While running along the Chicago lakefront today, I saw a “megayacht” named Turmoil. scroll down for pic. From what I have been able to google, it is apparently an “expedition style” yacht owned by the founder of Land’s End. Impressive - and unusual looking - boat.
I was wondering if anyone could fill this landlubber in on the purpose of the mast/boom at the front of the boat?
Also - looked like a mighty tight squeeze for the rotors on the helo to clear the cabin! How much clearance/how large of a space does a pilot need to land one of those things on a boat?
From the deck layout, it appears the yacht is designed to accomodate two small launches on the bow. The boom would be to launch and recover those boats.
There’s a profile image on this page. (left side menu)
The mast appears to be just a forward mast which isn’t uncommon on larger ships, especially older/older looking ships. The mast will carry different navigation lights, a lookout platform, and probably a search light and forward RADAR antenna.
I’m not sure about the helo; I’ve heard various things over the years regarding those helos on the boats near Chicago. For example, I’ve heard that they are not functioning helos, and are for show only; I’ve heard they’re not authorized to fly on and off without some type of CG certification; the city won’t let them fly, etc. etc. To be honest, I’m not sure, but I could probably find out easily enough. I’ll ask around tomorrow.
Thanks for the info.
I saw the diagrams, but they didn’t really mean much to me.
From what I read, apparently this boat is owned by Chicago native Steve Comer, founder of Land’s End, and he does a lot of traveling/exploration concerning the environment. This particular boat is set up to be away from port for extremely extended periods. So I would suspect the helo is for other than show, but who knows.
The whole setup of this yacht looks far more “functional/workmanlike” than most yachts I see along the lake. My normal running path takes me past Soldier Field and McCormick Place - the really big ones berth along the S end of Burnham Harbor. The signify a level of wealth I cannot even comprehend…
That being the case, the helo would be functional.
The ‘non-functioning’ helo story may have been about the Anita Dee II , a charter yacht that ties up at Navy Pier. But again, just a story I once heard; no idea if it’s true.
The mast on the foredeck is best seen in the profile plan (pdf). In the profile, you can see it has stairs/rungs going up it, a crow’s nest halfway up and lights atop it.
This mast is necessary for the forward “masthead” running and anchor lights to meet the technical specifications for their placement. In particular, forward masthead lights in a vessel this size must be at least 6 meters above the uppermost continuous deck of the vessel and within one-quarter of the vessel’s length of the stem. Because the vessel has a long open foredeck, the forward lights cannot be placed on another structure, and thus the mast is required.
The low boom-like crane is a davit for the launch and retrieval of the dinghy that you can see peeking up above the deckline.
I can’t read the scale on that profile .pdf, but going by the LOA of 63m, it looks like each major scale marking is around 3.5-4m, and the gap between the rotors and the superstructure forward of them about the same.
I’ve flown on and off vessels by chopper with that clearance, or probably less.
Actually, having checked my files, the only thing I have any data on is the Hughes 500C for which I know in Australia a 16m clearance diameter is required for a ship landing. That helicopter has a rotor diameter of about 8m, so that’s 4m fore and aft. So, at least for that helicopter, it sounds like the clearance for this vessel would be tight but do-able depending on the exact measurements.
If it is still there this aft when I run I’ll take another gander. But it sure looked like it was less than 3-4 meters between the end of the rotor and the superstucture. Also looked like the rear of the skids (?) was pretty close to the back end of the landing pad. But I was no closer than 100’ or so (and a couple of miles into a run with my partners setting a pretty quick pace, which may have distorted my vision! ;))
Interesting about the mast needed to elevate the forelights. Thanks.
All-in-all an impressive vessel. Hard to imagine a single person owning such a thing.
Took another look today, and will try to describe how the copter looked to me.
The rotor was VERY close to the superstructure - my running buddy estimated it as a foot or so. The tail rotor was essentially even with - maybe slightly hanging over the back railing. Our guess is that they took the railings off, the copter lands further back on the pad with the tail hanging over the back, and then it is pulled in further for storage.
Saw a little runabout that I guess goes with the big boat. Lots of exposed wood, same deep blue paint job. They took it out of the harbor, then opened it up for a short run, then came back. In some ways I could imagine it beats being a desk jockey!
I’ve made a number of take off/landings(as a passenger),on a YRBM (a floating repair barge), moored in the Mekong River. I was always puckered up, but the pilots seemed to take it it stride. There was a superstructure, higher than the landing pad, and it seemed very, very close to me, but I don’t recall the actual distance. As I remember, they would hover next to the pad and then slowly slide sideways to land.
In this article Earth, Atmospheric, and Geographic Information Sciences - WIU , it mentions that Comer, and the crew, flew ashore, so it would seem that the helo is fuctional.
The last time I landed on a ship by chopper (a much, much larger ship than that described in the OP with acres of clearance) we were hovering alongside while the pilot checked out the landing area, per regulations.
[I’m making the following figures up because I can’t remember the real ones]
The pilot said something like “the legal limit for wind for a ship landing is 20 knots. Look at the gauge. We can go back ashore or we can land, up to you. Either is justifiable. I’ve landed in plenty worse”. The gauge was bouncing around between say 15 and 25. I needed to get onto the ship, and he seemed confident, so I told him to go ahead.
