Mactra Marine is based in north Somerset, and supply a host of equipment for blue water sailing. Not only do they supply a vast range of steering equipment, satellite phones, watermakers and wind turbine equipment, but they also specialise in the design and installation of equipment & fittings for the retail sector. With first hand knowledge of the products that they sell, and a quality used equipment section Mactra is the place to look for the best equipment at bargain prices.
We first met Jim MacDonald, the proprietor, at the London Boat Show in 2010. After the show, Jim got in touch and to our delight told us that he would lend us both an electric watermaker and the mandatory manual backup for our event in December 2011. This is a huge bonus for us, and ultimately will save us about £6,000! Jim has also kindly offered to train us in how to operate, strip, repair and rebuild the units so that we can hopefully not have any watermaker issues on the trip, and if we do then we know how to sort it. Jim and his wife Ann will also be in La Gomera at the start of the voyage to see the Woodvale fleet off.
Raymarine is the world leader in marine electronics develops and manufactures the most comprehensive range of electronic equipment for the recreational boating and light commercial marine markets. Their products combine industry-leading technology with intuitive design, to deliver a range that’s ideally suited to the needs of today’s boater – whether it’s a round-the-world race or a weekend fishing trip. Backed up with years of research and customer feedback, their focus has allowed them to create a range that offers high performance and reliability, as well as exceptional ease of use: making sure you get the information you need quickly and easily. And, behind it all, there’s Raymarine’s service commitment: outstanding warranty and technical support – and a worldwide network, providing total peace of mind wherever your boating takes you.
Fiona Pankhurst from Raymarine has been a friend of Project Torpedalo since the very beginning. We were very keen to have Raymarine be a part of the project, as their products are universally recognised as being the best in the business. As the project grew, we worked with Raymarine to develop a sponsorship package that meant Raymarine could supply the marine electronics we need while we could promote their involvement in the best way. We’re delighted that Fiona has agreed to provide a GPS chartplotter navigation system, autopilot, all the boat instrumentation we need and an AIS radar transceiver that will mean that the commerical shipping on the ocean can detect (and hopefully avoid) us!
Those who sail – whether professionally or for pleasure – rely on the products and systems of Mastervolt, wherever they are in the world. After all, nowhere else will you find more choice and possibilities for your on-board electrical system. Storage batteries, generators, charging units, transformers, display panels, wiring and fully integrated systems; the extensive Mastervolt range always offers a solution for any on-board energy problem. For the market sectors of maritime, mobile and solar energy, Mastervolt develops, manufactures and distributes high-quality electrotechnical systems for independent energy supply. With its head office in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and seven of its own branches worldwide, Mastervolt sells these systems in more than 60 countries throughout the world via a network of distributors and dealers.
As with Mactra Marine, we first approached Mastervolt at the London Boat Show. We were contacted by Marc Persoon, their Marketing director, shortly afterwards, and after helping us agree the specification of the bulk of the electrical supply system Marc then confirmed that Mastervolt would supply all of the kit, including both main batteries, free of charge. The boat will feature 170Ah of installed battery capacity and a reliable distribution and monitoring network, all thanks to Mastervolt.
Since 1959, Sharp’s efforts in research and development have led to groundbreaking solar solutions. One shining example is our development of the solar cells that power the satellites in Japan’s national projects. As a maker of products that consume power, Sharp have always believed they should create power, too. It’s all part of their Eco-Positive mission to brighten the lives of people around the world. They were one of the first to realize the potential of solar energy and have continued to develop it ever since. From lighthouses to space satellites to mega solar power plants, Sharp has been providing reliable solar solutions in an effort to free the world from carbon dependency.
The UK manufacturing facility for Sharp Solar is based very close to Torpedalo HQ, so we thought it prudent to contact them to see if they could help us with equipping the boat with the solar panels we need to generate our electricity. Fortunately, David Clough and his team were more than happy to help, and they are designing a bespoke panel and charge controller for our needs. With their help, the boat will be able to generate more than enough power, and the solution will be completely integrated in to the boat.
Computacenter is Europe’s leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services. They can advise customers on IT strategy, implement the most appropriate technology from a wide range of leading vendors and manage technology infrastructures on their behalf. At every stage they make their customers’ businesses sharper by removing cost, complexity and barriers to change across their IT infrastructures. Their corporate and government clients are served by offices across the UK, Germany, France, the Benelux countries, Spain and South Africa. They also serve their customers’ global requirements through their extensive partner network. Formed in 1981 by British Harvard graduates Philip Hulme and Peter Ogden, Computacenter today has over 10,000 employees across Europe and Group revenues of over £2.5 billion. Their business activity falls into the broad categories of Managed and Support Services, Consulting and Integration and Supply Chain Services.
We approached Computacenter about the possibility of them supplying a laptop to be used on the boat. The laptop would need to be as small and lightweight as possible, water resistant and have all the functionality of a larger, more common laptop. Happily, Stuart Maynard of Computacenter was able to secure the ideal equipment for us – a Panasonic CF-U1 TOughbook, which is the smallest and lightest ruggedised laptop in the world. Thanks to Computacenter, we now have a fantastic means of uploading blogs and photos from the middle of the ocean!
Kannad Marine is a McMurdo Ltd brand of marine safety and emergency location beacon products. Established in 1937, McMurdo Ltd produced its first EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) in 1989. Last year saw the introduction of numerous new Safelink products into the Kannad Marine range, including a new range of EPIRBs, a PLB (Personal Location Beacon), an AIS SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) and a 9GHz SART; they encompass a number of new and innovative features that will further benefit both the user and the search and rescue authorities, ensuring an even higher level of safety for you when at sea.
We first spoke with Kannad Marine at the Southampton Boat Show in 2010. We were immediately impressed with how keen they were to help with the project, and proposed the possibility of supplying us with our mandatory EPIRB and PLBs. This is vital kit – if we are in an extreme emergency and need rescuing, it will be this equipment which is activated. By transmitting a distress signal including GPS position on the 406 MHz emergency frequency, the EPIRB will enable other ships or rescuers to find us. The PLBs form a smaller, personal back-up system. The staff at Kannad Marine have worked tirelessly to secure the equipment for us, for which we’re very grateful!
