Greetings all:

As a wise old sailor once said: “The pessimist curses the wind, the optimist wants to change the wind, the realist adjusts the sails and moves on”.  Pam and I are here in Hawaii being realists.  Perhaps a better explanation is needed …

The start of the Pac Cup for Bequia, our ride back, was filled with a bit of frustration, followed by exhilaration, followed by frustration.  The Pac Cup fleet was greeted by mostly zero wind right outside the Gate.  One of the crew, in exasperation, coined the saying “The fun race to the Farralons” which are about 15 miles out.  Finally, after two-and-a-half long days, the wind filled in and it was Game On for the crew of Bequia.  Reports were coming back about glorious sailing with high boat speeds and a shot at third place overall.  When sailing, problems sometimes aren’t recognized as such right off.  Apparently, the lack of steering ability on Bequia during this time was one such instance.  Innocently enough, I’m told the boat was quite balanced under the current sail plan and moving along nicely until it came time to gybe.  Let me set the scene:  The Gybe is the act of turning the boat with the stern coming through the wind.  A consequence of this is the sails have to be adjusted, in particular the Spinnaker can be a handful when its really blowing, which it was.  The timing between the driver, the foredeck person and the spinnaker trimmer is critical to pulling it off without breaking something or hurting anybody.  Unknown by anyone on the crew was the lack of steering due to a sheared bolt holding a steering cable pulley.  When it came time to gybe, the story goes the spinnaker overpowered the uncontrolled boat and ended up ripping itself to pieces.  I’m sure the deck of Bequia at that moment was definitely not G-rated.  Fortunately, nobody was hurt during all of this and things were cleaned-up and stowed away in time.  The sheared bolt however, was a tougher issue to tackle.  Ultimately, the choice to return was made and Bequia limped home under jury-rigged steering.

For us, we chose to fly out to Hawaii as planned.  Our dear friend Paul has allowed us to enjoy our time on the islands as a vacation rather than just a stop on our journey.

Fair Winds,

Pam & Roger

Hi

I know it’s been awhile, but we have been doing much research and updating of all of our resource pages.

Newest link just in…Water Filters, check it out!

http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/waterfilter.htm

Hello again!

Do you remember reading about the adventures of Pam and Roger and their first Pacific Cup sailing adventure? Well, July 25Th they have the privilege of joining the crew of the Bequia again …here’s what they posted today;

Greetings all:

As many of you know, Pam and I are going to be crew delivering the racing yacht Bequia back from Hawaii after the 2010 Pacific Cup Yacht race.  The race itself has a staggered start beginning July 5.  We should be on the water for the return sometime around July 25.  Since this will be our second time making the return trip, I guess we we can’t use the excuse that we’re newbies when something goes wrong on the boat…  For those unfamiliar with the race, its run every even-numbered year from San Francisco to the island of Oahu.  Thats about 2300 miles straight line.  Anywhere from 50 to 70 boats compete in the race.  The boats range from 24 to over 70 feet in length and are “handicapped” using a complicated formula to theoretically even-out the field.  The event is billed as the “fun race to Hawaii” but don’t think for a minute that the skippers and crews are going to be lax on the sailing.  Its not uncommon for each fleet of 5 to 8 boats to battle each other at the start as if the race is just a short distance around the bouys.

The race organization has a terrific website www.pacificcup.org that you can track each of the boats individually or by fleet with background stories, pics and links to many of the participants’ websites.  The great thing is that a lot of the boats have the ability to send e-mail during the race that can be accessed on the website.  Fortunately, Bequia has e-mail and the race crew will be sending back regular updates (blogs) as the race progresses.  Of course, Pam and I will be keeping a regular blog on the return trip also.

Check the Pacific Cup website for the race crew blog.

Roger & Pam

Hey,

All you cycling fans…next week is the big ride….. The Tour of California comes to town! I will be following (and blogging) about the Tour on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week so stay tuned!

That’s right folks! Spring is here, the water is flowing and many of the rafting outfitters have put out the OPEN FOR BUSINESS sign! My inbox has been filled with many newsletters this week from Rafting Outfitters with this announcement…don’t delay in booking that perfect trip.

We hope you will take advantage of our Adventure Sports Directory to find the perfect Whitewater Rafting trip for you and your family. You can search by State, Trip Length and even by River. Start your adventure today!

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Did you miss it?

We had a BIG Announcement last week at the America Outdoors Association Confluence in Reno. If you missed the show or haven’t heard the buzz here is the skinny:

Marketing Medley and OutdoorMind have formed a strategic partnership making OutdoorMind the biggest and most comprehensive marketing company for the outdoor industry. This partnership will allow OutdoorMind access to all the resources of Marketing Medley to extend services to their large client base. Terri Berbena-U’Ren, co-owner and face of OutdoorMind, is excited at the prospect of teaming up with a large scale marketing firm to strengthen their dominance in the outdoor industry.

Though Marketing Medley continues to provide marketing services to all businesses current and future, they will be creating opportunities through OutdoorMind to help outfitters grow their business. OutdoorMind will focus solely on outdoor industry driven businesses as targeted marketing for the outdoor industry.

We have many exciting announcements coming as the end of the year approaches. The excitement and growth that has been experienced by Marketing Medley is a direct result of their ongoing philosophy that “great businesses aren’t created by themselves, they are made with the collaboration of great minds”.

Maverick Business Adventures Offers Entrepreneurs and CEOs  The Chance to Play Hard, Network Together and Pay It Forward

Celebrity Business Icon Joe Sugarman – Direct Marketing Legend to JoinMaverick Business Adventures Ultimate Baja Experience This January 

POTOMAC, MD, November 19, 2009 – How to steer a steady course over a bumpy road takes on double meaning during a Jan. 26-31, 2010 Maverick Business Adventures® outing where participants will climb into custom-built Baja Challenge race cars for three terrain-chasing days over parts of the famous “Baja 1000” course interspersed with group sessions focused on navigating current business challenges. 

Insights from direct marketing guru Joe Sugarman will augment business building and networking meetings directed to the unique times and opportunities for entrepreneurs during a troubled world economy. 

Maverick’s “Ultimate Baja Experience” includes three days of wild off-road adventure driving starting outside of Loreto, Mexico and ending in Cabo San Lucas with highly seasoned Baja 1000 off-road driving champions. Participants will follow part of the famous Baja 1000 course along mountain roads, ocean-view vistas and untamed trails not accessible to most others. Along the way, time is spent sharing business ideas and case studies bringing personal breakthroughs and new opportunities. 

The trip fee of $12,995 per person includes all accommodations (single occupancy), meals, off-road race vehicle, professional guide, chase support crew, fuel, safety equipment, driver’s orientation and spare parts. 

Celebrity guest and business icon Joe Sugarman has been described as one of the greatest direct marketing legends alive. “He’s a true innovator having been the first to use toll-free numbers to sell electronics and the one credited for introducing the U.S. to cordless phones and calculators,” explains Maverick Business Adventures (MBA) founder Yanik Silver. “He then moved on to sell 20,000,000+ pairs of BluBlocker sunglasses and he’s still going strong.” Sugarman will be with the group for the entire Baja adventure offering one- on-one time and private access to a true marketing pioneer and giant. 

In Cabo the group will close out the adventure with a business session and an optional program for local young entrepreneurs. Members refer to the Young Entrepreneurs session as one of the highlights of their Maverick Business Adventures experience. 

Yanik Silver believes in “paying it forward” to inspire and financially support young entrepreneurs. “It is the creative thinker, the risk taker, the out-of-the-box dreamer, the young entrepreneur who will lead this world into the new economy and renewed age of prosperity,” says Silver. “One of my real passions is helping young people and turning on the lights for them to see a different direction in their life.” 

MBA is the first and thus far the only membership to gather successful, like-minded entrepreneurs and top achievers for adrenalin highs and case study networking. Part of the MBA mission is to also give back and help empower future entrepreneurs. MBA gives money and provides live and virtual educational products and programs for aspiring entrepreneurs sourced in communities where adventure trips are held. Five percent of gross revenues go to self-sustaining charities selected by the members. 

MBA founder Yanik Silver believes that getting outside the office and tackling new challenges provides the right fuel for innovative, breakthrough thinking. A self-described “adventure junkie,” maverick internet entrepreneur and self-made millionaire, Silver has found that his own life-changing experiences such as running with the bulls, bungee jumping and high altitude sky diving have brought a profound sense of accomplishment and led to clarity in ideas and focus. This inspired him to create Maverick Business Adventures® for like-minded entrepreneurs, CEOs and business owners.  

MBA member and manufacturer Mike Lally of PCB Group says that these trips take “work hard / play hard” to a whole new level.   

“What we found here is a group of like-minded individuals. We’re not all in the same business; we’re not doing the same things and that’s part of the beauty of it. But everybody is here to work hard and play hard, so you get a very intense group of men and women. You don’t get to meet someone like that in an evening or over a round of golf,” he says. 

Maverick Business Adventures® is structured to be an exclusive group and membership is by-application-only, limited to forward thinking business men and women with proven abilities and success. Silver stresses that the focus is not on corporate team building or motivational development. Instead, members will be invited to join all-inclusive adventure outings that encourage the type of high-level networking and powerful connections that can only occur outside of normal business settings. For details on the group and how to apply for membership you can go online to www.MaverickBusinessAdventures.com or call 240.744.0165.

OutdoorMind was in Salt Lake City again this summer for Outdoor Retailer.
One of the booths I stopped by was Feetures! Performance socks. Ok, I do love socks and own several types; cycling, hiking, crew, shorties, ankle…I think you get the picture….

They were introducing fresh new colors to the No Show with Tab style socks. These fashion-forward colors add a splash of excitement to one of their most popular styles. Previously only available in White, the No Show with Tab now comes in Pink, Light Blue, Gray and Black. I really liked the look and feel. They feature an ultra light cushioning, no blisters and seamless toe. The sales staff was happy to supply a pair, in pink, for me to try!

I recently had the opportunity to try them cycling and have to say they are now my favorite cycling socks! They keep my feet cool and dry and I had no ‘hot spots’ which I sometimes get with other brands.

I would highly recommend you get a pair (or several pairs) soon!

BicycleTour.com Announcement – September 2009

 We are very excited to introduce you to our newly designed BicycleTour.com Directory!

 Featuring the same great searches for your favorite Events and Tours, you will also find links to: Bike Clubs, Bike Tips/Safety, Bike Associations and some bicycling gear thrown in for good measure.

 Featured Tours and Events -

This area is reserved for all of our bicycle touring companies. A listing on ASO gets you an additional listing in the Bicycle Tour Directory…a bonus!

 In celebration of our BicycleTour.com relaunch, we are offering Introductory “Specials on the Sponsored Spots” (located on the bottom of the page on BicycleTour.com)

Receive a 20% discount the first time a one-month “Sponsored Spot” is purchased.

Call or email us today to get started!

 To view full announcement, go to BicycleTour.com Announcement 2009

If you don’t already subscribe to this newsletter you should! There are usually some really great articles about the outdoor industry that are very positive.

An excerpt from this week’s talks about promoting local vacations and the rise in campground reservations;

Surge in Campground Reservations
Creates Opportunities for Outdoor Businesses

More evidence is emerging that Americans are turning to the outdoors for a respite from tough economic times, or perhaps because of them. Advance reservations for nearly 89,000 campgrounds on federal lands were up 26.1% for the period of January 1 to March 22 compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Recreation Reservation Service. The overwhelming majority of the reservations came in online via reserveamerica.com. Read more…..