Pics of the Day

"I told you that cow tipping only pisses them off!"


"They say you are highly intelligent, but who is in the boat and who is in the water?"

Amazon Shows Off New Music Store

Amazon is debuting it's new music store which features DRM free music. That's doesn't mean free music, it means there are no restrictions on the music. Music lovers rejoice! iTunes has all sorts of caveats as far as who can listen, how many times you can burn a CD, and how many computers can play the song. Amazon just gives you a nice little mp3 file that has no restrictions. Also, the new store is compatible with Macs and the songs will play on any type of mp3 player. They also feature over 2 million songs from many of the major labels. Check it out here.

Water Park in China

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Northern Lights Explained

What causes the Northern Lights? Think of it this way...

Somebody throws handfulls of confetti in front of a huge fan. Soon it looks like a snowstorm in the room as the air is filled with tiny bits of paper.

Another person stands on the other side of the room with a big vacuum cleaner, holding the nozzle up into the air. A third person holds an electrified metal heating grid over the opening of the vacuum nozzle.

The vacuum starts to pull confetti out of the air, but before the bits of paper can enter the nozzle, they hit the grid - bursting into flame.

The Sun's magnetic field (the fan) throws charged particles from its atmosphere (the confetti) out into space (the room). As these particles near the Earth they are pulled in by its magnetic field (the vacuum), which pulls them down to the magnetic poles (the nozzle). Before they can reach the Earth, the charged particles hit the Earth's atmosphere (the grid) and collide with the gases found there. The reaction between those particles and the gases creates energy, and the energy is given off as light - the Northern Lights.

Trivia Question: Everyone talks about the northern lights...is there a southern lights and if so what is the official name?? Answer soon!

Throw Out Your TV!

Here is a very comprehensive list of many of the websites that offer TV shows and movies online. They are all free and easy to access. Have fun!

Sailing Quote

"That's what a ship is, you know, it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs. But what a ship is,... really is, is freedom". -Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

Jimmy's New Sled

Earlier this year, Mr. Buffett purchased a new sloop. Her name is "Groovy" and she is berthed in St. Barthelemy, FWI. She's a Tofinou 9.50 (about 30'), designed by Michel Joubert, and said to be as fast as she is expensive. Since were talking about books, take a lounge in a hammock and read his round the world trip on his classic Grumman amphibious plane, called "A Pirate Looks at Fifty." Trying to land his plane in any water area was a diaster as the athorities thought he had to be a drug runner. He got around it sometimes by giving the feds his t-shirts and CD's. Here is a look at GROOVY!

Classic Reads

"We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. But the only thing that worried me was the ether. There is nothing more irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge..."

-- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
----Hunter S. Thompson

More Bonehead Moves!

Life Explained

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral of this story is: ......... Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

Love This Shot

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Birthday Celebration!

So today is my 49th birthday. The weather looks good for a birthday sail on the bay. My friends Ed and Yvonne share my birthday week and they will be joining me for some cruising on Addiction (our Newport 30). We have owend this 1981 sloop for 7 years now and she has turned out to be a dream come true. We just installed a killer sound system with speakers attached to the dodger. We can hook up an ipod and it sits in the cockpit so we can control the playlist and volume without having to go down to the nav station. Should be a beautiful day on the bay and a great way to celebrate 49 years on the planet! Here's a pic of our boat - Addiction.

Click the pic for a much larger view.

Pic of the Day

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Talk Like a Pirate Day 9-19

Today is the big day! Get out their and make somebody walk the plank!


Handy phrases and vocab:

Ahoy: Hey!
Avast: Stop!
Aye: Yes
Black spot: to be 'placin' the black spot' be markin' someone for death.
Booty: treasure
Buccanneer: a pirate who be answerin' to no man or blasted government.
By the Powers!: an exclamation, uttered by Long John Silver in Treasure Island!
Cat o' nine tails: whip for floggin' mutineers
Corsair: a pirate who be makin' his berth in the Med-...Medi-...that sea 'tween Spain and Africa, aye!
Davy Jones' Locker: the bottom o' the sea, where the souls of dead men lie
Doubloons: pieces of gold...
Fiddlers Green: the private heaven where pirates be goin' when they die.
Furner: a ship which be yer own, not one ye steal an' plunder.
Gentlemen o' fortune: a slightly more positive term fer pirates!
Go on the account: to embark on a piratical cruise
Grog: A pirate's favorite drink.
Jack: a flag or a sailor
Jolly Roger: the skull and crossbones, the pirate flag!
Keelhaul: a truly vicious punishment where a scurvy dog be tied to a rope and dragged along the barnacle-encrusted bottom of a ship. They not be survivin' this.
Landlubber: "Land-lover," someone not used to life onboard a ship.
Lass: A woman.
Lily-livered: faint o' heart
Loaded to the Gunwales (pron. gunnels): drunk
Matey: A shipmate or a friend.
Me hearty: a friend or shipmate.
Me: My.
Pieces o' eight: pieces o' silver which can be cut into eights to be givin' small change.
Privateer: a pirate officially sanctioned by a national power
Scallywag: A bad person. A scoundrel.
Scurvy dog!: a fine insult!
Shiver me timbers!: an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud.
Son of a Biscuit Eater: a derogatory term indicating a bastard son of a sailor
Sprogs: raw, untrained recruits
Squadron: a group of ten or less warships
Squiffy: a buffoon
Swaggy: a scurvy cur's ship what ye be intendin' to loot!
Swashbucklin': fightin' and carousin' on the high seas!
Sweet trade: the career of piracy
Thar: The opposite of "here."
Walk the plank: this one be bloody obvious.
Wench: a lady, although ye gents not be wantin' to use this around a lady who be stronger than ye.
Wi' a wannion: wi' a curse, or wi' a vengeance. Boldly, loudly!
Yo-ho-ho: Pirate laughter

Windsurf Icon - Robby Naish

Ice Windsurfing

Pics of the Day

Pic of the Day - Six Rainbows at Once.

They say there are six rainbows in this picture. Possibly from light reflected off of the lake. I only see three. From Norway. Click it to see the larger view.

Mini Transat Starts This Weekend

I don't feature many posts about racing but this is about as extreme and compelling as it gets. France to Brazil, 4200 miles, 30 days of racing on a tiny boat, single hand. Are they nuts? Watch this great video of one man's campaign to race for the roses.

A New Island in the Pacific!

I saw this before but this is the complete series of photos. Imagine you are sailing towards the the South Pacific and you come upon some debris in the water for as far as the eye can see. What is it?? Click here to find out.

4 Billion Years of Evolution - Carl Segan

History Lesson: Tow In Surfing

Click the pic for a bigger view.

Tow-in Big Wave surfing was not born overnight. Peabi, known as Jaws, was there way before our time, creating huge waves for hundreds of years. It was us that didn't find out about it until very recently. Only a handful of people knew about the place, but no one dared to surf it until they came up with this new way of surfing that enabled man to ride bigger waves. Back in 87' or 88', I was staying at this house called Jungle House, where Bret, one of the strapped crew lived, and Kalama, Laird, Mark, Mike, Rush, and all the boys used to hang out, party and talk about waves and new maneuvers. I remember their stories fascinating me and wishing I could feel the same sensation.

I remember them talking about this place called Jaws, miles upwind from Hookipa, where the waves hold up till, who knows? Back then they weren't thinking of surfing there, they were trying to figure out how to sail there. One day, some guys made it through the big close out sets in Hookipa and started sailing upwind. It took them approximately an hour and a half to get there, but they made it to Jaws and rode a couple of waves. It wasn't that big, but large enough to scare' em and give' em the taste of how powerful and destructive the waves are. As far as I know, this was the first attempt of people trying to ride waves in Jaws.

A long time ago, surfers used to go down in the pineapple fields and sit on a cliff just to watch those waves, and even thought of surfing there. They called it Dome's because of the dome house at the corner of the road before the Atom blaster. Someone once said laughing, "there ain't many places named before anyone surfs the spot!"

Around the same time, some guys like Laird Hamilton tried to windsurf Jaws. Laird Hamilton moved to Maui, started all kinds of new things and blew people's minds. Suddenly, he was the world second speed windsurfer, strongest big-wave waterman, and paddled many international channels and canals. Laird was also trying his idea of having the foot stick to the surfboard when doing aerials. He made his dorky Velcro booties and put the other side on the deck. People were laughing at his ideas and dorky looks, but he was dead serious. He once said "You can never be afraid to be a kook. If you do you will never learn anything new, and that is a lot worse than being laughed at." After trying many schemes, the idea of soft footstraps on a surfboard struck, and many people started bust huge airs and spins. With these straps on big waves, you could suck up the bumps on the face and keep the surfboard more easily in control.

Meanwhile in Dabu, Laird, Darrick Doerner, and Buggy Kerbox started to surf outer reefs with the power of a Zodiak to avoid the scene in Wainea. Paddling out to outer reefs was dangerous and hard enough, and paddling into waves, almost impossible. Those waves were hard to get by paddling, with huge risks of getting hurt, breaking boards and even drowning at times.

They thought of using this method of wakeboarding and getting pulled by the zodiak to create enough speed even when the waves weren't peeling. They tried it and each rode 10 - 15 waves an hour and had the best time of their lives. All of these experiments came together for their attempt to try riding the waves at Jaws. It was definitely the opening of a new realm for them.

That was more than ten years ago. Since then, with the evolution of their sport, the equipment and designs of boards have changed so drastically. With this progression in surfing, they faced some close calls, which made them very aware of the huge risks they are taking and they started training for rescues.

No matter what it is, starting something new is always hard and takes a lot of time and effort. It may look easy to ride those massive waves using jet skis, but it took many years and much experimentation to get there, so other people can now follow their footsteps and enjoy the thrill of riding the monsters.

Riding big waves at Jaws is not just a winter thing. They live with the thought of riding it all year long. They train, in the winter doing many other activities, which keeps them in shape and stay aware of the water and the other elements.

After facing a very dangerous near-death incident, every one of the members took a Rescue and CPR course and constantly trained together with lifeguards. They simulated every situation imaginable and strengthened their teamwork to avoid risks. The fact that they all rely on each other in times of peril brought them closer than ever. To ride these dangerous waves, you need to be a good surfer, a damn good surfer, but that's not good enough. You have to be mentally ready. You have to want it very badly and be willing to wait for the day because you will be waiting, waiting a long time, and you have to be ready to deal with the monster at anytime.

In an article I just read, Gerry Lopez states, "I recently realized the importance of waiting time in surfing. In fact, I feel the real essence of surfing lies in waiting for the waves."

It is so true when you think of it. Waiting for the waves, which is never permanent or predictable makes you learn about life and how you should deal with it. You should never rush or panic. You have to be patient and now exactly what you want. Don't get in a wrong current and believe in your instinct. So many things go through your head, but you have to keep calm and go for the right one.

There is another famous quote of Gerry's that often stays in my mind "The hardest thing in surfing is being there". You have to be ready to ride the waves but you never know when they will come or when they will be good, but you want to be in the best shape to ride them the way you really want. It's a constant battle of mind and body and it can become your whole life's work. Tow-in surfers have dedicated their lives to surfing and the ocean. They have waited for a long time and have taken years to prepare for the waves. And it's never over. As the swells are created in the Aleutian seas every winter, these surfers keep surfing themselves and wait for THE ONE time and again.
- TOMO

Share your Playlists With The Entire World!

So I have been working with iTunes since the day it came out in January 2001. It is an amazing app that can do many things. One of my first frustrations, however, was that I had all this muic and I could only listen to it on my computer. Then along came the iPod and that helped. Then Airport Express came next and I could beam my desktop music down to my stereo in the family room. That was way cool. I have several in the house and now with a little app called Airfoil (this app allows you to use any app for broadcasting, not just iTunes), I can beam the music anywhere in the house as long as I have an Airport in that room. Very sweet. But still limiting. What if I want to share my latest playlist with my friend in Delaware? Even Airport Extreme isn't that strong! So I stumbled upon ths cool website that allows me to share a good portion of my playlists in iTunes with the entire world!!! Now that is one sweet broadcaster! No, not a broadcaster, but rather a website that allows you to upload your playlists in .xml and then share with anyone you want. Now I can share my playlists with you. The best part....it's free! If you would like to hear some of my cool tunes and share your playlists with the ones you love, click here.

Land Sailing

This looks like a lot of fun. You could do it just about anywhere. Check out the vid here.

Great Article on Steve Fossett

No matter where he pitches up on the globe, Steve Fossett has always managed to phone home. Steve Fossett's life has become one long adventure. With the aid of his satellite mobile, Fossett has rung his long-suffering wife of 39 years, Peggy, from Bournemouth, having just completed the first solo non-stop flight around the world…from Tanzania where he had climbed Kilimanjaro…from a Royal Australian Air Force rescue helicopter which had lifted him to safety from the Coral Sea where sharks and saltwater crocodiles were queuing up for lunch…from Boston where he had run the marathon…from Le Mans where he had completed the 24-hour car race…from Calais where he had swum the English Channel…from the frozen wastes of Alaska where he was competing in a 1,165-mile dog-sled race…from every remote outpost you can think of where they stage ballooning, 'iron man' triathlons, cross-country skiing marathons or whatever.
Alarmingly for his family and friends, such as Sir Richard Branson who describes his close pal as "the world's greatest living adventurer", not a word has been heard from Fossett since his private plane went missing over the Nevada desert on Monday. Having set 116 world records or 'firsts' in the air and on water, he was looking for a suitable stretch of land on which to challenge the world land-speed record.
Part Christopher Columbus, part Charles Lindbergh and part Phileas Fogg - the 63-year-old Chicago billionaire financier was the first man to circumnavigate the world single-handedly in a balloon - I last interviewed Fossett during a brief lull in his activities in 2000 when he told me: "There is still something very, very romantic about going round the world, either by plane, boat or balloon - and I am very much a romantic."
Perhaps it was his failure to win a place on his school swimming or cross-country teams that explains his craving to test the outer limits of human endeavour. "As a boy, I always read biographies of the great adventurers. I kind of grew up on National Geographic with its accounts of fantastic adventures. Maybe that's why I climbed my first mountain at the age of 11. My own adventures have gradually taken over my life. This is what primarily I do, much more so than business." Read on.

60 Days At Sea

Erden has been rowing the Pacific for 60 days now in his quest to reach Australia. He has about 1500nm under his belt with another 4500nm to go. He hopes to stop at Christmas Island for a break but that is another 1500nm away. So far he has done amazingly well. Check out his logs of the trip here.

Shark Attack

Quote of the Day

The sea lies all about us. The commerce of all lands must cross it. The very winds that move over the lands have been cradled on its broad expanse and seek ever to return to it. The continents themselves dissolve and pass to the sea, in grain after grain of eroded land. So the rains that rose from it return again in rivers. In its mysterious past it encompasses all the dim origins of life and receives in the end, after, it may be, many transmutations, the dead husks of that same life. For all at last returns to the sea – to Oceanis, the ocean river, like the ever-flowing stream of time, the beginning and the end.”

(Rachel Louise Carson) The Sea Around Us [1951], ch.14

Pic Of The Day

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Doin' The Delta 2007

You can read about our sailing adventure on the delta here.

Bonehead Move!

Click me for the full view.

Darkside of the Rainbow

You may have heard about the synchronicity of The Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. You know, start the CD on the third roar of the MGM lion kind of stuff, but have you ever tried it? You should, because there are some amazing coincidences here. PF has always denied any connection but there is something fishy going on in OZ! Check out this cool site that brings all the facts to light. Then roll a fattie and go enjoy the show.

Trouble at Black Rock

It seems we have a problem at Burning Man. The annual counter culture get together has turned sour. On early Tuesday morning as many of the burners were admiring the full eclipse of the moon, someone purposely tourched the Man 4 days early. The climax of the week is usually on Saturday, but this year an arsonist has struck. Sprits are still high and the perp has been hauled away. Burn on!

Doin' The Delta

We are off for a five day sailing trip to the delta! This will be my 4th trip to the San Joaquin River. It is about 45 miles away and takes a good chunk of the day to get there. Once there, its fresh, warm water, hot days, very comfortable nights and the livin' is easy. I'll have a full report upon my return on Monday. Have a great holiday weekend and get out there and do some sailing!!

Sailing Movie - Deep Water

Deep Water is the stunning true story of an amateur yachtsman, Donald Crowhurst, who enters the very first solo, nonstop round the world boat race. He put everything on the line to enter the race. And ended up going mad! For a look at the trailer, click here.

New Update for Google Earth

Google has just released a new version of Earth and it has a great new feature. Now you can cruise amongst the galaxies with the flick of your mouse. Want to see which stars will be in your backyard tonight? No problem. Download the latest version here.

Top Ten Pics Taken By Hubble

clipped from treebeard31.wordpress.com

Hubble telescope’s top ten greatest space photographs 

The Sombrero Galaxy - 28 million light years from Earth

The Ant Nebula, a cloud of dust and gas whose technical name is Mz3, resembles

In third place is Nebula NGC 2392, called Eskimo because it looks like a face

face surrounded by a furry hood.

At four is the Cat’s Eye Nebula

The Hourglass Nebula, 8,000 light years away

In sixth place is the Cone Nebula. The part pictured here is 2.5 light years in

years in length (the equivalent of 23 million return trips to the Moon)

The Perfect Storm, a small region in the Swan Nebula, 5,500 light years away

Starry Night, so named because it reminded astronomers of the Van Gogh painting.

The glowering eyes from 114 million light years away are the swirling cores of two merging galaxies called NGC 2207

The Trifid Nebula. A ’stellar nursery’, 9,000 light years from here, it is where new stars are being born.

Roz Abandons Her Ship

After her row boat capsized twice and she lost her sea anchor, Roz was airlifted off of her boat and is back on terra firma. Another wave caused her to hit her head on the cabin. Now her boat is adrift and waiting for her to return. Below is a video of her rescue. For the full story,
click here.

Roz Fighting Her Way Across the Pacific

Roz has hit some big winds as she rows her way across the worlds biggest ocean. During the night her craft was capsized twice. With it's ability to self right, she is fine. Because it is so bumpy out there she is having a hard time sending her usual updates. Check out her blog here.

Mark Foo's Last Ride

Twenty-two miles down Highway 1 from San Francisco, a craggy fist of land called Pillar Point thrusts emphatically into the cold Pacific. Friday, December 23, 1994, dawned fair over this stretch of coast. Mountainous waves crashed against the headlands, spraying up billows of mist that unfurled languidly across the beaches. Beyond the end of the point, some 15 surfers bobbed in the muted winter sunlight, scanning the horizon for approaching swells. It was not uncommon to see surfers off the point--a spot they called Maverick's--dressed in heavy, hooded wetsuits and sitting astride oversize boards. But the hovering helicopter, the three boats of photographers just outside the surf line, and the throng of spectators lining the cliffs suggested that this was no ordinary surf session.

For more than a week, the largest, most perfectly shaped waves in a decade had been thundering over the reef at the end of Pillar Point. Word traveled quickly over the international surfers' grapevine: Maverick's, one of the world's heaviest waves, was going off. Upon hearing the news, a trio of renowned big-wave surfers from Hawaii--Brock Little, Ken Bradshaw, and Mark Foo--hurried to California to join the local crew in the surf. Read on.

Top 100 Music Sites

There is an amazing array of music available on the web. Here is a list of the top sites for music in many different formats. Checkout finetune.com where you can make a playlist and embed it on your blog or send it to friend. I have put together a playlist of some of my favorite tunes below on the right. Please take a listen.
Have Fun!

Tube of the Year - Pipeline

Insane Windsurf Clip

Quote of the Day

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. -Robert A. Heinlein

Jumping Ship!

Ran across an unbielivable story of a couple that survived almost 20 hours in the ocean after their boat sank. Read the account of the adventure here.

Pic of the Day

Click the pic for a full size view.

Tokyo Wave Pool - No Thanks.

31 Wheel Roller Suit

31 Wheel Roller Suit - video powered by Metacafe

Google Takes Over the World

Here is a very clever presentation on where our information will come from in the very near future. You and I maybe the sources by which the news is created in just a few short years. To see the clip, click here.

The Perfect H2uh0 Sport - Surf Boat Down Under

Th Best of the Wedge!

This is one of the sickest waves on the planet. Gnarly, dangerous and sometimes unridable. Editor's note: Ride at your own risk!

Classic Movie Clip

Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask

Perseides Meteor Show This Weekend

I am a huge fan of meteor showers. I was once on top of a volcano in Maui during the annual Leonid shower and it was spectacular. If you venture out late Saturday night into a dark area, you may see as many as two meteors a minute. They will eminate from Cassiopeia (the big W in the sky). What you are seeing is tiny dust particals from the Swift-Tuttle comet brushing against our atmosphere and burning up. These particles are smaller than sand yet appear to be huge when they light up and race across the sky. So get your honey, spread out a big blanket under the moonless sky and enjoy the show!

Endless Summer Clip

Steve Fossett - Managing Risk

Here's a great article by Tim Zimmerman about a man who has broken more world records than anyone else. If there as a record for breaking records, Steve would win it. He balloons, flys and sails the world on some of the most ammazing machines ever built. Read the article here.

Top 25 Moments on Seinfeld

One of the greatest shows on TV, here are the top 25 moments "about nothing".

Helix Nebula

A mere seven hundred light years from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. Nearly 11 hours of exposure time have gone in to creating this remarkably deep view of the nebula. It shows details of the Helix's brighter inner region, about 3 light-years across, but also follows fainter outer halo features that give the nebula a span of well over six light-years. The white dot at the Helix's center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, central star. A simple looking nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry.

On a More Serious Note...

Sail boat cruising is a wonderful way to travel the world. It can also be a very dangerous way to travel. You can have a well built boat, all the safety gear you can imagine, a competent crew, and still get into a whole lot of trouble out there. Even if you have all the technology working for you with weather charts and maybe an onshore router, you can still get onto a mess out there. Here is one man's story of doing all the right things, but running into a storm that is so ferocious, there is nothing he can do to save the boat. Read his story here.

Cat in a Bag

Part of sailing's exclusive reputation is due to the considerable cost and inconvenience of owning, transporting and storing watercraft. A UK company has just made the sport far more accessible, with a range of small, sporty 2-person catamarans that fold up and fit into a convenient carry bag - so it's now possible to take your own boat on holiday with you, or become a weekend racer with your boat stored in a cupboard through the week.
You've got to applaud the sheer practicality of the MiniCat. It takes the sport of sailing into a new realm of accessibility. You don't need to worry about mooring or slippage fees, boat trailers, garages or even a roof rack. You can keep a sailing boat at your holiday home, or take it anywhere in a car.
The MiniCat weighs less than 40kg, and folds up into a 1380 x 280 x 280mm sports bag. It takes around 30 minutes to assemble, once you've got your head around it, and less than 20 to pack up again at the end of the day. Assembly and tear-down can be done completely by hand.
Three models are available, all sporting a 3.75 square metre mainsail. The Super model adds a 1.75 square metre jib, and the Sport a 1.4 square metre jib, a sandwich-design high-rigidity mast, and a rollfork. The 3.1 metre twin inflatable floats are made of abrasion resistant Valmex, which is used in the construction of white-water rafts and should hld up to plenty of abuse. Float-mounted keel fins should allow the MiniCat to be sailed in shallow water without too much risk of damage.

Rings