Sea Magazine – May 2017

SEAMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2017 9

Baptism by Fire(boat)

A new state-of-the-art fireboat was christened in October for the San

Francisco Fire Department. St. Francis joins Phoenix and Guardian as

the three fireboats under the city’s command. The new addition, which

is 88 feet long and can pump up to 18,000 gallons of water per minute,

will assist with rescuing distressed swimmers when it isn’t engaged in its

purpose-built activity. Designed by Jensen Maritime and built in Seattle

at Vigor Industrial, the new boat was dedicated on the 27th anniversary of

the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, during which Phoenix played on import-

ant role in containing a waterfront fire.

Going Solo

AMERICAN SAILOR RICH WILSON SET a U.S.

record by finishing the Vendee Globe

(vendeeglobe.org) solo round-the-world

race in 107 days, 48 minutes, 18 seconds. At

66 years old, Wilson was the oldest sailor in

the 27,440-mile race and the only American

in the field of 29 starters. He and his boat,

B. Gergaud Great American IV, finished in 13th place.

Courtesy stiesalive.com

LEAD BOAT // ARCADIA A

P O W E R

TO CRUISE

As eye-catching as it is ecologically

advanced, the Arcadia A100 has as much fun

in the sun as its occupants.

Arcadia Yachts have a distinctive look about them.
The look begins with a conventional enough semi-planing
fiberglass hull — though that comes in “its optimal form and
most hydrodynamically efficient length-beam ratio,” as
tested at the Physical Laboratory of England — but then
quickly sets itself apart with the superstructure, which is
somewhat rounded and full of angles at the same time. And
on the builder’s new A100, the superstructure is encased in
tinted window glass that has a secret: most of the windows
are actually photovoltaic cells — 50 square meters of them
— that create enough power for the yacht’s at-anchor energy
requirements, with the exception of air conditioning and the
induction cooker in the galley.
While the salon and dining room on the main deck are
eye-catching features and utilize opening side windows to
create an entirely open but covered space, hull #1 has a
show-stealer. The master stateroom is on the main deck, all
the way forward, inside a greenhouse-looking structure of
windows and a glazed-glass ceiling. With 180-degree views
during the day and at night, sleeping under the stars
becomes a climate-controlled treat. On the standard plan,
this space is a family room, but the first buyer chose to make
it an owner’s retreat. We can see why.
Five cabins occupy the belowdecks space — a full-beam
VIP, two twin-berths, a queen and a bunk room — making
hull #1 a six-cabin vessel (plus crew quarters). En suite heads
come with each cabin.
The top deck is a skylounge with a helm, and it can
convert to an open flybridge, because the side windows can
be raised to the hardtop and open things to the outside.
Perfect days can be enjoyed and inclement days can be
spent in protected comfort.
Twin MAN V-8s power the first hull. With a combined
2,000 hp, the diesels push the A100 to 18 knots and cruise at

16. At 10 knots, the engines burn just 13.2 gph, giving the
    yacht a 2,880-mile range (with a 10 percent reserve) on its
    4,225 gallon capacity. Arcadia Yachts, arcadiayachts.it