Inspired by the big seas of the South African sports fishing scene, the original Bluegame concept was for a sporty open hardtop with a raised wheelhouse deck and a decent half-deck’s worth of accommodation down below, first with the BG42 and then the BG62.
But the extra length and height of the bigger model tempted Luca Santella, Bluegame’s founder, to revisit the lower deck, with spectacular results.
First the BGX60, and then the BGX70, offered full-length living spaces down below, from taffrail to stemhead, with the engines lurking under that huge aft deck and an excellent aft saloon down on the waterline into which, somewhat counter-intuitively, you step down from the aft deck, rather than up.
So it was inevitable that the new Bluegame BG72 should follow suit. The new model retains the shorter enclosed wheelhouse and wide-open upper deck of the rest of the BG range, and it has the same punchy IPS engine options as the BGX70, along with the excellent deep-V naval architecture from Lou Codega.
And it also features the superb BGX-style lower deck. Perhaps sensibly, Bluegame has decided to simplify the choices available down there.
The BGX70 is offered with a bewildering combination of double cabins, twin cabins and seating areas, although none of them encroaches on that sacred aft saloon.
On the new Bluegame BG72, all the available layouts have three cabins, including one in which that lovely low-level space aft becomes the owner’s cabin.
It’s a tempting thought – and you do get a midships seating area on the starboard side as a consolation prize, while what would otherwise be the main cabin, up in the bow, becomes more luxurious quarters for your VIPs.
Our advice, however, would be to sod the VIPs and stick with that sea-level saloon – it’s terrific.
Bluegame 72 specification
LOA: 74ft 6in (22.7m)
Beam: 18ft 3in (5.6m)
Engines: Twin Volvo IPS1200/1350
Top speed: 30 knots
Starting price: TBC
