Vendee Globe Race 2012 starting today and for the next 3 months.

- My favorite race in the whole wide world. The most challenging event for a solo person to accomplish in a lifetime; the Vendee Globe Ocean Race.

- Macif, the last Vendee Globe winner. I reconstituted the lines to offer views of what the 2012 winner looks like. You can follow her track under her new name SMA

Time of the year.

Exodus will start soon. The first of November is the date when the yacht migration to the South is beginning. The date is the cut off when the Hurricane season is officially over and when expensive insurance will actually insure you.
The video of Adix leaving Newport in advance, has a stop over in Charleston, South Carolina. This is considered coastal navigation and not offshore when the B.V.I, Antigua, St. Marteen are the destination for many of the yachts via or not Bermuda.

The second video is about the J8 Topaz, leaving Newport for Antigua. The day before her departure, I had the pleasure to be aboard for a sea trial. First time on a J since Shamrock 5 so many years ago.

Walking the Docks.

                                          After breakfast at Belle's, Sunday morning walk at the Newport Shipyard.

Saphaedra by K.Aage Nielsen Design and Bounty a replica of an L.Francis Herreshoff creation.

1926-2016

 

 Details.                                                                                                        A carbon fiber ladder.

Porto Cervo 2016.

Photo by Dominique Tanton.
Shore crew and logistics.

Hosting the Maxi Yachts Rolex Cup.
Bella Mente in a repeat' retained her Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship.
Proteus came in second, with a late sprint to beat MoMo.

From the Costa Smeralda report. Also winners are;
Open Season (Wally), WinWin.
Leopard 3 (Maxi racing).
My Song (Maxi Racing Cruising).
Atalanta 11 ( MiniMaxi racing).

Boat of the Month. August 2016. "Black Soo".

- With only one prior Boat of the Month (March 2016), which featured a rendition of William Garden's own personal yacht, the mighty Oceanus, I came up with Gardenia, the inspiration and my interpretation of the concept for a long, lean sailing machine; a very personal thing for me.

- But now, we are moving on to the following project.
A light displacement sailboat, and for the source, like for the Garden, is based on a long history of studying yacht design. In this edition, the van de Stadt legacy. 'Black Soo".

Lunacy (ex Star Cruiser) is for sale.

Just happened that the weekend of my Birthday July 17th, I was visiting Handy Boat, in nearby Falmouth Foreside. We took a ride on Merle's Duffy 54, and we stumbled upon Lunacy on her mooring in Portland, Maine.


To connect directly to Charles Doane, the owner, please follow the link: www.wavetrain.net/the-lunacy-report
- All information about the boat is on the site.
Below is a compilation of photos taken from the same site.

Note: The boat has been sold to a couple of Frenchmen for long-distance sailing. That figures!

B&R Rigging System.

- On www.sailinganarchy.com, the topic about B&R rig surfaced. The following is what I wrote about 

it, many moons ago.

Bermuda Race 2016

                                                     

This Race is all about Comanche. But in the diversified fleet many more interesting boats.

 America

 Black Watch below.

Spirit of Bermuda.

Looking at sterns!

Walking the Docks at Newport Shipyard.

  

Swing Keel; Centerboard;Daggerboard; Keel Centerboard; Lifting keel.

Built it, and they will come!

- As a destination, Newport and the Shipyard are hard to beat. 

- Yachting Hub, the yard facility attracts the most beautiful and famous boats in the world. And they are starting to arrive, most of them from the Caribbean after a busy season.

                                                   - The land when 100' sailboats look small.

                                                                                                                

- Talking about a busy season. Events like The Newport Yacht Charter Show, Newport Bermuda Race, Candy Store Cup, Newport Brokerage Boat Show based at the Shipyard, without forgetting all other activities brought by the New York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis, and so many other venues.

- One week later, they are coming, they are here.

A

The sky is the limit!      

 

Invasion of the right kind.

Les Voiles de St Barth. The latest.

Another job well done.
After Key West; the RORC 600; win overall IRC zero class. The St Barth Bucket with Axia.
And winner of Les Voiles de St. Barth.

Dominique: Chef/Shore support and logistics.

And for something entirely different.

I entered a Design Competition with the Theme: a Houseboat. Sponsored by Offcenterharbor, a media attention getter with videos and titbits about boat stuff. I did not win, and that is ok. Being published was important and good. A few of the entrants had been built, and most of the competitors presented personal visions. I had a live customer for this project, and that is a very different thing. I guess I could resume by copying what someone wrote to me. " Your entry is the most complete set of plans in the whole bunch, and the easiest to build". Gratifying my goal.

IMOCA. Moustache ou pas? Clip hélico - Mono 60 Edmond de Rothschild dans la brise (30 noeuds) - VI

IMOCA. Moustache ou pas?

That is the question? At least for the way it's presented, or with something else?

Window dressing.

The Ides of March.
Sun on Sunset sets West. Surprise, surprise!
A few times when I can catch it from the office before it is too late, until tomorrow.
The sun is down, life goes on.

And there is a Start.

Dominique's "Office" for a week. Chef/ shore support and logistics. Team Proteus.

Good reading. Chas from Tas.

 

It is snowy, it is cold. Time to read a good book about Charles Blundell; the ultimate B.N. Not politically correct and funny as hell. I laughed a lot devouring the sea salted narrative. 

There is even one page or two about one of my own designs and a few pictures including on the back cover.

2015 Belle Ile, Refit (Adele)

33' Steel M.B.C.C (Modern British Channel Cutter); built in Switzerland, owned by a German, and based in the Canaries.

I know, a steel boat is not the first choice for many owners, but when you want something solid, strong, and in this case, with character, this small boat is hard to ignore. The above video depicts a recent refit after 20 years. First with the exterior, then moving into the interior.

Junk Rig to ELIA.

What is it?

- JR stands for junk rig. Elia is my attempt to adopt a modern approach to this most ancient system of sails.

- But first, a little side story.