
Back from the COVID-induced hiatus are two international conferences. One of them is the High Speed Boat Operations Forum, which will be held August 31–September 2, 2021, in Gothenburg, Sweden. New this year is HSBO’s cooperation with the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), founded in 1860 in London to advance the art and science of ship design.
This biennial international networking event gathers experts, including representatives of corporations and government agencies, concerned with the design, build, and operation of advanced high-speed boats, along with experienced operators, scientists, medical experts, naval architects, engineers, and procurement officials. Attendance is by invitation only.
The program will comprise 30 presentations on technical, scientific, operational, and regulatory topics. Proposals for presentations are still welcome. Boat trials run at full speed on open water, regardless of weather.
Dates: August 31–September 2, 2021, COVID information for travelers:
Location: 11 Hotel & Eriksberghallen, Maskingatan 1141764, Gothenburg, Sweden, tel. +46 31 779 11 11, e-mail q.11@nullchoice.se.

The second of the two conferences that are returning is FAST, the International Conference on Fast Sea Technology, to be held in-person October 26–27 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. The objective of this global conference, now hosted by our friends at SNAME (Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers) alongside the SNAME Maritime Conference, is presenting and exchanging expert knowledge and providing networking opportunities in the field of high-performance vessels and their technology. Among other technical subjects, this year’s conference will commemorate the contributions of the late Dr. Daniel Savitsky (see Professional BoatBuilder No. 186, Parting Shot) with a treatise by Donald L. Blount on Savitsky’s seminal 1964 paper, “Hydrodynamic Design of Planing Hulls.”
The conference venue in Rhode Island was chosen because of its proximity to large offshore wind farms, which require specialized high-speed craft and crew transfer vessels (CTV). Jeff Bowles, director at DLBA, is on the papers committee reviewing more than 30 submissions. Selected presenters will be part of the conference’s technical program that includes topics such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), hydrofoils, hydrodynamics, and unique concepts for marine vehicles.
Dates: October 26–27, 2021
Location: Rhode Island Convention Center, One Sabin Street, Providence, RI 02903 USA, tel. 401–458–6000.