On the Water
The Amfibidiver: an amphibious submarine
Belgian diving enthusiast and inventor Rene Baldewijns found that dive boats were rarely available when or where he wanted to dive and that a lot of dive time was lost looking for the area he wanted to dive in. So he conceived a boat that that could drive itself off the trailer, along the road and into the water whilst carrying larger quantities of air and equipment than any diver could carry. His dream boat could travel to the dive area like a speedboat and then literally ... pull the plug out and dive. Whilst dived, it had to be able to cruise around underwater until he found the right area, then park on the bottom as an underwater base to support diving activities for two. When finished, the idea was to blow the ballast, surface, and return to land at high speed, driving out of the water and onto its trailer. The prototype he built has achieved all those aims. (read more...)
NightConqueror Thermal Imager to Be Installed on U.S. Navy's Fastest Ship
September 14, 2005 Thermal imaging goes way beyond infrared imaging in most situations and it's not surprising that the US Navy will be using advanced thermal imaging in its next generation of warship. The fastest ship in the US Navy is the Sea Fighter FSF-1, which can operate at speeds greater than 50 knots and has a range of approximately 4,000 nautical miles. The Sea Fighter is currently being fitted with an advanced NightConqueror thermal imager. The produces unmatched high-resolution thermal imagery for 24-hour observation in degraded weather conditions (smoke and obscurants). Sea Fighter, previously known as Littoral Surface Craft Experimental or "X-Craft," will be used to evaluate the hydrodynamic performance, structural behavior, mission flexibility and propulsion system efficiency of high-speed vessels. Sea Fighter will also serve as a test bed for developmental mission packages and as a risk reduction experimental vessel for the Littoral Combat Ship and Deepwater Program concepts of operation development at sea. (read more...)
Underwater mask offers five times the view of conventional masks
Snorkelling and diving is fun, but with the narrow view afforded by most dive masks, situational awareness and hence safety is greatly restricted. For over a decade, it has been Jon Kranhouse’s mission to revolutionize underwater vision and to perfect his designs, Kranhouse hired the same engineers NASA sought to fix the once-fuzzy Hubble Space Telescope. It worked, and Hydrooptix’ first mask lets divers have a view almost five times wider than the view available through conventional flat masks and the vision is completely distortion free, significantly improving the vision, enjoyment, safety and situational awareness of the wearer. (read more...)
Alinghi clean sweeps Louis Vuitton act 6 America's Cup lead-up
August 31, 2005 Since 1851, the America’s Cup has transcended the sport of sailing to become a symbol of the pursuit of excellence. So it has been interesting to watch as the lead-up races to the next America’s Cup to be held in 2007 in Valencia, Spain play out. Racing for the 32nd America’s Cup (Valencia) began with a series of Louis Vuitton Acts in 2004. The competition continues in 2005 and 2006, with several more Louis Vuitton Acts in Malmo-Skane (Sweden), Trapani (Sicily), and Valencia, the Host City of the 32nd America’s Cup. Currently, ACT 6, a series of seven days of match racing in Malmo Sweden has just concluded with the Defender, Team Alinghi, clean sweeping (11-0) and maintaining an unbeaten record in the 2005 match racing season under helmsman Jochen Schuemann . Act 7, a series of fleet races over three days begins on Friday. (read more...)
US Navy unveils Advanced Electric Stealth Ship Demonstrator
August 27, 2005 The US Navy christened its Advanced Electric Ship Demonstrator (AESD) this week, naming the futuristic ship SEA JET and showing it to the media for the first time. The 133-foot vessel will serve as a model representing a destroyer-size surface ship and will be launched on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, where it will be used for test and demonstration of various technologies. An underwater discharge waterjet from Rolls-Royce Naval Marine called AWJ-21, will be among the first technologies tested. It allows vessels to operate in shallow water with increased maneuverability and stealth. (read more...)
Sealegs unveils rugged aluminium amphibious craft
August 24, 2005: New Zealand-based Sealegs has unveiled an all-new aluminium amphibious craft. The 5.6m amphibious D-Tube features a 4mm marine grade aluminium hull with 3mm aluminium D-Tube shaped pontoons. An inboard air-cooled 16hp Honda engine powers hydraulic wheels motors, allowing the D-Tube to drive at up 10kmph on land and 60kmph on the water. Once in the water, a button is pushed to hydraulically retract the wheels and the Sealegs D-Tube becomes a normal sea-going boat. The boat is based on the boat which halved Sir Richard Branson's English Channel record in June. The standard SeaLegs boat cut the previous record of one hour, forty minutes and six seconds to 43 minutes and 12 seconds ( see pics inside of record). Gizmag has covered a wide range of amphibious vehicles in recent times, including the original launch of Sealegs, the Gibbs Aquada Sportcar, the Gibbs Humdinga 4WD amphibian, the Platypus 4WD amphibian, the Rinspeed Splash, the Phibicat and the Amphicar. (read more...)
The technology behind the new superyachts
August 15, 2005 New Zealand super maxi 'Alfa Romeo' has the potential to shatter race records around the world, predicts owner and skipper, Neville Crichton, having spent two weeks testing the new super maxi prior to the Hahn Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island (20-27 August 2005). After the Whitsundays regatta, the first major record in the sights of Neville Crichton is the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race mark of 1 day 19 hours 48 minutes 02 seconds for the 628 nautical mile race in the Tasman Sea. "Given a relatively constant breeze of 15 knots with slightly sprung sheets the new boat will average 22 knots and we can sail the course in 1 day and 5 hours," he says with confidence. (read more...)
UKP14,000 yacht takes handicap win in Rolex Fastnet Race
August 13, 2005 One of the smallest yachts in the fleet, a Nicholson 33, has won the Rolex Fastnet Race on handicap. Jean-Yves Chateau and his six crew sailed Iromiguy across the line at 1224BST yesterday afternoon after more than five days at sea. While there are other yachts still bowling in moderate westerly breezes towards Plymouth, none can better Iromiguy's time. For a race traditionally dominated by big boats, Iromiguy's victory is a dream come true, proof that just occasionally the Corinthian weekend enthusiast can prevail in an unremarkable boat. What is remarkable is that you have to go back 30 years, to 1975, for the last time that a yacht less than 40 feet long won this offshore classic. And the boat that won it then was Golden Delicious, a Nicholson 33, the very same design as Iromiguy. (read more...)
ICAP Maximus takes line honours in Rolex Fastnet Race
August 10, 2005 ICAP Maximus has won line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race, after crossing the Plymouth finish line at 0822 hours this morning. The 98-foot New Zealand Maxi led the race from start to finish, never seriously threatened by her Australian rival Skandia Wild Thing. Co-owners Charles St Clair Brown and Bill Buckley celebrated with champagne and bacon butties and praised the crew and the boat, whose performance has exceeded expectations. “I think our performance was a surprise to most people, and to ourselves to some extent. We tried some sail combinations, some by design some by accident, which have produced some amazing speeds.” (read more...)
SeaJogger allows you to walk on water
Updated August 11, 2005 NEW IMAGES Seemingly in keeping with the latest fitness trends, the Sea Jogger is an interesting combination of recreational and exercise machine technologies. Clearly convergence isn’t just happening with all things digital – it seems that stepping machines are making a bid to become part of our exercise regime in many different ways. A few weeks ago we reported on a bicycle with a stepping machine power system (the US$795 Staircycle, which won Yahoo! Search Marketing’s Think Big contest) and now we’re writing about the Sea Jogger. Kinda similar to the Shuttle Bike which is a cross between a bicycle and a boat, the US$899 Sea Jogger differs in that it has a “stepper system” for the human power input, and instead of a propeller, there’s a quiet, effective and quite unique fin propulsion system. There is no need to take off your shoes or get wet. Just naturally walk on water. If you can walk, you can walk on water, with Sea Jogger. (read more...)
Countdown to Fastnet Ocean race start
August 7, 2005 Final preparations are underway in Cowes for the start of one of ocean racing’s elite events – the Rolex Fastnet Race - on Sunday morning. The start is one of sport’s greatest spectacles with 230 yachts amassed prior to tackling the treacherous 608-mile course from Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, out the Solent and across the often tempestuous Celtic Sea, around the Fastnet Rock off the SW Irish coast and back to Plymouth. First sailed in 1925, and run biennially since the early 1930s, the Fastnet race immediately captured the imagination of sailors the world over. It was one of the first true tests of offshore sailing skill – to win this race is an ambition of every racing sailor. (read more...)
The ingenious Yo Bro Board
August 8, 2005 The Yo Bro Board is designed for the tropical island paradise, resort marketplace and has an ingenious fold-up design that enables it to function perfectly as a still water sunbaking and underwater viewing platform, at the same time as a lightweight kart for easy transportation of itself and the rest of your gear over land or beach. Its primary function is as a glass bottom paddle board with a viewing window so you can see the fish/coral etcetera below. The paddlewheels on each side are controlled by hand for ease-of-maneuvering and propulsion, and double as the kart’s wheels for transportation. So the Yo Bro Board offers many of the advantages of snorkeling without having to get wet and at the same time an ideal sunbathing deck for pottering about close to shore or within a lagoon. It will be a Godsend to those who are nervous in the direct company of sealife or find swimming or exertion a chore. (read more...)
Alfa Romeo II: Chapter 2 begins
July 25, 2005 From the moment we saw the first images of the original Alfa Romeo super maxi yacht, and realised that Neville Crichton’s aim of building the world’s fastest and most technologically advanced maxi had been achieved, we have followed the boat with fascination. We followed her through her first major win, her win in the Giraglia, the Barcelona 35 win in front of 250,000 spectators, the Fastnet win, the coming of the canting keel design which made her non-competiive in the elite class and her final win. Now there is a new Alfa Romeo, built along the same principles and aiming for the same lofty goals. Following her launch on Tuesday 19 July 2005, the new Kiwi super maxi 'Alfa Romeo' set her sails for the first time, tested her canting keel and bettered 19 knots in a light breeze during a highly successful maiden voyage around Sydney Harbour on Friday 22 July 2005. 'Alfa Romeo', the second yacht built by New Zealand skipper and owner, Neville Crichton, to carry the name of the Italian car maker, was penned by leading American yacht designers, Reichel/Pugh and built in Sydney by McConaghy Boats. (read more...)
Sea-Doo Seascooter NOT Recalled
July 6, 2005 Imagine finding that a product that looks identical to your own best selling product has been recalled nationally across the United States and is getting massive publicity – publicity that can only impact badly on your brand. That’s what happened earlier this week and it prompted Daka Developments, which manufactures the Sea-Doo Scooter for Bombardier Recreational Products (BPR) to issue press statements to the effect that the recalled product was NOT their product – the Sea-Doo Seascooter. It certainly looks like it though – that’s the real BPR Sea-Doo Seascooter at the top. The one below is the recalled "Aqua Water Scooter." Caveat Emptor! (read more...)
Dutch superyacht from Bloemsma & van Breemen
June 21, 2005 Dutch yacht builder Bloemsma & van Breemen has announced the launch of the Flying Eagle superyacht, at over 48 metres the largest project thus far completed by this up-and-coming Dutch yard. The first superyacht to be completed in the yard’s state-of-the-art new production facilities, Flying Eagle combines scintillating looks with a wealth of unique technological applications. Flying Eagle carries the signature of some of the leading lights of the international yachting industry. Her sleek exterior is from the drawing boards of Reymond Langton Design, with Pascal Reymond taking personal charge of the graceful interior. Struik & Hamerslag took care of all the interior woodwork, and Vripack Naval Architects was responsible for the naval architecture. (read more...)
The SUMO: world's first wearable towable
What probably started close to a century ago when some bright spark threw a car tyre inner tube into a river and turned it into a hours of fun has become a big business – inflatable toys are now available for dozens of different recreational purposes, from basic loungers through purpose-built inflatables for shooting river rapids, snow sports, water-based trampolining, ground effect towables and now, the world’s first wearable towable. As can be seen from the incredible images inside, the Sumo is a very adaptable toy, and can even be used for body surfing. (read more...)
Keel laid on First Littoral Combat Ship
June 3, 2005 The keel has been laid on the first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), marking a significant milestone in production of the U.S. Navy's new class of surface combatant. Named FREEDOM the first LCS will be delivered to the Navy in late 2006. The Littoral Combat Ship is an innovative combatant designed to counter challenging shallow-water threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, diesel submarines and fast surface craft. A fast, agile, and networked surface combatant, LCS will utilise focused-mission packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute a variety of missions. (read more...)
Century-old Transatlantic Record broken by two boats
June 2, 2005 Having established a new transatlantic race record between New York and the Lizard, UK, yesterday morning, the afternoon saw Robert Miller’s Mari-Cha IV making an unexpected 20 knots up the English Channel towards the Needles and the finish line of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge race. The wind, forecast to drop off, held, and shortly before dusk, in a seascape so misty and overcast that it merged grey sky with grey sea, the high-tech schooner charged past the Needles Fairway buoy to the west of the Isle of Wight to take line honours, as well, in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge. Mari-Cha IV crossed the finish line at 19:18:37 UTC, setting a course time between Ambrose Light (in the U.S.) and the Needles of 10 days, 1 hour, 8 minutes and 37 seconds. This compares with Atlantic’s time of 13 days, 10 hours and 15 minutes in the 1905 race for the Kaiser’s Cup. Up the Channel, in hot pursuit of Mari-Cha IV, was Maximus, the new sloop of New Zealanders Charles Brown and Bill Buckley, who had passed the four-mile long gate off the Lizard at 19:18:37 UTC yesterday (1 June), making it to the Needles finish line at 00:35:08 UTC this morning (2 June), 5 hours 16 minutes and 31 seconds behind Mari-Cha IV. While this was disappointing for the crew, the consolation prize was a handicap win in the Grand-Prix division. (read more...)
Century-old Transatlantic Challenge Record Broken
June 1, 2005 This morning, in thick English Channel fog, Robert Miller’s (Hong Kong/New York, N.Y.) 140-foot (43m) Mari-Cha IV passed through the four-mile-long gate off the Lizard in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge to break the 100-year-old record set by Charlie Barr on board Wilson Marshall’s 185-foot (56.4m) Atlantic. Miller’s giant state-of-the-art racing schooner completed the 2,925-nautical mile passage, east across the North Atlantic between New York and the Lizard, in a time of 9 days, 15 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds—a full 2 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes and 56 seconds faster than Atlantic’s record-breaking voyage 100 years ago. (read more...)
V8 Dolphin goes on and under the water
Next time you see a dolphin playing off-shore, diving and breaching the water, take a careful look because it just might be a Bionic Dolphin, with a motor and a human inside. The Bionic Dolphin or VASH (Variable Attitude Submersible Hydrofoil) has been a plaything for eccentric Northern Californian techno-artists for the last three decades but a wave of publicity in the last twelve months has seen the developers commit to creating and selling a production version. Specs are not yet finalised, but how does a two seater, tandem-control techno-toy with 400hp Corvette LS2 engine sound? It's already looking like the wildest ride in the sea! (read more...)
Transatlantic Challenge record expected to fall
June 1, 2005 Owner Robert Miller (Hong Kong/New York) and his crew on board the 140-foot (43m) schooner Mari-Cha IV are at present on course to pass Lizard Point later today to better Charlie Barr and the schooner Atlantic’s 100-year-old race record by more than two and a half days. "This is my seventh transatlantic crossing, and I can safely say that it has been by far the toughest one for me," Robert Miller said. "Not only has the weather been in our face for the first six days, making life extremely difficult, but since then we have always been sailing close to the limit, which means that there is the risk of hurting the boat and the crew. (read more...)
Century-old Transatlantic Challenge record set to fall
May 30, 2005 At the front of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge fleet, both race leader Mari-Cha IV and Maximus are now making good progress directly toward Land's End, the southwestern tip of mainland Britain before they turn and cover the final 20 miles to the race's first finish line off the Lizard. At noon today, just 32 miles separated the two boats on the water, with 835 miles left for Mari-Cha IV to sail. The race is on-target to beat the record that has stood for 100 years. (read more...)
Historic Transatlantic Challenge headed for stormy weather
May 24, 2005 24 hours into the Rolex Transatlantic Race, the leaders in the Grand Prix class have found breeze while those astern continue to wallow in light air, making five knots or less. The Rolex Transatlantic Challenge is the 100th anniversary of the New York Yacht Club's race for the Kaiser's Cup, which was won by Atlantic with America's Cup legend Charlie Barr at the helm in a race record time that has stood for a century – and with horrendous weather on the way, the record looks set to stand. Just as the 1905 race was delayed by a day due to dense fog in the start area, 100 years later the start also was postponed by one day, on this occasion due to a forecast of potential gale-force headwinds. (read more...)
Take your iPod swimming, surfing or waterskiing
May 19, 2005 Surfers, wakeboarders, water skiers, and swimmers can now strap on a convenient and secure armband or swim belt and take their iPod out for a day of music-accompanied activity. With over 10 million iPods sold to date, the iPod is the world’s most popular digital music player, which explains why it is also the world’s most accessorized gadget and the darling of the design community and suddenly appearing everywhere from MBA courseware to BMW’s accessory catalogue. All this qualifies the SV-iP4G waterproof iPod case and headset as a killer product. It takes a full-size Apple iPod and enables you to take it swimming with you and pound out the laps with complete choice of the 10,000 tunes in your pocket even while you’re under water! Until now all of the MP3 players we’ve seen that operate underwater use bone conduction (see stories here, here and here) but the H2OAUDIO SV-iP4G uses waterproof leads and a earplugs and is certain to draw a massive response from the world’s swimmers at US$149.95. (read more...)
Human powered hydrofoil
May 16, 2005 To look at the Pump-a-bike, you’d swear it would sink the moment it hit the water. Not so, indeed, with a bit of practice, the human powered hydrofoil is capable of nearly 20 miles per hour – not that much shy of the world record for human powered watercraft . To make it work, all you need to do is jump up and down. Given some time to coordinate the movements and gain a degree of mastery, the Pump-a-bike can even be used in surf to ride waves. (read more...)
