http://www.cheapramsjersey.com/]cheap rams jerseys[/url] [url=http://www.cheapdolphinsjersey.com/]cheap dolphins jerseys[/url] [url=http://www.cheapvikingsjersey.com/]cheap vikings jerseys

SAN DIEGO -- Always eager for a challenge, two-time Americas Cup champion skipper Jimmy Spithill and his crew of five on a high-performance, 46-foot catamaran hooked into a strong breeze off New York and headed toward Bermuda, hoping to ride above the waves on hydrofoils for all 662 nautical miles.The weather turned nasty about halfway there, forcing them at one point to drop their sails and switch from performance mode to survival mode.Team Falcon made it to Bermuda in one piece, leaving Spithill excited about the future of offshore foiling while respecting Mother Nature.It got pretty bad, the Australian said in a phone interview from Japan, where hell lead Oracle Team USA in the final stop of the Americas Cup World Series this weekend. The first 24 hours were awesome. We put down some awesome miles and got to the Gulf Stream pretty quickly. Then it started to turn for the worse.Waves that had been 6 1/2 feet grew as big as 20 to 25 feet as the wind rose from 20 knots up to 40 to 45 knots.Anytime you have to go offshore, you have to be prepared for the worst, Spithill said. Its like mountain climbing. Anyone who goes up Everest or any other decent mountain, you have to be prepared for the weather to change and you have to have a plan. We were always prepared for the worst. In that situation you usually learn something about yourself and the team around you. It was impressive to see how everyone responded and got through it.The boat sailed at more than 30 knots a few times during the 66-hour trip, Spithill said.Down to bare poles at one point in strong wind, the cat was still going 20 knots down waves. We had a hard time slowing the boat up, Spithill said. Thats what youve got to be able to face when youre on the ocean, especially the Gulf Stream, which can be pretty notorious water. It was pretty crazy.It was some of the best sailing Ive done of my life offshore. It proves this is the next step in the offshore world, Spithill said.The trip was the idea of Shannon Falcone of Antigua, a former Oracle Team USA crewmember, and backed by Red Bull, which sponsors both OTUSA and the Red Bull Youth Americas Cup. The F4, built in the Netherlands, is the first foiling catamaran specifically built for the open ocean.Foiling has become the rage in sailing. While the concept has been around for years, it went mainstream during the 2013 Americas Cup on San Francisco Bay in a duel between 72-foot catamarans. Its continued to develop leading up to the 2017 Americas Cup, which will be contested in 50-foot foiling cats in Bermuda.When the Americas Cup catamarans reach a certain speed, they rise up on foils, lifting the hulls out of the water and allowing faster speeds.Its just pure performance, said Spithill, who steered Oracles giant trimaran to victory in the 2010 Americas Cup and then helped rally the American-backed team to victory over Emirates Team New Zealand in 2013. Once you can sort of get that drag gone and get that boat out of the water, its like a turbo boost.One challenge of offshore foiling will be at night. Spithill said foiling requires the crew to anticipate and look around, and the crew had to rely only on instruments during three moonless nights.While Spithill said he got a real test, physically and mentally, from the trip, the worst offshore conditions hed been in were in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race, when six sailors died and five yachts sank during a fierce storm.Spithill also was at the wheel of Oracles 72-foot catamaran when it capsized in rough conditions on San Francisco Bay in October 2012.Joining Spithill and Falcone on Team Falcon were Oracle Team USAs Rome Kirby of Newport, Rhode Island; Tommy Loughborough of Singapore; Olympic sailor Cy Thompson of the Virgin Islands and Emily Nagel, a member of Team Bermuda in the Red Bull Youth Americas Cup.Matt Knighton, who won the Onboard Reporter Award for the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race, was the onboard cameraman, even using a drone to capture video footage during daylight hours.The voyage proved that foiling is the next step in offshore performance, Spithill said.But theres a limit. No matter what, Mother Nature will decide at what level you will operate. And Mother Nature made that decision for us.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson Cheap Montreal Canadiens Jerseys . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Discount NHL Jerseys For Sale . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. http://www.cheapnhloutletjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-minnesota-wild-jerseys . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Cheap Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level.The Winnipeg Goldeyes claimed rookie left-handed pitcher Ryan Sasaki from the Laredo Lemurs on Sunday and placed outfielder Ryan Scoma on the disabled list, retroactive to June 12. Sasaki went 2-2 with a 4.81 ERA in six starts with the Lemurs this season. A year ago in LLaredo, the 22-year-old was 6-3 with a 3.dddddddddddd4 ERA. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 13th round of the 2009 MLB amateur draft. The Goldeyes now have 21 players their active roster, including 11 pitchers and 10 position players. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '