BERMUDA RACE COMMITTEES UPDATE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
Organizers of the annual races to Bermuda (Newport, Annapolis, Charleston, etc) have been working furiously to change their Sailing Instructions to reflect the new social media. They have basically agreed on the following, with some details to be finalized:* The prior 4-hour delay for satellite tracking will be eliminated in favor of constant 24/7 communication;
* Placement of Sat phone antenna must be 3 feet above the mast head for clear reception;
* Coax cable must be replaced with fiber optic cable, and power source must be N+1;
* All yachts must have VHF, GPS, EPIRB and AIS all networked with Wi-Fi;
* Twitter feeds will be required from the rail, the bow and the cockpit;
* Waterproof smart phones or protective boxes will be required crew gear;
* Facebook/MySpace/MyLife/ISAF status must be updated for each crew member at each watch change;
* YouTube channel shall be updated with new video no less than daily;
* Navigation may be performed by crew consensus using the iNav “Hero or Zero” voting function ;
“We believe these changes will bring the various Bermuda races, one of which has been run for over a hundred years, into the 20th century,” announced Annapolis Yacht Club race director Linda Ambrose. At press time, safety engineers were working on Bluetooth compatibility and rollable flat screens for life rafts.
via www.sailingscuttlebutt.com
Craig Leweck, you little prankster! If you haven't checked out today's Scuttlebutt you really should. It's full of April Fool's Goodness. This was my favorite. Tweeting on the rail. WTF?!