April 2007

Alain Thebault has done it again:  His radically designed trimaran, Hydroptere, has broken two more sail-speed records during sea trials in France:

* Average speed over 500 meters — 44.5 knots
* Absolute speed over one nautical mile — 41.5 knots

Think
about the physics involved here for a sec, and you might appreciate the
achievement a bit more: That’s 44.5 knots in just 25 knots of breeze.
Simply amazing.

Check out the vid if you don’t believe it.

A report just out from Taiwan’s DigiTimes offers a strong hint that Kansas-based GPS-device king Garmin (GRMN) could be plotting a big move into the mobile phone market. According to Jason Shaad’s writeup in the Kansas City Business Journal, "DigiTimes reported that Garmin may have held discussions with Taiwan-based Compal Communications Inc. to create mobile phones that use Garmin’s GPS software. Compal manufactures mobile phones and other telecommunications equipment." Garmin spokespeople wouldn’t comment on the report, but one analyst thinks it’s a logical move:

"We believe the story is believable," Jeff Evanson, an
analyst with Dougherty & Co. LLC said in a research note. "After
all, why should Garmin concede this segment of the market to the
Motorolas, Nokias and Samsungs of the world?"

On the heels of launching its splashy retail store in Chicago, and its
Super Bowl ad debut, and rosy financial results (the stock is up 26%
over the last year), it stands to reason that trend-setting Garmin
would want to create more than just GPS add-ons to Blackberrys and
smartphones. And conceivably, it could  muscle its way into the crowded
mobile market now that Nokia and Samsung have come out with phones with
onboard GPS. But that would have to be one special phone.

Experts’ warnings about hosting this year’s America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain - where winds tend to be light in April - are looking mighty smart right now, and unfortunately so for the 11 syndicates that have plowed hundreds of millions into building boats and training crews for the last four years.  The opening round of the Louis Vuitton Cup (the regatta that determines who will face Alinghi, the champ) was delayed a fourth straight day today for lack of wind.

So there, in the photo, sits Larry Ellison (who just joined the afterguard and will be co-helming with skipper Chris Dickson) aboard one of the two yachts that Ellison’s top-ranked contender BMW Oracle hope to race …. sometime soon.  The forecast for Friday as well as the weekend isn’t optimistic. 

More details from the BMW Oracle racing blog.

Larry Ellison has to like his chances after his team pulled off a stunning win today in the opening round of  America’s Cup racing in Valencia — a 7th to first comeback on the last run, during the first of several fleet races with all 12 AC teams. This via the AC AC website: 

In one of the most extraordinary races ever witnessed in America’s Cup racing, BMW ORACLE Racing sailed from 7th to 1st on the final fickle run of Race 1 in Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13. Starting in 7 knots of breeze, the American team had won the left-hand end of the start line an hour and a half earlier but, with Emirates Team New Zealand next to them, sailed into oblivion as the boats on the right started to benefit from better wind from that side of the race track….