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Jongert updates and supercharges its popular line of sailing yachts.
by Marilyn M. Mower
photography by Ed Holt
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08/01/2005
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| Jongert 95 |  |
After nearly a decade, Dutch sailboat builder Jongert has
made major updates to its Modern Line of yachts. Like the old models, the new
incarnations have met with immediate success. Just as 27-meter Scarena
won a ShowBoats Award in 1996, this year, Jongert’s 2900M Ameena took
home a ShowBoats Award for Best Sailing Yacht Under 40 Meters.
In the past, Jan Jongert quietly has gone about tweaking these
semi-custom yachts, ranging from 24 to 29 meters, for his clients. This time,
with naval architect Tony Castro, he’s offering owners two distinct variations
on a theme. The first two examples, 29-meter Ameena and Scorpione dei
Mari, debuted just six months apart. Customers can choose between the two
styles, which can be described as "turbocharged" or "sport chic," with either
aluminum or carbon fiber spars.
| Click on the Spec tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
Ameena, the first to launch, is of the sport chic variety,
a lovely cutter with a cabriolet influence. Her sweeping low deckhouse looks
even lower with a handsome varnished brow above the window line that curves down
as it extends aft to meet the cockpit coaming. The glossy glint of varnish pairs
nicely with stately gold pin striping and navy blue topsides.
The contemporary, bright interior design seen in
the main salon (top) and master stateroom (bottom) transcends ambiances between
formal and casual. (Click images to enlarge)
But it is what you don’t see at first glance that truly makes
Ameena stunning: At the push of a button, smoothly fitted
sections of her composite deckhouse roof separate and slide forward,
opening up the entire roof to sun or stars while darkly tinted side windows
maintain privacy and block the wind. An electrically operated tambour door rolls
up from the bottom of the companionway to close off the interior from the
deckhouse when desired.
Hull No. 2, christened Scorpione dei Mari by her owners
this past April, is a turbocharged sloop version with a slightly taller carbon
fiber mast. She is rigged to fly a huge "Code 0" gennaker forward of her roller
furling jib. Her more angular deckhouse is fixed but has aft windows that roll
down automobile-style to open the deckhouse to the sun lounges and helm station
beyond.
Top: Ameena’s
transom opens to create excellent access to the sea. Bottom: The open
cockpit roof offers the feeling of riding in a convertible with the top
down. (Click images to enlarge)
While the cockpits of both 2900M versions are nearly identical,
the forward decks are a different story. Ameena carries her tender in a
well just beyond the track for a self-tending staysail. It is an option that
grants a bit more space to the master cabin and vastly increases the usefulness
of the lazarette for toy stowage or as a beach cabana when the stern is opened.
All winches except spinnaker or gennaker sheet winches are captive reel-type.
The 2900M was conceived as a family-style cruiser that could easily be sailed by
minimal crew. Ameena’s simplified sail plan means family and guests
actually can participate in the sailing.
Beyond Ameena’s shapely deckhouse, the yacht’s longer
waterline and narrower entry than previous M-series Jongerts also point to
performance. Her canoe body has a low prismatic coefficient, according to
Castro, to benefit light air performance while a slight vee in the forward
sections helps abate slamming.
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