Yachting-Live

Launchings
* A Viking ship made from ice-cream sticks set sail for England from the Netherlands on Tuesday.

The 15-metre (50-foot) long ship, named after the Norse god Thor, is made from 15 million recycled ice-cream sticks glued together by U.S.-born stuntman Robert McDonald, his son and more than 5,000 children.

‘If you can dream it you can do it … I want to teach children that anything is possible,’ McDonald said.

Badly injured as a child in a gas explosion that killed the rest of his family, he has loaded his ship with cuddly toys and plans to reach London and visit children in hospitals.

He and his crew hope to cross the Atlantic later on the ancient Viking route to North America via Iceland and Greenland. — Catherine Hornby, Reuters, cited in Sail-World.com, www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=43358

* Monday April 7 saw the latest cutting edge IMOCA Open 60 hit the water ahead of the Vendee Globe 2008. Artemis Ocean Racing II, the new all-British designed, built and sponsored IMOCA Open 60 racing yacht, was officially unveiled at Ocean Village in Southampton. The boat has been two years in the planning, design and build and incorporates features which have, until now, been unavailable in this exciting class of mono hull ocean racing.

Photo by Mark Lloyd, www.lloydimages.com

Jonny Malbon, 33, is making his solo sailing debut this season in the Artemis Transat in May 2008, before tackling the Vendee Globe. The young Brit cut his teeth preparing IMOCA Open 60 racing yachts for some of Britain’s most famous solo sailors, most notably Dame Ellen Macarthur, and now takes to the stage himself to take on the best in world, once his heroes and now his peers.

“I would like to thank everyone at Artemis Investment Management, Rogers Yacht Design, Neville Hutton Boat Builders and all the people within Artemis Ocean Racing that have worked so hard for such a long time to reach this point. I hope we can go on to achieve fantastic success in 2008.”

The Artemis IMOCA Open 60 will be the only British designed and built IMOCA Open 60 on the professional circuit. Last week in accordance with seafaring tradition to bring a vessel good luck the mast was stepped on top of a coin. Artemis purchased from The British Mint, a 2008 British Gold Sovereign which is now positioned at the very core of the Open 60 reinforcing once again that this is a truly British campaign. — www.artemisoceanracing.com

* Hemisphere (formerly Project Gemini), designed by naval architects Van Peteghem Lauriot Prevost (VPLP) and built by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut is on course to be delivered towards the latter part of this year.

With a length overall of 44.2m (145ft) and a gross tonnage of just under 500, she is set to scoop the record as the world’s largest sailing catamaran. However, this will by no means be her only impressive credential, and the team behind the project has pooled their respective talents and expertise to accomplish the execution of this vessel.

Derecktor Shipyards was chosen to undertake the project from their Bridgeport facility, which is one of Derecktor’s three locations serving the eastern seaboard of the US for new-build, repair/refit and service work. Likewise, architects Van Peteghem Lauriot Prevost were the obvious candidates to lend their expertise to such a specialized project.

A draft of only 3m (9.8ft) ensures ease of maneuverability and access to ports and lagoons inaccessible to monohulls of comparable size. Decks and rig are remarkably uncluttered as visible deck hardware has been minimized and the 53m (174ft) high mast soars free of spreaders with all lines run internally. Tenders are also ingeniously stowed out of sight and the port transom houses a full water sports and dive locker served by a large hydraulic swim platform.

Destined for the luxury charter market in tropical climates, Hemisphere boasts a spacious flybridge with Jacuzzi, sun pads and shaded dining along with a vast indoor/outdoor living area on the main deck. Accommodation for 12 guests is arranged in 5 comfortable suite cabins and the yacht will operate with a professional crew of 8. — www.luxurycatamaran.blogspot.com

* Sunreef Yachts announced the second order in two months for a superyacht in the Sunreef series.

Just months after beginning construction of a Sunreef 102 Double Decker, Sunreef’s in-house design team has developed a new concept - at 106 feet,a fast, high-performance but luxurious multihull, the Sunreef 106 Sailing.

The basic 100 foot concept design has been customized and extended up to 106 feet to satisfy a European client’s wishes for a somewhat larger Sunreef 100 while retaining the general aspect and exterior lines.

With this order, Sunreef Yachts is the first and only shipyard in the world to have under construction two multihulls over 100 feet.

* Hampshire UK based interior design studio Design Unlimited have been contracted to undertake the interior design of a Dubois 36m performance sailing sloop.

The brief given to the studio for the interior was for a modern stylish minimal look with little or no wooden finishes save for the wide-planked polished wenge floors. This has involved the design team in a challenging search for innovative and striking finishes resulting in the use of leather and shagreen wrapped wall panels and custom glass pieces which combine with lacquered bulkheads for an overall effect of cool contemporary elegance. Interest has been added with a variety of textured fabrics including new Majilite finishes, soft rugs and textured leather. Despite the minimal look comfort is still very integral to the yacht’s design with plenty of large sofas upon which to relax.

The yacht features a raised saloon with panoramic views and an extending coffee/dining table. Entertaining on board is important so a large well equipped galley with breakfast bar opens on to the crew mess for ease of use. Accommodation is by way of an elegant ensuite master cabin plus pullman aft and two separate en-suite guest cabins.

The yacht is building at Yachting Developments Limited in New Zealand and is due for completion in 2009. The project team is completed by project manager Guy Waddilove of Waddilove Yachts.

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