Talent Agency 411

An established Formula 1 course more often than not features an extended portion of straight tarmac on which the starting rows are positioned. The pit lane, where the Formula 1 drivers enter for fuel and tyres during the race, & where the F1 constructors operate on the Formula One cars ahead of the Formula 1 motor race, is commonly positioned in parallel to the starting rows. The design of the other parts of the track varies widely, although in certain cases the race course runs in a clockwise direction. Those few race tracks that go anticlockwise (and thus have mostly left-handed turns) can cause drivers health issues owing to the massive lateral forces generated by Formula One engines dragging their heads in the opposite direction to normal.

Many of the race circuits presently in use are particularly made for racing days. The modern street tracks are the Circuit de Monaco and Melbourne, although races in other countries come & go (Las Vegas and Detroit) & plans for such grand prixs are time and again talked about ? recently London and Beirut. A number of other courses are also entirely or partially laid out on normal public roads, for example Spa-Francorchamps. The charm and reputation of the Monaco Formula 1 grand prix are the chief explanations why the circuit is still in use, since it’s thought not to meet the high safety rules forced on other race tracks. Three-time F1 World champion Nelson Piquet famously described racing in Monte Carlo as “like riding a bicycle in your own living room”. Visit the F1Tribute.com website to find information about Formula 1.

I discovered sailing many years ago and found it to be a wonderful way to enjoy time with friends and family as well as a way to get away from the office and become totally entranced and absorbed with a world that I did not know existed. I love to sail, so much that I became a certified American Sailing Association Sailing Instructor.

It has been 30 years now that I’ve sailed the Chesapeake Bay, East Coast U.S.A. and the Caribbean Islands and I’ve been fortunate to have owned a number sailing vessels, currently two Beneteau sail boats.

I’m often asked by my students what to look for when making an investment in a sailing vessel. I often share the following seven tips and hope that you too may find some value in them.

1. First carefully examine where you expect to use your boat, long term. Will it be on the Ocean, trans-Ocean, near the shore, in a Bay, on the Caribbean or all of the above. If you plan to sail Ocean or trans-Ocean then be sure that the construction is class “A” or rated for extended off shore passage making.

2. Beware of the buying philosophy “I’ll buy a smaller boat now and get a bigger one later.” If you’re buying new you will suffer two large depreciations. If buying used, the money you put into the first boat to bring it up to your own personal standards and needs will go a long way to paying a down payment or many monthly payments on the second boat. You will be upgrading the second boat anyway. Buy now what you expect to own for 5-10 years.

3. Take into account the area where you will be sailing and who you will be sailing with. Decide on the type of berths that will be suitable for you, your family and your guests. For example, aft doubles aligned with the axis of the boat or an aft double that runs across the boat port to starboard. Although the latter tends to be larger and more comfortable in the slip it is definitely not a sea going berth. How easily does the main salon table convert into a berth and is it sturdy enough to do so repeatedly? In a pinch or in good weather can any one sleep in the cockpit?

4. What is your likely cruising range? If just 2-4 days then water and diesel tankage can be respectively 20 and 80 gallons or less. If it is 5-10 days then a minimum would be 50 and 160. If you buy a boat with say 100 gallons diesel and 2-300 gallons water then the designer will have given up berth space to accommodate the tankage. Depending on the size of the boat the left over space may not be well utilized until you reach say a 50 ft. long boat. Look for living and storage space that is well utilized. Odd placement of the main salon settees, chart table and galley may indicate poor utilization of space and hence you may be paying good money for little advantage.

5. Boats that are heavy displacement, say 28,000 lbs for say a 42 ft. boat rather than say 17,800 lbs for a medium displacement, 42 footer will need 10- 15 knots of wind to develop any kind of “feel” at the helm and in many locations such as the Chesapeake Bay with winds typically 5 - 15 knots in the summer you may have purchased a very nice well equipped power boat. However these heavy displacement cruisers are excellent for extended off shore passage making and live-aboard sailing either in the Caribbean or the U.S.A..

6. One of the best tips, If you are a first time sailor and want to buy a boat in the 25 to 50 ft range, is to sail with someone who knows how to sail, take a sailing class and then charter a boat in the length range that interests you. Picking a boat with out sailing a boat of similar size is risky although many have done it successfully. Keep in mind that many of the modern designs of the last 10 years are designed specifically for two people to sail easily whether in the Bay or in the ocean.

7. Lastly, do insist on a survey. If the boat has any of the defects listed below find out the cost to correct them if you are expecting the boat to pass the insurer’s surveyor. Insurers have their own requirements. Your insurance agent and the surveyor should be working hand in hand. This is where a purchaser of a used watercraft can suddenly be faced with unexpected costs. Costly defects include but are not limited to:

   1. Soft or cracked gellcoat on the deck.

   2. Deck leaks around windows, masts, caprail, traveller or through deck fittings.

   3. If the engine that has stood idle for more than 6 months diesel may be contaminated with bacterial sludges, have pistons seized, injectors blocked and electrical system contaminated with water. Insist on at least a 2-4 hour run in the water at cruising speed. Check for undue vibration, overheating, proper charging of the batteries and that the engine can come up to its cruising rpm.

   4. If the boat is more than 6 years old have the surveyor check that the engine mounts are OK and particularly that all mounting bolts are intact. Two can be broken without any obvious signs or effects. When #3 breaks the engine is loose! This is a common problem on older boats that encounter rough waters while under power and can easily be overlooked by the surveyor.

   5. Obviously you will need an out of the water inspection. Check for blisters, gellcoat cracks, soft spots, shaft play in the cutlass bearing and loose rudder bearings, hull integrity around through hulls and the gap between the hull and the top of the keel which should be filled with sealant else corrosion of the keel may have caused the keel to separate from the hull.

   6. Rigging should be checked by a rigger and all running rigging must be overhauled end-to-end to detect hidden chafe.

Hope you find these tips helpful. Best wishes to you on your investment, maybe I’ll see you on the Chesapeake Bay or near the British Virgin Islands sometime, I’ll either be sailing on Majjik II or Majjik III.

About The Author

Keith Binnersley is owner of Upper Bay Sailing School, Inc. http://www.upperbaysailing.com. He is a Certified American Sailing Association Sailing Instructor and holds a 50 ton Masters USCG License. You can contact him at majjikll@msn.com.

American Council of Exercise teamed with Consumer Reports to find the most effective exercise equipment. While they had plenty to say about weight equipment and cardio machines, abdominal, butt and inner thigh devices barely received a nod. In fact, the words used were “None worth considering.”

Now, remember the purpose of Consumer Reports is to find the best buy for the money, which may contribute to the lambasting of belly and butt busters. But, the duo went on to explain that a large portion of the devices did not do what they claimed and the rest proved no more effective than regular floor exercises.

For abdominals, and the often forgotten Obliques, if you find that you are bored with the same old crunch session, my suggestion would be to consider the many alternatives. Mom Looks Great has a list and the instructions to a plethora of abdominal exercises. Leg lifts (for abdominals? …YOU BET!), side crunches and free weight side bends to name a few offer different positions as well as target different areas of the muscles. All are completely free of charge; and, unlike the devices, can be done on a whim. This beats running to the garage to blow off the dust from your $20-30 piece of hinged metal.

For your Glutes (i.e., butt), there are also many muscle toning exercises from which to choose. Add free weights and you can bet that your backside will be burning from the progress you will be making. First off, a simple, non-equipped squat is one of the best and most effective exercises for the backside area. Depending on your strength, add 10-20 pound dumbbells and eventually your favorite pants will have a whole new fit. As a side note, one of my favorite behind builders is the dead lift with dumbbells. While this move is more for your hamstrings, it definitely adds definition to your behind.

For some, this run of the mill free stuff just doesn’t ‘do it’. If you are one of those who must invest money on contraptions to promote motivation, then let it be. Anything that motivates an individual to maintain a healthy lifestyle cannot be all bad. But, if you can get past the notion that more money means more results, a pair of good running shoes, a small set of free weights and a floor mat will provide a well-rounded fitness routine that has proven effective time and again.

About The Author

Sherri Dodd is the creator and author of Mom Looks Great - The Fitness Program for Moms. She is also an ACE-certified Personal Trainer and a Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant with over fifteen years of exercise experience. She is dedicated to a life of fitness as well as encouraging others to establish healthy habits and a better quality of life.

momlooksgreat.com