The Pegasus Open 50 Raceboat: WTF Is A Sailboat Doing On Gizmodo?
Why a boat? Because the Pegasus Open 50, is laden with mechanical and material technology. And the captain is the inventor of the camphone and founder of Borland, Philippe Kahn. He’s liveblogging a race from California to Hawaii via Satellite.
They’re sailing the Transpac, a classic race a little over 2000 miles from the coast of California to Hawaii.
Over the last century, sailors have been using tech and smarts to reduce the travel time from 12 days to 6. Philippe and his teammate Mark Christensen set the double handed record for a single hulled ship last year; this year, they’ll be blogging live from the boat on Gizmodo.
Here’s what we’ve posted so far. The race is underway, so updates will be coming shortly.
The Intro:
• Pegasus Open 50, The Official Transpac Raceboat of Gizmodo
The Logs:
• The Pegasus Open 50 Sailing Log: Weather
• The Pegasus Open 50 Sailboat Log: Lucky Sextant and Heading for the Starting Line
The Boat Tour
• Part 1: The Hull and Foresails
• Part 2: The Carbon fibre Mast, Rigging and Sails
• Part 3: Turning, Emergency Hatches, Ballast and the Hydraulic Keel
Philippe Kahn founded Borland, invented the Camphone, and decodes human motion. He’s also a fellow outdoorsman, splitting time skiing Tahoe and sailing in Santa Cruz. He’ll share his Transpac 2009 sailing race with us live from the Pegasus Open 50. He and Mark Christensen set the race record for a double handed team in 2008 with a time of 7 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, besting all boats in overall time for that year.
[Previous Pegasus Sailing posts on Gizmodo, Pegasus]
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
World iS Mi iPhone!!
Xterm11_is Rhyming
@Zkdog: Jokes on you. I think you mean semen. ;)
@DarthSensate: I spent an hour on a Laser, 5 years ago, and to this day am still looking for a way to get my hands on one with my limited means. It was AMAZING. Pretty close to the most fun I've ever had on the water ever. Whitewater is more fun to me, but I already have the boat for that ;-)
farcedude
@The Terminator: Oh no you le didn't!
Lego is awesome. :(
Im really excited to read up on this topic on Gizmo. Readers may be interested in learning more about the various computer systems integrated into a boat like Pegasus. Some of the software these guys use is out of control. The have full weather and course routing computer systems with them the whole time. If you really want to see some tech-boats check out some clips from the recently completed Volvo Ocean Race: [volvooceanrace.org]
Aaron Bloom
@Curves: sorry Curves but the joke made itself....
Sailors or Seamen?
Zkdog
@bpatten: Having zero knowledge of sailing, I also love this. Learnin' something new, seeing what kinds of toys other kids have. What's not to like?!
Sailing is totally about gadgets as well as skill in using those gadgets. I would argue that more gadgets that everyone uses everyday were developed and refined for sailing than all the NASA tech spinoffs.
I am particularly fond of single hand sailboats. My all time favorite is the Laser. This is a single sail boat and about as simple as it gets. But awesome fast in mild winds.
Nothing compares to hanging on by the tips of your toes hiking WAY out in a strong wind fighting to keep the boat trim. I especially love it in gusty conditions where you constantly get your head dunked hiking out. I've turtled them once or twice and had no trouble flipping them upright an taking off again. I've also tried several different sailboards and found them to be just no as much fun... though they are lighter to transport.
That being said I want more coverage of personal flight gear like the Parajet Volution.
DarthSensate
@incubushead: It's okay, don't cry... shhh, shhh, it's going to be alright... no one is trying to make fun of legos here... he didn't mean it... it's all going to be okay, lets just forget about this whole thing... run along and play now... that's it, go along!
If a Saudi Sheik's Yacht can be called a gadget, so can a tech-heavy sailboat, dagnabbit!
@Kaiser-Machead: Maybe it's just the way I think, but I'd think saying "Old Chum" is a nautical term for saying "You Stink!"
@ZenNoppity: wow. hopefully this won't be a repeat of the Team Phillips Catamaran disaster, as some have alluded to.
[www.solarnavigator.net]
mark0429
Its here on Giz, becasue we the readers like all kinds of gadgets, MANY of which are used in sailing. This isnt just a phone or computer site, its for GADGETRY of all sorts. I, personally, am loving that I get to read about sailing on Giz, combining 2 things I am very interested. No, 3 things. I like sailors too.
Being a sailboat racer, and a gadget lover myself, I love the fact that giz is covering this.
There's all kinds off cool toys on a modern racing boat, not to mention all the cool tech that goes into building them.
It's a shame, but sailing doesn't get near the coverage in the US as it does elsewhere in the world. I hope some of the US giz readers will take some interest.
@The Terminator: You sadden me, good sir. (to add to the many times someone says "good sir", "ol' chum", or "madam")
@incubushead: LOUD NOISES!
Kaiser-Machead
@antitrust311: my feelings exactly.
@incubushead: take it easy
@antitrust311: Amen!
TonyRockyHorror
@The Terminator: Or idiotic fucking comments like yours.
[WTF is a Sailboat Doing on Gizmodo?]
Funny, that's exactly how I feel every time I see some Lego contraption.
Ahoy there matey!! The Defender of the 33rd America's Cup in Feb 2010 Alinghi 5 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U6Cp5x-Sbr8/SlIOUxrP6WI/AAAAAAAAIko/YR9_8TsRoe0/s1600-h/Alinghi_Launch_09bc_00027_1.jpg all i can say is WOW
ZenNoppity
The backstroke? Because that's what this fly is doing in my soup.
I think this totally belongs on Gizmodo. Sailing involves all kinds of tech and gadgets. It's also a very fun way to spend ones summer. People need to think outside their respective boxes once in awhile. I'm all about learning about gadgets involved in other communities one would not necesarily associate with tech/gadgets but that use them on a daily basis.
antitrust311