Awards continue to be the flavor of the month - MarineBusinessWorld North America newsletter
by Peter Rendle 22 Nov 2023 22:00 GMT
Last year's BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women's Sailing Award honoree Dr. Anne Kolker (C), NWSA board member and BoatUS' Claire Wyngaard (L), and NWSA president Debby Grimm (R) © Matthew Cohen
The National Women's Sailing Association (NWSA) and Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) are seeking nominations for the 2024 Leadership in Women's Sailing Award.
Since 1999, the national award has sought to recognize an individual with a record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing. Past recipients have included sailing instructors, writers, sailboat racers, and boating club leaders from a wide variety of professions. Nominations are being accepted at the NWSA award website through February 1, 2024. The recipient will be announced at the Annual National Women's Sailing Association Conference Luncheon in New Orleans, June 8.
For the 13th consecutive year, Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), has earned a Green Masters designation from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, placing the company among an elite group of organizations to have earned the honor in the state.
The Green Masters Program is highly competitive, with only 20% of the top companies across the state selected for the program, and this year's process was even more selective than previous years. The scored categories include environmental, workforce, society, and governance and leadership, with Mercury scoring highest in water resource management, employee health and safety, and ethical governance and sustainability leadership.
"This designation is a significant accomplishment for Mercury - not only to achieve the highest honor of Green Master, but to earn the designation for 13 consecutive years," said John Buelow, Mercury Marine president. "It's also a testament to our employees, whose consistent efforts have helped Mercury set a new standard for sustainability within the marine industry and the state of Wisconsin."
Brunswick Corporation has also announced that Mercury Marine division was named a 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Award honoree in the Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy category for the Avator 20e and 35e electric outboards. This is the third CES Innovation Award for Mercury.
In 2022, Mercury's V12 600hp Verado outboard engine won the award in the Vehicle & Transportation category, and in 2021, Mercury's 1st Mate Marine System technology won in two categories, earning the Best of Innovation designation in the In-Vehicle Entertainment & Safety category and the CES Innovation Award honor in the Vehicle Intelligence & Transportation category.
From Europe, Jury Chair Andre Hoek presented the world-renowned DAME Award 2023 to the Oceanvolt HighPower ServoProp 25 at the METSTRADE show in Amsterdam on November 15. Nine products took wins in eight brand new categories for this year, while 14 more received Special Mentions. The jury also named a recipient for its discretionary Environmental Design Award. There were several strong electric propulsion solutions nominated this year.
Among them the Jury selected the outstanding HighPower ServoProp 25 from Finnish electric inboard pioneer Oceanvolt to win the Propulsion & Dynamics category. In a closely run final round this product then claimed the overall DAME 2023 Award against other excellent category winners.
On the environment scene, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), a global organisation representing the recreational marine industry with more than 100 members around the world, has announced new research outlining a portfolio of technologies best positioned to continue to propel the industry toward decarbonisation.
The research, which specifically looks at marine propulsion in boats under 24m in length, reveals that due to the unique on-water environment for recreational boating, and the varied interests of boaters and the experiences they seek, a variety of solutions must be considered to continue reducing carbon emissions from recreational boats.
On the same subject, Vision Marine Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: VMAR), a global leader and innovator within the performance electric recreational boating industry, is now steering its expertise towards the flourishing pontoon market, which sees annual sales of around 60,000 units. In a strategic move, Vision Marine introduces the P Powerpack, a game-changing solution offering ease of installation for pontoon boats. This innovative approach significantly reduces the time and effort required for installation compared to traditional internal combustion engine setups.
As Vision Marine targets this new market segment, it celebrates its first order from Wired Pontoons, a testament to the industry's growing interest in its technology. Since 2020, Vision Marine has been at the forefront of integrating its E-motion™ electric outboard into various pontoon brands, solidifying its status as a leader in the electric boating market.
Sailing news this week includes the 54th meeting of the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) which concluded with a summary of the results of this year's hard work of the ORC's Committee members and Staff, along with descriptions of new initiatives and innovations in technical and support services for offshore sailing. 2023 has been a good year for ORC. The system issued 13,525 certificates in 41 countries around the world through the end of September and is on track to match or exceed the 14,789 certificates issued last year.
This makes ORC the largest measurement-based rating system in the world. Besides providing rating services for all sizes and types of monohulls (Racers, Cruiser/Racers, Superyachts, and Sportboats), ORC has launched this year the new ORC Multihull rule system.
New Product! Garmin (NYSE: GRMN), the innovative and recognised marine electronics manufacturer, today announced the quatix® 7 Pro - its next-gen high-performance smartwatch optimised for marine life. Purpose-built for life on the water and packed with wearable tech for everyday fitness, wellness and convenience, it features a stunning 1.3" AMOLED display with a premium, scratch-resistant sapphire lens.
What's more, the quatix 7 Pro features two new apps - Trolling Motor Remote and Fish Forecast - that enrich life on the water for mariners, boaters and anglers.
More Marine Industry News, updated daily, at www.marinebusinessworld.com/NorthAmerica
Keep on keeping on,
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com