J/95 first sail

03/30/09
Portsmouth RI. J Boats launched the eagerly anticipated J/95, a 31′ performance daysailor with “big boat” feel, J Boat acceleration, and only 3′ draft.

Sea-trials revealed a boat that could (with board up) sail 6.5 kts upwind in 12 kts and tack through 85 degrees. The wheel steering is feather-light, and with twin rudders, the boat can steer with full control out of any heel angle.

Looking good in these three shots.

1 - 2 - 3

Built by CCF Composites of Bristol, RI
Tooling by International Marine of Bristol, RI
Spars and rigging package by Hall Spars.

More @ J/News

The Greenbird clocked @ 126.1 mph

space

space
Greenbird driven by British engineer, Richard Jenkins smashed the world land speed record for wind powered vehicles. The Greenbird clocked 126.1 mph eclipsing the old, American held, record of 116 mph , set by Bob Schumacher in the Iron Duck in March 1999.

greenbird.co.uk/

more images by Peter Lyons

IYRS opens at the Franklin Street Marine corridor

03/30/09
Saturday, March 28. The latest in a development of commercial facilities on Franklin Street in Bristol isn’t just another new building. It’s the New IYRS Marine Systems Training Facility. At the IYRS Newport campus the focus is wooden boat building but at this new Bristol location it is all about the systems. Training is hands on in electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas and diesel engine repair.

The International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) teaches the skills, history, art and science of building, restoring and maintaining boats and their systems. IYRS offers full-time certificate programs as well as continuing education courses for boatyard employees and serious enthusiasts.

The opening “represents the culmination of an idea to bring the marine trades and related educational programs together”, according to Andy Tyska, Developer of the Franklin Street Marine Corridor. “In fact, the development itself is a unique effort to provide an incubator for marine businesses as well as flexible space for marine trades expansion in Bristol and the State.”

Over the past few years, the area from Buttonwood Street to Metacom Avenue in Bristol has come together as a unique place for marine trades related businesses to operate. Starting with storage and repair facilities for Mr. Tyska’s own Bristol Marine full service boat yard, the “industrial park” grew over ten years to include new buildings that have housed twenty businesses. The site is a microcosm of the marine industry and just a half mile from waterfront access at Bristol Marine.

Nautor’s Swan - opens new office in Newport

03/28/09
Nautor’s Swan announced the appointment of Keith Yeoman as Agent for the East Coast and most of Canada for the prestigious Swan line of sailing yachts. The new Nautor’s Swan offices have been moved to the recently renovated International Yacht Restoration School building on Thames Street in Newport.

Nautor’s Swan USA East has taken the place of the corporate offices that were closed at the end of 2008. Keith’s 10 years of experience with Nautor’s Swan includes running the Annapolis, MD office for many years before moving to the Newport, RI office.

You will see Keith at the various Nautor’s Swan events throughout the year including the Swan owner’s association rendezvous here in Newport, July 23-26. Keith is also hosting an open house day at his new location May 14th. Contact Keith for details -  keith.yeoman@usaeast.nautorswan.com

Image - Virago - Swan 100
2nd image - Virago

Nautor’s Swan USA East
449 Thames Street, suite 307
Newport, RI 02840

www.usaeast.nautorswan.com

Titan - floating

03/28/09
NEB launched the New RP 75 - Titan. Hall spars to deliver the mast next week. NEB to complete commissioning & builder’s sea trials next week before official Launch. Titan’s crew begin sail trials & training early April in preparation for 1st offshore race of US East Coast season- Storm Trysail club’s Block Island Race- 185 miles.

more images

Photos: NEB-Bob Sharkey

URI - placed in top 10 colleges with the best surf conditions

03/28/09
Surfline took the liberty of helping you in your search for higher education — and larger waves — by compiling the 10 best surf schools in America. Read on and make your decision wisely. After all, you only have four years (or more, depending) where you can create your own schedule. read @ Surfline.com

Photo: Marcus Sanders - Ruggles, Newport

Hyatt Regency - Anemometer

03/27/09
Riyachting.com has a new feature coming your way and we think you’ll like it. This week we installed an anemometer on the roof of the Hyatt Regency Goat Island, right in the center of the action. The equipment is in beta mode right now but expect to see it live soon. The station will report wind speed, wind gusts and direction along with temperature and barometric pressure. The interface is easy to read and updated every 60 seconds.

The Hyatt is also home to riyachting.com webcams 1 and 2 which produce great views of the Rose Island area and entrance to Narragansett Bay. If you’re looking for a place to stay in Newport or need a recommendation for a friend you should check out the Hyatt. They just completed a 34 million dollar renovation. The place is gorgeous and the location is one of the best.

WILD Rhode Island

02/24/09
The spring edition of Wild Rhode Island is out!

- 2009 Quahog transplant
- Restoring migratory fish
- The Eastern Wild Turkey and more

A Quarterly publication from the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Read it here - wrispr09

Image - A DEM worker unloads quahogs into the rough waters, in early spring, outside Greenwich Bay. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center, Tom Ardito

ProJo - Today’s front page: RI boating businesses hit the rocks

03/24/09
Chris Ruhling, manager of the Brewer Greenwich Bay Marina, says he’s seen a small increase recently in the number of owners who choose to let the marina keep their boats.

“They feel it’s just easier to let them go,” said Ruhling, who is also president of the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association

full story - projo.com

Hunt keeps up the pace

03/21/09
Hunt Yachts’ Portsmouth Rhode Island facility is moving full ahead and getting ready to launch its biggest project to date. Hunt is in the marine industry and feeling the pinch like everyone else but seems to have somehow stayed out ahead. Right now they have orders and they are building boats!

Current builds include several 25’s and a couple 29’s, one of which will be the first Surfhunter 29 in a hardtop/sedan configuration. They have a Harrier 36 project underway and the mentioned big boat, 52 # 01. The new Hunt 52 is currently under wraps and getting her finishing touches before an anticipated launch in April. 52 # 2 is also sold and in-built. The 52 projects are collaborations with Global Yacht Builders in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This one is dark green and has the optional 1001 HP C-18 CATS. Early sea trials reveal that she is all Hunt - fast, quiet, soft-riding and dry. She cruised comfortably at 28 knots, and topped out at 34 knots. The interior is custom designed and the finish is beautiful.

images

LOA 52′ 8″
Beam 15′ 8″
Draft (props) 4′ 6″
Displacement (Half Load) 54,000 lbs
Standard Power (2) Caterpillar C-12 705 BHP @ 2300 RPM
Optional Power (2) Caterpillar C-18 1001 BHP @ 2300 RPM
Fuel 750 gals
hunt52_spec-sheet

All the boats are designed by sister company C. Raymond Hunt Associates in New Bedford, Massachusetts and all of them are deep-V’s. The founder’s grandson, Raymond Hunt III, heads up manufacturing and engineering. Peter Van Lancker is the President and makes sure all the balls stay in the air. He moved the company to Portsmouth in 2006 and now has waterfront access. Hunt Yachts is located in the former Alden facility, right next to Little Harbor, which has enabled them to expand into service work and storage. There’s a fuel dock and it’s a very easy entrance in and out of Narragansett Bay.

More when the 52 is launched! - Hunt Yachts

HANUMAN - sure to show up in Newport someday!

03/20/09
Hanuman, the replica new build of Endeavour II, was launched last week at the Royal Huisman yard in The Netherlands. Designed by Dykstra and Partners, and with an interior by Pieter Beeldsnijder; she made a dramatic appearance as she was lowered into the water.

She was launched alongside the shipyard to step the mast and check all the rigging systems, prior to moving the yacht to the North Sea for commissioning and sea trials.

In 1937 the original Endeavour II was built in steel at Camper & Nicholson’s yard in Gosport, for T.O.M. Sopwith, to designs by Charles E Nicholson. She was built to challenge for the America’s Cup, against the defender ‘Ranger’.

Specifications “Endeavour II”
Loa : 42,09 m
Lcwl : 27,68 m
Beam : 6,60 m
Draft : 4,72 m
Hull material : Alustar
Mast material : Carbon Fiber

Royal Huisman
details - www.jclassyachts.com

New - first responder from RIBCRAFT

03/19/09
Marblehead, MA - RIBCRAFT, a leading builder of professional grade rigid inflatable boats (RIB), announced the addition of the AF Series of Inflatables for first responders and military agencies. The AF Series, designed specifically for military, special forces, and first responders provides an alternative to the RIB for applications that require an easily transportable, shallow draft, and economical inflatable boat. Ranging in size from 14′ to 19′, the three AF models feature heavy duty 1880 dtx Hypalon tubes, removable rigid floors, and an innovative hull and tube design designed to carry large payloads on a plane. - more

Future Fibres - to sponsor 2009 St Barths and Newport Bucket Regattas

03/19/09
Future Fibres, the composite rigging specialist, has confirmed its new sponsorship agreement with the organizers of the prestigious St Barths and Newport Bucket Regattas.

Since entering the superyacht market in 2005, with the retrofit of the 45 metre Visione, Future Fibres has quickly established itself as the industry’s leading manufacturer of composite rigging solutions, with over 85 percent of all composite rigged superyachts choosing the Valencia based team. As Future Fibres CEO Ewan McLellan explains, with such keen interest from the industry, the Bucket Regattas seem a very natural fit: “We have been very impressed with the way these regattas have grown over the years, and we like the history and ethos of the events.

full release - futurefibres.com

Gansett Cruises expands cruise ship bookings for 2009 season

03/19/09
Newport, Rhode Island. After two successful seasons piloting Newport’s newest tour boat, Captain Jeff O’Brien of Gansett Cruises of Newport, Rhode Island has announced that for the Fall 2009 season, he has renewed and expanded his partnership with Destination New England (DNE), the east coast’s leading destination management company. In the coming season, Gansett Cruises is booking an even greater number of harbor tours than before for guests arriving on Princess Cruises, Cunard Line and for the first time, for guests aboard the Atlantica, a 2,680-passenger vessel operated by Costa Cruises. To date, the additional reservations add up to a 55% increase in cruise ships’ business for the popular M/V Gansett.

Another really nice image.

Although each liner disembarks thousands of day-passengers in Newport, only a select few will be fortunate enough to take advantage of the limited seats available for Gansett Cruises narrated harbor tour. The M/V Gansett, a vintage Maine-built wooden vessel that O’Brien restored in 2006, circles the harbor and motors by the giant ships as they lie at anchor in Narragansett Bay. As a prelude to the boat ride, the guests take an hour-long narrated motorcoach tour of Newport and the scenic Ocean Drive.

Gansett’s tour commentary and its level of service on its harbor tours match the high standards that are the hallmark of the cruise line industry. For 2009, Gansett Cruises is the “Official Tour Boat” for Coastal Living’s Newport Regatta®. In 2008, Gansett Cruises was recognized with an “Editor’s Pick” in the BEST OF issue of Newport Life Magazine.

The company made its mark on the industry in 2007 by offering what it calls “harbor tours with a different view.” O’Brien, a 25-year veteran of the upscale charter boat industry says, “The crew and I like to give every person the feeling you get from being a guest aboard a luxury yacht, even though they’re only aboard for 90 minutes. We want to make the narration and the boat ride memorable for everyone.” The M/V Gansett, which offers daily tours and private charters, is U.S.C.G. certified for 48 passengers and provides modern amenities aboard.

Currently, the 2009 schedule lists Princess Cruises with 14 calls in Newport, the Cunard Line, with 3 calls for the Queen Victoria and the Queen Mary2, and Costa Cruises with 3 calls.

www.gansettcruises.com

PHOTO CREDIT - Onne van der Wal, Newport

Full cruise ship schedule of all arrivals for 2009

PUMA - headed our way

03/18/09
Ken Read ” If the southern most point of South America could talk, it would tell some harrowing tales of tragedy and heroics by sportsman and traders and businessman and adventurists alike, probably more so than any other nautical landmark in history”

Another image

Volvo tracking

Images = Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race