Legacies – Designing the Future

by lynnholms

When recently researching on the internet, we came across the Gene Machine, a Westport Yacht we built custom furniture for. We were pleasantly surprised to see that William Garden (from our previous blog entry) was the naval architect for these Westport 40M yachts.

When William began working with Maritime Shipyards in Ballard, he set up shop, producing several boats, including fishing boats and YACHTS.  Today, thousands of boat designs are credited to William’s name. His work is well known in the Seattle Design Community, and he is a legend in the world of boat design.

William Garden’s naval architectural legacy continues to thrive and grow, both in the Great Northwest and the world over with Westport Yachts continuing to stun and amaze the world with the beauty and precision of his designs. One of his eye-catching, head-turning works is the Gene Machine; a 40m Super yacht designed for low maintenance, an enduring lifespan, and of course for the good life!

With luxury this beautiful, you might question the name. What do genetics and Sailing have to do with one another? It does seem like an unlikely pairing. Enter Jonathan Rothberg, engineer and entrepreneur, inventor of the Personal Genome Machine, and owner of the yacht the Gene Machine. Rothberg has changed the face of science, genetics and medicine forever with the introduction of his ‘DNA Decoder’.

With the Personal Genome Machine, scientists can identify genetic structure, abnormalities and defects. In identifying these genomes and being able to break through the barriers of DNA, scientists are able to see genetic reasons why some people have cancers, autism or other diseases, and how to specifically and accurately treat them. This will also give scientists insight for future generations about how to prevent these genes from activating! And, there are other areas this technology can be harnessed. Farmers can use it to breed fast-growing super crops that resist pesticides and drought, and it can even carry over into areas of our day to day life, like laundry detergent, clothing, furniture, and so many others.

Given all the implications of his technology, it is no wonder Mr. Rothberg had the symbols for the chemical bases the body uses to form DNA (guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymine) installed under the boat’s name, Gene Machine. QUITE a legacy!