An Englishman’s home is his fort
The three Palmerston forts in The Solent off the UK’s south coast are iconic structures known to many, dating back to 1859 when they were built to counter the threat of invasion by the French. For me they are a familiar sight, but I have never had the opportunity to land on these extraordinary structures – only admire them from afar with extreme curiosity.
But knowing they had been for sale for a number of years unsuccessfully, Continue reading “What caught my eye: July 2024”
If you follow my scribblings on a semi regular basis, you will know that the subject of lithium battery fires is one that concerns me greatly and is a topic I have written a great deal about. A recent performance test conducted by Yachting Pages on some of the leading safety cases revealed some startling and concerning findings.
Now you know I really could not let this story pass by without comment. Everyone knows the sky’s the limit when it comes to the superyacht sector, but this one blew me away – a $60,000 duvet. Really? Are they serious? Yep, they most certainly are.
I am rarely surprised by the ingenuity of people these days when most things seem possible, but this idea struck me as being visionary and worthy of a mention. An original concept, Art Explora is billed as the world’s first museum boat, which plans to sail across the world’s oceans with a self-stated mission to bring visitors innovative artistic and cultural experiences. It is the inspiration of its entrepreneurial founder and patron Frédéric Jousset. Art Explora is a large catamaran that can host up to 2,000 gallery visitors on board each day free of charge. 
This is a remarkable story, one of my favourites for ages, which fortunately had a happy ending. What caught my eye specifically were the details of the good Samaritan vessel – a floating sauna – which came to the aid of a sinking Tesla. I must have led a sheltered life as I was completely unaware that such craft existed and that they are indeed popular in Norway and can be hired by the hour! And being a skipper of a floating sauna sounds like a very cool job – never getting cold on the job either! 
If you thought taking selfies was without risk, this bizarre story proves otherwise. Have you ever wondered about the dangers of taking a selfie on an unstable vessel for example? Well, here is one such incident. Fortunately, on this occasion, nobody was seriously injured, but it could have been far worse.
Of all the stories I have unearthed this year, this one is one of my favourites and one of the strangest too; and please forgive me for it sounds like something that could only happen in America – a sort of rodeo with boats instead of cattle!
Well this story, or should I say photo, certainly stopped me dead in my tracks and This Is It. No, that’s actually the name of the vessel!
