Boom Boom in the Boat Yard
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For the last couple of seasons, we’ve stored our Olson 30 La Gamelle at the St. Maarten Shipyard. It’s a bit of a funky place, but we really like Hank, the guy who runs is.
Just the other day Peter Johnstone of Gunboats posted the top photo, which shows that the boom on the yard’s ancient 90-ton P&H crane fell onto the boom of what looks like a Lagoon 440 or 50. Based on the photo, it almost looks as if the crane boom came out the big loser.
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We’re quite familiar with this very P&H crane, as it’s been used a number of times to lift La Gamelle and move her around. In fact, we’ve spent quite a bit of time beneath her, not knowing what danger we were in.
This isn’t the greatest development for Johnstone, as he’s at the yard rushing to get the first Gunboat G4 planing catamaran up and running in time for next week’s Voiles de St. Barth. We wish him luck — although at least the cat is in the water.
Things falling on boats is unusual, but not unheard of. A month or so ago we saw a photo of the mini-megayacht Blind Date with a Lauderdale bridge having fallen on it. Ouch, that had to hurt, too.
We don’t know about you, but we’re done with standing beneath cranes, unless absolutely necessary.
Race Notes
The Race Notes in April’s Racing Sheet were squeezed out by results from gobs of Midwinter Series that wrapped up in March. Fortunately, we have room for them here.
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Bay Area sailors David Leibenberg and Dan Morris have made the U.S. Olympic Team, sailing the 49er double-trapeze high-performance dinghy. D&D Racing, as David and Dan call themselves, plus several other West Coast Olympic hopefuls, are competing this week at Trofeo Princesa Sofía in Mallorca.
Peter Craig and his Premiere Racing are stepping down from running Key West Race Week after 21 years. In November 1994 Yachting magazine consultant Gary Jobson asked Craig, "How hard can it be? Just raise some flags and blow off some guns." Yachting had founded KWRW in 1987. Now Craig says that a combination of personal and professional factors caused the decision, and pointed out that "The business model had become marginal." This despite the work of more than a hundred volunteers each year and corporate sponsorship, most recently from Quantum Sails. Hopefully, talks with a potential successor will be fruitful and KWRW will live on. See www.premiere-racing.com for more.
What parts of the California lake circuit need to keep going is not a successful business model, just some water. This summer’s High Sierra Regatta on Huntington Lake has been canceled for the second year in a row, and Lake Yosemite Sailing Association has canceled May’s Spring Regatta due to the severe drought.
Venue registration is open for the second Bart’s Bash, to be held on September 20 worldwide. The global race, which set a Guinness World Record last year, benefits the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. See www.bartsbash.com for info.