Happy Christmas, Rolex Sydney to Hobart, boating safety tips
by Jeni Bone, editor on 24 Dec 2012
Christmas Eve and nobody is asleep amid the briefings, forecasts and prepping for this year's Rolex Sydney to Hobart.
Sail-World.com will provide complete coverage of the event and the CYC website has sophisticated tracking, handicap and rules info and details of the onboard communications that you can access to see what's happening en route from the crews first-hand.
Along with the sailing race that happens while the nation's well and truly stopped, there's boat show updates, including the $100K boat prize pack up for grabs at the Hutchwilco show in NZ in May and dates set for the 2013 Riviera Festival of Boating, also in May.
There's an assortment of dream boats to drool - among them a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz Designs and Silver Arrows Marine which heralds a new era in motor yachts.
There's a plethora of new products and the announcement of 'a new era of autonomy and prosperity' on the Gold Coast, following the appointment of the Waterways Authority board, boosted by $30m in state funding.
The inaugural board will consist of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, Michael Bartlett, Raymond James, Prof Rodger Tomlinson, William Turner and Martin Winter and former Gold Coast Mayor Gary Baildon is the chair.
We have also included the perennial boating safety tips and some hilarious reasons to take them seriously.
It's a busy time of year. If you're jetting off, driving our highways or just popping round the corner to see your rellies, take it easy, go easy on the booze and remember your manners as courtesy on the road and water may save a life. Remember the reason for the season: goodwill to all mankind.
So as you may recall, Santa is on his way tonight to the southern hemisphere, unloading billions of presents from his incomprehensibly sized sack. Our kids lined up to place their order (yes, iPads - but they will be getting a race car track and a purple bike instead) and guts the lollies Santa invariably carries with him. We have a year's worth to get through . . .
If you're at work, hope you have a silly hat on and a beverage in one hand, pretzel in the other, one eye watching the time til clocking off time.
No newsletter tomorrow - this is it - leaving you time to eat, drink and be merry with your nearest and dearest.
We are on deck throughout the Christmas-New Year period so pop in to get your marine business news fix from around the globe. News doesn't stop, particularly at this exciting time of year.
May you all have a restful time over Christmas and New Year and I wish happiness and prosperity for one and all in 2013. But most of all, good health, the greatest wealth.
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