Passion, Precision and Innovation at Metstrade
by Mark Jardine 25 Nov 18:00 GMT
Metstrade entrance © Metstrade
If you want a positive outlook on the marine industry then there's no better place to be than Amsterdam in mid-November. Metstrade, held at the massive RAI Exhibition Centre with its cavernous halls and myriad of corridors, is filled with the stalls of 1,700 companies, all showing off their latest innovations and having meetings with distributors from just about every country on the planet.
The passion shown is extraordinary. There are thousands of people, all trying to promote the boating lifestyle and make it easier and more accessible. Be it software to help with management of yachts or to assist you in docking into the marina, the latest deck hardware, racing yacht displays and processors, technical sailing clothing, safety equipment, rig innovations, and a plethora of other categories, the enthusiasm is mind-blowing.
Manufacturing techniques have come a long way in the past twenty or so years, and the precision now possible means that everything marine looks a million dollars. Some things cost that much (and more), but the quality now continues down to everyday dinghy parts at far more attainable price points.
With 1,700 companies there, it's simply impossible to see everyone in the three days of the show, but by visiting a diverse range of stands, and putting in a lot of steps, you can start to see the underlying themes which the marine industry is focusing on, and increasing participation is on everyone's mind. The post-Covid boom was short-lived, and caused a number of problems with supply and demand, and so everyone is focused on making sailing as easy as possible for those coming into the pastime for the first time.
There are ideas aplenty out there, with all kinds of automation and assistance devices, much as we've seen in the automotive industry, but I think more important than all the new-fangled gizmos is the approach that we, the marine industry people, are taking to being welcoming to newcomers.
First impressions go a long way, and would-be sailors are instantly put off if the first person they talk to about sailing is off-hand or disinterested in them. Every single person I talked to at Metstrade talked with enthusiasm about what they did, and sailing itself. If that same approach is used by all of us when we talk to non-sailors then far more will try it out. Make those first steps easy, together with the tools which make boating easier, and people are more likely to continue pursuing a life on the water.
A question I was asked repeatedly at Metstrade is what caught my eye as I went round the halls. It's almost impossible to answer when you're in the thick of it, but with a few days to mull it over, I can't pin down a single 'favourite' item, but various things did stand out to me.
On the yachting side, Seldén's CXr code furlers have two clever things to help with sail handling. Code sails themselves have changed so much when it comes to going close to upwind in light airs, as well as the angles before an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker are practical, and the ratchet Seldén have added makes the furling and unfurling process so much easier. The 'nail' terminal for the anti-torsion cable is genius in its simplicity. There are some high loads on a code cable, and the connecting terminal has previously been expensive, or required a lot of work from a rigger, but Seldén have used the approach of multiple nails through the cable at various points to make a strong and secure connection. I'm currently editing a video on this, which shows how it all works, featuring Seldén's Rich Thoroughgood, who uses the system on his own yacht.
I never thought a yacht fridge would pique my interest, but Dometic's CSX Series 'Coldmachine' certainly turned my head. Technically it isn't actually a fridge, but the mechanics of one, potentially turning any space on a yacht into a fridge. Going back to the 'make sailing more accessible' theme, this really worked for me, as nearly all the yacht fridges I've seen are boxes, and very little in a yacht is box-shaped. This solution seemed ideal for existing yachts looking to make the most of the space on board while wanting some of the comforts of home. Another video I'm editing is about this with Dometic's Eric Fetchko giving more details about the product. It's already been recognised with an NMMA Innovation Award and a DAME Award in the Onboard Facilities, Comfort & Entertainment category.
There was so much more I saw that showed how refined the industry has become: Allen's High-Performance Swivel Cleat addressed the problem of wobble for mainsheet and jib lines, giving precision control, particularly for skiff sailors; Henri-Lloyd's Ocean PRO range had thought of just about everything, using feedback from their IMOCA star Sam Goodchild; Baltic's Slim Pro buoyancy aid had me wondering where the 50N floatation was actually stored, looking more like a modern inflatable lifejacket; and some of Propspeed's Foulfree biocide-free foul-release protection showed how keeping the weed off your boat can be achieved without harming the environment. Everything seems to have moved on markedly, which all makes sailing convenient and comfortable.
This is all without delving into the world of AI, which was the topic of conversation everywhere. We all know that AI is going to change our lives, and in some ways already has, but there are marine companies out there already harnessing its power to optimise processes in-house and for customers. Companies such as Lookout and Sea.ai have developed systems to identify threats in the water ahead of a yacht to avoid collisions, while PredictWind are using AI to develop and improve their weather forecasts, combining machine learning and physics-based models to give sailors a clearer picture.
There's so much more in this field to come, which is exciting, a bit scary, and way beyond the world of asking ChatGPT and Gemini to draw you a picture or reply to emails automatically. The America's Cup teams are already using it extensively to help increase the speed and efficiency of their yachts, updating the software between races, as AI can crunch numbers in a way that even the largest team of people wouldn't be able to do in the same timeframe.
I also saw first-hand how the technology used in the America's Cup does trickle down to everyday sailors when I talked to Morrelli & Melvin's Erik Berzins about the design of Rapido trimarans. That'll be in yet another video I need to put together.
So Metstrade continues to be the melting pot of the marine industry, where ideas are discussed, mixed and improved. It is the most intense three days of my calendar, and it takes a while to process all the conversations, and even longer to process all the content I've gathered. There's simply no way to fit in all the meetings you want to have during the show, but any more than three days would be an information overload, and no-one would have the energy to do longer. All this innovation is good news for sailing and boating in general, making things easier and more accessible, but it still feels like there is more to be done integrating technologies and telling the wider world about how life on the water is so good for the soul - that's something I feel that AI can't help with.
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor