Circumnavigate Brief

circumnavigate Luxury Yacht Charter & Superyacht News

TÛRANOR PLANETSOLAR IS THE FIRST SOLAR BOAT TO PASS THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL

January 15, 2011

To the Pacific with the power of the sun – MS TÛRANOR PlanetSolar first solar boat to pass
through the Panama Canal – Onward journey to the Galapagos Islands planned MS TÛRANOR PlanetSolar is the first solar boat to have passed through the Panama Canal on its circumnavigation of the world. The solar catamaran docked in the harbour of Panama City yesterday in the afternoon, having passed through the over 80 km long waterway which links the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean.

TÛRANOR PLANETSOLAR

After its Christmas break the world’s largest solar boat left Carthagena in Colombia last Saturday and set course for the town of Colon, the “gateway” to the Panama Canal on the Atlantic side.
“At this point we were travelling in convoy with a lot of other ships and had to maintain quite a fast speed,” is how Captain Patrick Marchesseau describes the journey through the busy waterway. “But with batteries fully charged, the TÛRANOR was able to fulfill this task easily.”

The arrival in Panama City marks the beginning of the next major stage on the round-the-world voyage by the world’s first solar boat: the crossing of the Pacific Ocean. A next stopover is planned on the Galapagos Islands, famous for their unique natural fauna. The environmentally-friendly solar boat is expected to arrive there on Monday, 24th January 2011. The founder of the project, Raphaël Domjan, explains: “We are looking forward to our visit because the animals are particularly trusting when they encounter our solar-powered boat.”

The high-technology experiment completed first stage of its voyage across the Atlantic, with stopovers in Las Palmas, St. Martin, Miami, Cancún and Carthagena, to the complete satisfaction of the project team. An update about the revised route will be made available by the end of next week.

A technological feat of German-Swiss cooperation, the catamaran, measuring close to 102 feet in length and 50 feet in width, is on a pioneering circumnavigation around the globe entirely without the use of traditional fuels. It is powered exclusively by solar energy. The project PlanetSolar, based on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland and initiated by the Swiss Raphaël Domjan, seeks to test the boundaries of solar technologies and inspire people across the world with its ambitious voyage, attempting the first circumnavigation of the seas exclusively with solar power. Sailing under Swiss flag, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar is literally carrying the message of the potential of solar energy around the world.

Explorer motor yacht Big Fish waits to force Drakes Passage

December 20, 2010

Motor yacht Big Fish, the flagship of Aquos Yachts, is currently in Ushuia, at the southern tip of Patagonia, waiting for a weather window to cross the infamous Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. There, she will continue her extraordinarily successful maiden voyage charter career, offering the only fly-in, fly-out luxury yacht charters offered in Antarctica.

Motor yacht BIG FISH by Aquos Yachts - Credit Tim McKenna

Motor yacht BIG FISH by Aquos Yachts - Credit Tim McKenna

Yacht BIG FISH is an expedition (explorer) type steel displacement luxury motor yacht 45m (147′ 7″) in length, designed by Greg Marshall Design and launched by McMullen & Wing New Zealand in 2010.

In February, luxury expedition yacht BIG FISH she will continue her planned circumnavigation up the South American east coast to Rio de Janeiro (in time for Carnival!), then to the Amazon, on to the Caribbean and next to Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

In August, superyacht BIG FISH will conclude her circumnavigation by cruising the fabled and never-before-attempted-by-a-yacht Northeast Passage over the top of Russia, visiting places never seen before from the deck of a luxury yacht or cruise ship.

Motor yacht Big Fish’s Cruise 4 Change charity and Aquos Yachts are proud to have teamed up with Yacht Aid Global to bring school supplies to Robinson Crusoe Island, whose town was devastated late last February by a tsunami spawned by the enormous Chilean earthquake.

Abby Sunderland 16 Year Old Solo Circumnavigator Found

June 11, 2010

In this July 2009 photo provided by Laurence Sunderland is shown Abby Sunderland sailing in Santa Monica Bay, in Santa Monica, Calif. Abby Sunderland wants to one-up older brother Zac when she sets sail in November in a quest to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone. (AP Photo/Laurence Sunderland)

For the family of teenage solo sailor Abby Sunderland it was the best news possible – she had been found alive and well after fears she had been lost in wild weather in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

But for 16-year-old Abby, who was attempting to better Australian Jessica Watson by becoming the youngest person to sail solo round the world, it was the end of that dream.

“It’s bittersweet. We’ve got our Abigail back, but the quest will be over,” Laurence Sunderland told ABC Radio from his home in California on Friday just moments after she was found.

“Knowing she’s alive and well means far more to me than any sailing record.”

Abby activated two emergency beacons late on Thursday night, barely minutes after telling her parents about fierce weather conditions off Australia’s west coast.

A chartered Qantas plane was sent from Perth early on Friday morning to search the area, about 3700km off the coast of Western Australia, and located her just after 6pm (NZT).

Mick Kinley, chief executive of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (ASMA), said searchers saw and made radio contact with Abby just after 4pm, Australian time.

“She sounds like she’s in good health, as far as we can tell, and she’s going to hang in there,” Mr Kinley told reporters in Canberra.

Her 12-metre yacht, Wild Eyes, was upright but had lost its mast due to rough weather conditions.

“She’s in the boat, the boat’s seaworthy, it’s not taking on water,” Mr Kinley said.

Abby Sunderland Solo Sailor Found

Perth police say Ms Sunderland was packing up her possessions and getting ready to abandon her yacht.

She will be picked up late on Saturday afternoon by a fishing vessel which is on its way.

Family spokesman William Bennett, speaking outside the family’s home in Thousand Oaks, California, said Abby was inside the boat and doing fine with a space heater and at least two weeks’ worth of food.

Mr Kinley did not say how much the search and rescue mission would cost but said there would be no attempt to recover the expense.

The French regional administration on the island of Reunion has sent three boats in her direction, with the first expected to reach her on Saturday.

Abby’s location was described as “way down in the southern ocean”, about 2000 nautical miles (3700km) southwest of Perth. It was a long way from merchant shipping routes and it was lucky the French vessel was in the vicinity, Mr Kinley said.

Ad Feedback Mr Kinley said Abby had dropped out of contact because her satellite communications were lost when she lost her mast. The rescue plane had to get quite close to her to establish radio contact.

A lifelong sailor whose father is a shipwright and has a yacht management company, Abby set sail from Los Angeles County’s Marina del Rey on January 23 in an attempt to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone without stopping.

Her brother briefly held the record in 2009.

Abby soon ran into equipment problems and had to stop for repairs. She gave up the goal of setting the record in April, but continued on.

On May 15, Australian Jessica Watson claimed the record just days before turning 17.

Her mother said Jessica and Abby had formed a friendship and the Watsons were all praying for Abby and her family.

“They’ve been communicating (Jessica and Abby) and we’ve been communicating with the family as well,” Ms Watson told the ABC.

She said the dangers of solo sailing had been brought home to Jessica now that she was back on land.

“She just knows exactly what’s going on,” she said of her daughter, who was imagining what conditions were like for Abby.

-AP/AAP

Planetsolar – the World’s Largest Solar Powered Yacht Launched

April 06, 2010

PLANETSOLAR's launch

Catamaran PLANETSOLAR which is the world’s largest solar powered yacht designed to circumnavigate the globe was launched to celebration on the 31st of March 2010.  The PlanetSolar catamaran was designed by Raphael Domjan and built by Knierim Yacht Club in Kiel in northern Germany.

Super yacht PLANETSOLAR – the largest solar-powered catamaran in the world touched the water for the first time on the 31st of March. An enormous and very imposing crane tower over 110 metres, removed the massive 60-ton PlanetSolar from her hangar and placed her delicately into the Baltic Sea where she will remain for a test period of several months before she is shipped to the Mediterranean. The manoeuvre took over an hour and guests enjoyed the spectacle of the “flight” of PlanetSolar in the skies over Kiel in Germany.

The yacht PLANETSOLAR expects to undergo tests and use the propellers for the first time in April. From the 5 to 10 May 2010 the first voyages and celebrations will be held in the port of Hamburg.

 We will keep you updated on developments regarding PLANETSOLAR. Contact the CharterWorld team for further information or to enquire about chartering a yacht for your own private world tour!

Planetsolar – the World’s Largest Solar Powered Yacht will circumnavigate the globe in 2011.

March 03, 2010

Planetsolar 30m solar powered catamaran

  

A selection of international scientists, engineers and boat builders from Germany and Switzerland have developed the world’s largest solar powered yacht designed to circumnavigate the world. The PlanetSolar catamaran, conceptualised by Swiss designer Raphael Domjan and built by Knierim Yacht Club in Kiel in northern Germany, was unveiled on February 25, 2010 at the HDW Shipyard in Kiel, Germany.  

PlanetSolar is expected to begin testing in late March and will prepare to set sail on its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe in April 2011. With a top speed of 15 knots — she is expected to be the fastest solar boat to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the first to cross the Pacific. The planned route around the world will start from Europe. It is expected to reach an average speed of 8 knots and cover approximately 40,000km in around 4 months.  

A total of 500 sq metres (about 5,300 square feet) of solar panelling made up with some 38,000 SunPower cells will help to power the yacht.  Each of the new generation cells used has “an efficiency of at least 22 percent”, delivering 103.4kW (138.6HP) making them the highest-efficiency solar cells commercially available. If the day is overcast, batteries below deck store enough energy for several days without direct sunlight. Her design also enables her to easily carve through the water increasing her maximum speeds.   

Catamaran PlanetSolar measures 30m by 15m, is estimated to cost around $24 million, weighs in at 60 tonne and features a sleek eco friendly design likely to influence future trends in yachting. The yacht was constructed by the company PlanetSolar, who have declared “we want to show that we can change, that solutions exist and that it isn’t too late. Future generations are looking to us; our choices will mark the future of humanity.”  

The company PlanetSolar is committed to sustainable development and is particularly motivated by the necessity to develop alternatives to fossil fuels which are in limited supply and causing measurable negative environmental impact. Perhaps we will see further trends in Superyacht building and design leading to a greener approach. Other notable Eco-friendly designs beginning to surface include such designs as Alastair Callender’s Soliloquy.  

The first solar powered boat to cross the Atlantic was the Swiss, 15 meters Solar21 catamaran.  It made the journey between the Canary Islands and Martinique in 29 days at a top speed of 9 knots reaching Miami on March 29, 2007.  

Two crew will man the catamaran PlanetSolar during its world tour and the craft will be available for public displays – able to host up to 50 guests for an educational opportunity at each of its planned stops. Stop over ports under consideration (subject to change) include Monaco, Marseille, New York, Acapulco, San Francisco, Cairns and Darwin, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.

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