'Lectronic Index

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Photos of the Day: UBS Cup

June 23 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Todays Photos of the Day are from East Africa, and are courtesy of Rob and Mary Messenger, who did the first Ha-Ha in '94 aboard their Finch 46 Maude I. Jones, and who have been out cruising around the world ever since - well, at least until a couple of days ago.

"After more than 10 years of cruising, we're back in the United States. We tied up at a fuel dock in Fort Lauderdale at 0200; I had a job as a construction foreman by 0830 the next morning, and had my company truck by that afternoon. But it's not been easy. A couple of nights ago I awoke bolt upright from and deep sleep, and asked myself, 'What the fuck have I done?!' We've only been back a few days, and we already miss cruising very badly."

The last part of the Messengers' adventure, about two years of cruising in East Africa, will be covered in an August issue Changes.

Photos Courtesy Maude I. Jones

America's Cup Action at UBS Cup

June 23 - Newport, RI

Photo Thierry Martinez

In yesterday's UBS Cup action in Newport, RI, BMW Oracle started off with a win, their fifth straight, before Alinghi came back to take the afternoon event. BMW Oracle now lead 7-4. Action resumes on Thursday, with the first of the Owner-Driver series. If you want a blow by blow account of the all the action - which is starting to get a little nasty and personal, making it all the more interesting - visit www.ubstrophy.com.

BMW Oracle braintrust members Chris Dickson Gavin Brady, John Kostecki, Sean Clarkson, and Brian MacInnes
Photo Jan Pehrson

It's Not Your Father's America's Cup Action

June 23 - Newport, RI

If you're old enough, you may remember the America's Cup in San Diego, and how the Coast Guard and others - often using authoritarian tones - kept the spectator fleet so far from the action that you couldn't see the competitors even with a telescope. Thanks to the likes of Alinghi and BMW Oracle realizing that up close and personal is the only way the America's Cup is going to garner greater attention, the 'keep your distance' business is out the window during the current UBS Cup being sailed in Newport, RI.

In order to let boats get as close as possible, there is a six boat Control Fleet, headed by Dick Enersen of the St. Francis YC, that oversees the spectator fleet. Using VHF 79, they tell the spectator fleet what is going on, advise them of where to go for the best spectating, and if a boat(s) is in the way, always say 'please' and 'thank you' when asking them to move. The result is thousands of people are getting full-frame, close-up action photos - without even having to use a telephoto lens.

This is a very smart move on the part of the America's Cup movers and shakers. Now, if they could only do something about the dinosaurs they are sailing.

Spanish Socialists Support Sailing

June 23 - Valencia, Spain

The 2007 America's Cup in Valencia had started to look very shaky, what with a new Socialist government that everyone assumed wouldn't be very keen about spending over $100 million to subsidize a yacht event for billionaires. But then Jordi Sevilla, minister for Public Administration, assured everyone that the new government would offer Valencia $133 million U.S. in credit to get the America's Cup infrastructure underway. That's fine and well, but it's still unclear how the event itself is to be financed.

Workers of the world unite, Valencia has nothing to lose - but the America's Cup!

Rosebud Kicks Butt Again

June 23 - Bermuda

Roger Sturgeon of Santa Cruz - actually, he seems to have homes all over the country - continues to kick butt back East with his R/P TransPac 52 Rosebud. After an extremely successful season on the Caribbean circuit, Rosebud leads the fleet of TransPac 52s - most of them new - in the Newport to Bermuda Race by two hours to take corrected time honors in the IMS division.

Although the TransPac 52s were designed as a 'box rule' boat for downwind sailing to Hawaii, they've caught on strong back East for all-around racing, and according to Yachting World, are catching fire in Europe. Nobody expected this.

Summer Sailstice

June 23 - Northern Hemisphere

This past weekend sailors on San Francisco Bay and around the world celebrated the fourth annual Summer Sailstice. San Francisco Bay cooperated in a big way bringing us some classic Bay sailing weather on both Saturday and Sunday (the actual solstice). Organizers report participation doubled over 2003 going from about 1,400 to 2,800! Sailors were signed up as far away as Singapore, Shanghai, China and Ireland plus hundreds of sailors on the Bay.  OCSC Sailing, Tradewinds Sailing, Corinthian, Encinal and Sequoia yacht clubs all held Summer Sailstice events and parties locally.

Corinthian and Tiburon Yacht Club members sailed and celebrated Summer Sailstice together with their annual Friendship Regatta on Saturday, June 19.
Photo Latitude/John Arndt

To learn more and see who was signed up and sailed near you visit the 'Locations' page at www.summersailstice.com. Put it on the calendar for next year so we can all 'sail locally and celebrate globally' on the solstice.