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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: sailing

sailing stories: 20 news summaries



 Pirates Hijack Yacht, 
 Kidnap UK Couple 

Brits reportedly safe after yacht seized off Somalia

(Newser) - A British couple whose yacht went missing in the Indian Ocean four days ago is being held by Somali pirates. The couple was captured during a round-the-world trip while sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania; five international warships were searching hundreds of miles off the African coast for the pair.... More »

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Somalia Africa sailing pirates yachts hijacking

 Aussie Sailor, 
 16, Starts 
 World Trip 




Girl leaves on 8-month trip as Aussies debate safety

(AP) - A 16-year-old Australian steered her bright pink yacht out of Sydney Harbor under gray skies and slightly choppy conditions today to start her bid to become the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted around the world. Jessica Watson's 23,600-mile journey through some of the world's most treacherous waters... More »

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Australia sailing sailor youth solo sail

(Newser) - Being a WASP is a lot more than being just white, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant. Author Tad Friend expounds at length on the criteria for true WASP-hood in his upcoming book Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of WASP Splendor. Vogue offers the highlights:
  • Your refrigerator "
... More »

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Northeast wealth sailing polo White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Tad Friend Cheerful Money

(Newser) - Dutch authorities have gone to court to demand custody of a 13-year-old girl to block her planned solo sail around the world, reports the BBC. The girl's parents have already been denied permission for her to miss two years of school for the adventure. Laura Dekker, who has sailed since... More »

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sailing sailor Dutch TV girls Dutch government child custody teenager solo sail circumnavigation

 America's Cup 
 Sails to Persian Gulf 

Defending champions choose UAE site for 'perfect weather'

(Newser) - February’s America’s Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates for the first time, the defending champs, who get to choose, announced yesterday. The decision marks the Middle East’s continued growth as an international sports mecca, the Wall Street Journal notes. Ras al-Khaimah in the southern... More »

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Persian Gulf America's Cup sailing Alinghi United Arab Emirates BMW Oracle

Calif. Teen Finishes Record Round-the-World Sail

Zac Sunderland, 17, breaks record for youngest person to sail around the world

(Newser) - Zac Sunderland, 17, returned to Los Angeles today, completing a 13-month journey and earning the title of youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate the globe, the Times reports. Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was greeted by cheering crowds aboard yachts and sailboats. He traveled 25,000 miles, crossing three oceans and... More »

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world record sailing world yachts teenager boating Zac Sunderland Mike Perham

 Nabbed Oracle Spy 
 Rocks America's Cup 

Cup holders accuse American billionaire of sending spy squads to snoop on yacht

(Newser) - Skulduggery has once again hit the world's foremost sailing race with charges that a spy for US billionaire Larry Ellison's BMW-Oracle team was nabbed snooping on a rival, the Times of London reports. Spokesmen for Alinghi, the Swiss holders of the America's Cup, say they caught the spy sneaking around... More »

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espionage Larry Ellison America's Cup Switzerland sailing Alinghi

 Castaway 
 Pooch 
 Survived 
 4 Months 
 on Island 

Sophie Tucker washed overboard on sailing trip

(Newser) - A family pet who was washed overboard during a November sailing trip has turned up on a remote Australian island, the BBC reports. Sophie Tucker, an Australian cattle dog, swam some 5 miles and survived on baby goats until she was found by rangers who patrol St. Bees Island. "... More »

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Australia sailing island goats dog Sophie Tucker

'Imprisoned' Cruise Ship Passengers Threaten Revolt

Passengers trapped on board after repairs delay round-the-word voyage

(Newser) - Furious British cruise ship passengers on a $12,000 around-the-world voyage threatened mutiny yesterday unless they're allowed to disembark to visit ports. Some 600 passengers on the Aurora have only been allowed to visit three cities in 22 days after the 76,000-ton ship was held up for repairs. Passengers,... More »

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protests sailing Britain cruise ships protesters stranded passengers

Body of Pirate
Victim Found at Sea

Attackers said they were desperate for a boat to get to shore, according to police

(Newser) - The body of a British yachtsman murdered by pirates off the coast of Thailand was found by a fisherman yesterday floating in the sea, reports AP. Malcolm Robertson, 64, was beaten with hammers and his throat slit as his wife lay bound in the cabin of their sailboat earlier this... More »

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Thailand murder piracy sailing sailor Britain yachts Malcolm Robertson

 Pirates Kill Brit Yachtsman 

Wife hears sounds of a scuffle, then silence

(Newser) - A British yachtsman was killed off the coast of Thailand by three fisherman-pirates who locked his wife in the cabin, reports the Times of London. The body of the vacationing 64-year-old businessman was not found, but police believe he was thrown overboard after his throat was cut. His wife managed... More »

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Thailand yachting ocean piracy sailing sea pirates yachts fishermen

Teen Hits Choppy Waters
on Global Sailing Trip 

Daring Californian faces pirates on quest to
beat sailing record

(Newser) - Most 16-year-old boys pass their days pining for Miley Cyrus, but Zac Sunderland spends his fending off pirates and feeding on cold, canned meals. The California native is 5 months and nearly half-way into his quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, the Los Angeles ... More »

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Africa travel California Australia sailing teenager

 Kennedy Doing 
 Well, Wife Reports 

Senator responding to cancer treatment

(Newser) - Ted Kennedy is responding well to cancer treatment, according to his wife, Vicki. Although he's experiencing some fatigue—a “word that has never been in Teddy’s vocabulary before”—he is exercising every morning and sailing nearly every day. The venerable senator is halfway through 6 weeks of... More »

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chemotherapy Ted Kennedy sailing radiation brain cancer Victoria Reggie Kennedy

College Sailor 'Died a Hero' 

As yacht rapidly sank, safety officer gave his life pushing his 2 crewmates to safety 

(Newser) - Survivors of a capsized college yacht yesterday hailed the boat's safety officer as a hero who gave his life to save theirs, CNN reports. Roger Stone died after pushing two of his Texas A&M University crewmates to safety from below decks last week as the craft rapidly took on... More »

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sailing Gulf of Mexico hero heroism crew members Texas A&M

Last College Sailor
Found Dead

6 Texas A&M crew members capsize on way to regatta

(Newser) - The last of six sailors missing from a Texas A&M University racing crew was found dead yesterday. The other five were rescued earlier in the day. The crewmembers were washed overboard when their boat took on water. "The flooding was so fast that the thing flipped over,"... More »

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sailing crew members Texas A&M regatta

In China, All That Matters Is Gold

Beijing recruits foreign coaches, targets medal-rich sports in quest to win, win, win

(Newser) - China wants to impress the world during this summer's Olympics, and not just by hosting a seamless Games. Determined to finish with more gold medals than any other nation, the country is bringing in foreign coaches like Igor Grinko, reports the New York Times. “Silver? It means nothing here;... More »

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China 2008 Beijing Olympics sailing swimming coach track and field rowing gold medal

(Newser) - Ted Kennedy didn't miss the start of the sailing season, despite his recent diagnosis of brain cancer, reports the Boston Herald. The senator made a surprise decision to compete in the last leg of the Figawi regatta off Cape Cod, and guided his schooner into second place. Family and friends... More »

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Ted Kennedy Massachusetts sailing Cape Cod brain cancer

 Feisty Kennedy Goes Sailing 

From hospital bed to schooner

(Newser) - Just a few hours after leaving the hospital where he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, Ted Kennedy set sail off Cape Cod with his wife and their dogs, the Boston Globe reports. The senator-turned-skipper took his 50-foot schooner for a two-hour voyage on the Nantucket Sound. “It... More »

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cancer Ted Kennedy Massachusetts sailing tumor Cape Cod

Reed Boat Crew Abandons Ship

Boat made of reeds
Latter-day explorer ditches battered reed boat

(Newser) - An amateur historian attempting to sail the Atlantic in a boat made of reeds and grass has abandoned ship. Der Spiegel reports that the Abora III, a 41-foot ship modeled after those of Bolivian Indians, ran into two storms and was ditched after some 900 miles and 56 days. The... More »

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sailing Dominique Görlitz Abora III Transatlantic trade Thor Heyerdahl

Alinghi Defends America's Cup

Swiss team scores 1-second victory over New Zealand to remain atop sailing world

(Newser) - Alinghi defended the America's Cup today, scoring a 1-second victory over Team New Zealand and returning the most prestigious title in international sailing to landlocked Switzerland. The series, contested off Valencia, Spain, was the closest since 1983—the widest margin in Alinghi's 5-2 victory in the nine-race series was 35... More »

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America's Cup Switzerland sailing Alinghi New Zealand reggata billionaire

20 Stories