Built For Bluewater

Made for an owner with a very particular set of demands, the first contest 85cs incorporates a host of features that make it a world cruiser with a difference. David harding tells the story

- David Harding

Cruising the world in a large, fast, comfortable yacht is everyone’s dream. Even if your finances allow the dream to become a reality, however, you’re still faced with the practicalities of running the boat; of undertaking or organising maintenance and repairs in parts of the world where you won’t find lift-out facilities and a well-stocked chandlery in every port.

You might have a permanent crew, but a modern yacht and its systems are complex. The greater the size, the greater the complexity and the more crew you will need, so how do you make sure you can enjoy your sailing with minimal downtime and without an army of technicians to hand? And if you’re a keen and experienced sailor who doesn’t want to forego the simple, elemental pleasures of sailing when a boat becomes larger, how do you make sure you end up with a boat that’s still fun to sail?

The answer to all these questions is to make some important decisions carefully from the outset. This is the story of a boat whose owner did exactly that; who knew what he wanted and chose with the greatest care. Those choices were, critically, shaped by the loss of his previous yacht, an extended Oyster 825 also named Polina Star, which lost her keel and sank in the Med in 2015.

Here we’re going to look at the design, the systems and the engineering that have gone into the creation of the new, truly remarkable yacht – an 85-footer that can be handled by a crew of two and in which sophistication and technology are combined with good oldfashioned back-to-basics practicality.

A project of integration