The first Long Island 85 catamaran from JFA Yachts, WindQuest is doing what her French builder imagined when it created the semi-custom series. She’s actively sailing in wind-worthy locales and keeping her owners’ family entertained.
The semi-custom Long Island 85 features aluminum hulls and a fiberglass superstructure, to save weight. LOA is 86’1” (26.25 meters), and beam is a healthy 39’1” (11.93 meters). The beam rivals that of a single-hulled megayacht exceeding 100 feet. Marc Lombard, known for racing and cruising mono- and multihulls, provided naval architecture. JFA Yachts and Lombard meant the Long Island 85 to be a real performer. Sail area on the wind: about 3,983 square feet (370 square meters). Off the wind: 5,220 square feet (485 square meters). All of this is being put to good use between London and Lisbon this summer, plus along the English Channel. Come autumn, WindQuest will head to the Caribbean. Her owners already have itineraries for years two and three, too. She’ll return to Europe next spring, then the Caribbean. In year three, the Great Lakes in the USA are a must.
The semi-custom nature of the Long Island 85 means the owners of WindQuest had input into the arrangement. They requested the three-stateroom configuration. The master suite spans the full beam forward, just off the ubiquitous trampoline. (Speaking of which, if the photo above doesn’t sum up what cruising is all about, we don’t know what does.) WindQuest has just two guest staterooms, though the owner’s office can convert when needed. JFA Yachts makes the Long Island 85 available with four- and five-stateroom setups, too. With the three-cabin configuration, there are accommodations for six crew in the starboard hull. The galley is in the same hull.
WindQuest totes a number of toys, like stand-up paddleboards, wakeboards, and snorkeling equipment. She further has a garage for bicycles and carries a 16-foot tender. The tender launches via a retractable “pole” within the boom, to save the weight of a davit.
For indoor family time, the Long Island 85 has an open floorplan. Here aboard WindQuest, you can see the dining area to port and a bar opposite. There’s a small seating area forward of the bar, too. It’s in proximity to the helm as well. This keeps the owners and captain engaged in less-formal conversations.
We’ll have full photos of WindQuest on the Megayacht News app in July. You can download the app for free in the App Store or Google Play.
WindQuest is also available for charter, via the central listings of Webster Associates.
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