Daily Archives: February 9, 2017

National Baseball Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson discusses attending the Caribbean Series in hopes of bringing artifacts to Cooperstown

CULIACAN, Mexico -- The Caribbean Series has secured a spot in Cooperstown.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum president Jeff Idelson and Jean Fruth, the Hall of Fame's photographer, were in Mexico this week gathering items and documenting the annual tournament between the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Cuba, an original member of the Caribbean Confederation, participated in the tournament as a special guest for the fourth consecutive year.

Complete Caribbean Series coverage

"The Caribbean Series, the Serie del Caribe, is an important part of the world baseball calendar," Idelson said. "From the Hall of Fame's standpoint, we are here to collect artifacts, to meet new people from the different federations and teams and to really make sure that this event is documented properly in the Hall of Fame."

In 2015, Idelson attended the Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and returned to Cooperstown with several items, including the championship jersey of Pinar del Rio outfielder Roel Santos from Cuba. He returned with many artifacts from last year's Caribbean Series in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, including the jersey of Jorge Vazquez of Mexico's championship team.

This year, Idelson will take back a list of artifacts that includes the ball from the first pitch thrown by Mexico's Hector Velazquez to start the championship game between Mexico and Puerto and jerseys belonging to Puerto Rico's Jonathan Morales and Puerto Rico's Randy Ruiz. Morales drove home what proved to be the winning run in the top of the 10th in Puerto Rico's 1-0 victory in the Caribbean Series title game.

Puerto Rico defeats Mexico to win Caribbean Series

Manager Luis Matos and pitcher Dereck Rodriguez discuss Puerto Rico's 1-0 victory over Mexico to win the 2017 Caribbean Series

"The artifacts we collect can end up anywhere in the museum," Idelson said. "Viva Baseball!, which is our first bilingual exhibit, talks about the great baseball playing countries like Puerto Rico and Mexico. What we collect could very well end up in Viva Baseball!"

The Viva Baseball! exhibit was opened in 2009 to recognize the impact of Latin America on baseball through an exhibit that celebrates Caribbean countries and its players. All of Fruth's work will reside in the permanent archives, and some will be used in the Viva Baseball! exhibit.

Jesse Sanchez, who has been writing for MLB.com since 2001, is a national reporter based in Phoenix. Follow him on Twitter @JesseSanchezMLB and Facebook. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Caribbean Series artifacts to be displayed in Hall - MLB.com

College of Coastal Georgia recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Anguilla Community College, located in the Caribbean Islands, in a move that CCGA administrators hope will promote international education opportunities for its students, faculty and staff.

The memorandum, signed Feb. 3, aims to promote cooperation in the exchange of students, faculty and staff for both schools.

Tracy Pellett, provost and vice president of academic affairs at CCGA, and James Lynch, the interim director of international education and director of institutional effectiveness, visited Anguilla this month to meet with government and education officials and to sign the MoU.

CCGA is honored to forge a connection with Anguilla, its people, and its Community College, Pellett said during the signing ceremony. We see immediate partnering and impact opportunities that we will be following up on in the next few months. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to further enhance our cultural, programmatic and professional understanding and development.

LeRoy Hill, dean of studies and acting president of ACC, said during the ceremony that the MoU is guided by the schools interests in several fields, including coastal ecology management, biological and environment science, health sciences, hospitality management, education and maritime research and training.

A seed is a powerful metaphor for this occasion, Hill said. Not only because it represents the opportunities and potential for bearing fruit, but a seed in this setting also represents an historical-cultural connection.

Conversations between CCGA and ACC about forging an international education partnership began several months ago.

During our extended conversations with government dignitaries and education officials, we all shared the same feeling of excitement and optimism given education areas of common interest underscored by a strong focus on student welfare and success through impassioned teaching and learning at the heart of this evolving partnership, Lynch said.

Costal now has four formal memorandums of understanding with international schools. The college also recently signed them with two other Caribbean institutions in Belize Ecumenical Junior College and Stan Creek Independence Junior College. And in 2015, CCGA began a partnership with the American College of Greece.

ACC greatly values the partnership with the College of Coastal Georgia and hopes it will be long lasting and mutually beneficial for both institutions, said Rodney Rey, ACCs chairman of the board of governors.

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CCGA enters partnership with Caribbean college - The News (subscription)

The RORC Caribbean 600 attracts the world's fastest racing yachts, magnificent superyachts and corinthian production cruisers. Gathered in Antigua for the start of the 600-mile blast around 11 Caribbean islands, the fleet is a phenomenal sight.

Among the spectacular entries this year are two colossal schooners; Eleonora and Adela, with at least 12 classic-designed yachts joining them on the race course.

Adela dates back to 1903 and at 182ft (55 metres), she is the largest yacht competing in the race. Displacing 250 tons and capable of 17 knots of boat speed, the forces on board are off the charts; the mainsail alone can generate 50 tons of load. Adela has an extraordinary record in the race; coming in the top ten overall under IRC in all four races she has competed in, including third overall in 2013. Adela is unbeaten in the Spirit of Tradition Class and is likely to have 35 crew for this year's race. Since she last competed in 2015, the schooner has undergone major modifications to her rudder and keel. Changing a headsail on Adela requires crew out on her mighty bowsprit, a position for agile, strong and trustworthy crew.

"We are really starting from scratch in terms of how to sail Adela after the refit," commented crew boss Guy Salter. "There have also been a few changes to the crew, so we will be working on boat handling in the run up to the race. We still have Kym 'Shag' Morton on the helm and that is a good thing. Experienced guys from the Maxi era are the closest thing to experts on driving these sort of boats and when you have crew on the bowsprit, which is really just an extension of the foredeck, you need someone on the helm who knows how to drive a displacement yacht. He won't come up at a mark until it is safe to do so. Protecting the crew is the most important part of the race."

Displacing 213 tons with an overall length of 162ft (49.5 metres), Eleonora is an exact replica of the famous 1910 Herreshoff schooner Westward. Since her launch in 2000 she has followed Westward's heritage of racing, however, this will be Eleonora's first RORC Caribbean 600.

"It is an event that the crew have been looking forward to ever since it was decided to enter," explains Brendan McCoy, Captain of Eleonora. "Adela has shown formidable speed in the Caribbean 600 and she has an advantage over us in waterline length and sail area, so it will be against the odds to beat her over the water. On IRC rating, we just don't know how we will fair and the conditions will play a big part. However, it will be an achievement to sail Eleonora well around the course. There are so many manoeuvres; it will be a real challenge for the crew and that is what we are looking forward to. For the race, we will have members from the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Royal Ocean Racing Club on board and we are keen to ensure they all have a memorable race."

Classic yachts have always been a part of the RORC Caribbean 600. Competing this year is the 78ft Maxi Kialoa III, best remembered for victory in the 1975 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, with the race record lasting for 21 years. The 70ft mahogany ketch, El Oro was originally owned by Baron Marcel Bich, the founder of Bic pens and built as a cruising version of his 1973 Whitbread racer, Kriter. Australian yachting enthusiast and owner, Tim Wilson rescued El Oro in 2008 and following a full restoration, has raced the classic yacht for the past five years. Many of the crew will be flying in from Australia to compete in the race. Mat Barker's 65ft sloop, The Blue Peter has unfinished business after retiring from last year's race. The Blue Peter is a true classic, almost unchanged since being launched in 1930.

Nine majestic yachts, built by Nautor's Swan will also be competing this year, including three classics designed by Sparkman & Stephens; Swan 48s, Isbjorn and Sleeper, a Swan 44 Freebird. Other classic designed sloops in the RORC Caribbean 600 include the 88ft Dutch Frers, Tulip, Irish C.N.B Briand 76ft, Lilla and Hound, a 60ft Nielsen Custom from the United States.

The 9th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 will start from Antigua on February 20th 2017 and in excess of 70 yachts are expected, with over 900 sailors from 24 different countries taking part.

For more information visit: http://www.caribbean600.rorc.org

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Classics Gather in Caribbean | Sailing World - Sailing World

Former U.S. president Barack Obama is trying some new and dangerous water sports that the Hawaii native had to miss out on for safety reasons while serving in the White House.

Obama, whose eight years as president ended last month when he was succeeded by Donald Trump, learned to kiteboard while vacationing last week on a Caribbean island owned by British billionaire and adventurer Sir Richard Branson, who published an accountof their trip on Tuesday.

Photographs and video on the website of Branson's Virgin Group show the former president, a life-long surfer, figuring out the increasingly popular sport in which people ride a board while being pulled behind a kite.

"Being the former president of America, there was lots of security around, but Barack was able to really relax and get into it," Branson wrote.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, were spotted last week in the British Virgin Islands, and people posted photos of them on social media. Branson owns 120-acre (48-hectare) Moskito Island, which is part of the archipelago.

Kiteboarding was chosen in 2012 as a sport for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, replacing windsurfing. The decision was criticized at the time because the sport can be lethal, and it was reversed within months.

According to Branson, Obama studied the pastime for two days and flew a kite from the beach, "as if going back to being a child again," before heading out into the waves.

Branson was trying to learn a similar sport, foilboarding, which uses a modified board that rises a few feet above the water. He wrote that he challenged the ex-president over which of them would succeed first.

Obama triumphed, he said, by kiteboarding for 100 meters (328 feet).

"After all he has done for the world, I couldn't begrudge him his well-deserved win," Branson wrote.

(Reporting by David Ingram in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Frances Kerry)

LAS VEGAS Opening statements were to begin on Thursday in the first of three trials over an armed standoff in 2014 at the rural Nevada property of Cliven Bundy, a rancher who has achieved celebrity status in the West in his opposition to government land policy.

BOSTON/NEW YORK The heaviest storm the northeastern United States has seen this year was bearing down on the region on Thursday, forcing schools in major cities to cancel classes and airlines to ground thousands of flights.

Former NBA player Charles Oakley was arrested on Wednesday during the game between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers after an altercation with security guards at Madison Square Garden.

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Obama kiteboards in Caribbean with billionaire Richard Branson - Reuters

While several cruise lines will be following on the heels of Carnival with limited visits to Cuba this spring, both Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line have announced they have expanded service through the fall.

Royal will send Empress of the Seas out of Tampa on 4- and 5-night sailings from Tampa through November and Norwegian Sky will sail out of Miami on 4-night trips through December.

Carnival Corp. was the first U.S.-based cruise line to visit Cuba on a regular basis in nearly 50 years when it sailed on May 1, 2016 on its Fathom brand aboard the Adonia as part of an approach that was aimed to provide passengers cultural and educational immersion in the Cuban culture. That brand is going away this summer, and Carnival has yet to announce sailings on any of its other brands beyond May.

In late 2016, Norwegian, its sister lines Oceania and Regenet Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean and sister line Azamara Club Cruises as well as Pearl Seas Cruises all announced various sailings to the island nation, some of which will began in January, but none of the lines were slated to sail beyond May, not having received approval from the Cuban government.

Royal was the first to announce the expanded approval on Friday with Norwegian following on its heels today. Norwegian Cruise Line had five itineraries slated out of PortMiami, all with overnight stays in Havana, with departures in May. The line's addition 25 trips run from June-December.

"We are thrilled to be the first cruise line able to offer weekly sailings from Miami to Cuba through the fall of 2017," said Norwegian Cruise Line President and CEO Andy Stuart in a press release. "We have seen great demand from our guests for sailings to Cuba and we look forward to providing more opportunities for them to experience this incredibly culture-rich destination on a weekly basis."

The trips will offer 15 full and half-day cultural immersion activities in Cuba including a farm-to-table dining experience, exploring natural gem Soroa, exploring Havana in a classic car and others. The four-night trips will also feature stops at the line's private island Great Stirrup Cay. The new cruises will open for sale Feb. 21. Inside cabins start at $699 per person, based on double occupancy. Those rates don't include taxes and port fees. Visit http://www.ncl.com/cruises-to/cuba-cruises for more details.

Royal Caribbean's newly announced trips will offer some overnight stays in Havana - a first for the line - as part of itineraries that also feature stops in Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. 4-night sailings start at $499 per person, based on double occupancy and 5-night sailings start at $599. Those trips are slated to run through Nov. 4, and are currently on sale at RoyalCaribbean.com.

Cruise to Cuba: 'People from all over the world are experiencing this together'

rtribou@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5134

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Norwegian, Royal Caribbean expand Cuba sailings through end of the year - Orlando Sentinel

MASON CITY The 2016-17 Travel and Adventure Film Series continues with Pearls of the Caribbean at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the North Iowa Community Auditorium on the North Iowa Area Community College campus.

This is a change from the original film, Cubas Secret Side. Cuba will be featured in this film.

MASON CITY Southeast Asia Exotic Spice Islands & Tropical Countries kicks off the

The 2016-17 Travel and Adventure Series is sponsored by NIACC.

Set sail with Marlin Darrah, the worlds most traveled filmmaker, to explore several island gems sprinkled throughout the Caribbean. Countries and cities visited are San Juan, Puerto Rico; Havana, Cuba; St. Barts; St. Maarten; Antigua; Dominica; St. Lucia; and Barbados.

The Caribbean features some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world from beaches to forests to mountains, with blue water, flowers, and brightly-colored birds.

The islands were settled by migrant tribes from South America, gold-seeking Spaniards and European planters from France, England, Netherlands and Denmark.

Add pirates, an African slave culture, Indians, Chinese, Syrians, Lebanese, more South Americans, and you have the recipe that makes up these islands.

The racial mix has produced an astonishing musical and artistic energy, which comes together in the week of Carnival.

This film was shot in 2013 on High-Definition video.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students, available at the door. For information, call the NIACC Continuing Education office, 641-422-4358.

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NIACC Presents Pearls of the Caribbean film - Mason City Globe Gazette