NEWSJANUARY 2016 9FULLTANK
BERTHON AND FPB GO GLOBAL
Berthon Boat
Company and
the FPB
Programme have
announced a
global marketing
partnership, after seven years of
working together in Europe. The
deal comes as the New Zealand-
based yard prepares to launch the
first hull in the FPB78 series.NEW SOLENT BERTHS ADDED
Castle Marinas has completed an
expansion of its Royal Clarence
facility. The
Portsmouth
Harbour Marina
will feature an
improved layout
in 2016, with nine
new finger pontoons added,
replacing some of the alongside
berths. As a result, Royal Clarence
Marina will be able to offer 18
additional moorings next year for
boat owners looking to explore the
Solent from a sheltered berth.HOUSEBOAT SINKS OFF COWES
An unmanned houseboat was
found sunken on the River Medina
last month after RNLI Cowes was
sent to investigate. The 60ft vessel
was surrounded by floating debris
and after knocking on the windows,
lifeboat crews concluded that
no-one was on board after spotting
padlocks on the doors.US BOAT REGISTRATIONS FALL
Last year saw a 1.7% decline in the
total number of boats registered in
the USA, according to the latest
figures released by the National
Marine Manufacturers’
Association. As a result, 2014
ended with 11.8 million boats on
the books in America, with 52.2%
of those concentrated in the ten
most popular boating states.Brits eye Atlantic record
Team Great Britain to attempt fastest Atlantic crossing, writes Ray Bulman
EMPTYTA N K
E FE FUK NEWS
Boater found guilty
Manslaughter verdict
over CO deaths PWORLD NEWS
Robot boat lift
Barcelona plans for
futuristic marina PTHE TRUTH ABOUT
Boat recycling
Is sustainable boat
disposal the future? PAn attempt to break the trans-Atlantic
speed record is being planned by a new
group called Team Great Britain,
headed by offshore powerboat
enthusiast Richard George.
The crossing is to be made by a 112ft
(34.2m) wavepiecing catamaran
TGB34 (pictured above), designed by
Andrew SN Lea and George Robson.
Despite a large beam of 42ft (12.8m)
it has an unusually high length-to-beam
ratio for an ocean-going catamaran.
Design is currently at an advanced
stage with several successful tests
already carried out on a one-tenth scale
model in Abu Dhabi.
However, since the group is still
searching for a suitable yard to partner
with for full-scale construction, the
actual trans-Atlantic attempt is unlikely
to be made before 2018. The plan is to
cross the Atlantic in two days on a
single load of fuel, which if successful
will make TGB34 the only
non-passenger vessel to cross without
at least two mid-ocean fuelling stops.
A two-day crossing would knock
more than ten hours off the time set by
the Aga Kan’s high-speed superyacht
Destriero, which set the current record
time of two days ten hours 54 minutes
in 1992. A two-day crossing will need
the craft to produce an average ofaround 64mph, which in turn will
require a top speed of 80mph (
knots). Hence light winds and calm
seas will be essential for success.
Project leader Richard George is
the driving force behind Team Great
Britain, having previously competed
in the World XCAT racing series. Other
members of the team include Dag
Pike, who navigated the successful
Virgin Atlantic Challenger II crossing in
1986, and Dan Stevens, the current
owner of VACII.
“I want to bring the Hales Trophy
back to Britain,” says George. “We are
a great seafaring nation and anysuccess is certain to be beneficial to
our marine industry.
“With regards to the team, we see
ourselves as the McLaren of the seas
and with a green purpose; where
efficiency in design using F1 and
aerospace innovation, and advanced
engineering techniques not only
makes vessels much faster but
means they require massively less
fuel to undertake the task.”
The only problem is that the Hales
Trophy is currently held by the
Tasmanian company Incat Ltd which
built the 298ft (91m) fast passenger
ferry Cat-Link V.TGB34 has been designed
to cross the Atlantic on a
single tank of fuelTeam Great Britain includes VACII
owner Dan Stevens (far right)