Virtual tours through Bavaria

Circumnavigation in recyclable boat

HOW MANY TIMES have you wanted to explore a boat only to be told that the broker or agent doesn’t have a model available at the moment?

German manufacturer Bavaria and Samsung have introduced a stop-gap measure to address this problem – a virtual reality tour.

It’s best described as a 3D headset worn by the prospective buyer. Using her/his Samsung smartphone – it only works with a Samsung smartphone, so iphone owners are out of luck – the client is able to view any of Bavaria’s models, while sitting in a comfy chair.

The 3D imagery is reasonably realistic, and you tour through the boat simply by turning your head – following your nose, as it were. Of course, it’s not a tactile experience – you can’t “touch” anything – but it certainly gives you a good sense of the layout and different spaces within the boats.

Headsets have been shipped to Bavaria’s agents around the world.

How does it work? Your Samsung phone effectively becomes the “bridging” device. It communicates with the headset, and the imagery appearing on the phone is “converted” into 3D by the headset. One tip – stay seated. Your esteemed editor tried it and while it’s a fascinating experience, the sense of drifting through space is a little disorienting. I gather that people who try to stand or walk while wearing the headset soon find themselves making a sudden acquaintance with the floor.

For a trial visit Busfield Marine at Auckland’s Westhaven Marina. “Eeeeeee by gum....!” have

EXTREME SAILOR NORBERT Sedlacek has unveiled plans for a nonstop, solo circumnavigation in a racing yacht that will be entirely recyclable.

The attempt – scheduled for 2018 – will start in Les Sables d’olonne (France) and proceed to the Arctic, through the Northwest Passage, down the Pacific Ocean, passing Cape Horn before circumnavigating the Antarctic continent. After rounding Cape Horn a second time, he will continue north through the Atlantic Ocean to finish back at Les Sables d’olonne. His goal is not only to set a world record and to test several material developments, but also to provide performance proof of a new, sustainable yacht construction concept.

Sustainable balsa end-grain from Austrian company 3A Composites is matched to environmentally-harmless FILAVA volcanic fibre. It forms the basis of the high performance laminate from which Sedlacek’s prototype is built.

The laminate should be able to survive collisions with drifting ice, temperature differences of more than 80°C and severe wave impacts. In addition, the insulating properties of the hull material will allow sailing in Arctic waters for months without heating, reducing on-board energy consumption.