Conference unifix::sailing

    Paul,
    
    What time of year will you be stopping in Boston?  What is the expected
    duration of the stay?
    
    djc
    

    Thats Quick!,
    
     We are due to arrive between the 12-17 June 1997 (Next Year) and
    depart on Sunday 29th June 1997.
     I long time off but once we take delivery of the yacht time will be
    short.
    The day of arrival can not be more accurate as we are racing from Cape
    Town to Boston and we will be at sea for about 40 days.
    
    Paul

My tourist information of Boston and the area is at home in Colorado, 
though I am once more in the greater Boston area.

I am certain that some of use will give you a core dump of tourist 
information.  To help bound it a little, can you answer some of
the following:

Anticipated length of stay, including time to simply rest.

Travel distance:
	Restrict to metro public transportation?
	Rent a car.
		Less than 1 hour drive to a site.
		Less than 2 hour drive to a site.
		3+ hours to a site (New York is about 5 hours away)

Types of activities:
	Free or cheap (<$10 excluding food)
		Concerts at the Hatch (Boston Pops)
		Historical
			Lexington Green/ Concord Bridge (started a disagreemnt
				with you chaps).
			Freedom trail
				Bunker Hill
				Old North church etc.
		Country drives
		Cape Cod beaches (and your chance to look for your
			estranged princes). :-)
		Natural science
			Boston Aquarium
			Computer Museum
			Science Museum
			Woods Hole Aquarium (real research lab open to public)
			Mystic Seaport
	Shopping
		Normal retail district downtown
		Boat Chandleries
		Tourist sites out of town Maple sugar stores, coutnry crafts
			Marblehead/Rockport etc.
	Party time 
		Party hardy in the local disco's (music preference and age help)
		Performing arts
			sympony 
			Plays (Wang center?

Hope this helps.  Since I am here without the benefit of my family at that time,
I will be going down to the Cape for swimming and sailing.  This is an invitation
for hitchikers (space for 2).

Doug
dtn 881-6355

    Paul
       
       Congratulations.
    
       I'm sure us Mass based Deccies can handle anything you need [Email
    access once here, someone to take you shopping, shipping items home
    etc].
    
       I have a small tourist map of every place of interest in downtown Boston.
    I can send along. I have a call into the state tourism board for maps
    of downtown boston and all of Mass. How far out of town do you want to
    go?  Route 128? Eastern Mass??   We can scrouge whatever you need
    together.  
    
    If you are the net, take a peek at
    
    http://www.magnet.state.ma.us/travel/travel.html. Once there, start
    with Boston and Cambridge, followed by the north and south shore
    sections. this is everything within 20-25 milese of Boston Proper.
    
    
       This company may not be as personal as it once was, but us Digits
    know how to take care of our own. Any chance of some of us taking you
    out for a real dinner??
    
    
        Regards
    
        john

Paul,

I am a delegate from my yacht club (Jubilee in Beverly Mass @12 miles N of 
Boston) and I will check on what is being done.

I will certainly plan on being available to help 

Of special note is that the USS Constitution is celebrating her 200th birthday
next year. The Captain announced that they are starting another 'penny'
campaign to outfit her with a suite of sails. The first 'penny' campaign was
back in the 1920's when she was treatened with the scrap heap and the nations 
school children were asked to contribute thier pennies. The campaign was
very successfull and when she had been restored, she was hauled down the east
coast, through the canal, up the west coast and back again.

The current plan is for her to have her first sail on July 21st '97 just after 
you leave. But the crew will be working out with one sail while she is still
in her berth.

There has been much discussion about the sailing, but she has just come through
an overhaul that included the replacing critical structural parts that had
been removed in the 1820's and the 1880's. (more on that in a seperate note.)

The USS Constitution is berthed in Charlestown right on Boston Harbor. I would 
would be happy to look into setting up a special tour for yours and any of the 
other crews.  (I will need a number of months lead time)

Several questions.

1. How many members to each crew?

2. Will crew members be able and would they be interested in spending one or 
   more nights ashore?

3. Do any of your crew members like to party?   :<)

Fred

POWDML::DARROW
dtn 223-3840

    Ok Paul. I've got 15 sets of maps coming from the State Tourism
    board. Once I get em, I'll forward. Feel free to hand them out to 
    the other boats.
    
       Regards
    
       john

    Thank you everyone for your offers of help.
    
    To answer all the questions I have put together a few details about the
    race and the Crew of Ocean Rover.
    
    The Yachts.
    
    67ft Steel, Dry weight about 39 Tons, Mast is 87ft, The sails are made
    by Hood and will be Yellow!!!, Cutter rigged.
    
    The yachts are all identical and no changes are allowed without the
    agreement of the race committee.
    
    The yachts are owned by the Challenge business and the yacht sponsors
    pay a fee for the use of their yacht (Which they do not own) which
    included all maintenance. (About 600K Pounds).
    
    14 yachts will leave the start line September 1996.
    
    The Crews.
    
    14 Crew on each yacht.
    14 Professional skippers employed by the Challenge Business.
    The rest are "Crew Volunteers" who pay for their berth.
    All crew have been trained as one for the last two years and split into
    as near as possible 14 identical teams taking into account age, Sex and
    ability.
    A majority of the volunteers has little or no sailing experiance when
    they signed up.
    
    Ocean Rover Crew.
    
    The oldest crew member is 53 and the youngest 22.
    We have two female crew members (One being our doctor)
    The Rover Group (Range Rover, Land Rover, Rover cars and MG) are our
    sponsor.
    
    We cover all interest so I guess all information will be greatly
    received. 
    
    We are due to arrive sometime between thw 12-17 June 97 and depart on
    Sunday 29th June. We will get between 4 and 7 days off depending when
    we arrive plus the evenings.
    
    Ocean Rover will be a Safe, Fun (We will need a sense of humour where
    we are going) and Fast yacht.
    
    It would be nice if we could find a local sailing club close by that we
    could relax in and swap sailing stories with the members during our
    stay.
    
    If anyone is interested I could start a note before we leave and update
    from each port of call (digital offices permitting).
    
    I am yet to make contact with anyone in Rio de Janeiro or Cape Town so
    if anyone has any contacts in these places it would be appreciated.

Another idea is to start a similar "Forum Topic?" in Compuserv.  They 
had something going with the Whitbread a couple of years ago.  They
may even sponser a radio link into their system.  From my standpoint
by all means start a note file.  It would be fun to read.

Doug

Will you have internet access while underway?

    I would just like to thank everyone again for their support.
    
    On each yacht there are business club members (Sub Sponsors) and on
    our yacht Digital Equipment have signed up. So I will have the Digital 
    Logo following me around the world (There is no escape).
    
    We took delivery of our yacht in May and we are slowly getting her
    together. We seem to be on the pace but how much everyone is sand
    bagging will not be known until the 29th September when we leave.
    
    We are having a 1000 mile race in two weeks (The whole Fleet) to test
    the yachts, the crews and the communications systems. I will post a
    report on the race and how we went a couple of days later.
    
    We will not have internet access while underway as we are not allowed
    outside assistance except for weather fax and communication with the
    race office.
    
    I am still trying to make contact with someone in the Digital Rio de
    Janeiro office and Cape Town office if anyone can help?.
    
     Paul