Laird

Laird Hamilton, world class big wave surfer and pioneer of tow-in surfing, braves two of the biggest wave breaks in the World. In this video Laird faces one of the most significant waves of his life, at the legendary wave break in Tahiti named 'Teahupoo', which in Tahitian means, "End of the Road". Monster waves are also featured in Lairds home break, in Maui, named 'Piahi' meaning "The Beacon", or affectionately known as 'Jaws'. The series of clips is set to the music of "Touched" by Vast.

Watersports By The Bay

Check out this cool beach video with every watersport known to man! Watch it here.

Zap Cat

70 Million Sold

I love my iPod. This little device has changed the the way we listen to music and it will never be the same again. I have two 20 gigs, one for the house and one for the car. Both are filled with some of the greatest music in the world. Yes I was a big fan of Napster, then Limewire and now Usenet. If you haven't discovered Usenet you should take a look. And of course a lot of my music comes from iTunes. But the cool thing is, it all comes back to the iPod. It goes with me everywhere. My run in the morning, my sail in the afternoon and the other day I saw a guy swimming with his iPod (in a waterproof case of course). Here is a cool video on the history of the iPod from the Discovery Channel. If you like, you could rip it and play it on your iPod!

Bumfuzzle Crew on TV

Two 30 somethings hit the high seas and become celebrities as they sail around the world on their cat. They have just about completed their sail around the world. At present they are in Puerto Rico and are featured on a local TV program. Watch it here.

Amazing Biker

Sailing 100 kph

There is a new boat that is being manufactured that can cruise at 50 and at the high end go over 100. How would you like to be on the bridge of that boat? Can't wait! What about things that go bump in the night at that speed??? Check the new monofoil here.

Speed Sailing

Found a neat little vid of the speed sailing championship. These guys are flying around the water at almost 40 knots. That is extreme! The world record holder Finian Maynard is there doing his best to fend off the competition. He holds the world record at 48.70 knots from 2005 at the French trench. When will he break the 50 knot barrier??? The video is here.

Shark Park

Here is a nice little surf video of Shark Park near Santa Barbara. With a nice wipeout too! Surfs up!

Vision Statement

Found a cool video on Stumble and wanted to share it with you. I plan to put a statement together for my dream of sailing to New Zealand. I will share it with you soon. What is your vision for yourself?? Pull it together and share it with the world!!

iBar

Please Do Not Feed The Animals

I have seen lots of morey eels on my dives. They are scary looking guys with big teeth. Steer clear. This guy was a little too casual and lost a digit because of it. Be sure to watch the entire vid as the end has a surprise for you.

iPhone Does Windows Too

The new iPhone is coming to an Apple store near you. And it does Windows too! How cool is that? A cross platform phone. Who would have thunk it? Get one in June. !

Spring Break...Yeehaa!

Here in the Bay Area it is looking a bit like spring. Temps this weekend will be close to 80 in some areas. My nephew Danny is coming in from the east coast for his spring break from college. He is an intern for Ken Burns, the documentary god. He has been working with Ken on his latest project that will be out soon on PBS. It's a historical look at America's National Parks. Danny is keen on seeing Yosemite for the first time so we are heading there for a few days. Yosemite has a special place in my heart, as my first visit was with a friend who grew up there. He took me on the famous hike to the top of Half Dome in 79'. If you have never done it, you should. Past two amazing waterfalls, thru Little Yosemite Valley and finally up the cables to the top of the world. I have taken over 100 folks to the top since then. It's an all day affair and when we were doing the hike you could camp on top for the night. No more, however. When you finally reach the summit, you feel like you have really accomplished something extraordinary! After Yosemite we are off to Tahoe for some downhill skiing. And to top off the week, a little sailing on the bay! Being from the east coast myself, I just love the California lifestyle. Can you tell? So see you all in a week or so. Happy St. Pats too!

Clipper Ventures Race Around the World

Do you ever have that thought that little old ordinary you wants to sail around the world? It's a daunting dream and one that very few folks can ever hope to accomplsh. Enter famous sailor, Robert Knox Johnson, the first man to circum in a race. Back in 96' he put together a race that was open to that ordinary person who wants to break out of their comfort zone and do something epic with their lives. No experience neccesary. Ordinary people doing extrodinary things is their credo. The race has 18 stops along the way and you get to skip Cape Horn and head thru the canal instead. There is still time to join the race if you are so inclined as they depart from Liverpool in September 07 and should return in July 08. Are you ready for the adventure of your life??

Sailing is a Metaphor for Life

Sailing is one of life's most simple metaphors; that each day is an adventure into new waters, best savored when you realize you cannot control the direction or the speed of the wind, but that you can adjust your sails accordingly.

Blue Hole

SCUBA diving is one of the most sublime sports around. One of my favorite dives was a drift dive in Cozumel, MX. We dropped over into the azure Caribbean waters and decended to 60 '. This is where the magic happened. The vis was about 100'. We came upon an immense wall that dropped down so deep you could not see the bottom. A wonderful current of about 2-3 knots picks us up and we were flying past beautiful fish and scenery. The feeling of moving and floating at the same time was magnificent. We continued for 20 minutes in this mode and I was so eleated with the sensation of flying over the reef. That dive was with my wife on our honeymmon 14 years ago. It is still very fresh in my mind. One of the places I want to dive is just down the road in Belize. Have you heard of the Blue Hole? One of the most fascinating locations in the diving world. Read about it here.

Get High!

I have featured Sail.tv before and it has a ton of great video. Now there is a new kid in town. - High.tv. The video site features the best of extreme sports that includes, surfing, windsurfing, base jumping, kyacking, bmx and much more. Check it here.

Have a better weekend than this guy!

When you need to get to the water quick!

Online Sail Course

Learning to sail a boat is not that difficult. Learning everything about sailing the boat is a long process. Here is an online course that can help you learn along the way. What it comes down to is that learning to sail is a never ending process. There are always things to learn and many things to master. This couse can help you on your way. Click here, grasshopper.

Cruising Essentials

Here I go again. I have written ad nauseam about the consequences of complicated systems on a cruising sailboat. I would stop except that at every new harbor we visit, we hear the radio crackle with skippers looking for knowledgeable technicians or waiting desperately for parts to arrive. Lots of money then changes hands. With North America being comparatively rich and most Caribbean island nations comparatively poor, this transfer of wealth is probably a good thing. Yacht systems repair has become a significant part of island economies, and technically challenged owners of complicated boats can find consolation in the humanitarian gesture of contributing to the prosperity of those less fortunate.

However, boat repair dollars are not all yachtsmen spend, and those that give up the enterprise early, worn out by seemingly endless breakdowns, take with them the dollars they would have spent on food, booze, transportation, communications, entertainment, etc. More to the subject at hand, a long-planned cruise ends early and badly.

So, I thought I would just share with you the wisdom of first-hand experience and provide a list of equipment you need to go cruising and also a list of equipment you don’t need. Neither list is all inclusive, nor are they intended to be, but I hope the items I have elected to place in one camp or the other will provide food for thought. The point is that the less equipment you have aboard, the less there is to fail. As a side benefit, you end up with a larger cruising kitty when you start out, all of which you can still hand over to islanders, but hopefully deriving more enjoyment from the exchange.

Continue reading here.