In this episode we talk to Jonny Dodge. Jonny works with F1, aviation, space travel and has a company called MY OCEAN which is disrupting the world of Superyachts by bringing cryptocurrency and Web3 thinking to a more traditional space.

• 00:15 – David Fuller talks to Jonny Dodge
• 03:23 – New technology will impact the entire end-to-end superyacht charter customer experience, from augmented and virtual reality in the design to paying for charters using cryptocurrency.
• 03:45 – A venture fund – MY OCEAN Ventures will be set up to invest in start-ups using Web3 technology to be applied to the superyacht market.
• 04:45 – It’s not just about technology. Cryptocurrency has changed the customers and brought a younger audience who want different things. This has an impact on the design of the yacht.
• 06:44 – MY OCEAN went messaging first. Using WhatsApp and Telegram instead of email. This was implemented through all parts of the business, including their law firm!
• 07:50 – There is real utility involved with accepting cryptocurrency for superyacht charter. Large transfers can take place across borders, quickly with lower fees.
• 09:20 – San Lorenzo have a green room which allows an owner to walk through a yacht pre-build using virtual reality.
• 10:11 – Superyacht NFTs by Oceanco, seem like a membership club. The details are a little hard to understand. Which metaverses will support virtual superyachts (no land sale required)
• 10:53 – Could blockchain be used to log operation and maintenance? Yes. Superyachts are complicated systems with multiple warranties. Paperwork and certifications could also be put into the blockchain.
• 13:38 – Some technologies, like LIDAR, which could be used to help Superyachts dock themselves, will probably start with smaller vessels then scale up to superyachts.
• 14:21 – Tokenisation of luxury assets is another area where Web3 style technologies could disrupt the market. Shared ownership could also be unlocked through NFTs
• 14:46 – An NFT needs to have clear offline utility.
• 16:34 – Almost every F1 team now has a crypto sponsor or partner. NFTs for racing games seem to make more sense than just collecting the image.
• 18:21 – Perhaps the true utility of NFTs is more mundane, that they are membership cards or receipts. More products need to be developed out of demand from the consumer.
• 19:49 – Access to VIP communities is on the rise, but it’s not a new idea. The private member’s club is a relatively old idea. From the New York Yacht Club to Soho House and M1NT, this doesn’t have to be in the blockchain, but maybe and NFT is more cool in 2022 than a special tie.
• 21:17 – Communications technology is changing. The younger consumers need to be connected all the time. It impacts the itinerary – “If there is no phone signal, then the boat can’t anchor there overnight. It could be a beautiful bay, but if there is no signal, they want to move onto the next location.”
• 22:57 – Sustainability is a focus, both in superyachts and sustainable aviation fuel for jets.
• 24:12 – I’m getting a little bored with SailGP.

So… A bit of editorialisaing… I’m getting bored of SailGP. I love it, I’m a fan but maybe that’s the problem.

It’s starting to be a bit same same. Same course everytime – and if you took the background away, it could be anywhere. There seems to be more wide-angle aerial shots and less onboard action. There seems to me at least to be less on-board audio.

SailGP is coming up on Season 4, and the commentary is starting to feel just a little bit patronising.

Of course there are contraints. The event format needs to be predictable for television. Changing the boundaries or layout of the course may add cost to the broadcasting, umpiring and onboard navigation systems, but something has to change – because at the moment it is less F1 and more NASCAR.

I’m not the only one. If you watch SailGP on YouTube, you can see where people tune in and drop out. Hover over the bottom of the player and you will see a wave graph that shows the viewing habits. There are spikes for the race start, then it drops away.

One idea might be to revert the final race back to a 1 on 1 match race.

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