70: MV Explorer Sinks, Kitano Kite Sailing Yacht, TheBoaters

http://www.TheBoaters.TV - First up: The MV Explorer (a.k.a. "Little Red Ship") Sinks in Antarctic Waters.

Passengers enjoying a 19-day Antarctic Cruise aboard the MV Explorer had the vacation of a lifetime cut short last Friday when the well-known ship struck a submerged iceberg in the Bransfield Strait.

The ice punched a hole in the 246-foot, 2400-tonne liner, which began taking on water, forcing the 100 passengers and 54 Explorer crewmembers to flee aboard life rafts.

All onboard managed to escape completely safe and uninjured, while the 38-year-old Explorer sank about 15 hours later.

First launched in 1969 at the Nystad yard in Finland, MV Explorer was the world's first purpose built expeditionary passenger vessel.

Reports say that a calm in Antarctic seas and the swift response of the passing Norwegian ship were instrumental in saving all aboard the famous liner.

Next up: The Kitano Kite Sailing Yacht Has Caught a Hearty Breeze of Interest...

UK-based Kitano Kite Sailing Company has recently designed a prototype for a yacht able to be brought to planing speed by a kite.

By putting a kite at the helm, they discovered that it is somewhat easy--and rather technilogically straightforward--to bring a vessel to planing speed quickly in even the lightest of wind conditions and in the shallowest of waters.

Initially designed to fulfill a 20-meter length overall specification and an admirable 5.5-meter beam, the unarguably modern Kite Sailing Yacht prototype is designed to take advantage of the constant and stronger wind speeds found at higher altitudes.

Another appealing aspect of the the prototype, originally designed by Stefani Krucke, is its environmentally friendly application.

Finally today: Public Service Annoucements from TheBoaters.com

TheBoaters hit some exciting milestones over the holiday weekend.

TheBoaters.TV passed the 100,000 views mark on YouTube and over 250,000 views on other Internet video channels and on iTunes.

TheBoaters.com has surpassed 5,000 registered "captains" and 3,500 boat profiles.

One of TheBoaters.com members is in search of fellow Gem boat owners. He tells us they were specially made from 1960 to sometime in the early 1970's by Erford Burt — a well-known boat builder out of Martha's Vineyard.

Rya51 tells us he has the second Gem ever made, Zircon, and is looking to find other Gem owners to see how far they've traveled from their birth place.

If you have any information that can help this member, swing on in to the Forums on TheBoaters.com and look for the thread title Gems.

Julie's TheBoaters.com Sealebrity Profile Pick of the Day is:

Dola Viola - under construction - a 24.5 foot jumbo Tolman Alaskan Skiff with chines that is being built by Captain Jesse in Portland Oregon.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• boating
• boats
• mv
• explorer
• cruise
• liner
• sinks
• kitano
• kite
• sailing
• yacht
• theboaters
• youtube
• julie
• perry
• gem
• boat

[RXTRUX1]

What happens when the kite goes in the water?

[TheBoatersTV]

Haha! A very good question!

~Julie

[MUCHOSESS78]

Ужасная мимика... детей пугать!!!

[2Rides2]

Hot instructor!

[kiteforsail]

Hi Julie

you might be interested in our new kite sailing videos at kiteforsail.

aloha

Dan

[wildblue2]

It's an air filled kite, so hopefully it floats on the surface, waiting to be re-launched. It's still a little pie-in-the-sky. First, the kite needs a small amount of constant attention from the user or a computer, second, they've neglected to add any deck space.