All posts tagged: boats

This futuristic-looking electric ferry just proved boats beat bridges in cities

This futuristic-looking electric ferry just proved boats beat bridges in cities

Published by skeptic

Electric boats have been steadily gaining traction, but a new pilot project in Norway is making a pretty compelling case that they could do more than just clean up waterways – they might actually replace expensive infrastructure projects altogether. Norwegian company Hyke has just wrapped up a 14-month real-world test of its F-15 electric passenger ferry in the city of Fredrikstad, and the results suggest that small, efficient electric ferries could play a much bigger role in urban transportation than we’ve seen so far.  The Hyke F-15 Shuttle isn’t a massive ferry. It’s a relatively compact, 15-meter (49-foot) vessel designed for short urban crossings, carrying up to 50 passengers at a time. But what it lacks in size, it seems to make up for in efficiency. During its pilot run between April 2024 and mid-2025, the ferry transported more than 41,000 passengers across a short 225-meter river route. The crossing itself took just about two minutes, showing how these types of boats can operate at high frequency – more like a shuttle than a traditional …

Arc Boats’ new ‘high-octane package’ makes your boat worse for April Fools

Arc Boats’ new ‘high-octane package’ makes your boat worse for April Fools

Published by skeptic

It’s April Fools’ Day, also known as the worst day on the internet, where everyone thinks they’re clever with their fake announcements. But Arc Boats has a pretty clever one today, which makes a real point about the benefits of electric propulsion. Arc is an electric boat company, which started out making high-performance sport boats and is now working to hybridize other parts of the marine industry. As such, it likes to tout the superiority of electric propulsion, and to point out the annoyances that boat owners have always had to go through in order to keep their fossil-powered boats running. Advertisement – scroll for more content Electric propulsion is cleaner, more reliable, quieter, cheaper to fuel, easier to maintain, and if you’ve got a dock then you don’t even need to go anywhere to fill up. So, how better to make all those points than to offer an optional package to make your boat worse, just to remind you of the bad old days of having to burn millions-year-old dino juice to get around. …

Missing Cuba-bound aid boats located, crew reported safe

Missing Cuba-bound aid boats located, crew reported safe

Published by Sam Flores

HAVANA: Two sailboats that disappeared while taking humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba have been located by the Mexican Navy and the crews are safe, organisers and Mexican authorities said on Saturday (Mar 28). The Mexican Navy announced a search and rescue mission on Thursday after losing communication with the vessels, which left from Isla Mujeres in southeast Mexico last week with nine people aboard. The Navy said on Saturday that one of its aircraft spotted the sailboats – Tiger Moth and Friend Ship – 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana. The Navy added on social media platform X that it is in communication via radio with the sailboats and a ship is on its way to the area “to provide support”. The sailboats are part of an international convoy that has brought 50 tonnes of medical supplies, food, solar panels and other goods to support Cuba as a US fuel blockade has deepened the communist-ruled island’s energy and economic crisis. “We are relieved to confirm that the two sailboats have been located by the …

Skip the TSA Line: Where to Find Travel by Bus, Train, and Boat

Skip the TSA Line: Where to Find Travel by Bus, Train, and Boat

Published by skeptic

Every year, without fail, the US experiences at least one major disruption in air travel due to severe weather, government shutdowns, software outages, or power outages—you name it. Right now, a partial government shutdown has meant that thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have not been paid for several weeks, causing many to call out of work or quit. That has meant long security lines—more than three-hour waits—ensuing chaos at airports around the country. It’s unclear how long this mess will last, so it’s worth thinking about other options. Flights are also expensive and hard on the environment. If you can take a bus, train, or ferry to your destination, why shouldn’t you? These travel search apps help you find routes and prices so you can compare them and make the best decision. Wanderu Best for Buses and Trains in the US and Canada In the US and Canada, Wanderu is my go-to search aggregator for travel by bus or train (it works in Europe and the UK, too). Wanderu is your classic travel …

Mexican Volunteers Load Boats With Aid for Energy‑strapped Cuba

Mexican Volunteers Load Boats With Aid for Energy‑strapped Cuba

Published by Sam Flores

PROGRESO, Mexico, March 20 (Reuters) – Volunteers in Mexico ⁠loaded ⁠a fleet of modest boats ⁠bound for Cuba with rice, baby wipes and other supplies in ​a growing grassroots effort to help the island as it grapples with the fallout of a U.S. squeeze ‌on oil imports that has ‌led to power outages and a worsening economic crisis. At a port in the southeast Mexican state ⁠of Yucatan, ⁠less than 800 kilometers (497 miles) across the Gulf of Mexico from Havana, ​several dozen people hoisted boxes out of cars and trucks alongside a hand-painted banner declaring: “Let Cuba Live.” “At the beginning we felt like we were going against the tide, trying to get enough aid,” said Marisela ​Vega, one of the volunteers. “And suddenly it overflowed. … When everyone started finding out, little by ⁠little ⁠they responded more and more.” Beans, ⁠baby formula, ​shampoo, and feminine pads have been donated, said Vega. Medications also have been purchased through ​donations. The boats were expected to ⁠depart on Friday as part of “Nuestra America Convoy,” or …

Arc expands into electric commercial and defense boats with M raise

Arc expands into electric commercial and defense boats with $50M raise

Published by skeptic

Los Angeles startup Arc Boat Company wants to expand its nascent commercial business and even sell electric propulsion systems to defense contractors, in an attempt to fulfill founder Mitch Lee’s desire to “electrify everything on the water.” To do that, Arc has raised $50 million in a Series C funding round from Eclipse, a16z, Menlo Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Necessary Ventures, and Offline Ventures. The expansion into these newer markets won’t come at the expense of Arc’s consumer boat business, Lee told TechCrunch in an interview. He said sport boats are a category that generates “meaningful revenue” for Arc, and helps prove to commercial customers that the company’s technology is both capable and durable. It’s a plan that roughly approximates how Tesla got started, and one that Greg Reichow — a former VP at Tesla and a general partner at Eclipse — said can work for Arc. “The right strategy was go develop the technology, get it to work on the high end of consumer boats, then take that technology as you get some experience with …

Migrants seen attempting to cross Channel in small boats after record day | Politics | News

Migrants seen attempting to cross Channel in small boats after record day | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Migrants have been spotted attempting to cross the Channel in small boats this morning (Image: PA) Border Force is bracing for more Channel migrant arrivals after dozens were spotted leaving a notorious beach in northern France. Scores of asylum seekers were seen piling into a rubber dinghy in Gravelines, northern France, after high winds prevented smugglers from launching boats bound for Britain. French patrol vessels are believed to be shadowing at least two migrant boats in French waters. Border Force was overwhelmed on Wednesday as criminal gangs exploited the hottest day of the year so far to launch dinghies destined for the Kent coast, carrying hundreds of people. The French rescue ship Abeille Normandie even escorted one migrant vessel four miles into British waters because Border Force Volunteer and Border Force Typhoon were already tied up with arrivals. It waited until the British ships were able to come and pick up the migrants onboard. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is to introduce new legislation on migration this week in a bid to take on Reform UK. …

Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Quietly Form Vast Sea Barriers

Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Quietly Form Vast Sea Barriers

Published by Sam Flores

China quietly mobilized thousands of fishing boats twice in recent weeks to form massive floating barriers of at least 200 miles long, showing a new level of coordination that could give Beijing more ways to impose control in contested seas. The two recent operations unfolded largely unnoticed. An analysis of ship-tracking data by The New York Times reveals the scale and complexity of the maneuvers for the first time. Last week, about 1,400 Chinese vessels abruptly dropped their usual fishing activities or sailed out of their home ports and congregated in the East China Sea. By Jan. 11, they had assembled into a rectangle stretching more than 200 miles. The formation was so dense that some approaching cargo ships appeared to skirt around them or had to zigzag through, ship-tracking data showed. Ship formation on Jan. 11 Note: Ships are represented by their last known positions on 2 p.m. on Jan. 11 local time. Maritime and military experts said the maneuvers suggested that China was strengthening its maritime militia, which is made up of civilian …

France bans 10 British far-right activists for attacking migrant boats

France bans 10 British far-right activists for attacking migrant boats

Published by Sam Flores

France has banned 10 British far-right activists for actions in France intended to stop migrants crossing to England on small boats, the interior ministry said Wednesday. Immigration has become a central political issue in the United Kingdom, as the government seeks to stem a wave of undocumented migrants arriving on English shores after paying smugglers to cross the Channel. The arrivals have fuelled rising anger on the British far right, and since last year videos have circulated of anti-migrant activists visiting France to take matters into their own hands. France’s interior ministry said it took action following reports that members of the “Raise the Colours” movement had conducted anti-migrant activities in France. On Tuesday, “territorial bans were issued against 10 British nationals, identified as activists within the movement and having carried out actions on French soil”, it said. It did not immediately name the 10 people, or the exact nature of their actions in France. But French authorities have opened an investigation over an alleged “aggravated assault” on migrants in September in a coastal area …