Busy Tuesday

The sailing world seems to be picking up steam heading into the fall – here’s brief but interesting blurb from SF-based KRON on Egyptian researchers who constructed a 40 foot sailboat from reeds, date-palm fibers and bitumen tar and tried to sail it from the Arabian peninsula to India in order to prove that sailors plying the trade route over four thousand years ago made the trip safely in similar vessels. The boat sank on the first day so it’s back to the drawing board. The 35^th annual Newport Boat Show is set to open this weekend in my favorite sailing town. More than 800 exhibitors will show about 600 boats, which will be displayed on the waterfront running along America's Cup Avenue. Last but not least the country's largest and most profitable charity regatta, the Hospice Cup on the Chesapeake Bay raised a record $600,000 for eight area hospices despite an utter lack of wind. The wrap-up in the Washington Times mentions Jim Muldoon's 70 something foot maxi Donnybrook. I believe it’s a Santa Cruz…I once crewed for Jim at the Rolex Regatta in St. Thomas in the late 90’s and recall the boat being quite the sled. Muldoon is not a man you want to disappoint…I’ll leave it at that.