Swedish CG counts 2808 boats - Volvo Stopover Economics

06/30/09
The Volvo Ocean Race delivers huge economic benefits to its stopover ports. Whether this says more about the promotional muscle of the organisers or the latent demand for yacht racing by spectators it is hard to say - perhaps it is a bit of both. Story -Stopover Ecomonics. Yachtsponsorship.com

More about the image - YachtSponsorship.com

Image - Yachtsponsorship.com

Earth breathing - Tsunamis on the move

06/30/09

New Bedford - heraldnews.com Independence Day is a day off from work for most of us, but come this Fourth of July, the Ocean Explorium will not only be open for business, it will kick off a new seven-days-a-week visitors’ schedule.

Renovation work has been in high gear at the Explorium, 174 Union St., in preparation for new live animal and sea life exhibits, said Explorium Director Mark Smith.

The new exhibits include a large living coral reef, focusing on the issue of coral bleaching and global warming; scallops; jellyfish; anemone fish, also known as “Nemo” fish; and sea horses.

Smith said some of the sea life will be caught locally and others, such as jellyfish and sea horses, were donated from the New England Aquarium in Boston. Other exhibits - including the coral reefs - were originally from the South Pacific Islands, with some from the Red Sea.

http://www.oceanexplorium.org./

Big Fun

06/29/09
This is the 147′  Timoneer with 20 on the rail and room for another 40. She’s in town for The 7th Annual Newport Bucket set for July 17-19. The Newport Bucket is an invitational regatta set in the Corinthian spirit and open to yachts over 90′ (27M) L.O.A., unless invited under the Grandfather Clause. The race is based out of Newport Shipyard.

Timoneer has a good website and it appears that they have a lot of fun on this yacht. You would be surprised how many fish they catch!

Here is the list of the other entries as of June 11. Fifteen big yachts in all.

Avalon 108′ Southern Pacific
Carmella 92′ Vitter’s
Chippewa 80′ Swan
Hanuman 135′ Royal Huisman
Maya Ray 95′ Southern Wind Shipyard
Mitseaah 156′ Pendennis
P2 125′ Perini Navi
Palawan 75′ Little Harbor
Parlay 126′ Ortona Navi
Ranger 137′ J Boat
Summerwind 100′ Alden
Timoneer 147′ Vitter’s
Virago 100′ Swan
Wild Horses 76′ Brooklin Boatyard
White Wings 76′ Rockport Marine

Image- timoneer.org
www.bucketregattas.com/newport

The Block Island look

06/29/09
A single race today decided the fate of 153 boats entered in the Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race Week XXIII presented by Rolex. The event, which began Monday, hosted 1500 sailors on the tiny land mass of Block Island, which for five days in every odd-numbered year becomes the epicenter The for sailing in New England.  more

Image - Bandit SWAN 42. - Leighton O’Connor

OSTAR - Racer still out there but close

06/29/09
Peter Bourke (Rubicon), who was still 219 miles from Newport at 0400 EDT, has sent this email.

Hi David, Thanks for the email. Unfortunately the large headsail is on a furler and I may can’t seem to resolve that problem at sea. May take a trip up the mast which I’m reluctant to do at this late stage and without any reliable steering assist. However, the staysail pulls pretty well when there’s a breeze as there was yesterday morning. Unfortunately the wind died late yesterday afternoon ands no progress since then. Consequently Tuesday arrival in doubt.

I’m surprised that so many people are asking about my arrival time. It’s either a tribute to your race or the bill collectors are catching up with me.  Peter

Image and post @ OSTAR-home

Webcam Substitute

06/28/09
Webcam #3 is down due to a server issue at the Museum of Yachting. Here’s a shot of Sundays mid-day action to hold you over. Cam #3 should be back on tomorrow.

So long for now

06/27/09
So…

I really don’t know what to say other than- It’s over. This unbelievable adventure of a life time is over. I can’t believe it. To be honest, I am a bit dazed right now.

No work list for the boat. No crew briefing planned. No sail upgrade list. I am guessing the primary goal of the next few days is to get plenty of the local Vodka supply down our gullets in celebration of this extraordinary feat.

We just sailed around the world. I have never uttered or written that sentence before. I never thought it would be something that was on my personal agenda. In fact I remember personally promising a few times that I would never do this race. We did it, along with an amazing team that I am indebted to for the rest of my life. A group of individuals that came together as a sailing team and shore team, and most importantly- a cohesive team- and not a moment too soon I might add. We finished very strongly, even if we were nipped by a quick Telefonica Black this morning for then final leg win. Good for them, and good for us by continuing our streak of first and seconds to six straight. Pretty nice way to finish up and nice proof that we had something good with our team and our beautiful boat.

“il mostro” took us around the world safely, quickly and in style. There has never been a boat like it and likely never will. It showed off the true PUMA colors. Fun, exciting and sport changing. I am indebted to PUMA for giving us this chance and I hope everyone at PUMA has enjoyed the ride right along with us. PUMA took a chance with us and with the sport of sailing. Hopefully we have been good ambassadors for them in our sport and in the sporting world in general. As PUMA Chairman and CEO Jochen Zeitz says, “the Volvo is the ‘Rock and Roll’ of sailing”. Clearly PUMA is into Rock and Roll.

We are of course hugely indebted to all of our team’s friends, fans and relatives. You can now go back to trying to have a good night’s sleep without waking every three hours for the next sched. I am sure that we were not the easiest team to follow as we certainly had our ups and downs, but for sure we knew how to keep it interesting! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
To Volvo and all the folks that keep this race going. This is a chance of a life time. It is the absolute best event in sailing and will only get better. It wouldn’t happen without all the hard working people behind the scenes and the volunteers at each of the stops. You all make this really fun for us. In fact, I couldn’t have imagined that the sport of sailing would have ever evolved into what this race offers. Amazing.

So, for now I am signing off. Every sailor and shore crew has earned a bit of time off and I plan on having a good sleep and trying to make heads or tails of what has happened over the past nine months. It went by so fast.

I for sure know that my life will never be the same. Kathy and Tory and I have experienced the world- Volvo style- and we are all the better for it.

So long for now.

- Kenny

From - pumaoceanracingblog.blogspot.com/

Image - Sally Collison/PUMA Ocean Racing

J Class Model Region 1 Championship - Coming to Bristol

06/26/09
Bristol RI. The Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame, the American Model Yachting Association (AMYA) and the US Vintage Model Yacht Group (US VMYG) are collaborating on the 2009 AMYA J Class Region 1 Model Championship regatta on the weekend of August 6-9 at the Museum’s campus in Bristol, R.I. This AMYA event will feature large scale, radio-controlled models representing many of the original J Boats that raced for the America’s Cup during the Golden Age of yachting. These 1/16-scale models are up to eight feet long, with rigs towering more than ten feet above the water. In addition, there will be a “Legends of Yachting” challenge race with sailing world luminaries such as Halsey Herreshoff taking the helms of these J models to re-enact a winner-take-all America’s Cup showdown using their unique skills through radio-controlled tactics.

Complementing this event during the summer of 2009, the Museum, along with the AMYA and the US VMYG, will present a model yacht exhibition. The exhibit will highlight both design and technology features that appeared in America’s Cup and other racing yachts, as well as models embodying the design influences of Captain Nat and L. Francis Herreshoff.

The American Model Yachting Association (AMYA) and US Vintage Model Yacht Group (VMYG) are collaborating with the Museum to better educate visitors on the history of the sport of model yachting and introduce them to today’s radio-controlled (R/C) racing version. There will be opportunities for visitors to use fully-functioning R/C sailing models throughout summer as well. (more…)

Pangaea

06/26/09
Pangaea is in town at the Newport Shipyard. She’s capable of going anywhere but still able to keep in touch with friends back home. Check out the antenna array. LOA - 56m

Special features include:

6 Staterooms
Gym
36ft Sportfish (day boat)
At anchor stabilizers
Two massive cranes and a crew of 12.

More detail

Dropped

06/26/09

EGYC’s Plans Centennial

06/26/09
REGATTA CHAIRMAN: Udo Schroff beside the East Bay 49 “Wolf” that will serve as the signal boat for the East Greenwich Yacht Club centennial regatta July 18.

Udo Schroff believes that anniversaries should be appropriately observed. That’s why he was perturbed to learn that little of a nautical nature was being planned for the centennial celebration of the East Greenwich Yacht Club.

After all, Schroff thought, the yacht club should host a regatta. He raised the issue at a club board meeting and as often happens to those who come up with suggestions -he’s now in charge of running the regatta.

Story - warwickonline.com
Image - Warwick Beacon.

Volunteers for 420 Championships still needed

06/25/09
Registrations are already pouring in for the Club 420 National Championships in Jamestown. “There could be as many as 150 to 180 boats registered by the first gun,” according to Nancy Lush, co-chair for the event. “Each boat has a crew of two, and, counting coaches, family members and spectators, there could be as many as 600 to 1,000 people on the island for the three-day event.”

Story - Jamestownpress.com

2 decades since Swansea sold a shellfishing lic

06/25/09
Swansea - It’s been more than two decades since the town hall has sold a shellfishing license, but all that will change starting next week.

Town Administrator James Kern said shellfishing licenses - $50 for residential, $150 for non-residential and $600 for commercial - will all become available at Wednesday, July 1, at 9 a.m. on the day the town reopens some of its shellfishing beds for the first time since the Coles River was closed in 1985. Story - heraldnews.com

DEM, Coast Guard to crackdown on drunken boaters

06/25/09
Environmental police officers will join Coast Guard units Friday through Sunday to enforce a law against operating a boat while intoxicated, the DEM announced on Thursday.

Operation Dry Water is part of a nationwide effort. Boat operators whose blood alcohol level exceeds 0.08 are in violation of the law.  Story - projo.com

Lucky

06/25/09
Clear skies, bright sunshine, and a forecast for 12 knots of wind at the start. It’s sure to be a great afternoon as the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race gets underway. More

Image - Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race