Boating NZ November 2018

Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave for the past month or so, you will be aware of the United Nation’s recently-released report about the fragility of humanity’s future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report – released in early October – is perhaps the starkest, most dire warning yet about the dangers mankind faces as a result of climate change. Multiple strategies are required to reduce greenhouse emissions and limit a global temperature rise to 1.5°C. None of these strategies is particularly attractive, but then the consequences of not adopting them – says IPCC – are much more horrific. The full report is 400 pages long, a daunting read for even the most committed of environmentalists. The executive summary is much more palatable. You can view it at:…

WITH CATLIKE TREAD The epitome of elegance – light and manoeuvrable – Bavaria’s new Nautitech 40 Open is a cat that delivers excellent cruising performance with stylish living. REMEMBERING TITANIC A tour through Belfast’s memorial to the most famous ship in history – her builders’ vision, her secrets, and her ignominious sinking. WICKED COMBO What do you get when you stick one of Yamaha’s mighty 425hp V8s on the back of an Extreme 885 Game King? A fibrillating heart. Yeeehaaaa! COMPOSITE SMARTS The foiling catamarans used at AC35 in Bermuda are receiving a new lease on life following a major revamp at the high-tech facility that is Core Builders Composites in Warkworth. www.boatingnz.co.nz…

One of the world’s largest superyachts has arrived in Auckland for a little TLC and maintenance at the hands of Orams. At 86m LOA, the Dutch-built Aquijo is so large that she is unable to sail under the Harbour Bridge – her 91m carbon fibre masts rise more than 25m over the bridge’s central span. Those masts – carrying some 5000m2 of sail – were built by Southern Spars. Her 3Di mainsails – weighing around two tonnes each – had to be lifted off the vessel by crane and are being serviced by North Sails. Her 200-tonne lifting keel is the largest ever designed and has an 11.6m draught (5.2m when retracted). Even when moving her into position alongside her berth at Orams at high tide, she cleared the mud…

…mercury has caused high levels of contamination… In a groundbreaking project 150m below the surface, a Norwegian team is attempting to bury a wrecked Nazi submarine in a bid to contain toxic chemicals leaking into the sea. U-864 was torpedoed off the coast of Bergen, Norway, by British sub HMS Venturer in 1945. Among U-864’s cargo were 1,800 canisters – around 65 tonnes – of mercury. An estimated four kilograms of mercury has been oozing into the water every year – forcing authorities to ban boating and fishing in the area. The mercury has caused high levels of contamination in cod, torsk and edible crab. The Norwegian government now plans to cover the 11 acres of seabed around the 2400-tonne wreck with up to 40ft of rubble to contain the…

New Maritime NZ research shows recreational boaties are behaving more safely, with various indicators showing improvements. Lifejacket wearing behaviour, for example, is steady. In addition, more boaties are checking the weather, taking two ways to call for help, and avoiding alcohol when going out on the water. The Ipsos 2018 Recreational Boating Survey canvassed adult members of the general public regarding their boating habits. It examined the extent to which the population participates in recreational boating activities, with a focus on safety-related attitudes and behaviours, and awareness of Maritime NZ’s recent recreational boating safety campaigns and related activities. Maritime NZ Deputy Director (and Incoming Chair of the Safer Boating Forum) Sharyn Forsyth says the results are encouraging. “It’s fantastic to see that 92% of boaties say that boating safety is…

A Danish-flagged cargo ship has successfully completed a trial voyage through the Russian Arctic, showing that melting sea ice could potentially open a new trade route from Europe to East Asia. The Venta Maersk, carrying a cargo of frozen fish, arrived in St Petersburg in August, having left Vladivostok (Russia’s Pacific port city) days earlier. Experts say this Northern Sea route could be quicker for ships travelling from east Asia to Europe (rather than via the Northwest Passage over Canada) because it was likely to be free of ice sooner due to climate change. It could reduce the east Asia-Europe shipping route from 21,000km (via the Suez Canal), to 12,800km, shaving transit time by 10–15 days. A.P. Moller-Maersk is the world’s biggest shipping group and the Venta Maersk, says Palle…