Posts by John Riise
Days of Future Passed
These days, historical milestones seem to pop up every few weeks on the evening news. Recent ones include the 77th anniversary of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast and the 25th anniversary of Back to the Future II, in which media pundits pondered how accurate — or mostly inaccurate — its predictions were. More »
Donna Lange Out of Africa
"One more milestone!" wrote Donna Lange in her sailing blog last week. "I am now past the Cape (of Good Hope) and Agulhas Point, the southernmost tip of Africa."
This is the first of the five great capes the 53-year-old grandmother, former RN, and Rhode Island-based singer-songwriter must leave to port on her quest to become the first American woman to sail singlehanded around the world via the traditional ‘clipper route.’ More »
Merlin’s Homecoming
The 68-ft Merlin hangs a left on Lake Ave. to enter Santa Cruz Harbor.
© 2015 Skip Allan
At 9:30 on Wednesday morning, with police escort lights flashing, Driver Mike with Merlin in tow made the last turn, gently bottomed out on the boatyard hill, and Merlin was back home in Santa Cruz. More »
Dee Smith’s Road to Rio
In big boats, Dee Smith’s skillset is often head and shoulders above the competition. In 2.4mRs, his head and shoulders are pretty much at the same level as everyone else’s.
© 2015
In his 63 years, pro sailor Dee Smith has amassed one of the most enviable resumés in sailing: three America’s Cups, two Volvo round-the-world races, nine Admiral’s Cups, six World Championships, six Transpacs, five Sydney Hobarts — the list goes on and on. More »
Old Ironsides, New Ironsides
Smoke on the water: In this painting by Michel Felice Corne (1752-1845), USS Constitution (left) and HMS Guerriere pound each other in the opening days of the War of 1812. Constitution’s victory was the first major defeat of a British warship by an American one. More »
If You Come, They Will Build It
The Matthew Turner in frames and deck beams. Next comes the deck.
© 2015 John Skoriak
Ratty, the resident boat expert in Wind in the Willows, said it best: “There is absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.” More »
Duos Round the Horn
Jean Le Cam and Bernard Stamm have rounded Cape Horn in the Barcelona World Race. Cape Horn holds memories for these two, not all of them good. Le Cam had a dramatic capsize and was rescued during the Vendée Globe just west of Cape Horn in 2009, and Stamm’s last Vendée Globe ended at Cape Horn when he took on diesel fuel. More »
Latest from the AC Rumor Mill
Is the sailing empire that was once Emirates Team New Zealand beginning to crumble? The principals are remaining tight-lipped, but the circumstantial evidence and rampant speculation — all you ever need for juicy America’s Cup controversy — make for some pretty interesting reading of late. More »
Unidentified Floating Objects
So it turns out King Neptune has a super lotto of his own. Who knew?
We’re talking about the guy who found a handbag-size lump of ambergris on a British beach last month, for which he’s been offered $68,000. More »
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