2004
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Ocean Planet/USA 05 Update from Bruce Schwab:
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Sailing Movies!
Hot off the press!
I am delighted to announce an exciting new Media Partner to our team for the Vendee Globe. Rob Draper of Northern Light Films is an award-winning filmmaker and the creator of the great new on-line “Video Magazine” at http://www.thecoastofmaine.com/.
Rob Draper will be working with me to bring our onboard video filming to the highest quality level ever. This will give us two important capabilities:
1) The ability to capture and send the highest quality compressed audio and video possible during the Vendee, via satellite ISDN. This will give our sponsors and followers exciting real-time content as we race around the world “together!”
2) Even higher quality audio/video, shot from multiple camera locations, will be captured and stored aboard. For instance, cameras mounted on our unique 16 foot tall radar tower will allow a birds-eye view of the wild high-speed Southern Ocean surfing. The footage we collect will be the best possible for our TV media partners and our Sponsors. (Hello, Title Sponsor…are you out there?)
Rob has already shot a five-part series of interviews with me talking about the Vendee, what I learned in the Around Alone (with my “amateur” footage from the race), and some of the preparations underway. The first in this series can be viewed for free at http://www.thecoastofmaine.com/, so if you have a high-speed internet connection, get the popcorn ready and check it out!
Supplier Sponsor highlight:
In my never-ending quest for durable and lightweight hardware (I have been a fanatic about this ever since my bike racing days….), I’ve been working with Equiplite (http://www.equiplite.com/). I have used Equiplite connectors, snatch blocks, and halyard blocks in the Around Alone and I just love them. For the Vendee, along with those applications, we will also be using the new equiplite “Deck Loops” extensively. Using the “Deck Loops” for padeyes, in addition to some of our chainplates, will save a lot of weight and provide unmatched fatigue resistance. If that wasn’t enough, Equiplite has designed new custom halyard swivels for our “flying luff” headsails that will save 60-70% of the weight of our old ones! Up in a rig, this is a big deal.
As with all of our Official Supplier Sponsors, Equiplite is really great stuff.
Thanks Betty!
On behalf of The Made in America Foundation, I want to give a special thank-you to our long time volunteer bookkeeper, Betty Schmidt. Betty is retiring to Lake Tahoe with husband Jay and has passed the baton onto Randi Plotner who will now be stuck with the inglorious tasks that Betty handled so well. Have fun Betty and welcome aboard Randi!
Bruce Schwab, Skipper
USA 05/Ocean Planet