Information Bubble

Much in the same way that the 2007-2008 Housing Bubble was founded on incorrect assumptions, about the housing market, I wonder if Google's PageRank and related algorithms may be flawed in that they are based on what people visit more frequently. The assumption is that more people will visit "correct" or "better" information-bearing sites. With the risk of "Fake News" and Google looking to respin it's algorithm, I wonder what is in store for us online as we seek information unbiased by ads, politics or other swaying factors.

Jasmine - Polishing Hulls

I'm collecting information regarding how to restore my gelcoat hulls. Below are some links:
It seems that the process is:

(1) Wash down boat with soapy water
(2) Remove oxidation
(3) Polish
(4) Wax 2 or more times

http://blog.boattrader.com/2014/06/restoring-gelcoat-like-pros-elbow-grease-required.html
https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/DIY-Maintaining-Your-Boats-Gelcoat-Finish

Lightship and Great Vallejo Races

The Summer racing season is upon us and I've enjoyed and learned a lot from the experience on Tesa this year. The Vallejo race involved a number of challenging factors, such as closely following a course boundary, extracting performance from light air days, covering and avoiding cover from tacking competitors, and a great deal of spinnaker practice. While I didn't partake in the Saturday night festivities at the Vallejo Yacht club, I did get to see a number of "big" boats such as the always interesting Legalus, Bodacious, Oncore, a number of Melges "rocketship-esque" boats and some new (to me) classes that I'd not seen before. Once skippers and crew freed themselves from the confines of their own side rails and came ashore, the party was on. Our hosts were jovial and welcoming and very organized this year with new docks and plenty of space for the 60-80 boats that I saw on display.

Great Vallejo Race: Image Courtesy of Sandy W.

Before Vallejo, we had a great Lightship race where it was windy as usual on the way back through the gate.

Lightship Race. Courtesy of h2oshots.com (in case you missed the h2o-mark)