Hide and Seek: Spies come in from the coldAfter the 31st Americas Cup in 2003, when Alinghi snatched the trophy from Team New Zealand, the talk was all about spying, leaking, and under-the-table deals. The scene in Valencia, Spain, where the 32nd Americas Cup is being held, is happily different. The protocol set out between Alinghi, as defender, and BMW Oracle, as challenger
Time to EVOLVE?: Pressing for an Americas Cup circuitIf the sailors have their way, we could see a very different Americas Cup in the future. First we have to get through Americas Cup 32, this year in Valencia. And then?During the Allianz Cup, a World Match Racing Tour event sailed in October on San Francisco Bay, Americas Americas Cup challenger, Larry
The Pressure Rises: Development time runs outLife is changing for the play-ers in the 2007 Americas Cup. The leading teams look to February as the month to wrap up final training in Dubai (Switzerlands defender, Alinghi, and Swedens Victory Challenge) or Auckland (Emirates Team New Zealand and Americas BMW Oracle). Then the sailors get one final break before
Hushed: Americas Cup secrecyUnless masts start breaking in Valencia, Spain, things should be getting back to normal around Hall Spars. Things have been anything but normal for most of this year, however, with Hall building masts for several different Americas Cup teams and maintaining a strict code of secrecy for each client. The normally welcoming Hall
By Kimball LivingstonIf the sailors have their way, we could see a very different America’s Cup in the future. First we have to get through America’s Cup 32, next year in Valencia. And then?During the Allianz Cup, a World Match Racing Tour event sailed in October on San Francisco Bay, America’s only America’s Cup challenger, Larry Ellison, sat behind a
There are currently 154 collegiate sailing teams competing across the country. Each team belongs to one of seven regional districts. The majority of schools have fleets of either Flying Juniors (FJs) or 420s, but a few programs, including Tufts, Bowdoin, and Harvard, sail a fleet of Larks. Many schools also have a few Lasers so that sailors can train for singlehanded championships throughout the
August is prime time for sailing with like-minded friends. Here is a list of several classes and owner’s associations that are gathering (and racing) at the end of the summer.Alberg 30 (www.alberg30.org)Summer RendezvousPaulas, Spa CreekAnnapolis, MDAugust 5thOs Weekend, Inner Harbor
In sports, as in the workplace, success often depends on how a diverse group of people coalesce into a team. And there is nothing like sailing/racing with a group of colleagues aboard graceful 12 meters with historic pedigrees to get everyone pulling in the same direction. Competitive juices were flowing but the mood was friendly. The weather was gorgeous, and we smiled at the thought of a
There’s something to be said for a woman who defied all odds and doctors, living for four years when they predicted her life expectancy to be no more than a few short weeks. That something took the form of the We Gotta Regatta, this years North American National Access Dinghy Championship dedicated to the memory of Dell Darby who passed away on January 11, 2006.
Think the elves at the North Pole are busy? Picture the sailors of the Volvo Ocean Race on countdown. Their second inshore race runs December 26, and the long leg through the Southern Ocean from Cape Town, South Africa to Melbourne, Australia—probably two weeks at sea—goes off on January 2. Leg one was quite a fracas, and the boats will still be largely
On Tuesday, November 24, US Sailing’s Leadership Forum will present the latest panel discussion in their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion series. This event will focus
Historic anniversaries have always held a special fascination for me, especially if they mark a significant nautical achievement. In 1992, on the 500th anniversary of
Emirates Team New Zealand unveiled its second-generation AC75 yesterday, joining the other three America’s Cup teams with boats in the water. In just over 100
Catalina Yachts has announced the passing of their founder and CEO Frank Butler. Butler was a sailing icon credited with introducing hundreds of thousands of
It’s been an exciting weekend for some of the participants in the Vendée Globe and for others, not so much. The front of the fleet, led by
Video courtesy of the Vendée Globe: for subtitles in English, click the “CC,” subtitles/closed caption button The Vendée Globe fleet took off from Les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday, November
A reefed main and full poled-out Yankee pulled our 56ft, aluminum-hulled cutter, Seal, toward Antarctica. My husband, Hamish, and I were halfway across the Drake
So accustomed are today’s sailors to being able to furl their headsails that we often forget what it was like before this technology became so
A charter isn’t like most other vacations. It takes a good deal of pre-arrival strategizing and loads of onsite tactical execution if it’s to be
Despite this year’s myriad cancellations and postponements, the show will go on for the IMOCA 60 class. The Vendée Globe is scheduled to move ahead
