Robot-driven fork-lift trucks are being employed in Les Sables d’Olonne, in the Vendee, France to dry-store yachts after a cruise enabling marinas to increase berthing space.

The robots pluck a yacht from the water and settle her on a cradle in just seven minutes: not much more time than it would take her crew to moor her conventionally.

The French Government are funding the new technology, which can handle yachts up to 10m LOA, and the robots are expected to be in place at 10 ports from South Brittany to the Gironde.