By kimball | Published:
March 29, 2010
“Every year the City of San Francisco hosts Fleet Week, and we manage more than a million spectators on the waterfront. We have a history of managing the logistics, and with the America’s Cup the opportunity for a world-class spectator event is unparalleled.” Michael Cohen, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 28, 2010
So when the once Defender and the now Defender finally agreed to drop litigation and complete the transfer to the shores of San Francisco Bay of all the details attending upon the America’s Cup itself, the buzz on the Bay Area Multihull Association forum was about “pieces of the damaged Cup.” “WHEREAS, following the conclusion [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 26, 2010
There were people who wanted to see this dragged through the courts for one more round, but it can’t really, really, really be wrong to hang it up and move on without finding out what’s in that can of worms. The word from BMW Oracle Racing and Golden Gate Yacht Club, Defenders to be in [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 25, 2010
1) AN AIRSHIP RIDE Years ago I spent a day in a Goodyear Blimp, observing the Congressional Cup match races at Long Beach, California from what truly was the catbird seat. Room to walk around. The means to be anywhere on the race course. The leisure to dawdle. Pretty cool. Aboard the airship Eureka. Photo [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 22, 2010
The view from next door. © Clipper Ventures Donna Womble was very clear on her reasons when she signed up for leg six of the Clipper Round the World race. She was a lifelong sailor, she wanted some sea time, it just wasn’t happening, and this would solve the problem. Leg six is scheduled to [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 20, 2010
Fair to say, many a lifelong sailor has never experienced 24 knots on a boat. Also fair to say, it takes a lot of 30-plus to turn out an average like that while logging 28,523 miles. On a new circumnavigation record. Which will, however, be computed for official purposes using, not the actual distance sailed, [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 19, 2010
How crazy are the French about long distance adventure sailing? Crazy enough that photographer Yvan Zedda could get a plane ride and a picture to be captioned thus: Flyby of the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 to the NE of the Azores aboard a Falcon 50 fleet 24F from the Naval Air Base of Lann-Bihoué. YvanZedda/Marine [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 18, 2010
Will the Clipper race ever come back to California? Meaning the Clipper Round the World, whose organizers went to great lengths to bring their event to a place that is usually ignored by long-distance racers because it’s just way, way, way off the route to anywhere. Whose fleet is now about halfway across the Pacific [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 13, 2010
Worry all you want about growing sailing. I rest my faith in those who just have to sail. A Harbor Cup start. Photo by Kimball Livingston Today’s example: The Chapman University Sailing Team, which has showed very well in Harbor Cup racing—seven person teams in Catalina 37s—out of the Port of Los Angeles. The nub [...]
By kimball | Published:
March 8, 2010
With classic American racing yachts, there’s more than one meaning to the phrase, bring’em back. Any wood boat that’s been out there a while will surely have been “brought back” one time or more through restoration procedures that we can reasonably hope are unreasonably fanatical. There’s also: Bring’em back home. Dorade, courtesy Sparkman & Stephens [...]