Friday Evening Kayaking - Paddle Around The Merrimack River Islands, July 25th
July 24, 2008
When: Friday, July 15th, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.Where: Meet at Mass Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center, One Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport
Cost: $35 members; $45 non-members. (Pre-registration is required)
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Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta at American Yacht Club, August 2nd and 3rd
July 18, 2008
When: Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3Where: American Yacht Club, Newburyport, MA
The American Yacht Club in Newburyport is partnering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to present the annual Leukemia Cup Regatta on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3, at the Newburyport club located on Water Street.
The two-day regatta, sponsored by Mount Gay Rum, will feature sailing both days and a cocktail party and auction Saturday night.
The Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta, hosted by the American Yacht Club, benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This year, the American Yacht Club is hosting the event in celebration of a 5-year-old Haverhill boy diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in April 2005. After enduring more than two years of chemotherapy, testing, biopsies and oral medications, he is now in remission.
Proceeds from the regatta will benefit the Massachusetts chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a nonprofit organization that relies on contributions to advance its mission.
Boat registration is still available for the regatta. For more information, please call Rebecca Longworth at the society at 508-810-1318 or visit the American Yacht Club website.
Newfoundland Sail Boat’s Encounter With A Whale
July 16, 2008
It’s been an active summer for whale and shark sightings in the waters off the coast of New England and the Canadian Maritimes.
The captain and crew of a Newfoundland sail boat had a close encounter with a large marine animal — possibly a killer whale, a humpback whale or a great white shark while sailing earlier this week off the coast of St. John’s, New Brunswick.
An article by Richard Dooley in the Star Phoenix, reports that the 8.5-meter sailboat, Turanga, collided with something big and stopped dead in the water.
“We saw this huge dorsal fin come out of the water and head straight for the boat,” Drodge, the captain of the sailboat said. The fin got momentarily caught in the forward sail, or jib, of the sailboat.”
Drodge and his companions are convinced the animal that struck their boat on Sunday was a killer whale, or orca. Whale expert Wayne Ledwell, in Mr. Dooley’s article, said he’s never heard of an orca attacking a boat in Newfoundland waters. He thinks it might have been a humpback or perhaps a great white shark.
For more information, click on the following link to read Mr. Dooley’s article online.
Whale attack leaves N.L. skipper quaking, by Richard Dooley, Star Phoenix
22nd Annual Blackburn Challenge, Gloucester, July 12th
July 7, 2008
If you want to witness an interesting race around Cape Ann by a diverse collection of small craft, then visit Gloucester Harbor on saturday.
This saturday morning at approximately 7:45 a.m., the Cape Ann Rowing Club will kick-off the 22nd Annual Blackburn Challenge in Gloucester in the Annisquam River near the railroad bridge.
The Blackburn Challenge is a 20+ mile open water circumnavigation of Cape Ann. Participants row or paddle small boats in the open ocean waters around Cape Ann, and conditions can vary dramatically throughout the day. Occasionally the water can be very rough, with strong winds and high waves.
The Blackburn Challenge is open to all seaworthy oar or paddle powered craft. Classes include men’s and women’s Banks dories, fixed seat singles, doubles, multi-oars with cox, multi-oars without cox, sliding seat singles & doubles, single & double touring kayaks, single & double racing kayaks, surf skis, and outrigger canoes, in about that order.
A staggered start by boat class begins at 7:45 a.m. and continues until approximately 8:30 a.m. when all the craft have made their entry into the race. You can view the finish at Pavilion Beach on Stacy Boulevard in Gloucester, which is pretty close to where the Gloucester Fisherman statue is located.
The boats start arriving at the finish line at approximately noon time. Award ceremonies & Festivities are held at 3:00 p.m.
The Blackburn Challenge both celebrates and helps to keep alive the story of Howard Blackburn’s desperate mid-winter 1883 rowing of a small fishing dory from the Burgeo Bank fishing grounds to refuge on the south coast of Newfoundland.
Blackburn and his dorymate Thomas Welch had become separated from the Gloucester fishing schooner Grace L. Fears during a sudden squall and found themselves nearly sixty miles from the nearest land. Over the course of the ensuing five-day ordeal, Welch would give up and succumb to a merciful death, whereas Blackburn would allow his bare hands to freeze to the shape of the oars, and row until he reached land.
Though Blackburn survived he ultimately suffered the loss of most of his fingers and toes due to frostbite. In spite of his handicap, he later went on to twice sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean, earning himself the title “The Fingerless Navigator”.
For more information on the Blackburn Challenge, visit the following website:
28-Ft Cabin Cruiser Hits Rock and Sinks in Hampton Harbor
July 6, 2008
All eight people that had been on board the boat were rescued and were not injured. The New Hampshire Marine Patrol was on the scene within three minutes and they were assisted by U.S. Coast Guard units from Portsmouth and Newburyport, Mass., Hampton Fire Rescue responders and members of Tow Boat U.S., a towing and rescue service.
Here is a link to Reporter Nancy Cicco’s report on the accident that appeared in the Portsmouth Herald and Seacoastonline.com:
Situated on the ocean, Newburyport holds a host of opportunity for the visitor. But instead of traditional hotels, consider Massachusetts timeshares. Resorts offer sumptuous ensuite appointments and amenities not available in hotels. Rent timeshare for an unforgettable vacation experience.
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