Opposite the helm is a settee curving around a teak dining table, and aft is a wet bar/outdoor galley with grill and fridge. The electronics arch provides minimal shade, but a pair of cleverly designed Bimini tops unfurl from both the forward and after sides of the arch to fully protect the bridge from the midday sun.
The bridge deck extends aft and, probably for European owners, is covered with more sun pads. In this case, the owner’s daughter selected two magnificently sumptuous chaises that barely fill the area, creating yet another place to enjoy the sunset. 
There is another cabin, this one for a single crew, but it is so tiny it hardly qualifies as a cabin. Accessed through a watertight transom door, it’s sized for European crew attitudes and I wouldn’t put my mother-in-law there. (Wait, let me think about that. … )
The engine room, though packed to the gills with two MAN V-12 diesels putting out 1,400 hp each, still has a surprising amount of space between the engines (and full headroom) to reach the essential maintenance and service points.
Under way, the Cranchi 66 is nothing if not fun. With somewhere around 5,000 pounds of torque from each of those big German juggernaut diesels, she comes up onto a plane yesterday, and we topped out at 34 knots, which is pretty quick for moving 42 tons of suede and teak and glass through a viscous medium like seawater. At top speed you are, of course, consuming fuel at a rate that will earn you Christmas and birthday cards from your fuel dock.
But back off a bit, and the 66 settles into a pleasant gallop, eating up the miles at about 24 knots at just 1800 rpm. If you want to really stretch your legs, 10 knots is not far from a mile a gallon.
With 2,800 horses lurking in the engine room, I would have expected the 66 to be, ahem, a bit high on the noise-o-meter. Shows what I know. As it turned out, we were in the mid-70-decibel range until we put the hammers all the way down, which is certainly a tribute to the effort put into insulating anything that creates noise. I’m told Cranchi puts a layer of cork under the sole throughout the yacht, and when I was in the engine room, I noticed the extensive waffle-foam insulation. The result was that, at cruising speed, the loudest noises were the bow wave and a coffee cup rattling in the galley sink. Point made.
All told, I found the Cranchi Sixty 6 Fly to be altogether charming, a blend of European styling with great attention to detail. The equipment list is remarkable, and the yacht is built to high standards.
If Giovanni Cranchi were still around, he would certainly be orgogliosi: proud.
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Test Conditions: Speeds were measured by GPS off Boca Raton, Florida, with flat seas and light winds, with a full load of fuel, a ½ load of water and four people aboard. Fuel consumption was calculated by the electronic engine-monitoring system. Sound levels were measured at the helm.
RPM Knots GPH dB(A)
600 7.3 4 62
900 9.8 12 64
1200 11.1 32 68
1500 16.4 56 72
1800 23.8 88 74
2100 29.4 110 74
2350 34.1 140 78
LOA: 68’4”
BEAM: 16’8”
DISPL.: 84,450 lb.
FUEL: 951 gal.
WATER: 223 gal.
ENGINE OPTIONS: None
ENGINES TESTED: 2 x 1,400 hp MAN V-12 D2862-LE463 diesels
BASE PRICE: $2,052,000
Yacht Works, 877-391-2941; www.yachtworksfl.com
