Australia

BRP To Acquire Telwater

BRP has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 80% of the outstanding shares of Telwater Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s largest manufacturers of aluminum boats and trailers. Following the closing of the contemplated acquisition, Paul Phelan, Telwater’s current owner and Managing Director, will continue to play an important role in the operations of the business and will hold 20% of the company’s outstanding shares.Once the intended acquisition is completed…

Evinrude Named Official Engine Supplier of American Magic

Evinrude hasannounced that it has been named Official Engine Supplier of New York Yacht Club American Magic, a professional sailing team and Challenger for the 36th America’s Cup. Evinrude will outfit American Magic’s fleet of chase boats with 300 HP E-TEC G2 engines. In addition, Evinrude will provide the organization’s technical crew with a training course at its Sturtevant facility. Each engine will also be custom wrapped with an American flag-based design.The America’s Cup is the highest prize in sailing, and the oldest event in international sports.

Fusion Launches New Apollo RA670 Stereo

Fusion offers the new Apollo RA670, a marine stereo featuring a brilliant, optically bonded, full-color LCD display, Fusion’s Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology, Fusion-Link integration and control, multi-zone control in up to three audio zones and PartyBus capabilities when connected to a Wi-Fi or Apollo network; the RA670 is a powerful extension of the Apollo Series.The Apollo Series harnesses the power of Fusion’s DSP technology, designed to deliver premium audio  to all speakers in any environment.

Vintage classics, megayachts wow crowds in Palm Beach

As 700 boat horns blared at 6PM ending the largest Palm Beach International Boat Show ever, this marine journalist's real labor had just begun: choosing which outstanding vessel would be featured in Yachting Journal as belles of the ball.After boarding so many wonderful boats, it is difficult to pick only a few to feature. Many shipyards have built classic cruisers, throwbacks to an earlier time, capturing the hearts of yachting aficionados. If Burger’s Sycara or Kanter’s Bread presses your buttons…

Explorer Profile: Sven Lindblad

Profiled in the March 2019 "cruise" edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News is Sven Lindblad, intrepid explorer and wildlife photographer Sven Lindblad blazed the trail for environmentally sensitive travelers to Antarctica on Lindblad Expedition’s fleet of cruise ships with National Geographic.You can tell a lot about a man by whom his heroes are, whether famous athletes, virtuoso musicians, brave warriors or movie stars. As we age, we choose our heroes by their moral compass…

Riviera to Premiere 52 Enclosed Flybridge in Caribbean

Australia's luxury motor yacht builder, Riviera, in partnership with dedicated Riviera and Belize representative Wally Castro Marine, will  premiere its blue-water 52 Enclosed Flybridge model in a display of four gleaming Riviera motor yachts at the eighth Caribbean International Boat Show in Puerto Rico over three days beginning on March 22.The show is held at Marina Puerto del Ray in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, the home marina of Wally Castro Marine.Dealer principal Wally Castro said…

Riviera to Showcase New Yachts in Japan

Riviera to showcase blue-water 43 Open Flybridge at the Japan International Boat Show and the 445 SUV at March 16 Premiere in Japan.Australia's premium luxury motor yacht builder, Riviera, will showcase its blue-water 43 Open Flybridge model in conjunction with Riviera and Belize representative Unimat Precious at the Japan International Boat Show in Yokohama over four days from Thursday, March 7.Unimat Precious representative Mitsuru Ishii said he and his team are honored to showcase…

White Rabbit Superyacht propelled by Schottel

The 84 x 19.1 m superyacht “White Rabbit” built by Australia's Echo Yachts and designed by Sam Sorgiovanni is equipped with azimuth thrusters from Schottel. White Rabbit maneuverability is provided with two Schottel Pump Jets and one Schottel Rim Thruster. Low-noise and low-vibration azimuth thrusters offer high comfort on the largest yacht ever built in Australia.The maneuvering system of the tri-hulled yacht consists of one electric Schottel Rim Thruster type SRT 800 elastically fitted in the bow and delivering an input power of 200 kW.

Scallywag Drops out of Sydney-Hobart Race

Hong Kong super-maxi Scallywag became the first high-profile withdrawal from the 74th edition of the Sydney to Hobart blue-water classic yacht race on Wednesday.The Seng Huang Lee-owned yacht, which had been fourth out of the Sydney Heads, retired at sea after suffering a broken bowsprit.Scallywag was one of five super-maxis in the race, which started at 1 p.m. local (0200 GMT), with Black Jack holding about a minute lead out of the harbor.The Mark Bradford-skippered Black Jack took advantage of a drop and shift in the breeze as the leading yachts approached the entrance to the harbor.However…

Linie Aquavit: Documenting a 4-Month Journey

Marlink’s Sealink VSAT recently proved integral to a unique ‘slow TV’ experiment spanning four months and two equatorial crossings.Arcus is the world’s largest producer of Linie Aquavit, a Norwegian beverage dating back to the early 19th century that derives its name from a tradition whereby oak barrels of Aquavit are transported on boats from Norway to Australia and back again, thereby crossing the equator (‘linje’ in Norwegian) twice before being bottled.Aquavit’s makers have always maintained that the incessant motion…

SunStone Orders Third Expedition Cruise Vessel at CMHI Yard

Miami-based  SunStone Ships has declared option number two at CMHI shipyard after signing a long-term charter contract with Victory Cruise Line for the vessel, with a total of three newbuilds now under construction at the Chinese yard.A press release from the manager of passenger ships across the globe said that it  originally placed one firm contract and nine options on Ulstein deliveries of expedition cruise vessel designs and equipment packages back in 2017.All ten vessels are part of SunStone Ships’ series of vessels in the ‘INFINITY-class’.

Ellison and Coutts Launch League for 'Supercharged' Cats

Former America's Cup winners Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts launched a new league on Wednesday, with six national teams sailing in a series ending in a two-boat $1 million finale.SailGP will go live in Sydney, Australia in February 2019 with 50-foot foiling catamarans powered by wing sails which the organizers expect to reach speeds of more than 50 knots (93 kilometers per hour) as they fly above the water."With equally incredible technology across our one-design fleet, we expect to see thrillingly close and competitive racing…

Rescued Solo Yachtsmen Heading Home

Two yachtsmen who were rescued during a solo round-the-world race are making their way home.Irish national Gregor McGuckin was brought to Australia on board Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat, which returned to port Monday. The naval ship sent a helicopter to recover McGuckin from a French scientific research station on Amsterdam Island after he was transported there by French Fisheries Patrol Vessel Osiris.Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy, who suffered a back injury…

Indian Sailor Rescued from Yacht Stranded off Australia

An Indian sailor injured in a solo round-the-world race has been rescued, the Indian Navy said on Monday, after Australian authorities said a French ship was nearing his storm-damaged yacht off Australia's west coast.The sailor, Abhilash Tomy, called for emergency assistance on Saturday after the yacht was badly damaged in a storm about 3,500 km (2,175 miles) west of Australia, leaving him with severe back injuries."Tomy rescued safely," the Indian Navy said on Twitter, without giving further details.Earlier…

Exova Warringtonfire Welcomes Chinese Delegation

Exova Warringtonfire hosted a delegation of senior representatives from the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association (CCYIA) on Friday, September 7, 2018, to discuss providing testing and certification services to Chinese suppliers of interior materials and products for Chinese-built passenger ships. Exova Warringtonfire is part of Element Materials Technology (Element), a world-class global testing partner.The meeting was proposed by the Department for International Trade…

First RENK AED Drive Passes Sea Tests

Noted German gear-maker Renk reports that its new propulsion system Advanced Electric Drive (AED) was successful in its recent sea test onboard a 110-m megayacht built in the Netherlands. The megayacht was the first to feature the AED, a innovative propulsion system that is designed to be light, compact with a very low noise signature.The RENK AED was chosen when the owner eschewed traditional diesel units for the 3500-ton displacement vessel. Renk is long-experienced in the area of the electrification of propulsion systems…

Sealegs Rolls Out 8.5m All-alloy Amphibious Craft

Sealegs International Ltd. has released the latest addition to its range of amphibious craft at the Sydney International Boat Show. The 8.5m all-alloy amphibious cabin boat is the result of a 12-month development project that focused on market feedback from Australian owners and their specific requirements.The new 8.5m Alloy Cabin is the top of the all-alloy Sealegs range, which includes the walk-around center console 7.7m and 6.1m D-Tubes.“The 8.5m all-alloy amphibious cabin craft is a completely new model,” says Sealegs CEO David McKee Wright.

Expedition Cruising: Full Speed Ahead in China

Talk of trade wars and politics aside, attention should be paid to a growing relationship between U.S.-based SunStone Ships, Inc. and Chinese shipyard China Merchants Heavy Industries in Haimen, China, as the pair is quietly growing a cruise shipbuilding business in China. Sunstone announced that on June 12, 2018, the keel was laid for the first Infinity Class vessel Greg Mortimer, the first in a series that could eventually total 10 high-spec expedition cruise vessels.Greg Mortimer…

Jotun Australia: Open for Yacht Biz

Jotun Australia is debuting yachting products to the Australian Yacht and Superyacht industry. With the introduction of this complete range of purpose built yachting products now in place, Jotun Australia’s Marine team offers a complete, single source solution for the rapidly growing Australian yacht market as well as for visiting yachts from Europe who are now often heading to South East Asia and Asia Pacific. The coatings maker estimates that more than 30% of the largest 200 superyachts coated with Jotun’s products. “The market is demanding and high expectations from customers…