Hawaii Firestorm

On the eight August the Hawaii Firestorm reached the Lahaina Small boat harbour, devastating most of the 99 boats in the marina with only thirteen boats and there fortunate pier escaping the fire.  The Hawaii Firestorm formed in early August, predominantly reaching Maui, and doing extensive damage to the North West coast and the coastal town of Lahaina, killing 98 persons with 31 people still missing.  The Hawaii Firestorm was contained on the eleventh August, destroying about 2200 buildings in Lahaina alone, and causing over six billion US dollars in three days.  The Hawaii Firestorm was formed by dry gusty conditions created by a strong high pressure to the North of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the South.

Lahiana small boat harbour is located to the North-West of the Island of Maui, to the North of Hawaii and second in size of the Hawaii Island archipelago; which features eight major volcanic islands and thirteen minor islets on the North Pacific Ocean spread in 1,200 nautical miles.  Previously called Sandwich Islands. the Hawaii Islands are a state of the United States of America with a distance of just over 1,700 nautical miles from the closest harbour in California.

Aicon Yacht Ends Aground in Greek Ithaki Island

A nineteen meter Aicon motor yacht with seven persons onboard ended aground in Agios Nikoloas, in the North East of Ithaki Island at about 12:00 hours of eleven August.  It is not reported if the yacht was cruising in the Marmagas sea, or ended aground while at anchor in near Agios Nikoloas.  A patrol boat was immediately dispatched in the area, first taking the seven passenger aboard the flybridge yacht to safety, and subsequently organizing motor vessel Dimitra for the towing of the yacht to the harbour of Lefkada, for inspection and repairs.  No pollution was reported from the grounding.

The yacht in this grounding is an Aicon 64 Fly designed by Marco Mannino with naval architecture by Sergio Cutolo, it offered an interior of three or four cabins plus a crew cabin, and was powered by twin Man 1360hp engines for top speeds up to 34 knots.  Third model of the short and fast Aicon life which lasted about twelve years, the 64 Fly was produced from 2004 to 2012 selling in over thirty units.  Reopening in 2019 Aicon actually started by evolving the 64 in the new Sergio Cutolo designed 66 Vivere presented in 2022.

Sport Yacht Aground Near Porto Rotondo in Sardinia

A seventeen meter Alfamarine sport yacht ended aground in Cala Sabina to the South of Porto Rotondo on the late morning of eleven August.  The Alfamarine yacht departed Porto Rotondo and hit the reef to port side during its entry to Cala Sabina.  The sport yacht was later assisted by a private yacht yard, and towed for repairs. The damage to the yacht was not reported extensive, with water intrusion coming from a slipped damaged shaft entry.

The Alfamarine in this grounding is the 55, released in 1990 to a design of Franco Harrauer, offering a three cabins plus crew cabin layout and line shafts or forty knots surface drive propulsion.  Stopped in production in 1994 only five Alfamarine 55 were made, with the model evolving into the 58 with a redesigned stern and radar arch in 2002 and still offered as build to order today.  The hull of the 55 was also used for the tri-engines record breaking fast 65, and the still produced 60 introduced in 1998.

New Launch: Columbus Custom 50M

Columbus Yachts, a brand of Palumbo Superyachts, is pleased to announce the launch of m/y Anjelif, a new 50-metre full custom built entirely in aluminium.  This 50m Columbus Custom is the seventh super yacht launched by Columbus, tailor made to the needs of her experienced owner and packed with technical and stylistic innovations like the hybrid, diesel-electric propulsion. Furthermore, this superyacht makes use of two distinct and highly advanced technologies: one through the application of cold plasma for the sanitization of air coming from outside and used both for ventilation and air conditioning; the other one dedicated to room sanitization at pre-set intervals to ensure daily safety. The first guarantees the efficient elimination of airborne viruses and bacteria in the incoming airstream, while the second automates the sanitization of each internal area of the boat. Exteriors and interiors are by Marco Casali of Too-Design while the engineering is by the Palumbo Superyachts team. The interior design has been rigorously developed with natural and ecological materials and includes a gym on the main deck, a sauna, massage room. The swimming pool in the transom with exposed teak finish is of very scenic effect, while a second Jacuzzi is located on the top deck. At the bow, we find a functional zone complete with sunbathing area and a touch & go helicopter docking platform which can be eventually transformed into an open-air cinema. The layout includes 4 decks, with the master cabin positioned on the main deck forward and 4 double cabins below deck. The crew is made up of eleven members accommodated in seven cabins. Columbus Custom 50m has a 499 GT gross tonnage and can reach a maximum speed of 20 knots with a range of 3000 nautical miles at 12 knots. The diesel engine system includes twin MTU 2636hp each, while twin 175 kW Kohler generators make up for the electric one. The hybrid system, developed thanks to the consolidated experience of Palumbo Superyachts in this specific field, provides for the possibility of using two electric motors in diesel-electric propulsion with a power of 100 kW each for a speed of approximately 9 knots. The electric motors coupled with the propulsion motors, can in turn be used as shaft generators, allowing navigation with the gen-sets off. A latest generation lithium battery pack is used as electricity back-up, avoiding any possibility of blackout during the transient phases. Columbus Custom 50m will have its world premiere at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023.

Technical Data:

LOA - 49.9 m (163.7ft) 

Beam - 9.05 m

Draft - 

Displacement - 499 gt *volume

Accommodation - ten guests in five cabins, eleven crew in seven cabins

Engines - 2 x MTY 16V2000 M96L 2636hp

Propulsion - line shafts

Speed - twenty knots max, twelve cruise, nine knots on electric propulsion

Range - 3000 nautical miles at twelve knots

Construction - aluminium

Project - Marco Casali exterior and interior, Palumbo engineering

Certification - RINA class

www.columbusyachts.it

Flybridge Yacht with Nine People Burns Down in Gorgona

A sixteen meter flybridge yacht with nine persons onboard, six adults and three kids burned down to the South of Gorgona island, in the North Tyrennian sea on 13:00 hours of tenth August. The nine persons departed Marina di Pisa direction Capraia island for the weekend when half way into the trip the flybridge yacht went ablaze.  The helmsman of the yacht called for assistance and put himself and the guests onboard the life-raft, before then being assisted by the Italian Guardia Costeria boat and a fire fighters rib.  No success in turning off the fire with the flybridge yacht wreck sinking at about 14:30 hours in a depth of about 135 meters.  No fuel and oil sea pollution was reported from the fire and sinking.

This lost to fire flybridge yacht is a Raffaelli 52 Maestrale, designed by Nuvolari Lenard and produced from 1995 till 2010.  The 52 Maestrale, Italian meaning for North West was a success for Raffaelli selling in over one hundred units, and was the only collaboration with the Venice design studio.  The Maestrale replaced the 1986 to 1993 produced Fulvio de Simoni designed Ouragan, and was never really replaced, as Raffaelli went in financial difficulties in 2010.  A Raffaelli Maestrale 56 project was presented in 2015 but not been produced as yet.

Maiora Yacht Ends Aground in Saint-Florent

A twenty meter Maiora motor yacht ended aground in Saint-Florent, to the North of Corsica on the morning of tenth August.  The causes of the accident are not reported but some reports are saying the yacht ending on the reef at about ten knots.  The yacht was later in the day protected with an oil boon for pollution control as it tipped more to its starboard side, and then taken to a nearby yard for repairs.  

The yacht in this grounding is the popular Maiora 20 produced from 1992 till about 2012, to a design of Roberto del Re.  The 20 was Maiora's best success for the Viareggio based builder founded in 1971.  A custom made to order flybridge motor yacht the Maiora 20 dominated the twenty meter size for its modern yet clean looks, selling over eighty units in two decades of production, and including the 20S longer stern version released in 2000.

Sydney Marina Fire Burns Three Boats

A fire at Holmeport Church Point Marina in Sydney, on about 05:00 hours in the morning of Thursday Tenth August burned down three boats. Six trucks, 22 fire fighters, and two boats fighted the fire till about 10:00 local time when it was extinguished.  The case at some point was also getting dramatic with one of the boats engulfed in the flames, drifting in the gulf around the marina.  No one was injured in the fire, with a pollution protected boon being made around the wrecks of the three boats.  The fire also involved minor burning damages to two other boats with the combined damage to the boats and marina being estimated at around three million Australian dollars.  

The three burned boats in this fire are a Cruisers 350 Express, a recently delivered Integrity Euro Trawler 440, and a Tiara 5200 Sovran. Holmeport Church Point Marina in Sydney opened its doors in 2004 when the old floating wharf was replaced by a floating concrete pontoon, with the marina expanding again in 2019 with the new C-wharf, today offering two hundred berths from ten to thirty meters in size.

Nordhavn Hits Reef Capsizes and Sinks

A fourteen meter Nordhavn explorer cruiser hit a reef capsized and then sank in 45NW Vancouver, Canada on the morning of nine August.  It was a sad turn of events and a bit unfortunate for the explorer cruiser, which after hitting its bottom, rolled to its starboard side, capsized and then sank.  The explorer cruiser was a day later recovered by a barge ship and taken to Campbell River to one of the yards in the area for a big repair.  

The Nordhavn in this sinking is a 47 model, produced from 2002 to 2009 in 59 units.  The Nordhavn 47 offered a two double cabins interior and is powered by a single Lugger 165hp engine for speeds up to nine knots, and a range up to three thousand nautical miles on an efficient seven knots cruise.  Replacing Nordhavn's first 46 model released in 1989, the N47 evolved into the 52 via length extension in 2009.

Boat Saved from Near Fire in Procida

A thirteen meter flybridge cruiser with two persons onboard had a chance of fire in Procida Island, near the islet of Vivara on the afternoon of ninth August.  This was actually not a fire but one of the engines of the flybridge cruiser which went in auto-combustion mode, meaning the engine starts to burn its oil as fuel and does not stop and cannot be stopped from running.  Immediate the response of the Italian Guardia Costiera, which saved the two boaters from the boat. Although fair to say, more a case of an unstoppable engine rather then a real boat fire.  

The flybridge cruiser in this near fire is a Fairline 41 produced from 1990 up to 94 named as 43 in the last two years of production.  Designed as all Fairline's of that time by Bernard Olesinski, the 41/43 offered a two double cabins layout, and was powered by twin Volvo 430 or Cats 375 or 425hp engines on shaft drives.  The 41/43 was replaced by the Squadron 43 in 1994.

Project: Evo Yachts R+ 18m

Just two years after Evo Yachts launched its V8 flagship and revolutionised the concept of cruising, the Italian Naples boat and yacht builder is getting ready to delight fans again with a new model, Evo R+, an innovative eighteen meter sport yacht designed again by Valerio Rivellini and to World premiere at the Cannes boat show 2023 from twelve to seventeen September. The Evo R+ looks based on the R6 series, this is indeed the third version of the eighteen meter model, showing the Campania-based shipyard desire to amaze and appeal to an even wider audience, by designing a sport yacht with eye-catching styling that is also ideal for long stays on board, thanks to outstanding levels of comfort and reliability ensured by the closed deck and generous headroom in the interiors. The Evo R+ presents an aluminium top in black and angular design with a special stern platform that makes it easy to enter the water and to launch and haul up a tender or jet ski. The Evo R+ will feature interiors decorated with sophisticated materials and feature the R line’s signature pared-down, sporty style and dynamism. Evo Yachts has not given much technical details for the R+, but the R6 is offered in two or three cabins layout and is powered by twin Volvo 600hp or optional 725hp units with IPS pod drives.

www.evoyachts.com