Big Pimpin'

New Numbers

B&G, our Sailing Anarchy forum title sponsor (and also who The Ed chose to get instruments from for his Flying Tiger 10M) have just introduced their new line of instruments, the B&G H3000.

As the next generation in B&G's long line of instrument systems, H3000 is an evolutionary step forward from the Hydra and Hercules H2000 systems. H3000 is the first instrument system using revolutionary bonded-screen technology with index-matched materials for maximum display clarity. The new H3000 range consists of several new instrument display units, designed to provide highly accurate, easy to read data throughout a yacht. It all sounds and looks good. Check it out for yourself.

11/15/06

These guys have been quietly producing topnotch rudders since 1997 for all types of racers and cruisers, from TP52s to all sorts of PHRFs, from Mega-yachts to 12 meters and America's Cup Class yachts, and from IRC types to every kind of one-off imaginable. Their track record is superb with over 600 shafts and rudders built with not one failure. The quality is awesome and the reliability is unmatched, all female tooled and autoclave cured!

In addition to rudders, Composite Solutions also builds an impressive array of all things carbon: masts, booms, keel struts, dagger boards, spinnaker poles, steering wheels, Iceboats, and anything else you can think of! Do yourself a favor and check them out!

11/13/06

Big Pimpin'

New Rules

This is something we don't do everyday, have an advertiser that has a new sailing site. While their front page looks, shall we say, heavily influenced by us, their ultimate goal is something quite different. Here's what they say:

So ya don't like the way your boat is rated, not enough boats to make a class, you think it would be cool to have a sponsor help pay for the crew's beer!

Maybe you should join XSracing.org. The new organization, which looks to merge the worlds of multihulls and sportboats together, combines USA ingenuity with a more European attitude that embraces "pushing the envelope" in the sport of sailing."XS Racing came about like many other organizations have...a need for change!" says Randy Reynolds, the brainchild of the organization. "Sailing in the United States is said to be in its worst decline in years. XS Racing's focus is to contribute in the reversal of that decline."

XS Racing uses a simplified version of the Portsmouth rating system allowing competitive racing between Sportboats and Multihulls possible. Since multihulls and sportboats react alike on the same point of sail and wind conditions, they are better suited to race against each other on handicap than displacement boats. If you don't like the rating you can appeal Portsmouth for a new rating. If you still don't like your rating you can make your case to XS members to have it changed.

XS racing is unique as it is a member run organization - simple by-laws and a democratic system with a three-panel board to ratify decisions made by the XS collective. With two forums to choose from, sailors can discuss, debate and vote effecting change from the convenience of their home computer. Check them out.

09/22/06

Big Pimpin'

Essential

There is no doubt that sail cloth has come a long way, and the folks at Dimension Polyant have been very instrumental that development. We're happy to have them with us and sailmakers should take not of the deal offered below.

Dimension Polyant is excited to join the Sailing Anarchy family of advertisers. As the largest producer of woven and laminated sailcloth worldwide, we recognize the value and support of the sailing community worldwide to our success. In return, we hope that by supporting the world's largest sailing website we can help promote sailing in a positive light and actively answer questions the readership may have concerning sailcloth and it's applications.

Dimension Polyant is the only sailcloth supplier that owns and operates it's own looms and lamination machinery. This investment in sailcloth technology keeps Dimension Polyant on the leading edge of sailcloth development and production. From One Design HTP hard racing finish and Cruising woven polyesters though Cruising and Grand Prix laminates, Dimension Polyant has led the market in all production styles for over 20 years.

Dimension Polyant has three production sites worldwide. Our German office produces all our woven polyesters including our innovative Spectra/Polyester hybrid cruising Hydranet fabric. The US office does the lamination for all our offices worldwide as well as finishing nylons inhouse, the only sailcloth supplier to do so. D4, our latest performance membrane product, is produced in our plant in Australia as well as in Germany.

As an advertising introductory special, Dimension Polyant is offering D4 at a discounted price to sailmakers on any membranes ordered before the end of October. This discount is to the sailmakers so if you are interested in this revolutionary membrane product, please get in touch with your sailmaker for information. If you have any questions about D4 in general, please see our website or get in touch with a Dimension Polyant rep.

09/18/06

Big Pimpin'

Cool Tool

Upstart race instrument manufacturer, Velocitek, LLC has announced the launch of the Velocitek S10 GPS sail training tool. The Velocitek S10 builds on the proven accuracy, reliability and user friendliness of Velocitek's successful S5 VMG Sensor / Speedometer. The S10 offers identical functionality to the S5 plus the ability to record over 10 hours of GPS data in Flash Memory. Using the S10 is money back guaranteed to improve both your upwind and downwind speed.

GPS data can be downloaded from the S10 with a USB cable to any PC running Windows XP. The data can then be easily combined with data from other boats to review and analyze races with freely downloadable applications like Google Earth and GPS Action Replay. Please see their site for more information. Comments?

09/15/06

Big Pimpin'

No Mystery
We like performance boats (duh), and we like them when they are innovative. The sport boat market is relatively crowded and finding a niche is important for builders. To us it looks like Enigma Yachts has done that with their new 34. A so called Gentleman’s Racing Day-sailor has the pedigree of a Mark Mills design, a comfy cockpit (gentleman, remember?) and is also designed to fit nicely in a 40' container. We think these guys are on the right track and invite you to check them out.

08/28/06

Big Pimpin'

Phil's Diamond

We have not given much love to long time SA supporter Phil's Foils,  and he has an excellent story about his work on an older Yachting World Diamond, a design we didn't know much about. Check out what Phil did to help out this boat and its owner.

08/23/06

To encourage participation in the Chicago MAC "Race Photo ChallengeTM" Boatingshots has brought together some incredible prizes from a list of premier racing sponsors that will be won by those submitting the best photos using the DVD and postage paid return envelope included in the races’ skippers’ bags. See this for the complete instructions on how to enter the competition and details of the incredible prizes being offered by Lands’ End Business Outfitters, Mount Gay Rum, Harken and Flagship Integration Services.

Sam Sansome of Boatingshots explained to SA that "Race Photo ChallengeTM" competition allows them for the first time to provide truly comprehensive race coverage for a long distance race, and is a Win-Win for all parties involved:

1) The race competitors - who cannot only win great prizes for the photos they submit but also find additional great photos of their own boats from the heart of the race
2) The host yacht club or organizing authority - who gain access to more content from their event for marketing and communication purposes
3) The competition sponsors - who naturally gain more brand recognition for their involvement with the competition and also gain access to more content for marketing and communication purposes
4) Boatingshots – who obviously benefit from being able to potentially cover a long distance race anywhere in the world without even being there to shoot it themselves, get a lot more traffic on their website (where the photo entries will be posted) and hopefully generate more business

We look forward to having 3000 Boatingshots photographers out on the MAC racecourse Sam joked…..

07/21/06

Big Pimpin'

Widget
Our friends at Velocitek are releasing a new compass / speedo based largely on input from the SA forum. Velocitek claims their new product dubbed the Speedcompass offers a faster update rate and better accuracy than a magnetic compass. It comes with a two year warranty and uses easily replaceable AA batteries. A built in tilt sensor allows it to work as a speedometer when mounted upside down. Check it out at www.sailgps.com and give Velocitek a piece of your mind here.

07/19/06

Big Pimpin'

French Connection
We're happy to announce that Beneteau has joined as an advertiser here at SA (see their banner, upper right on this page). We've thought that the First series, (the 36.7 and 40.7 in particular) have been good boats squarely hitting the market they were targeted for. They've provided a lot of boat for the buck, an area in which have clobbered J/Boats for example.

Their new First 10R is the newest of the series, with added modern features like Hall carbon spars, a spinn prod, and very up to date foils. It looks like a nice package and worth a peek for those of you looking for a modern pocket R/C. Take a closer look.

07/17/06

Sailing Networks is now, according to them, the fastest growing networking service for the sailing community. Since their first outing only a few weeks back here at SA, the discerning SA. visitors have quickly spotted the potential in the free service. From occasional crew to ocean racer, skippers and live-aboards, members are looking for crew in “Crewreunited”, networking with other sailors in their class, organizing sailing campaigns and more. The combination of the fun of the social side with useful crew management tools is a hit.

The site goes beyond sharing information to providing social and business networking opportunities. The “Groups” tool is proving useful for organizing a team or campaign – enabling centralized management of a boat, communication with crew members, shared calendars, task lists, and photo sharing.

Linking it all together is a resource of information about events,individual boats, designs,designers, builders, clubs, class associations and related businesses. But most of all – sailors.
Check them out!

06/06/06

Speaking of VPLP, here is their LIGHTSPEED 32 USA-1 nearing completion in Portsmouth RI. The hulls rolled out of the paint shop a week ago and the team has got the beams down and has started work fitting out. We had originally hoped to be sailing a few weeks ago, but we took our time to get it right and to work out the kinks for ramping up production. While that has been incredibly frustrating for all involved, the result is spectacular! (OK, I am just a wee bit biased - but then, Anarchists will judge for themselves regardless of what I say).

In other news, Stan Schreyer -- all-around good guy, former All-American from BU, US Sailing Team member in the Tornado, and most recently part of Randy Smyth's winning VX40 team on Tommy Hilfiger -- has joined Lightspeed Boats to manage customer support and fleet building. Stan has been working on the project since the beginning of the year, but now that his Volvo commitment is over, he is on board full time. Look for Stan and the LIGHTSPEED at a regatta near you in the coming months, and make sure to get out for a spin. Stay tuned, we will keep you updated over the next few days.

Hunt Stookey
Lightspeed Boats

06/26/06

Big Pimpin'

West Winner

The West Marine contest to win a free POWERLITE PBO rig to the person that can tell us why they are most deserving of free high tech standing rigging for their boat is now over. Below is the winning submission written by anarchist celphtaught. We want to thank all, especially West for this great contest - only on SA!

I am currently rehabilitating an old j29, scarred by not one, but 2 (possibly 3, we haven't figured that out yet) lightning strikes. My friend and I put all of our free time into this boat, rain or shine, as it is in need of a little TLC. We need new rigging for this boat because it would be the only thing we haven't rebuilt yet, and I don't really trust a rig that has been struck 3 times by lightning (superstitious, yes). Both of us work at our local yacht club teaching kids how to sail, and the plan was for this boat to become part of the program, showing them the other side of sailing, getting them out of dinghies into big boats. In addition to teaching at the club, I also am on the board of directors for our community sailing center, and volunteer my time fixing it up. The CSC is currently located in an old electric plant, which is not only broken down, but a health hazard.

I think I deserve this rigging for all the volunteer hours I have put in to provide the joy of sailing to more people out in our community, and a current lack of funds required to retrofit this boat. Not only will getting this rigging provide more time for me to help others discover sailing, but the rigging itself will contribute to our great sport by providing a competitive boat for kids who wouldn't usually get the opportunity to enjoy sailing.

06/21/06

Big Pimpin'

Fast and Fun

We're happy to have Reynolds Design on board with us at SA. Builders of the R 33 catamaran, Owner/Designer Randy Reynolds has just delivered hull # 21 of the popular cat. Might you be ready for #22?

There are R33's all of the country (with two going to Europe) and it is easy to see why: The thing flat hauls ass and does it with little effort. We know, The Ed sailed on one during the Luekemia Cup and thought it was amazing. But what Reynolds is most excited about is that the boat is now being recognized as a one design class in Southern California – which makes him optimistic about the popularity of the boat throughout the country.

“We were recently the first catamaran class ever at Cal Race Week in Marina del Rey,” said Reynolds. “We’ve also had our own R33 class starts at quite a few high-profile regatta's such as Yachting Cup and the up coming Long Beach Race Week...and that’s one of the things were really after – building a solid one design fleet around this fast, fun pocket cruiser." Speed aside, Reynolds says people forget how functional the R33 is as an overnighter / weekender. "We often race to Catalina Island -27 miles off the California coast - pick up a mooring, break out the food and drink, relax on the tramp, and later, go ashore to enjoy the night life of the island. After the night's festivities, we crash on the boat for a sound nights sleep to race back the next day at speeds that can exceed 24 knots...it does not get much better than that!” For more information on the Reynolds 33 catamaran check out their website and tell 'em SA sent ya.

Photo by Pat Reynolds.

06/12/06

Big Pimpin'

COOL STUFF

I've known these guys for years. Camet is a fellow Dago company that has been around for many years and they are known for coming up with some of the best sailing clothes around. For this season they have added two new products, the Rio Shorts and the Code Zero quick dry shirt. These shorts are the ultimate pair of sailing shorts. They have sweet new colors and plenty of pockets. The Code Zero shirt is great for a hot day or as an under layer for the cold weather. They have also launched a n new web site with awesome sailing pics and video. Did I mention that their products are used by the VOR Brunel, Top Farr 40 teams, and 470 sailors? You guessed it - your ED will be out in his new boat wearing the new Rio shorts and Code Zero quick dry shirt. Check them out at and tell 'em SA sent ya!

06/08/06

Big Pimpin'

East Coast Style

We're happy to help out the folks putting together the Monhegan Ocean Race. Your Editor actually did this race years ago (I think we won the thing on a Peterson One Tonner called Legend, maybe in 1987?), and it was a very good race. Read the info below and be sure to click on their banner ad!

Join us for the Monhegan Ocean Race 11-13 August, starting just off-shore from Portland, Maine. This is the 72nd running of the Monhegan Island Race with three racing courses in the Gulf of Maine, hosted by Portland Yacht Club.

Begin Thursday night the 10th with a "tune-up" race, then the skippers meeting and cocktail party Friday night with a midday start on Saturday, launching the race. On finishing Sunday, a major breakfast is served-up in preparation for scoring, culminating with the trophy presentation by the afternoon.

That's 4-days of fun in the Gulf of Maine, competing for trophies, bragging rights and enjoying Maine in the summer. You'll be in good company, the boats range from Open 60's - Ocean Planet, Open 50's - Artforms and Gryphon Solo to Saber's and Beneteau's; Round-the-world racers to island-hopping cruisers with respective starts and courses.

Find out more at www.monheganrace.org and let's go sailing!

06/07/06

Pimp Your Ride

The folks at Velocitek just signed up for another year of advertising here at SA, so we asked them if they were happy with the response. Here is what they said:

Advertising on your site has been, hands-down, the best marketing decision we have ever made. I think the forum discussions have been the most helpful. I think an honest (not staged) forum discussion about a new product is far more engaging than a conventional ad could ever be.

Thanks for your help so far.

Alec

Some of you who may be considering advertising here at SA, in addition to our front page advertising, we have a couple of new options that you may wish to consider. Get in touch with The Ed to find out more.

06/06/06

Big Pimpin'

Net Sails

Not all sails need to be sold at the loft, and many of you have found Sails-Online to be a good way to go. We are happy to have Sails Online back with us here at SA, and for those of you who need a quick delivery (21 days from time of order) of quality sails (made in New Zealand), you should give them a look. In addition to monos, they build a lot of multi sails too (click on the pic to have a closer look). See what they can do for you!

06/05/06

Pimp Daddy

Growth

Not only are we quite happy to announce that our friends at Lidgard Sails are continuing their advertising with us at SA, but they also have some news to share as well.

Lidgard Sails would like to welcome Gary Stuntz to their team. Gary is looking after the Pacific North West and is based out of Seattle. As well as new sails, racing and cruising sails, Gary is able to offer a full re cut and repair service.

Gary will be backed up in his area by Doug Christie and Karl Funk both well known sailors, sailmakers and sail designers.

Lidgard Sails and Gary look forward to offering the same high quality of sails and service that has been synonymous with their company in the USA for the past 30 years. To contact Gary please visit their website and to take advantage of a 10% Southern Hemisphere winter discount please fill in the quote form on their website.

05/31/06

Have you lost touch with some of your old sailing buddies or are you looking for fresh winch fodder for the new season?

Do you want to get on a newer, faster, bigger (or smaller) boat this year? Want to find out where all the other boats in your class are? Or locate the best events and who's going to be there? Build your sailing network and start managing your sailing activities on-line at CrewReunited.com. Organize your crew, start a blog and share your photos with family and crew mates.

A FREE service for all Sailors. Try it today!

05/23/06

Big Pimpin'

Pickin' up Speed

esse850 in North America

As a direct response to the many requests for information from SA readers, the esse850 team asked SA to run a follow-up on the progress of bringing this little beauty to the United States.

As with every new entry into this market, we like to compare the newcomer with better-known rides. esse850, it seems, does not really fit into any existing bracket. There may be yachts out there, though, that compare and the concept of fast single-handed sailing is not new either. However, esse850 brings us back the beautifully crafted ('member: SWISS MADE) small daysailor with distinctively modern looks. On top of it, she let's you kick butt out there without your buddies on the beam. Pricing clearly reflects what you get and from where you are getting it.

The guys from esse850 are now working hard on the first yachts for the US. It is planned that they hit our shores later this year, on time for our fall shows. A local base has been already established in Michigan. The demand in Europe is high and there is a lead-time of some 12 weeks due to the limited number of boats that the small yard can (and wants to) crank out per month.

05/19/06

Big Pimpin'

This Contest is Rigged

Free POWERLITE PBO standing rigging!

SA advertiser West Marine Rigging is offering a free POWERLITE PBO rig to the person that can tell us why they are most deserving of free high tech standing rigging for their boat. As always, creativity counts! This is a great opportunity for one lucky Anarchist to receive this new product that incorporates big weight savings with complete compatibility to improve the overall performance of their boat. Visit their web site to review all the technical information or here to see if your boat would benefit from this killer offer.

A panel of West Marine Rigging associates and of course SA will select the Anarchist contestant that best describes why they should be the lucky recipient. Once a winner has been selected the rig will be produced and their boat will be featured in an upcoming Sailing Anarchy article.

All entries must be submitted in the SA forum by June 10th and the winner will be announced on June 19th. Have fun!

05/18/06

Big Pimpin'

Batten Down

Make that Batten up as RBS battens have enjoyed being an advertiser here at SA and have signed up with us for another six months. RBS makes a very nice line of battens for all types of boats (Including the VOR boats!), and these guys have been doing it and doing it very well for a long time. Everybody needs good battens, and it seems like many boats never seem to have it together when it comes to battens. If that's you, get in touch with RBS!

05/16/06

Big Pimpin'

Once In A Blue Moon

In the days before the event, the crew is nervous. Anticipating. Checking all the gear. Provisioning. What will we need in this race? Caviar? Grilled Mahi Mahi? Steak? Sometimes the right vintage of wine makes all the difference between a winning and a losing race.

Sometimes the race course is a big triangle. For instance, we often go out of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, on to St. John, then perhaps The Baths on Virgin Gorda, after clearing customs into the British Virgin Islands in Road Town, Tortola. Then gradually make our way back up the other side of the islands, ending back in St. Thomas in time for the clients to shop in the duty free stores, and make their flight home. But other times, it's a long-distance event. One group sailed all the way from St. Lucia to Grenada this winter, allowing us to see most of the best anchorages throughout the Grenadines.

The experience of chartering can be a great one, and our newest advertiser, The Yacht Blue Moon Charters would like you to see what their programs can do for you. Summer vacations are just around the corner!

05/05/06

Big Pimpin'

O Good
The Santa Cruz California boat builders started the fast is fun craze and George Olson, builder of the Olson 40, was one of the founding fathers of this revolution. To this day many sailboats are hard pressed to deliver more performance than the Olson 40 did years ago. Her construction has stood the test of time proving a well-built hull does not have to be heavy. Her structural integrity is evidenced by the number of ocean miles boats like Windbird have sailed.

Windbird a great example of this thoroughbred. She is a complete turn key boat for racing and cruising. Her sail inventory is up to date and has won most races on Puget Sound from Swiftsure to Vashon Island. Her interior is simple and elegant finished in varnished Brunzyl plywood. There are plenty of berths for the crew in two doubles and four singles. Her current owners were not only successful on the race course but found cruising the Olson 40 was perfect for our Northwest waters. Windbird benefits from a very meticulous owner. No expense has been spared in making Windbird the nicest example of George Olson’s offshore speedster.

For specs and more photo’s on Windbird visit the Sail Northwest website, or call at 206-286-1004. Sail Northwest is also the J-Boat, Alerion, and True North Power boat dealers as well.

05/03/06

Big Pimpin'

Strap On
We love innovative products and are stoked to introduce Velocitek as a new advertiser on Sailing Anarchy. Velocitek's flagship product, the S5, uses GPS signals combined with a user-defined wind vector to calculate upwind and downwind velocity made good (VMG) in real time. The results are displayed on an oversized sunlight readable LCD. The S5 was originally developed to give Rohan Veal (International Moth Class World Champion) an unfair advantage in the Moth development class. Unlike any other instrument, the S5 is money-back guaranteed to noticeably improve the upwind and downwind speed of your high-performance dinghy or sportboat. What do you guys think?

04/25/06

Hi Scot, As promised, Rocket Boats is advertising again on Sailing Anarchy! How could we go anywhere else! Wherever we go we are met by anarchists who heard of us first on SA. 2006 has so far been fantastic for Rocket Boats. Our first major event was the Chicago Boat Show in February where we had a constant flow of interested visitors including SA's very own Mr. Clean who wrote a great review of the Rocket. To read it please click here. We hope to be back in the Chicago area this summer for demo sails and racing.

Next was Charleston Race Week where we delivered a new Rocket to a North Carolina owner. We had some great sailing in blustery conditions that saw several broken masts and gear, a few injuries and some exciting thrills and spills. Given that it was a competitive fleet, a new boat for a new owner and crew, and that the conditions were pretty hairy at times, we were very pleased with our performance especially, upwind where we were able to hang with the big boys in 20 knots plus. We had a fantastic time, sold another boat and already have plans to return next year. We've got the owner's report up on our blog. To read it click here.

Our next stop is Strictly Sail Pacific in Oakland, CA. This will be our second time at this show and we are looking forward to returning although due to a crazy travel schedule we won't be getting there until the end of the week. The boat will be on the water this year after being on a trailer at last year's show. The owner of the show boat plans to sail on Lake Tahoe for the summer, joining a Rocket already there, and then take it to Southern California for the winter sailing season. On the Monday after the show the boat will be available for demo sails before going to its new home. We have a lot of interest so make sure to let us know if you'd like a ride. Read on.

04/21/06

GTS has a well-regarded following with regatta organizers, competitors, and the press from covering College Sailing Nationals, Congressional Cup, Jr. Bay Week, Jr. Sabots Nationals, Long Beach Race Week, and others.

Create everlasting reminders of great sailing, camaraderie, and good times that were had at your event! Make sure to have your regatta added to GTS's calendar as soon as possible, the summer schedule is filling up fast!

04/20/06

Too breezy today? The crew blows? A bit lazy are ya? Then just go sailing on your computer! Virtual Skipper 4, the regatta simulator for sailing fans everywhere is back, improved and advanced, in an eye-catching sequel. The Virtual Skipper 4 simulation experience promises total thrills and immersion, a must play for all. We've checked it out and it does rock. If SA can't entertain you, here is a great way to have more fun on the computer. Download Virtual Skipper 4 here!

04/19/06

Big Pimpin'

Group Think

Composite Experts Unite in
New Boatbuilding Company

COMPOSITE MARINE INTERNATIONAL (CMI), currently building three all-carbon IRC 46s for Rogers Yacht Design, took the first hull out of the mould this week.  The hull is female moulded and of carbon sandwich construction.

CMI is a new boat building company producing motor and sail composite yachts from 5 – 25m.  Based in Thailand it has impressive partners including Cobra International, the world’s largest manufacturer of surfboards, with a workforce of some 4,000 people and Green Marine, renowned UK hi-tech boat builders.  Due for completion next month is a huge 5,500m2 custom designed, climate controlled factory which will give CMI the ability to take on new projects both in series production for existing brands and custom builds. www.composite-marine.com

For more pictures visit the projects page of the CMI website and a big welcome to CMI the newest SA advertiser.

03/22/06

Big Pimpin'

Stomped

The first Stomp 38 sails! And looks good in the process. These guys have taken their time to do this boat right and so far they seem to have hit their marks. It will be very interesting to see how fast they really are. Note the wheel.

03/21/06

Pimp Daddy

Rigged

PBO Standing Rigging for the Masses

Newest SA advertiser West Marine wants you to take advantage of a significant performance upgrade available to the sailboat market - cost effective PBO standing rigging that's lighter, stronger, and fully compatible. Sounds good to us!

Powerlite PBO Rigging combines several innovative and patent pending technologies to create the only synthetic drop-in solution that adapts to existing hardware, and fits any boat between 22'- 40'. Powerlite PBO Rigging provides race proven technology, superior quality and a price comparative to rod. Sold exclusively through West Marine Rigging, Powerlite PBO Rigging brings AC technology to the racing community at a price that provides great performance value for your money. Powerlite PBO is now offered as standard equipment on the Melges 32 and can be found on the C&C 115, Grand Soleil 37, and Dolphin Catamarans. For more information, visit www.westmarine.com/rigging

A full dedicated site will be available soon, in the meantime there are three different clickable destinations in their new banner located at the upper right of this page - be sure to check it out. Plus they are interested in dealer inquires.

03/15/06

Pimp Daddy

Check It Out
Annapolis Performance Yachts would like to invite everyone to the "Annapolis 30 Showcase" at the Annapolis Waterfront Marriott at 7:00 PM on March 16, 2005. There will be presentations on the boat, gear, and sails. After the presentation there will be an informal question and answer session for all who attend with the APY Team and all of the industry representatives.....check out the forums for a complete list of presenters."

Doug Bullock
Annapolis Performance Yachts
Main: 800-450-7104
Cell: 231-690-0577

03/10/06

Big Pimpin'

Fun in the Sun

Is there a better place to race than Hawaii? Perhaps, but not many. Big sun, big breeze, big waves, big fun. The Waikiki Offshore Series begins July 25 this year with the 145 mile Molokai Race from Waikiki to Maui and back. It takes the fleet along the north shore of Molokai for a view of the worlds tallest ocean cliffs. The series continues July 27 – 30 on the waters off Waikiki and the island of Oahu and includes six buoy races and one medium distance race.

“We welcome all West Marine Pacific Cup and Vic Maui Racers to Hawaii and invite them to stay and play with our local boats in some the best ocean trade wind sailing in the world," said regatta chair Steve Thomas. The Hawaii Tourism Authority, Samson Ropes, Harken, Sam Adams Beer, Full Power, Bacardi Rum and the Waikiki Yacht Club sponsor the Waikiki Offshore Series. Please see their banner, top left of this page.

This should be a great event - spread the word!

03/08/06

Big Pimpin'

Ultimate, Again

We are pleased to help introduce the rebirth of Ultimate Sailboats. Known for their U20, 24 and 27, SailSports have announced an exclusive sales, marketing, and production agreement in the United States and Europe. Jeff Canepa, President of SAILsports, will oversee the new sales company.

Abbott Boats, located in Sarnia Canada, was appointed the North American builder of the Ultimate 20. The European builder, CBZ is located in Crema, Italy. According to Bill Abbott, the molds are being readied for production of hull # 200. The U24 and Antrim 27 will be built in La Selva Beach factory located in California.

It is cool to see these popular, fun and quick and affordable sport boats make a comeback. Click on their new banner ad here and check them out.

03/02/06

Pimp Daddy

Come Together

We are happy to tell you that Annapolis Performance Yachts has signed on for another year of adverting here at SA, and here is the latest news on their new 30':

1. The boat is entirely SP Systems Composite materials
2. Carbon Construction (hull and deck construction is now E glass/epoxy outter skin....Corecell core.....Carbon/epoxy inner skin. All laminates on the boat are vacum bagged and baked. The deck is the same construction but with high density SP Systems foam.
3. West Marine's PBO rigging
4. All Bulkheads and interior furnishings are composited with SP Systems laminates including carbon fiber in key locations.

But the big thing they want to announce is the "Annapolis 30 Showcase" at the Annapolis Waterfront Marriott on March 16, 2006, at 7:00pm. It is a presentation on the boat by the Annapolis Performance Yachts Team, Rob Ladd, and industry representative who are supplying materials for the boat. There will be an informal question and answer session for all who attend. You know,sort of a come out and meet the team type of deal....

02/27/06

Pimp Daddy

Up and Away
A report from Rocket Boats, one of our advertisers here on SA.

Rocket Boats is back from a very successful trip to the Chicago boat show. The interest in the Rocket 22 continues to grow and each trip is better than the last. It was great to speak to so many Rocket enthusiasts and it seemed like every second person learned about the Rocket from Sailing Anarchy. Thanks a lot guys!

Chicago area sailors are very knowledgeable and passionate about their sport and it was a pleasure speaking to them all. We also met quite a few hard core Rocket fans who had come a considerable distance to see the boat. In particular, a couple of great guys from Kentucky who Amtracked overnight to get to the show. It shouldn't be too long before we'll have couple of Rockets in the Bluegrass state!

As a result of the boat show interest we've left a Rocket in Chicago for demo sails later this spring. The boat is at Larsen Marine in Waukegan, just north of Chicago, and we already have quite a few demo sails lined up for later this spring. If you want to be included please let us know. We'll probably schedule the demos for some time after Charleston Race Week where we will be racing two Rockets.

One thing that came up a few times in Chicago, and has been following us around since we began this project, is the comparison to the Melges 24. Most people seem to get it, but still, there is some confusion or misunderstanding around our response. The truth is that we think the Melges is a great boat. If we were younger, had more money and wanted to race hard in an aggressive OD fleet with more and more semi pro crews then we would buy a Melges. But this isn't us and this isn't where the Rocket is being sold. Read on.

02/22/06

Big Pimpin'

Fast is as Fast Does

We are happy to have Waterline Systems join SA as an advertiser. They are known through out the industry as top bottom and foil people, and a Waterline job is truly a good thing to have. Here is the latest on Waterline from Waterline:

After 3 years of a partnership arrangement with TPI Composites/Pearson Composites, 2006 marks our return to doing business solely as Waterline Systems. I have received a lot of positive feedback regarding this change. I am personally very happy to reestablish my own identity as the foremost provider for bottom and keel preparation, painting and repair work. I have worked hard to earn the reputation for providing the best topside and bottom finishes in the industry. Over the past 18 years we have set the standards that others strive to follow. I am proud that our customers continue to win at all levels of One-Design, Grand-Prix and Club Racing, throughout the world. We truly are "The World Headquarters of Speed"

We will continue to meet all aspects of our customers needs from our 2 facilities here in Portsmouth, RI. We have the capabilities the facilities and the personnel to undertake and complete any project pertaining to maintenance, repairs, service, commissioning and modifications of both power and sailboats up to 65ft. In addition to our service work we continue to produce numerous products under the US Watercraft brand, including J-22's, J-24's, Mumm 30's and Farr 40's

Best regards,

Randy Borges
Waterline Systems LLC

02/21/06

Pimp Daddy

Class Glass

The boys are offering one of their rare SA exclusive killer deals. You know it is impossible to have too many good sunglasses, so take a look and order while these deals last. Nobody hooks you up like we do!

Update - the orders have come in faster than DD can process them - so be patient with yours!

02/17/06

Big Pimpin'

Down With SA

With us as advertisers for nearly two years, Mauri Pro Sailing has some great gear and some great deals. To wit:

1. They have lots of coupons and discounts available on their store. Customers just need to visit the Coupon page.
2. They also just added Facnor (furling systems) to their line of products.
3. Most important (at least this month) is the fact that they are the title sponsor for the J-24 Midwinters....we know a lot of Anarchists are J/24 fans and will be there. So take a look at one of our long time sponsors and see what they can do for you.

02/15/06

Big Pimpin'

Perfect Match?

A tall order for anything, but the new World Match Racing Tour certainly looks to be a winner. Formerly known as the Swedish Match Tour and founded in 2000, the World Tour is sailing's longest running professional series offering prize money. And that is some pretty serious coin: the Tour has awarded $1.15 million in prize money and a BMW 545i Touring (valued at $85,000) in six completed seasons.

The World Match Racing Tour features 10 of the premier ISAF-graded match-racing events. Competitors earn points towards the championship based on their finish at the individual events. The 2006 World Tour champion will be awarded a BMW X3 3.0i (valued at $45,000) from Tour partner BMW AG, and a $30,000 cash bonus from the World Tour. Currently in the midst of its seventh racing season, the World Tour last December celebrated its 50th event at the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. The seventh season also includes the inaugural Brazil Sailing Cup (Angra dos Reis, Brazil), ACI H1 Match Race Cup (Split, Croatia), Match Race Germany (Langenargen, Germany), Swedish Match Cup (Marstrand, Sweden) and Toscana Elba Cup (Porto Azzurro, Elba Island, Italy).

Other World Tour events include the Portugal Match Cup (Cascais, Portugal), Danish Open (Skovshoved, Denmark) and St. Moritz Match Race (St. Moritz, Switzerland). Two more events, the King Edward VII Gold Cup (Bermuda) and the Oresund Match Race (Malmo, Sweden) are expected to be part of the 2006-'07 World Tour schedule. Plans call for the World Tour schedule to move to a full calendar year beginning in 2008.

The World Match Racing Tour is sanctioned by ISAF. World Tour partners include BMW AG. World Tour Official Sponsors are Musto, Sebago and Travel Places. We're happy to have The World Match Racing Tour onboard with SA as advertisers for the entire year.

02/13/06

Pimp Daddy

APS = Another Proud Sponsor

Sailing Anarchy is pleased to announce Annapolis Performance Sailing has signed on as yet Another Proud Sponsor. Here are a few words from the team at APS…

What do you get when you combine Opti sailors, multi sailors1, and Sled sailors with everything in between? Aside from the unique Sailing Anarchy community you get an idea of the knowledgeable sailor staff at Annapolis Performance Sailing. Entering our 15th year, APS began as a dinghy shop and has grown into one of the most valuable resources for performance sailors and boats of all types and sizes. In addition to all being active sailors with a wide range of experience, we are creative, energetic and dedicated, constantly striving to provide our customers the ultimate selection of performance sailing products and services. Expect that if we’re not out sailing we’re working hard to make you, our competitors on the course, faster than we are by providing a top notch shopping experience off the water. Listen up, here’s what makes APS - “The Most Comprehensive Performance Sailing Outfitter”…

First, we search far and wide to bring together the best selection of the things performance sailors need. Next, we stock what we sell. Why go one place for foulies, another for custom rigging and yet another for a ratchet block? Aluminum cam cleats to Z-Spar mast struts, we keep it all in stock under one roof. Need custom rigging? Our in-house certified riggers will have it ready to pick up or ship within one business day. Thirdly, we constantly use the latest technology to improve customer service. Prefer to shop online? You’ll be hard pressed to find another marine industry website that shows you real time, online inventory of what’s under our roof. If we don’t have it in stock we’ll tell you approximately how long until we’ll ship it to you. Place an order online by 1pm EST and not only will you save on shipping, but just like phone orders, we’ll also ship in-stock items the same day. Need very specific help? Prefer to actually talk to a knowledgeable sailor? We understand. Give us a call. We are happy to help. We’ll get you the answers you need. Oh yeah, we also have a sale on Harken (extra 10% off 2005 prices) as well as 15% off rigging charges and 10% off all cordage.

So, the next time you’re in Naptown stop by. We’re in Eastport, central to all the clubs and two blocks from the Boatyard Bar and Grill (shameless plug for our friend Dick). Need something sooner? Give us a call, 800.729.9767, or shop with us online and see for yourself why Annapolis Performance Sailing is The Most Comprehensive Performance Sailing Outfitter.

2/2/06

Big Pimpin'

Money Shot
We have some fantastic photographer's who contribute some fantastic work here at SA, and there is a new addition to that elite group. His name is Amory Ross (see his banner, top of this page), and his work at Key West absolutely blew people away. Take a look at and welcome Amory to Team SA!

01/30/06

In the Mix
When buying a used race boat, you of course want something that will be in the mix. A nice ID 48 will, almost no matter where you race, certainly do that. I steered a used one for about a year and really liked the boat. A quick and challenging grand prix boat, the 48 is fast in a lot of conditions, built well, has a solid carbon rig and is a well turned out boat. Farr Yacht Sales has a nice one for sale, John Buchan's 1D48, formerly Abra