ABC of Sailing News Feed

Air Guard Hydroplane Championship 2010

SAN DIEGO � H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes will return to Mission Bay September 17-19 for the Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men. H1 Unlimited drivers will embrace the thrill of adventure, racing deck to deck at more than 200 mph during the San Diego Bayfair festival.

A competitive twelve boat field is expected to be on Mission Bay for the three-day event with two veterans battling for the season high point title. Steve David, defending series high point champion and three time winner in 2010 piloting the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto is looking to build on his 506 point lead over 2010 Gold Cup Champion Dave Villwock in the U-96 Spirit of Qatar.

"As presenting sponsor, Degree Men is excited to bring H1's adrenaline-fueled moments to the drivers and fans during this thrilling event,� said Ernie Hoover, Unilever US Customer Marketing Director � Personal Care. "Whether it's working out in the gym, the office, or racing at 200 mph, Degree Men gives guys top sweat and odor protection allowing them to perform at their best.�

Beyond the presenting sponsor title, Degree Men is partnering with Schumacher Racing to field the U-37 in striking Degree Men livery. With two APBA Gold Cups and several National High Points Championships and Unlimited Hydroplane Drivers Titles on his resume, team owner and former racer Billy Schumacher embodies the spirit of Degree Men and knows how important it is to stay cool during those adrenaline-fueled moments.

In announcing the agreement which led to the return of the world's fastest race boats to Bayfair after a one year absence, H1 Chairman Sam Cole commented, "This is a fantastic moment for our sport. Racing in San Diego's Mission Bay with the Air National Guard as the race sponsor and Degree Men as the presenting sponsor makes this truly a world-class event for fans and competitors."

Cole continued, "We're honored and excited to be able to showcase our sport with these nationally known motorsports sponsors. We will be following the NASCAR Air Guard 400 on September 11 with the Air Guard Championship presented by Degree.�

"We're thrilled to have H1 Unlimited returning to San Diego," added Jeff Thomas, chairman of San Diego Bayfair's Board of Directors. "We feel there is no better place than Mission Bay to admire the beauty and the speed of the hydroplanes. Racing fans are in for an action-packed three-day event."

Former CEO and President of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Scott Carson and his wife Linda are also supporting the event financially in honor of American military serving in Afghanistan. The Carsons have a son-in-law currently serving there.

2008 Bayfair winner Jeff Bernard will return in the U-5 Formulaboats.com, currently in fifth place on the high points ladder. Bernard's team mate J Michael Kelly, winner of the final event of 2009 is in second place driving the U-7 Graham Trucking with Brian Perkins in the U-21 Miss Albert Lee Appliance in third.

The automotive powered hydroplanes of the Grand Prix West series will also compete at Bayfair. The GPW boats were the featured class at Bayfair in 2009.

The Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men will be the fifth race on the H1 Unlimited 2010 circuit. Immediately following the event, the top ten boats in the fleet will be shipped to Doha, Qatar for the second running of the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship on Doha Bay November 19-21, which will conclude the season.

The Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men will be seen on the Versus Network on Saturday, October 16, and will be streamed live on the internet by Tampa Digital Studios. For more information on San Diego Bayfair, visit www.sandiegobayfair.org.

Gulf Coast - 100 days after the spill

DESTIN, Fla. - Wednesday marks the 100th day since the oil spill began, and business owners across the Gulf Coast who've seen the tourists disappear hope that somehow the next 100 days will get better.

The man in charge of making that happen is oil spill czar Kenneth Feinberg, the former special master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. He's in Destin, Fla., on Wednesday meeting with jittery business owners to explain just how he plans to use the $20 billion fund set up by BP to pay for "legitimate" claims.

For many businesses in this region of the Gulf, it isn't the oil that has hurt them the most, it's tourist anxiety. When vacationers are jittery they book trips elsewhere, even if there's no oil on the beach. And according to Feinberg, these types of claims will be some of the toughest to fulfill.

On Tuesday evening, there was no tar on the beach near the Back Porch, a seafood and oyster house located on the beach front in Destin, but also missing were the tourists.

"It is not going to be a typical summer," said Buddy Marler, one of the managers at the seaside restaurant, looking out over the beachfront bar where about 30 to 40 people waited for a table. Normally, Marler says, he'd expect closer to 200 people to be waiting for a table on a Tuesday in the summer.

Revenue is down between 10% and 20% at his establishment this summer, Marler said.

Still, despite their uncertainties and because of non-refundable deposits they don't want to lose, some visitors have decided to vacation in Destin. They have a great time, said Marler. But overall, summer 2010 isn't looking great.

Toni Richardson, a resident of Okaloosa Island, a neighboring beach to Destin, said the nail salon she visits is "dying on the vine." She says the owner is beside herself because she depends on tourism dollars.

Richardson has lived on Okaloosa Island since August of 2006. She has noticed a drop off in the number of tourists this year, "absolutely, without a doubt." While there have been sporadic tar balls on the beaches in this area, Richardson said that the sentiment in community meetings is that the media "blows it out of proportion."

Businesses in the region hope that the fear wanes and tourists return in full force next summer.

But for now, they are concerned with how they'll get paid, and they're not too sure who's most to blame for keeping the tourists away.

"Do you blame BP for the oil spill or do you blame the media for putting out the word?" asked Marler at the Back Porch.

Source: www.eturbonews.com

Laura Dekker Forced To Stay Home

The would-be youngest solo around the globe sailor, Laura Dekker, has been stopped once again, as Dutch child protection services in the Netherlands request judges, to lengthen her supervision by 12 months.

Laura says she is totally ready for her 24 month solo sail around the world. She is resolutely determined to complete the trip before Sept 2012, when she turns 17.

Spokesman for the council said the application has been made, because they fear for the girl's emotional and social development. "A 14-year-old child cannot appreciate the risks of a solo trip of this nature."

Following a court ruling, Laura's plans to set sail last September were put on hold through the intervention of child care officials. She was placed under their supervision until July 1, when the school year closed.

Running away to the Dutch Caribbean island territory of St Martin, in December, she violated the court order. The supervision was extended to August 1st when the Police ushered her back home.

"We were able to show the court today that she has met all the court's conditions, and an independent sail expert has approved her sailing plan, " her lawyer Peter de Lange said.

De Lange said, "Laura has obtained a first aid diploma, registered with a distance education facility to continue her schooling at sea, gained solo sailing experience and learnt sleep management techniques.�

In May, following a harrowing twenty three thousand nautical mile journey and two hundred and ten days at sea, Australia's Jessica Watson, became the youngest person to sail around the world non-stop, solo and unassisted. Jessica completed the challenge only three days before her 17th birthday.

An American teenager was pulled out of the ocean after her yacht floundered in the Indian Ocean in June, as she tried the solo sail. Particularly after her collision with a 63,000 ton Chinese bulk carrier, during pre-voyage trials, critics had declared her too young and too inexperienced for such a perilous journey.

Guinness World Record no longer allows the category of the �youngest or oldest solo sail around the globe'. Australian Jesse Martin gained the record in 1999, at 18.

Source: www.prlog.org

Parents of Young Sailor Should Be Held Accountable

Ex-White House aide Robert Weiner and Noah Merksamer, policy analyst for Robert Weiner Associates, are asking why Lawrence and Marianne Sunderland are not being prosecuted for endangering their daughter, a minor, by allowing and expediting her extremely high risk, life-threatening solo boat voyage around the globe.

In a column in the July 4 Ventura County Star (California), the paper near the Sunderlands, Weiner and Merksamer say, "On June 10, sixteen-year old Abby Sunderland of Thousand Oaks, CA nearly lost her life -- with her parents' permission. Instead of merely questioning the decision of Laurence and Marianne Sunderland to place their daughter in the middle of the Indian Ocean by herself during storm season, the media should be asking why legal action has not been pursued."

The authors cite California Penal Code 273: Any parent who "willfully causes or permits that child to be placed in a situation where his or her person or health is endangered" can be charged with Child Endangerment.

Weiner and Merksamer continue, "The young would-be world sailor became stranded in a remote part of the ocean when a storm wrecked her boat, Wild Eyes (even the name is a message). Waves and hurricane force winds left her helpless in the broken sailboat."

"If leaving an infant in a hot car for too long is considered a felony by California's child endangerment laws, shouldn't sending a minor on an enormously high risk, solo voyage across the globe, with no rescue boat or plane nearby, qualify?"

Weiner and Merksamer include the possibility that Abby's voyage was a publicity stunt for the parents -- the father engaged in discussions for a reality TV show but so far has turned down the contract.

Weiner and Merksamer assert, "Parents are supposed to guide teen know-it-alls. None of us is that far removed from our teenage years, when we thought we had judgment but later realized we hadn't. That's what parents are for. We fondly look back and remember our parents saying 'No.'"

"This is the second time that the Sunderlands have expedited their children to risk life. Last year, they allowed Abby's brother Zac, 17, to undertake a solo circumnavigation of the globe."

source: www.prnewswire.com

Public Boat Ramp Closed

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division closed its public boat ramp at Lay Lake on Shelby Co. Rd. 400 for renovations to the ramp. It will remain closed through early November.

The closure is necessary in order to replace the existing ramp, which has begun to break apart due to undermining and age. There are numerous public and private boat ramps at the lake that can adequately accommodate users until the work is completed.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com.