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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Boatbookings Onboard Westport 112 RESILIENCE: Chic and Child Friendly

RESILIENCE is a splendid Westport 112, as ideal for charter families as it is for a honeymoon couple. Boatbookings went on board for some intimate insight into this appealing yacht and her delightful crew.

Entering the elegant main salon on RESILIENCE we immediately feel relaxed and welcome. New upholstery, soft goods and bedding throughout the yacht are the design of the very talented Stewardess, Margaret Hill, who also owns a design and furniture shop on Cape Cod.

RESILIENCE has the inviting ambiance of an elegant Cape Cod seaside home, the gentle palette of blues and greens, of seashells and sea creatures, is utterly charming. The entire yacht features new carpeting selected by the owner who also designed the vogue pattern in the main salon.

The master suite onboard luxury yacht RESILIENCE is roomy and features plenty of built-in storage, including a cedar-lined walk-in closet. In the stunning his and hers bath, mirrored walls and ceiling infinitely expand the generous space. The VIP stateroom forward, positioned off by itself, is very private and romantic.

RESILIENCE is an excellent family charter yacht that is very child friendly. The owner has two children aged seven and nine that according to the captain “live in the cabin with twin bunks and regularly destroy it.” Of course, one would never know, the playful yet sophisticated marine-themed room is in immaculate condition.

One of the features we love about the Westport 112 design is the homey eat-in galley kitchen. It also provides a great place to let the children eat, watch the Chef, and perhaps lend a hand with the pancakes or pizza dough.

We could smell the aromas of the sumptuous appetizers being prepared for us by Chef Jason Wagner literally all the way down the dock. His menu included sinfully delicious mini beef Wellingtons (and nobody could eat just one). Salmon canapés with a delightful hint of hot, and prosciutto with Parmesan and champagne strawberry jelly, were among the chef’s other creations. We are standing by for promised recipes.

RESILIENCE has a sundeck that beckons a gathering for cocktails at the bar or a soak in the Jacuzzi. The deck is also equipped with exercise equipment, installed for the owner and guests as a battle strategy against the allure of Chef Jason’s irresistible cuisine.

In addition to being a charming and knowledgeable Captain, Ian O’Connell is also a carpenter and mechanic. He likes to take on annual projects during “down time” that would be daunting to most of us. For example, this year he laid down all new teak on deck and built new cabinet mounts to flush mount the brand new flat screen TVs throughout the yacht.

On the bridge the Captain remarked, “I have the best office of any of my friends at work, and the bestview that always changes.” We cannot dispute this, and comfortable seating overlooking the helm allows charter guests to share in the privileged view.

Captain Ian and the rest of the crew, except the chef, all hail from the Cape Cod area, the summer home of RESILIENCE. Because they are natives, they take exceptional pride and delight in providing charter guests with a particularly intimate view of the region. They are also very familiar with the Caribbean and are particularly enthusiastic about the BVI as a winter charter destination.

Boatbookings.com features detailed information about luxury yacht RESILIENCE and other stunning charter yachts and yachting destinations world wide. Here are some useful links to help launch your vacation of a lifetime: Crewed Yacht Charter,  Yacht Charter Destinations, Super and Mega Luxury Yacht Charter

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REEF Experts Reveal Luxury Yacht Destination Palm Beach Boasts Awesome Snorkeling and Diving

Palm Beach has a plethora of activities to offer yacht charter clients. Designer shops and gourmet restaurants line Worth Avenue, excellent museums, upscale marinas and the Blue Heron Bridge, which according to Mike Phelan, REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) Expert surveyor, is a little known biological hotspot.

This is a top dive destination for sighting unusual species that can be added to your lifelist. Mike Phelan and two other REEF members often dive this site. The day before Thanksgiving, they were treated to quite a sight – a large school of Cownose Rays! This is a rare sighting in Florida, but it’s just another day at the Blue Heron Bridge. Some of the more unusual and recent sightings include the Blackwing Searobin, Roughtail Ray, Northern Stargazer, Orange spotted Blenny, Polkadot Batfish, and the Chain Pipefish. In fact, the Blue Heron Bridge has over 282 species recorded in the REEF database and this number is on the rise.

The dive site is located in Phil Foster County Park. Dives must be shore based and dive at high tides when depths range from 8 to 17 feet. Mark Phelan suggests that divers may combine their bridge dive with offshore diving in Jupiter to witness the winter Lemon shark aggregation, or in early summer for the active Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback turtle-nesting season.

REEF is an active organization of divers and marine enthusiasts committed to ocean conservation. Their many projects include a lionfish research program. Lionfish are exquisitely beautiful but unfortunately an invasive species of voracious predators that pose a serious threat to the marine environment. In an effort to stop the rapidly expanding population, REEF has just published The Lionfish Cookbook, with the aim to make the fish a catch in high demand. The book makes a novel holiday gift for Atlantic and Caribbean divers, with proceeds that support marine conservation and lionfish research.

Photos by Mike Phelan, courtesy of REEF.org

Boatbookings.com has an extensive selection of yachts available for charter equipped with dive gear and dive masters onboard. Here are a couple of links to begin exploring the possibilities:  Florida and Bahamas Yacht Charter,  Caribbean Yacht Charter,  BVI Yacht Charter

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Boatbookings Onboard Moonen 124 Northlander: A Luxury Yacht of Style and Sophistication

One of the largest vessels launched by Moonen shipyard to date, NORTHLANDER made her US debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and Boatbookings was delighted with the opportunity to tour this elegant yacht with the builder.

NORTHLANDER is a 124’ steel-hulled expedition yacht, ideal for chartering to any port of call. It is hardly surprising that NORTHLANDER was a finalist in this year’s most prestigious 2010 World Superyacht Awards, selected by a jury comprised of owners and industry experts.

Moonen Shipyard, located in Voss in southern Holland, builds only three to four boats per year, each with entirely customized interiors. NORTHLANDER is the end product of the close collaboration between the Owner and Art-Line Design Interiors.

Throughout the yacht, unique decorative finishes such as pyramid shaped panel sections, sculptural copper and copper mesh, punctuate elegant oak soles and immaculate cherry wood joinery. Sophisticated modern furnishings are playfully touched by bursts of 60s mod fabrics and accents.

The ambience of NORTHLANDER is incredibly unique. A very calm and serene quality is achieved through the use of materials reminiscent of summer, such as woven cane, river rock, and kirei board, an eco-friendly material made from the soybean plant. This ingenious juxtaposition of many different elements works amazingly well together.

On NORTHLANDER, the four-deck central atrium and spiral staircase is the signature feature. Connecting lower deck to sundeck, it is topped by a hydraulically opening skylight that gives access to the sun deck when open and allows a column of light that fills the core of the yacht, augmenting the surround of full height windows on three sides of the main and bridge deck salons.

Accommodations are in the main deck master forward, and two double and two twin guest suites amidships on the lower deck. Intricately woven cane beds seem to float peacefully above the floor creating a wonderfully airy feeling. Master and guest bathrooms are handsomely designed with a rare level of sophistication.

The bright and inviting bridge beckons guests to sit and pretend, if only for a moment, that they are master and commander. The helm design is based on ergonomic principles, which surround the Captain in an awesome array of high tech monitors, panels, joysticks, buttons and digitized controls, all within arms reach of the centrally positioned adjustable chair.

The sundeck on NORTHLANDER is well equipped for an on deck barbeque, or cocktails in the Jacuzzi. At the spacious round table, a large glass lazy susan is perfect for family style dining al fresco.

NORTHLANDER is stylish, stable, comfortable and a very special yacht. Whether guests choose to be out on deck or relax indoors, each area can handle the crowd with ease, yet each space has an intimacy to delight the most romantic couple.

Boatbookings features extensive information to assist you in chartering the perfect yacht. Here is a link to help begin your quest: Super and Mega Luxury Yacht Charter

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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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