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Three Weeks in September Here’s hoping you enjoyed our three weeks of summer. It may not have been the longest summer we’ve had, but it did go out with a bang – good winds and sun made up for a not so hot, literally, summer. September, however, was memorable. Along with the aforementioned wind and sun, something strange and wonderful appeared in Northwest waters. As most of you know, BMW Oracle and Alinghi have been jousting in the courtroom, regarding the terms and conditions under which Alinghi wants to hold the next America’s Cup. BMW Oracle claims that the way Alinghi has things laid out, it presents an unfair playing field for the challengers, giving a great competitive advantage to the defender, Alinghi. So, even with the “hurry up” mode in the courts, the case grinds on. One of the ways BMW Oracle hopes to force a change is to do a heads-up match race with Alinghi, just the two boats, mano a mano if you will, winner gets the Cup. To that end, BMW Oracle has built a 90’x90’ foot trimaran. Without going into all the legalities of such a boat per the DOG (Deed of Gift), this ultra-ultra product of carbon fiber, creative engineering and lots of money, was built in Anacortes, Washington and did its preliminary testing in and around Rosario Strait. This proved to be quite a treat for sailors who happened upon it at the dock, or had it “uncloak” next to them while sailing. I was invited to take a look at the boat and jumped at the chance. Story is here. One big beneficiary of our September summer was the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show. With all the unsettling news about the economy, it was of great concern to the boating industry just how the boating public would react. Fortunately, due to the naturally optimistic nature of boaters, the show drew impressive crowds and some enthusiastic buyers. Ray Rairdon, a veteran of many years in the boat business, doesn’t see the high fuel prices curbing people’s use of their boats. “They just aren’t going as far. They’re sticking a little closer to home, but they’re still out on their boats.” He was speaking of powerboats but we’re hearing much of the same from sailboaters, although they always seem to have a wry smile when talking about fuel prices. Website addition: Those followers of the Volvo Ocean Race can now view current videos of the race free from our homepage. Just click on the Volvo Ocean Race icon. |
