Displaying items by tag: Habitiles

19th October 2023

Cornish Harbour Gets ‘Living Wall’ to Promote Biodiversity

A Cornish harbour has teamed up with a local environmental charity to install a set of special tiles to make a ‘living wall’ for marine wildlife and plant life.

According to Marine Industry News, the ‘Habitiles’ now in place in Falmouth Harbour are designed with nooks and crannies for marine life to proliferate where it normally wouldn’t in a flat-walled harbour.

“We’ll see seaweeds and algae making their home here which then provide shelter and food for small invertebrates which in turn become a food source for larger animals,” said Tina Robinson from charity Our Only World.

The tiles are manufactured locally from byproducts of the granite and quarrying industries, and manufacturer ARC Marine says their production will soon be carbon-neutral.

Similar installations in Plymouth and Australia use tiles made by Sydney-based Living Seawalls, which recently signed a production and supply partnership for the UK and Ireland with Co Offaly’s Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS).

Marine Industry News has more on the story HERE.

Published in Marine Wildlife

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About the TP52 Racing Yacht

The TP52 racing yacht is a remarkable example of cutting-edge technology in the world of competitive yachting. Measuring 52 feet (15.85 metres) in length, this vessel is constructed entirely from carbon fibre, making it an incredibly light and agile craft.

The TP52 features a 6.25-metre high rig, complete with a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker and a self-tacking jib. This design reduces the workload of the crew, allowing for more efficient manoeuvres and freeing up the crew to focus on the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The spinnaker rigging set-up, measuring 15.00 m2, presents a challenge to even the most experienced crews, requiring them to be fit and perfectly coordinated. Maneuvering the boat requires athleticism due to the vessel's lack of inherent stability and the high speed generated by the fully battened mainsail and jib.

The TP52's hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout, resulting in a weight of just 74kg. The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is made up of three parts, featuring an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease overall weight. The capsizing moment, which can be generated by a heavy mast tip, is also reduced through this design. The TP52's foils are constructed from either aluminium or fibreglass, depending on the specific requirements of the vessel.

Overall, the TP52 racing yacht is an exceptional example of the latest advancements in yacht design and technology. Its lightweight construction, advanced rigging, and high-speed capabilities make it a top contender in the world of competitive yachting, challenging even the most skilled and experienced crews.