The Morrisons and Riglers pay a port call to the famous Bitter End Yacht Club located on the northern tip of Virgin Gorda. This is the last bit of land vessels see when they head back out into the Atlantic, thus the name, “bitter end.” The BEYC has a full complement of water activities, its own sailboat fleet, guest quarters, shops, and a market for provisioning. While Eric and Chris pilot a kayak past the beach bungalows, Greg and Judy sail a Hobie Cat across North Sound. Stay tuned for Episode 5, Nature’s Little Secrets. TSCC brings Gary Jobson’s outstanding film about sailing the British Virgin Islands to video podcasting. Sunsail, the world’s largest sailing vacation company, wanted to showcase it’s British Virgin Islands fleet. So it ran a contest among its former charter customers. The winners, a family and two couples, would cruise free while staring in a promotional video produced and narrated by sailing legend Gary Jobson–not a bad deal! Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other podcasts for cruising sailors at TheSailingChannel.Com. We are surveying our podcast viewers to learn more about you and the sailing content you want. If you could give us a few minutes of your valuable time, we would greatly appreciate it. Click here for the survey or visit www.TheSailingChannel.Com.

The Strategist: America’s Cup BMW ORACLE
This is the fourth in a series of videos describing the roles of crew members aboard the BMW ORACLE America’s Cup Racing Yacht. In this episode, we hear from the boat’s strategist, Eric Doyle. Prior to the race, the strategist communicates with weather boats out on the race course. He then confers with the Helmsman and other members of the Afterguard to develop a race strategy. The strategist also works closely with the mainsail trimmer to adjust the backstays which alter the curvature of the mast, determining the shape of the genoa and mainsail. When the wind is light, the strategist goes aloft to search for a breeze. Eric raced in the 2000 America’s Cup as mainsail trimmer aboard Conner’s Stars & Stripes. His honors include 1999 North American and World Star Class Champion. You can view the entire 22-minute BMW ORACLE Racing Crew video on Sail.TV. For updates and coverage of the 32nd America’s Cup from Valencia, Spain, tune into Sail.TV. Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other sailing podcasts at TheSailingChannel.TV. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store

Ice Blink Preview
TheSailingChannel presents an exclusive video preview of a major new sailing documentary, Ice Blink: A Family Navigating Life’s Ice-Clogged Waters. If you like this preview you’ll love the 56-minute documentary available on DVD. Purchase the Ice Blink DVD and the companion Book, Into The Light, at TheSailingChannel.tv. Digital Download: $4.99; DVD: $17.95; companion book, Into The Light: $22.95; DVD/Book Special: $35.95. Ice Blink is the remarkable story of a conventional family of five living a very unconventional life afloat. Follow Dave and Jaja Martin, and their crew of three children from their beginnings aboard a 25-foot day sailor circumnavigating the globe to their most recent voyage on a 33 foot steel sloop to the Arctic. There they encounter new friends, icebergs, and polar bears. Share the Martins’ voyage into opportunities that test their physical and mental limits. Discover that self-sufficiency is the key to survival, and that the rewards of the world can be had with a commitment to family, a simple lifestyle, and the courage to choose differently. Ice Blink is a film by Gregory Roscoe, Seaworthy Productions, Falmouth Maine. Watch our exclusive interview with Greg at the 2006 US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD. Add Into the Light: A Family’s Epic Journey and get the complete story of this remarkable voyage. Into The Light is full of humor and fun. Dave and Jaja Martin’s inspiring narrative delves into a family s choices and ultimate goals. Read all the details of their sailing adventure to Iceland, Norway, Spitsbergen, the Faeroe Islands, and Scotland. DIGITAL VIDEO DOWNLOAD An exlusive special offer from TheSailingChannel: a near DVD quality Windows Media Video file for only $4.99. The complete 54-minute video will download to your PC or Laptop where you can enjoy unlimited full screen plays. HARD PACKAGED DVD SHIPPED TO YOUR DOOR DVD - US BUYERS: INT’L & CANADIAN BUYERS: BOOK ONLY - US BUYERS: INT’L & CANADIAN BUYERS: DVD/BOOK SPECIAL - US BUYERS: INT’L & CANADIAN BUYERS: Subscribe via iTunes to the Ice blink Preview and our other free video podcasts for cruising sailors from TheSailingChannel.tv. To Subscribe with other Podcatchers, visit TheSailingChannel RSS Feed Page. And be sure to watch more sailing coverage from our partner, SailTV on TheSailingChannel. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store

The Trimmers: America’s Cup BMW ORACLE
This is the seventh in a series of videos describing the roles of crew members aboard the BMW ORACLE America’s Cup Racing Yacht. In this episode we watch the Trimmers tune the sails for maximum performance. The headsail trimmer crouches low on the leeward side of the boat just behind the trailing edge of the genoa. This is right in the wind slot between the headsail and mainsail which acts like a turbo charger, firing alternate bursts of sea spray and wind at the trimmer as the boat accelerates. “You are pretty well rinsed by the time you come off the water” says Zach Hurst, one of the younger trimmers aboard. Directing the muscle power of the grinders, who handle loads up to 4-tons, the trimmer alters the shape of the headsail. He coordinates with the mainsail trimmer who uses a winch to position the boom and adjust the angle of the mainsail to the wind. Depending on the course direction, the trimmers adjust the sails for optimum shape and speed. Their interaction directs the flow of wind over the sails, driving the yacht forward. You can view the entire 22-minute BMW ORACLE Racing Crew video on Sail.TV. For updates and coverage of the 32nd America’s Cup from Valencia, Spain, tune into Sail.TV. Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other sailing podcasts at TheSailingChannel.TV. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store

VirtualSailboatShow: New England Ropes
TSC interviews New England Rope’s Kevin Coughlin at the 2005 U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD. With so many types of line available, which ones should a cruising sailor choose when it’s time to replace those aging halyards and sheets? Kevin gives some incite into proper rope selection for cruising boats. Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other podcasts for cruising sailors at TheSailingChannel.Com.

WMRT - Monsoon Cup
TheSailingChannel presents the World Match Racing Tour Monsoon Cup through our partner, SailTV. See a live broadcast of the race from Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (GMT +8) on Sunday 12/3/06. You can also watch archived video of earlier heats, as well as past WMRT race events from the around the globe. SailTV delivers world-class sailing events over the Internet to both computers and television sets. Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other podcasts for cruising sailors at TheSailingChannel.tv. And watch more sailing coverage from our partner, SailTV on TheSailingChannel.tv. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store

Sunsail/Paradise Found #2: Casting Off
Our family and our two couples take their first sail across the waters of the BVI. The Flanders find their catamaran, a Lagoon 470, to be a stable platform for family cruising. Meanwhile, aboard an Oceanis 393 sloop, the Morrisons and Riglers enjoy a spirited sail from Tortola to Norman Island. Stay tuned for Episode 3, A Fish Story. TSCC brings Gary Jobson’s outstanding film about sailing the British Virgin Islands to video podcasting. Sunsail, the world’s largest sailing vacation company, wanted to showcase it’s British Virgin Islands fleet. So it ran a contest among its former charter customers. The winners, a family and two couples, would cruise free while staring in a promotional video produced and narrated by sailing legend Gary Jobson–not a bad deal! Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other podcasts for cruising sailors at TheSailingChannel.Com. We are surveying our podcast viewers to learn more about you and the sailing content you want. If you could give us a few minutes of your valuable time, we would greatly appreciate it. Click here for the survey or visit www.TheSailingChannel.Com.

Sunsail/Paradise Found #5: Nature’s Little Secrets
The Morrisons and Riglers visit Jost Van Dyke and take in some laid back BVI shopping and culture. “No shoes, no shirt, no problem” reads one inviting sign at a local shop. For the inquisitive visitor, the BVI lives up to its motto: Nature’s Little Secrets.” Early mariners from Venezuela were the first to visit the BVIs around the year 900AD. Chris Columbus came ashore on his second voyage in 1493. In the seventeenth century, Pirates found safe haven in the BVI’s many hidden coves. The Spanish and Dutch were the first Europeans to occupy the BVI followed by the British who exported sugar, molasses and rum. Today, the locals still fish and farm, but also participate in the new vacation economy. Stay tuned for Episode 6, The Baths. TheSailingChannel.Com brings Gary Jobson’s outstanding film about sailing the British Virgin Islands to video podcasting. Sunsail, the world’s largest sailing vacation company, wanted to showcase it’s British Virgin Islands fleet. So it ran a contest among its former charter customers. The winners, a family and two couples, would cruise free while staring in a promotional video produced and narrated by sailing legend Gary Jobson–not a bad deal! Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other podcasts for cruising sailors at TheSailingChannel.Com. We are surveying our podcast viewers to learn more about you and the sailing content you want. If you could give us a few minutes of your valuable time, we would greatly appreciate it. Click here for the survey or visit www.TheSailingChannel.Com.

The Navigator: America’s Cup BMW ORACLE
This is the third in a series of videos describing the roles of crewmembers aboard the BMW ORACLE America’s Cup Racing Yacht. In this episode, we hear from another member of the Afterguard, Peter Isler, the boat’s Navigator. Peter helped win the America’s Cup as navigator aboard Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes in 1987 and 1988. He’s competed in every America’s Cup since. The Navigator’s primary job is track the yacht’s course using the on-board computer. Linked into Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), the computer constantly updates the boat’s position in relation to the course and its opponent. The navigator queries the computer using a wireless, hand-held tablet and interacts with the the Helmsman, Tactician, and Strategist to keep the yacht racing as efficiently as possible. You can view the entire 22-minute BMW ORACLE Racing Crew video on Sail.TV. For updates and coverage of the 32nd America’s Cup from Valencia, Spain, tune into Sail.TV. Be sure to subscribe to this free video podcast series and our other sailing podcasts at TheSailingChannel.TV. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 11:07 am and is filed under Boating Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.