Category: offshore sailing

INAUGURATION DAY


For his 60th birthday in Bristol RI Irivng Johnson climbed the mast of his boat and did a hand stand on the top.
Giovanni Soldini on board “Maserati” is at Cape Horn in his attempt to set a new record for the course of New York to San Francisco.

We cannot ignore Martin Luther King Day and the inauguration of Barak Obama for his second term, We are full of hope.

THE GOLDEN YEARS OF YACHT RACING

the Term “The Golden Years of Yachting” is usually reserved for the Edwardian Era. A pre-income tax time and the yachts were truly magnificent. I hold such good memories from the sixties and seventies. It seems a bit silly reminiscing about boats that we had trouble sailing faster than ten knots, and that was under exceptional circumstances but it was as is said of the past “it was a simpler time”.

The boats themselves became legends, because they were long-lived. “Carina” a name associated with the Nye family had an unparalleled record. “Figaro” Bill Snaith’s boat was a long time competitor.

The broom was Commodore Tompkins’ (sailing on “Red Rooster”) idea; once it was clear that the American Team had won the Admiral’s Cup. He called it a clean sweep.

The photograph of Indian Harbor Yacht Club must have been for the Onion Patch. The middle distance  race sailed from Long Island Sound around the Buzzards bay tower then Block Island and finish at Castle Hill.

The photo of the 1972 Bermuda race was taken as we were sailing into a hurricane.

The headstay on deck was the 1975 transatlantic race, we were starting to really move on the fleet when the headstay broke at the toggle as shown. We diverted to Marblehead and once a new headstay was fitted, back on our way. We managed to chase down several competitors and not finish last.

I have so many friends and acquaintances from those years, some of whom have passed over the bar. These were the golden years.

VENDEE GLOBE

Two of the world’s best sailors are sailing on equally fast designs utilizing similar meteorological data and routing software. Neither one has made a slip up and both boats have proven to be well built and thoroughly prepared. We are all witnesses to history here as the bar is being collectively raised. 80 days is under attack and the Vendée is no longer a marathon race. It is now a sprint around the world, non-stop, throwing down 500 mile days at will. Less than 20 years ago, a fully-crewed 86-foot maxi-catamaran (Commodore Explorer, skippered by Bruno Peyron) became the first to eclipse the mythical 80-day mark. And now a pair of singlehanded monohulls may go as fast or faster than Bruno and Co. Simply fascinating

THE QUESTION IS ANSWERED?

Do you suppose the driver was texting? I know life can be strange, but really, run into an island?
A US Sailing Independent Review Panel has come to a conclusion regarding the cause of accident. Aegean, a 37-foot Hunter 376 sailboat, was destroyed during the race a few miles offshore near Mexico’s Coronado Islands.

Aegean Yacht’s GPS track – Newport to Ensenada 2012  © Spot LLC

Following extensive research, the Panel is confident that a grounding on North Coronado Island is the cause of accident.

REVIEW PANEL MAKES DISCOVERY IN RACE TRAGEDY
Portsmouth, R.I. (June 12, 2012) – A US Sailing Independent Review Panel has
come to a conclusion regarding the cause of accident during the 2012 Newport
to Ensenada Race that resulted in the deaths of four sailors on April 28.
Aegean, a 37-foot Hunter 376 sailboat, was destroyed during the race a few
miles offshore near Mexico’s Coronado Islands. Following extensive research,
the Panel is confident that a grounding on North Coronado Island is the
cause of accident.

The Panel gathered information from race organizers, collected data from the
Aegean’s track during the Race, and met with the US Coast Guard San Diego
Sector’s investigation team. The Panel came to a conclusion after reviewing
the evidence that was assembled, including material from the tracking device
on board Aegean, and information provided by race organizers of the Newport
Ocean Sailing Association. The Panel will continue their efforts to document
the accident, draw conclusions, share the lessons learned and offer
recommendations to the sailing community. A full report from US Sailing is
expected by end of July.

The members of the Independent Review Panel are Chairperson, Bruce Brown
(Costa Mesa, Calif.), John Winder (Annisquam, Mass.), Alan Andrews (Corona
del Mar, Calif.), Ed Adams (Middletown, R.I.), and Alan McMillan (Pensacola,
Fla.). The Offshore Special Regulations Consultant on the panel is Evans
Starzinger (Milford, Conn). The Safety at Sea Committee Chair and Review
Panel Liaison is Chuck Hawley (Santa Cruz, Calif.). Medical Advisors are Dr.
Michael Jacobs (Vineyard Haven, Mass.), Dr. Kent Benedict (Aptos, Calif.)
and Dr. Steven Shea (Long Beach, Calif.). Jim Wildey (Annapolis, Md.)
advises on investigation procedures and formats. — Full story at:
http://tinyurl.com/6pyaunf