Alex Beck, Author at Hightide - Life Aboard

BOOT Düsseldorf 2017 / CNB, that´s performance cruising.

29. Januar 2017Alex Beck

CNB was on my radar for the last years, but I hadn’t the chance to look at them. The days at the BOOT were always to busy. In 2017 it was my goal to look at them. That viewing changed my life.

I get on the booth for my appointment with Vincent. Unfortunately he was not available at that time and the CNB team was very sorry that he wasn’t available. They were very committed and asked me if it is OK when another colleague will show me the yacht. For sure it was fine for me and I met Cedric Beaumont, he´s not just a expert of CNB, he is always the skipper of the wharf. He´s a real genius in sailing. He startet his Ocean Career four years ago. He was at a point where he asked himself what to do? He had a save life, but he decided to do something with passion. Chapeau. He did, what all of us wanted to do. Right now he´s the skipper for CNB and for the owners of CNB yachts who needs his support on the oceans around the world. From my point of view CNB get´s the right man for that job. He has the skills and the passion you need for that job. Perfect conditions to get the boat explained by him. With his expertise, I get the info I need.

The CNB 76 is quite pure, the first impression is the flush-deck. There is nothing where your eyes get stopped. It´s all in the flow and a pleasure if you like it pure and simple. The lines are straight and elegant. It´s a unique styling of the yacht. One USP is the decksaloon. If you are insight you have a 360° view. That´s really awesome. Especially when you see the mega winches in Front. At the back you see the two outboard helms, which are at the right place. The finish of them is one of the best I´ve ever seen. A mixture between carbon-fibre and wood. Really awesome craftmanship. Back in the insight; the design is outstanding. There is no yacht which has a interior like that. It´s quite light and open. Above that you see a lot of good ideas. Most of them I like the sofa on starboard. You can combine it as one sofa, or you have two club chairs beside a sexy storage for your drinks. You have to see that awesome. The only thing which doesn’t match my style are the Philipp Starck lamp FLOS Miss K ALU. That´s a relict out of the 90ies.

CNB itself stands for Construction Navale Bordeaux and is part of the Beneteau Group. That makes them convenient to produce, in which convenient is relative. We are talking about luxury yachts. We don´t talk about the price. It´s enough. But much more importantly in this group construction is the way CNB can produce for that price. You will get a modular build scheme which make your yacht semi custom. Another benefit of that modular system is the time to build. You will get your dream within six month.

When you are aboard it takes no minute that you realise for what the boat is build. Yeah you can do races with it. Yeah you can do a show-off in St. Tropez. The real sense of the yacht is performance cruising and you can feel it. It´s not a yacht for posers. It´s a beautiful boat for connossieurs.

You can also see that in the daily needs aboard. There is for example a powerful pump in the storage for a fast inflating of the stand-up boards.

At the end I´m addicted to that yacht. I cannot understand why I haven´t been there before. For now on CNB is always on my radar. I´ve checked the charter possibilities today on MerexYachts. I have to be on one, sooner or later and than I will give you the cruising report.

BOOT Düsseldorf / A Day for a Daysailer.

25. Januar 20174. Dezember 2017Alex Beck

Sailing is the essence of all. It helps you very fast to find yourself, or it helps you to forget all around you. Yes, it´s a kind of a meditation. With a big ship it´s sometimes very complicated to go for a quick cruise in the evening or on a sunny Sunday. On the other hand the catamaran, or the Laser is much to wet and you don´t want to wear a neopren, or wetsuit all the time. If these thoughts are not unknown for you, I bet you are a fan of a daysailer.

These kind of boats are really booming and beside the well known MELGES, b/one, XTREME26, J/70 or the legendary DYAS and TRIAS and at least don´t forget the DRACHEN. Which is perhaps the definition of a daycruiser.

You see the concept is quite old, but still modern. It reduces sailing to the max. No electric, no hassle. When you have wind it will be cool, if there is no wind, it is your island of serenity with a beer or wind in your hands.

At the BOOT 2017 the topic shows us more the premium site of that kind of boats. We had a look at the TOFINOU which is since two years on my radar. But in that year I visited their display an I was excited. The materials and the design is a mixture of the elegance of the past combined with the step ahead. I like the carbon fibre elements, the colours and the wonderful lines of that boat.

The one which is the definition of asceticism ist the ESSE with their three models. Every type of them is awesome. Incredible colors,whereupon colour is the wrong term. It´s just a attractive mixture between grey and white combined with a teak that makes you insane. The lines of the boats are so simple that you ask yourself; why I haven´t done it. The normal thing when you see something such beautiful. Think about Giacometti or the 911.

Last not least the Black Pepper Code#. I saw it for the very first time at the BOOT. On the first view I walked by and than I stopped and thought, huh, that´s outstanding. A few minutes later of friend of mine told me the same and than we had a closer look. That daysailer is a benchmark. Unfortunately the price is also massive.

BOOT Düsseldorf 2017 / CLUBSWAN 50

25. Januar 201725. Januar 2017Alex Beck

In 2016 SWAN celebrated its 50th anniversary. For that reason the Fins launched a outstanding yacht; the ClubSwan50. The 4th one-design-class in the history of Natur´s Swan.

The yacht is a revolution in pure and powerful sailing without loosing the pleasure in style. This boat is a hell of a yacht. Powerfull enough for an ambitious crew and a dynamic performance cruiser for a easy crew of two.

When I came on the Swan booth at the BOOT I was impressed by the yacht. You approach the ClubSwan50 from an angle and your eyes get lost at this massive keel. Your pulse get´s higher and than you will recognize the wavepiercer bow and the fat stern with the double rudder. Each of them has markes at the end like a samurai sword. It´s all for the hydrodynamic and it is a pity that you cannot see it all the time.

The Rigg is very modern and inspired by the VOR65 Racers. The mast is quite in the middle of the boat with an extreme rake to the back. In combination with the boom, which is longer than the end of the yacht it is spectacular. It´s a kind of a PS4 optic. You know that design from rc yachts. I like that, it´s so excessive and WOW.

The deck is huge and clean. Everything is at its place and reduced to the max. It´s all a question of the weight. You see that also in the cabin. It´s not the typical look of a swan, but you feel the Swan DNA. It´s all about weight. There are everywhere options to reduce more. In the inside there are also a few options which you can choose. E.g. the galley could be placed in the front. Whatever you like.

At the end it is a real beauty and state of the art in yacht engineering. A kind of little TP52 which can also be sailed by a sporty family. The only weakness for me is the low freeboard with that open stern. Both looks great and sexy, but I cannot imagine that this combination is helpful for a amateur crew in heavy weather. From my point of view a Swan must always be ready for the ocean.

Foiling is sailing in the 3rd Dimension.

3. August 20164. Dezember 2016Alex Beck

What a stunning experience last weekend. HighTide was invited from Land Rover for their ExtremeSailingSeries in Hamburg. That´s a request I don´t need a second to say, yes for sure. The regatta is a racing series all over the world and last weekend it takes place in Hamburg. The really good thing on the event is, that the races are quite close to the spectators.

That race series is running around the world. GC32 is the type of catamaran which is used for that race. It is a foiler in form and type like the America´s Cup catamarans, just smaller. The America´s Cup racers are 45ft long and therefore bigger than the and the GC32 with it´s 32ft. The crew counts 5 very strong men and the boatspeed gets up to 30kts.

You will find much more infos about the race direct under this link, ExtremeSailingSeries. Back to Hamburg. The event started on Thursday with the press conference of the team members of the Ben Ainslie Racing Academy and on Friday till Sunday the Race was on. I arrived on Saturday at the Cruise Center in Hamburg and met the Land Rover Team there and I got my briefing for the next two days.

First of all we started with a Experience Cruise with the Defender in the Park. Word up, a Defender ride is always exciting and a good ride. That´s such a pity that the regulations will stop that fantastic offroader in the nearby future. His successor is still prepared. We will see how it will work. It would be great if there will be a evolution similar to the MINI, or the 911. Above that the black fleet which stands in the front row of the test-drive-area was impressive. I´m curious how Land Rover will realise the eMobility in the Future. From my point of view hey have to launch a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) till 2020. Time is running fast and soon Land Rover will open their innovation centre in Warwick, NAIC. I personally think that the race is on and first of all I expect a Plug-in-Hybrid (PHEV) and after that the BEV is coming. In that way all the car manufacturers will do it. The PHEVs will bridge the way from traditional powertrains to eMobility. We will see.

After we get our oilskin we went to the pier and entered the Zodiac and get out to the river Elbe to look for the Land Rover BAR Racing Machine. The first moment when I saw it was breathtaking. When I get aboard I couldn´t believe. This is once in your life. WOW.

One second later we were on course. The conditions were perfect. We had a windspeed of 10 to 13kts. and the catamaran feels really different to my cats I sailed before. It´s a funny feeling. You know it, but the movements on that foiler are so brute, so powerful, that´s awesome. Especiall when the cat is coming on his foils. The sound was outstanding. Overall the noise on that boat is unbelievable. You can hear the fractious power.

The crew under Elliot Hansen did a few downwind and upwind courses and I get a feeling when the accelaration hits the boat. The catamaran is so agile. You can feel it so direct when the change the courses or hoist up the Code Zero. It was fantastic to see how the crew handeled the Code Zero. In, out in a speed that my eyes had difficulties to follow. Above that they did the tacks and jibes in a way you can´t imagine.

After that kind of training we came back to the dock an Land Rover was a great host. I had a wonderful lunch and good entertaining. The absolut highlight was still coming. I will be part at the race. Live aboard on a GC32 Foiler in race mode. Could there something which is more exciting? Let me think about it . . . NO! My Pulse gets high. There were a few minutes left till the start. I used the time for little chats with SAP regarding the analytics and their engagement in sailing and why they do it. That was quite interesting, but that´s another story.

The time has come, racing. Unfortunately we had a bad start and we canot get back to the lead, but that was more a problem for the crew than for me. For me it was an highlight. Thank you Land Rover for that Experience.

Where to stay?

Hotels are always a sign of time. After the pure and clean look we´re getting cosy. For that trip I found a very outstanding hotel in the middle of Hamburg. A friend told me about that awesome place, named HENRI HOTEL. It´s direct in the heart of HH between the central station and the shopping street Mönckebergstraße, which is also the Metro Station for the Hotel.

The look of the hotel ist very contemporary and there is a lot to see. The furniture is a mixture between modern, classics and other creative things. In the room you really feel like home or being at a friends flat. Above that it is quite funny if you need something to eat or drink. You can just order it at the reception. The reception itself is placed in kind of living room with a bar and a fridge. You can also go down and take your drink in that common room.

HERE you will find my review on TRIPADVISOR.

SEAPOINT RACE – The Sailing Race between two Petrol Stations.

25. Juli 20164. Dezember 2016Alex Beck

In the early summer Sebastian came to me and told me about a race which could be quite easy and cool. In the beginning there was the idea to go from Helsinki to Tallinn, but cause of I don´t know the race course changed and we went into the skerry landscape in the western part of Finnland. The Idea was to go on the boat which is the only way to come to SCOLA, that wonderful restaurant in Barösund. Good idea, I will be part was my first reaction. Particularly I´ve never been in the archipelago of Helsinki. Sounds like a cool trip and for me another chance to get back on Nautor´s Swan 51 EIRA after our Atlantic Crossing in 2012.

Together with my fiancé I traveled to Helsinki and we landed there in a horrible rain shower, which gave us direct the feeling for the next days.

At the next day we had luck, the sun was shining and we had a good time in Helsinnki, which is an amazing town. Good mood, perfect style and cool guys there. EIRA herself lis lying at the dockyard of the Royal Yacht Club in Helsinki, which is on a wonderful little Island in the bay of Helsinki. It´s really a great and very historic place there. Unfortunately there was not really time to enjoy, the briefing for the race is going to take place nearby. The aligner of the regatta is the local petrol station, named SEAPOINT. Therefore the regatta is called SEAPOINT RACE. The crew around that race is pretty cool. This was to be expected cause the logo and the colours of SEAPOINT are stylish. That means the people who created it must be cool. OK, this was a little outbreak, cause I´m in marketing and tend to realize those kind of detais.

Anyway the start in the rain was, what should I say . . . wet and windy, but the mood was good on the boat within our mixed crew and we had good food from the market hall in the harbour which we picked up direct with the boat at the market hall.

The line-up of the boats was impressive, incl. the crews. Regulation that it was intended as humor was then very seriously, regarding the crews and the boats. E.g. Sebastian´s SWAN was not the only one.

The landscape between the little islands is awesome. We have to come back when the sun is shining. That must be very nice there. The Race itself was really fun. You are well adviced if you have one sailor aboard who knows that area. Don’t try it it as a charter crew with a nautical chart. Do it with a pro. Trust me ist will be easier and you will see the landscape, not just the nautical chart.

In the late afternoon we docked the boat in Barösund and yeah there was – surprise, surprise – another SEAPOINT Petrol Station, which looks even better on that cosy island between the red cottages. After that „Disney Moment“ we entered the SCOLA Restaurant. The awards ceremony was in Finnish and therefore I had difficulties to follow, but overall I got the point. Unfortunately we were none of the winners but we had a great time.

At that time I had now clue about the Finnish Sauna Culture. But before we went to the Sauna, we had a phantasic dinner. That was really outstanding. My motivation to go to the sauna was limited, but there was no way to keep up that mentality. Perhaps the alcohol did its job to change that. Nevertheless a few minutes later I saw myself walking through the Finnish wood, paddling in a boat and find myself with parts of the crew in a cosy cottage with undefined drinks in my hands. We don´t talk about the rest of that evening, but we say thank you to my fiancé and the crew, who got me back on the boat.

The way to the boat was quite long and that was good for my condition. Back in the saloon of EIRA the music was still on and yeah, funny again. The next morning was similarly hard. Good that there was a cute cafe behind the SEAPOINT Petrol Station where all the yachties got their breakfast and there was another funny story, but we don´t talk about it.

That´s it, back to Helsinki on an easy downwind course with not so much rain. The rolling sea was fine and the fresh air of the baltic sea gave us the energy back. When we came back to the Yacht Club, Nyländska Jaktklubben, I made a mistake and slipped from the dock into the harbour. The funny thing, I just got wet till the knees and my arms. The rest of the body was quite dry. OK on the other hand I was just a few seconds in the water; Sebastian lifted me up me up very quickly. Thanks at that point to you Sebastian!, cause it wasn´t so easy to get back on the dock.

All in all it was a perfect trip nearby Helsinki. If you ever have the chance for a cruise in that area, do it. It is unique and FinGuys are good guys. There is just one littel rule: don´t drink with them. You will loose.

Where to stay in Helsinki.

If I´m in any town my first look for a hotel is always the homepage of Design Hotels. That was also a good choice in Helsinki. We had there our first night, befor we get on the yacht. The hotel KLAUS K is a promise and really a good hotel. You can read my review direct HERE on Tripadvisor.

DAS BOOT – Vorne oben 5, hinten oben 10.

23. Juni 2016Alex Beck

Das sind wirkliche News von SKY, die mich sehr freuen. Es wird eine Fortsetzung von „DAS BOOT“ geben. Den Film habe ich gefühlt so um die 100 mal gesehen und ich werde es auch sicherlich noch einige male ansehen. Die Nachricht von SKY finde ich aber mega. Vor allem auch die Idee, eine Serie an den Film anzuschließen, also was passiert nach deren Ankunft im Kugelhagel von La Rochelle. Eine starke Geschichte deren Fortgang weiterzuerzählen. Als ich die Head gelesen habe war ich erst entsetzt, denn ein „ReBoot“ wäre sicherlich unter gegangen. Da hat uns die Filmindustrie schon zu oft enttäuscht. We will keep an eye on it.

Wings for Life World Run 2016

8. Mai 20168. Mai 2016Alex Beck

Emotionen und Sport gehört zusammen. Beim diesjährigen Wings for Life Run zeigt sich das wieder überdeutlich. Mir drückt es die Tränen in die Augen, wenn der Stadionsprecher die Nationen aufzählt die mitmachen, die Teilenehmerzahl nennt und deren Geschichten erzählt. Das ist mehr als ergreifend. Das Konzept ist atmeberaubend. Jeder ist ein Sieger und alle laufen eben auch für die, die nicht laufen können. Das ist das Prinzip. Im Grunde ein Charity Lauf, um für die Heilung von Querschnittslähmungen zu kämpfen.

heroes 3 — Heroes like her. Susanne Böhme / 43.806.

Florian Neuschwander, er kann´s einfach und fährt auch noch einen guten Style auf.

Keine Ahnung wie er das machte, aber er war ein offizieller Runner.

Der Lauf ist all over the world, in 33 Ländern, 12 Zeitzonen und vom Hobbyläufer, über Profis bis hin zu den Rollstuhlfahrern. Egal wie schnell oder langsam Du bist. Jeder kämpft für sich. Das macht es auch so anziehend. Hier kommen alle in einen Topf, das Ziel ist der Lauf, jeder hat sein eigenes Ziel. Diesen Gedanken finde ich tragend und bezeichnend.

Wie läuft das nun ab? Überall auf der Welt starten alle zur gleichen Zeit. Bei den einen ist es Mittag bei den anderen tief in der Nacht. Nach dem Start läuft jeder sein Tempo. Eine halbe Stunde nach Startschuss startet das Catcher Car und und beschleunigt jede halbe Stunde und folgt den Läufern, bis es an jedem vorbei gefahren ist. Irgendwann ist es dann bei Dir im Nacken und wenn es an Dir vorbei fährt ist Dein Rennen vorbei. Bei den einen ist das z.B, nach 3km, bei anderen 13 und wieder andere stellen den Rekord auf. Dieses Jahr erreichte einer die 88km Marke ehe das Catcher Car ihn erreichte. Hier der Link zu den Ergebnissen.

Neben all meinen Emotionen bei diesem Run ist natürlich auch wieder das Marketing von RED BULL faszinierend. Es ist unglaublich, dass die Österreicher es wieder geschafft haben eine irre Geschichte zu erfinden, die nicht nur die Emotinen auslöst, sondern auch sportlich Menschen vereint und eben nicht nur die Sporty Spice anspricht, die von Triathlon zu Marathon ziehen, sondern eben alle, aber eben auch alle vereint. Diese Idee ist unglaublich gut. Zumal es darüber hinaus auch noch die Forschung unterstützt, um bei HWS Verletzungen irgendwann helfen zu können. In 2006 hatte ich selbst einen Snowboardunfall und habe mir die 3 LWS gebrochen. Das war der Tiefpunkt meines Lebens, da es wochenlang darum ging, den Querschnitt zu verhindern. In dieser Zeit befasste ich mich zum ersten mal mit der Forschung und kam dann eben auch auf die Stiftung und hatte damals schon das Gefühl, das hier wirklich etwas bewegt wird. Um so mehr freut mich dieser Erfolg und hoffe, dass hier noch sehr passieren wird. Bis dahin laufen wir für die, die es nicht können.

Crossing the Ocean.

17. April 201616. Juni 2016Alex Beck

Today is a rainy day. That´s always a good opportunity to organize a fews things. Today I was searching for flights to Helsinki. There will be the SEAPOINT RACE in June and we will be aboard of EIRA. That´s the fantastic SWAN 51 of Sebastian Gylling who is the owner and skipper of that classic Nautor´s Swan Yacht. I was on that boat at the end of 2012 were we crossed the Atlantic within the Atlantic Race for Cruisers. Today I was thinking about that cruise and would like to show you the video again. ATLANTIC CROSSING / VIDEO

Made out of wood, a rebirth.

12. April 201612. April 2016Alex Beck

At the last boat shows in Düsseldorf and Hamburg we saw one boat which was outstanding. The LA28 is a daycruiser with a very brave design combined with traditional craftmanship.

The LA28 is build by LA Yacht- und Bootsbau GmbH in Mürtiz / Germany. The concept of the boat is quite easy. It is a fast modern boat which is at home when it comes to racing or just by yourself as a performance daycruiser. It is also possible to be aboard a few days, cause it´s also possible to have a plumping unit aboard.

It´s a real coffeeracer, built for performance in a easy way. I like that. Unfortunately it´s more build for the coast an fro real lakes. It could be difficult on Bavarian lakes, cause of the draft. The keel needs 1,75 and it could be lift up for the trailer. Above that there is a inboard eMotor and Diesel available which shows you that the boat is more serious than other daycruisers in that size. The boat is made for 4 sailors, but at the end it´s ideal for 2 or 3 of them. But at the end 4 sailors could sleep inside and they also have a lavatory. The latter is just possible if you order the longer cabin structure.

At the end its´a perfect weekend racer with an outstanding design and a very luxury mood. It´s something for the connossieur. I would like to have one, cause it´s really the cool combination of Racing and Cruising. I would just be afraid of the care, cause I just see wood. That´s always a little more work. Nevertheless if you can afford that boat for about 115.000 EUR, you can also assign a wharf which can help you in winter with the boat care.

America´s Cup DUBAI

13. März 201613. März 2016Alex Beck

„Der Druck war hoch heute, aber wir haben alles herausgeholt“, mit diesen Worten fasste Sir Ben Ainslie seinen durchaus beeindruckenden Sieg zusammen. Am Start gab es Schwierigkeiten, aber dann hat er doch gesiegt. Mich erinnerte es an den Sieg von BMW ORACLE Racing vs. TEAM Newzealand in 2013. Da ging es nach einigen Schwierigkeiten dann auch noch auf das Sieger

2016 Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series. LandRover BAR skippered by Ben Ainslie (GBR) shown here celebrating after winning the first event of 2016 (Photo by Lloyd Images) — 2016 Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series. LandRover BAR skippered by Ben Ainslie (GBR) shown here celebrating after winning the first event of 2016
(Photo by Lloyd Images)

2016 Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series. LandRover BAR skippered by Ben Ainslie (GBR) shown here in action on day 2 of racing in Oman where the team won the event (Photo by Lloyd Images)

Das BAR Land Rover Racingteam gibt ohnehin gut Gas. Deren Engagement wirkt sehr überzeugend. Der absolute Siegeswille ist so spürbar. Das dachte ich mir schon auf der Pressekonferenz der BOOT zu Beginn des Jahres. Dieses Team will es wissen. Diese Englische Symbiose wirkt kraftvoll. Hier spürt man die Seemannschaft „All Hands on Deck“.

Louis Vuitton Amereica’s Cup World Series
The LandRover BAR Americas Cup team practice and prepare for the start of the racing in Muscat on Sat 27th Feb

Bei BAR ist die Stimmung ohehin gut, das Team freut sich auf Dezember 2016, wenn das neue Boot „R1“ der Weltöffentlichkeit präsentiert wird. Erstaunlicherweise geht BAR aber jetzt schon einen anderen Weg. Normalerweise wird beim AC alles sehr geheim gehalten. In diesem Fall aber hat das Team bereits Know-how vorgestellt. Diese Vorgehensweise erinnert ein Wenig an TESLA, die auch das hauseigene Wissen der Öffentlichkeit darlegen. Das ist neu, das ist gut. Wir kennen alle noch die Bilder aus den 80ern wo die Rumpfformen der Schiffe in Laken gehüllt präsentiert wurden.

Dieses Know-how Thema pusht natürlich auch Land Rover immens, was natürlich auch Sinn macht. Dort sind Ingenieure mit enormen Wissen, ebenso vorhanden, wie die entsprechende Hardware. Da denke ich z.B. an einen Windkanal; Menschen&Maschinen eben. Wobei mich das nun an Fritz Lang´s METROPOLIS erinnert. Grundtenor war dort war ja auch die Macht der MenschMaschine. Wobei – vorsicht Ironie – diese AC72 Katamarane sind ja auch irgendwie Monster und martialisch, aber auch das passt zu Land Rover. Ich bin ja ein Kind der 80er und für mich war die Camel-Trophy damals das Maß aller Dinge. Ganz nach dem Motto: „Lieber im Sumpf übernachten, als über Nacht versumpfen.“ Das ist aber auch wunderbar, denn hier schließt sich dann auch wieder der Kreis, bzw. die Ideologie, die Story, dass es bei Land Rover eben immer auch um das Abenteuer geht. Das wird schon deutlich transportiert über die Jahre und das ist auch gut.

Bildmaterial mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Land Rover Presseabteilung, Lloyd Images.

Hightide – Life Aboard

Autor: Alex Beck