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Is the America’s Cup a futures influencer? Or just a billionaire’s playground and a big waste of money? Some people feel the money spent around the America’s Cup should be better spent helping humanity instead of on sailboat racing. But let’s consider an America’s Cup cost/benefit analysis – what if the benefits to humanity of the America’s Cup trickle down into our global culture, and exceed, over time, the cost of the event? The space program has spun off many new commercial applications. Why not the America’s Cup?
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The AC75's have been a game changer not only for sailors, but for sailing photographers as well. The action is so quick, with boats speeds in the 40 knot range and even to 50 knots plus, that photographers and photo boat drivers must make lightning-like decisions in order to get the shots that they want.
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Marina Life: 2024 Seasonal Events Calendar in Florida & The Caribbean
Fall and winter are the perfect times of year for snowbirds to head south and catch ideal weather for outdoor events. From Florida’s coastal towns to the Bahamas and Caribbean, check out these exciting fishing tournaments, music events, food festivals, cultural celebrations and more.
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The inaugural Women’s America’s Cup sought to give opportunity and experience to female sailors in the AC40 boat, the foiler used for training by the America’s Cup teams. But advance access to the boats varied among the 12 entrants, especially as six teams were affiliated with America’s Cup efforts, while six independent teams were not.
How’s it going for the women? Jan Pehrson checks in with the independent teams:
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Richard Slater, Chief Umpire for the America’s Cup, explains how the rules are enforced at high speed. Report by Jan Pehrson for Scuttlebutt Sailing News:
The steering wheels for the AC40s and AC75s look like Formula One steering wheels, with buttons to press when ‘hailing’ protest. With boat speeds upwards of 50 knots, accurate and instantaneous decisions are critical not only for fairness, but for safety. This can only occur in the world of digital umpiring.
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As a SailGP commentator and presenter, Olympic medalist Lisa Darmanin has an approachable, casual style. But when the Women’s America’s Cup gets underway October 5, she will be in front of the TV cameras as starboard trimmer for the Australian team.
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The Youth America’s Cup competition has highlighted the difficulty of racing the AC40, with all forms of maneuver mistakes amplified by the foiling monohull. Jan Pehrson, who is in Barcelona for the event, shares the struggle:
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If you’ve been a passive viewer of the 2024 America’s Cup but now want all in, this refresher report by Jan Pehrson for Scuttlebutt Sailing News comes direct from the America’s Cup Media Center in Barcelona, Spain:
Save the Dates: The Long Island Regatta will be sailed June 5-8th, 2024. Don’t miss it! My photos of Stefan Knowles, the Bahamian Sloop Sailer called "Tripple Crown" because he has won the national championship in all three sloop classes. Stefan is blazing fast because he sails "on the edge of control." This design will be printed on tumblers and sold to support the Bahamian Long Island Sloop Regatta. These regattas are so much fun!
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Getting the Formula Right: Significant vessels are falling apart before our eyes… Entrants are vanishing from Wooden Boat events in droves…. Timber yachts prices are plummeting… Respect for maritime traditions is disappearing down the sewer of short attention spans and social media…
RUBBISH!
Save the Dates: The 69th Annual National Family Island Regatta will be sailed April 22-26th, 2025. Don’t miss it!
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The National Family Island Regatta is the largest and oldest of the 22 yearly Bahamian wooden racing sloop regattas. This year’s NFIR regatta, the first since sailing became the national sport of the Bahamas, was sailed in Elizabeth Harbor in George Town, Exuma, Bahamas from April 23-26.
Regatta Time: Download the NFIR App from your phone’s App Store. Watch live, get up-to-the minute scores, latest news, meet the skippers, and vote for your favorite boat. NFIR is the first use of my Bahamian Wooden Racing Sloop photos in a phone app!
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by Rob Kelly of Daily Doc “I was so pumped after watching “Around Cape Horn” and “The Race to Alaska” that I started a list of all the best documentaries on sailing I could find.”
by Jan Pehrson, shown here with Bahamian film director Charlie Bahama “My personal favorite is the 5th on Rob Kelly’s list. “Pull and Away: National Family Island Regatta”
Well, blow me down with a sea breeze and serve me up a Goombay Smash—the “National Family Island Regatta” is a salty, swashbuckling romp!
What’s not to love about this annual tradition off the shores of George Town, Exuma in the Bahamas?
