Thursday, January 20, 2011

Racing Around the World Alone - CBC Premier and available on itunes


Wind Athletes Canada, an organization that supports Canadian sailing and the campaigns of several Canadian high performance sailors as they prepare for the 2012 games, produced this thrilling documentary.

Racing Around the World is the story of the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe race. 30 skippers embark on a quest to be the fastest to sail 27,000 miles around the world, non-stop, without assistance and alone on 60 foot sailboats. This is one of the most extreme challenges a human being can face. The sailors are alone at sea for months and physical and emotional strength are essential. Growlers (icebergs), sea mammals, and massive waves are a constant danger. On any day the forces of nature can bring an end to the best sailor’s well made plans. They harness the wind, hope for safe passage over the sea and push hard to win. They are a testament to the audacity of the human spirit.

Racing Around the World Alone is their story.


Racing Around the World Alone is now available for download via iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMovie?id=399723498&s=143441

RATWA will premiere on CBC’s documentary channel on January 31st at 21:00 ET and 22:00 PST

Our objective is to get the word out to everyone in sailing communities across Canada so they can view the film on CBC or purchase it from iTunes. Proceeds from distribution and iTunes sales assist Wind Athletes in supporting Canadian sailors. For more information about Wind Athletes Canada visit www.windathletes.ca

A Twisted Mind!





French artist Julien Berthier has designed a fully functional boat to look as if it is sinking. The 6.5m (21ft) yacht was cut in half with a new keel and motor added so it remains in the sinking position while being fully functional. He describes it as "the permanent and mobile image of a wrecked ship that has become a functional and safe leisure object."

Berthier has taken the boat (or should I say half-a-boat) across the English Channel to London and has toured it around Europe , getting plenty of offers of assistance from unwitting good Samaritans, who would presumably be either very annoyed or rather bemused by the contraption. The designer and artist designed and built the floating installation in 2007. He named his creation Love Love.

Friday, January 7, 2011

North U Racing Tactics Seminar


North U Racing Tactics Seminar, which will be offered during the Boat Show on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at the Convention Centre. The seminar will run from 9:00am - 4:30pm with a 45 minutes lunch break. The instructor will be Ross MacDonald, Silver Medal winner in the Star at the Olympics in Athens.

The fee of $95 per person includes a book and a free pass for the boat show. A CD for $40 can be purchased at the door. To register call Jim Flood at 452-1227. Everyone is invited!

Coming to Northern Harbour This Summer....


Those who follow the super-yacht scene know that these giant floating mansions have grown to incorporate all manner of amenities: helipads, bowling alleys, swimming pools, garages... anything and everything you might expect in a land-locked residence, only set out to sea. But this... this is something else altogether.

Called The Streets of Monaco, this design is modeled after a section of Monte Carlo - in more ways that one. The headline feature is an on-board karting track modeled after the famous grand prix circuit. But that's hardly the extent of it. As you can see, the design bridges the gap from naval architecture to actual architecture and on to city planning.

Instead of decks, it has buildings. Instead of a swim platform, a freakin' beach. It's also got submarines, helicopters, waterfalls, movie theater, spa and more, plus sleeping accommodations for 16 guests and the 70 crew it would require to keep this puppy going. All packed into 155 meters, length overall. (That's not a typo. We don't mean 155 feet. We mean 155 meters, equivalent to 508 feet.) That's about half the size of a modern super-tanker, cruise ship or Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. For better or worse - seaworthy or not - the design stays on paper for the time being.