12M Worlds day one

Leighton O’Connor gets this great shot on day one of the 12M Worlds in Newport. http://www.leightonoconnor.com/

Some competitors at the 2009 12 Metre World Championship are certainly experiencing déjà vu as a veritable “Who’s Who” of sailing walked the docks at Bannister and Bowen’s Wharves this morning as the first day of this long-anticipated event got underway. From current America’s Cup poster boy Russell Coutts (Auckland, NZL), who is sailing on Kiwi Magic with Cup patron and skipper Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla./Osterville, Mass.), to Dawn Riley (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) who broke ground as team leader of the first women’s entry in the Cup, to noted British sailors Harold Cudmore (Cowes, GBR) and Andy Green (Lymington, GBR), there is a surfeit of recognizable faces. Twenty-six years ago when the America’s Cup was won by Australia (in 1983) in Newport, it ended the longest winning streak in sporting history (132 years). Four years later, two more milestones in the event’s history were marked: Dennis Conner became the first person to lose and then win the Cup, and the Twelves were sailed for the last time as the America’s Cup yacht of choice after 29 years.

“It’s wonderful to wander about the docks at Bowen’s and Bannister’s Wharf and see the 12 Metres here again, where they were in ’83, many of them with their same crews from then,” said Robin Wallace (Newport, R.I.) who was a member of Race Committee for the Challenger Series in ‘83 and is the Principal Race Officer for this event. “With the current legal squabbles going on, people have become disenchanted with the America’s Cup, but this is like a re-awakening of the class, a reinvention of a competition that celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the 12 Meters first being used in the Cup.” (more…)

New strike boat

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) The 30 foot, jet powered m4 has a long list of features including infrared cameras, sonar to detect underwater objects a 50 gallon foam tank for chemical and other fires. Story

The giants are in

warwickonline.com David Appolonia (left) and Peter Butkins (right) with their nine foot, 878 lb bluefin tuna caught last week at the Mud Hole, 17 nautical miles off Point Judith, RI. Image – Warwick Beacon

Each year (in late summer and early fall) a select few anglers fish in and around the Mud Hole, a favorite giant bluefin tuna fishing spot that’s about 17 nautical miles off Pont Judith, RI.. One day last week, David Appolonia and three other boats caught giant bluefin tuna. David’s fish was 870 lbs and nine feet long. It was David’s first giant tuna. What is remarkable is that he caught it on his 26 foot Regulator center console boat in just about two hours. Angler Peter Butkins was on the rod when the fish hit. Read on here.

Slow down in Bristol

Goetz Custom Technologies has stopped work on the all carbon fiber 82′ Rogers project. This is the second 82′ project to stop in a year and yet another sign of difficult times for Rhode Island Boat Builders. Eric Goetz reports that it is an unfortunate situation and they are “confident it will be sorted out quickly and we are working hard to make that happen.”

The hull and deck were moved just last week to the new building and Goetz is still operating but with reduced man power. They are focusing most of their efforts on securing more work. Goetz says “There is a military project in the pipeline and we will be exhibiting exciting new projects like the G58 at the Ft Lauderdale show. We know that we will work through this like we did the last time. It has stressed relationships with our associates and sub contractors and that is a very difficult experience.“

Welcome Back the 12

One unforgetable year from 12worlds on Vimeo.

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107 Days from Newport to Nome

The Northwest Passage from Hole in the Wall Productions on Vimeo.

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11 races later

No one knew quite what to expect, even though a year and a half of planning went into getting 19 teams from 14 nations to Newport, R.I., for the inaugural New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. The event, which started on Wednesday (Sept. 16) , and concluded today (Saturday, Sept. 19), was conceived and very well received as a high-profile regatta for amateur yacht club teams. To that end, the New York Yacht Club put forth its best effort not only to host the event but also to field its own team, which won after 11 spectacular races on Rhode Island Sound and Narragansett Bay. Read all the details here.

Image – Dan Nerney

Transient Boat Center

newport-now.com – The long awaited Newport Harbor Center is moving closer to realization.

The $1.46 million plan, which calls for the extension of the Ann Street pier to accommodate transient small craft, and the renovation of the historic Armory building, has been in the works for just almost two years. Once completed, it’s expected to provide a shot in the arm for the Lower Thames Street neighborhood and a much needed facelift for the 124-year old armory. Read on.

19M AUV deal for Newport

newport-now.com – As the state’s unemployment rate reaches highs not seen since 1976, a $19 million contract to develop hi-tech underwater technology is expected to bring new jobs to the City-by-the-Sea.

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has been awarded a contract by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) to provide engineering, technical, and management services in support of NUWC’s Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV) Engineering Facility.

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Watch your toes

This from SNESA – “Thought this was cool. After the maggots cleaned them up for me in the mulch pile I glued them back together. Anyone think fluke are wimpy fish?? 10lbs” Tom Peters

This large Great White shark has been tagged

milforddailynews.com The great white sharks sighted off Orleans and Chatham last week sent bathers scrambling from the waters, but one man was running in the other direction – Dr. Greg Skomal.

Skomal is a marine biologist with the Division of Marine Fisheries, based on Martha’s Vineyard who specializes in sharks. He enlisted harpoon ace Bill Chaprales of Marstons Mills, captain of the EZYDUZIT to use his skills to help imbed high tech tags in five of the sharks. Read on here.

Newport 2009 – Check it out!

Here is a small sample of what you can see and don’t want to miss at the Newport Show.

Gallery

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BBQ

Atlass Insurance and Yachtworld.com sponsored a party for vendors and friends last night at the Shipyard and the Preppy Pig was there. The BBQ was awesome and these guys have the best logo I have seen in a while.

preppypigbbq.com

NYYC in the lead

With brisk breezes to propel them, the fleet of 19 teams from 14 nations competing at the inaugural New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup worked it hard in four shifty, somewhat unpredictable races on Narragansett Bay today. Irish eyes were smiling aboard the Royal Cork Yacht Club’s entry when skipper Anthony O’Leary won the first two races of the day, but it was the New York Yacht Club’s team led by skipper Phil Lotz (Newport, R.I./New Canaan, Conn.) that made the move to the top of the scoreboard (from second yesterday) when he played the averages for a score line that never left the single digits. (RCYC rounded out its scores today with a 14-7 to secure third place behind yesterday’s leader the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, skippered by Terry McLaughlin.)

Image – Team NYYC

Lotz gave credit to his team and tactician Ken Read (Newport, R.I.), known as one of the best sailors in the world, for a remarkable comeback in the second race that took them from sorry-at the-start to phenomenal-at-the-finish. Having jumped the start gun with three others, the team was called back to clear itself and begin again. (more…)

Launching ramp fun

I hope this guy knows Bob Peck at Atlass Insurance. Thanks for the image Claire.