Laura Shaughnessy is the former managing editor at Dockwalk.
Want something that detects the presence of the coronavirus? Bluewater Yachting has you covered. While many people have either been panicking, ignoring, or suffering due to COVID-19 (or all three), bluewater Yachting was working hard alongside medical professionals to bring to market a weapon against the virus. The Rapid Antigen Testing Device (RATD2) has undergone trials and is now ready and available for the yachting industry exclusively through bluewater.
The RATD2 produces rapid qualitative results within 15 minutes and can diagnose users, whether symptomatic or pre-symptomatic. The CE-marked test is FDA Emergency Use Authorization approved and can test up to 50 test cassettes per hour. When the test is complete, results are displayed on the RATD2 screen.
“It wasn’t possible for all crew to abandon their roles and head home, so they were having to take risks staying on board and continuing to work. The antibody kits allowed crew to test themselves any time they suspected they had come in to contact with someone who may have been infected," says John Wyborn.
To be clear, an antigen is any substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against it, which means your immune system tries to destroy it because it doesn’t recognize the substance. This antigen testing device isn’t a test for antibodies; rather, it’s a fast test for the virus’s presence.
“We started out selling the COVID-19 antibody testing kits with 3,000-plus purchased — this was a great help to the industry during the height of the pandemic,” says John Wyborn, director of training at bluewater. “It wasn’t possible for all crew to abandon their roles and head home, so they were having to take risks staying on board and continuing to work. The antibody kits allowed crew to test themselves any time they suspected they had come in to contact with someone who may have been infected. It was during a time when most of us were on lockdown aside from heading out for essential items, and crew who were still working and dealing with suppliers needed that peace of mind.”
Because of its portability the device can be taken off the yacht to test people before they board. It can be administrated with a nasal swab — it comes with 25 sterile nasal swabs (and 100 non-refundable test cassettes).
It’s available for delivery for yachts in Europe, the UK, and the U.S. The RATD2 comes with a one-year warranty and 100 test cassettes (non-refundable). €11,650.00 excluding VAT.
This column is taken from the October 2020 issue of Dockwalk.