SVN solovelanet: rivista digitale dedicata al mondo della vela. Articoli di navigazione, di nautica e barche a vela
Issue link: http://svn.uberflip.com/i/1331008
83 SVN Solovelanet Global All materials are shaped with machines that allow for 5-axis CNC (Computer Numerical Control) cutting. In simple terms, 5-axis machining involves the use of a numerically controlled machine to simultaneously move the material to be cut or the cutting tool along five different axes; this allows for high-precision machining of very complex components, which is why the 5-axis is particularly popular e.g. in aerospace applications. The construction of boats begins with high-tech vacuum infusion moulding, where the resin is injected under precise monitored conditions, but traditional - ly ends with the most classic wood treatment and polishing techniques. The combination of top-level craftsmanship labour and state-of-the-art techno- logy boats is aimed at delivering boats that exceed owners' expectations.These goals are now achieved by combining technologically advanced construction techniques, such as the Conyplex vacuum infusion system®, with the artisan production of all compo - nents, where the shipwrights' ancient expertise is still being employed. A typical example are the furni- shings, manufactured in a workmanlike manner and placed with incomparable precision and care.The teak deck is made with a particular technique. It is built separately and then vacuum glued to the deck, so deck seams are left with a predominantly aesthe - tic purpose.The hull is built using the vacuum infu- sion system patented by Conyplex, with a 24-hour lasting process. In this way, any air that might leak in the bonding is totally eliminated, and the resin percentage is reduced to 30%, with obvious bene - fits in terms of weight and solidity, as well as with an eye for the environment. The extensive use of highly insulating materials allows for top-notch soundproo- fing and insulation in all models. Boats built using all these techniques are exceptionally sturdy, comforta- ble and pretty much free from osmosis. The designers of the yard From the very beginning, the Contest shipyard met with top-level designers. First with Gerard Luyten, for the Contest 25 and then for the 29, using confidently the new technologies developed in the Sixties. Then Uus van Essen and the unforgettable and histo - ric cooperation with Dick Zaal, who in more than a decade has designed the largest number of projects for the yard. Doug Petersen added the racing to the cruising experience. Then there were Georg Nissen, Pieter Beeldsnijder, Jac de Ridder, and finally the current collaboration with Judel/Vrolijk & Co. Each of them has played a key role in the development and success of the boats built by the shipyard, from racing to cruising, to voyages around the world. A ccording to Northern European legends, the Flying Dutchman is a vessel doomed to sail aimlessly until the day of Judgment, a ship that an adverse fate prevents from ma- king port and which is led by a crew of ghosts. The Flying Dutchman is a folkloric myth that in more than 250 years has been fuelled by the superstitions that are still widespread among sailors at present. In the past centuries, espe- cially off the Cape of Good Hope, the Flying Dutchman has purportedly been spotted seve- ral times from afar, shrouded in fog, emanating a ghostly light. The legend has also influenced writers such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who might have have been inspired by it for his Rime of the Ancient Mariner, or musicians such as Richard Wagner who used the Flying Dutchman as the subject of a great opera, also known as "The Ghost Ship". And many brushes, over time, have arti - stically painted the mysteries and the gloomy colours of this legend. In 1881 an illustrious English witness, Prince George of Wales (the future George V), while sailing with his brother Prince Albert in service as ensign on HMS Bacchante, reported to have personally sighted the ghost ship in his diary: "11th July. At 4:00 am the Flying Dutchman crossed our route. It shone with a strange in - candescent red light, like a ghost ship, in the midst of which the masts and sails of a brig sto- od out in strong relief, 200 meters away… ". The legend of the Flying Dutchman