Is there anything that can’t be done in Minis? Answer: no.
After the Atlantic in December 2002 (First single-handed transatlantic in the “20 feet sport” category (less than 20 feet sport catamaran without cabin), non stop, not assisted, approved by WSSRC/ISAF ) and the Pacific in August 2006 (World Record - North Pacific Ocean Crossing, single-handed, non stop, not assisted in the “20 feet sport” category, approved by WSSRC/ISAF) Alessandro Di Benedetto, a Franco-Italian geologist ,39 years old, decided to sail “around the world”.
He’s doing great so far, it would be good to get some more coverage of his effort, which is currently being overshadowed by today’s teenybopper brigade.
I’m thinking about getting a small 2 person boat (like a JY15) that I can handle with my daughter. The club I’ve just joined has 420’s, so we might fool around with those first. Either way, I talked to my wife about this, and she made a valid point – My daughter likes sailing because she’s sailing with me. I’m not distracted by cell phones, etc. She has my undivided attention(along with mother nature, but you know what I mean) while we’re on the boat. At some point she’ll want to steer, and like my dad did with me, I’ll pass the tiller on. I’ll let her try her hand at racing (with me as crew) when she’s ready. I feel that if she chooses to sail in high school, experience sailing a two person dingy will trump pram experience. Plus, we’ll have a lot more fun.
I saw Rapid Transit, the new Antrim 49 at the dock in Berkeley. I was there to attend the Pacific Cup 2010 prep seminar, and she exicited some comment among the attendees, though none of us got the class right. She is not a Classe or Open anything, I think.
Jim Antrim is also my naval architect — he is designing a new rudder for Temerity. So in some part, my boat will also be an Antrim.
It seems that Hinckley, America’s premier luxury yacht builder, may become the victim of rapist private equity firms.
Debt Trips Up Hinckley, Venerable Yacht Maker
Hinckley — which has been making boats since 1928 and is known for classically designed, beautifully constructed sailboats as well as sleek, easy-to-maneuver powerboats — is under financial pressure. It has significantly reduced its work force — from about 625 employees at its peak in mid-2008 to 305 at the end of August. The layoffs, in turn, have affected Southwest Harbor businesses, some locals say.
Like other yacht makers, Hinckley lost substantial business when the economy turned sour. But Hinckley’s problems can also be traced to its sale to one, and then another, private equity firm over the last dozen years. With each sale, it took on more debt, which became onerous when business slowed. And the culture also shifted from a family-owned business to one controlled by outsiders.
Over the past few years we’ve had a great deal of interest in a larger version of the NorseBoat. We like the idea of creating a versatile, high performance trailer sailor that would round out the NorseBoat family of small ships.
We are now designing a lovely, seaworthy craft in the 21.5 ft. range with distinctly NorseBoat lines and features, plus interior accommodations, a self-draining cockpit, a choice of either a high performance cutter rig or versatile split rig, and a choice of ballasted centerboard or removable or retractable keel. Like her sisterships the NorseBoat 21.5 has some rowing capability, the option for shallow draft explorations, and the ability to be towed with a normal vehicle.
The target price for the NorseBoat 21.5 will be CN$29,995 plus options. The first four customers to put down a 25% deposit will have the opportunity to take an active role in the design and development of this exciting new craft, and receive their boat in time for the 2010 sailing season. Interested in being one of those customers (we have two spaces left)? Contact us at info@norseboat.com
Following in the footsteps of William Bligh when cast adrift from the Bounty, Don McIntyre and the crew onboard the “Bounty Boat” will sail for Tonga to find extra food and water, then set off to sail across the top of the Fiji and the Vanuatu Island groups, before setting course for the Queensland Coast and a landing at Restoration Island following four weeks at sea on light rations. They then sail north inside the Great Barrier Reef to Thursday Island, and across to Kupang and Timor.
If successful it will be the first time that anyone has ever sailed the same course, in the same way that William Bligh did 221 years before. (1983 and 1990 attempts both used almanacs and charts for navigation, torches, modern time pieces etc, and also made unscheduled stopovers or did not follow the same route or were escorted part of the way). We’ll have no charts, no nautical almanacs, no modern watches, no torches, no toilet paper, no extra landings, all in a boat less than half the size of Bligh’s original “Bounty Boat”…. But let’s get to the finish line and then talk about it.
Could be good, could be bad, Hollywood’s inability this century to come up with anything new; relying instead on making 8-figure-budget movies based on comic book characters, old TV sitcoms, and of course remakes, err, reimagings of old movies. There is a new version of Moby Dick in the works, to be directed by Russian action film maker Timur Bekmambeto, of Wantedfame.
The rumored story line tinkerings are already making me uneasy, but one good piece of news is that six traditional whaleboats have been built over the past summer by our old friends at Norseboat, Ltd (pic above). They look great, and I hope the CGI whale doesn’t destroy them all so that some will find a good home after filming is completed.
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