by shipyour | Dec 27, 2012 | Captains Blog
Boaters everywhere know about the Rolex Volcano race, and photographers everywhere come to take pictures of it. If you weren’t there for the 2012 race you really missed out, because it was an awesome 6 day event from May 19th – May 26th.
With a score of ships from around the world coming to the Saint-Petersburg Yacht Club, there was more than enough to see. The second event of the campaign was a bumpy ride for the sailors and an exciting show for onlookers. With wind making it over 25 knots and storms nearly attacking ships, the event was not an easy one.
The Fastest Yacht
The first boat to complete the 300-nauticle mile course was the super yacht Nilaya. The Nilaya arrived at 20:05.06 CEST – one day, two hours, and six seconds after the race started. According to the crew of the super yacht they had a difficult start. The size of the yacht can be a hindrance if wind speed isn’t at necessary levels, and the start of the race was not as windy as they had hoped for.
The Nilaya was also the winner of last year’s Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, but although finishing first in the second leg, was not named the overall winner. The yacht Jethou, hitting 26-knots at one point, finished the first leg quickly enough that the combined time still places the yacht as the overall winner.
The Volcanoes Two Legs
The race had two legs; the first started in Gaeta, Italy and had them round Ponza to shoot towards Capri and was about 300-nautical miles. The second leg started at the Island of Stromboli Island, where the fleet headed to Vulcano Island, and then raced for Alicudi. The second leg was roughly 241-nautical miles and put the race total at around 641-nautical miles.
The Image of the Year
The image of the year is chosen from twenty-four of the best yacht racing photographs, and has been taken from submissions by at least forty-six different photographers. Delegates then view the choices left and narrow it down to five best images. From there an independent Jury chooses the winner from that five. This year’s Jury is comprised of Christian Février, Shirley Robertson, Ben Ainslie, Antonio Palma, and Will Morris.
This year’s winner is Kurt Arrigo, who’s submission is from the Volcano Race and was taken during an opportune time where the sun had come out just long enough for the golden shot.
by shipyour | Dec 19, 2012 | Boat Show, Captains Blog
The Miami International Boat Show, one of Miami’s biggest events each year, has been running since the 1940’s and is heading our way again! This February, from the 14th to the 18th, we get to experience another amazing event for boaters and yachters from around the world.
This boat show brings tourists in from all over the world to make it an amazing spectacle every year. Even the Super Bowl get’s put on hold for it! Presidents Day weekend becomes one of the busiest times of the year in Miami to manage all of the tourists coming in to see ships and yachts of all shapes and sizes.
Tickets are already on sale for the event and preparations are being made. Tickets can even be picked up as a combo pack for the Boat Show and the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which coincide with each other every year.
Take a look at Miami’s International Boat Show from last year!
2012 Miami International Boat Show
[youtube=http://youtu.be/LLNjo95DeuU]
Did you enjoy last year’s Boat Show? Are you coming this year?
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by shipyour | Dec 18, 2012 | Captains Blog
Hatteras Yachts is about to debut a new luxury yacht in the fall of 2013, the new 100 Raised Pilothouse! With Hatteras having some of the most luxurious yachts on the market, this is exciting news for yacht enthusiasts. This yacht is being envisioned as Hatters brand ambassador for the expansions being made to the yachting market.
Luxury Yachting
With four luxury staterooms and room for eight, this makes for a perfect vacation on the water. Each stateroom features its own premium A/V package that includes AM/FM radio with an iPod® dock, flat-screen LED TV, Bose® speakers, and a Blue-ray® disc player. Then you get to include a stocked wine cooler and the linens and bathrobes that come standard with the ship.
With the anticipated LOA of 100 feet and a beam of 22.5 feet, the 100 Raised Pilothouse will not be lacking in volume. The enormous flying bridge comes equipped with a large wet bar, as well as specially designed modular furniture that is easily arrangeable to the owners needs.
Down Below
Besides the staterooms there is also a full-beam master suite, which is well appointed and truly opulent with its his-and-hers head and ample storage space. Then there’s the VIP suite, which offers a private bathroom, full-sized queen bed, and a large closet.
The Pilothouse
Located above-deck you’ll see the pilothouse which includes a voluminous salon and a formal dining room. The salon has very large and open windows that give a sweeping view of both the port and starboard of this yacht, leaving you with a breathtaking view. Once leaving the salon you walk into a large galley with full-sized appliances to give an at home feel, and the large bar with ample seating. Looking up in the galley you notice a large integrated skylight, which is one of the most noticeable features in the 100 Raised Pilothouse.
The pilothouse is also home to the luxury yachts helm, which is a series of computers and touch-screens that oversee all of the ship’s systems. From the helm chair the captain has full reign over the ship.
The Crew
Even the crew has nice accommodations on this luxury yacht. The captain gets his own stateroom, and the crew has a spacious bunkroom, with each room getting its own head. Attached to the crew areas is the crew galley that comes equipped with a sink, refrigerator, and microwave/convection oven. This makes a nice private area for the crew to kick back and relax away from the hustle and bustle above.
The Foundation
As with all other Hatteras models, the 100 Raised Pilothouse is built on a solid fiberglass hull bottom that comes with a ten-year warranty. The high performance propellers, deep tunnel pockets, and efficient gear reductions all give the 100 Raised Pilothouse a competitive cruising performance.
by shipyour | Dec 14, 2012 | Captains Blog
For Presidents’ Day in Florida, the city prepares for the Miami International Boat Show and the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, but for 2016 the NFL is requiring cities to agree to a possible Presidents’ Day Super Bowl. This conflict could mean trouble for the Super Bowl if Miami doesn’t agree to the terms.
Super Bowl Weekend
In the past when the NFL proposed a Super Bowl weekend in Miami on Presidents’ Day weekend the tourism officials declined to pursue a Super Bowl. This time may prove more difficult though, with the NFL now requiring potential host cities to agree to a Super Bowl on these days if they want to pursue the game at all.
The NFL has invited Miami and San Francisco to bid on the 2016 Super Bowl, with the losing party being able to bid against Houston for the 2017 game. With an event as large as the Super Bowl tourism would skyrocket for the weekend of, and this may be a problem for Miami. This problem is a huge attraction called the International Boat Show.
The Boat Show
The boat show is a huge 5 day tourist attraction in Miami and has been around since the 1940s. Tourism officials are warning that there may not be enough hotel accommodations for the amount of people who would come if both events were held on Presidents’ Day.
After looking over inventory and accommodations, tourist officials have said that it is not physically possible to host all three events at the same time, and that the two events (without the Super Bowl) are already pushing the limits of what can be accommodated.
According to tourism officials, Miami has never responded to an invitation to bid on the Super Bowl if it fell on Presidents’ Day weekend. This means that the NFL already knows that there would be conflicts with that day, and that the NFL doesn’t care about that conflict. Officials also say that trying to host the Super Bowl, International Boat Show, and the Art Festival over the same week would be a terrible idea.
This situation is currently only a hypothetical problem, as the Super Bowl is scheduled for two weeks before Presidents’ Day in 2016, but that bid requires a 3 week agreement for possibilities in scheduling changes or issues. President’s Day weekend falls on the last weekend of the 3 week mark.
Tax Dollars at Work
Last year there was a proposal that Broward and Miami-Dade counties finance a $225 million reconstruction at Sun Life Stadium, to keep the region competitive for large events like the Super Bowl. The renovation would include a partial roof to prevent an issue like the large rainstorm that struck at the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami Gardens, soaking all.
by shipyour | Dec 10, 2012 | Captains Blog
A week-long harbor strike at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, that nearly caused total port closures, ended this Wednesday. Even with the harbor strike being ended there may still be future issues for major U.S. ports. The shipping world is changing, and the ports need to keep up or be left out.
The Changes
Expansions of the Panama Canal are being done to accommodate the new ships being made, that are much more massive that previous models. This, along with better coordination between shipping trucks and trains that make overland journeys cheaper could mean bad news for ports in the upcoming years. As early as 2015, the way that goods are shipped in to the world’s largest consumer market could be completely altered.
The biggest part of the changes is the Panama Canal being widened. Once this expansion is completed, in 2015, bigger ships will be able to cut their travel time down from the ports in Asia to the east coast of the U.S. and also for ships going to Western Europe by using the canal.
The Need to Adapt
Adaptation is key for the ports that plan on competing in this environment. There must be changes made to allow the bigger ships to dock, improving communications between trains and transporters, and port efficiency.
Dredging is done to deepen harbors and waterways, which would make it possible for these massive ships to dock in port and to load and unload merchandise. Without dredging the ports they wouldn’t be able to accept these ships and would be unable to adapt to the changes coming to the shipping industry.
The ports of Miami, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Charleston, Savannah, Baltimore, New York, and New Jersey have been working to adjust to the changes needed, and are working to deepen the harbors to allow for these new ships.
Many ports are working on improved communication and coordination with trains and transporters to improve efficiency. Currently North American ports handle 24% fewer containers per hour than Northeast Asian ports, 18% less than Middle Eastern ports, and 11% less than European ports.
Overland Improvements
Increased coordination between trains and trucking companies has caused cross-country overland shipping to become faster. Even with this better coordination the west coast will feel pressure to keep up once the canal expansion is completed. Moving cargo by ship is much less expensive, and with the time it takes cut down will make it more difficult to make overland transport worth the expense. The west coast will have to rely heavily on shipping by train, which can save about a week of time on the transport, to compete with the canal.
Canada and Mexico are taking advantage of overland shipping by steering ships into their own ports and shipping the cargo into the U.S. by train, bypassing U.S. port taxes that support the harbors, which is only more competition for the U.S. harbors.
The race had two legs; the first started in Gaeta, Italy and had them round Ponza to shoot towards Capri and was about 300-nautical miles. The second leg started at the Island of Stromboli Island, where the fleet headed to Vulcano Island, and then raced for Alicudi. The second leg was roughly 241-nautical miles and put the race total at around 641-nautical miles.
