By admin | Published:
November 16, 2012
A NEW SAILING SPEED RECORD Hand it to Paul Larsen. He’s been at this game for years. Since 2002. I remember talking to him in 2005 in Qatar, UAE, at the start of the round-the-world Oryx Quest, and trying to convince him to run Sailrocket in the protected waters close to the western shore of [...]
By admin | Published:
June 3, 2012
“Five corsairs on a dream boat” is Alain Thébault’s description of himself and crew as they prepare for the first-ever transoceanic sailing record attempt on foils. California-Hawaii. Los Angeles-Honolulu. Their 59-foot trimaran, L’Hydroptere DCNS, has never before been far from France, but this flagship of all foilers worldwide holds the absolute speed record over one [...]
By admin | Published:
July 31, 2011
In this space I have celebrated anything and everything driving the technological future of setting forth upon the water. Now is the moment to appreciate a few unique efforts to preserve the heart and spirit of what went before, and what we hope will be a future for the waterways calling us to set forth [...]
By admin | Published:
March 12, 2011
The people behind a plan to launch winged, wind-assisted ferries on San Francisco Bay have already carried thousands of passengers under sail. That would be Jay Gardner, Pam Simonson, and Hans Korfin of Adventure Cat Sailing Charters. They presented their winged-ferry concept last week to officials at Golden Gate Transit. I figure it’s an idea [...]
By kimball | Published:
September 12, 2010
As I write, we are only hours away from knowing whether America’s Cup 34 will be raced in monohulls or multihulls. Time to get your head on . . . You can follow the press conference live from the BMW Oracle Racing base in Valencia, right here, 1300 VLC, 0700 NYC, 0400 for hard-riding West [...]
Also posted in Sailboat Racing |
By kimball | Published:
August 8, 2010
Today we’re at Steam Up, a model yacht gathering that is exactly what the name tells you. It’s all about steam. Real steam engines, in miniature. What would inspire a former military pilot, now retired from a career in finance, to spend three years building something like this . . . Well, the inspiration would [...]
By kimball | Published:
August 2, 2010
BRINGING ALCHEMY TO THE WIND “Because it’s not there.” George Mallory All photos by Kimball Livingston Oops, I guess that’s a slight misquote of the famous mountain climber, George Mallory. But how else to introduce Rick Cavallaro, who invented an unproblem and then solved it—to the consternation of many an internet flamer—and opened up new [...]
Also posted in People & Profiles, Sailboat Racing | Tagged Bob Dill, BUFC, DDWFTTW, dead downwind, JB Borton, Joby, NALSA, Richard Jenkins, Rick Cavallaro, Sportvision, Steve Morris, Thin Air Designs |
By kimball | Published:
August 1, 2010
And what rough beast, it’s hour come ’round at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born? All photos by Kimball Livingston Below, friends, is a document that I want on record at the Blue Planet Times. I’ll be referring to it on Monday, when I write the story of the first vehicle ever to go [...]
Also posted in Sailboat Racing |