Where Time Stands Still

A day of editing the Scuttlebutt newsletter invariably includes several Internet surfing expeditions. Recently upon one such trip, we found the website of the St. Maarten "America's Cup" 12 Metre Challenge. From the ‘Where Are They Now Department’, we learn that five of the boats used by campaigns for the 1987 America’s Cup in Fremantle, Australia have been put out to pastor in the Caribbean (Canada II, True North I and IV, and Stars & Stripes 86 and 87).

If you find yourself in St. Maarten, there are apparently several regattas held per day, with each boat carrying 9-18 passengers along with a professional crew of 3. Before the race each crew attends a briefing, where they learn a little history of the America's Cup and receive some training for the various crew positions. Unlike the real America’s Cup racing, you have to buy your own schwag, but there is complimentary beer onboard. Oh yea, and they do mention that you might want to bring along a few duckets onboard, which leads us to believe the balance of order exists even in the Caribbean, where we presume the ‘haves’ are at the helm and the ‘have nots’ are turning the handles.