World premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice. The first example of this new yacht model is named “Mercedes”, and true to the tradition of the name it founds a completely new boat concept. The 14-metre long, 706 kW (960 hp) “Silver Arrow of the Seas” combines the performance of Mercedes-Benz sports cars with unique innovations from the boat industry. The yacht has classic automobile proportions that bring the hallmark Mercedes design idiom of sensual purity onto the water in a highly emotional and dynamic form. The yacht also combines the advantages of an open boat with those of a hull cabin cruiser in unique fashion. Its crossover design offers the ultimate in variability, resulting in a boat that is equally suitable for day trips and overnight stays on board.

World premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice.wWorld premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice.

Luxury helicopter “H145 by Mercedes Benz Style” by Airbus Helicopters.

World premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice. The first example of this new yacht model is named “Mercedes”, and true to the tradition of the name it founds a completely new boat concept. The 14-metre long, 706 kW (960 hp) “Silver Arrow of the Seas” combines the performance of Mercedes-Benz sports cars with unique innovations from the boat industry. The yacht has classic automobile proportions that bring the hallmark Mercedes design idiom of sensual purity onto the water in a highly emotional and dynamic form. The yacht also combines the advantages of an open boat with those of a hull cabin cruiser in unique fashion. Its crossover design offers the ultimate in variability, resulting in a boat that is equally suitable for day trips and overnight stays on board.

World premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice.

World premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice.

World premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice.

World premiere on the Côte d’Azur: The luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” designed by Mercedes-Benz Style has embarked on its maiden voyage off the coast of Nice.

Mercedes-Benz Style also makes the modern luxury for which the brand is known tangible beyond the world of the automobile. Since 2010, Mercedes-Benz designers working with selected partners have been developing exclusive products which have transported the high quality standards and unmistakable design philosophy of sensual purity into other mobility and lifestyle areas. As in vehicle development, they are guided by their passion for uniqueness.
“In developing the new motor yacht, we have transferred our expertise to the marine industry, creating something never seen before in the process. The ‘Silver Arrow of the Seas’ stands for modern luxury, avant-garde style and comfortable elegance. The yacht embodies the Mercedes-Benz’s progressive, dynamic design philosophy of sensual purity on the water. Or, to put it another way, it is hot and cool in one, and stands for emotion and intelligence,” said Gorden Wagener, Vice President Design Daimler AG. “Together with Silver Arrows Marine we have managed to develop a totally new boat concept. By virtue of maximum variability, the yacht combines the advantages of an open boat with the generous interior and privacy of a cabin cruiser. It weds charismatic design with perfect functionality, much in the same way as is familiar from our road vehicles. As such, the ‘Arrow460–Granturismo’ is sure to cause a stir on the seas and at marinas throughout the world in the coming years.”

Silver Arrows Marine Chairman Ron Gibbs said: “Almost everything about Arrow460-Granturismo is unique, from its concept to the smallest bespoke detail. It is a motor yacht with a personality that truly embraces life, combining the best marine engineering with the inspired innovations and elegance that the world associates with the Mercedes-Benz name. By merging marine and automotive worlds, with their respective design language, technologies and ideas, we have created a new standard of motor yacht, unlike all others.”

New form of boat concept with innovative interior and harmonious exterior

The 14-metre long, 706 kW (960 hp) luxury motor yacht “Arrow460–Granturismo” can accommodate up to 10 persons. The large side windows are retractable, and the windscreen can be raised. This means that passengers can sit comfortably in the interior while enjoying an all-round view and the feeling of sitting in the open. Tables and beds are extendable, and therefore available as and when required. Superior comfort is assured by a luxurious bathroom unit and separate dressing room. As standard the yacht is equipped with every feature an owner might wish for. Apart from an air conditioning system and a high-quality audio system, it has a “wine-cellar” and an ice-making machine.

Mercedes-Benz Style’s innovative aspirations also embrace the choice of materials. Wood serves to line the entire interior, rather than using this material as a conventional floor covering. As a result of this three-dimensional application of wood, the fine grain of the eucalyptus follows the overarching forms of the interior lining, underscoring the overall flow of the interior.

The floor covering takes the form of an industrial, sustainable composite material featuring a specific flowing décor and a harmonious colour combination.
The glazing is unique in two respects: the luminous transmittance can be controlled electronically, along the same lines as the Mercedes-Benz Magic Sky technology; at the same time, the silver-shimmering glazing blends apparently seamlessly into the overall profile, as on the Mercedes-Benz concept vehicles F015 and Concept IAA. This avant-garde appearance underscores the sculptural and innovative character of the Arrow460-Granturismo.
The exterior design boasts clear contours and smooth surfaces. In a dynamic and sophisticated way, the muscular, extended hull accentuates the sensual purity of the design. With its long foredeck, a flowing, arched roofline and a slightly descending rear, the yacht has classic automobile proportions. The sides of the hull are structured with a feature line descending gently towards the stern. The concave and convex interaction along the entire flank creates a highly sculptural hull that conveys both dynamism and serenity. The overall composition is accentuated by elegantly styled yet functional details. Great attention has been paid to the handrails, for example, which are perfectly integrated into the roofline.
Technical data of the Arrow460-Granturismo

• Total length 14.14 metres
• Hull length 13.85 metres
• Draught 0.93 metres
• Maximum boat width 3.97 metres
• Maximum displacement 13.58 tonnes
• Fuel tank capacity 1200 litres
• Water tank capacity 500 litres
• Drive system 2 Yanmar 6LY3-ETP diesel engines, each rated at 353 kW (480 hp)
• Cruising speed 28 to 30 knots (in calm seas)
• Top speed 40+ knots (with light load)
• Design category Class B

In everyone’s life, there’s a moment when you try something and you think to yourself, “This is brilliant… why didn’t I think of it?”  In the world of outerwear, Helly Hansen has just launched a product that falls precisely into the aforementioned category , solving the dilemma of how to precisely blend optimal amounts of heating and cooling.

As anyone fond of the outdoors will tell you, it’s the age-old problem:  finding a mid-layer or outer layer that not only keeps you warm, but also finding one that regulates your temperature as your core temperatures heat up.  If you’ve ever taken a long hike, especially one with a pack, you’re likely already familiar with the need for temperature regulation.  You wear layers for their heat and protection from the elements, but as time goes on, your body temperature rises and you start to overheat.  This results in either an abundance of sweat or the need to shed layers, both of which are less than ideal

Enter the Helly Hansen H2 Flow Jacket.  Thanks to Helly’s revolutionary Hollow Heat Flow technology, the H2 Flow is not only incredibly effective at warming you as a mid-layer, it also provides an absolutely amazing amount of venting and cooling where you need it, when you need it.

Making the magic happen are two key elements:  adjustable venting on the jacket, and 200g of insulation that utilize both positive and negative spaces.  Together, they form the basis for a tremendous level of user controlled temperature regulation throughout the day.

So let’s say, for example, that your hike begins on a cool fall morning.  You begin your hike with a base layer and the H2 Flow Jacket, with all venting closed.  As a result, you’re warm and comfortable.  But as you pile the miles pile on, your body temperature rises, as does the outside temperature.  Normally, you’d be forced to shed your mid layer, but with the H2 Flow, you have the ability to open the vertical vents and let the outside air flow in.  Once the air is inside the jacket, the insulation’s negative spaces allow it to flow around your body, lowering interior temperatures and aiding in sweat evaporation.

Helly calls it a micro-climate system technology, and if it sounds ingenious, it is.  You can adjust temperatures to match a huge array of activities, from casual to intense, and you can do it all in a single mid-layer.

From there, Helly Hansen took the H2 Flow a step further and incorporated all the features that make their other outwear so incredible.  There’s the breathable, ripstop fabric that’s not only remarkably impervious to abuse, but it also excels at repelling moisture while maintaining breathability.  There’s the sleek styling that makes the H2 Flow at home on the street as much as it is in the outdoors.  And there’s the fact the H2 Flow Jacket is constructed from Blue Sign approved fabrics, ensuring that it’s made in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

It’s a lot to fit into one coat, but Helly Hansen has proven once again why they’re the leader in outdoor gear for the most demanding of uses.

The H2 Flow Jacket is part of Helly Hansen’s Fall/Winter Collection and is available for both men and women for $180.

With all the hype surrounding this new jacket by Helly Hansen, I decided there was no better way to break it in than by putting it to a little test.  Two days after I picked mine up, my wife and I headed to the Eightmile Lake Trail – me with with my new H2 Flow Jacket and her with a standard fleece.

About 4 miles in and just over 5,000 ft, we had both worked up a sweat, meaning it was the perfect time to see how the H2 Flow Jacket’s venting would perform. While my wife packed her fleece into her pack (which later turned out to be a mistake when she got scratched up by quite a bit of brush), I simply opened the H2 Flow venting and kept on going.  Within a few minutes, I had stopped sweating and had cooled down to a comfortable temperature.  It wasn’t the shocking cold you get when you take your jacket off completely.  Instead, I was entirely comfortable – no chills, no wind gusts whipping through the coat – just a comfortable temperature.

Another mile and a half and we arrived at Caroline Lake and the H2 Flow Jacket had done its job.  I removed my pack, zipped the vents back up and sat down to enjoy the view. My wife on the other hand was getting bite after bite from the lake mosquitos.  She grabbed her fleece out of her pack, only to find it was still damp from the first four miles of sweat.  The result was an uncomfortable lunch at the lake, to say the least.  Being the sensational husband I am, I bestowed her with the H2 Flow Jacket on the way down. Thankfully, Helly makes a women’s version of the H2 Flow, or I would have just lost my new favorite mid-layer.

Needless to say, the Helly Hansen H2 Flow Jacket lives up to the hype. As a mid-layer or outer-layer, it is a brilliant design that gets the job done.  It’s warm, it’s cool, and it’s everything in between.

You can learn more about the Helly Hansen H2 Flow Jacket at the official Helly Hansen website.