Big bucks
BMW Oracle Racing announced today that the brand new Reichel/Pugh TP 52 that they just constructed, just launched, and are racing this week for the first time at the Marseille, France stop of this year’s MedCup Circuit will be the only time that they currently plan to sail the boat. Team skipper Russell Coutts said that “we have decided to now put our focus very firmly on getting ready for the America’s Cup.” The team will be stepping up its multihull training, including more time on its two X-40 catamarans and with the 60-foot trimaran Groupama 2 in Lorient.
The reasoning does make sense, though it is easy to get lost in the extravagance of building the boat in the first place. With an approximate cost of up to $2 million before even swinging the champagne bottle to the bow, the desire to calc the cost of each race at the City of Marseille Trophy regatta comes to mind. Of course this all pales in comparison to the money spent in pro sports, like when the New York Yankees signed Roger Clemons last year, which amounted to $18.7 million or about $1 million per game started. But then again, there is a revenue stream there to balance out the costs. Pulling this down to the ‘butthead level, what was your most extravagant purchase that was under-utilized? Best answer gets Scuttlebutt schwag.
Post your reply in the comments section.
posted by Blogger @ 9:46 AM
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15 Comments:
In a family venue such as this I can say no more than it involved a very expensive lady of the evening and ED. no name
my second marriage
wedding ring
My wife, whom I was allowed to have fun on just about the same number of times that the TP52 in question was used.
Gym membership - I haven't gone in years!
There was the Treo I had for two days before it slid out of my pocket and into the drink
A new 12 x 6m swimming pool at our house in Auckland. Dipped in it about 4 times in 2 years. Rest of time too busy cleaning the damn thing of dirt, leaves, branches, even dead mice and hedgehogs. Oh, and the frogs from the pond liked very much to swim in the pool and sometimes die in it. And the ducks laid eggs in it. Worst 70 grand (NZ) I ever spent! First and last pool built out in the countryside. But looked nice.
My first iphone which went through our washing machine in my pants pocket on the 2nd day I owned it.
I bought a set of Quantum sails for my Thistle (main, jib, spinnaker) in October 2006 and didn't get to use them until a week ago - so now they have been used for just 1 regatta in 19 months. The good news is they are probably the crispiest 1 1/2 year old sails around! I know this is nothing like the money L.E. spent to sail his TP52 in just one regatta, but when you compare his disposible income to mine the ratio is about the same...
OH! Just thought of a bigger one. My wife and I bought a house with the intention of renting to our daughter and son-in-law. They moved in and before they made the first rent payment they decided to move back to Massachusetts - anyone need a decent 3 bedroom house in NW GA?
Bought a Sunfish when some friends (prominent sailors of Fish) convinced me to get into the class. I planned on doing NA's, Worlds, etc. Without the existence of a local fleet, my wife told me that I would end up selling it before ever racing it. She was wrong. I not only never raced it, I never sailed it, rigged it, took the covers off it, or even carried it, before selling it. While I sold it for what I paid, it nonetheless is a good story.
I can relate to the Thistle sail story, seeing that I bought a new Lehman 12 in January to motivate me to race the boat, but it is now June and I have yet to splash the boat. Final vote on Friday.
New Zealand Big Boat - KZ 1 - 1988: Defeated by the Defender, a catamaran, Stars and Stripes. Bang for the buck this has to come out on the bottom. Although with the next DoG Race we may have a new record or maybe two!
How 'bout BMWO's second ACC boat for the 2007 AC, which was held in reserve in the quarter-finals, "until the racing got serious." Only thing was, they didn't get past the Italians, so the boat was never used in anger. Kinda dwarfs a measly TP 52.
Are we seeing a pattern here....
WINNER IS....
the Sunfish that was never used.
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