Jongert's largest motor yacht

The Dutch yacht builder Jongert is best known for its breathtaking 100 foot plus cruising yachts but its staff is in raptures after the sea trials of Lucia-M, the first Jongert 3900 motor yacht and the largest non-sailing vessel the yard has built.

Weighing in a just over 200 tonnes, the 120 foot Lucia-M startled her designers and builders by "handling like a runabout" during exhaustive testing in Holland's inner sea and the North Sea.

The yacht easily topped 30 knots and held a speed of 29 knots during a high speed Williamson Turn (a manoeuvre to recover a man overboard in poor conditions). A crash stop from more than 20 knots saw the vessel stop within three boat lengths. With counter set propellers, and without using bow or stern thrusters, the yacht pivoted around its own axis.

A spokesman for the Jongert Shipyard said the speed flexibility of the yacht was striking. "You go smoothly from full displacement to gliding across the water," he says, "In the Ijsselmer (the inland sea), which is only six metres deep, the yacht – which has a draught of two metres – effortlessly achieved its top speed without first drawing its back deeply into the water."

He says there was none of the unpleasant heavy stern wave generated by some large motor yachts when climbing on to the plane.

Lucia-M was planned and built after Jongert received many requests from customers who liked their sailing yachts but preferred motor yachts.

After the sea trials the lucky owner, for whom it is a fifth big motor yacht, said his expectations had been exceeded.

The yacht should be handed over next month.