Fall Tech & Gear Review

Be sure to get your copy of the Fall Yachting Times Magazine (Also available digitally at yachtingtimesmagazine.com ).

Learn about the most inspiring and beautiful sails made and the man behind them.

Daniel Gohstand, creator of ImageSails

 

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Fairwinds and Godspeed to Sailor, Lifetime SSCA Commodore – Ginny Osterholt Filiatrault 1936-2015

Ginny Osterholt Filiatraut wasn’t just a friend, she was a pioneer and a mentor, who helped me steer a course through often times murky waters. Ginny lost her battle with aggressive ovarian cancer at the age of 78, after a courageous fight. Her husband Jacques was at her side always as was their dog Buddy at their home in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Ginny in her home SSCA office back in 1977. Photo courtesy Ginny Filiatrault

I got to know Ginny when I was Editor of the Commodore’s Bulletin for the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA). I had recently landed in Fort Lauderdale after my husband and I had cruised from California, taking four years to cruise. It was my first job as an editor and since Ginny had held the very same position (as well as Office Manager, Treasurer, Secretary and Director of the Board!), and she always had both words of encouragement as well as direction for me.

Moving on to cruising magazines after my three-year stint, I kept in touch with Ginny via email and  tried to offer her the same support she gave me when she would run up against push-back with a new Board of Directors or expressed her opinions about how the organization should be run.

Ginny and Jacques aboard Jonathan, Jacques 42-foot custom ketch. Photo courtesy Ginny Filiatrault.

 

Ginny became Editor in 1975, helping to move the fledgeling organization from California to South Florida. SSCA went with her when ever she moved and her enthusiasm for the group never wavered. Born on October 3, 1936, she was an only child who started sailing early, at the age of 9. She helped her dad build a sailing dinghy to sail around in Santa Monica, California and later, at age 12 she lived aboard a 34′ Seagoer yawl with her dad. By the age of 15, she bought her own 12′ lap-strake sailing dinghy to rebuild. She met the founders of the SSCA who lived aboard in Coronado and joined in 1955 when she was living aboard her 37′ Hanna Carol, Bojac (a requirement back then!) and just 18 years old. Over the 55 years that she was involved with SSCA, she contributed immensely. In her own words, Ginny described her first experiences as a live aboard in San Diego…

“We were a very close knit family and shared the dream of cruising and living aboard! Camaradarie was strong as we caringly helped each other in so many ways as were the SSCA traditions formed by our Founders in 1952!” (SSCA Commodore’s Bulletin, November 2007).

Ginny with SSCA Director Steve Leeds at the 2007 Gam in Melbourne, Florida.

She spent the last six months of her life working tirelessly again for SSCA, gathering all of her photos of her time with the organization, some 90 albums, for scanning, and was finally honored recently with the title of SSCA Historian. She would have celebrated 60 years as an SSCA Commodore this June.

It was her tenacity, talent and trust that made her a lifetime sailor and often times a thorn in the side of SSCA’s directors and managers. She always had an opinion and wasn’t shy about sharing it, often in the form of long-winded emails to everyone on her list. Though there were times when she was “off-base” with regard to a given topic, Ginny usually had something to say that needed to be heard. She was truly the glue that kept this important organization together. Her truth will be missed.

88’s Dear One…

Ginny holds a photo of herself with another Lifetime Commodore, Babe Baldwin.

Ginny, Jacques and Buddy. Photo courtesy of Ginny Filiatrault.

Photo courtesy Ginny Filiatrault.

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ActiveCaptain helps NOAA Revive “Magenta Line” Safe Route

From: Boat US News:

It’s over 70 years old, a thin magenta-colored line appearing on over 50 different navigational charts covering the Atlantic Coast and Gulf, snaking along the route of the Intracoastal Waterway. Now, thanks to NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey and a public-private partnership with Active Captain, an interactive cruising guidebook, NOAA will be updating the “magenta line” on all of its newly-issued navigational charts to help keep boaters in safe waters. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) submitted comments on the proposal to NOAA, who had initially proposed removing the line entirely. However, responding to BoatUS’ and other boaters’ comments, NOAA will tap into users of Active Captain to update the route in an on-going effort that will benefit the boating community.

The thin magenta colored line marking the Intracoastal Waterway is like a yellow brick road for boaters transiting the East and Gulf Coasts. Credit: Boat US

“Some boaters had assumed the magenta line, which was last updated in 1935, was a precise route through safe waters,” said BoatUS Government Affairs Senior Program Coordinator David Kennedy. “However, over time the forces of nature made the line inaccurate as shoals shifted and underwater topography changed, leading some boats into shallows, over dangerous obstructions, or even into land. We thank NOAA for a change of course in keeping the magenta line, listening to boaters and coming up with a creative public-private partnership that recognizes the value of this important guide to navigation.”

The magenta line appears in charts covering all Intracoastal waters, and is essentially two distinct routes along the eastern US and Gulf Coasts totaling about 3,000 miles in length. Said Captain Shep Smith, chief of NOAA’s Coast Survey’s Marine Chart Division, “Today’s decision to reinstate the magenta line is not a quick fix. It will take at least three years to fix problems that were 70 years in the making.”

Boaters may contribute to the updating effort by joining Active Captain at www.activecaptain.com.

Jeffrey Siegel, owner of ActiveCaptain said in his recent newsletter, “In September 2013, US/NOAA began asking boaters for feedback on the “magenta line” – the magenta colored overlay on US charts showing the recommended route of travel for the various US intracoastal waterways: New Jersey, Atlantic, Dismal Swamp, Florida West Coast, Gulf West, Gulf East, Okeechobee Lake, and Okeechobee Rim. The line first appeared in 1912, saw a major update in 1935, with only rare updates since then. This has caused many tense moments as the real channel has shifted away from the marked channel leaving boaters confused about the correct path. ActiveCaptain hazard markers have helped with those, “what do I do here?” moments.

The feedback from boaters was heard loud and clear by NOAA. They claim that 99.9% requested that NOAA maintain the magenta line rather than remove it.

How will they go about fixing the magenta line?

That was part 2 of the NOAA Coast Survey announcement. They have added ActiveCaptain to their “cartographic toolkit in the chart evaluation system.” Last year NOAA licensed the ActiveCaptain data for internal use. We wrote some custom software to make it easier for the cartographers to use the hazard data you provide to help update charts and fix the magenta line. The first part of the software has been delivered to NOAA for their use.

NOAA approached us because they were already using the hazard data to locate problems but had to manually search on areas of interest to see what needed attention. Now hazard changes are automatically presented to them so they can quickly go through the changes and determine whether additional surveys or chart changes are needed.”

 

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BoaterRated and Arbitration Resolution Services Announce Affiliation Agreement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contacts:   L. Carl Schellbach, Jr. – 1-877-292-7440, carl@boaterrated.com

                                 Thomas P. Weber – 1-888-934-1777, tweber@arbresolutions.com

Stuart, FL., August 12, 2013 – BoaterRated, LLC, which operates the leading independent marine business review website–where boaters rate and review boating businesses–and Arbitration Resolution Services (ARS), which has developed the ideal environment for alternative dispute resolution using binding arbitration, today announce that they are teaming up in order to bring a value-added service.

The new service allows BoaterRated Partner Businesses™ to use ARS services at reduced fees for all parties to a dispute.

“BoaterRated.com exists to help the boating community get more enjoyment out of their investment and to help marine providers increase their level of customer service,” said Carl Schellbach, Partner of BoaterRated LLC. “Needless to say, not all boater experiences with providers are great, although many of the not-so-good ones are generally resolved when the provider’s attention is drawn to an issue. The Partner Business feature of a 14-day Reconciliation Period has resulted in a good number of amicable resolutions. We’re always on the lookout for ways to help boaters obtain the best products and services available. So, for situations that are not resolved during the Reconciliation Period, ARS offers an attractive path to a fair resolution and we’re glad to be able to offer it on terms equally favorable to all parties in a dispute.”

Tom Weber, CEO of Arbitration Resolution Services, adds, “Litigation is always a last-ditch and usually overly expensive effort to resolve disagreements. Arbitration offers a far less expensive and less adversarial solution to problems that can arise, and indeed have arisen in my own boating experience. ARS is an efficient way to accomplish the process, and at far less cost than hiring lawyers and court time to resolve an issue that usually involves less money than the legal fees and court costs would total.”

BoaterRated.com and Arbitration Resolution Services are offering a reduction in ARS’s standard fee schedule to businesses enrolled in BoaterRated’s Partner Business Program™. Mr. Schellbach says “We’re always seeking to add benefits for Partner Businesses to help them better serve the boating community, we see this as a great addition to the portfolio.”  Mr. Weber goes on to say “We share BoaterRated’s commitment to objectivity and fairness and for that reason we are glad to offer a discount to all sides of a dispute that comes to ARS for resolution. BoaterRated Partner Businesses demonstrate their commitment to a high level of customer service, and that commitment really shows when things get a little tougher and the business wants to make things right as efficiently as possible for all.”

###

About BoaterRated:

BoaterRated, LLC owns and operates BoaterRated.com, an easy-to-use, independent review website where boaters can offer ratings and reviews of local boating businesses, and where those businesses can easily enhance their “get the word out” efforts. For more information visit www.BoaterRated.com and explore!

 About Arbitration Resolution Services:

ARS provides first-quality easily facilitated online arbitration services to companies and individuals. ARS is creating a seismic shift from the expense and hassles of courtroom litigation to online arbitration using innovative software technology that makes online arbitration accessible. ARS makes the resolution of disputes accurate, quick, and cost effective! For more information about ARS and the arbitration process, visit www.ArbResolutions.com .

                                                                                                        

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2013 America’s Cup Opens to Crowd of 30,000+, Time Trials Cancelled Today

After months of waiting, wondering and lots of speculation, the 2013 America’s Cup finally opened yesterday on July 4th with the grand Opening Ceremony on the main stage at the America’s Cup Pavilion.

Opening Ceremonies at America’s Cup Pavilion. Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

Sailors of the four teams contesting the 2013 America’s Cup—ORACLE TEAM USA, Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Challenge and Artemis Racing were introduced to cheering crowds from their home nations and just about everywhere else.

ORACLE TEAM USA.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

The 34th America’s Cup is being hosted in the U.S. for the first time since 1995 and will most likely be known from now on as the “San Francisco America’s Cup.” At least according to S.F. Mayor,  Ed M. Lee.

The Opening Ceremony featured cultural performances from the four competing nations, including the native New Zealand Maori performing arts group Te Waka Huia, by the tenor Pasquale Esposito from Italy, and Sweden’s Voices of Sweden Choir. The Recycle Percussion troupe performed a rousing rendition of The National Anthem on behalf of the U.S..

Te Waka Huia from New Zealand. Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

Additional performances were from Misa Malone, from the cast of Beach Blanket Babylon, who sang “San Francisco,” and Nayah Damasen, an 8-year-old from San Jose, Calif., who sang the National Anthem. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard and the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps ushered in the American flag and the flags of Italy, New Zealand and Sweden.

Team flags are presented.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

The ceremony included a poignant tribute to Artemis racing team member Andrew “Bart” Simpson, who was killed in an accident when their AC72 flipped over during practice.

Teams honor fellow-team member Andrew “Bart” Simpson.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum © 2013

The park officially opened shortly after noon time with San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, Monique Moyer, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco, Valérie Chapoulaud, the CEO of Louis Vuitton Americas, Charlotte Schultz, the Chief of Protocol for the city and county of San Francisco, and the ACEA’s Barclay, participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the entrance to the America’s Cup Park.

Opening fanfare.
Photo: Nancy Birnbaum, © 2013

The AC72 Time Trials that were scheduled for today have been canceled due to strong winds this morning.

“At 9:00am the wind is over 20 knots on the race course area and the forecast is for it to increase as the day goes on,” said Principal Race Officer John Craig. “The right decision is to keep the AC72s out of the parade and time trials today to keep everyone in good shape for the first day of racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series, on Sunday.”

The boat parade will continue as scheduled, including the replica of the yacht America, but there will no AC72s participating.

On race day afternoons throughout the Summer of Racing, the America’s Cup Pavilion stage will showcase local performing artists free to the public. The Opening Weekend features five local bands with the first of these performances on Friday, July 5, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm PT.

The headliner act is New Diplomat, an American Alternative – Electronic Rock band. Featuring members from around the world, the band formed in 2010 and has since gathered a significant following, blending a combination of alt rock, indie pop and electronic music.

The opening act is The Five Hundreds, a San Francisco-based classic rock band that plays a mix of well-crafted original songs and high-energy rock and roll covers.

For the complete program and race schedule, visit americascup.com.

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Dolphin “asks” diver for help to remove fishing line/hook – Touching video

Dolphins are some of the smartest beings on our planet.

I have always known the amazing intelligence of dolphin and all cetacean. This video captures an amazing relationship, though brief, between a Bottlenose dolphin and a diver who is there when it mattered.

The Backstory:

A wounded dolphin approaches a man during a night dive.

Its behaviour seemed to point that it’s asking for help.

Attached to its left pectoral fin was a plastic wire (fish line).

The diver removes the embedded hook & cuts the majority of the line, leaving only a very little piece.

Watch the trust that the dolphin shows towards the diver.

It looks as if it knows exactly what the man is doing.

At the end the dolphin swims away, freed from the fish line.

http://bcove.me/v8w3uyp2

Beautiful and compelling.

Begs the question: What have you done today to help save our oceans?

Here’s a list of a few:

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Sting to Headline at New America’s Cup Pavilion on Pier 27/29 in SF

America’s Cup Pavilion Set to Open on Piers 27/29

World-renowned Musician Sting to Perform on June 2

The America’s Cup and Live Nation are proud to present the America’s Cup Concert Series at the America’s Cup Pavilion, located between Piers 27/29.   The America’s Cup Pavilion will host multiple events in the summer of 2013 in San Francisco’s first outdoor, waterfront concert venue.

Sting, the multi-Grammy award winning musician is the first headline act to be announced. Tickets for the concert, part of the critically acclaimed Back to Bass world tour, will go on sale beginning Friday, February 22nd at 10am at Ticketmaster.com. Additional events will be announced throughout the concert season that runs through October.

The America’s Cup Concert Series is a major live entertainment initiative in support of the America’s Cup Park on the Embarcadero, intended to create a vibrant, public space with a full range of activities for sailors and non-sailors alike.

The new, temporary, 9,000 seat venue will be centered in the America’s Cup Park on Piers 27/29 and will host a wide range of events including concerts, family shows, community and business events, comedy, as well as America’s Cup race activities and viewing sessions.

The America’s Cup Park at Piers 27/29 on the Embarcadero is the center of event activities during the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco. This is where fans will find team bases, interactive exhibits, food and beverage courts, as well as shops featuring their favorite team gear. This is also the place to come on race days for the Dock-In and Dock-Out shows, as well as team and guest hospitality.

The America’s Cup Concert Series will run throughout the summer of 2013 and coincide with the Louis Vuitton Cup (the America’s Cup Challenger Series), the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup and the America’s Cup Finals.

“The America’s Cup is one of the world’s great sporting events and by partnering with Live Nation we can create a fun atmosphere with both entertainment and educational opportunities in the family-friendly environment of the America’s Cup Park,” said Stephen Barclay, CEO of the 34^th America’s Cup. “San Francisco’s storied music history is part of the fabric of this great community and we plan to continue to celebrate music and culture as part of the America’s Cup.”

“We’re honored to partner with an event as prestigious as the America’s Cup to bring an exciting new entertainment venue to San Francisco,” said Jodi Goodman, President of Live Nation Northern California. “An outdoor venue in the City of San Francisco is long overdue.   The America’s Cup Park will truly add to our rich San Francisco culture and bring more value to our City and its waterfront.”

The stage and seating on Piers 27/29 will allow America’s Cup organizers to host a range of both ticketed and non-ticketed events. In addition to a full music line-up, the amphitheatre will offer daytime shows featuring educational topics themed around the America’s Cup and race viewing opportunities on a large screen.

Construction is set to begin in spring of 2013 with the first events anticipated by mid-May 2013 and running through October 2013.

The next Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series (July-August 2013), leading to the America’s Cup Finals (September 2013), will be held for the first time in San Francisco Bay, a natural sailing arena, in AC72 wing sail catamarans.

 

Courtesy of America’s Cup.com

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Boaters – What’s on Your Holiday Wish List?

The New Holiday issue of BayPop Magazine is available online now.

http://www.baypop.com/

Check out my column “Ship Chic” and discover the most luxurious yachts & yacht toys available for your wish list.

Enjoy!

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Swingman – The story of a Fort Worth firefighter who, against all odds, overcomes a paralyzing injury

World Premier at  2012 Dallas VideoFest

Occasionally there comes a story that’s outside my regular posts on boating/sailing. Like this one… it’s worth sharing.

Full disclosure: This is about my Brother Mark’s film – Swingman, which premiered this past weekend at the Dallas VideoFest. He’s made a lot of great documentaries, and this one looks like another winner.

The film made its world premiere last night at the Dallas VideoFest 25. Mark Birnbaum’s documentary tells the story of a Fort Worth firefighter’s life and emotional journey after a biking accident left him a quadriplegic, and does so with without ever resorting to schmaltz or sentimentality. The subject of his film, Captain Marshall Allen, and Allen’s friend and biographer, Alexandra Allred, were present to view the film for the first time.

In a recent interview about the film, on “Know Shi*.com,” Mark tells writer Gordon K. Smith, “It’s great that our film will be in the 25th anniversary of the Dallas VideoFest,” he adds, with praise for the VideoFest’s artistic director, Bart Weiss.”

Read the entire article HERE.

I hope I will get to see this film in the near future, perhaps in a theater near me!

Good luck, Mark!

For more information on Mark’s work, visit his website at www.markbirnbaum.com.

 

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“AC Express” Arrives in San Francisco

The Fun Begins

AC Train arrives in San Francisco. Photo: SLewis/ACMedia

29/06/2012, Newport (USA,RI), 34th America’s Cup, America’s Cup World Series Newport 2012, Racing Day 2, Luna Rossa Vs Oracle Team USA Coutts.
Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget/ACMedia

The America’s Cup Express, a train stretching 1.5 miles long, rolled into San Francisco Tuesday ahead of the first San Francisco Bay racing less than a month away. The 121 railroad cars are carrying precious cargo required to move the America’s Cup World Series and the teams into the host city of the Cup ahead of racing between Aug. 21 to 26, 2012.

“In less than one month, we’ll be racing for the very first time on San Francisco Bay,” said Stephen Barclay, CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority.

“This train represents more than just another stop on the AC World Series for us,” Barclay continued. “The arrival of the train today is the first step in our move ‘home’ to San Francisco.”

August’s races are part of a preliminary series designed in part to boost interest in the main event in San Francisco in 2013.

Crowds enjoy racing in Newport (USA,RI) at the 34th America’s Cup, America’s Cup World Series Newport 2012. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Cup organizers held an event on Pier 80, the home base of the Oracle Racing team, to celebrate the arrival of the America’s Cup Express, that came from Newport, R.I., where an earlier round of races ended July 1.

In coming weeks the Cup organizers will begin assembling an America’s Cup Village on the Marina Green, a collection of shops, educational booths and other entertainment where race fans can watch the competitions.

Riding the Green Train

“By our calculations we saved 30 percent in our carbon emissions coming across,” said Barclay.

San Francisco officials said it was the first time in a decade the city’s historic rail lines in the southeastern section had been used for such a massive load of cargo. The rails were heavily used decades ago when the Mission Bay area was a hub of industry.

Monique Moyer,
Photo: SLewis/ACMedia

“In those days the city had cattle farms on the west side and the slaughter yards were on the east side,” said San Francisco Port Director Monique Moyer.

Longshoremen will begin unloading the containers this week and hauling the yachts and racing gear to Piers 30, 32. The piers will serve as the home base for a fleet of 13 international teams competing in the America’s Cup World Series from August 21 to 26 on the San Francisco Bay. The race is a tune-up to the America’s Cup event in 2013.

In the meantime, Barclay said spectators will be able to view the teams practicing on the bay for weeks leading up to the event.

“I think for the first time ever they’ll be able to almost touch the boats,” said Barclay. “They’ll see the boats moored down at the Marina Green.”

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