MV ''Brigitte Bardot'' (formerly MV ''Gojira'', ''Rat Race Media Adventurer'', ''Ocean 7 Adventurer'' and ''Cable and Wireless Adventurer'') is a unique high-tech stabilized monohull twin diesel engine powered vessel designed by
Nigel Irens
Nigel Irens RDI is a leading yacht designer. Amongst his designs are the ''Adventurer,'' a 35m trimaran motor yacht which completed a record-breaking circumnavigation in 1998, and ''B&Q/Castorama'' a 23 m sailing trimaran used by Ellen MacAr ...
. Construction of the vessel began in June 1997 and she was launched on 16 March 1998. The official naming ceremony took place on 3 April 1998 in London's West India Dock. In 2021, the vessel was sold to a private owner.
''Cable and Wireless Adventurer''
Originally named ''Cable and Wireless Adventurer,'' she was built for the purpose of circumnavigating the world in less than 80 days. This was successfully accomplished in July 1998 in 74 days, 20 hours, 58 minutes, traveling more than . This achievement set a new
Guinness World Record for a powered vessel. However, on 27 June 2008 ''
Earthrace
MY ''Ady Gil'' (formerly ''Earthrace'') was a , wave-piercing trimaran originally created as part of a project to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. Powered by biodiesel fuel, the vessel was also capable of ...
'' (later renamed ''Ady Gil''), the
biodiesel
Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...
powered wave-piercing trimaran, set a new world record when it docked at the Vulkan shipyard in Sagunto, Spain after completing a circumnavigation in just 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes. Both records are longer than the 60 days, 21 hours claimed by the US Navy's nuclear-powered submarine during
Operation Sandblast
Operation Sandblast was the code name for the first submerged circumnavigation of the world, executed by the United States Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine in 1960 under the command of Captain Edward L. Beach Jr.
The circumnavigat ...
in 1960
and of the
current record by a sailing boat.
The design of the vessel was evaluated and proven by hydrodynamic tank testing, and a scale prototype named the ''iLAN Voyager'' completed sea trials to demonstrate the advantages of the concept.
The vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and communications equipment.
''Ocean 7 Adventurer''
In 2007 the vessel was acquired by Ocean 7, a
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
based marine brokerage and charter operation. The vessel was recommissioned and transferred to a mooring at the
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. The vessel was available for charter, film work and the occasional marine rescue operation.
![Ocean 7 Adventurer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Ocean_7_Adventurer.jpg)
In December 2007 ''Ocean 7 Adventurer'' was chartered to retrieve a demasted yacht,
IMOCA 60
The IMOCA ("Open 60"), is a 60ft development class monohull sailing yacht administered by the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA). The class pinnacle event are single or two person ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum and t ...
''Delta Dore'' from the
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
. ''Delta Dore'' was partaking in the Barcelona World Race. The yacht skippered by Jérémie Beyou and Sidney Gavignet was at position 47°00 S 033° 25 E, nearly a thousand miles south east from
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, drifting slowly at between east. An hour after the mast had collapsed backwards, it had to be cut free and dumped into the ocean, as it was likely to damage the hull. The yacht had of diesel fuel on board, but this was insufficient to motor back to the mainland. The Ocean 7 team were approached with regard to salvaging the yacht. Skippered by co-owner David de Villiers, ''Ocean 7 Adventurer'' set sail for the
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
and after locating the yacht, she was taken in tow with a line. This rescue set a record for the longest tow in South African maritime history ().
During early June 2008 ''Ocean 7 Adventurer'' moved to the east coast of South Africa to observe the annual sardine run, after which it relocated to the southern end of Madagascar in July in search of waves amongst the reefs where the vessel was used as a live-aboard base for surfers and kite surfers. During September ''Ocean 7 Adventurer'' explored the Baron Islands off the Madagascar coast before returning to her base at the V&A Waterfront for the summer season, where she was available for day charters, specialised trips and functions.
''Rat Race Media Adventurer''
![Rat Race Media](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Rat_Race_Media.jpg)
In 2008 she was repainted in Rat Race Media graphics and was the star of a TV series on kykNET, ''Aqua X''. The series started in October 2008 and aired until January 2009.
''Miles for Smiles Adventurer''
In November 2009 ''Ocean 7 Adventurer'' was chartered by the Cipla Miles for Smiles Foundation to be the support vessel during leg one of the Miles for Smiles Madagascar Challenge which consisted of David Grier paddling some from Nacala Mozambique to Cap St Andre in Madagascar.
Before setting out to sea ''Ocean 7 Adventurer'' received a new look with the Miles for Smiles regalia.
MV ''Gojira''
The
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action tactics to achieve its g ...
(SSCS) acquired the $4 million vessel for its 2010–11 campaign against Japanese whaling in the Antarctic
Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is an area of 50 million square kilometres surrounding the continent of Antarctica where the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has banned all types of commercial whaling. To date, the IWC has designated two ...
and renamed her the MV ''Gojira'' (named after the
French heavy metal band who have supported the charity, which is derived from the Japanese name for "
Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...
"). She was the first Australian-flagged vessel to be operated by the Sea Shepherd Society, and though slower, she is twice as large as , making her more stable than the boat she replaced. ''Gojira'' successfully located the whaling factory vessel ''
Nisshin Maru
The is the primary vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet and is the world's only whaler factory ship. It was the research base ship for the Institute of Cetacean Research for 2002 to 2007. It has a tonnage of and is the largest member and flagshi ...
'' in the Ross Sea during Sea Shepherd's Operation No Compromise, and broke a record for travelling farther south than any other multi-hulled yacht in history, at 76*30 South Latitude.
''MV Brigitte Bardot''
![MV Brigitte Bardot stern view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/MV_Brigitte_Bardot_stern_view.jpg)
In May 2011 the SSCS was served with a notice from
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...
Company Ltd., the copyright holder and owner of the
''Gojira''/''Godzilla'' franchise, regarding the unauthorized use of the trademark. The Society promptly changed the vessel's name to the MV ''Brigitte Bardot'' in honor of
the French fashion model, actress and singer whom
Paul Watson
Paul Franklin Watson (born December 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conservation activism. Th ...
, the founder of Sea Shepherd, took on an anti-sealing trip in 1977. In addition to a new name, the vessel also received a new paint scheme; the overall black scheme was replaced by a grey coloration similar to that of a naval vessel.
The ship was damaged by a
rogue wave
Rogue waves (also known as freak waves, monster waves, episodic waves, killer waves, extreme waves, and abnormal waves) are unusually large, unpredictable, and suddenly appearing surface waves that can be extremely dangerous to ships, even to lar ...
of while
pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet off the western coast of Australia on 28 December 2011. The MV ''Brigitte Bardot'' was escorted back to
Fremantle by the SSCS flagship, . The main hull was cracked and the port side
pontoon was being held together by straps. The vessel arrived at Fremantle Harbor on 5 January 2012. Both ships were followed by the
ICR security vessel at a distance of .
The repair process, with a cost of over $250,000, included placing the ship in a hermetically sealed chamber. Composite yacht experts from across the globe, including the ship's designer, were flown in to assess the damages and recommend a course of action. Sea Shepherd's 18 Australian chapters raised the money necessary to repair the vessel. Repairs to the MV ''Brigitte Bardot'' were completed and the ship set sail for sea trials on 16 April 2012.
![MV Brigitte Bardot at Circular Quay Sydney](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/MV_Brigitte_Bardot_at_Circular_Quay_Sydney.jpg)
In September 2012, the MV ''Brigitte Bardot'' was expelled from Fiji by local naval and immigration officials.
On 5 January 2013 in
Timaru
Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, a distress call was issued in relation to the MV ''Brigitte Bardot'' after an observer mistook the vessel for an overturned yacht. While several vessels nearby responded to the call, the MV ''Brigitte Bardot'' did not respond and instead turned away at high speed upon the arrival of a rescue helicopter. The South Canterbury Coastguard and Maritime New Zealand criticized Sea Shepherd over the incident, stating "There was no need for Sea Shepherd to behave like this".
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action tactics to achieve its g ...
founder
Paul Watson
Paul Franklin Watson (born December 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conservation activism. Th ...
said the first the organization knew about the distress call was when the helicopter arrived. "We can't help it if someone else makes the call. There was nothing wrong with the ship," he said.
Because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
Sea Shepherd ended up selling vessels instead of maintaining them; the vessel was sold to a new owner in Mexico.
References
External links
Ocean Adventurer websiteOcean 7 – The teamRat Race Media Adventurer website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brigitte Bardot, MV
Individual yachts
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships
Trimarans
1998 ships
Ships built in England
Brigitte Bardot