Category Archives: Technology

Race Winning Potential: Green Marine Rudder for 216-Foot Vitters Sloop

Green Marine, a leading specialist in high-tech carbon fiber molding, announced their latest accomplishment, the completion of one of the world’s largest composite rudders for an in-build project at Vitters Shipyard in the Netherlands. A performance boat builder in Lymington, UK, Green Marine has built many of the world’s renowned racing and cruising yachts, including Volvo Round the World Race contenders, America’s Cup challengers, and cutting-edge cruising superyachts.

The rudder, designed by Dubois Naval Architects for a new 216-foot sloop, is constructed of carbon fiber for outstanding strength and stiffness at the lowest possible weights. A test program was created to validate the properties of the chosen materials and if the 25-foot rudder meets performance expectations it is likely to impact construction techniques throughout the marine industry.

Green Marine used high-tech 3D precision measurement equipment during construction, which played a vital role in the validation of the accuracy of the foil shape and the bearing alignment. Once in service the rudder will see enormous twisting and bending loads and the Dubois team calculate that the reaction load at the lower bearing will reach up to 160 tonnes. The rudder also features a crash tip that will snap off in the event of the vessel grounding.

Specializing in working with carbon fiber, Green Marine is well placed to have built this innovative rudder, having built rudders for other Vitters super yachts, and more than 50 racing and cruising yachts ranging from 40-130 feet. In recent years, the company has also applied its expertise to a wide variety of composite industrial and commercial components, including steering systems, canards, hatches, water tight doors and superstructures for racing and super yachts.

If you want to feel the adrenaline rush of high performance racing, Boatbookings.com offers information on race destinations and an extensive selection of luxury race yachts. Here is a link to help you set sail: Regatta

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TÛRANOR PlanetSolar: Eco Catamaran Destined as a Luxury Yacht

TûRANOR PlanetSolar reminds me that visionaries of the past, like Isaac Asimov, were closer to future reality than fiction. The goal of the PlanetSolar team is to pioneer the circumnavigation of the globe in a boat driven exclusively by solar power.

Even before embarkation from Monaco on September 27, the TûRANOR PlanetSolar team made impressive advancements in the production and application of composite materials and structures, and the production and storage of solar energy, that will likely set a precedent for future yacht design.

The vision of the project is to enlighten the public about the possibilities and importance of renewable energy as well as practical applications in the increasingly eco conscious marine industry. According to the company, construction costs were a primary consideration, and builds will be kept reasonable and competitive through the use of materials and technologies available today, which have the potential to be mass-produced.

PlanetSolar, which will be home to four sailors during the circumnavigation, is designed as a luxury catamaran yacht with a crew of six, and can accommodate up to forty people while in port. The vessel is presently at the Beach Marina in Miami after cruising 61 days 34 minutes from Monaco with stops in Las Palmas and St. Maarten.

The TÛRANOR PlanetSolar website is informative and fun, with many features including; Google Earth RSS-Feed, live current boat location, photos and logbook. There is even a Virtual Regatta that lets you be the skipper!

If you are interested in eco-friendly charter yachting, Boatbookings.com offers pertinent information that can be found at: Green Chartering – Low Carbon Emissions Charter

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Yachting Destination Bimini Bay Resort Joins Shark-Free Intitiative

The island of Bimini in the Bahamas has long been a paradise for yachtsmen, sport fishermen and water sports enthusiasts. Reputedly discovered by Ponce de Leon in his quest for the Fountain of Youth, Bimini remains an unspoiled place of beauty and serenity.

Bimini Bay Resort and Marina, an elegant complex that welcomes charter guests, is the third resort in Bimini to join the Shark-Free Marinas initiative. A popular destination and leading employer on the island, they hope to educate both tourists and locals with a goal to raise awareness of the need to protect Bimini shark populations.

Shark-Free Marinas participate in a voluntary program that prohibits fisherman from bringing sharks they have caught into their facilities. Participating members support tagging programs and promote catch-and-release techniques. The aim is to reduce the mortal take of sharks and encourage responsible use of the ocean.

The world-renowned Bimini Biological Field Station is a place of interest for those concerned with the health of the oceans. Known as Sharklab, the research facility located on South Bimini studies the many species of shark in the unique habitat of the surrounding waters.

Bimini Bay Resort and Marina welcomes luxury charter yachts to dock and take advantage of their four-star facilities and amenities. For additional destination and yacht charter information Boatbookings.com is an excellent resource. Here is a helpful link: Bahamas Yacht Charter

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YCO Yacht Company Sponsors Charity Expedition to the South Pole

Apparently nobody to date has attempted to travel the 1400 miles roundtrip from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back without support or assistance of any kind. Go figure. However, this week Chris Foot will attempt to complete this mission of charity to raise funds and awareness for Combat Stress, an organization dedicated to the mental health of former military personnel.

Chris, who joined the Royal Marines in 1996, has always pushed himself beyond the limit. At the age of 21 he joined the elite Special Air Service as the youngest serving member to gain acceptance. In this capacity and throughout his military career he conquered cold weather and attained mountaineering skills that prepared him for the demanding challenges of polar exploration.

Combat Stress dates back to 1919 and the welfare needs of British servicemen following World War I. Today the organization plays a major role in assisting ex-service people with mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. While the expedition costs are covered by corporate sponsorships including YCO, donations in support of Chris’ endeavors are being solicited that will go directly to Combat Stress.

Antarctica is a breathtaking region of pristine natural beauty and extraordinary wildlife. Boatbookings.com features information on luxury yacht charters in this spectacular region.

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Boatbookings Onboard 147-Foot Luxury Explorer BIG FISH: The Yacht Without Borders

We’re standing on the world’s first granite decks. They are classically handsome and impervious to Jimmy Choos, non-skid yet sensually smooth, and we are told you can light a fire on them, just like at the beach, and the crew need only hose them down to clean them up. This remarkable decking was just one facet of BIG FISH, the most innovative and distinguished vessel we’ve seen to date.

Boatbookings went onboard for a tour with Jim Gilbert of Aquos Yachts, whose passion for BIG FISH is easily understood. “This is a charter yacht for people who are younger, more active, or people who are young at heart,” says Gilbert. “It’s a boat to go places and do things that are different.

This boat may never see the Med, she’s more at home in Tahiti, Antarctica, or through the Northeast Passage over the top of Russia, where we’re heading this summer. BIG FISH will be the first yacht ever to do that. In between we’re chartering in the Amazon, then we’re heading to the northern islands of Europe and the Land of the Midnight Sun.”

BIG FISH accommodates 10 guests and 10 crew, has a 10,000-mile range and enough storage facilities to be off the dock for four months at a time. It is a yacht built to explore the world with all the luxury of an exquisite boutique hotel, right down to the finest linens.

Everything on BIG FISH is about adaptability and spontaneity. You can have your breakfast on deck, in the galley, upstairs, in the main salon, even on the observation pod, 43 feet above sea level, whatever moves you in the moment, whichever way the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.

The breathtaking owner’s suite features a private half deck with sun pads that can be raised or lowered, or converted to a table. Four guest queens convert to two full-beam VIPs, perfect for families with children, exquisite for adult couples. Even the comfortable chairs are collapsible. Other notable features include stern quarters that unfold down on both sides for lounging and safe water access, an atrium video screen that spans three decks and a garage that transforms to a disco.

“But the story about this boat is really the story about the tender,” says Gilbert. “The owner was a long time charterer of superyachts. After several charters he realized he liked to dive, fish, explore, and ended up spending most of the day on the tender only to return to the yacht with sore knees, painful kidneys, tanks that fell on his feet. He realized that all the fun things he did were on a rib, which was miserable. So he designed this fully tricked-out tender, it weighs three and a half tons, is fully fared, has a 200 mile range, jet drive, seats 12 people plus crew, all the dive tanks you need, outriggers for fishing, and there’s a bathroom onboard. Then he went to Greg Marshall (Greg C. Marshal Naval Architects) and said build me a boat to house this tender.”

BIG FISH is the end product of extraordinary vision and meticulous design. For the adventurous charter client, BIG FISH is simply unsurpassed. We will provide additional descriptions and impressions of BIG FISH, as well as the newest project under construction at McMullen & Wing for Aquos Yachts, STARFISH, in the near future.

Access Boatbookings.com for information on chartering BIG FISH, or to view an extensive selection of the world’s finest charter yachts through this link: Super and Mega Luxury Yacht Charter

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