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At 5:55 in the morning, the first of May, five miles off Newport (R.I.), a lone sail suddenly appeared on the southern horizon, sending a buzz through the spectator boats. Switzerland's Bernard Stamm, the approaching craft's skipper, soon came into view, his light brown curls framing a relaxed and weather-beaten face. His nearest competitor was a day and a half behind, and Stamm's 60-foot monohull, Bobst Group/Armor-lux, was set on autopilot, with 28,750 miles behind her and just those five miles left to go. Now Stamm, who had only seen digitally transmitted pictures of his new baby, was minutes from his first major ocean-racing win on the boat he had built with his own two hands and the help of a village of volunteers. Brad Van Liew, 35, the American who on Sunday sailed his yacht Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America into Newport to win the Class 2 division for yachts with a maximum length of 50 feet, thinks he may have seen the last of the perils of the Southern Ocean.

Discusses the appeal of the Mediterranean Sea area for celebrities. How people like Sophia Loren, Princess Grace of Monaco, and Errol Flynn used to sail yachts along the waters; Interest of the motion picture industry in the Riviera and Cannes.

The article discusses Illusion, a 12-foot yacht owned by Jonathan Richards. It states that Richards debuted the craft at the Admiral's Cup off the Isle of Wight in England in July 1981 to the amazement of onlookers. The boat is reportedly unique in that it is far smaller than an ordinary yacht, weighs less than a small dinghy with a sail area of 65 square feet, and was built at a cost of 650 dollars, a fraction of what a normal yacht would cost. A description of how it was built and the materials used for its construction, follows.

The article offers a historical background of the yacht named Santana. The life of Santana, which was owned by lawyer William Solari from 1966-69, started in 1934 when William Lyman Stewart Jr. of Pasadena, California consulted Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens to design a schooner. Santana competed in the 1936 Transpac race to Honolulu, Hawaii and in the 1938 Bermuda Race. The yacht was launched in the movie society after it was acquired by actor George Brent in 1941. Twin architects Ted and Tom Eden later on spent months to restore Santana.

This article discusses the results of the 1980 America's Cup, a yacht racing competition. Several yachts from across the world participated in the event, including Australia, France 3, Lionheart of England and Sverige of Sweden. Australia met Sverige and France 3 competed with Lionheart in the semifinals. Clipper, the U.S. boat, had little mechanical trouble. The U.S. boat Freedom was defeated by Australia in the finals.

The article features the town of Newport, site of the America's Cup qualifying race scheduled to take place in the summer of 1981. Spectator participation is reportedly nil since the race is contested way out in the ocean. As an alternative, the Newport Yachting Center will host several events such as sailing shows, commercial fishing expositions, and an America's Cup Film Festival which observers allegedly swear to be far more entertaining than the actual event.

The article discusses the trials to select a defender for the 1980 America's Cup. Participants in this year's trials include Dennis Conner, Robert Edward Turner, and Russell Long. Conner, who will be at the helm of a new boat, Freedom, and Turner, who will be racing the 1974 and 1977 winner, Courageous, have been consistent front-runners, with their proven performance records. The author considers Long to be the underdog, competing in a brand-new hull called Clipper.

The article discusses a weekend account of three college football games in the Big 10 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The author offers a retrospective and game results of the traditional rivalries between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Louisiana State University Tigers, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. It cites back stories of people and communities supporting these teams in their quest for a conference championship and the Rose Bowl.

The article focuses on Charles Deville Wells, a British con man who was convicted on 30 charges of obtaining 50,000 British pounds by false pretenses. He made 8,000 British pounds a day by playing roulette in Monte Carlo. His capital was obtained from duping investors for his 192 patents, 191 of which did not work. He also served eight years in prison.

The article discusses details of the race to determine which boat will represent the U.S. in the America's Cup. Designated for repairs was the boat Mariner with its hull being rebuilt and converted into one made of aluminum. Active and competing in the America's Cup trial is the other aluminum-hulled boat named Courageous. With Mariner on dry dock, the other challenger is the wood-hulled Intrepid which, in a previous preliminary trial off the waters of Rhode Island, beat Mariner and fought Courageous to a standoff.

The article discusses how Australia kept the America's Cup sailing regatta alive in the U.S. in 1974, the latest challenge of which is the Southern Cross designed by Bob Miller and Backer Bond. It says that there will be a crew on Southern Cross that will be tougher than the previous challenges from Australia. According to the author, the Southern Cross was involved in over 50 races against Gretel II, which proved the newer challenger's better hull, running and reaching. Information on the races sailed by the old Gretel and Gretel II is also presented.

The article discusses about the Australia II, a yacht designed by Australian Ben Lexcen that had competed in the American Cup yachting competition. The competition was started near Newport, Rhode Island on September 13, 2010. Australia II had won yachting competitions and earned a challenger finals spot on August 28, 1983.

The article presents opinions on sports. It is said that the announcement of Bowie Kuhn's resignation as baseball commissioner brought unity among the 26 fractious baseball owners. The decision of the New York Yacht Club to question the qualification of Australia II to participate in the America's Cup is supported. The author argues that it was impossible to find a schedule of events or a list of competitors for the IX Pan American Game.

The article discusses the victory of Frenchman Philippe Jeantot in the BOC Challenge around-the-world yacht race, which began in August 1982 and ended in May 1983. Features of Jeantot's boat called the Credit Agricole are described, including the ballast system, the winches around the cockpit's rim, and the automatic steering system. The performance of other race participants such as Englishmen Desmond Hampton and Richard Broadhead are also discussed. Of the 17 race participants, four had to drop out due to equipment problems.

The article discusses non-water sports facilities that are available in Tampa Bay, Florida. It states the though the city is better known for watersports like sailing and yacht racing, it also has world-class land-based sports facilities. These include the Al Lang Field baseball park, a golf course just across the city and an airfield to the south that is perfect for private flying. The author describes some of the best tourist destinations and attractions in Tampa Bay.

The author discusses about the future of the professional yachting competition, the America's Cup. Harry Sears and the media believed that the tournament had experienced its decline in popularity in September 1958 due to the slow performance of Spectre, an American-designed yacht. The author believes that the America's Cup had been dominated boats designed by David Boyd and designing firm Empire.

The article details and comments on the competition between Britain's yacht "Sceptre" and America's "Columbia" during the 1958 America's Cup Challenge. After four races, the American defenders won all matches and repealed another challenger for the 17th time. The author notes that the poor hull form of the "Sceptre" was the decisive factor and ultimately sealed the superiority of "Columbia." Despite the faulty design, the author observes that there was a general admiration for the crew of the "Sceptre" and praised their sportsmanship.