The challengers for the next America’s Cup revealed preliminary details to race an enormous vessel nicknamed “Dogzilla” that is nearly the size of two basketball courts.
The 90-foot-by-90-foot (27.4-meter-by-27.4-meter) trimaran will challenge defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland in the next edition of yachting’s most prestigious race, off the United Arab Emirates in 2010, the U.S.-based BMW Oracle team said in a statement on Monday
“We’re pleased to publicly confirm that the BOR 90, which will continue to undergo modifications, is the boat that will compete for the 33rd America’s Cup in 2010,” BMW Oracle said.
“Dogzilla” has an overall waterline length of 100 feet. The mast is 185 feet. The three sails are 6,800, 6,700, and 8,400 square feet (632, 622 and 780 square meters) — each about 30 percent bigger than the sails used in the last America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain, in 2007.
“The power-to-weight ratio is unbelievable. Nothing any of us have seen comes close …Â Details
A 24 year old woman made history this week, when she arrived in Mauritius to become the first female ever to row across the Indian Ocean solo. Sarah Outen spent over 124 days at sea in her quest to enter the records books, battling high winds, huge waves, and total isolation from any human contact save electronic forms. However, ‘Sarah the Stubborn’ didn’t make this treacherous journey simply for the glory; she did it for far loftier goals. She did it for those, like her late father, for whom just getting through the day can be a constant battle against nature.
Sarah is an Oxford University graduate, and was rowing to raise awareness and money for Arthritis Care, a charity close to her heart. She dedicated her voyage to her father, who had suffered terribly with rheumatoid arthritis before passing away in June 2006. Sarah said …Â Details & Pictures
It may take away from the experience of travel, but knowing someone in a foreign city, in a country you have never been to, will save you considerable time, energy, and money.
Do not give in to the horde of taxi-drivers stacked atop one another, yelling, “best price,” while waving dilapidated signs of their services as you pass the last inspection point into the stagnant air of Santiago. It may seem like a good idea in your travel-bent mind, hunched over with your backpack, board bag and suitcase, but these birds of prey have no moral compass when it comes to overcharging gringos who have Lonely Planet books hanging out of their back pockets and exhaustion on their faces. Find a bus with a set price, or, as was my case, have a friend go there before you, have him find a girlfriend, and have her pick you up…. Details