Cup boats fear winds that ten year old in optimist would treat with contempt!

From the announcements made every week, one would surmise that the America’s Cup will take place. But what kind of race will it be, I dread to think. On November 11th the Société Nautique de Genève, in their role as defender of the 33rd America’s Cup, published the Notice of Race that will govern the event. And this calls for the first race to take place in Valencia, Spain on Monday February 8th, 2010. Less than ten weeks away. When I read that, I got all excited, but then I read some more. Included in the notice of race is this amazing piece of nonsense … the races won’t start if the wind exceeds fifteen knots or the waves are more than one meter high. And they say they have done this to ensure the safety of competitors, officials and spectators. All the millions they have spent on developing two of the most advanced sailboats the world has ever seen and they won’t race in winds that a ten year old in an optimist dinghy would treat with contempt. What have they done to the America’s Cup?

What a load of Bull!

Now that disgraced investor Bernard Madoff has been thrown in jail, the authorities are selling of his assets. The latest to go are his three yachts which fell under the auctioneer’s hammer on Monday. The yacht’s, a 55 foot-1969 Rybovich Sport Fisher, a 38 foot-2003 Shelter Island Runabout, and 23 foot- Maverick Boat Co. 2400 Center Console, all have the word bull in their name: There’s Bull, Little Bull, and Sitting Bull. Strangely there’s no Bull Shit, perhaps he’s saving that for when and if he ever gets out. The auctioneers were waiting to see if Madoff’s notoriety would add to the price and push the bids to a higher level.

Hey skip, chuck another shrimp on the barbie!

Who do you think invented BBQ? Well according to the St Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition it was the Arawak Indians of the 17th century. Hard to imagine isn’t it all those Arawaks sitting around drinking beer and saying chuck another shrimp on the Barbie. Anyway, barbecue is the theme of this year’s Concourse de Chef Competition at the charter boat show in December. Competing chefs will be asked to use any fish, shell fish, land based protean, vegetable or fruit found in the Caribbean Basin. This will be a two lunch format, main course and desert. Registration is now open and limited to twenty chefs. You should be able to download the registration form from www.mybacaribbeanshow.com or contact the administrators on 599 544 2436. The exhibition ruins from December 4th to the 7th.

America's Cup... yaaawn ....

Well it had to happen, the New York Supreme Court have ruled that the Société Nautique de Genève cannot hold the America's Cup in Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates. The SNG, the yacht club representing Cup Defender Alinghi, had announced the emirate as the venue several months ago. But its challenger, BMW/Oracle, objected in court. Unfortunately for the Swiss syndicate, whose lawyers, I suspect, are now looking for another job, they had already shipped their boat to the emirate. Pretty cocky that. In her ruling, Justice Shirley Kornreich said that the February 2010 event must take place in a venue in the Southern Hemisphere as per the competition's governing document, the famous Deed of Gift, or in Valencia, Spain, where the last America's Cup was held. The Golden Gate Yacht Club, which represents challengers BMW/Oracle, was said to be pleased with the ruling. All the money they have spent arguing, and now they’re back looking at Valencia as a venue. It’s more like a bad soap opera than a yacht race.