July 22, 2009
With absolute concentration at the helm, Capt. Denise Fox engaged the bow thrusters to guide M/V Lady Amelia off the “dock.” Sweating, with hands on the throttles, she ignored the cheers of the crowd and catcalls of the competition.
She was first to drive against captains and yacht industry professionals that competed in International Yacht Training’s Mini Megayacht Mooring Competition in Ft. Lauderdale in July.
Using remote controls beside the swimming pool at the Embassy Suites, Fox kicked off the competition between eight teams of 24 people. The 10-foot, fully functioning model of a megayacht used a full-size control console to give the feel of a real boat.
Tensions were as high as the heat index with race rules that included “any unsporting behavior will result in the torture and execution of the protagonist” as Fox maneuvered the yacht through buoys to back it into a mini-slip at the pool’s edge.
Acquiring “noodle” penalties throughout the course, Fox and Capt. Dave Aylesworth navigated the vessel back through the buoys to the dock. Third teammate, Ann Aylesworth of The Crew Network, was poolside to yell driving instructions and poke a bright green Styrofoam noodle between the yacht and obstacles.
“Driving Lady Amelia is like when you get on a yacht for the first time,” Fox said. “You have to make small movements to see how she’ll react.”
“The main issue is you are looking at the boat, not looking from the boat,” she said. “You have to think twice because you’re facing it. Do I drive starboard or port?”
Designed and built by retired airplane designer Al Newport, the model is comprised of marine plywood, balsa and fiberglass and powered by two ride-on lawnmower batteries.
With bow thrusters and two motors, the yacht is built to a three-quarter-inch scale.
“You could use the plans to build a 140-foot yacht,” Newport said. “She’s as realistic as possible.”
The yacht was initiated as a boat handling training simulator and will be used in ongoing heats until the final competition at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show in October.
Although Fox and her team did not have the best score this time, she said she learned a few things from the experience, but she wasn’t about to share.
“We have secrets, but we can’t tell them.”
Dorie Cox is a staff reporter with The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at dorie@the-triton.com.
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