I have had a camera in my hands for more than 50 years; not all the time but a camera was never far away. I still remember each photograph that got away; the ones I knew I should take but for one reason or another it just did not happen, still harbouring regret.
The consequence of this is an archive that spans this time. There are photographs of my family, which are naturally personal. Every photograph is my point of view; how and what I see in the world. There are moments when I am overwhelmed by what surrounds me.
I expect what will interest most of you will be my photographs of sailing. I have used many of these pictures in my blog to tell a story. In the coming weeks, perhaps months I hope to construct another site where I will post many on my photographs for sale.
Paul Larsen is a friend who was here in Newport for the C-Class championships in September. He is building a new boat to try to set a new speed record :Sailrocket
The following are his words:
Naturally I have been following the kite surfers latest outright world speed sailing record attempt with great interest. Yesterday they really stamped their dominance on the sport by breaking the record by the biggest single margin in the sports history.
54.1 knots is pretty impressive as it not only jumps through 60 mph but also over 100kph… so that’s all the closest big round numbers dealt with then!
Our genuine congratulations go to Alex for being rewarded for the effort he has put in. I think you also have to respect the effort put in by the team behind the event who have continued to optimise the course and seen the results improve with each iteration.
Whether you think a kite is a proper boat or not is a contentious issue. I don’t think it is a boat in any form… but it is definitely a contender for the outright world speed sailing record and I don’t even mind the ditch they are running down. Sure, it’s not for the purists but as long as it is unaffected wind and water… then it’s in in my books.
So how do these speeds affect us? Well they vindicate our decision to park the old boat and build a new one. I’m pretty sure that the speeds are also out of practical reach of all the other boats we have seen to date. Part of the reason I say this is because I think that the kites still have a few knots up their belt. They are not subject to the same issues of ventilation and cavitation that windsurfers and boats are, well not to the same degree anyway, and with a few readily available tools they can make an ideal course. That’s a big part of the equation.
So is this it for the boats? Definitely not, but we are coming to the end of an era that requires something new.
The beauty of this sport is that it is unique in sailing for bringing the diverse fraternities together and putting them head to head at their absolute limits. You have wind-surfers, kite-surfers, foilers and ‘boaters’ all going balls out for the perfect run. Everyone has their ideas, beliefs and favourites, they pick their sides and this makes it interesting.
It’s great that these guys are out there going for it. Since we started our program 9 years ago, the record has been gradually raised by over 16% by all manner of craft. It’s been a bloody active period that has seen some great action. Everyone has had their ups and downs.
Our new boat is coming along nicely but the launch is often where the real work begins. I’m still convinced that we have made the right choices. I’m also nervous/excited about the unknown elements that come from pushing new limits. The speeds are starting to get dangerous now. I don’t know what a bad crash would look like in the Trench in Luderitz. Well, you make your own choices and no-one is forcing you down there. What a blast it must be to commit yourself 100% to go down that ditch. It’s the sailing equivalent of the barrell of a gun.
No use saying ‘be safe’. That would involve not participating in that event with that objective. All you can say is ‘I hope you’ve done your homework’!
Alex obviously had. He’s got the A+ and smiley face to prove it.
Great stuff and well done. I continue to watch and dream of the next time I get to commit.
Somehow we are still a long way from solving this problem. I will confess that I am not well informed, but I embrace the concept of wind power. Everyone I have ever spoken to admits that wind power is not yet financially practical.
HRIS BEDFORD: Yes, there is a wind shadow. It can extend miles downwind from a single large wind turbine and modeling shows the shadows extending hundreds of miles downwind in the case of large wind farms. There is no such thing as free energy. Taken collectively, all the world’s wind farms will have an impact on the global climate in much the same way that burning fossil fuels does. Other so-called Green Energy “solutions” – such as wave and tidal power – also have environmental impacts. The only true green “solution” is to reduce energy consumption. * How capable are these structures of withstanding extreme wind speeds? CHRIS BEDFORD: Wind turbines are designed to withstand extreme wind speeds. Since they are often installed in locations known to have strong winds, this is a standard requirement. In fact, most turbines shut down during strong winds in order to protect the equipment from damage. However, like any engineered structure, there are limits. There are most definitely cases of turbines failing during storms which exceed design limits or due to control system problems. Such failures are becoming less common as design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance techniques improve. Unfortunately, with the number of installations increasing all the time, the news of failures will never go away in much the same way that airplanes still crash from time to time. * Is that why there are none existing or planned for the Caribbean? CHRIS BEDFORD: There are wind farms in the Caribbean, however few large wind energy plants. The main reason has to do with transmission to the users. It is cheaper and more environmentally sound to build wind farms close to where the energy is used. So a balance must be struck between building wind farms where there is wind AND where there is infrastructure to get the power produced to where it is needed. As is often the case, it comes down to economics.
“Coronet”, Rufus Bush’s Schooner launched in 1885 at 133′ on deck. The restoration was originally the dream of Elizabeth Meyer, who had previously restored “Endeavour”. Now the project of Bob McNeil. Scheduled to take 5 years, an enormous undertaking. She is at IYRS
Everything is of such a massive size it makes everything done real work.
BRONZE FLOORS
The Bronze floors are replacing wooden ones; saving quite a lot of time and money. Not that it matters, probably saving a lot of weight as well. I have never felt that “Coronet” would have the elegant look of “Endeavour” but this construction project has softened my heart.
“Coronet” is available to visit and worth the look.
IYRS has just concluded an exhibit of Appleton’s models.
Anyone who has ever been in or on the water at some point has had at least a passing thought about water rescue. CONTACT with someone in the water is the essential, fundamental premise. There have been various methods over the years. Frankly it has never been an area that has had much effort focused on it, so when a new viable concept appears; it deserves our attention.
So here it is,the AC72 class rule for the 34th America’s cup, ready for public comment. Written by Pete Melvin of Morrelli and Melvin design engineering
The Seaman’s Church Institute quietly does it’s stated task on the Newport waterfront. Lost in the surrounding activity of everyday. Situated in an area of downtown Newport where most people come to shop, eat or drink. It is a harbour of refuge.
ENTRANCE TO SEAMAN'S CHURCH INSTITUTE
The Aloha grill offers wholesome food in a pleasant environment.
The site has not been determined. The release of the design parameters for the boats has been delayed. Team Origin has withdrawn. The Olympic committee took the Tornado; the only multihull (catamaran) out of the Summer Olympic Games.
New always comes with difficulty. Change is usually good.
My computer went in for repair on Friday. I could not believe how lost I felt without it. Even registering for the “Sail for Hope”, sailed on saturday was done via the internet. There is an expectation that everyone is connected. The Tropical storm passed and a front filled and brought a strong northerly. Saturday morning the Wind was still fresh from the northwest, however dropping throughout the day. I sailed with Peter Cassidy on his New York 32 “Siren”. A wonderful boat, built in 1936, and likes a breeze. We did well getting to the north end of Conanicut Island (Jamestown). This northerly was very shifty and dying. The Tide chart indicated that the tide would be flooding until 3:30 pm. That was not what we saw. The time limit ran out for most of the competitors, but it was a wonderful day on the water.
TeamOrigin, the yacht racing team established by Sir Keith Mills, and skippered by triple Olympic Gold Medallist, Ben Ainslie, announced today that it will not be challenging for the next America’s Cup scheduled for 2013.
The team, which was set up in 2007, has been waiting for three years to enter the America’s Cup, which was delayed when the US team, BMW ORACLE Racing, took the Swiss team, Alinghi, through the US courts. The US team won the court battle and won the 33rd America’s Cup Match to become the America’s Cup Defender in February this year. The new US Defender has recently announced the format for the next America’s Cup, including the rules and type of boat to be raced. TeamOrigin has also been briefed by the Defender and has made numerous comments on both the regatta rules and class rule.
Having now had a chance to analyse the race format, the proposed fixed wing catamaran boat, the timetable, rules and costs, Sir Keith has concluded that the 34th America’s Cup is neither viable commercially, nor an attractive sporting contest for TeamOrigin. Therefore he has decided that the team will not submit a challenge when the challenge period opens on 1 November.
Sir Keith Mills, TeamOrigin Team Principal, “After three years of waiting in the wings to enter a British team in the America’s Cup I am bitterly disappointed that we will not be competing. However, the format and timetable decided by the Defender, BMW/Oracle, is simply not viable for TEAMORIGIN. We have assembled an outstanding team, led by Grant Simmer and Ben Ainslie, and I am personally very sorry that they won’t now get the chance to race for a British team in the next America’s Cup”.
Over the next couple of months TeamOrigin will be considering whether it will compete in other yachting events over the next few years.
