SUPERYACHT #517
May 2005
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
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Article by
Angelo Colombo
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JONGERT 29M "AMEENA"
We don't know why the owner of this Jongert sailboat preferred the
name "Ameena" over the many others possible, but a sailor - the
owner in question really is one, and we shall see why - knows well
that this is an important and never random element.
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TECHNICAL DATA
LOA: 29.10 m
hull length 27.28 m
length on waterline: 24.95 m
beam: 6.72 m
draft: 3.30 m
construction material: aluminium for the hull, composite for the
superstructure
sail area: main, 203 sq. m, genoa 202 sq. m, staysail 82 sq. m
engine: 1x254 HP Caterpillar
manoeuvring propellers: 50 HP (bow), 27 HP (stern)
fuel tanks: 4.100 litres
water tanks: 2.500 litres
freshwater production capacity: 3.000 litres/24 h.
For further information contact B.V., Kluisgat 1, NL-1771
MV Wieringerwerf, The Netherlands; tel. +31 227 542544; fax +31
227 541246; website www.jongert.com; e-mail info@jongert.com.
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The origin of
the name is African, it is Swahili for "trustworthy". All this
might have nothing to do with the real reasons behind the owner of
"Ameena" giving her this name, which could belong to a woman,
taking on in this case a meaning charged with various emotional
impulses. Yet the meaning of this name partly finds a response in
the features of this yacht which combines great cruising qualities
and racing performances, thus meriting the trust of the owner on
the occasions when he likes to skipper his own boat personally.
Moreover, the creation of similar projects oriented as much
towards cruising as racing has always been a prerogative of the
Dutch yard which for more than 50 years has been investing
resources in research and development with regard to this type of
yacht. In the list of priorities given to the yard's designers to
develop the boat of his desires the owner included elements such
as: the possibility to cruise in the Mediterranean with his
family, to handle the boat personally with a minimum crew and to
be able to successfully take part in races; a rig that could carry
various sail combinations and, in general, a vessel capable of
crossing the Atlantic to reach the United States coast and the
Caribbean. Of course all of this some years ago would have seemed
impossible or, at the least, manageable only with a design based
on a long series of compromises. But thanks to the materials which
have been increasingly used by shipyards in recent years, both for
structures and equipment, the Dutch yard succeeded in combining
the owner's various requirements in the creation of "Ameena".
Development of the design was handled by the yard in collaboration
with the well known designer Tony Castro who, in this semi-custom
for an owner who also has another Jongert, remained faithful to
the water lines of the previous Jongert 29m he designed,
developing a new rig and a new deck layout and of course new
interiors. The result is a yacht that can meet the needs of an
owner accustomed to sailing and to handling his own boats
personally, be it a family cruise or a race. "Ameena" combines
simplicity of steering and handling of the generous sail plan
(performance under sail that achieves a maximum speed of around
13.5 knots) with interiors where six guests can stay in maximum
comfort. The crew's quarters are in the forward zone of "Ameena"
and include a dinette opposite the galley and service room,
forward of which are two double cabins with bunk beds and private
bathrooms. Continuing below deck, the owner requested two double-
bed cabins, one occupying the entire aft area and the other
situated aft of the mast area, opposite a third cabin which has
twin beds. The suite fully aft includes an office corner, a sofa,
a dressing table area, a large bathroom with separate shower
space, a wardrobe cabinet and a centrally placed bed. The double-
bed cabin for guests consists of a bed set against the port side
bulkhead, private bathroom with separate shower space and with
access from the single corridor that links all the spaces of the
night zone, including the twin bed cabin, which also has a private
bathroom. The indoor living area is developed forward of the night
zone. Here we find a large C-shaped sofa with table, set opposite
an L-shaped divan with coffee table, writing desk and armchairs.
This area benefits from natural light provided by the forward
deckhouse windows and extends over the entire beam. Moreover,
stairs lead to the living area on the main deck, The deckhouse,
with its sophisticated but not excessive design, features side
walls in glass with uprights and upper support in wood which, at
the after edge, joins the level of the deck, a stylistically very
efficacious solution that contributes to giving this yacht a
modern and at the same time very elegant appearance. The covering
of the deckhouse is rigid but does not reach the aft extremity of
the wooden uprights. In fact aft of the saloon on this deck there
are two large C-shaped sofas with a central table and covered
platform, plus two sundecks followed by the double wheelhouse,
enclosed in an elliptical structure, which includes the two
steering stations, complete with instruments and perimeter
seating. If need be this area can be protected by a soft top with
a steel frame, retractable when not in use. The structure housing
the open air bridge on the aft edge also houses two large size
winches for the sheets which are run through passages in cavities
within the deck, thus leaving the latter always clean and
unencumbered. On the main deck there is also a well which has the
twofold function of housing the tender or, when the auxiliary
means is in the water, being transformed into a swimming pool. At
this point we should pause over a few details of a technical
nature: for example, the hull is in aluminium, so weights and
their distribution could be managed optimally, while the
superstructures and deckhouse are in composite material. As for
the generous sail plan, with a cutter rig developed by Rod
Rigging, the mast and boom by Nirvana Spars are in aluminium and
the sail carried may be 405 sq, m. with mainsail and genoa or 285
sq. m. with main and staysail. The whole can be handled by a crew
of only three people who have numerous aids at their disposal such
as motorised winches, instrument repeaters, centralised control of
running rigging and other devices that make a 29 m. yacht like
this one a relatively simple vessel to sail.
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