Scot

In an area that seems to bring bad luck to big catamarans, a 45-foot high bridge ended the life of a 56-foot mast on Sunday.  The unknown Catana 401 was sailing a few miles from the old Gunboat HQ in Wanchese NC when she tried to get under the old Mann's Harbor bridge with predictable results. No injuries reported, and unlike the millions of dollars worth of damage done in October to this Mississippi River bridge by a clueless barge driver, the North Carolina bridge is fine....

4-time Olympian, first American winner of the Prince of Wales Cup (UK), Founder of the SSA dinghy club in Annapolis, author of 11 brilliant (if occasionally incomprehensible) books on sailing, and teacher to literally millions of sailors, Dr. Stuart Walker died yesterday at 95 years old.  A life well-lived as you can see in the video above.  Share your thoughts....

The more adventurous amongst us often lament the sterile nature of our privileged lives.  "I was born to be at sea during the age of sail," they complain.  In reality, there has never been more discovering than right now.  Under the ground, at sea, in space, and in our own minds, people are breaking down obstacles to achieving goals that seemed impossible until now.  As we speak, both British Army Captain Louis Rudd and Youtuber and extreme mountaineer Colin O'Brady are on the snow chasing perhaps the last great 'discovery' record on the planet.- The latest case in point may turn out to be nothing but a couple of Darwin Awarders, but based on what experts have told us, both of the two guys who set off this week to become the first-ever humans to cross Antarctica coast-to-coast, solo and without support might actually make it.  Rudd is sponsored by the British Army and has been doing this shit for most of his life, while O'Brady is a 33 year old Youtube star and extreme sports internet bro who's climbed something like every mountain on Earth while juggling and riding on a unicycle. It's odd to think that no one has done this rare trek until now, but not for a lack of trying. Known by many as the last great mountaineering challenge on Earth, the Antarctic traverse has killed dozens of adventurers over the years thanks to an average elevation of 7,500 feet, winds of up to 100 knots, and temps somewhere close to Absolute Zero. It's close enough to offshore sailing that we'll be watching with serious interest. And since the first one to finish will be the only one with a real World Record, they'll be racing.  Photo from LouRudd.com Track Rudd.           Track...

We've been in awe of Francis Joyon for a long time, but even his incredible record-shattering solo circumnavigation aboard IDEC pales in comparison to his overall victory and course record yesterday in the Route Du Rhum. "But all the way round the world is so much tougher", you might say - but you'd be wrong.  Because of its relatively short length, the Route Du Rhum is far more competitive than a record attempt, and it puts orders of magnitude more pressure on competitors.  Severely restricted communications with the outside world probably doesn't bug Joyon much, but at 63 years old in the most physically demanding of any racing class, he just beat the top sailor of his generation and a kid half Joyon's age - sailing a much quicker boat (and no, the fact that Macif limped home with just half the designed number of rudders and foils doesn't reduce the impact of Joyon's accomplishment at all...choosing the equipment is often as important as sailing fast). We salute Joyon for yet another awesome run, and we'll leave you with a congratulatory note for Francis from the guy whose Route Du Rhum course record he broke, the inimitable Loick Peyron, writing from his tiny yellow trimaran Happy (See Loick's sketch of the boat above). Another rum full of twists; the flying boats lose their wings and the one who does not fly wins for the third time. Bravo Francis! you confirm not only that old pots make good soup but that an "old" chef always has a surprise under his cap. You who sometimes gives the impression of not liking the competition, you would be the same to make your stars not to be under pressure and continue to concoct this discreet cuisine, without artifice but terribly effective. Obviously this kind of dish...

Not even Thanksgiving yet, and already Anarchist David gets the Sydney Hobart shit- stirring underway. The are gathering as they do every year around this time. Like a herd of old pachyderms trudging wearily towards their elephant’s graveyard, the 100-foot Supermaxis once defined the frontiers of high-performance ocean racing. Far too cumbersome for efficient mobility when not actually on the race track, these mastodons of our sport come together just once a year for the Sydney-Hobart race, one of the few major events on the international offshore calendar that still recognises these mammoth monohulls as the pinnacle of yachting competition. Fivem Supers will face the starter on December 26 for the 638nm sprint to Tasmania. It is a measure of their antique status that only one – Comanche – is less than 10 years old. Most have already passed through multiple ownerships and name changes. Here’s the line-up: Scallywag (formerly Ragamuffin 100, formerly Loyal, formerly Maximus, launched 2005). Black Jack IV (formerly Alfa Romeo, formerly Europa, launched 2005). Wild Oats XI (launched 2005) InfoTrack (formerly Speedboat, formerly Rambler, formerly Perpetual Loyal, launched 2008). Comanche (launched 2014) All five yachts are already in Sydney. Black Jack recently sailed down from Brisbane to compete in last weekend’s Cabbage Tree Island race, the traditional qualifying event for the Hobart. Scallywag arrived five days ago after completing the delivery from her base in Hong Kong. Media coverage of the race, which begins to crank up in mid-December, will concentrate almost exclusively on speculation as to which of the 100-footers is favoured to be first to the finish off Battery Point. Part of that pre-event hype is the “Big Boat Challenge”, a short round-the-cans race staged on Sydney Harbour a fortnight before the Hobart. It is, of course, useless as a guide to offshore form...

Isn't the RDR all about survival? Going as fast as humanly (and machine-ly) possible, yes, but above all survival. So while it is hearbreaking for Francois Gabart to have broken a rudder and foil and lose a race in which he so clearly dominated in virrtually every phase of this race, ultimately, in a game of survival, that is a harsh reality. Finishing in a record 7d 14h 21h 47s, and just 7 minutes ahead of Gabart, Francois Joyo is a deserved world champion. "In a game of thrones, you either win, or you die." - Cersei Lannister. More here....

How is this for one hell of a perfect face plant? This is Simon Nearn, skipper of RMarine showing us how it's done!...

The Falls of Clyde, the last sail-powered oil tanker in the world, will soon return to Glasgow, the city where her keel was laid some 140 years ago. The Clyde has been moored in Honolulu, Hawaii since 1963, and she is in deteriorating condition. A non-profit group, Save the Falls of Clyde International, hopes to move her to Scotland and restore her. It has recently reached an agreement with heavy lift firm Sevenstar Yacht Transfer to provide the transportation. She is scheduled to depart the week of February 3, 2019. Read on....