Navy charters kite-powered cargo ship to deliver equipment

The use of this new breed of sailing ship could reduce fuel costs by 20 to 30 percent, according to the ship’s owners.

read more | digg story

I’ve been lazy!

This is a bit of a confessional. I don’t need sympathy – and you won’t give it anyway! So i feel bad for not writing for a while. In marketing internet the time i’ve been away doing other stuff is an age. I’m not making excuses though! I’ve realised as you do from time to time, that i’ve been missing a trick or two. I’ll leave myself open to your scorn by explaining what a muppet i’ve been.

It dawned on me that there are opportunities to post on the boatpride blog other people’s story from such places as digg. Sometimes i need a strong kick in the backside to prompt action. But then i am pondering a philosophy that goes something like this: As we know there all these amazing apps, widgets and gadgets out there on line to achieve promotion and so on. The number is huge, its growing too!

But if you try to keep abreast of all the new stuff, then you end up chasing your tail and achieving nothing. So i have taking up a few and trying to specialise in them. Things i’ve got good at: Twitter, digg, forums and adsense. Things i am looking to get good at: Blogging, affiliate getting a good deal for my customers on ebay through local products appearing on the different site pages – wherever in the world that person is. Finding my own product to promote is also key.

Really there is a bunch of stuff to do. I’ve been away from the project for a few months, but will return with energy to bring the blog and site to the fore. As digg generates great stories for the sailing world i will be posting them for your delectation right here. So bare with me and thanks for the shoulder to cry on!

Beneteau Yachts

A beneteau 25.1 with dynamic keel

Over at Beneteau Yachts you can read up on the various different classes, designs and designers. The special feature of the page is the search box. This means you can search for exactly what your looking for whilst staying on the site.

Beneteau yachts are the worlds leading brand of sailboats. The manufacture is looked after in France and The U.S. too. The strength of these sailboats is found in the different classes on offer. Totaling five that i could find. As the range is so deep it is possible for any level of experience to enjoy the pleasures of being on the water in a Beneteau.

To demonstrate the passion that is inspired in these boats, there are not one but two designs dedicated to the one design clubs. You can either get involved with Figaro Beneteau II or the Beneteau 25. If you are not familiar with the concept of racing against identical boats then hop over to Beneteau

If you have not been on board a Beneteau or not researched them, then there is an interesting fact that many production yachts cannot boast. Here it is, quite a few of them are designed by Farr Yacht Design Bruce Farr and Russell Bowler have an enviable amount of experience in this field. Designing lots of world class yachts. So it’s little wonder that so of the magic has rubbed off on to Beneteau.

So without further ado i leave you with Beneteau Yachts

Here Are A Few Complimentary Posts For Your Interest

This one is concerned with preventative maintenance. A topic close to my heart too!

http://boating.iblogger.org/boating/preventative-maintenance-will-save-you-a-headache.html

You can also see what I wrote about preventative maintenance if you like

http://www.boatpride.com/sailboat-hardware.html

This one is really encouraging, from the LA Boat Show.

http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a01053623b678970b01116898df39970c

Certainly Being Inspired

The Trick Is Activity

Of course it is! But the question is what is the best course of action with the time available. It’s such a nuisance having a day job. Soon the empty canvas of the week days will return. Not a moment too soon!

So What Has Been Going On?

Here is a checklist of achievements:

• The Monthly  Boatpride Newsletter. Started In January, the newsletter keeps subscribers up to date over a range of relevant topics.  Topics include what is recent on the site, news from the world of sailing events – Vendee Challenge for example. A quote from the month, called ‘a quote to sail by’. Products receiving acclaim from Amazon or Ebay. The newsletter will become a bigger project when I have days rather than hours in the week to manage.

• Ten pages are now featuring products from Ebay. An exciting step towards offering the most competitive market place on line on the site. I have brought a product called Build A Niche Store. Again it is on the list!

That not seem like a lot, but believe me it is!

Where Is It All Going?

The direction of the site is to focus visitors on returning frequently to take advantage of the information, products and services collected. But more than that, in due course the design will change. Which reminds me check out the new header – it’s popular.

What Else Is Going On?

There will be some niche twittering to drum up keen sailors and boat users. There are a number of affiliate sites I am contacting to find the best possible products for visitors. The customer service must be flawless.

Currently Reading

Practical Boat Owner Magazine – March edition. Well devouring it is closer to the mark!

Tribes – By Seth Godin. Marketing in the on line age. How to develop a water tight following.

Chris From Boatpride Meets Seth Godin!

That’s Right!

The word of mouth was in full effect! But wait a minute! Who’se Seth? Who’se Chris?

Let Me Explain……….

Seth is a remarkable man. He’s really got his fingers on the pulse on market inter net. He’s written a bunch of books and is a successful guy. Let me give you the extent of his influence, right now! The theories he wrote about in his books were read by Barack Obama’s staff before the new president was elected!

But it doesn’t stop there! No! They actually implemented his strategies too! So in a way Seth helped get Obama in office. Or as he said yesterday at the session ” if the Republicans had won, I’d have had to leave the country!”

So he is quite a guy. He’s also nice! Yes I was given a copy of his recent book “Tribes” and he signed it, then I shook his hand.

Seth Godin

But Who Am I?

I’m Chris who writes Boatpride . I quit my advertising sales job in September 2007 and haven’t looked back! I’m based in the UK and have a passion like yours! I love sailing. It drives me to learn about how get the message out in the best way possible. Not to the biggest audience, but to people whose passion is equal to mine.

You see in order to get the message out, I thought it a good idea to use the same logic and strategies as the US President.  However he has a large staff, but there is only one of me! So I went along to the session and listened intently for four hours almost solidly.

I came away better for it. Inspired, with a long reading list! Self improvement is the way forward. In my next post I will set a strategy to improve the site and gather momentum more quickly!

Spinnaker Sailing

Yup that’s right! Having written previously about spinnaker sailing over at Boatpride.com/spinnaker-sailing.html I wanted to get the word out to everyone interested in this topic.

Spinnaker sailing is not the most easy of situations, as I’m sure you will agree. The sail itself is huge. Much bigger than any others. Rigging it alone can be a mind bending exercise. Sure after repeated time on the water with the right conditions and a patient skipper who does not mind the boats logo upside or back to front – helps, a lot.

So spinnakers are a complex scenario. Practice is great! Lots of practice is better. The crunch comes when your gybing round a point and there are boats supposed to giving water and ……………. Well maybe its only me! Racing with spinnakers is wild excitement. Certainly teaches a thorough respect for the sea! Anyway without further ado check out

http://www.squidoo.com/spinnaker-sailing

The Modern Art Sailmakers Use

Gone are the days when a piece of hemp or cotton was used to make sails. Sailmakers nowadays use the best that technology has to offer. The process is similar in complexity to Indy Car racing dynamics. There are many variables and factors to be taken in to consideration.

The Finished Product

In order to give the art of sailmakers the lime light they deserve, you can read a warm up article here, the link goes to squidoo. For more detail and to allow your imagination to explore further categories of sailing related topics you can go through to Boatpride. Which ever link you choose, you can be assured of cutting edge technology and some thing to think about next time you set sail!

Let’s Hear It For Hunter Sailboats

I’m not biased, it’s just what the research has come back with! Hunter sailboats have a range of features on board which set them apart from other yachts. The yachts feature in two places as far as this post is concerned.  Before letting your attention be diverted, let’s set the stage a little!

Notice The Mainsail Set On The Cabin Roof

Through the course of the last couple of decades, the sailing industry has developed very quickily. There has been amalgamation of lots of brands under one roof. Some names have disappeared only to return stonger a few years later. Sadly others have not returned. Darwinism in action! In order to survive manufacturers either stuck at what they knew best or in the case of hunter sailboats – diversified into some attention grabbing features on their vessels. So have a read of this lens over at squidoo and then pop over to Boatpride for the main feature.

The Why Of Pleasure Craft Operator Cards

Pleasure craft operator card.That’s a four word key word! Those guys in Canadian Transport department must have enjoyed thinking about that title! This piece of legislation came in to being as awareness was drawn to the number of accidents which could be avoided on the water.

If you are using a boat, whether it’s a sailing boat, kayak, fishing boat or water ski, you need to have a the pass in order to operate within the law. Initially those being encouraged to get on a course were younger water users.  Over the country there are two hundred representatives you can get to help with your boating drills. Or you can challenge the on line Q and A. Which ever route you take decide the pass mark is 75%

Read more on weebly! or you can head straight to the main article on Boatpride – my site dedicated to information in the sailing community.

Want To Understand Boating Regulations?

You along with many others .  If your stateside and you enjoy being on the water then boating regulations are a must.  From state to state the law varies. Isn’t it about time there was some consolidation? There are sites dedicated to explaining the differences.

The Coast Guard Is a National Institute At State Level

All you need do is go through a drop down menu function and select your state to research. However tell me I’m wrong – don’t worry i’m used to it! Is it against the constitution to have one set of rules on boating, rather than fifty something?

Having been through the data on line from the different states, I realized that most differences fall in to a few categories. For example the list of safety equipment varies from state to state. The age that kids need to regulated also changes, finally kids life jackets are a topic of differentiation.

As you will have gathered looking over the blog, I have taken it upon myself to promote my site Boatpride by writing promotional snippets on the various web 2.0 platforms. At the moment I am developing my weebly platform.

There is an article here about regulations. If You would like to read more about this on the site then this is the link for you.

Why Get A Boating License?

This is a good question, which impetuous youths and more experienced sailors may take issue with.  Apart from the obvious answer – the law, you can also learning more about your hobby and enjoy better time on the water from owning one.

It's Easy Online And Cheaper Too!

The article over at Boating license gives you some new statistics from the Coast Guard about what are the more common reasons for accidents. As more people take to the water the issue of consistency grows more. For example on the road you don’t tend to drive through traffic lights when they are red? The answer is clearly not.  The reason is that it’s not safe to do so.

In the same vein, vessels of particular sizes have pre existing lights over their decks in order to give other water users the correct information as to there size in the dark.  Each state has different laws for boating licenses. The difference fall in to a few categories. Mainly to do with the age that certification is required and having suitable life jackets for children available.  If you would enjoy more detail, then Boatpride has lots of quality content.

Choosing Trailerable Sailboats

Trailable Sailboats Offer Diversity

The subject of what kind of boat to have is tricky. Trailerable sailboats offer a step in diversity. There are lots of manufacturers who have generated some outstanding ideas. These ideas have been translated in to a broad spectrum of on board features.

You maybe a family who enjoys time on the water with the children, or you maybe a racer who likes being at the front of the running order. Your needs are met through trailerable sailboats. They bring together the best of both extremes, but without compromise.

There are least eight manufacturers who have explored this market. From Beneteau to Colombia or Laser. Top of the range brands. These brands also bring value! You can be assured that the build quality is there for you! To read the article then pop over to weebly

If you should like to read a fuller version, along with other relevent topics then trailerable sailboats is for you.