The Star Tribune brings to light some interesting facts surrounding the death of a sailboat racer:

Development tycoon George Mitchell donated the Cynthia Woods and an identical boat to Texas A&M University in 2006, the Galveston County Daily News and Houston Chronicle reported Thursday.

The university has taken the other boat, the George Phydias, out of commission until officials can determine whether a design defect caused the keel failure.

The company that built the boats, North Carolina-based Cape Fear Yacht Works, said in a statement Wednesday it stands by its products. The company is owned by George Mitchell’s son, Keith.

“We believe in the design, construction and safety of our vessels,” the company said.

It also said it was not responsible for maintenance or repair work after the vessel left the factory. ha

The “ha” at the end is in the original article. Strange, no? But more to the point, the fact that the father was buying boats from his son’s boat manufacturing company and donating them to a University raises some interesting questions. Those questions are compounded by suspected safety defects in construction.

All boat owners realize sooner or later that boats, like any vehicle, require regular maintenance and care to maintain safety. It is the father-son relationship of the donation and “tycoon” status of the donor, as well as the time-line, that make this story seem like more than just a simple tragedy.

A recent edition of Sailing Magazine mentions that the tycoon’s son was entirely new to the boat-building business:

The Cape Fear 38 is built in Wilmington, North Carolina, not far from its infamous namesake. Kent Mitchell, owner of Cape Fear Yacht Works, spent years racing and cruising the Carolina sounds and coasts before deciding to build his own version of the perfect racer-cruiser. While many of us fantasize about building boats, Mitchell jumped into the business with both feet. And he is enthusiastic about his product. “If racing is in your blood but you also want some creature comforts, then this is a boat you need to consider,” he said as we test-sailed hull No. 1 on a crisp Chesapeake Bay afternoon.

Hull number one? Jumped into the business? The father of the builder purchased and then donated not one but two $300K 38 foot boats when they were only two years old? I also noted that the base price went from $199K to $295K in just two years. Maybe the cost rise suggests that early versions were under-built? Prone to failure?

Nothing says Australia like a few jokes in a Financial Review about sex:

However you intend to put them to use, the new P9521 mobile handset from Porsche has impressive privacy credentials.

Nothing says “I love you (and I don’t want to know all about the other lovers)” quite like giving your cheating husband a mobile phone with a biometric lock on it.

Or, if your partner is not quite so long-suffering, nothing says “I want to protect my spouse (and while I’m at it, me) from the embarrassment of having my many indiscretions exposed by the ever-curious kiddies” quite like buying yourself such a mobile phone – one which locks itself after 15 seconds of inactivity (if only your zipper could enjoy such a respite), and which requires a swipe of your finger before it will unlock.

Culture obviously plays a big part in designing security controls, as well as figuring out how to market them. This story reminds me of the time I had dinner at the Tornado worlds in France. The Australian crew was constantly giggling as they tried to send phone-porn videos via bluetooth to each other and anyone else they could find who happened to have an insecure connection.

The article does not even touch upon the fact that this phone will utilize screen-lock technology far more efficiently than keypads, thereby offering a safer and more user-friendly alternative.

No, I am not talking about Halloween. I have seen quite a few people dressed as pirates already, though. I am referring to news on the International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Services (ICCCCS) site:

Piracy and armed robbery attacks against ships rose 14% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2006, the second consecutive quarterly increase in attacks, as the coastal waters off Nigeria and Somalia became ever more dangerous, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported [16 October 2007].

In the first nine months of the year, 198 attacks were reported versus 174 attacks reported in 2006 during the same time frame. A total of 15 vessels were hijacked, 172 crewmembers were taken hostage, 63 were kidnapped, and 21 were assaulted. If this trend continues, the decline in piracy attacks begun in 2004 will have bottomed out. Crew assaults, kidnapping and ransom rose dramatically from 2006.

The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) apparently keeps track of trend data and incidents, but I have yet to find any analysis or root-cause discussion.