This is no way to start (or end) a summer weekend! Must have been pretty dramatic to witness and horrifying for the family in the pickup! And is that someone still in the vehicle? Were it not for one fortuitously placed boulder, both the pickup and the boat would have plunged into the canyon and the outcome would have been very different.

Thanks Sara!

I found this WSJ article interesting. It highlights what some call a growing trend where buyers acquire multi-million dollar yachts for the purpose of reselling them for a profit, often a huge one if reports are to be believed. Here’s what WSJ’s Robert Frank had to say about it:

Rich Buyers Sell Unfinished Boats, Reaping Millions in Profits

Terry Taylor, a Florida car dealer, has purchased five yachts since 2001. But don’t expect to see him anchoring off the coast of Cannes this week. Mr. Taylor is boatless, having sold all of his yachts to other buyers for huge profits.

“I wouldn’t feel too bad for Terry,” jokes Felix Sabates, a partner in Trinity Yachts of Gulfport, Miss., which built Mr. Taylor’s boats. “He’s probably made more money off those boats than we did.”

Mr. Taylor is part of a new breed of wealthy boat buyers: yacht flippers, who sell their costly purchases often without taking them on a single cruise. … more

I dabbled in the practice a few years ago and, while I made a little money, it wasn’t enough to make me want to press my luck. I’ve always been somewhat of a risk taker, but these days some things are just too rich for my blood.

You may have read last year about an innovatively designed, biodiesel-powered speedboat called Earthrace that was going to attempt to set an around-the-world nautical speed record of 65 days. Skipper Pete Bethune’s intent was to raise awareness of the environmental benefits—and raw power—of biodiesel fuel. In fact, one liter of fuel used for the voyage was produced from liposuctioned fat from his buttocks! 

The effort came to a sudden halt last month when, only nine days into the attempt, Earthrace crashed into a fishing boat off Guatemala, killing one fisherman and seriously injuring a second (the third member of the boat’s crew suffered only minor injuries). Bethune and his crew did everything they could to rescue the fishermen and treat their injuries while the boat limped back to shore, likely saving the lives of the two injured sailors they were able to recover. The mission, of course, was scrubbed pending the resulting investigation. Fortunately for the captain and his crew, the presiding judge ruled the incident an accident and Earthrace was free to leave after having been delayed ten days.   

For a riveting account of the accident and what’s happened since, see Bethune’s Captain’s blog .

I used to occasionally hit 115 mph in my Porsche while zipping along Jackson Highway to Sunday brunch at Rancho Murietta and, back in the day, I’d top out at 63 mph on the early morning water of Comanche Lake in my bass boat.. And I once had the privilege of taking a demonstration lap with Don Aronow on the Sacramento River when he was visiting the Sacramento Yacht Club during the Bridge-to-Bridge races.  I think we hit something over 100 mph. But 202 mph in open water? Would you find that enjoyable? Could you even see straight?

Apparently the Bacardi Silver Racing Team, part of the Nauti-Marine Offshore Racing Group from Budweiser, does. Their 36-foot offshore racing cat topped 202 mph setting a world record. Below is a video of The Today Show’s Matt Lauer taking her for a spin. Would I have killed for that opportunity? C’mon! Is the Pope Catholic?

I don’t know how I missed this  last month, but Captain’s Corner had it. Apparently, a 2,000 horsepower drug running inflatable boat was confiscated by British authorities with over 300kg of cocaine aboard!

The Euro drug runner was whipping across the English Channel several times a week, basically a blur on British Coast Guard radar. After taunting the BCG for some time, a specialized chopper was brought in to catch it.  Here’s more on the story:

Richard Davidson, director of Crompton Marine, was arrested in 2004 by Spanish authorities conducting anti-drug smuggling operations. Seems they had confiscated a number of these boats and determined that he was producing them specifically for drug runners. He even advertised them as high speed and low profile, able to avoid radar. 

Despite his arrest, an associate apparently kept the business going under the name Nautexco Marine. Boats range from 30-60 feet, cost upwards of $680,000 and are powered by as many as eight 250hp outboard motors delivering speeds of 70mph! Their purpose seems to be high speed transport between north Africa and southern Spain.

Surprisingly, Crompton Marine still maintains an active website so if you’re in the market for such a specialized craft, check them out. I’ll bet waterskiing behind one would be an adreneline rush!