Astondoa 76 GLX: The luxury of space

Written by Miquel Mallafré Photos Miquel Mallafré

On board

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The Astondoa 76 has been achieving successes since its presentation at the past Genoa boat show. A good usage of the spaces and an interior design created by the Italian Cristiano Gatto make this yacht one of the amplest and most attractive ones of its type.

Amplitude can be the basic characteristics of the Astondoa 76 GLX. Not for its almost 24 meters length, but for the right usage of all the spaces, playing with the distribution, the inner perspective and the arrangement of the furniture. The combination of all these factors implies a remarkable qualitative leap, to the point that it is not exaggerated to say that it is one of the most successful yachts of this Santa Pola based shipyard. Non of the aspects has been left up to fate. The personality of the boat begins with the observation of its profile, its powerful hull equipped with large windows or its opening hard top on the fly bridge. Without significant flaunts, everything is in its place and fulfils its function, beginning with the large lateral windows for the owner’s cabin, with rectangular shape, but with curved sides, a shape that is repeated more towards the bow vertically, to illuminate the bathroom and the dressing room of this cabin. Conventional port holes for the rest of the cabins, except for the forward VIP cabin, with a trapezoidal window of larger size. The superstructure has been solved laterally with two large windows on each side, integrating where it was suitable an electro hydraulic pantograph door on each side, by Opacmare; the aft window, which is lower, comes with a recess on the outer coaming, to avoid interrupting the views from the inside. The main windscreen extends in a fictitious way almost to the windscreen of the fly bridge, lightening the the appearance of the yacht when seen from the bow. In addition, the superstructure gains in projection over the lateral walkways until protecting the whole cockpit, which benefits the amplitude of the fly bridge.
 

Three outer saloons

The collection of good resources used in this model is extensive. We will just overview the main ones. First of all, the bathing platform, extending; in this way space is gained when bathing and it is reduced when mooring in port. Symmetrical staircases lead to the cockpit, framing a large sofa that occupies the rest of the stern, it is a C shaped sofa that surrounds a large teak table with adjustable height, that can turn into a solarium or, if another name is preferred, in a generous chaise longue. On the aft part of the superstructure, on the starboard side, a third steering position with the required controls to make a correct stern mooring manoeuvre has been foreseen. The lateral walkways covered in teak lead up to a second living area that occupies the fore deck. An elevation welcomes the conventional type solarium, but between this one and the windscreen there is a living area with another C shaped sofa that surrounds a table, a fix one in this case. An electrical awning allows to protect the seating area from the sun, even when the boat is navigating, because perforations have been made in the canvas so that it does not offer resistance to the draughts; the versatility of the whole is maximised, but it is also necessary to pay attention to the disposition of the passage way, disguised laterally by the extension of the superstructure, so that the basic lines of the yacht are not altered by this effective as well as functional solution.
The access to the fly bridge is made directly from the cockpit through a single staircase with a smooth slope. Once above the space available is sensational and the solutions once again are intelligent. The stern area is destined for the tender, the 550 kilos Opacmare crane and the two life rafts; the absence of lateral barriers in this area sharpens the main lines of the yacht and eases the launching of the tender. The rest of the space can be managed to the owner’s taste, but what is most usual is to have after a solarium or a whirlpool bathtub, or a combination of both. More forward there is a large living area on starboard, with the third sofa and its table, in front of which a service area that we could call walk-around has been anticipated, because it is a free standing piece of furniture, facing starboard, and can be surrounded completely. Some closets positioned behind the seat of the steering position increase its service capacity. The steering position is fully equipped, it has a seat for three occupants and a large solarium on starboard. All this is under a visor that constitutes an opening hard-top, with the central section arranged with a curtain that slides forwards and backwards by means of an electrical device. This has the double advantage of lightening this structure and being able to choose the areas into which the sun might get in. It is really difficult to find a fly bridge that is more advantageously used in this length.