Passions at gale force, like the breeze forecast for this evening, following yesterday’s heart stopping one second win to Alinghi.
Race officials were keen to ensure the challenger final completed before a southerly front blasted the city and Alinghi and BMWO headed out in the two New Zealand boats before 9am, with winds on the gulf blowing a steady 15knots, low cloud and mist shrouding the dormant volcanoes and Auckland’s ‘Sky Tower’. The seas were building and tide on the ebb across the start line down the course; the photogs strapped themselves to the front of the ribs!
The other major battle, about which owner has the biggest superyacht, was on in force in the harbour, with shining examples of some of the most stylish yachts in the world, but this battle was easily resolved when Cunard’s Queen Victoria berthed overnight.
A maximum of two races were planned for the day…Â More info
Times are tough, so the Miami International Boat Show is going overboard to make it easier to buy a boat.
The 68th Miami show, which runs today through Monday at three sites, will have an Affordability Pavilion to help people find boats that can be financed for $300 or less per month.
The pavilion, which has appeared at other boat shows, will feature fishing boats, runabouts and personal watercraft such as an Angler 173F ($250 per month), the 20-foot Carolina Skiff 218DLV ($219), a Polar Kraft Bass Series TX175 Pro ($125) and the Yamaha VX Cruiser and VX Deluxe PWCs ($59).
Those in the market for a boat should find good deals at the show…Â More info
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 former German beauty contestant is attempting to become only the second person in history to circumnavigate Australia in a kayak.
Freya Hoffmeister, a 35-year-old mother from the German town of Husum, on the North Sea (near Kiel) is due to paddle through Sydney Harbour on Friday evening (February 13).
The adventure-paddler will leave Bulli at 7am tomorrow morning and is expected to arrive at Manly Wharf at 6pm and she is expected to be joined by a flotilla of paddlers, welcoming her into
She will then continue her trek north from Manly’s Shelley Beach (near Fairy Bower) at 7am on Saturday morning.
Freya set out from Melbourne …Â More info
Canadian watercraft maker Sea-Doo is unveiling the Sea-Doo GTX Limited iS 255 and RXT 255 models this week at the Miami Boat Show.
Although personal watercraft is a little out of our realm for The Car Tech blog, and we won’t be test driving the new Sea-Doo models, we can’t pass up revealing Sea-Doo’s new technology. The new Sea-Doo models offer an industry first for personal watercraft– suspension and braking systems.
The Intelligent Brake and Reverse (iBR) is a Sea-Doo offers …Â More info