Put Your Company Logo Here. TheSailingChannel is seeking corporate sponsors for this program. Since March, we’ve reached over a quarter million sailors through our video podcasts. Use the power of video on the Internet to enhance your corporate brand. EMAIL US FOR MORE INFORMATION. TheSailingChannel.tv documents the refit of a 1975 Alberg 30 sloop. It’s the “This Old House” of sailboat restoration with Chesapeake Bay tunes sung by Them Eastport Oyster Boys, and featuring a refit team of seasoned sailors who belong to the Chesapeake Bay Alberg 30 One-Design Association. All currently own or have owned Alberg 30s in the past. The A-30 refit crew has many years of experience and has repaired and restored several other vessels. TSCtv will follow the refit through completion and sea trials scheduled for the summer of 2007. We anticipate approximately 12 episodes in this series. On Saturday, January 21, 2005, TSCtv videotaped the A-30 team in the beginning stage of the refit at Mike and Trish Lehman’s home where the boat is stored. The setting could not be better. Mike and Trish s beautiful home sits on the bank of Mill Creek off the Magothy River which flows into the Chesapeake Bay just above the Bay Bridge. The Lehman’s keep their own Alberg 30, beautifully maintained, at their dock. Their home is on a slight rise above the creek with a splendid view. The front walkway leads past a large garage and workshop to a paved parking area next to the street where the A-30 rests in its steel cradle. We consider this an optimum setting for videotaping the refit story. During our first day of filming, we were able to capture two major tasks: removal of an oversized fuel tank from beneath the cockpit (firmly bedded with several tubes of 5200) and the restoration of the original molded-in water tank beneath the V-berth. Team members described the process for both tasks and we also captured a good deal of banter back and forth as they worked. (We wired up each with a radio mic and shot three digital cameras for exceptional coverage.) In between tasks we interviewed the team members: Rolph Towney Townshend, Ralph Bluntschli, and Mike Lehman. The three were eager to tell their story. We learned about their personal sailing history, the history of the A-30 on the Chesapeake, the history of the refit boat, Roulette, and their goal of restoring the vessel and selling it to someone who will keep it on the Bay and sail it actively in Association races and cruises. Be sure to subscribe to receive future Alberg 30 episodes and our other podcasts for cruising sailors at TheSailingChannel.tv. And watch more sailing coverage from our partner, SailTV on TheSailingChannel.tv.

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.

Sunsail/Paradise Found #10: Jost Van Dyke
The Riglers and Morrisons anchor around the corner from White Bay at Jost Van Dyke–known as the “barefoot” island for its casual lifestyle. They launch the dingy and head to shore to visit local beach bars and shops. After a few relaxing hours kicking back and doing nothing, our couples cast off once again. The wind is up and the water is flat: perfect conditions for a smooth sail across Sir Francis Drake channel. TheBeneteau 393 is well suited for the BVI: roomy enough for two couples yet easy for one couple to sail. Stay tuned for Episode 11, Green Key and the Indians. 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.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 at 6:41 am 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.