash at the fl ip

of a switch. Aft, a spa is optional where the

boat deck stretches nearly 18 feet from rail

to seating. This space also could be used for

a tender launched by the Opacmare crane,

or left open for sun lounges. ¶ The Princess

Y85 is a comfortable take on elegance. The

yacht off ers luxury when guests want it and

casual relaxation when it’s preferred, no

matter who’s invited to sit at the table.

Take the next step: princessyachtsamerica.com

With the addition of yachts over 115 feet and a surge in orders, Princess now has a workforce of 3,200—up 50 percent since 2016. After executive

chairman Antony Sheriff moved to Princess from McLaren Automotive, the boatbuilder began to dedicate more resources to

design and technology. Princess is part of luxury conglomerate LVMH, which includes Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Moët & Chandon and more.

We talked in normal tones despite thundering 1,900 hp

MAN V-12 diesels just a few feet away.

2,420 GAL.

FUEL

CAPACITY

330 GAL.

FRESHWATER

CAPACITY