Camouflage

Joy for Joyon

Frenchman Francis Joyon reclaimed the solo round-the-world sailing record by a massive 14 days in the early hours on Sunday, his on-land team said.
Joyon, who beat the record set by Briton Ellen MacArthur in 2005, reached the finish line near Brest in the northwestern tip of France in his red trimaran IDEC in 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and six seconds.
"I have no vocation for being a hero, my vocation is for doing my job well as a sailor," Joyon told journalists after his arrival at Brest.
"I'm happy because I came back earlier than expected and I made the record more difficult to beat," he added.
The 51-year-old, whose previous record was beaten by MacArthur in February 2005 by one day, managed the feat despite being on the brink of failure during the final 10 days because of damage to his 32-metre mast.
Joyon left Brest on Nov. 23, rounded South Africa, Australia and the tip of South America before heading back for French shores.
He broke several intermediary records along the way, crossing the Indian Ocean in nine days, 12 hours and three minutes and the Pacific in just 10 days, 14 hours and 30 minutes.
"Until Cape Horn, which I reached in 35 days, the boat was sailing at 100 per cent of its potential. Up the Atlantic, it was getting more difficult and in the last few days the boat was only at 85 per cent," he said.
"However, to beat such a record, what you need above all is for the sea to let you through. As I respected the sea, as I respected my boat, as I went round the Earth without polluting it, the sea let me through."
BYM has an excellent review of his sail here.

Team Nokia - 18 foot skiff

For some very nice overhead shots and a great soundtrack, here is some more action.

2007 Darwin Awards

The Darwin Awards are given out to those individuals who are helping the gene pool by removing themselves from it. This years awards have been awarded and you can see them here.

Pirate Kings

Ever want to know more about the pirates and adventurers of yesteryear? For instance, did you know it was Magellan who named the Pacific for it's placid waters? For a very cool look back, click here.

SoCal Sufer Greg Long Wins at Mav's

Greg Long received a perfect 10 in the finals and rode to victory on a beautiful day in Half Moon Bay. The contest had some some pretty good waves in the 20 foot range. There were some lulls here and there but not a bad day at all. During one of the lulls, the six finalists got to talking and decided that no matter who won, they would split the purse evenly among the group. That way the pressure would be off and they could just have fun! What a cool thing to do. Just after that decisoin, a huge 35 foot monster rose up and Long timed it perfectly. He was almost free falling off the lip then he caught a rail and down the face of the wave he went for the best ride of the day. Many of the top riders like Mel and Flea did not even make the finals. After not having the contest last year because of lack of waves, the organizers wanted to make sure the contest went on this year. 40-50,000 folks turned up to watch however since the waves break 1/2 mile out, there wasn't that much to see from the beach. Congrats to Mr. Long! To watch the highlights of the finals, click here.

The Green Light for Mav's Surf Contest!

They just lit up the green light for the Men Who Ride Mountains Surf Contest at Maverick's in Half Moon Bay, Ca. The top riders (26 of them) in the world are now winging their way to SFO for some waves that will change their life. The contest will be held on Saturday, January 12th. Waves are predicted to be in the 20'-30' range with no wind. Could be a fantastic set up for the boyz! The word from the organizers is to watch it on the web and don't worry about trying to get to the beach to watch it. There is a very fragile ecosystem in place and last year a mom was critically injured when a 200 lb. boulder fell on her as she was watching from the beach. For those interested, you can watch it here. COWABUNGA!

Stream and Download Music for Free

The landscape of free music on the web is changing everyday and it can be difficult to stay on top of it. In an effort to keep you on top, we have featured several posts on free music on the web. Here is a link that will introduce to a whole new batch of related sites. Have fun!

Flying at the Gorge

Steampunk Retro Computers

Stars and Planets

This video will show you how small and insignificant our planet is in comparison to other planets and stars in our galaxy.

Pic of the Day

Click the image for a larger view.

X-Games

Jaws - Maui

Top Ten Sail Bogs of 2007

The Tillerman has been busy selecting last years top ten list of blogs about sailing and water sports. Check the list here.

Tin Can Almost Ready to Sail Away

David Vann has had an interesting career at sea. He has sailed 40,000 sea miles, had many misfortunes at sea, sank a 90 foot steel boat in the BVI's and is abut to shove off in an attempt to sail around the globe on a $25,000 home made steal boat. Many have called him crazy, more have said he has a death wish. One thing is for sure, the guy is determined to make a go of it. He hopes to become the first American to make it around from the west coast. You may remember last year when Ken Barnes was attempting the same when his boat rolled over near Chile and he had to be rescued far out at sea. Time will tell if David will be able to endure the rigors of this solo challenge. We at H2uh0 wish him the best of luck! Read an article about David here.

Larid Hamilton - Big Wave King

Pic of the Day

Click for a larger view.

Undersea Hotel

Jules Undersea Lodge
Key Largo, Florida, U.S.A.

The original undersea hotel, where suitably qualified divers must swim 21 feet below the surface to gain access to this 2 roomed hotel. Kitchenette, TV and beds await those who choose to book.

When guests visit Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, they discover that the name is no marketing gimmick. Just to enter the Lodge, one must actually scuba dive 21 feet beneath the surface of the sea. Entering through an opening in the bottom of the habitat, the feeling is much like discovering a secret underwater clubhouse. The cottage sized building isn’t short on creature comforts: hot showers, a well stocked kitchen (complete with refrigerator and microwave), books, music, and video movies. And of course there are cozy beds, where guests snuggle up and watch the fish visit the windows of their favorite underwater “terrarium”. Jules’ Undersea Lodge manages to reach a perfect balance of relaxation and adventure.
The interior has two living chambers, each 20 feet long and 8 feet in diameter. One chamber is divided into two 8 x 10 foot bedrooms; the other is an 8 X 20 foot common room with dining and entertainment facilities. Between the two chambers is a 10 X 20 foot “wet room” entrance area with a moon pool entrance (similar to a small swimming pool), a shower and bathroom facilities.

Voliton

“Volitan” is a new concept sail-vessel that consumes no fuel, instead uses alternative energies. Her name comes from “flying fish” and she is a new symbol of raising awareness about sustainable use of resources on the sea. IDA 2007 Boat/Neutical Sub-category 1st design award winner with also Transportation Category 1st Design award winner.

The Volitan’s systems are controlled and optimized by a networked computer. Whilst sailing, wind and solar energy are harnessed and stored in the boat’s batteries, enough to stay operational thru day and night.In extreme weather conditions, they fold up against the boat but have no fear because the Volitan is engineered to operate in up to 60 knot winds.