One More Time....

You have to hand it to Peter Bethune and the Earthrace crew, they don't stop trying. After last year's failed attempt by Bethune's team to circumnavigate the planet in record speed with their all-biodiesel-fueled, 70-plus-foot wavepiercer, Earthrace, a second attempt is planned for March. The first attempt was plagued by myriad mechanical problems and even a collision with another vessel, which sadly cost one person his life.

Leaving the past difficulties behind them, the crew is prepared for its shot at redemption. Bethune announced the 2008 challenge will begin from the Vulkan Shipyard, Valencia, Spain on March 1.

According to Bethune, the proposed route is: Valencia - Azores - Puerto Rico - Panama Canal – Manzanillo, Mexico – San Diego, USA – Hawaii – Majuro, Marshall Islands – Koror, Palau – Singapore – Cochin, India – Salalah, Oman - Suez Canal – Valencia. SGC Energia (SGCE) based in Portugal will supply all the fuel required for the record attempt, about 165,000 liters of 100-percent biodiesel.

Happy (Slightly Belated) New Year

Even though the holiday season is quickly fading in the face of a presidential election and economic worries, I feel a parting shot is warranted, especially an optimistic one. I'm sure that many of you got holiday cards from business associates this year, as did I, some from people you can't remember ever meeting and other from people you'd frankly rather not hear from during the joyous season, like your tax attorney or oncologist. I naturally get them from boatbuilders, some of whom I recognize (the name of the company if not the person signing the card).

This year my all-time favorite came from Pershing, maker of those ultra-fast, super-sexy, Italian express boats. Like a lot of stuff that comes from Italy (especially catalogs), it's oversized. It's actually a hardbound book that I would guess measures 14" x 14". Open it up and it's a calendar, a not very practical calendar given its size. Each spread has the days of the month on one side in very small type and a quote from a famous person on the other. The quotes are frankly priceless, and I'd like to share them with you without comment. I hope they'll both inspire you and reinforce a notion—that might be somewhat comforting in these worrisome economic times: that predicting the future is a risky enterprise. Happy New Year.

January: "The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad." The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Company

February: "A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere." The New York Times, 1936

March: "Man will not fly for 50 years." Wilbur Wright in 1903, the same year as his and his brother's famous inaugural flight

April: "Television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." Darryl Zanuck, 20th Century Fox, 1946

May: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

June: "The Suez Canal? A useless attempt and impossible to build." Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister, 1858

July: "With regard to the electric light, I think I may say without contradiction that no more will be heard of it." Erasmus Wilson, President of the Stevens Institute of Technology, 1879

August: "The theory of relativity is just as unacceptable to me as, say, the existence of the atom or other such dogmas. Ernst Mach, German scientist, 1838-1916

September: "Photography will not last long as painting is so clearly superior." Le Journal des Savants, 1829

October: "Radio has no future." Lord Kelvin, mathematician and scinetist and president of the Royal Society, 1897

November: "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" H. M. Warner, co-founder of Warner Brothers, 1927

December: "Today it is practically impossible to find undiscovered lands." Queen Isabel of Spain's Advisory Council

Dubya Goes Fishing

On Sunday, January 13, President George W. Bush will be a guest on ESPN2’s Offshore Adventures. The president joined hosts Chris and Melissa Fischer for a day of fishing for striped bass on Chesapeake Bay. The show also followed the president’s signing of an executive order to build up stocks of striped bass and red drum in federal waters.

According to Offshore Adventures/Fischer Promotions:

The episode shows a side of the president rarely seen—unscripted and casual—and discussions focused on subjects dear to both Bush and the Fischers: conservation, sustainable fisheries, family and fishing.

The Fischers joined the president for two hours of fishing off St. Michael’s, Maryland. Although security was tight on the Bay and required several weeks planning logistics, rare candid access was allowed at the president’s request.
Sustainable fishing was a central subject.

A catalyst behind the meeting was Offshore Adventures’ recently unveiled plan to embark on the greatest global oceanic expedition in history—a seven-year trip around the earth aboard a 126-foot mothership.

The goals of the trip are to assess the state of the worlds’ oceans, educate people around the world on proper fisheries management, discover the most remote fisheries on earth, and record it for television history. Throughout the journey, marine scientist will be involved to study and assess ocean ecosystems and fisheries.

As it turns out, Melissa Fischer was the only one to raise a fish on the outing. See, even the Commander-in-Chief, can have a bad day on the hook.

The Silver Bullet

In a literal flash, this center console sportfish boat may be here and gone. Jay Perrotta, who founded the successful Black Lab Marine, a builder of plate-alloy, outboard-powered boats from 23 to 29 feet, has recently partnered with Phil Hulsizer, founder of Welding Services, to start a new boat company called Rock Salt Boats. The first launch from the fledgling venture is the 34-foot, plate-alloy speedster you see here, the Rock Salt 34 CC.

The marine-grade-aluminum-alloy-constructed vessel is designed for the hardcore offshore angler and will be matched with twin four-stroke Suzuki power. Rock Salt's founder describes the 34 as having "the heart of a Navy attack boat, the soul of a Coast Guard rescue boat, and the brains of today's large offshore capable center consoles..." Some the 34's standard features include: T-top, 50- and 30-gallon livewells, 150-gallon in-deck fishbox, 2/nine-foot in-deck rod stowage lockers, rigging station, and more. Options include triple outboards, painted hull, underwater lights, tower, and outriggers, to name a few.

No More Rock and Roll

You may remember the article that appeared in the November issue of PMY entitled, "The End of Rock and Roll." It was about a new, compact (about the size of a beach ball), relatively affordable, high-speed gyro called the Seakeeper (above), which during our tests all but eliminated rolling on a 43-foot Viking convertible. Having been on that boat—in the tuna tower and in a beam sea—I can tell you that the difference this device made was so remarkable, we opined that Seakeeper would change boating forever.

Well, that prediction may come true a lot sooner than we thought. I got a call the other day from Shep McKinney, president of Seakeeper, who informed me that as a direct result of that article, his company had just signed a multimillion-dollar deal to supply gyros to the Azimut-Benetti Group in exchange for an agreement not to sell the units to the Italian builder's direct competitors for the next few years. It's a great deal for Seakeeper because it gives the fledgling company a solid piece of business on which to build, and it's great for Azimut-Benetti because it gives it something none of its competitors will have, at least for now.

I found McKinney's news particularly interesting because immediately after my ride on the Seakeeper-equipped Viking, I called a few builders to tell them that I felt this product was a true game-changer and whatever builder came out with it on their boats first would have a huge advantage over its competitors. Amazingly, I couldn't seem to get anyone excited—except for one guy: Paolo Vitelli, president of Azimut-Benetti.

Vitelli founded Azimut back in 1969, then acquired Benetti in 1985, and has grown the company, which he still owns, into arguably the most successful and profitable boatbuilder in the world. Above all, Vitelli is an entrepreneur who can move more quickly and decisively than a lot of other builders. It was that nimbleness that allowed him to nail down Seakeeper while his competitors were still just thinking about it. I'm predicting that his quick decision will translate into huge profits for his company over the term of the agreement. Just wait and see how he exploits the advantage of selling boats that don't rock and roll. A lot of builders are going to be trying to figure a way to avoid Seakeeper's patents.