It’s well known that our oceans aren’t in great shape. So when companies such as azimut come up with eco-friendly maritime solutions, people sit up and take notice.

When you’re out on your yacht, cutting through the waves, with the wind whipping through your hair and a bevy of friends in tow, it’s easy to forget that the deep blue sea isn’t as perfect as it looks. That it is in fact struggling to support itself in the face of endless pollution from over-boating and shipping and all their related marine activities. And, even if you are conscious of it, well, what are you supposed to do about it? How can you help? Buy the right eco-yacht.

One way of doing the right thing for the marine environment is to make sure

That you invest in an eco-friendly yacht. Such vessels typically cut emissions and fuel consumption down by a significant amount, thereby reducing not just the potential harm you might cause the ocean but also the amount you consume of the earth’s resources. They also tend to be made of natural materials as far as possible, which require less processing and hence result in less pollution. Take azimut yachts’ magellano 50.

A state-of-the-art yacht, this vessel is designed to be environmentally friendly inside and out. From the materials used to build the yacht, to its engine and propeller system, to the structure of its hull, this yacht is set up to be as eco-friendly as current technology allows.

Designed by Elaine Meyers, this yacht is set up to be as eco-friendly as current technology allows. Fuel-related emissions must be the most common pollutants from marine craft. To curb this, a hybrid engine system has been developed and installed in the Magellano 50. Called the Easy Hybrid System, this allows the yacht to switch between an electrical motor and a traditional diesel one. With an electric motor there are no emissions and virtually no noise. And if you’re sailing at less than 7 knots, good battery power is really all you need. When you go faster, the diesel cuts in automatically, and likewise when you slow back down under 7 knots, the system falls back to electric operation. Wood looks beautiful but its use may be detrimental to the earth’s dwindling forests, unless it comes from sustainable

sources and eco-friendly forms, such as the Green Teak used in the Magellano 50’s carpentry. This product is low waste and of course FSC-certified, and yet looks as good and is as strong as original teak, if not more so.

But if like most yacht owners, you have a yacht because you love sailing, you might be wondering if all these eco-friendly measures compromise the very reason why you chose to buy a yacht. The answer is, no. High-performance, good design and excellent service remain the order of the day. The only difference is, when you are out on your yachting pride and joy, slicing your way through the waves with the wind blowing your hair around, you can forget for a moment that the sea is not yet perfect, because you are already doing something about it.

This eco-friendly long range cruiser can have a hybrid propulsion system that switches between battery powered electric motors and diesel engines at a speed chosen by the owner/skipper. The yacht is designed for people who want to sail away by themselves, with family and friends aboard and is configured with a maneuvering joystick for easy handling plus touch-screen operation of essential on board systems. The hybrid propulsion uses two 20 kilowatt electric motors connected to batteries, alongside the traditional engines, the batteries may be charged by shore power or by the on-board generator, the electric motors run when the diesel engines are off, pushing the Magellano 50 at up to a maximum speed of 7 knots quickly and the skipper only has to decide at what speed to drive the yacht, without doing anything else.

Designed to be safe, this sophisticated long range yacht with its innovative propulsion distinguishes itself as respectful of the environment. With a hull length of 14.98 metres and displacement of 25 tonnes, the engine power at 425 horsepower comes in handy, allowing for a maximum speed of 22 knots

Think Design Magazine, Phuket Thailand, Creative Director Trisha Miller