Teenager to skipper in yacht race

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, sailingbreaks, Tribe Sailing Blogs     Hobart, RTW sailing, Sailing, Sydney, Sydney to Hobart, Yacht Race, Yachting, youngest crew ever

Teenage round-the-world sailor Jessica Watson has announced she will skipper the youngest crew ever to compete in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

The annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race, which is one of the most exciting sailing events on the watersports calendar, will see the 17-year-old Australian take the helm of the Sydney 38 class boat Another Challenge.

In the race starting December 26, Ms Watson, who became the youngest person to sail around the globe solo last year when she was only 16, will lead a crew with an average age of 19 and whose oldest member will be just 21.

Photo from Flickr user: S Baker

Ms Watson said: “I am absolutely delighted to be working with such a dynamic and motivated group of young sailors.”

She added that the crew, which includes six Australians and three Britons, would take extra care to meet all safety requirements for the 628 nautical mile race, which will see them negotiate notorious areas of the Pacific Ocean off eastern Australia.

The teenager, who completed her 210-day voyage around the globe alone in Sydney last May, said: “We are all doing our sea survival courses, even though only half of the crew are required to do it.

“We will be doing navigation courses even though we have our designated navigator on board.”

Space Tourism: is easyJet next?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     easyjet, richard branson, ryanair, space, space tourism, space travel

If you want to leave the earth behind on the wing of a shiny new spacecraft, and drift with just the stars as your blanket, then you’re not going to get an economy seat that’s for sure – but are prices about to come tumbling down?

Image from Flikr by Gnew Pics

The current rates for seats are stratospheric at $200,000, but is it just a matter of time before the budget airlines get in on the act and offer a no-frills service?

Richard Branson, entrepreneur and airline magnate, appears to have no problems shifting his tickets, but just how low would they have to go before you reached for your wallet?

First up will be the uber rich, then, as Richard just confirmed, it’s the scientists and researchers. But for us ordinary folk, space travel is still out of the question – unless of course easyJet or Ryanair join the race…

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Sports Sunglasses: Coloured Lenses For Different Sports

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     cycling, eyewear, Running, Skiing, Snowboarding, sports sunglasses, sunglasses

Without stating the obvious; your eyes work hard. Throughout the day, they continuously adjust to different focuses and light conditions, as well as processing a constant flow of images. All of this activity happens so routinely and naturally, you barely stop to think about it.

Glare is nearly always present in our day to day lives, and it can have a massive impact when at its brightest; distorting our vision and making our eyes work much harder, pupils contract, eyelids narrow and muscles strain. Your eyes need protection year-round. Winter sun is often underestimated, but can be much brighter and more brilliant than even the hottest summer day. During the colder months eyes have much more reflected glare to contend with, especially as the sun is lower in the sky and the weather is partial to snow and rain.

Orange lenses for cycling

The important thing to remember is that damaging UV rays are present all year throughout all daylight hours.

Good sunglasses are an essential part of everyday life, and, if chosen correctly, can actively help our vision. When learning how to protect your eyes, it is a good starting point to understand how light affects your eyes. read more

Adventures in Canada: Win a £5,000 holiday in Ontario

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada, canoeing, Competition, Kayaking, Lake Rousseau, mountain biking, Muskoka Lakes, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Ontario Tourist Board, Toronto

Where in the world has nine million hectares of prime natural wilderness to discover, 330 parks to explore, and a list of adventure sports opportunities as long as its crystal-clear rivers?

It’s Ontario, Canada! And if you enter Ontario Tourism’s competition, you’ve the chance to enjoy the very best of this wonderland for free!

If you win, they’ll fly you, and a mate, premium economy class to Toronto where you’ll begin a 12-night adventure provided by tour experts Tailor Made Travel.

Canoe in Toronto

To enter, read through to the end of this piece then visit the  Ontario Tourism website and answer one question (you’ll find the information you need below) – before you know it, you could be canoeing, hiking, and mountain-biking among Canada’s most impressive natural wildernesses. read more