Sports
A smiling Alec Gale hops onto his 52-foot steel fishing boat, The Retriever. “We’ll see what happens today. Something always goes wrong,” he says. It’s 7:30 a.m. and Al has already been up for two hours. He spent the early part of the day with his eight-month-old son Riley. “It’s my only quiet time,” he says. Now he is bounding around his boat, starting one of its three engines, unhooking dock lines and moving the neck of a truck crane around.
Vineyard resident and Black Dog CEO Robert Douglas placed first overall at the 2012 International Kite Association World Speed Championships held July 6-15 in Salin du Giraud, France. Mr. Douglas now has the distinction of holding and winning both the outright world speed sailing record (55.65 knots) and the 2012 World Kitespeed Sailing Championship simultaneously.
He is sponsored by The Black Dog, Edgartown resident Bill Lynch of Lynch Associates, Cabrinha Kites and CornerFive Surf Company.
Possibly the biggest, and certainly the longest, sailboat races of summer come together this weekend. Tomorrow, 74 sailboats are expected to race around the Island in the Edgartown Yacht Club’s annual Round the Island race. The race — about 52 miles in length — starts in early morning and lasts all day, taking boats clockwise around the Island.
At 5:30 in the morning, most of the tires on the road are bicycle wheels. Cyclists hit the pavement early, avoiding the hassles of traffic and marveling at the dawn glow that bathes the Island. Some cyclists are commuting to work, some are out for a quick pedal, some are preparing for future competitions.
The Martha’s Vineyard Touchdown Club’s popular tempura food booth — a primary fundraiser for the high school’s football and cheerleading programs — will need an unprecedented effort to be ready for this summer’s agricultural fair. The club faces a shortage in funding to rebuild the booth, which was severely damaged in a fire last September. The fair takes place a month from now.
YMCA Says Pick Your Pool Party
The second annual Cool Pool Parties fundraising event to benefit the YMCA is this Saturday, July 28, from 7 to 10 p.m.
The idea is simple and yet ingenious. Guests are invited to choose one of three private Vineyard properties to relax poolside and enjoy a party matched to a particular theme.
Batch on Hatch is hosted by Kathy and Jim Gidwitz and takes place in Vineyard Haven. This party features music by Andy Suzuki and food by Kitchen Porch catering.