Category Archives: Technology

We Will Power the Whole World: Florida’s Clean Energy and Ocean Energy Technology

Admittedly the concept of powering the whole world seems far fetched. Yet researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering are making that claim.

The relatively new field of ocean engineering is a multidisciplinary field dedicated to developing new technologies to explore and harness the ocean’s resources. Ocean engineers design, build, operate and maintain ships, offshore structures, submarines, sailboats, tankers, tugboats, yachts, oil rigs, underwater robots, and acoustic sonar.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are adopting existing green energy applications, such as hydrogen, wind and thermal renewable energy resources, and converting the engineering principles to harvest the power of the ocean. Ocean engineers are designing ocean turbines, that operate much like wind turbines, to produce electricity that is transmitted to shore. Ocean thermal energy is a resource that can be produced by driving warm surface water to colder ocean depths. Underwater electricity can be generated to produce hydrogen that will be pumped to waiting tankers at the surface for transport to shore.

Will Florida power the world? Unlikely. But global dissemination of green ocean engineering research promotes a greener world armed with alternatives.

Our companies and the yachting industry strongly encourage conservation of environmental resources by promoting Green Chartering for Low Carbon Emissions.

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Dockwise Yacht Transport and Floating Life: A Match Made in Heaven

Some unions are meant to be, and when Floating Life, an international yacht management and service company, was introduced to Dockwise Yacht Transport a year and a half ago, it seemed a match made in heaven. Floating Life bears responsibility for some of the world’s most prestigious yachts and demands the highest degree of professional competence from those involved with the coordination of countless technical, administrative and logistical details. In the case of transporting Floating Life’s three 131- foot Norman Foster-designed luxury superyachts back and forth between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, Floating Life entrusted Dockwise Yacht Transport.

MY Ocean Emerald, MY Ocean Pearl and MY Ocean Sapphire are the basis of Floating Life’s unique fractional ownership program, by which 24 families have owner access to the yachts for a specified number of days per year. With fractional ownership, these families are able to reserve their cruise dates, are assured safety and first class service, and significantly reduce cruising costs.

The yachts will be berthed in Greece, Sardinia and the south of France this summer. Toward that end, both Ocean Emerald and Ocean Pearl completed a voyage in March from Martinique to Toulon aboard Dockwise Yacht Transport’s Super Servant 4.

Dockwise owns a total of four yacht carriers, including the 686-foot (209 meter) super ship Yacht Express, and operates on a regular schedule to deliver yachts around the world. The ships, looking something like giant moving marinas when they come to town, use their unique loading method to allow yachts of any size to be safely floated on and off as cargo. The carriers submerge themselves by pumping nine million gallons of water into their ballast tanks; the vessels are floated into place one-by-one, then sea-fastened before the ship pumps dry to prepare for boat transport. Once the ship reaches its final destination, the process is reversed so the yachts can safely disembark with captains, owners and/or crews aboard to take them by their own power to new adventures. Dockwise Yacht Transport also orchestrates lift-on/lift-off arrangements with third-party carriers for clients wanting a more flexible shipping schedule or to explore destinations where the float-on/float-off ships are not scheduled to go.

 

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America’s Cup and ACWS: Introducing Exhilarating New Events and Technologies

Fifteen yacht clubs from 12 countries have committed to field teams to compete in the next America’s Cup, scheduled in San Francisco in 2013. Launching the event are pre-Cup races called the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS), which start this summer in Europe and the US. The America’s Cup now features two new high-tech catamaran designs representing the next generation in sailing technology, as well as onboard cameras for the ultimate in armchair participation.

The ACWS will start in Cascais, Portugal in August, followed by a race in Plymouth, England in September. A third regatta in San Diego will take place between mid-October and early December. Two more events will take place in 2012 before the Louis Vuitton Series, which selects a “Challenger” among the competing teams to face off against the America’s Cup “Defender” Oracle Racing in the 2013 America’s Cup.

Competing on the ACWS circuit will be the AC45 catamaran, a smaller version of the AC72. Both new designs are expected to reach speeds two to three times faster than previous IACC class monohulls. In fact, the tremendous speed and power, particularly of the larger AC72, introduces an entirely new and spine tingling element of danger to the competitions, as well as showcasing extraordinary breakthroughs in sailing technology.

Please follow this link to view a wide range of charter yachts available for the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco

Please see our Yachting Events Calendar and our Regattas and Sailing Events page for schedules and available charter race and spectator yachts.

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Meg Toppa Reports from St. Barths Bucket Regatta

It is an absolutely spectacular sailing event here in beautiful St. Barths. I was able to sail on Meteor,  a valiant 167 ft. Royal Huisman and watched as the crew practiced tacks and gybes,  raised the spinnaker and practiced  fleet-handed maneuvers.  Schools of flying fish and a daring humpback whale were playing in the surf, while overhead, a fleet of planes from the Texas Flying Legends Museum (owned by the owner of ketch Marie, also sailing in the bucket) dazzled crowds.

Celebrity sightings: David Letterman and Jimmy Buffet.  Jimmy is a friend of the owner of Meteor and will be sailing with the team.  He came on board and warmly shared a toast with us!  He seems to know several of these yacht owners and has no lack of invitations to sail!

Meteor won the regatta 3 years ago, she was fresh from the factory.  Last year they didn’t do so well so this year they’re ready to redeem themselves.  They have as their tactician, a veteran of four America’s Cups and three Volvo ‘s (formerly the Whitbread).  For up to the minute events please visit  St. Barths Bucket Regatta.

For information on races and regattas worldwide please see our overview on Regattas and Sailing Events and the Yachting Events Calendar.

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CRN Double Superyacht Launch: LADY TRUDY and CRN 130

The shipyard of Ancona of the Ferretti Group celebrates two launchings in less than a week, a clear sign of the popularity of this prolific brand, the strength of its business model and an increasingly vital economy.  CRN, the shipyard and the brand of the Ferretti Group, launched LADY TRUDY yesterday, a 140-foot composite build, and Saturday 26th March, the CRN 130, a steel and aluminum 197-footer, will be put at sea.  The two launchings include the ship owners, the shipyard workers and much fanfare.

LADY TRUDY is a composite displacement Navetta, the sixth hull of the Navetta 43 line. The yacht has a 140-foot LOA, 28-foot beam, and accommodates 10 passengers in five guest cabins. Interiors are finely furnished in a traditional American colonial style softened with a touch of the romantic “Hampton Style”.  Two Cat C32-C engines allow LADY TRUDY to reach a maximum speed of 15.5 knots and a cruising speed of 13 knots.

Interior layout and exterior styling is the result of in-house collaboration with the architects of Zuccon International Project Studio. Large volumes characterize four lofty decks and wide outdoor areas, including covered cockpits on both main and upper decks that open onto the majestic grey pearlescent hull. Notable features include the terraced master suite with balcony furnished with a coffee table and armchairs, an elongated sundeck at the stern for a helicopter landing pad, a large fitness area at the stern and the “little beach” close to the sea at the stern, distinctive features of CRN that enable owners to experience and have direct contact with the sea.

The imposing CRN 130 with steel hull and aluminum superstructure features an elongated, streamlined profile with tapered, sleek bow that compliments voluminous spaces overlooking the sea. Exterior styling and interior layout is the product of collaboration between Zuccon International Project Studio and the CRN technical department, while the interior design is by architects Alexandre and Cristina Negoescu.

Technological innovations that distinguish the CRN brand include the terrace in the master cabin and the beach club at the stern, with a stern hatch that turns into a big beach close to the water. The vessel can accommodate 12 guests in five guest cabins, the master cabin and 14 crewmembers.  Circular patterns prevail in the interior design with fluid spaces that meld seamlessly into other areas.  Minimalist style enlivened by an art deco spirit fuse elegance and sophistication in a Nuevo modern style. The CRN 130 is equipped with two CATERPILLAR 3512B-Chp 1’455 kW@1835 rpm engines that attain a maximum speed of 15 knots and a cruising speed of 14 knots.

Please use this link to access our comprehensive selection of the finest Luxury Charter Superyachts in the world.

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