Skip to main content

Andrew Watson: The 'most influential' black footballer for decades lost to history

-
Image
  By Andrew Aloia BBC Sport Last updated on 11 October 2021 11 October 2021 . From the section Football Watson was a trailblazer who helped transform how football was played There are two murals of black footballers facing one another across an alleyway in Glasgow. One helped shape football as we know it, the other is Pele. Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881. He was a pioneer, the world's first black international, but for more than a century the significance of his achievements went unrecognised. Research conducted over the past three decades has left us with some biographical details: a man descended of slaves and of those who enslaved them, born in Guyana, raised to become an English gentleman and famed as one of Scottish football's first icons. And yet today, 100 years on from his death aged 64, Watson remains something of an enigma, the picture built around him a fractured one. His grainy, faded, sepia image evokes many differen...
Post a Comment

This 217-Foot Megayacht May Be the First Vessel Designed and Built Over Zoom

-

 

Having chartered superyachts for more than 20 years, the owner used his favorite features in the design of the new 217-foot Vitruvius.

217 foot Vitruvius yacht for a new owner who had used charter yachts as a templateCourtesy Philippe Briand Studio

Vitruvius is a rare superyacht brand based on a definite look and style: A long, thin and almost rectangular profile, with copious windows and a slightly rounded stern. Both classic-looking and slightly futuristic, the design is the brainchild of French designer Philippe Briand, who has been responsible for many leading sailing yacht designs. The London-based firm is now working with Italian builder Rossinavi on a 217-foot Vitruvius scheduled to be delivered in 2023.

The owner, who chartered different yachts for 20 years, decided to finally buy his dream yacht for private use with family and friends. Briand said the yacht lover is a “thorough and knowledgeable client,” who went beyond just sunning himself on charter yachts over the years.

Volume 0%
 

Vitruvius is named after a Roman author who wrote a classic series on architecture, noting the primary characteristics that the best architecture shares.

Vitruvius superyachts share common features like a vertical bow and sleek profile

The 190-foot Najiba shares the same sleekVitruvius look as its larger sistership, currently in build at Italy’s Rossinavi shipyard. Courtesy Philippe Briand Studio

The yacht owner seems to have taken pointers from that ancient book. “By meticulously recording every detail and preference for his perfect yacht over the course of two decades’ chartering, he has created a comprehensive design reference that includes an extensive photo archive,” says Briand. “Alongside the guidance of his owner’s representative, we were provided with a very detailed feedback and preferences. Every line, every single volume of the yacht has been scrutinized.”

Many designers would find this kind of micro-managing by an owner stifling, but Briand said the owner’s input led to a “superior yacht” and “thoroughly enjoyable project.”

The beauty of the Vitruvius brand is that the yachts are rare, but very distinctive. The 240-foot Nautilus, part of its megayacht series, has the same long, lean hull as the new build at Rossinavi, but with a taller superstructure. The smaller 190-foot Najiba is more slender than its larger sistership, but again, shares the long profile.

The Vitruvius series is Philippe Briand's superyacht sisterhood

The 240-foot Nautilus has a more classic megayacht look than its sisterships, but shares the vertical bow and low-slung decks. Courtesy Philippe Briand

Briand noted that the new 217-footer “must be the first yacht to be built on Zoom, because we have been working together with the owner for over a year without having physically met.” Despite that, Briand says that the collaboration process has been enjoyable. “The benefits will no doubt be seen in the final outcome of this special yacht,” he says.

 

RELATED STORIES

READ MORE ON:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Andrew Watson: The 'most influential' black footballer for decades lost to history

-
Image
  By Andrew Aloia BBC Sport Last updated on 11 October 2021 11 October 2021 . From the section Football Watson was a trailblazer who helped transform how football was played There are two murals of black footballers facing one another across an alleyway in Glasgow. One helped shape football as we know it, the other is Pele. Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881. He was a pioneer, the world's first black international, but for more than a century the significance of his achievements went unrecognised. Research conducted over the past three decades has left us with some biographical details: a man descended of slaves and of those who enslaved them, born in Guyana, raised to become an English gentleman and famed as one of Scottish football's first icons. And yet today, 100 years on from his death aged 64, Watson remains something of an enigma, the picture built around him a fractured one. His grainy, faded, sepia image evokes many differen...
Read more

Are there any planets outside of our solar system?

-
Image
  Academic rigour, journalistic flair COVID-19 Arts  +  Culture Business  +  Economy Education Environment  +  Energy Health  +  Medicine Politics Science  +  Technology In French Artist illustration of an exoplanet.  dottedhippo/iStock via Getty Images Are there any planets outside of our solar system? July 19, 2021 2.06pm SAST Author Jean-Luc Margot Professor of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles Disclosure statement Jean-Luc Margot receives funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and philanthropists. Partners University of California  provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US. The Conversation is funded by the National Research Foundation, eight universities, including the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Rhodes University, Stellenbosch University and the Universities of Cape Town, Johannesb...
Read more

If everyone on Earth sat in the ocean at once, how much would sea level rise?

-
Image
  There are a lot of people, but the oceans are very big.   Rosley Majid/EyeEm via Getty Images If everyone on Earth sat in the ocean at once, how much would sea level rise? March 29, 2021 2.07pm SAST Author Tony E. Wong Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Disclosure statement Tony E. Wong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners Rochester Institute of Technology  provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. The Conversation is funded by the National Research Foundation, eight universities, including the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Rhodes University, Stellenbosch University and the Universities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Pretoria, and South Africa. It is hosted by the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Wester...
Read more