Creative Review - The art of sailing

Creative Review - The art of sailing: "We've watched this rather marvellous nautical installation by Josh Beckman taking shape over the last few weeks, and LA's Machine Project gallery sent us some images of the final piece in place, just in time for the new issue...

Beckman's shipwreck installation, Sea Nymph, forms a centrepiece for Machine Project's current season of talks, events, workshops and performances, which include, as they say on their website, an opera by and for dogs. Aha, 'sea dogs' no doubt."

Wakeboarding San Diego

San Diego try #1 on Vimeo: "A couple of the West Coast wakeboarders tried to change up the scenery and shoot in the bay. The fog rolled in and only allowed us an hour of light so we made the best of it!!! check it out!"

Oh Man!

Give it up for Oman!

Global Arab Network | Oman Grabs First, Second Posts in Italy Extreme Sailing Series: "Italy (Trapani) - The two sailboats of the Oman Sailing Team, Mawj and Masirah obtained first and second positions in the conclusion of the fourth round of Extreme Sailing Series held in Trapani, Italy from September 23rd to 26th 2010."

Titanic-themed cruises?

Set to sail: "Commemorative cruises of the “unsinkable” ship are planned to set sail across the Atlantic in April 2012 for 10-day journeys, visiting the fateful site of the Titanic which struck an iceberg and sank in the frigid northern waters 100 years earlier.

The cruises — intended by organizers to be a learning opportunity and to remember victims — are being rebuffed by some as being in poor taste, according to CNN.com.

Two cruises that are planned so far: one on the Balmoral departing from Southamption, England, and the other on the Azamara Journey departing from Boston, Mass.

Both will to sail to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the resting place of many of the victims who went down with the Titanic on April 15, 1912. The ships also will hold memorial services at the sinking site."

Colourful Boats

Colourful Boats, originally uploaded by albireo2006.

Beautiful

Ft. Lauderdale

Triton Boat Show Kick-off Party: "Kick off the Ft. Lauderdale boat show season with The Triton's 7th annual Boat Show Kick-off Party. This year's theme is Oktoberfest, a German-inspired festival that began as nothing more than a wedding celebration. (Now it's the largest fair in the world and celebrates its 200th anniversary in Munich this fall.)"

This lady drives a cracker box boat

This lady drives a cracker box boat : "Jerry Ross remembers his daughter’s first ride with him in a two-seat cracker box sprint boat as a trip that showed no indication she was destined to be a racer.

“She was 16, and I remember her holding on for dear life and only looking down,” said Ross, who drives a competing cracker box boat, The Enemy, in the sprint series, the undercard of this weekend’s Air Guard Championship on Mission Bay.

These days, Amy Ottinger, 33, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., drives Arizona Girl, a sleek little 15 1/2-foot speed boat that is a throwback to what racing was like in the 1930s. While the H1 Unlimited boats go over 200 mph on the Bill Muncey Memorial Mission Bay Course, the cracker box boats “chug” along at 100 mph. Ottinger is the only woman driver in this weekend's races."

'Bail Out' makes list of top 10 boat names

The McPherson Sentinel: "Boat names can reveal much about the personality of a boat owner. They also can serve as signposts of the modern era.

With the release of the annual top ten list of most popular boat names by the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.), one newcomer to the list stands out. “Bail Out, the No. 5 pick, clearly speaks volumes about what’s on boaters’ minds,” said BoatU.S. President Nancy Michelman.

“With today’s economic uncertainty, naming a boat Bail Out could indicate that boating is a survival mechanism for the family that will keep them afloat,” she said.



The list is assembled each year by the BoatU.S. Boat Graphics service, which offers a library of more than 8,500 boat names and also allows boaters to select, design and preview boat names online.

Here is the Top Ten List of Most Popular Boat Names:



1. Second Wind 

2. Seas the Day

3. Lazy Daze
4. Jolly Roger
5. Bail Out

6. On the Rocks
7. Pegasus

8. Serenity Now
9. Namaste

10. Comfortably Numb
"

What's Cookin - On Today's Show: CRNtalk.com

America's Cup Multihull Rule

US SAILING to Draft Multihull Rule for 34th America’s Cup

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (September 15, 2010) – Competition details for the 34th America’s Cup were announced during Monday’s press conference in Valencia, Spain. The extremely fast AC72 wingsail America’s Cup catamaran has been tagged as the chosen boat for the 2013 race. US SAILING, in partnership with Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering, is the neutral party responsible for managing the development of the multihull rule.

To ensure that no team would have an unfair advantage by creating the rule, US SAILING was approached by the BMW ORACLE Racing Team to provide oversight of the rule drafting process. Pete Melvin, a two-time A Class catamaran world champion, has independently drafted a rule for the race. The final AC72 rule, including details on measurement instructions, materials used, wing definitions, scantlings, and other requirements, will be specified by September 30, 2010.

“In the upcoming weeks, the team at Morrelli and Melvin will be polishing the rule and coming up with details,” said offshore director of US SAILING, Dan Nowlan. “US SAILING is really proud to be part of this effort and supporting them, and the 34th America’s Cup. It’s going to be interesting, so stay tuned.”

Best boating photos

Best boating photos 11 - 17 September 2010 | General | MBM: "US and South Korean marine landing crafts sail to shore in a smoke screen during a commemoration event for the Incheon Landing Operations. Incheon is the coastal city where United Nations Forces led by US General Douglas MacArthur landed in September, 1950 just months after North Korea invaded the South."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pets-can-stand-on-sea-legs-too-2010-09-15?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Healthcare reform

Why arre Blue Whales still endangered?

Buzzle citing. In 1931 about 30,000 were killed. Today there are only less than 15000 alive.

Interesting factoid for the day.
Marine mammal enthusiasts getting a show from blue whales: "Blue whales need about 1.5 million calories a day to satisfy their energy requirements. To maintain their weight, they lunge at dense concentrations of krill, taking in as much as 15,000 gallons of food and water in a single mouthful."
"We spotted our first blue whale in 2004," said Dan Salas, captain of Harbor Breeze Cruises' 65-foot vessel, Christopher. "Now, it's crazy how many blue whales are out there. One day last week, we had 30 blues circling our boat."

How many yachts or luxury boats are sold each year in the US?

2003 stats
Lengthin feet Number of Vessels
40 to < 45     38,102
45 to < 50     17,363
50 to < 55     9,191
55 to < 60     4,584
60 to < 65    3,147
65 to < 70     1,817
70 to < 75     1,486
Total
40 to < 75     75,690

Better Bait -- Fishing Lures withstand over 90 lbs of force.

Mechanical Engineers Reinforce Flimsy Fishing Lures: "12-thousand tons of those plastic lures end up in lakes and waterways every year. But now, polymer scientists and one savvy fisherman may have the solution.

Fishing lures. For competitive fishermen like Drew and Derek Frederixon are as much a part of the sport as the rod and reel. But they're hardly indestructible. Drew goes through dozens of bags of lures in a single day. And it all adds up. In fact, more than 12-thousand tons of plastic lures wind up at the bottom of lakes and waterways every year, creating environmental and health hazards."

Cruising Beautiful British Columbia

The Waggoner Cruising Guide, Annual Guide to Northwest Boating from Weatherly Press: "These destinations could contain a lifetime of cruising, and they’re still south of Cape Caution. North of Cape Caution, the boats are fewer and the destinations are wilder: Smith and Boswell inlets, at the back of Smith Sound; the head of Rivers Inlet; Draney Inlet, branching off Rivers Inlet; the Hakai area, including the remarkable Goose Group; and the maze of channels, inlets, coves and tidal lagoons bordering Queen Charlotte Sound between Hakai Passage and Seaforth Channel."

Bucket list! - Sailing to the Galapagos

Sailing the Galapagos Islands in style: "With its Giant Tortoises, fearless Sea Lions, colorful crabs and endless other vivid and unusual species, the Galapagos Islands maintain an almost mythical status among the world's must-see natural wonders."

Sail - Wikipedia

Sail Aerodynamics : "Sails propel the boat in one of two ways. When the boat is going in the direction of the wind (i.e. downwind - see Points of sail), the sails may be set merely to trap the air as it flows by. Sails acting in this way are aerodynamically stalled. In stronger winds, turbulence created behind stalled sails can lead to aerodynamic instability, which in turn can manifest as increased downwind rolling of the boat. Spinnakers and square-rigged sails are often trimmed so that their upper edges become leading edges and they operate as airfoils again, but with airflow directed more or less vertically downwards. This mode of trim also provides the boat with some actual lift and may reduce both wetted area and the risk of 'digging in' to waves."

Boating on the L.A. River?

Boating on the L.A. River | Los Angeles Times: "It is a rambunctious urban patch of rumbling water, serene greenery and occasional homeless encampments, framed by slanting concrete walls rising to electrical power-line towers, set to an endless soundtrack of freeway traffic. Paddling on the murky water, the kayakers surprised hundreds of shorebirds and waterfowl. Huge carp darted past like bronze torpedoes."

Plastiki crosses Pacific

Boat made of plastic bottles crosses Pacific - World news - World environment - msnbc.com: "The Plastiki, kept afloat by 12,500 plastic bottles, completes her 8,000-nautical mile voyage from San Francisco as she passes the Sydney Opera House on Monday. Bottles stacked in rows make up the hull, and they are held together with organic glue made from cashew husks and sugarcane. Recycled aluminium irrigation pipe was used for the mast."

The liveaboard life...

Great article on the pros and cons: "If you want to know what it's like to live on a boat, put everything you own into your living room, close all the doors and try to live in a space that small."

14 year old Laura Dekker sails to the start of her solo voyage with dad.

Sail-World.com : Dutch teen solo sailor, 14, begins her voyage: "'Laura Dekker steers her boat, with her father, Dick Dekker, at left, as they depart the harbour of Den Osse (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)'"