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Ed. Note: The print version of this story stated that a contribution of $125,000 was made by each member. The actual number was $125. We apologize for the error.
To stimulate interest in revitalizing the Canton Road corridor, a four-mile stretch from the Marietta city limits to Cherokee County, Cobb County Commissioner JoAnn Birrell hosted a reception for property owners and developers at Bay Breeze, one of the restaurants in the area, Thursday night.
Bay Breeze owner Clarice Spica and Don Westbrook of Elon Salon are members of the newly formed Canton Road Redevelopment Foundation Inc., which registered with the Secretary of State in August.
Its purpose, according to chairman Frank Wigington, a local landscaper, is to play middleman in the area's redevelopment.
"Our sole purpose is to be matchmakers," said Wigington, who has been the president of the Northeast Cobb Business Association for the past seven years. "We want to hook people up that have property to sell, rent, fix up, rezone or lease with people who want to lease it, buy it or start a business."
The goal, Birrell said, is to give the area a shot in the arm.
"Canton Road finished road intersection improvements and upgrades that started with Chairman Tim Lee when he was District 3 commissioner," she said before the reception Thursday. "The transportation component is complete. The next step would be to revitalize the area."
While stopping short of calling existing buildings eyesores, Birrell said there is a need for fresh construction.
"Some of the blighted areas could be revitalized," she said. "There are vacant and rundown buildings that we want to revitalize and redevelop."
Those buildings constitute more than a third of the 38 commercial sites identified by the county in 2011 as ripe for fixing up.
They include Property Masters, newly transformed by owner Judy Young into Downing Tree Service, and La CoSina Latina, a Mexican restaurant also in line for renovation by a new owner.
Existing sites still available are a gas station next to RaceTrac and other sites known as Silk Gardens, The Summit, Club Corners Car Wash, Blackwell Square, Truck n' Stuff, Jiffy Lube, Sprayberry Crossing, The Corners and Sandy Plains Village.
While not easy on the eyes, the sites have underlying attractions, Birrell said.
"All the sites fall within our rehab zone," she said. "They are eligible for tax credits and incentives."
The county can grant an exemption from property taxes on a sliding scale over six years, after which time the business will be assumed to be profitable and able to pay 100 percent of its taxes.
"The property tax incentive is made possible by titling ownership to the taxable assets into the name of the Development Authority (of Cobb County), which in turn leases these assets back to a private entity," Birrell said in a statement. "The property title reverts to the owner/applicants immediately upon the end of the lease."
At the event, some of the 85 attendees questioned the foundation's role, if any, in changing the comprehensive land use plan.
County Planning Director Dana Johnson said that process will be business as usual.
"Any changes to the comprehensive plan are going to have to go through the regular process of alterations. We make alterations to the comprehensive plan once a year," he said. "They have to come through the commission as a proposal. There's public notification and all of the regular process that we do for any type of comprehensive plan changes. So, nothing that we're doing with this effort is going to change the policy on land. The purpose of this is to get people together to help bring new business to the corridor."
While the foundation, as a nonprofit, may be eligible for grants and revolving loans in future, Wigington said it does not have the funds to be any kind of pass-through agency or provider of startup funds.
"Each member put up some seed money. There were eight of us," he said. "We put up $125 apiece. We filed for our IRS tax exemption for a 501(c)3, which took most of our money. We will be asking other businesses to help us."
Those members represent Bay Breeze, Community Bank of the South, Elon Salon, Columbia Properties, Canton Road Neighbors, Blackwell Elementary School, Wigington Landscaping and Arylessence.
Chuck Martin of fragrance maker Arylessence has given another contribution of $1,000, which Wigington said will help get the word out.
"We want to improve this corridor," he said. "We want to promote this area."
Birrell said the event already made a start by gathering movers and shakers under one roof.
"We have property owners, developers, shopping center managers, bankers and attorneys here. We want you to talk to each other and network," she said to the attendees, who also included Development Authority, Keep Cobb Beautiful and neighborhood representatives. "My office is going to be the main point of contact if you're interested in seeing what incentives or credits are available."
The foundation will be on the agenda at a District 3 town hall meeting Oct. 17 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Mountain View Community Center, 3400 Sandy Plains Road in Marietta.
(Reprinted from the Marietta Daily Journal, Oct 12, 2012, by Noreen Lewis Cochran. Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Canton Rd group brings developers owners together)


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Listen Up! May 2010
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Sade Is Back!
Sade has returned to the airwaves after almost a ten year absence. I wish I could say that I love her new album, Soldier of Love but I don't. Yes, it's darker and more mature than her previous work but I'm just not feeling it. Someone please tell me what I'm missing.
I Heart Spoon
Spoon's new albumTransference does not disappoint. Their new album reminds me of some of their earlier records, like Kill the Moonlight and Gimme Fiction. My favorite track is "Who Makes Your Money". If you really enjoyed their last record, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, this album may not thrill but give it a chance. Spoon played live at the Fox Theatre in Oakland in April, maybe I saw you there!
Them Crooked Queens of Foo
Them Crooked Vultures consists of Dave Grohl, Josh Holmes, and John Paul Jones, talk about a supergroup! Their debut album sounds a lot like a Queens of the Stone Age record, surprise, surprise. That doesn't mean I don't like it, because I do. This a much heavier record than I would normally listen to, but hey I can rock out too! Listen to "New Fang", "Reptiles", and "Nobody Loves Me & Neither Do I".
Author Bio:
Evie D., a Bay Area native, works as a Library Assistant at the Foster City Library. She enjoys filling her iPod with new music. She obsesses over handbags, live music, and independent films.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Raised in Colorado, Fred Conlon lives now in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he makes garden sculptures out of recovered objects. For his helmet sculptures, he uses real recovered World War II helmets. "It is very satisfying to transform something once used in war into a peaceful garden decoration," he says. His work has been featured in Niche Magazine, the Salt Lake Tribune and HGTV. What would he be if he weren't an artist? "Happy...just kidding!" he answers. "I can't imagine doing anything else."
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Is there one model that will support 3442 PSI? I know the manufacturer list one, but I cannot seem to find it on your site.
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12/07/2006, Bimini
The Dock Master came by late in the afternoon to inform us that the fuel tanker was coming in and that we couldn't stay on the dock where we were. Apparently the tanker was a couple of days early. We were on the North end of the dock and all of the fuel dock gear was on the South end. I asked if the Fuel barge couldn't just tie up on the South end of the dock. The Dock Master looked at me for a second and said, "no mon, this one takes up the whole dock".
He wasn't kidding. I saw the thing at that point, making its way into the harbor. It was like a mini oil tanker. Having minimal docking experience with our 50' long, 26' wide boat I was not excited about trying to get out of the way as the steel behemoth bore down on us. Even more interesting was the shoal directly in front of our current position, the crazy current, the 20 knot wind and the fact that the inside slip he wanted me to pull into had a foot and a half of clearance on each side. It's times like these that you're glad you have rub rails.
As luck would have it the operation went without a hitch. A great crew on Cat's Paw helps us from the dock. Hideko got us all tied down and I didn't plough through any pilings. We now have shore power for the first time in a month. Time for a cold Kalik...
|The Bahamas
12/06/2006, Bimini
All of our friends have left. Meridian, Edelweiss and Red Leopard are all on the other side of the banks. It kind of makes you feel left behind. It's not like we were headed to the same places or anything, you just get a certain feeling when you see friends sail off. Perhaps our friends felt this way when we left California. Everyday is an adventure when you are cruising to new places but you have to get used to missing people you've become fond of.
The weather has closed in so it will be a week before we can expect a nice sail to the Berrys. We could go anyway without any danger on several different days but I prefer to sail when the sailing is fun if possible.
Hideko and I are getting a lot of reading in. I'm really enjoying the weather and island effects stuff in Van Zandt's Gentlemans's Guide to Passages South. Also, after coveting everyone else's Explorer charts we finally bought a set. The last set in Bimini at that (I was surprised to find them at all). The Explorer charts are certainly the charts you should have for the Bahamas. I started planning a more detailed version of our cruise in the Berrys today.
|The Bahamas
12/05/2006, Bimini Harbor
We unfortunately did not go to bed as early as we like to the night before a passage. Since the boat is tied to the dock, we decided to swap the anchor, then laundry and cooking and so forth. By the time everything was done, it was almost midnight; not a preferable time to go to bed before an all day crossing of the Great Bahama Bank. We woke up at 6AM. We were both tired. The weather wasn't great. Can we have fun staying in Bimini for a while? The answer was yes! So we decided to stay. This is the great thing about not being on a schedule.
Randy helped Edelweiss leave the dock, and Roque went for a short walk and we went back to sleep.
|The Bahamas
12/04/2006, Bimini Blue Water Marina
It was another beautiful day in the warm, transparent waters 100 yards off of the beach on North Bimini. We spent a lot of the day looking over weather and our route across the banks. I have finally figured out how to get specific weather information on a request basis over SailMail. Very cool that. My Weather Fax application tends to crash before copying an entire Fax at night for some reason. It works much better in the morning hours.
Red Leopard and Two Tops both set out across the banks today. We hope to run across them down island.
The front looming over Florida finally arrived in the afternoon. We re-anchored farther off shore in anticipation of its passage. As usual it was a little stronger than predicted, and a bit more squally. The biggest problem was that it was blowing from West of North, not North Northeast as advertised. This pressed us back toward the Bimini Harbor entrance reef and the beach, which incidentally has the rusting remains of a cargo ship right where we would have ended up if the anchor broke out. Ominous.
So after a bit of that we hauled up and went in to tie up where Red Leopard had been at the Bimini Blue Water Marina. BBWM is sleepy but the folks are nice, they have fuel and a swimming pool, at $0.75 a foot it is the cheapest, and it is quiet off season. There's a sand bar in the middle of what looks like the channel running a third of the way up the BBWM dock from deeper in the harbor. Stay near the docks or have less than 4 foot draft if it isn't high tide when approaching from sea. I've seen two mono-hulls ground here.
We're going to try to get things prepped for a passage across the Great Bahama Bank tomorrow.
|The Bahamas
12/03/2006, North Bimini
On the night of the 1st and during the day on the 2nd a few other boats came across the Gulf Stream to Bimini. None of them had fun. One of them was Red Leopard with Rick and Myrna aboard. Rick and Myrna were commissioning their brand new Leopard 40 at Lauderdale Marine Center while we were there. It was great to see them and catch up. We went to lunch with Edelweiss, Two Tops and Red Leopard today at the Bimini Big Game Club, one of the better spots in town.
Some charts mark the anchorage West of the North Bimini Beach as a pilot boarding area. Being from southern California this brought to mind images of the oil tanker field off of El Segundo. With the new channel in place I doubt you could get someone to talk you in here, much less come out to drive your boat to the dock. The anchorage was idyllic and we went to the beach with Roq a few times. Some dolphins came by to say hi and a large Barracuda took up residence under our boat. I think that if you look under all of the sailboats in the Caribbean half of them will have a Barracuda underneath sheltering from the sun.
|The Bahamas
12/02/2006, Bimini Harbour
We woke up facing an East wind in a beam swell flowing North from the Gulf Stream. A little rolley on a catamaran, but no big deal, especially given the great location and wonderful holding. Then I went outside and saw the spar on Edelweiss swinging like the pendulum on a coo-coo-clock. The inside of that boat must have been like a fun house. Lowell and Jane confirmed said affect later in the day after moving to an end tie at Bimini Blue Water Marina in the harbor. I felt bad about telling them this was a nice anchorage, one must keep in mind the differences between catamarans and mono-hulls when making anchorage recommendations.
Meridian picked us up to clear customs early in the morning and then they set off across the banks. They were meeting family in the BVI and needed to stay on the go while conditions were favorable. So there we sat alone in the anchorage. This is a great feeling when you're in a protected lagoon. It is a little ominous when you are in a well traveled area fully exposed to the open ocean on what could quickly turn into a lee shore. The weather forecast gave me no reason to be overly concerned but we feel better about leaving our boat when there are other cruisers around and we wanted to see Bimini.
So off we went into Bimini harbor even though none of the marinas had an end tie for us. Now the word harbor brings to mind a certain amount of maritime organization, structure and security. The use of the word here is a stretch. First let me correct the various cruising guides and charts, there is no place to anchor in North Bimini harbor that you could justly refer to as a proper anchorage. No place. The so called anchorage just past the Big Game Marina has room for one shoal draft boat, the skipper of whom must be adept at deploying a very tight Bahamian moor. Just off shore from the noisy power plant, Dock to the South, Grassy Bank in 4 feet of water to the West, Busy channel to the East and a three to four knot tidal current that swaps 180 degrees every 6 hours having no acquaintance with the word, "slack". What anchorage?
So we anchored there. One nonexistent slot down from the guy in the good spot.
The water here is crystal clear and 86 degrees. It's beautiful even though you can see the Coke bottles and beer cans on the bottom. Most are blended into the sea floor so it's not too appalling. I dove on our anchor for the first time and had a blast in the water. I'll let you know if I grow a third arm or anything from the power plant effluent. The tide was a foot above soundings and after letting out a tight scope on the bow we were about 6 inches above the bottom at the keel. Not optimal, especially considering the likelihood of a 360 degree swing here.
As the tide began to really get going I found that it was all I could do to swim up current with fins. The boat completely ignored the 18 knot wind and faced the current. You're anchor can do some weird things in this situation. The boat is almost completely controlled by the current, but unlike the wind, the current is not uniform and as the speed and pattern change, ebb and flood, your boat will move to different positions above or to the side of the anchor. There were a few times when we could not even figure out which rules of physics were applying.
Unfortunately we didn't have our second bow anchor set up yet (Rocna still in the cockpit). The only thing I could think of to keep us from swinging into something or turning 180 degrees and dragging into one of the several hazards was to set the stern anchor. So I dutifully deployed our shinny new Fortress FX-37, dove on it to ensure that it was well set, and got on with other tasks.
Rick from Two Tops, a very clean Prout, came by on his dinghy on his way to customs. He mentioned that he had never had any luck bow and stern in Bimini. When he returned from customs he looked over at us, hauled anchor and left the harbor. Ominous.
11PM. I'm standing on the swim step watching an incredible amount of water flowing aft to fore, splashing and whirling across the transom. Ever gone 5 knots in reverse? Boats aren't supposed to do this. I was wondering how long our's would. The stern anchor rode was tuned to G sharp.
11:30PM. It was near peak current when we heard a loud pop and the boat swung wildly out into the channel. Hideko and I ran outside and started both auxiliaries as we careened back toward the guy with the one good anchoring spot. Would our 66 pound Claw hold? Could I stop the boat in this current with the diesels in time? These and 50,000 more thoughts crossed my mind as we reached the end of the arc. Perhaps concurrently the Fortress grabbed hold at a 90 degree angle to the boat keeping us a bit into the channel and the Claw, which had tripped reburied and, no doubt grabbing various tires and car batteries, took hold with a vengeance. We stuck. Not far from the boat off of the Big Game dock but just far enough to live with.
At this point we had a ships meeting. Hideko, Roq and I had to decide whether to haul anchor and leave the harbor, re-anchor at a safer distance, or stay put with a watch on duty for the tide swap at 1AM. Navigating into Bimini harbor is harrowing on your first pass and I wasn't excited about trying my first exit at night. Re-anchoring in this current in the dark with the poor bottom didn't seem like a high success operation either. We were set and holding, so we stayed. We left the port diesel running as a provision. Now what about this stern anchor?
The Fortress was hooked, and good. Nothing I tried would budge it and it was set out in a spot where the current was even worse. I set a sharp knife out in the cockpit and tabled the decision until later in the morning.
1AM. Hideko and I napped with one eye on the boat to our stern and a tight anchor alarm setup on the chart plotter. As the current began to subside for an ever so brief slack before the swap, I made one last attempt to retrieve the Fortress before cutting it loose. Surprisingly, with some serious effort, it came up. Even more surprisingly a third of one of the flukes was sheered off. This gives you some idea of the load that must have been on the anchor with the current flowing from the stern. I can only assume that it was hooked on a rock under the sand.
Now we were at least in a reasonable anchoring situation. The current was running in and we were set on a reliable bow anchor facing it. We didn't get much sleep over the next 6 hour tide cycle. When morning came we left the harbor and anchored off to the West of North Bimini in nice sand 12 feet deep along with four other boats that already knew better.
I hear Fortress will replace a broken anchor under warrantee. Although ours broke on the first use, I have a lot of respect for the thing given how long it held up. Maybe an FX55 will fit in my lazarette?
|The Bahamas
12/01/2006, Gulf Stream
We made it! We are anchored on a 10 foot deep sand bar about 200 yards off of the west coast of South Bimini with a nice east wind. The water is the most pure turquoise blue you can imagine. Anchoring has never been so easy. We have 50' of chain out and I can see the whole scope and the hook (or at least where it's buried). Just as advertised
You can skip the rest of this blog unless you are interested in a detailed account of our first passage as new cruisers.
The Gulf Stream was not as advertised.
The five boats staging near Pumpkin Key off of Key Largo were joined by Bombay Duck, another catamaran, late in the afternoon on the 30th. All of the boats were anchored in the serene setting of Card Sound and prepping to make their way out through Angelfish Cut into the North Atlantic at 0'Dark-Thirty.
It was a tight window. The original NWS forecast for the Gulf Stream was Southeast winds 10-15 knots and seas of 2-4 feet subsiding to less than 2 feet in the afternoon. As predicted the weather would come from the Southeast for one day and then go East and then North with an attitude (i.e. 13' waves) for some time. If we didn't make this window we were all going to be hanging out in Florida or cruising the Florida Keys for the foreseeable future. We were a bit nervous on Thursday night as we made our final preparations. I had been taking Roq to a nice little park at the end of an inlet on Key Largo and we left the dink in the water so I could take him ashore one last time before we made our way across the Gulf Stream. That meant a 4AM wake up call if we wanted to be ready to leave at 6AM with the rest of the boats.
4AM Friday. Hideko and I both had little sleep in anticipation of our first passage by ourselves in our new boat. I got up to take Roq ashore in the dark of night and though the moon was waxing full, the patchy clouds made it hard to find the entrance to the inlet amongst the Mangroves. As we rowed back to the boat I saw Bombay Duck weighing anchor. They apparently were not messing around and knew Angelfish well enough to make it through in the dark. We didn't see them again. We set about bringing the dinghy on deck and securing everything for sea. We had not had a chance to swap out our anchors so the 88 lbs Rocna was a menacing presence on deck. I secured it at the back of the cockpit with some line and towels, not knowing how troubling its presence was about to become.
We checked in at 6AM with VHF WX1 for NOAA weather and later at 6:30AM with Chris Parker on the SSB at 4.045MHZ. Things had taken a turn for the worse. The wind was now supposed to run 15-20 knots until late afternoon and the seas were supposed to be in the 6 foot range. Not great, but given the alternative, all of the boats in the anchorage were still a go. So at about 6AM, 50 minutes before sunrise, we all lined up to file through the Angelfish cut. Wind in the Willows, the smallest and therefore slowest boat at 37 feet, went first. Edelweiss, lone mono hull and thus carrying the deepest draft at close to 6 feet, went second. Ishmael was followed by Meridian and we brought up the rear. The pass had skinny water in spots, but Edelweiss had surveyed it the day before with a portable depth sounder in their dinghy and found nothing short of 7 feet center channel. We left close to high tide and the Card Sound tide table indicated we would have about a foot above soundings (which were fairly unreliable in the cut, but hey, an extra foot never hurts).
Meridian and Wind in the Willows raised their full main sails at anchor and made their way though the pass with the wind on their nose, having no problem. We considered this but decided to restrict the number of forces on the boat a bit until on the other side. Ishmael, Edelweiss and Swingin on a Star deployed sails as we neared the edge of the continental shelf and 30 feet or so of water. We all had to follow a careful track until we cleared a few outlying hazardous shoals.
As the boats made their way out of the outer channel we angled to the North trying to get as much wind toward the beam as possible. The depth dropped from 30, to 100, to "no bottom" and the swells began to mount. It was becoming obvious that the 6 foot prediction was not connected with the 10 foot reality. I was glad that our boat had come ready for ocean voyaging with jack lines fore and aft on both side decks. Hideko and I added a line from port to starboard at the mast to allow crew to jack in while working on the main. I made full use of this facility when raising our main sail. With the questionable conditions, Hideko and I decided to leave the 1st reef in for the day. This turned out to be a wise decision.
We never saw wind below 20 knots apparent and it averaged 27 knots. Gusts were over 30 knots and the seas were unpleasantly steep to say the least. All five boats were bashing through eight foot seas with ten foot rogues coming over the bow regularly. We were all motor sailing to point as high as possible. I think that many of the crews were persevering due to the hope that the calmer afternoon forecast would materialize during the 8 hour passage. It did... about 15 minutes before we reached the anchorage. Only three boats made the crossing.
Michael, the kindly old sailor with more experience than the entire group of us, was the first to radio in. He was single handing and taking too much water over the bow to continue. Smaller boats not only have less powerful rigs but they also have smaller motors, lower freeboard and several other attributes not beneficial to suffering seas of the nature we were faced with. Having the longest waterline and the largest motors and props, Swingin on a Star progressively moved ahead of the rest of the boats, beating our way through the steep swells. Ishmael, the 40 foot custom trimaran, headed south to power up their main in an attempt to break out of the worst of the chop. The remaining group of three boats continued to press as close to the wind as possible.
We were running both diesels through the channel to ensure maximum control of the boat. We had problems with the hydraulic steering on the way down from Fort Lauderdale and, although everything seemed fine on the sail down Biscayne Bay, we were still hesitant to place full faith in our hydraulic system bleeding skills. When we reached the final mark at the beginning of our 50 nautical mile route to Gun Cay we shut down the windward engine to see how she motor sailed with just the leeward diesel.
The wind and the waves kept coming on with 28 knots apparent, 35 degrees off of the starboard bow. Swingin on a Star did her best to stay on top of the water but she was not quite large enough to master some of the taller, tightly packed swells. I heard her slam for the first time ever as a particularly steep wall of water picked the boat up several feet and rudely dropped her into the growing trough of the next set. Forward buoyancy and bridge deck clearance were key criteria in our catamaran selection process. It seemed to be paying off as our boat was doing an amazing job given the conditions. Hideko, Roq and I had on our PFDs and harnesses but never got wet or too shaken up as we sailed through the turmoil.
Ishmael was the next boat to radio in to the group. Their 40 foot custom trimaran was having a hard time making way. The sea steals your speed each time you pound into a wave and, like Michael, they did not have enough motor or size to get through the swells easily. Karl and Pat, were veterans and gave us many valuable tips along the way, we were sorry to see them head for Miami.
Edelweiss was making their first crossing, just as we were. They were the lone mono hull in the group and while they had a large Hunter Legend 45, they were pressed with 25 to 30 knots of apparent wind, big swells and no spray hood. The skipper, Lowell, was using a hand held VHF in the cockpit so it was hard to stay in touch with them. We lost contact with them shortly after Ishmael radioed in their return. We were concerned that we could not raise them.
Meridian was staying close behind us. As we pulled out the entire jib and trimmed the sails with the traveler to windward we began to see 10 knots plus SOG. It was not long before we could only see Meridian behind us. After an hour fighting to stay as close to the wind as possible it became obvious that our rhumb line was not a sailing reality, the Gulf Stream and the wind were just too strong. I decided to shut down the last diesel to see how much speed we would lose. As the Yanmar rattled to a halt, the speed over ground dropped down to 9.5 knots, then as the wind picked back up, the prop folded and we moved right back to 10 plus. We had been running the diesel for the last hour to charge batteries I guess.
Our next significant VHF transmission came from Bombay Duck. They were somewhere ahead of us but being set North to the point that they were making for Hen and Chickens, some rocks substantially North of Bimini. They turned back for Miami as well.
Three votes were in and we had lost track of Edelweiss. It was starting to look like a quorum. While things weren't getting any better, they didn't seem to be getting too much worse. Swingin' on a Star had matters well in hand and although the 88 pound Rocna tied down in the cockpit gave me constant concern every time we piled over a tall wave, it really didn't move much. We decided that we should finish the crossing. Keeping in constant contact with Rick and Allison on Meridian made us feel better about the whole process.
We logged our GPS position, course over ground, speed over ground, PSC heading, engine status, wind speed and direction as well as the barometer every half hour. This put an order about things and helped minimize the impact of the seas mayhem all around us. Plotting our track DR versus EP versus GPS fixed was an interesting review of how intense the Gulf Stream effect is.
I was looking forward to a noon sight (using the sextant to get your latitude from the sun) just for fun as I have never taken one on a vessel underway. The conditions made things a little too hectic and given that we were only going 50 miles I decided to forego the opportunity. It made me think of Shackleton and his contemporaries taking shots in hurricane conditions, what amazing navigators. I do need to practice the celestial stuff or I'm sure I will lose it. Celestial navigation is rarely used these days (given the cruisers I've met) but it is your only backup to GPS on a multi-day blue water passage.
As we settled into the constant rise and fall of the boat and howling of the wind we noticed that there were fish flying out of the waves. They would burst out of the side of a swell and then flap their fins as fast as they could, skip across another frothy wave or two and then disappear back into the foam. As I poked my head out from behind our wind screen to watch these little acrobats my hat flew out to join them. In the Santa Monica Bay this would have called for a man overboard drill, but I didn't hesitate to say goodbye to it on this particular day.
As we reached the halfway point it became clear that we would not make Gun Cay. Not without a big old tack into the flow of the Gulf Stream. We and Meridian were both just trying to get across as fast as possible. Bimini looked like the appropriate alternative.
We began to see large shipping traffic out in the open ocean at this point. I thought about how glad I was that we were crossing during the day. These huge behemoths plough through any sea state at 20+ knots, around the clock. As early afternoon came upon us we spotted a south bound freighter pinned to a constant heading off of our port bow. I would always give way to shipping without thinking twice in a channel, or anywhere else in settled conditions. This was a tough situation however. If we fell off we would pick up speed and take the sharp swell on the beam, not to mention potentially doing nothing to reduce the collision risk due to increased speed. Other maneuvers were going to be interesting in the 8 foot surf with almost 30 knots apparent. After a few moments it began to look as if we would naturally pass in front of them but the bearing wasn't changing fast enough at this distance to make us anything but concerned. In the end we would need to get out of the way if it looked problematic. We called out a securite on channel 16 to make sure they saw the sailboat out in front of them. Believe it or not the captain veered a bit to starboard to make the tracks cross a comfortable margin apart. We may have had to maneuver soon after to keep the safety margin wide if he hadn't been so courteous. In the conditions, double handing, any maneuver aboard our boat would have reduce the safety factor. It was the press of a button for him to cut the corner a little yet it was a wonderful gesture.
Cruisers like to quote the gross tonnage right of way rule, "he with the gross tonnage has the right of way". In this situation, by International Rules of the Road, the sailing vessel has the right of way over an unrestricted power vessel. That said there is no guarantee a freighter has anyone on watch (although they should) or that they even see you from their bridge 100 feet above the thrashing water. If you have a collision with one of these guys they probably wouldn't even notice. We have a radar reflector and VHF radio to get the attention of shipping traffic but other than that, getting out of the way is our problem.
As the day wore on the waves began to move farter apart and the odd ten footers gave way to consistent 6 to 7 footers. The wind came down into the 24 knot range and the sailing got more enjoyable. Hideko, who had never been seasick on a catamaran before had to stay on deck for the trip and took a Stugeron (great seasickness medicine that for some reason you can not get in the US). Roq laid around in the cockpit the whole way, seemingly unconcerned once he was sure that he was going with us. I took a Stugeron with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as we entered the Gulf Stream in the morning and other than being a little sleepy was fine the whole trip. It was interesting going below in these conditions of course. I especially recall going into one of the forward staterooms and watching the sea blasting by through the interior escape hatch. The hatch was under water a good bit of the time (don't leave these open when you head out for a sail!).
The day was bright and sunny. This does a lot to improve your spirits and safety on a wild passage. Darkness and rain make everything harder. I would much rather have fresh water on deck than salt, however. The salt water leaves a salty film that is slippery even when it dries. Everything forward of our cabin was wet, salty and slippery at this point. I bit the dust twice later in the day when accidentally stepping in a place where there was no non skid.
It was a bit after noon when we first spotted Bimini, a thin line of trees on the horizon. We were charging north of the little island but decided to shut down the sailing for the day once we reached the banks and motor our way back down south. We conferred with Meridian, who indicated we must be quite a bit ahead of them, both crews were too tired to run the full eight miles south to Gun, so we began looking for a Bimini anchorage on the charts.
Bimini has a harbor but the entrance is infamous. The charts show 5 feet in places. We only draw four foot seven or so but threading the needle was the last thing we wanted to do at this point. Though none of the other charts showed it, our Navionics electronic charts depicted an anchorage West of South Bimini in 10 feet of water. Close, sandy, shallow, fairly near shore but not too close, and no shoal water between us and it. What more could we ask for with the wind from the East?
As we motored down from the North toward the anchorage Meridian appeared on the horizon. To the South of us! They must have been using those demon boards of theirs to out point us because they had come in noticeably closer to the wind than we had. They were motor sailing but still surprised us with the time they made and the angle that they kept. We anchored and watched Meridian come in as we secured the boat and deployed the dinghy. It was only 3:30 in the afternoon when we were fully at rest. While we set about putting the boat away a familiar voice came over the radio, "Swingin on a Star, this is Edelweiss". A cheer went up.
The big mono hull had seen its crew safely across the Gulf Stream and they were motor sailing onto the horizon. We talked them into the anchorage where they happily set the hook. Unfortunately we hadn't done them a favor, more on this later.
I figured since we were here and it wasn't 5PM yet, we might as well try to clear in. I got the ships papers together and stopped by Meridian, to see if they wanted a ride in. They were already in sundowner mode! Lowell on Edelweiss was game however and within seconds of securing the anchor he hopped into the dinghy and we set off for North Bimini. It was 4:30 in the afternoon and the Bahamians are not known for staying at the office late. As we headed into the harbor we noticed that the new channel we had heard tales of was indeed in place. Ten feet deep or more all the way in and a fairly short shot from open water with a 90 degree turn to port in front of the beach just outside the harbor. Much better than the nightmare approach you read about in the cruising guides and charts.
Both Lowell and I were facing our first clear in experience. As we trolled into the harbor, trying to remember exactly where and what customs was supposed to look like, I saw a big pink building with a gnarly looking concrete dock out front. A dock guaranteed to ding up anything tied to it and a bright pink building, must be customs right? It was. We went ashore after paying a strange Biminite $2 for tying up our dink (which he insisted on somewhat forcibly). The immigration process was a breeze and the folks were very nice. It is $300 for the typical cruising boat permit and that includes your fishing permit. In my singular experience, Bimini is a great and fast place to clear in. Make sure to bring the serial number of any guns with you, along with the boat documentation and passports. As we walked back to the dinghy a couple of folks out front said, "Hey where are you going?" Worried that we were going to have to pay another $2 for something we responded hesitantly. "You have to clear customs mon!" Oh, that.
This clearing in bit is a two step process. The boat was in the country but apparently we weren't yet. When we went into customs (the other place was immigration) they asked us where the rest of the people were. "On the ship!" Obviously you can't clear customs if you're not at customs but everything we had both read indicated that only the captain could go ashore until you had cleared in. Well apparently the loose interpretation is that everyone comes ashore and sits around waiting for the captain to fill out forms, and then you all go through customs. So we just took the forms and went back to the boat to finish up the process the next day. Customs was also great, no funny fees, nice people, and all parties very understanding of two newbies who didn't really have the process down.
We motored back as the sun set over the ocean ahead with our boats anchored in the foreground. I have often questioned our decision to purchase a large cruising boat and a catamaran at that. After our Gulf Stream crossing, those questions are now gone. Our boat has the speed and size to make some fairly nasty stuff a non issue. Everything is heavier, bigger and more expensive, but that is not always a bad thing.
|The Bahamas


text:
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Capcom • Page 2
Capcom will add Japanese voiceovers to Resident Evil 6 and Dragon's Dogma: Arisen
Tired of hearing English voice work in Capcom games? Japanese audio is coming.
Former European Konami boss joins Capcom in a senior role
Kunio Neo, former boss of Konami Europe, has taken on a senior role at Capcom.
DmC: Devil May Cry reviews are go, get all the scores here
DmC: Devil May Cry reviews were always going to be interesting, given the anguish surrounding Dante's appearance, the game's combat and so on. But we don't have to second-guess the scores any longer. Get them after the cut.
DmC has low entry level for new users, says Capcom
DmC: Devil May Cry is a reboot and therefore it has a tricky job of convincing long-time fans to return and to get a new wave of players through the door. How does one achieve such a tricky balance? Capcom believes the key is to make the barrier for entry low, but to retain a […]
Capcom games could be in 15 languages
Capcom Director and Executive Corporate Officer in charge of consumer games, Katsuhiko Ichii, has said that in an attempt to break into more areas of the worldwide games market, Capcom games may be translated into between 13 and 15 different languages.
3DS title Resident Evil: Revelations listed for console release
Not had enough zombie-based fun across the last year? Did Operation Raccoon City, Resident Evil 6 and The Walking Dead leave you wanting more time with those stumbling pests? According to yet another listing unearthed before its time, more of those groaners are heading towards your screen.
DMC: Devil May Cry demo out now on Xbox 360, PS3 tomorrow
DMC: Devil May Cry has received a two level demo from Ninja Theory and Capcom, giving naysayers the chance to actually play the thing instead of complaining about fashion and hair cuts. Details below.
Mega Man: 'you've not seen the last of him', says Capcom
Mega Man's 25th anniversary came and went this year without so much as a birthday cake or new game to mark the occasion. However, developer Capcom hasn't forgotten about the blue bomber just yet, and has promised he will return on both console and handhelds going forward.
DmC project created 'mutual respect' between Capcom & Ninja Theory
DmC: Devil May Cry developer Ninja Theory has shed light on the early days of its reboot project. The studio has told VG247 why the partnership works, and why the final game will be richer for the experience.
Resident Evil 6 reviews infect the Internet, get the scores here
Resident Evil 6 reviews have begun flooding online like some C-Virus gas seeping through the wooden floorboards of Tall Oaks university. Get your score fix here.
Lost Planet 3: 'only one playable mech in single-player campaign' - Capcom
Lost Planet 3 publisher Capcom has revealed that players will only pilot one Rig mech in Spark Unlimited's darker take on the franchise. So don't expect to be piloting the same wide range of wacky contraptions that you used in Lost Planet 2.
Lost Planet spin-off E.X. Troopers not launching in West - Capcom
E.X. Troopers is a Lost Planet spin-off that takes an all-out action perspective on the franchise, along with colourful anime visuals. It looks interesting, but the 3DS game won't be coming out in the West any time soon, developer Capcom has said.
New Resident Evil 6 trailer revolves around "hope"
Capcom has released a new trailer for Resident Evil 6 and it's a cinematic affair. The trailer shows various sequences from the game explaining the concept of hope in the game. You get to see some emotional moments being shared between characters amidst the horrible zombie outbreak in the trailer. Resident Evil 6 is due […]
Resident Evil 6: retailer breaks 'on sale' date a month early
Resident Evil 6 has gone on sale a month early at a Polish retailer, reports suggest.
DmC & Remember Me dev sessions confirmed for Eurogamer Expo
DmC: Devil May Cry and Remember Me are heading to Eurogamer Expo. Developers Ninja Theory and Dontnod Entertainment will be at the show to discuss their respective titles, which are both being published by Capcom.
DmC: 'We understand why you got mad' - Capcom
DmC: Devil May Cry takes the series in a new direction without watering down the series' core fundamentals of combat, pacing and those ever-addictive red orbs. Capcom US producer Alex Jones has explained to VG247 why it understands fan's initial reaction to Dante's redesign and why it wanted to tone down the corny jokes and […]
DmC: Devil May Cry sequel teased
DmC: Devil May Cry could be the first step in a new series of games. Capcom producer Alex Jones says he wants players to consider "what could come next" after finishing the main story.
Remember Me is set to have "a long-term future," says Capcom
Recently revealed at gamescom 2012, Dontnod's game looks set to have a long future alongside its publishing partner.
E.X. Troopers showcases crazy comic book style in new trailer
Capcom's Lost Planet spin-off is looking absolutely beautiful, and a touch mental. Just how I like 'em.
Remember Me: Screenshots unleashed
Capcom has released a number of screenshots for the title that was showcased at Gamescom earlier today.
Capcom Latest
Lost Planet 3: 'only one playable mech in single-player campaign' – Capcom
Lost Planet spin-off E.X. Troopers not launching in West – Capcom
Resident Evil 6: retailer breaks 'on sale' date a month early
Remember Me is set to have "a long-term future," says Capcom
E.X. Troopers showcases crazy comic book style in new trailer
Capcom: We didn't want Devil May Cry to "fizzle out" before reboot
Street Fighter X Tekken PS Vita producer: 'fighting genre is hot right now'
Resident Evil 6: Ada Wong is playable, here's how you unlock her
Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection trailer shows what not to do in a zombie apocalypse
360 exclusive online mode revealed for Resident Evil: Raccoon City
Layton and Ace Attorney Creators talk about their crossover title


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Rate this review: Diablo III
Making a killing on the auction house.
Working your way to level 60.
Inferno mode.
What was fun to kill in
Diablo II
? The corrupted rogues of the Cold Plains
have been a favorite. Pale as chalk, these demonic women would sprint after you with spears until you turned around and gave em a few good swipes of the axe. Each girl reeled back from the killing blow, her tortured soul tearing from her chest, the pull of the spirit so strong that it left her corpse suspended in thin air just for a fleeting moment as gold coins gushed onto the grass below. And shed scream, but it always sounded euphoric, like a sigh of relief from that half second orgy of carnage.
The appeal of such games has always been hard put into words, aside from their sadistic simplicity. Kill things, take the things they drop, and pound your chest when they drop something awesome. While
Diablo III
makes both subtle and significant changes to this idea, it still follows the same fundamental formula. Twitch your index finger through legions of hell spawn until the source is traced to the devil himself, and then do it all again on the increasing difficulty levels of Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno. Its all here, to an almost nostalgic tee, so whats fun to kill in
Diablo III
Difficult to say, unfortunately. Not that
Diablo III
doesnt satisfy on the most basic levels dungeon hacking, in fact it has plenty to go around. Its killing floors are constructed to impressive heights, from warmly lit cathedrals with harrowing buttresses, to sandy caverns where silhouetted arachnids can be seen stringing down from the cameras ceiling. Theres much work to be done in these mouth watering and destructible environments, even some pretty spells to throw around, but killing? Its a term
Diablo III
doesnt take too seriously.
Because it feels rather superficial. Enter a haunted crypt, for example, only to be greeted by pudgy ghost men with shovels, a cuter enemy among other comparable caricatures. Those other minions-- like the evil cultists, serpents, and goat men look more menacing, but succumb to a goofy display of ragdoll physics as their corpses lazily flop across the floor. And while concentrating a beam of arcane energy through a line of demons at the gates of heaven
juicy, the destruction ends in little more than a poof of sparks.
Bit by bit theres a very juvenile atmosphere being fabricated here, pushed along by an intrusive form of storytelling. It comes in great quantity, in drawn out explanations and winded lines, with cheesy speeches about doom and destruction and featuring villains of the
sort. Few were expecting anything at all from this department, admittedly, but
Diablo III
sinks to levels where its legitimately unclear if its intentionally mocking its own genre. Using the powerful spacebar spell will skip past all the nonsense, but such a parody is infectious. Slaying the devil himself as he recites lines that would stir laughter from anyone isnt exactly epic, nor does the games difficulty make these encounters any more memorable.
Its a lack of intimidation that holds steady throughout the entire leveling experience. A difficulty spike would be expected when moving from Normal to Nightmare, but it decides to stay consistently mild. Even in Hell, there are only a few instances where a randomly generated miniboss will force you to consider a strategy. True enough, it may have you running back to your corpse a few times, or causing friends to frantically attempt at reviving each other as they evade lasers, fire balls, and ice explosions from the elite creature. But even these encounters, while hilarious, end up feeling much like fodder or chores without reward.
Its because people will gradually realize these creatures never carry loot worth getting excited over. Even after those dexterous boss fights that have you dodging pools of poison and grates of fire, the dropped reward never matches the battles intensity. Like the unchanging difficulty, gear quality improves at an almost static interval, inching up your overall damage per second rating over the course of several playthroughs. There is nothing to pound your chest about here; perhaps at most a worthwhile drop will raise an eyebrow.
This means a lot of trash loot to pick up, too, where useless gear can be salvaged at the town blacksmith. But after hammering every magical item you find to bits of magical dust in hopes of creating something useful, the product of your craft is equally worthless -- a very expensive process that ultimately yields
(bless the first wave of players who had to figure that out). Its largely due to an online auction house being at your fingertips, and so crafting a chest piece with 6 random attributes seems like an awfully poor investment compared to getting exactly what you need at more competitive prices.
The idea that gear will be equally lame for everyone is a concept that applies to skills as well. Each level gained unlocks new spells and abilities -- or different selectable variations
. So while every Wizard technically has the same available arsenal of spells, the pull is that only 6 can be mapped at a time to suit current circumstances. The resulting problem is that no situation demands for enough strategy that this ever matters; at least until youre through the better portion of the games three of four difficulty levels. Choosing to summon a hail of ice upon your enemies or to shoot lighting through their ranks is irrelevant apart from which particle effects you fancy more.
Assuming dialogue is skipped, that means 20-30 hours of leveling until the game even
to work, 20-30 hours before you even need to be concerned about the skills youve mapped to the controls. That roughly amounts to beating the game 3 times over on Normal, Nightmare, and Hell difficulties -- until you see any semblance of difference between your Demon Hunter and your friends Demon Hunter. Its only at the cap of level 60 that youre forced to think like a gamer again, and its thanks to the brick wall called Inferno.
Here the game almost breaks, seemingly at the mercy of its own algorithms and its refreshing. The smallest of minions will suddenly eat chunks of your health, and the elite monsters roaming the games dungeons become the stuff of nightmares. The rare drops here are immense improvements over what dropped in the previous difficulties, and the game encourages you choose a flexible skill layout to win them. With each elite defeated, youll enjoy an increased chance of looting valuable items, so long as you dont change your spell selection.
But it only solidifies the feeling that prior to Inferno was a game that continuously promised nothing to its players. And while the final challenge takes shape of a true game, its hardly a perfect dungeon crawler itself. Its now prohibitively difficult in areas, towards certain character classes more than others, showing little evidence of proper testing. And the skill system, though coming to strategical fruition, now demands everyone use the same viable set ups anyways, at least until better gear provides room for creativity. Its a gruesome grind, though one where the godly character of your dreams finally lies in reach.
So to better answer the question -- of whats fun to kill in
Diablo III
-- the award would probably go to the zombie that greets your entrance to the game. A clean bash from the Barbarian will send it flying apart in pieces, perhaps a good 10 yards back thanks to the physics engine. The death of the pathetic creature looks a bit silly, and sure, youre not expecting it to drop anything good but it stood as a promise of better things to come. And hell be seen again after each difficulty, his promise becoming emptier and emptier, a rotting piece of flesh with no love to stitch him or the game he mopes in together. Its not his fault, though. The poor guy.
This game was obtained via digital retail and reviewed on a Windows platform. Approximately 95 hours of play was devoted to the
Rated M for Mature, for "Blood and Gore, Violence."
Deaf and Hard of Hearing:
Accessible, subtitles.
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Re: Rate this review: Diablo III
hi holdthephone
Great review! Except for...and bear with me here..the first paragraph.
I get that you're going for the whole orgiastic violence thing, and I think this approach pays dividends in the review as a whole, which I think is really different and excellent overall. However, the first para, because the violence is being visited on a girl, sounds a little odd and even creepy. Though I can see how it fits the rest, and it's a strong piece of writing, I think it puts readers on the defensive (consider the furore around the Lara Croft stuff recently).
Don't know if this will work, but maybe try rewriting that first para with a male character as the victim. If you can carry it off, then it fits; if you can't, remove it or modify the approach.
Apart from that, really fun review and enjoyable to read. And a fantastic critique of the game. (Not that I've played it but as a disinterested observer, this is by far the most interesting article I've seen about it).
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text:
Royals to appear three times on MLB Network during Spring Training
MLB Network today announced its Spring Training game schedule, which will include 78 games featuring 45 live games and all 30 Major League clubs. The Royals will be featured three times during Spring Training (all times Central):
Monday, March 15 9:00 p.m. Royals at Chicago White Sox
Sunday, March 21 9:00 p.m. Colorado Rockies at Royals (tape-delayed)
Friday, March 26 8:00 p.m. Royals at Los Angeles Dodgers (tape-delayed)
All games will be carriage of local telecasts, including local announcers. MLB Tonight, MLB Network's signature studio show during the regular season, returns live every weekday on Monday, March 1 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
MLB Network launched on January 1, 2009 as the largest debut in cable television history and is currently available in approximately 54 million cable and satellite homes. With live games, original programming, highlights, classic games, and coverage of baseball events, MLB Network is the ultimate television destination for baseball fans. For the full MLB Network Spring Training schedule and to find MLB Network in your area, go to mlbnetwork.com.


text:
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text:
Director, Interior-Aleutians Campus - Teisha Simmons
Phone: 907.474.5441
Fax: 907.474.5441
Interior - Aleutians Campus
University of Alaska Fairbanks
146 Harper Building
P.O. Box 756720
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
Teisha Simmons has been the Director of the Interior-Aleutians Campus since 2012. Simmons graduated from UAF with a B.A. in Psychology in 2000 and a M.A. in Clinical-Community Psychology in 2003. She began her career at UAF in 2004 serving as the project coordinator for the Alaska Natives into Psychology Project, then served as the program manager and a faculty member of the Rural Human Services Program. Simmons enjoys traveling, working on Athabascan language revitalization efforts and reading. Most importantly, she enjoys being a mother to her 10 year old daughter Tassy.


text: A friend of mine drew a non-resident tag for 062, 064, 066-068 late elk in Nevada. This tag totally took him by surprise since he had only one point and was really expecting to just earn a point. He is wondering what unit or general area to focus on so he can get maps and do a scouting trip this summer. Has anyone deer or elk hunted that unit that can help us get him pointed in the right general area.


text:
Elias Wins Vail Mixed Comp
Sam Elias took the Vail Mountain Games Mixed Climbing Competition by storm on Friday, February 8, finishing a full two minutes ahead of the next competitors. Scott Adamson came in second and Will Mayo took third.
The competition pitted climbers head-to-head against each other on two overhanging, 50-foot tall artificial walls. Competitors had to dry tool on imitation rock holds and swing their tools into foam holds that imitate ice on the two mirror-image routes. Whoever reached the highest point won and, if both competitors reached the same high point, whoever had the fastest time on the two combined routes won.
Both male and female climbers competed against each other this year. Dawn Glanc was the only female participant and while she advanced far into the qualifying rounds, she did not make it to finals.
Elias finished with a total time of 5:30, Scott Adamson finished in 7:24, and Will Mayo finished in 8:48. Jason Nelson came in fourth after falling from one of the holds.
Climbers had to go through multiple qualifying rounds before reaching the finals. This meant some of the finalists had climbed up to 14 laps throughout the day before competing in the ultimate rounds. After winning, Elias tended to multiple tool cuts on his hands at the Larkspur restaurant in Vail.
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- Videos
- Community Images
Get some well-deserved rest on your next yurt tour or backcountry trip with the MontBell U.L. Super Spiral Hugger #1 Sleeping Bag. Premium 800-fill goose down inside this bag's innovative stretch baffles hugs you close and insulates you from the cold's prying fingers. With advanced cold-fighting features like a double insulated draft tube, draft collar, and adjustable hood, you can stay toasty in a drafty yurt while you dream of the pow day to follow.
- With an EN comfort rating of 26F and lower limit of 15F, this bag is best suited for spring through fall nights in the mountains or winter nights in milder climates or sheltered yurts
- Premium 800-fill goose down offers optimal insulating power while also compressible and ultra-light
- Tough Ballistic Airlight Nylon shell boasts a 100-wash-rated Polkatex DWR coating to shed spindrift or tent condensation and last for years
- Double draft tube inside the zipper, drawcord adjustable tunnel hood, and draft collar seal you off from exceptionally cold air
- Super Spiral Stretch System combines a bias cut (at 45-degree angle), gathered quilting, and elasticized baffles to provide stretch and a snug fit inside the bag to eliminate dead air space and cold spots even when you move in your sleep
- Mini-Tube Construction features Flow Gates inside the baffles to secure the down and trap more heat
- Two-way, auto-locking zipper doesn't move during the night and joins your bag with another MontBell bag; left and right zippers available (depending on inventory)
- Ultralight bag weighs only 2lb 5oz (regular) to ensure easy hauling through rugged mountain terrain
- Hang loops let you air out the bag every morning to keep the down dry and functional
- Included tapered, stretch stuff sack easily packs the bag down to a 7.1 x 14in package to easily fit in your pack
- Included cotton storage sack helps you preserve the lofty down fibers when at home
- Reviews
What do you think about this product?
Have questions about this product?
Stretches and is super warm
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
I took this backpacking when it dumped snow outside and temperatures dropped to single digits (F). I was so warm and cozy. The elastic seams made it so comfortable for me to move my legs around without feeling cramped or claustrophobic. Hands down the best purchase I have ever made. I've gone through 3 other sleeping bags and none came close to this one (Big Alps, Nemo Nocturnal 15, Marmot).
It does leak down a little bit the first few times using it (not a lot comes out either), but after the 3rd time using it doesn't anymore.
It packs down nicely and is super lightweight for the warmth and comfort it provides.
I love this bag
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
I've tried a lot of sleeping bags. In the quest to reduce weight, I sacrificed comfort. Bad move!
The UL Super Spiral does a good job of keeping weight down without sacrificing comfort. Montbell's super stretch technology really does work. It keeps the bag close to your body, no matter how you toss about, without restricting movement. As someone who tends to contort into weird sleeping positions, super stretch is priceless.
The 15� rating seems a bit high to me. I'm comfortable down to at least 10� before I have to toss on extra layers. But, I sleep very warm, so YMMV.
It's not the lightest 15� bag out there, but it's definitely the most comfortable, and it's still pretty darn light.
Good bag
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
I've used this bag for several years now. It's still in like new condition! It will last as long as you care for it...like any down product.
This bag is pretty toasty if you're even a borderline warm sleeper. I tend to sleep hot, and have used this bag fully unzipped in upper 20s temps with just silk weight baselayers. The hood is definitely a little claustrophobic as mentioned in a previous reviews. Most nights I use it as some extra pillow fluff, and sleep with a light beanie/buff on.
The bag is fairly packable for a 15 deg. bag. I tend to just stuff it in my pack with a liner to fill in empty spaces.
Overall, a very good bag. I got mine on sale about 2yrs ago. Not sure I would pay nearly $400 for one, but I've been very satisfied with my purchase.
Not that warm for me.
- Familiarity: I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions
I had this bag out in mild desert night temps 40's/50s and was borderline cold. Regular size , 5'10", 155 lbs, on a nemo insulated pad. I originally read the reviews for the #3 bag that seemed appropriate but was warned it ran cold so I went with this. Turns out this bag is not that warm either. My Marmot 32 degree bag seems warmer than this. I am not sure what to think but the down seems to get real thin when the bag stretches thus losing insulation ability.
I'd go with the long if you are over 5'10 also. The hood of the bag was smushed down over my face at just shy of 5'11".
Losing Down?
I have only had this bag for a few months. Used about 10 nights or so and have already seen some down feathers leaving the bag. This is my first down sleeping bag, therefore i am not sure if this is normal. I love this bag so far, it packs down small and is very warm for the size, i hope this wont become a problem.
I own an older ul spiral down and it leaks a little. The longer I have it the less it leaks.
i've had a 15 down "hugger" old school style(prior to spiral but still pucker type stitching) and is very warm and comfortable, the key in my opinion is the way they sew the baffles that keep the bag close to you but not claustrophobic. the caveat with this bag was the zipper that would easily un-zip but this has been rectified with newer models.
Montbell's UL SSDH#1 is like sleeping on a cloud. I'm a side sleeper, and this thing stretches with my movements, so I never feel claustrophobic, as I have in other bags. If I go camping in the summer, I unzip the zipper completely and use it as a quilt. The description states that the color is orange, but it's really more of a red. I was able to purchase this in a short (I'm 5'4) and it's a perfect fit.
Bought this bag this year and love it, used it in the fall and worked great. Thought i might be claustrophobic in a mummy bag but not this one.
Montbell Super Spiral Hugger #1
Will Backcountry be restocking this item?
I'm not seeing any on order as of now. It's hard to say for sure but I wouldn't hold my breath if I was waiting on because I can say for sure there's none on their way.
Looking for a good dry sac for the Regular...
Looking for a good dry sac for the Regular size bag, I'm considering the Sea To Summit eVAC Dry Sac. Just wanted to know what the best size is and if anyone has a better recommendation on the dry sac? Thanks!
First, the Sea To Summit eVAC dry sac is an awesome dry sac. You would probably want to go with the 13liter which is a Large. You might check out getting the Sea to Summit eVent compression dry sac in a Large as well. You can get a bit more compression with the straps. Both are great though.
What are thoughts on this vs. the UL spiral...
What are thoughts on this vs. the UL spiral #1? what are the advantages of the extra weight of the super spiral over the spiral?
Montbell has a little PDF on their website for this difference.
It looks like the difference between super spiral vs. spiral is in the elastic stitching, which allows even more stretch than just the biased cut in the regular spiral.
I'm a pretty big dude (powerlifter). 5'10"...
I'm a pretty big dude (powerlifter). 5'10" 250; broad shoulders with a size 48 sport jacket. I have had a hell of a time finding an ultralight bag that fits. Will this work or are there better choices?
Tom - the montbell bags with the spiral weave do tend to conform to a bigger body, but they're going to still feel like they are wrapped around you pretty well. Big Agnes bags such as the Mystic SL would be great options if you want a roomier fit - especially through the shoulders, although many of them will cost you a touch of extra weight.


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A nonpartisan investigative journalism group uses Rob Portman as an example in a new report detailing how politicians use money donated to political action committees (PACs) for purposes other than those outlined in their mission.
The report, entitled "Political Inaction Committees," by the Center for Public Integrity concludes PACs have wide discretion about how they can use money, despite promises to donors.
(UPDATE AT BOTTOM) Fox News commentator Sean Hannity's participation in a Cincinnati Tea Party event today is drawing sharp criticism from experts on journalism ethics.
Hannity will be taping his TV show tonight during the local Tea Party's second annual Tax Day rally, which is being held at the University of Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena.
Carl Lindner and Richard Farmer, are you paying attention?
In an exclusive at the Politico Web site this week, reporters obtained a copy of a confidential PowerPoint presentation created by the Republican National Committee about how it intends on raising money during this election cycle.


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UPS rolls out 2014 rates for Ground, Air and International, and Air Freight
November 22, 2013
UPS announced yesterday that it has rolled out an average rate increase of 4.9 percent for its Ground, Air, and International parcel products that will go into effect on December 30, 2013.
Company officials said these rates apply to within and between the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, adding that updated rate and service information is now available on the company's Web site, with customers able to download the 2014 USPS Rate and Service Guide on December 30, when the new rates go into effect.
This follows a September announcement by UPS's biggest competitor, FedEx, whom announced 2014 rates in September. FedEx plans to increase shipping rates for FedEx Express by a cumulative average of 3.9 percent for U.S. domestic, U.S. export and U.S. import services that will take effect January 6, 2014. Rate changes for 2014 FedEx Ground and FedEx SmartPost pricing offerings are expected to be announced before the end of the year.
"As it has historically done, UPS Ground increases are higher at the lighter weights and less impacting at heavy weights," said Rob Martinez, president & CEO, Shipware Systems Corp, a San Diego-based parcel consultancy. "The 2014 Ground Minimum Charge is $6.24, a 6.8 percent increase from 2013."
For years, said Martinez, the UPS "Daily Rates" were better than FedEx's list rates, but with the 2014 rate increase, the UPS Daily Rates are now a lot closer with FedEx, especially for 1-2 day service options.
"On the whole, UPS Daily rates are still less expensive for 3-Day Air than FedEx Express Saver, but it depends on weight and zone configurations," explained Martinez. "In 2014, UPS 'Standard Rates' will match FedEx's published rates. It is important to note that FedEx maintains a more favorable fuel surcharge threshold than UPS for both Express and Ground packages at current fuel prices."
An analysis provide to LM by Dan Malech, AFMS Pricing Director and Doug Caldwell, AFMS VP International, noted that this marks the first time since 2010 that UPS is not offsetting the rate increase with a reduction to the fuel index.
But they said that the average increase for base rates does not tell the whole story.
"For example, the ground zone 2, 1 lb. minimum has increased 6.8 percent (greater than last year, and the highest since 2011) and many lightweight ground cells are taking increases approaching 8 percent," they wrote. "Additionally, the seldom used 71-150 lb. cells are only increasing 3.6 percent, which is driving the overall average increase down. The Ground Residential Surcharge is increasing 3.5 percent, down from 9.8 percent last year; however, the increase to the service rates will still make this a very substantial increase. The Ground Delivery Area Surcharges are up 3.0 percent-3.5 percent."
The AFMS executives said that UPS announced that their rate increase for air and international services is also 4.9%, with no offset to the fuel surcharge index. The base rates may average the announced increases, they said, and offered up a synopsis highlighting some particularly hard hit areas:
-higher zone express shippers could experience increases in the 6 percent-7 percent range; and
-surcharges for residential air deliveries are up 3.1 percent, down from 6.7 percent last year, while the delivery area surcharge is up 4.7 percent for commercial and 4.6 percent for residential, and in extended areas 4.3 percent
About the Author
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Moisture Transfer - High
The Course Sock features an ultra thin foot for a super close fit made to maximize power transmission between the foot and the pedal. Coolmax® fiber and Meryl® Skinlife yarn are blended to create the perfect moisture-wicking cycling sock to keep your feet dry and cool. A seamless euro x-long cuff is designed to increase comfort and blood flow by eliminating pressure points caused by regular cuff designs.
Innovation Prevails.
Every aspect is designed and engineered to improve comfort and performance,including premium materials, anatomical designs and race-developed technology.


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Nishioka vs Marquez
Media workouts for both Toshiaki Nishioka and Rafael Marquez. Both men will meet in the ring on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand. read more »
Juanma Lopez Training
Juan Manuel Lopez is ready for action this Saturday, October 1st against Mike Oliver in Puerto Rico. read more »
Lopez vs Oliver
Photos from Lopez vs Oliver - Scheduled for October 1, 2011 in Puerto Rico read more »
Arce vs Nongqayin
Photos from Top Rank Live - Saturday September 24, 2011. Arce defeats Simphiwe Nongqayin. read more »
Gesta vs Perez - Top Rank Live
Top Rank Live pics from Bluewater Casino, Parker Az - Fox Sports, Saturday September 17, 2011. read more »
Mike Lee - Fight Like a Champion
Pics from Mike Lee's open workout in front of the legendary Wrigley Building on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, Michigan Ave. Lee was joined at the open workout by his trainer Ronnie Shields, assistant trainer Creed Fountain and strength and conditioning coach Brian Caldwell. read more »


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May 31, 2016
MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) -- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company is not building a phone or an operating system. Rather, Facebook is introducing something that's a lot deeper than an app.
It's called "Home" because it's on the home screen of any Android phone. Zuckerberg says users can have an experience on Android phones that they can't have on other platforms. The new product is a family of apps designed around people's Facebook connections.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


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Jelena Jankovic was spotted getting her practice on ahead of her campaign for a maiden Indian Wells championship and first title of the year.
Hmmm - maybe this explains her crappy results recently.
(image via AP)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
PHOTO OP: It's tennis not badminton baby
Labels: Indian Wells, Jelena Jankovic, photo op, tennis
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IR Wireless Dolby Digital 5.1 Headphones
- Wireless IR Headphones
- 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones
- Ideal for TV, Movies and Gaming
Suggested Price: $399.00
Surround Sound IR Wireless Headphones for Music, Gaming and TV
Don't let a sleeping family keep you from your new action adventure movie, Dolby 5.1 concert, or your on-line video game tournament. Go ahead and experience all the 3 dimensional sound your heart desires! Dolby HeadphoneTM technology produces up to five virtual loudspeakers in a virtual room via conventional stereo headphones creating a unique sum of direct and reflected sound from each channel of 5.1 audio. As a result, the listening sensation is much more natural, with sounds appearing to be outside of your head, just like a conventional 5.1 speaker system would sound.
With surround sound and the freedom of wireless these are the best headphones to enjoy your TV show, movie or your favorite game late into the night.


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I'm migration from ZCS 6.0.6 to 8.0.1_GA_5438.FOSS with imapsync-1.350-1
I use the following line;
imapsync --nofoldersizes --skipsize --fast --buffersize 18192000 --nosyncacls --exclude 'Trash|Emailed Contacts|Contacts' --syncinternaldates --noauthmd5 --host1 $host1 --user1 $user --password1 $pass --host2 $host2 --port2 7143 --delete2 --user2 $user --password2 $pass
Everything works just fine but some emails doesn't sync with the following errors;
BAD maximum literal size exceeded
Those emails all have attachments but they are variable in size, from 126Kb to 7Mb.
Anyone knows what exactly what "literal size" means? Or have any clue how fix/prevent this?


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Big 12 debut for WVU
MORGANTOWN - Video meeting rooms in Morgantown and Waco this week were pretty much the same as they always are leading up to a game.
In Morgantown they watched tape of Baylor. In Waco it was West Virginia highlights that were pored over.
But in both places, there was a third team that showed up more than one might expect.
It's another six weeks before West Virginia meets Oklahoma State and even longer - nine weeks - until Baylor faces the Cowboys. But OSU got plenty of attention from both staffs this week for one very good reason.
The Cowboys have Baylor's number. And West Virginia these days has a definite OSU feel to its coaching staff. So West Virginia spent time studying how to duplicate that success. Baylor likely spent as much time discerning how to overcome it.
What they learned - if anything - could have a significant impact today when No. 9 West Virginia (3-0) hosts No. 25 Baylor (3-0) at Mountaineer Field. The noon game will be televised by FX and is WVU's first conference game as a member of the Big 12.
"There are definitely some similarities,'' West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith said regarding the offenses of Oklahoma State and West Virginia. "We'll look at it, sure. But it's still a different game.''
True, it is a different game and even different teams. But consider a few things about how WVU and OSU are intertwined and how that might relate to today's game with Baylor:
To put it simply, Oklahoma State seems to have Baylor's number. And West Virginia has a definite OSU flavor to it on both sides of the ball.
Holgorsen, for his part, agrees with the assessment, but cautions against reading too much into it.
"I was a part of one of those victories two years ago (55-28 in Stillwater) and Oklahoma State just did such a good job of moving the ball on offense that Baylor was always playing from behind,'' Holgorsen said. "Sure, we'll look at those tapes and Coach Briles will look at those tapes and try to see if there are some similarities. But every year is different.''
Indeed, there are some stark differences, not the least of which is that none of West Virginia's players were involved in any of those OSU-Baylor games. Nor have the Mountaineers ever been involved in a game with the Bears, this being one of two Big 12 opponents (Iowa State is the other) where there is no history at all between the schools.
But trust that they will all have been introduced to how Oklahoma State has handled Baylor while being guided in some part by coaches who are now at West Virginia. How much they will glean from that remains to be seen.
"Oklahoma State did a great job. They had a great team last year,'' Smith said after watching at least some of last year's rout. "But we're a different team. We run pretty much the same style offense, so I'll get some hints on some things that I might like and things I might want to do in the game. But other than that it's a different game.''
For the record, last year's OSU-Baylor game wasn't even as close as the lopsided final score. The Cowboys led 35-0 at halftime and 42-0 before the Bears scored. Somehow, though, Baylor managed a staggering 622 yards of offense, 36 first downs and a nearly 2-to-1 edge in time of possession, but turned the ball over five times.
The Bears will get their yards against West Virginia today, too. Quarterback Nick Florence leads the nation in total offense and Baylor is among the top six teams in the country in passing, total offense and scoring.
But as far as doing what matters - scoring and preventing scores - that's where studying Oklahoma State's success against Baylor could come in handy. Yes, every game is different, but there has to be something to OSU's success that West Virginia can borrow.
"When Baylor lines up and plays Oklahoma State this year it's going to be a completely different ball game,'' Holgorsen said. "You can try to take some things and learn from it, but ultimately it's preparing the team that you have this year to play the best you possibly can and putting those guys in position to make plays.''
Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or email@example.com or follow him at Twitter.com/dphickman1.


text: By Russ PankoninThe Imperial Republican Construction began last week on a $2.142 million, 4.6-mile pipeline to feed augmentation water into Rock Creek and eventually into the Republican River. The pipeline represents one of the key elements of a project designed to keep the Upper Republican Natural Resources District and state in compliance with the Republican River Compact Settlement. Garney Companies, Inc., of Kansas City, Mo., who won the bid to build the pipeline, began putting the pipe in the ground Tuesday, June, 19. Completion is set for Oct. 5, 2012 but the contractor anticipates an earlier finish date. They have been able to put in about 1,000 feet of pipe each day at a depth of five to seven feet. The contractor will also be installing other needed elements, such as valves and pressure relief units, to make the pipeline operational. Miller & Associates of Kearney, the engineering firm for the project, is overseeing the contractor's work. Nearly half of the pipeline will be 24 inches in diameter, with a selection of 20-, 18- and 12-inch diameter pipe used over the remainder. As originally designed, the pipeline will end about one mile north of the Game & Parks' Rock Creek Fish Hatchery north of Parks. The water will discharge into Rock Creek at that point. Up to 10,000 Acre-feet of Water The augmentation project is designed to deliver up to 10,000 acre-feet of water to assist with compliance efforts. Five large capacity wells located on the north end of the 4,000-acre tract in southwest Dundy County will be tied together to provide the water. The wells will be pumped when compliance efforts are necessary. Jenkins said they are working with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Frenchman Cambridge Irrigation district to store augmentation water in Swanson Reservoir. Jenkins believes it could be beneficial for all parties involved if an agreement can be reached. He noted the settlement with Kansas is not a delivery agreement. Instead, it's an agreement where basin NRDS can not exceed their allocation of virgin water supply. So if water could be stored in Swanson, it would create water supply in the basin to help with compliance. Storage Would Benefit G&P Jenkins said being able to store water in Swanson would be a big advantage for the Game & Parks as well. An additional mile of smaller diameter pipeline has been added to the project that could deliver water directly to the hatchery's water distribution system. Jenkins said G&P wants a flow around 1,200 gallons per minute. If a storage agreement can be reached for Swanson, Jenkins said they could run the flow continuously, with the runoff being stored in Swanson. Otherwise, it would only run while the augmentation sytem is operating. Another option for G&P would be to buy and retire irrigated acres to offset a constant flow. Grant money awarded to the NRD from the state's Environmental Trust Fund will pay for the additional cost of running the supply pipeline to the hatchery. The cost is approximately $100,000. Well Development Jenkins said work is continuing on developing the well field to provide the augmentation water. At least four new wells will be drilled on the north end of the tract. Engineers are trying to determine if one of the existing wells in that area can be used, bringing the total number of wells to five. If necessary, a fifth new well will be drilled. The engineers want wells capable of pumping 1,200 gpm. Jenkins said the wells are being located on the north end of the tract because that area causes less stream flow depletion. The 4,000-acre tract included 23 irrigation wells, irrigating 3,261 certified acres. Jenkins said 2,400 acres has already been seeded back to grass, with another 200 acres planned later this year. Over the next several years, all of the former irrigated acres will be planted into natural grasses. The Environmental Trust Fund grant, totalling $735,000, was used to pay for the seeding.


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Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Vinny Prospal, R.J. Umberger and Mark Letestu
each posted a goal and an assist to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 6-4
win over the Calgary Flames on Friday.
Matt Calvert, Derick Brassard and Ryan Johansen each had a goal for the Blue
Jackets, who snapped a three-game slide to finish a four-game road trip with a
1-2-1 mark. Steve Mason posted 29 saves in the win.
Dennis Wideman, Curtis Glencross, Brian McGrattan and Mikael Backlund all
scored for the Flames, who fell for the fifth time in seven games and were
playing their first contest since trading former captain Jarome Iginla.
On Wednesday night, Calgary traded the 35-year-old Iginla to Pittsburgh for a
pair of college forwards and the Penguins' first-round draft pick in 2013.
Miikka Kiprusoff was pulled after two periods for surrendering five goals on
20 shots. Joey McDonald stopped all four shots he faced in the third as the
Flames had an eight-game home winning streak snapped.
The Sports Network


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Hi Ya,
Sorry if I double up, I couldn't find excatly what I'm after in the forums.
I'm building a migration plan from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Zimbra 7.1.2 to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Zimbra 8.0.3. I've got both servers up and operational and are just running through the best way to get users across with least interruption.
First server old.domain.com
Second Server new.domain.com
We have about 20 Domains on the first server. ideally I'd like to migrate domain by domain thus reducing support for updated configurations.
The migration Wizard looks like the tool but I have a few questions.
1. Can I restrict the accounts migrated to just one domain? (i.e. domain at a time)
2. Will existing accounts (the lucky few early adopters) be affected on the new server.
3. Does everything come across, Calendar, Contacts, Briefcase, Shares (important!)
Process for me.
0. Notify customers of webportal, settings and default passwords for access, organise migration time.
1. Upgrade old.server to 7.2 (for migration compatibility)
2. Run Migration wizard on new server (accounts only)
3. Point DNS to new server
4. Await MX updates to new server
5. Run Migration wizard on new server to bring old account data across
6. Deal with customer client config issues
7. Goto 0 for the next domain.
Anyways, appreciate any answers from those lucky ones who got it right or lost a few hours sleep on their own migrations! :-)