Yachting Intelligence

Sauter Carbon Offset Design introduces Black Magic, a zero carbon vessel that points to the way  future tankers can reduce their GHG emissions by 6 billion tons over the next 20 year

Black Magic is a 4,000 ton Solar hybrid Vessel that reduces GHG emissions by 75 to 100% by harnessing energy from the sun, wind and waves, It features Mercedes Benz / MTU Bluetec engines to deliver the cleanest marine propulsion system the world has ever seen.

Richard Sauter head of design commented  “Now that the North Pole is little more than a fragmented pile of frozen debris, cargo vessels going between Japan and Germany have cut 4000 miles off the journey. Read the rest of this entry »

Yachts for long have been toys of the rich to show the world that they have finally arrived in life. Such contraptions whose primary purpose is snob value are unlikely candidates for saving the planet. Yet, there has been a extremely concerted effort by the yacht making industry as a whole, to go green.

IKKAR Concept Hybrid Yacht

Kicking the feature off, here is a concept yacht called the IKKAR, which has been put together by a Strate College design student named Julien Anglade. The IKKAR Yacht features a streamlined design to optimize the use of energy to propel itself. Also, the IKKAR is innovatiely designed to change its shape to suit the passengers needs. At low speeds, the IKKAR will drop the sides of its hull flat into the water. This will allow the passengers to float with the waves, thus enhancing the fair-weather sailing experience. The IKKAR Hybrid Yacht’s green credentials lie in the sail, which is impregnated with solid solar cells that will help propel this 150m long yacht that can accommodate all of 50 passengers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Italy’s largest yacht makers are resisting the price cuts started by overseas rivals and will target wealthy consumers by offering more services and eco- friendlier vessels.

« Whoever is cutting prices heavily is committing suicide, » said Paolo Vitelli, Azimut Benetti Group chief executive officer, in an interview at the Genoa Boat Show, which started on Oct. 3. « The buyer would probably think you have a product that loses its value quickly » if you resort to price cutting, he said.

Yacht makers are suffering after international boat sales fell about 30 percent last year and some customers canceled orders amid the worst recession in six decades. Read the rest of this entry »

As a sport, yachting may be all about harnessing the power of the wind, but for most superyachts, that’s where ecofriendliness ends.

Typically, these 45-meter-plus boats guzzle huge amounts of fuel while their owners host lavish parties that require high-powered amenities like air conditioning and fancy sound systems. But the green agenda has begun to reach even these behemoths of the sea, with marine architects and designers seeking ever more innovative ways to apply conservation technologies to their vessels. Read the rest of this entry »

Depuis cinq ans, les projets de yachts de plus de 50 mètres ont explosé à travers le monde. Enchères de luxe, de taille et de puissance. Les propriétaires se sont aussi affrontés sur le terrain du mauvais goût. La crise sonne la fin de la récré. La tendance est à l’esthétisme, aux propulsions hybrides et aux concepts intelligents.

Le milliardaire russe Andreï  Melnichenko a fait appel à Philippe Starck pour concevoir le A, un yacht à l’allure de sous marin pour minimiser sa prise au vent.

Ce dimanche de mai de Grand Prix à Monaco, on en apprend davantage sur les yachts en faisant son jogging sur le chemin des douaniers du Cap Martin qu’en flânant dans n’importe quel festival de plaisance Read the rest of this entry »