Fly Like an Eagle: Azimut’s All-New Fly 72

For many years, the flybridge 72 has been among the most popular models produced by Azimut Yachts‘ shipyard in Avigliana, Italy. Not too big, not too small, luxuriously appointed yet nimble and sporty, the venerable Fly 72 has long been an example of the marque’s greatest achievements. So one can understand the excitement when Azimut announced plans to debut an all-new Fly 72 at the 2023 Cannes Yachting Festival.

Following the overwhelming response from that first toe in the water, the new Fly 72 has proven nothing short of a smash hit that improves on the original in every possible way. That’s a tall order, so let’s take a closer look.

In keeping with several recent debuts, the Fly 72 exterior design reflects the talented hand of Alberto Mancini, whose unmistakable styling honours Azimut’s family DNA while further emphasizing the distinctive lines and sculptural forms that define the entire flybridge series. The result is fresh, vibrant, and visually striking in a way that suggests motion even when the yacht is firmly secured to the pier.

But in a bold move, Azimut turned the interiors over to renowned architect and designer Fabio Fantolino, who marks his yacht debut with the Fly 72. Interior decor has long been the realm of Achille Salvagni, with his familiar incorporation of fluid shapes, gentle textures, and soft pastels. He’s an acknowledged master of blending form and function, but with perhaps a more feminine taste than might suit the 72 Fly’s more masculine and defined new exterior. Enter Fantolino, who works innovative combinations of colours, textures, and materials to beautifully balance this yacht’s linearity and softness, emphasizing warmth and feel over the hard, highly polished, and high-maintenance interiors seen on some other recent Italian yachts.

It’s an approach that immediately resonates with buyers, as evidenced by the flood of orders for the 72 Fly since its Cannes debut.

Boarding from the stern, the single-level main deck presents four distinct spaces for entertaining or quiet relaxation. The cockpit, protected under its overhead hardtop, focuses around a magnificent, forward-facing, wraparound settee that surrounds an elegant twin-pedestal teak table, creating the yacht’s natural gathering space for morning coffee, evening cocktails, and al fresco meals in between. It’s warm, informal, and immediately inviting with its plush upholstery and rounded surfaces.

A near full beam sliding-glass entry leads inside into the salon, where Fantolino’s contemporary but subdued decor treatments invite relaxation and comfort. A delightful seating area aft with facing settees leads forward to a dinette-style interior dining space to port, with seating for eight. A galley sits opposite, for a decidedly familiar and homey feel.

A tastefully appointed helm console with twin captain’s chairs occupies the forward end of the salon, its glass dash presenting a neat and orderly feel. A wide stairway adjacent leads below to the overnight accommodations. Amidships is the expansive owner’s suite, with its large walk-in closet, immense private head, port-side seating area, and queen bed. Large, full-length privacy windows flood the space with natural light, while generous headroom eliminates any chance of ever feeling cramped.

An equally impressive VIP suite in the bow is almost as large and opulent as the owner’s suite, while a pair of guest staterooms to either side of the yacht—one double and one twin—are each served by private ensuites.

Back in the main deck salon, a wide staircase leads up to the flybridge deck, which loosely mirrors the main-level salon and cockpit with a wet bar, a delightful dinette, a forward helm station, and a selection of comfortable settees aft for sunning, reading, or simply enjoying the views.

To really enjoy the fresh air and summer sun, there’s no better space than the Fly 72’s foredeck. Accessed from side promenades that circle the main deck, the foredeck offers a large U-shaped, forward-facing settee like the one in the cockpit, which surrounds its own pedestal-mount table. Forward still is a triple-wide sun lounge for working on that Saint-Tropez tan in glorious comfort.

With its twin 1,400 horsepower MAN V12s, the Fly 72 cruises between ports of call at a crisp 26 knots and can top 31 knots if it needs to get somewhere in a hurry. That’s impressive for such a large and beautifully appointed yacht.

Azimut managed to stir the waters at Cannes with its all-new Fly 72, and it doesn’t take long aboard to appreciate why. There’s nothing revolutionary here, but every aspect of the Fly 72 is done to such a high level of care and craftsmanship that it is impossible to not feel instantly at home. And in that respect, it’s clear why this wonderful yacht stands alone.