“Dictatorship tempered with an amount of human decapitation” was his style as Director-General of the BBC. This Presbyterian didn’t get on with Churchill as he felt he could have done a better job himself. John Reith was emancipated by a booze fuelled sailing trip with the governor of the Bank of England without his wife and subsequently encouraged drinking in the offices of the BBC. When he left the corporation, he vented his outrage whenever they played jazz music.
Tag: sailing
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John Reith, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Reith KT GVCO GBE CB TD PC (1889 –1971)
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The yachting equivalent of Marmite
Edward Kay examines the latest offering from Arcadia Yachts
Hidden among a huge choice of white multi-tiered yachts that look like wedding cakes are the new award winning range of Arcadia ecological yachts. The “Marmite” design is certainly eye catching but it certainly won’t be to the taste of everybody.
An Arcadia Yacht at sea 
A closer view of an Arcadia Yacht The ‘half gliding’ hull is designed for economical cruising and the hybrid motors mean at 8 knots they run in absolute silence. The eco friendly theme continues with solar panels on the roof that recharge the batteries and there is also a water and sewage treatment plant so as not to pollute the sea.
An interior shot of an Arcadia Yacht 
A helm station on an Arcadia Yacht 
A typical master bedroom on an Arcadia Yacht Arcadia Yachts have huge fully opening windows and terraces that fold out of the hull to the sea and make them all about outdoor living. The minimalist Francesco Guida interiors are stunningly designed with Italian flair mixing the mediums of wood, carpet, leather, marble and glass effortlessly.
The latest yacht to be delivered from the Naples yard is the 115 (35 metre) “M Ocean” which displaces 180 tonnes and her twin MAN V12, 1,224hp engines give her a cruising speed of 16.5 knots and a top speed of 18.5 knots. At 16.9 knots she burns 386 litres per hour however at 10 knots that drops to just 77 litres per hour and gives her a range of 2,160 nautical miles.
The range currently comprises of 85 foot at €4.5 million, a 100 foot at €7 million, and a 115 foot at €10 million (excluding VAT). There are also 135-155 foot boats planned.
For more information on Arcadia Yachts, go to: http://www.arcadiayachts.it
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Arthur Ransome (1864 – 1967)
Though best known for Swallows and Amazons, Ransome’s life in Russia was what makes him most fascinating. He was sued unsuccessfully by Lord Alfred Douglas over a biography of Oscar Wilde, played chess with Lenin and married Trotsky’s personal secretary, Evgenia Petrovna Shelepina. Accused by many of being a spy, his books on fishing, some might argue, are actually his finest literary examples. -
A Miss UK now topping the yachting stakes
Edward Kay tells readers of The Steeple Times about Vava II: The biggest private yacht ever to come out of an English yard
Britian’s richest woman (and ex-Miss UK) Kirsty Bertarelli and husband pharmaceutical tycoon and America’s Cup winner, Ernesto Bertarelli have recently taken delivery of their magnificent £100 million yacht Vava II.
The stern of Vava II The superyacht world is dominated by the Dutch, Germans and Italians so it was quite a coup for the Bertarelli’s to give the build to the Devonport Yacht yard in Plymouth, since the launch the yard has been sold to the Pendennis group and operations moved to Falmouth.
Vava II At 96 metres not only is Vava II the largest private yacht ever to come out of an English yard, she is also the 30th largest private yacht in the world.
The interiors are minimalist and feature bleached teak floors and woven leather carpets. There’s a glass lift serving all 6 decks and even a casino. She features a futuristic design, variable depth swimming pool, helicopter landing pad and her 2 Vaudrey Miller custom tenders are rumoured to have cost £1 million each.
Despite her massive 4,000 gross tonnage, her 4 engines take her to speeds of 19 knots and her 523 metric tonne fuel tanks give her a range of 5,000 nautical miles.
This particular Miss UK hasn’t done too badly. Unlike most of us in the UK, she most definitely doesn’t need to “batten down the hatches.”
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Riotous celebration
Contrasting 6th August 2012 with the 6th August 2011
This time last year, I was on the Isle of Wight enjoying Cowes Week. A day’s sailing with my friend Andreas Widegren was proceeded by a stay in a rather strange Holiday Inn in Southampton. The surreal contrast between the hotel full of noisy travelling salesman and the wonderful time that we had on the boat was quite something. As news came in that London was burning and the streets full of rioting yobs, we, however, became utterly relieved to be out in the sunshine onboard a yacht rather than in a city full of chaos.
The glorious setting of the Olympic beach volleyball Today, 6th August 2012, in contrast to 6th August 2011, London is full of visiting athletes and the thousands who have come to cheer them on. As the city shows itself as one of the best in the world, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme and rightly pointed out that London today is showing “national self-confidence” instead of the “deep social problems” we saw last year.
Boris is right. Thank goodness that the riots have been replaced with riotous celebrations on the streets of London. This and our brilliantly run Olympic Games are genuinely worthy of a mighty cheer.