(NECN: Hyannisport, Mass.) – It was a day at the shore designed to send a message. Ted Kennedy has no plans to slow down. Senator Kennedy and his wife, Vicki, went sailing Wednesday afternoon, just one day after it was announced that he has a brain tumor. On a picture perfect day for a sail, Kennedy took his Portugese water dogs for a swim, and then climbed aboard for a sail aboard his boat ‘Mya’. After the sail, Kennedy summed up his health with a one word answer. “Good.” He’s told family members he’s planning to race this weekend in the Figawi, an annual regatta between Hyannis and Nantucket. TheSailingChannel.TV thanks New England Cable Network (NECN.com) for sharing this story.

Cruising with Bettie Trailer: L.A. to the Bahamas
TheSailingChannel presents a slice of the cruising lifestyle. Have you ever dreamt of “sailing off into the sunset?” Then join Bob and Kaye aboard their 36 foot sloop, “Bettie” as they cruise from Los Angeles to the Bahamas via the Panama Canal on the first leg of their sailing adventure “Bettie” is based on a Cascade 36 hull. It was custom molded for Bob by Yacht Constructors in Portland Oregon back in 1978. Four years and lots and lots of man hours later Bob splashed her. “Bettie” has a raised freeboard that allows for a flush deck design. This is a fast-paced documentary, with gorgeous photography, that will give you a first hand look at the cruising lifestyle. Over 10,000 miles have passed under Bettie s keel since Bob and Kaye left Los Angeles in 2004. They sailed down the west coast to Panama, through the Canal, east to Cartagena, Columbia then north to Honduras and east across the Caribbean to the Bahamas. That’s the focus of this video. Next, Bob and Kaye cruised north along the eastern U.S. seaboard to Boston. The geese were flying south by October beckoning them back to warmer climes, so they headed south to Guatemala and Honduras. After refitting and some time back in L.A., Bob and Kaye sailed back across the Caribbean to the Florida Keys. TheSailingChannel is partnering with Bob and Kaye to produce a continuing series of cruising documentaries as we follow “Bettie” to the far corners of the world. For more information go to www.thesailingchannel.tv/cwb Bob Steadman is a highly acclaimed Hollywood cinematographer. He recently served as technical consultant to the Director of Photography on the feature, Body of Lies directed by Ridley Scott and starring Leonardo de Caprio and Russell Crowe. Read all about it in Bob’s Blog and check out Bob Steadman’s screen credits on the Internet Movie Database. Cruising with Bettie is available on DVD for $24.95 plus s&h at www.createspace.com/249754 Cruising with Bettie is also available for purchase as a High Quality Windows Media or QuickTime Video Download for $9.99. The complete 51-minute video will download to your PC or MAC where you can enjoy unlimited full screen plays. The video files are NOT copy-protected. We ask you to honor the work of our Sailor/Producers by purchasing your own copy and asking your friends to do the same. Be sure to subscribe via iTunes to receive free video podcast for cruising sailors from TheSailingChannel.tv. And watch more sailing coverage from our partner, SailTV on TheSailingChannel. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store for videos, books, music, and gear

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

3G Stepper Bike: A Fitness Monster that Beats Your Gym Membership
We’ve spent a few months with this fitness bike that takes the stationary stair trainer to the streets. It proved to be a lot of fun, but make no mistake: This isn’t some laid-back beach cruiser-it’s a fierce workout, unless your name happens to be Lance Armstrong.

Cruising has NO LIMITS: Irish Interlude
TheSailingChannel presents “Irish Interlude,” a sneak-peek from Lin and Larry Pardey’s newest 74-minute documentary, Cruising has NO LIMITS. Available at http://www.thesailingchannel.tv/pardey/chnl Cruising has NO LIMITS DVD (74-minutes) $22.95. Starting at their New Zealand home base, the Pardeys recount some of their most memorable adventures during more than 30 years of cruising. They begin by taking you across the Indian Ocean on board their 29-foot, 9-inch engineless cutter, Taleisin: destination, southern Africa. There, you follow Lin and Larry as they plan and execute a seven month Champagne Safari on a Beer Budget . After outfitting a 4X4, you travel into the remote Kalahari, experience life at a sculptors commune in northern Zimbabwe, and animal-watch at waterholes far from game reserves. Next you cross the south Atlantic to Brazil’s off-shore islands where Lin and Larry experience a unique, eight-month-long encounter with nine Brazilian families who dream of their own blue water adventures. Finally, you sail north to Ireland s music-filled shores and a summer of history, classic sailing, and friendship. Along the way, you ll learn some of the truisms that could help you get out adventuring sooner and more enjoyably whether on the water or on land. You ll also come to know more about this longtime cruising couple who have been dubbed the enablers because of their enthusiasm and willingness to share their secrets for exploring the far corners of the world on a limited budget. After voyaging tens of thousands of engineless miles under sail, penning more useful marine books than Hiscock and Moitessier combined, and receiving more awards for their pursuits than Tom Hanks has for his, Lin and Larry Pardey are entitled to their well-earned nautical opinions. –HERB McCORMACK, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, CRUISING WORLD Be sure to subscribe via iTunes to receive free video podcast for cruising sailors from TheSailingChannel.tv. And watch more sailing coverage from our partner, SailTV on TheSailingChannel. Visit TheSailingChannel.TV Ship’s Store for videos, books, music and gear www.thesailingchannel.tv/store

Sunsail/Paradise Found #1: The Contest

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm and is filed under Boating News. 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.