FLIR thermal cameras are fast becoming ubiquitous in the marine industry, providing images for a variety of applications from footage on the TV series “Deadliest Catch” to human scanners onboard cruise ships designed to detect disease.

The T300 and T400 Series thermal navigation cameras, which will be available as of today, allow boaters to navigate safely and confidently, seeing obstructions, buoys, and other vessels in total darkness or foul weather conditions.

The cameras can be fully integrated into the navigation system at the helm for easy access to imagery alongside the chartplotter, fishfinder, and radar navigation displays. The optional remote joystick control unit allows captains to navigate with thermal imagery from the main helm, or a remote navigation station.

The T300 Series thermal navigation cameras offer a single thermal imaging sensor while the T400 Series (pictured above) features both a thermal imaging camera, and a high-performance lowlight video camera. The marine-grade enclosure provides 360°pan and 90° tilt capability for complete coverage from horizon to horizon.

Superyacht builder Kingship is set to reveal details about cutting-edge new designs at the Monaco Yacht Show. The Hong Kong shipyard is working with Donald Starkey and Azure Naval Architects in the design and development of a 156-foot megayacht. The profile reflects a striking yet subtle juxtaposition of classic and futuristic lines. While plumb bow hull design is a recent trend, it actually originated in classic commuter yacht design.

The plumb bow, circular port lights on the forward main deck and sweeping sheer line are reminiscent of the Golden Age of yachting. These elements integrated with a very futuristic dynamism of exterior styling succeed in producing what Kingship terms a “modern gentleman’s yacht”.

The general arrangement features six suites, spacious lounges and plentiful deck spaces for entertaining including a partially shaded sun deck with a bar/dining area and sizeable Jacuzzi on the forward sunning area.

Kingship also raises the bar on efficient long-range explorers, an increasingly popular alternative to the classic white yacht. The HT116’Explorer reaches a maximum speed of 13 knots with a 7,000Nm range. Two additional models in the series, a 148-footer and an 87-footer, are new versions that vary little other than in size. All three incorporate a novel stabilization system at anchor based on two non-retractable fins.

Oceanco continues to push the envelope with futuristic superyacht designs distinguished by never-before-seen features and environmentally conscious engineering. Designed by Russian prodigy Igor Lobanov, Oceanco’s 280’ Project Y708 is no exception.

The ultramodern profile is intended to impart a sense of motion, even when the yacht is at rest, an illusion attributed to the aesthetic continuity of the elegantly angular, beveled superstructure. Exterior spaces include a magnificent 20’ x 12’ infinity pool that converts to a helipad, a feature first introduced in 2007 on Oceanco’s award-winning 267’ Alpha Nero, currently available for charter through Boatbookings.com.

Among many spectacular architectural features on Y708 are private guest balconies on each deck and owner’s compartments that incorporate two private decks with whirlpool and sunbathing area, bedroom suite, salon and study. Sweeping aft decks that include a beach club with guest sea terrace further expand voluminous interior spaces characteristic of Oceanco’s “Y-series”.

In the last decade Oceanco has launched several distinguished yachts acclaimed for both innovative architectural design and cutting edge technology. At the Asia Boating Awards this May, Oceanco’s fourth in the “Y-series” 280’ Vibrant Curiosity was awarded Best Custom-Built Yacht. Among her many notable features is a three story sweeping vertical expanse of glass amidships.

Oceanco Yachts in the Y-series earn a place among the world’s top 100 superyachts, including charter yachts 262’ Amevi (Y701), 267’ Alfa Nero (Y702) and 245’ Anastasia (Y703), each designed to accommodate 12 guests. Please contact Boatbookings.com for charter information on these spectacular superyachts, and continue to check boatbloggings.com for updates on Project Y708, scheduled for delivery in 2012.

www.oceancoyacht.com

www.oceancoyacht.com/v3/images/content-images/brochures/brochures/pdf/1255074008.pdf

Specifications:

LOA: 280 ft

Beam: 49 ft

Draft Full Load: 13 ft

Fuel: 73,968 Gal. Engines: 2 x MTU 20V 4000

Stabilizers: Rolls-Royce retractable zero-speed stabilization

When the iPad was released, we immediately thought that it would be a great tech tool for yachting (See “iPad for Yachting, We Say Yes!“), and Apple clearly have a success on their hands given that they’ve already sold 3 million units.  We tested a few of the iPhone apps on the iPad and they do indeed benefit from the speed and larger screen of the iPad.  The Navionics Nautical Charts app is a shining exmple – the app works great on an iPhone, but the larger iPad screen really makes the charts come alive, and they refresh amazingly quickly.  We’re also seeing daily that more marine iPhone apps are being upgraded to work properly on the iPad.  We are keeping a regularly updated list of iPhone and iPad yachting apps on the Boatbookings site. Please let us know if you discover any great new yachting apps!

But if the iPad is going to be successful on yachts, it has to have a waterproof case. We’re happy to say that we’ve discovered one made by TrendyDigital called the Waterproof Waterguard. It’s a plastic cover that lets you use the touch screen and all the controls of the iPad.  And the best news is that it only costs $19.95 – definitely worth it to protect your iPad!

If you would like to follow our tweets in Dutch, we have a twitter site called botenverhuur. You can follow it at http://www.twitter.com/botenverhuur. Here’s our most recent tweets!

With the evolution of smartphones, there’s no reason you have to be in front of a computer to research, enquire and charter a yacht.

Any phone with a browser (and there are millions of them!) can now access our mobile site, which has been reformatted and optimised for smartphones of all shapes and sizes.  Boatbookings Mobile, which can be found at http://www.boatbookings.mobi, has all of our yachts, and the entire search functionality so that you can find the yachts you’re looking easily and quickly, no matter where you are.

We’re in beta, so give it a try and let us know how it works for you!

If you’ll be headed to the French Riviera for a conference or charter, be sure to download our free iRiviera iPhone app! Boatbookings has joined forces with several companies who have the “pulse” of the Riviera, and will be providing constantly updated information about happenings in Cannes, St Tropez, Monaco, Antibes and all the other renowned areas of the French Riviera. 

News, hot spots, parties, conference information, restaurant recommendations, videos, special offers, and of course our selection of great yachts for the Riviera are all featured in one iPhone app. It’s interactive, so you can add your comments and communicate with people who are in the Riviera as well.  Check it out in the App Store, and let us know if there are types of information that you’d be looking for, and we’ll try to add them!

I had a very interesting email exchange with Kim Kavin, editor of Charterwave and one of the most technically savvy people I know in the charter business.  She’s a Kindle lover and didn’t really agree that the iPad would be that revolutionary for yacht charters.  For reading a book on on a yacht, the Kindle, as a single purpose tool, has no peer – especially given that it has an LCD screen that is easy to read outdoors, while backlit screens common to computers and presumably the iPad may be more difficult to read in direct sunlight. She also felt that an iPhone, which has a smaller footprint but plenty of uses, can be used for games, videos, etc.

Everyone will need to make their own decisions about what electronic devices they choose to bring on their charters.  If you want a great tool to read books, a Kindle may be for you. If you want a multipurpose tool that is not too large, bring your iPhone, and if you want a bigger screen that will be excellent for charts, games, videos, pictures and yachting apps, an iPad may be perfect, especially if someone makes a waterproof case!

Photo courtesy of Apple, Inc.

The raging debate in tech land today is whether the iPad has enough features or is revolutionary enough to truly change the world. Looked at from the perspective of yachting, my feeling is a very strong yes.  Its big, beautiful screen, ease of use (no mouse or keyboard to flop around the boat) and ability to process graphics so quickly will make it a fantastic tool to bring along on any charter or yachting holiday.

We see it with multiple uses: reading charts and mixing basic chart data with images, videos and user information about the ports and cruising areas, keeping track of your expenses and other trip records, researching your itinerary, entertaining the kids at night on their personal movie viewers, checking weather, tides and wind forecasts, and showing everyone your gorgeous pictures as you progress through your charter.  I did this on my last charter with my MacBook Pro, but was constantly worried that I’d ruin it.  Not so with an iPad – there aren’t really any moving parts.

Added to the above, there will be amazing apps written for sailors and yachting that we haven’t even thought about but that will become indispensable as soon as we try them. That’s the nature of technology, and why the iPhone is the number one phone in the world right now.  We’ll certainly be following these events with interest, and may even release an app or two of our own

As a disclaimer, I worked for Apple Computer for 10 years (back when it had a colored logo with stripes), so I’ve had a serious dose of Steve Job’s reality distortion field.

We’ve added a great new social networking feature to Boatbloggings  called Meebo, which allows you to drag and drop posts to add them to a facebook page, twitter, Yahoo, or email.  Simply mouse over any picture, click and drag, and you get a whole new sharing menu.  See the image below:

You also have the ability to drop into an IM chat.

Anyway, we think it’s pretty cool – please test it out, and tweet us if you like it!