Some 500,000 residents and tourists a year depend on Les Bateaux Verts for shuttle service and excursion around the bay of Saint-Tropez. Thanks to collaboration across Twin Disc enterprises, the historic “green boats” fleet’s newest vessel delivers that service with increased ease and efficiency.

In two years of planning for the Gipsy XXI, Twin Disc, Esco Transmissions and TMML recommended that Les Bateaux Verts try our Express Joystick System® (EJS®) with hydraulic thrusters. From there, the project grew to include components from every Twin Disc marine subsidiary. The Gipsy XXI, designed by Mer & Design and built by Chantier Martinez, includes:

• MGX marine gears from Belgium
• Express Joystick System® and electronic controls from the U.S.
• Propeller shafts, rudders and steering system from Italy
• Hydraulic bow and stern thrusters from Italy
• Rolla Custom propellers from Switzerland

The result is a vessel incredibly easy to maneuver, even in the high winds common across the bay. The ship’s captain says the launch at the shipyard posed no problems, “despite weather that was not at all conducive to sea trials with a new boat.”

Reducing mooring time

The vessel meets ISO 9001 and 14001 certification requirements for quality, safety and sustainability. And in regular operation, the Gipsy XXI saves nearly three hours a day in mooring time.

“I am not a man of the sea; I am a businessman,” says Denis Robert, president of Les Bateaux Verts. As such, he appreciates the technological expertise Twin Disc provides, particularly in replacing electronic thrusters with hydraulics.

“We were able to combine technological performance and a good experience for our crews with comfort for our passengers,” he says. As for the EJS, after a year of operation, “we are convinced that it is the future.”