Trade-A-Boat Issue 551

“This is a perfect opportunity to learn information or secure a bargain that you wouldn’t get at any other time or place!” BENEFITS OF A BOAT SHOW There are many good reasons to visit a boat show, whether you’re interested in buying a boat or not. The larger boat shows — including Sanctuary Cove, Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne — attract the cream of our national boating industry, forming a convenient showcase where you can find the best of whatever interests you in the boating lifestyle. Sure, you’ll see plenty of new boats, and you’ll also find the latest in electric and fuel motors, sailing equipment, marine electronics, mooring systems, anchors, kayaks, chandlery, and much more. In fact, you’ll find businesses of all kinds relating to boating, including marinas and repair facilities, boat storage, insurance…

Who do you think of when you hear about the greatest pirates of all time? Sir Francis Drake, Blackbeard, maybe even Jack Sparrow? Chances are you’ve never heard of Zheng Yi Sao, a widow from China who led an entire confederation of pirate crews and terrorised the South China Sea for years. It took three international armies multiple attempts to finally bring her to surrender. When she did surrender, she went out on her own terms, earning herself the moniker of the most successful pirate of all time. Zheng Yi Sao was born into poverty before becoming a prostitute and later the madam of a brothel in Guangdong. She married the pirate Zheng Yi when she was 26. Some say she was captured by him first, but either way, this marriage…

Visit tradeaboat.com.au for the latest news updates New marine parks to cover 739,000sqkm off Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands An alliance of leading environment groups has welcomed the Federal Government’s declaration of two new marine parks off Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Islands, which together form one of the largest highly protected marine sanctuary areas in the world. The marine parks, which have been codesigned and are supported by the local island communities, include marine sanctuaries covering around 739,000 square kilometres, an area bigger than Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT combined. Christabel Mitchell, National Oceans Manager for The Pew Charitable Trusts said “This is a truly historic moment for marine protection in Australia and for the global health of our oceans. Covering an area twice the size of the Great Barrier Reef Marine…

Australia’s reefs and marine ecosystems are at dire risk of mass bleachings and extinction, a marine heatwaves research briefing from the Climate Council has found. The briefing, titled ‘In hot water: Climate change, marine heatwaves and coral bleaching’ alongside a monitoring visit comes ahead of a World Heritage Committee meeting in June to consider listing the Reef as ‘in danger’. The Reef is currently being watched closely by scientists for another possible mass bleaching event, with temperatures up to 3 degrees higher than average in central parts of the reef. In recent weeks low-to-moderate bleaching has been recorded across parts of the reef. The reef has suffered three mass bleachings in just the past six years (2016, 2017, 2020). The briefing affirms that last year was the warmest year on record for…

The affluent Gold Coast suburb of Paradise Point has been identified as having the highest value of property at risk of coastal erosion in Australia, new data has shown. According to analysis by CoreLogic, an estimated $1.4bn worth of property within 6.4km of the coastline in Paradise Point is at “very high risk” of coastal erosion or storm-related damage within the next 30 to 60 years. The analysis shows about 20% of the suburb’s housing stock is at high risk — the equivalent to 40% of the suburb’s total residential value. Local real estate agent Mark MacCabe says this hasn’t stopped buyers from making a beeline for the Gold Coast’s property market, adding Paradise Point’s property market has surged over the past five years with the average property selling for $1.1m and…

Mahi Two, an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), has become what is believed to be the first vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean using only solar power. The autonomous robotic boat left the coast of Spain in September 2021 and made landfall in Martinique, in the French Lesser Antilles, six months later, after more than 4300 nautical miles (7963km) at sea. The four-metre Mahi Two has a composite hull for strength, efficiency, and durability and is driven by a Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 pod drive which the team modified to rotate. The Cruise pod drive is powered by two 24V Torqeedo lithium-ion batteries which are charged by Solbian solar panels. The system powers the drive, plus the steering actuator, electronics, and bilge pumps. The steering, communication, hardware integration, navigation, and onboard energy management…