Sailing News

Monday, June 23, 2008

Boats Sailing the Newport Bermuda Race

Newport Bermuda Race

Newport

Newport Bermuda Race

The Newport Bermuda Race sailed out of Newport Rhode Island a few days ago with sailboats ranging from 100′ mega-yachts to family sailboats.

The Newport Bermuda Race is organized by the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The race is handicapped with ORR (Offshore Racing Rule) and IRC. The course was from Newport to Bermuda with a first warning gun firing on Friday, June 20, 2008.

The Sail boats sailed from Newport all the way to Bermuda in the Newport Bermuda Race in very light winds. The maxi yacht Speedboat crossed the line in Bermuda first, then came the boat Rambler.

Following the Newport Bermuda Race the yacht Speedboat will head north and the crew will be on standby for the right weather window to sail across the Atlantic and try to break the Trans-Atlantic sailing record.

Sailing Race

Read more about the Newport Bermuda Race | digg story

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Quadriplegic Sailor Hilary Lister Sailing around Britain

Hilary Lister to be the First Quadriplegic to Sail Round Britain Solo!

Hilary Lister, the first quadriplegic person ever to sail cross the English Channel alone, has sailed out of Dover UK this week to set a new world sailing record. Hilary Lister will be sailing solo around the British Isles, a trip which is tough for any single-handed sailor, but really impressive as Hilary Lister is quadriplegic, and can only move her head.

Hilary Lister (born 1972) is a record-breaking quadriplegic sailor from Kent, England. She suffers from the progressive condition reflex sympathetic dystrophy and controls her ship by sucking and blowing tubes for steering and sails. This is called the sip and puff system.

Hilary Lister was able-bodied until the age of 15. She studied biochemistry at Jesus College, Oxford between 1991 and 1995, having lost the use of her legs by then. She started a PhD at the University of Kent in 1996 but her condition deteriorated. She lost the use of her arms in 1999 and was unable to finish her doctorate (but has since been awarded an honorary doctorate by the university). She was introduced to sailing in 2003, which she says gave her life "new meaning and purpose".

Hilary LIster

Hilary Lister and her Round Britain Dream. Now that’s one cool sailor chick!

Donate to Hilary's Dream Trust

Read more about Hilary Lister and her Round Britain Dream

Boat in New Zealand



Sailing boat on Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand by falconne

Friday, June 13, 2008

Coast Guard Boat Crashing through the Waves

Coast Guard Boat crashing through the waves.

Photo by Mike Baird with Canon 1D Mark III with 600mm IS lens with polarizer, on tripod, RAW. Taken from land at the base of Morro Rock in Morro Bay California.

Coast Guard Boat

Robin Knox-Johnston

Robin Knox-JohnstonSir Robin Knox-Johnston (born March 17 1939) , was the first man to sail non-stop single-handed around the globe. Robin Knox-Johnston was also the second winner of the Jules Verne Trophy (together with Sir Peter Blake). He was born in Putney in London and grew up on The Wirral. From 1957 to 1965 he served in the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy. In 1965 he sailed his Colin-Archer-design sloop Suhaili from Bombay to England.

In June of 1968 the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race started at Falmouth, UK. Robin Knox-Johnston rounded Cape Horn in January, 20 days before his closest competitor Bernard Moitessier who was the favorite to do the fastest circumnavigation, but Moitessier abandoned the race. Thus, Knox-Johnston became the first man to circumnavigate the globe non-stop and single-handed on April 22 1969, the day he returned to Falmouth. He donated his prize money to the family of Donald Crowhurst who died during the sailing race.

Robin KNox-Johnston

Read an interview with Robin Knox-Johnston | digg story

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Biodiesel boat heading for a world record




Earthrace is a boat trying to set a new world record for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe. Earthrace is a 24m tri-hull wavepiercing boat that runs on 100% biofuel and is on day 42 of its attempt to break the world record for a powerboat to
circumnavigate the globe.

The Earthrace boat started from Sagunto in Spain and is now in Singapore head for Cochin India.

Earthrace is taking a two year promotional tour, visiting 100 cities around the world. The crew are meeting local people, talk about their boating experiences, and connecting with people about the need to get renewable fuels into our energy mix and to inspire them to do something themselves to minimize their impact on the environment. Good on 'em!



Earthrace boat

Sailor Chick Dee Caffari

female sailor

sailor chickDee Caffari, just finished sailing the single-handed Artemis transat race and is sailing home to the UK. Dee will take her yacht Aviva back to the UK and continue to train for the solo Vendee Globe this fall, which will earn her a record as the first woman to solo sail both ways around!

Interview with Dee Caffari, photos and videos.

read more about the famous female sailor Dee Caffari.

Sailboat at Anchor


Sailboat anchored in a bay near the Cana Blanca

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Sam (Samantha) Davies - Top Female Sailor

Sam Davies: One of the top sailors in the world, Samantha (Sam) Davies is on her way to achieving rock-star status. Sure, Sam Davies is pretty, but she's also a solid world-class sailor. Sam Davies just finished 5th in the Artemis Transat on her sailboat Roxy and is about to sail off around the world in the Vendee Globe, alone!

Read more about Sam Davies | digg story

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Boat made out of recycled bottles and old airplane sails across the Pacific

Junk Boat - Boat made out of recycled bottles and an old airplane. Photo taken before mast and sail were installed.




The Junk Boat is a Kontiki-style raft constructed with 15,000 plastic bottles jammed into mesh bags made of fishing net. The Junk boat sailing from California to Hawaii to bring awareness to ocean pollution.




Read more about the JUNK BOAT here.