The Biz

Vanguard Sold

We caught wind of this earlier today and here is the confirmation:

Gavel Securities Limited (the holding company of Performance Sailcraft Europe Limited - PSE and Laser Sailboats Limited - LSB), has acquired Vanguard Sailboats which includes Seitech Products Inc and all three Vanguard owned retail stores in Chicago, California and Rhode Island.

Chip Johns (former president of Vanguard) and David Graham (current president of Vanguard and director of PSE) have spoken at length about the great value of merging the two companies for some time; Gavel acquiring the shares of Vanguard is the best outcome for all parties. Chip Johns will stay on indefinitely as a consultant to Gavel as the integration and transition takes place.

“I am delighted we managed to close this transaction” stated David Graham. “It will create opportunities for employees, the industry, and most importantly the sport of dinghy sailing, a positive move for all concerned. Vanguard / PSE have many successful classes other than the Laser class, for example (amongst others) the Sunfish and Laser SB3. This transaction will allow further development / distribution of all classes”

Vanguard and Gavel are both efficient businesses in their own right. There is not a rescue operation ahead. There will inevitably be changes to enhance the combined business. Valued customers will see no changes to the current level of service they have come to expect, other than improved service downstream.

“Combining the two well respected builders from the two continents will be incredibly positive for the growth of dinghy sailing,” said Chip Johns, former president, Vanguard Sailboats. “The combined companies will be able to focus more resources on promoting and growing the sport.”

On hearing the news of the acquisition the Laser Class President, Heini Wellmann, and Executive Secretary, Jeff Martin made the following comments:

“We welcome the transaction because it will strengthen and simplify the one design aspects of the Laser class. It will also help to further develop the class throughout the world and in particular has the potential to further the growth and distribution of the Laser class in developing countries.”

For more information go to www.teamvanguard.com and www.lasersailing.com.

Court: Maryland District Court
Office: Baltimore Office [ Court Info ]
County: Anne Arundel
Presiding Judge: Chief Judge Benson Everett Legg

Nature of Suit: Intellectual Property - Trademark
Cause: 15:1051 Trademark Infringement
Jurisdiction: Federal Question
Jury Demanded By: Plaintiff

03/20/07

The race is open to 40 and 50 footers that are Category 0 compliant and can be sailed either solo or double-handed. We also allow teams of up to four people to compete in the double-handed division with the crew changing at the end of each leg. One of the main thrusts behind the Portimão Global Ocean Race is to make shorthanded offshore sailing as accessible to as many people as possible and we believe that this “team” concept will catch on. Four sailors of modest means can pool their resources, put together a campaign, take a year off, and have the adventure of a lifetime.

Why Portugal? A number of reasons. Starting the race in the US where the Around Alone traditionally started leaves competitors and race organizers dealing with the vagaries of hurricane season. Start in France like the major French races and you could lose half your fleet before they get across the Bay of Biscay. Start in Portimão and an hour into the race you will have a warm tradewind at your back as you head south.

There is another reason. When Emma Richards, one of the loveliest sailors to come along in decades, crossed the finish line in Newport, Rhode Island after a successful solo circumnavigation, no one bothered to show up. Other than us race organizers there were very few spectators. In Europe it’s a very different story; tens of thousands are on hand to welcome the sailors back. If all you get out of a circumnavigation are some memories and a pile of unpaid bills, we as race organizers are going to make sure that one of the sweetest memories is your finish and we have every confidence that half of Portugal will turn out, there is that kind of passion there. So thanks to the far sighted (yes government) people in Portimão who get ocean racing and who are chuffed beyond belief to have an around-the-world sailboat race as part of their event portfolio.

03/15/07

The Biz

Two Coats of Papaya Juice, Sir?

Environmentally-Friendly Enzyme Based Antifouling Paint? An enzyme-based antifouling paint has been developed that utilizes biodegradable fruit enzymes derived from papaya and pineapple as the active ingredients in place of conventional biocides of commonly used heavy metals and highly toxic chemicals such as tributyltin (TBT) and cuprous oxide. Currently the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is conducting a worldwide five year phase out of the widely used TBT by January 1, 2008 . Comments?

01/29/07

The Quantum Sail Design Group has acquired the Eurosail Manufacturing and Vela 2000 sail production facility on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The company was founded in 1993 by partners Patrick Whetter and Spike Thompson as a sales service and membrane manufacturing facility, servicing the superyacht market.

“This is a significant addition to the Group’s technical capabilities and manufacturing capacities,” said Ed Reynolds, president of Quantum. “This affirms and expands our commitment to the Fusion M process for assembling one-piece sail membranes, and gives us dramatic new capabilities to provide sails for the largest sailboats in existence.

“Since it introduced Fusion M sails in 2003, Quantum has faced an overwhelming demand that has exceeded production capacity. The addition of the Vela 2000 facility, along with the new Quantum Membrane Production facility in Malaysia which we opened in January of this year, will help alleviate this constraint.”

The Vela 2000 production facility is headed by Jens Jacobsen. With a doctorate in analytical chemistry, Jacobsen has helped make important advances in membrane construction process. “Jens’ expertise, combined with Quantum’s advanced production techniques will help insure that Quantum remains the leader in the field,” Reynolds added.

10/12/06

The Biz

Hard Times at West

We are a bit bummed that West Marine is having a tough go of things financially, to the point of closing some stores and reducing costs. According to CEO Peter Harris, West plans to close between 30 and 40 “underperforming” stores within the year. Ouch. It is worth noting however, that West's revenues were up, $264.5 million, an increase of 4.3 percent.

We are sensing a general industry wide slowdown, and this looks to be a solid indicator of exactly that. Read on.

08/11/06

Major Loss

The Supreme Court of Victoria in Australia has ruled against Major Engineering in the suit brought against them by Skandia for losing their keel in the Sydney to Hobart race. We have the court decision here and now it remains to see what, if anything, Skandia gets from Major.

08/08/06

The Biz

Fight The Power!

We don't imagine there are a lot of sailboats over 27' in the Alabama counties of Autauga, Elmore and Tallapoosa, likely just a bunch of fish killin' boats, but a suit has been filed against a law passed in April that bans boats over 8.2m (27ft) on three of its largest lakes. The suit claims the plaintiffs' constitutional rights will be violated by the boat ban and raises a civil rights protection claim. Read on.

08/01/06

Fight The Power Update

Yesterday we ran the story about a suit has been filed against a law passed in April that bans boats over 8.2m (27ft) on three of its largest lakes. We surmised that there probably were;nt too many racing sailboats there, but we are wrong! According to anarchist Mike Evans here is the skinny:

You would actually be amazed at the number of larger sailboats. Check out www.dixiesailingclub.com or www.harborpointe.net or www.lakemartin.com. I grew up in the Northeast sailing in Long Island sound. I have done a couple of Bermuda races race on a Baltic 48DP and currently live in Montgomery, AL. I have a 1974 C&C25 - not the typical boat for your site, but it is a family boat so I like it. I keep it on lake Martin and it is actually one of the smaller sailboats. There are a couple C&C27's and a couple of bigger Cals. What I really wanted to write about was the law. It is a joke around here. It is designed to keep the idiots with 90mph stink pots off the lake, but it goes about it all wrong. Wave action is a bullshit excuse as houseboats can be grandfathered onto the lake, and as long as you can get a manufacturer's statement that you can't hit 60mph you're OK... So I could buy a Hatteras that throws a 5ft wake and as long as it doesn't do 60 and is on the lake by Oct. 1 it should be granfathered. If you do some digging you can probably find some interesting OpEd pieces in the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper.

Best regards, and keep up the kick ass content.

08/02/0

The Biz

Open Up
We're happy to see our friends at Owen Clarke Design have a few new boats splashing the water of late, notably this new Open 60 Temenos. According to Owen Clarke, this is the first new Open 60 to be launched for the next Vendee Globe. Read all about it.

Speaking of Owen Clarke, their very fast design the Open 50 Artforms is listed for sale here at SA.

07/31/06

The Biz

Looks Like Marketing Did Know

Yesterday we ran a piece complaining about SP Systems name change, and the SP marketing guys sent us the following. Oh, those clever marketing guys...

Re your article in the Biz posted on 12th June relating to SP, I am glad to say that SP, its name and all the great things that it stands for will be staying.

SP will continue to engineer structures and develop products that have helped shape the designs of everything from AC boats to Superyachts, production cruisers to International 14's (Voted best racing class by Sailing Anarchy). In future, to strengthen the association between SP and Gurit, all SP products will carry a Gurit endorsement. Logo included.

SP has been owned by Gurit for some time and this restructuring sees all global offices within the Gurit group falling under one operational structure to improve operational effectiveness and increase speed of development of new products.

To celebrate being talked about, which lets face it is much better than not being talked about, we are offering one lucky Sailing Anarchy reader the opportunity to win an SP branded Murphy and Nye Americas Cup jacket. The first products wearing this new livery are shortly preparing to leave SP's manufacturing facility. To win this fantastic jacket, simply be the first to e-mail me a picture of you and an SP product sporting the new SP logo along with your size and address and the jacket is yours.

Terms and conditions:

At SP we all read SA and there is product everywhere, so sorry team, no SP employees may apply!

Cheers

Charles Duchesne
Marketing Communications Manager
SP

06/14/06

The Biz

Does Marketing Know About This?

When SP Systems is mentioned in this business, it is almost certainly known exactly who that is. How about Gurit? No? Well get used to it because that is SP's new name. Gurit Composite Technologies of Switzerland announced that SP Systems (Australia) Pty Ltd and SP Systems (New Zealand) Ltd have changed their names to Gurit (Australia) Pty Ltd and Gurit (New Zealand) Ltd.

Sure, takeovers are one thing, but how about ya just leave the name the way it was?

06/12/06

The Biz

Sacre Bleu!

We don't have a particular hard on for J/105's, in fact we are impressed that J/Boats has been able to sell so many of such an overpriced, underperformer and make it work as a very successful OD. There are problems however, not the least of which is the fairing controversy (see Round and Round below).

This may be old news to some, but we are seeing that French built J/105's aren't the same as US built boats and aren't race legal? The differences between the two are fairly substantial. Where is this issue at and what do you guys think about it?

05/03/06

J World

Round and Round
And Sanded Fair

In early April, the J/105 Class Officers decided it had enough with those cheater boats that longboarded their hulls and banned the practice. This was alarming to the fleet as probably one half to two thirds of the fleet were now rendered illegal. Even more alarming was the fact that the factory and dealers promoted the practice by offering it as an option. As noted on SA, many in the fleet wondered who these officers were and what were they trying to accomplish. The Minutes of the last meeting shed some light on their motivations: The Class President observed that "lots of money can be spent very fast on bottoms and we cannot ignore this." One Fleet Captain volunteered that "his fleet was just coming out of their shell and on a steep learning curve." Another added "Those two California boats look different." Another Class Officer stated "she had been out of the loop and not aware of problems. She is against using templates. The less said the better. The former Class President stated "the ill-advised TC Ruling brought embarrassment to the Class." To which the current President replied "he did not consider the ruling an embarrassment."

So folks there you have it. Democracy in action. This austere group the voted 19-2 to rescind the Ruling that reduced the J105 Fleet by at least one half. And the two voting to keep the Ruling? The TC Chairman and his cohort, the Class......Secretary! Good times!

05/02/06

Moving On

Not too long ago I posted a story in the SA forums about how much fun I have had and what a great experience the marine industry has given me. Shortly thereafter I was contacted by several people who read the post and wanted to inquire about the possibilities of me selling the Sailing Pro Shop. After entertaining several buyers I have finally found some folks that are a great fit and have decided to sell. They come from a strong business back grounds (They own other companies as well) and are avid sailors with an emphasis on racing. I will be staying on here at Sailing Pro Shop doing some consulting for them but will be handing over the controls at the end of this week.

It has been a fantastic ride and I want to thank all of the customers, vendors, and friends I have made along the way. I have not decided what I will be doing next but I have received some very nice offers from people who have gotten to know me over the last several years through my company and also through my postings on Sailing Anarchy.

Most of all though I would like to extend my appreciation for those of you who believe in supporting the smaller companies who do their very best to provide something that seems to be quickly fading from the American business environment: SERVICE- and technical knowledge.

If you are looking for a deal on foul weather gear or anything else for that matter, this would be the week to order it from us and remember to use the coupon code "SA" to insure the best price or mention SA when you call in your order. Thanks again, it's been a blast!

Best regards,

Mark Michaelsen
SAILING PRO SHOP

05/02/06

A W for Q

We are hearing that veteran sailmaker, superb sailor and good guy Keith Lorence is back in the game, this time with Mark Reynold's Quantum loft in Dago. We hear that Ullman was also in the mix, but that Lorence will play for the Q.

After suffering through the awful Genuine Risk program, Keith turns back to the sail biz, and this a real plus for Q in SD. A bit surprising that North wouldn't have snapped him up (again), but we'd guess some territorial jealousy from certain salesman reared their ugly heads. Couldn't have Keith come in and get the good orders, now could we boys? For sure Keith will get business and it will be interesting to see how it progressess.

Your Ed knows a thing or two about selling against North, as I did it for years, and with great success. Nothing was better than to take on the Evil Empire with the small Sobstad loft and dominate the big boat racing scene. A good if not better product, a superior sailor and a good personality wins at that game. It won't be quite as easy at it was with the big machine that is North, but look for Keith to rack up some wins with Q...

05/01/06

Guilty

A bad story has a bad ending. Three Sunsail employees were found guilty of the manslaughter of an 11-year-old girl. She and her two friends were trapezing on the 4.9m (16ft) catamaran when it capsized and Laura became trapped by her harness. The boat did not have masthead buoyancy so inverted and dragged Laura under the trampoline. Despite desperate attempts by the safety boat officers to free Laura, she had drowned by the time they managed to unhook her.

Here's the full story.

03/24/06

Done Deal

Looking shaky for a while, Simrad Yachting has taken over Lowrance Electronics. Simrad now owns approximately 95.6 per cent of Lowrance's outstanding common stock.

Navico (A wholly owned Simrad subsidiary) will acquire all of the remaining outstanding shares of Lowrance common stock by means of a short-form merger under Delaware law (US).

In this merger, Navico will merge with and into Lowrance and Lowrance will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Simrad Yachting. More.

03/13/06

China Girls

Looks like the Flying Tiger 10M has started a bit of a trend. Boats of course have been built in China for years, but there now seems to be a rush of race boats being built overseas. The new Stomp 38 is built in Vietnam, Green Marine in England has a new Thailand venture the works, and R/P and McConaghy have just announced a new Chinese built GP 42 that is now on the market. The search for cheaper continues....

02/28/06

Q Ship

Not to be left out of the overseas craze, Quantum Sail Design Group have announced that they have opened a new state of the art, factory dedicated to the assembly of its Fusion M sail membranes. The new 50,000 square foot plant, is located in Ayer Keroh in the state of Melaka, Malyasia is known as the Structural Membrane Facility (SMF) produces all Fusion M membranes for 60 Quantum sail lofts around the world. This will be interesting to follow in terms of price, delivery and the final product.

02/28/06

Over?

After a takeover by Simrad Yachting of Lowrance Electronics looked like a go late last month, shareholders have taken the company and its directors to court in order to block the deal. The proposed merger is said to be valued at around US$215 million. Last week, a Lowrance shareholder filed suit in Oklahoma's Tulsa County District Court, claiming that the proposed takeover was not in the shareholders' best interests and did not represent value for money. Welcome to the world of mergers and takeovers! Thanks to IBI News for the story.

02/08/06

Hey Big Spender

Everybody knows Larry Ellison makes big money, but maybe even the Oracle Pimp spends too much? It would appear his accountant thinks so. We think it is a gross display of wealth and only wish we were him.

02/02/06

Cross Over

Long time sailmaker and Midwest fixture Wally Cross today announced that he has taken his Detroit based sail loft and joined the Quantum Sail Design Group, leaving behind a long association with North Sails (and a number of lofts before that). The details of the deal were not known, but we'll see what we can find out.

01/05/06

Ultimate Goes North

Well at least the Ultimate 20. Jeff Canepa, founder of Ultimate Sailboats has announced the U20's new builder is Abbott Boats Inc., which is located at the base of Lake Huron on the U.S.-Canadian border. Abbott has been building Olympic-class boats for more than 50 years, according to Canepa. The U 24 and 27 are expected to get back into production again at their Monterey Bay facility, and look here for some exciting news from Ultimate very shortly!

12/07/05

Point Seven
No doubt hoping to cash in on the hugely successful Farr designed 36.7, 40.7 and 47.7, Beneteau has a new 34.7 ready to, uh, rock. There is a carbon rig option (although this should simply be made standard - not only because it is superior, but it will also avoid any OD class problems down the road). Sporting that big beneteau booty, the boat does have a sprit (which is kind of a pleasant surprise) and no doubt will continue the combination of just fast enough to be a decent club racer (with an emphasis on being IRC ready) and just enough interior for serious cocktailing. If the reasonable Beneteau price point is also continued with this boat, there is almost no way it won't be a success.

12/01/05

Rope Burn

Marlow Ropes Ltd, a UK manufacturer of synthetic fiber ropes, went into receivership earlier this month after the group failed to recover from rising debt. Marlow, which makes ropes and cordage products for use in marine, industrial, leisure and climbing applications, employs around 270 people at three sites across Britain. Kroll, the administrative receiver, will try to sell the business as an ongoing concern.Thanks to IBI for the story.

11/29/05

FLIBS Flip

Yes, after my "rant" two weeks ago regarding the pathetic management of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), we wimped and decided that I should attend anyway. I was right the first time. Show Management admitted an "80%" lower attendance, which decoded means the only people there were vendors and contractors. As evidence, one could walk up to any food vendor at high noon and get served without waiting. Imagine! Even the Bud Girls were bored. FLIBS management was somewhat taken to task in the local rag for consuming valuable electrical and communications repair resources to hold a "yacht show" while surrounding neighborhoods were dark. Many of the local vendors were without power at their homes and offices during the show. We joked that this was the only air-conditioning in town! Driving around the city was dangerous due to downed traffic signals and roadside debris. Hotels were in short supply and were using rooms to house workers. The airport terminal was still with a leaking roof, and many restaurants were struggling to open with partial infrastructure and limited staff. Remember, it's hard to get waiters and dishwashers when these folks are looking for blue tarps, and in many cases looking for their roof! And oh the smell of mold and mildew! Our industry suffers a difficult perception of "elitism" without rubbing folks noses in it. Was this the best use of our goodwill?

11/17/05

If You Build It....

Oh, they're building it, all right. Here is hull #1 of the new Flying Tiger 10M being laid up. With 67 boats on order, this project is in full production mode. The entire Flying Tiger story is amazing, and if you are new to what it is, be sure to check out the process that has been chronicled in the FT 10M forum.

11/14/05

66-1=Winner

After 66 orders for the new Flying Tiger 10 Meter (The Ed has hull # 17), there has been one cancellation. Read the e-mail below - it is very interesting to see what someone from the automotive design field has to say about the FT project:

Please accept this e-mail as notice of cancellation for hull #15. I feel really bad about this e-mail as I have been following this project from the first week on SA. I am also in the design field (Nissan Automotive) and I have never quite seen the design process work anything like this project. I would kill for even 1/10th the speed of this project. Unfortunately, work relocation will not allow me to see this project through but I really wish you guys the best.

11/1/05

Settled

Speaking of UK/Halsey, we hear that they have reached a settlement with the very litigious Peter Conrad of Sobstad, who had sued them for, you guessed it, patent infringement. Imagine Conrad suing another sailmaker for that? I know it is very hard to believe. Glad for UK/Halsey it is over. We reckon Conrad might know a thing or two about being over.

10/20/05

23/42

As a clarification regarding the NY 42, as part of the "deal" the first 30 hulls were promised to any NYYC member who would buy them prior to Oct 1st. After that they could go on the "open market." Additionally the price goes up after the first 30 hulls. At last count the NYYC has committed to 23.

10/10/05

It Takes Money....

..to make money, or so they say. Larry Ellison (BMW/Oracle) continues his quest to be the software king of the world. Despite everything, the guy remains an amazing figure.

09/13/05

"Bitter, party of one, your table is ready"


Hey we reckon we'd be bitter too if our once-thriving business had gone belly up. This is the message that can be found on the front page of the SailNet web page. A lot of people get burned when these things happen. Too bad. Here's the story.

7/29/05

Heaven Sent?

There is no doubt that a lot of startup marine companies are under funded from the get-go, often resulting in a tough financial road and an early demise. There is now a new venture capital firm called MarineAngels, that provides seed money, expertise and advice for the launch of new marine products. Likely a much needed way to get capital, but for anybody looking for dough from a vc, you'll need a to have good business plan, convincing product, a way to capture market share, and remember vc's want a return on investment and an exit strategy! Read on.

7/26/05

Dead

We understand that Sailnet is indeed dead, having closed their doors last week, and are not answering phones/e-mails. As to what specifically happened, we do not know but apparently new management came from the mail order business and knew little about the sailing world. Rumors are flying of course, but it sounds like big money was lost by the investors, and apparently the bank has taken a position on the property and the inventory. Some of the employee's are trying to acquire the Air Force Sails. .Bummer for sure and we'll keep you posted..

7/20/05

Buh-Bye

When a company states that a CEO is resigning "to pursue other interests," it almost always is corporate speak for "we're sucking and the CEO is getting the boot." This sounds like exactly the scenario at West Marine as they did indeed announce that chief operating officer Richard Everett is resigning "to pursue other interests", and they are sucking, to a degree.

In the latest quarter ended April 2, 2005, West reported net sales of US$125.3 million, down 3 percent from net sales of $129.2 million in 2004. Net loss for the quarter was US$5.5 million compared to a net loss of US$3.1 million. The company also said that same-store sales decreased 6.8 per cent, and that it was implementing "strategic" initiatives to promote long-term growth. Part of that "strategy" seems to be to sack the Big Cheese as well. It also downwardly revised its earnings guidance, saying it expected "flat" same-store sales for the year, while also opening 50 to 53 new stores.

16-Jun-2005

33 Billion Served

Benjamins that is, that were spent on all things boating here in the states, including pwer boat stuff. According to the NMMA's 2004 Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract, the annual barometer of the relative health of the US marine industry, total retail expenditures on boating rose to about US$33 billion in 2004, an eight per cent gain over the previous year. The Abstract was released to the press today at the American Boating Congress.

5/4/05

21 and Counting....

It is surely something that has never been done before in the marriage of sailing and the Internet - there are now 21 deposits for the new Perry Flying Tiger 10 Meter- and all of them generated by the buzz here at Sailing Anarchy! This is a brand new boat has not even been built yet and that so far has no marketing, no advertising, not even a web site! (All coming, btw). But there are very reputable people behind this 32 foot sportboat to be built in China, and obviously an active audience that is ready to spend some money! There are a number of threads in our B&G sponsored forums, about the boat, and of course stay tuned here for the latest news on this amazing story....

5/3/05

Insane in the Membrane

Another peek at yet another loft's internal memo. Good times.

Membranes continue to arrive here in XXX, and because of my schedule I have had the opportunity to be with XXX during the initial inspection. For those of you who don't know, XXX just spent a week with XXX in XXX and during his trip was able to make substantial improvements in the quality of the lamination. These changes with the continued improvement XXX has made on fiber layouts has improved the product by a magnitude of 10!

With total confidence and I can report that we now have a product that is superior to anything on the market. This combined with price and delivery should put you in a very strong selling position in the market. (current orders being placed for XXX's XXX product cannot be delivered until September)

Don't forget the XXX with Taffeta. This is a perfect product for Performance Cruise / Race clients. All reports regarding this product have been positive.

We need more orders!!!!! We now have 3 times the capacity we had in 2004. Let's use the advantage we have and take it to our competitors. Target the top sailors in your area, especially if they are new customers. Now is the time to strike. If you need help with any of these top clients, don't hesitate to ask for help from XXX, or XXX.

Sell! Sell! Sell!

4/18/05

Boat Builder Burden?

Apparently the recreational boat builders of this country have been chaffing about operating under special worker's compensation laws that were intended for commercial builders, and a politician is doing something about it.

HR 940, sponsored by Ric Keller (R-Florida), seeks to exempt the recreational marine industry from worker's compensation provisions aimed at commercial boat builders. We don't know much about it, so here is the story.

4/15/05

This Time For Real

We were right about the UK - Doyle merger, but it went south for various reasons. We again have it on good authority that UK is indeed going to merge - this time with Halsey Lidgard! Look for the details and an official announcement in the near future.

4/5/05

DeDoyle

Al Declercq's Detroit UK loft becomes Doyle as of April 1 - no joke. Word is he will purchase a share of Doyle and become one of the primary stock holders. Thus the primary owners of Doyle will become (if we have our score card filled in correctly) Doyle, McMaster, Bouzaid, Declerque each with about a one fifth share of the company. Meagher will get about a one tenth share and the remaining franchises will get the opportunity to purchase the remainder.

3/30/05

The WalMart of Marine Stores?

We understand West Marine is planning on adding 55 new stores this year, making their total somewhere around 425 stores in about 40 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. That in itself isn't a bad thing (is it?), but what's interesting is how they plan on continued growth. Since same-store sales are flat, they see the only way to grow is to not only go into new markets, but by going after "4,000 mom and pop stores." Just like WalMart, when a bigger, cheaper retailer moves into a market, the mom and pop stores can no longer afford to compete, with the result that many of them go out of business. Even more disturbing is that another way to add to the bottom line and keep those share holders happy will be to for West to "continue the expansion of its higher-margin "private-label" products, which are either sourced from current US vendors or manufactured offshore, and labeled under a generic West brand. This also is similar to the WalMart way - demand cheaper products from US sources, and go overseas for cheap goods - driving down wages and maximizing profits. Is it simply the way business today is often conducted and if so, is that the model West should follow?

24-Mar-2005

Another Suit?

Remember when sailmaking used to be about making sails? Not for some....Now that patent '639 has expired, guess who Elvstrom/Sobstad are threatening to sue now? Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner, we hear that E/S has sent letters to UK for violation of patent '080. Not sure what this means since Conrad gave license to UK for Tape Drive under '639 but told UK that '080 was not really applicable or necessary. Now that '639 has expired, he allegedly wants money for violation of '080! Anyhow since the Judge who heard the suit against North ruled that '080 was an extension or further definition of '639, no one is really sure if Conrad is on good ground or not. But then again when did you need to be on good footing to sue? Amazing.

3/4/05

En Fuego

Andy Burdick from Melges reports that they have sold five Melges 32's and ten Melges 17's at the Strictly Sail Show in Chicago. That is a nice couple of days work and of course great to see people getting momentum going in a couple of new classes, especially the 32.

2/8/05

Lot's O' Beach Balls

We understand that Beneteau has now built over 200 of the 36.7's. Impressive, and regardless of one's opinion about the boat, it proves that the market will respond favorably to a well designed, moderate performing, dual purpose boat that is priced right. There is a lesson there.

1/21/05

Gill Say No Mas

Well not completely. Marine clothing supplier Gill North America has sold its interests in the RWO USA line of sailing hardware to Tim Robinson of T-Marine for an undisclosed sum. The decision to divest the business, whose product lines include the Sea Sure, Hawk and Super Spars brands of marine equipment, is part of a strategic plan to focus on the group's core clothing business, which has recently expanded into Canada. Full Story.

1/19/05  

Dopes

A "hippy" boat captain. Drug free, no doubt.

According to a US Coast Guard study,drug use rate among licensed captains and crew, according to a US Coast Guard study, has risen since 2002. The National Marine Charter Association (NMCA) sent out a release noting that compared to other "safety-sensitive" industries like the airlines and railroad industries, the marine industry's rate of drug use has increased. Gee, what a shock. It is hard to imagine that the boating industry is littered with dopers and drinkers. Shocking.

01/10/05

"Is The Boy Crazy?"
- Richard Pryor

This sport and industry runs on enthusiasm, passion and money, and not always in that order. So when we hear of guys who have at least one of the above qualities for this sport, it is often worth noting. You can also ambition to this fella's description. We came across this from our friends from the Antrim 27 class. Enjoy.

My name is Mike Allison. I am President and majority owner of Renaissance Sailboats, LLC. I believe Jim Antrim may have already sent a comment or two to you regarding my relationship to Ultimate and my plan to get in touch with you, so I want to follow-up and introduce myself. Specifically, I want to provide you with background information regarding Renaissance, our relationship to USI, and our role in the future – and future success - of Ultimate sailboats. Read on.

1/5/05