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The Largest Private Yacht In The World Is Here In Marin

The 289-foot Maltese Falcon sailed into San Francisco Bay over the weekend and will be part of a gala regatta fundraiser in Tiburon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on October 5th.

The ship arrived at low tide so that the 191-foot masts could clear the Golden Gate bridge, which they did by just 20 feet. The massive ship has five staterooms and a circular staircase.  It is owned by mega-money man, Tom Perkins of Belvedere.  Here is some KPIX5 video of the yacht sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.   

COM Football Team Loses Heartbreaker & Ties A Record

"The COM snatched defeat from the jaws of victory." 

That's how Dave Albee of the Marin IJ described the hearbreaking, literally last-minute loss in Saturday's football game that pitted the oft-losing College of Marin Mariners against San Jose City College.  With this loss, the Mariners are now tied for the junior college football team with the most consecutive losses in the nation, sharing that dubious honor with a college in Mississippi.

The Mariners were ahead in the last 1:55 when they got penalized with a call for 'excessive celebration.'  The subsequent kick, which was from 15 yards back for the penalty, went straight into the arms of the SJ City College receiver who ran it back 70 yards for a touchdown and the win.

Ouch.

College Of Marin Football Team On The Verge Of A Record

It's not a record anyone would want though.  The COM Mariners, are just one loss away from 50 consecutive losses which would make them the most losing-est Junior college football team in the nation.  The hapless team has not won a single football game since way back in September of 2003.  This Saturday they play San Jose City College at home in Kentfield and with both teams 0-3 for the season, it is sure to be a barn-burner. 

One can be hopeful, though. 

Just a few months ago, the College was in the middle of an accreditation crisis, but they were able to turn things around.  Perhaps now, it's the football's turn for a bit of good luck.

Go Mariners!  Let's break the streak!

Lance To Ride In Tour of California? Maybe...

This could all be a rumor but according to some news reports, cycling phenom Lance Armstrong is going to come out of retirement and will join the Astana racing team.  The reports say he hopes to participate in five road races, including the Amgen Tour of California in 2009 which has a stage in Sausalito.   However, the Amgen Tour of California website has zilch about the news.  MoreMarin contacted Amgen's media relations office and we were told "it's all just speculation now and we have no comment."  The racing team Astana, however, told AP he was not joining their team.  Stay tuned.   (Photo courtesy of Benutzer/Hase)

Car Free Sunday In The City

There were no cars, no fumes and no horns in San Francisco yesterday.  Well at least for a few hours and for a few miles, the San Francisco waterfront was closed to automobiles.  About four-and-a-half miles of street along the waterfront was open only to folks on foot and on bike, and thousands of them made the trek into the City to do just that.  Not everyone liked the idea, but city officials plan one more closure on September 14th.  Here's what it looked like without the cars in this KRON4 report.

Man Dies In Alcatraz Swim

It was nearly impossible to escape from Alcatraz alive in its prison heydey, and it seems the Rock has claimed another life.  A 63 year-old man swimming a leg in the Escape From The Rock Triathlon this past Sunday, collapsed and died from heart failure while just 100 yards away from the finish at the SF shoreline.  Phillip Coulston, who had no history of heart problems, had recently taken up swimming again, after competing in the sport as a teenager and in college.  His son-in-law who was swimming with him, tried to revive him, but was unable to save Coulston. 

Armchair Athletes Get Ready- The Olympics Are About To Begin

Viewers- take your marks...get set...grab your remotes!  Today is the auspicious 8th day of the 8th month of 2008, and the opening day of the Beijing Olympics.  After much controversy- Olympic torch protests, internet lockdowns and asthma-inducing smog- the games are finally getting underway.  Is there anything except the Olympic games that could coerce us to watch a sport like badminton, with rapt attention? 

Here is the competition schedule and if you can figure it out, here is the NBC portal to get a listing of TV and online coverage in your area.  Is it totally un-PC to say Go USA???  We don't care...go USA!

Female Protester Falls From Rooftop Of SF Chinese Consulate Onto Balcony Two Stories Below

A 22-year old woman, who was hanging from the rooftop of the Chinese consulate building in a high profile protest of Tibet just a day before the Olympics were to begin in Beijing, fell two stories to a balcony two stories below.  It is unclear what happened, but fellow protesters claim the rope she was hanging from, was cut by occupants of the building.  The woman, Nyendak Wangden, is expected to recover.  Other protesters who were chained to stone lions at the consulate entrance, unchained themselves after she fell.  Police did not arrest any protesters and said they would investigate the accident, along with members of the State Department.  According to another protester, other events are planned around the Bay Area in the coming days to coincide with the Olympics.

You Can Never Be Too Thin Or Too Rich And Marin Tops At Least One Of Those Lists

According to CNN's Money, Marin leads the U.S., as the number one county for skinniest people.  That means people with lowest average body mass index.  We imagine the great weather is probably one of the reasons health conscious Marinites are always out hiking and biking.  And taking top honors for cleanest air- in the cities of Novato and San Rafael- couldn't hurt either. 

Bike Riders vs Car Drivers Takes An Ugly Turn

Reports of ill-will between cyclists and drivers has been escalating in Marin recently, but nothing even approaches the kind of thing that occurred in LA on July 4th.  In that case, a Brentwood physician, 59 year-old Christopher Thomas Thompson, allegedly slammed on his car brakes in front of two cyclists, both of whom were seriously injured after crashing.  Now authorities say Thompson was involved in a similar 'road-rage' crash on March 11th.  In the July 4th incident, one cyclist who- crashed through the rear windshield- suffered a broken nose, broken teeth and serious cuts to his face.  The other cyclist who landed on the pavement will require surgery for a shoulder separation.  Thompson was charged with two felony counts each of reckless driving causing injury and battery with serious bodily injury.  Here's more on the story.

Marin Rower Makes Olympic Team

Mike Altman, a 32 year-old rower from Marin, joins 11 other Northern California rowers who will head for Beijing to compete in the Olympics in August.  Altman, a Redwood High School graduate, rowed for Marin Rowing Association in 1991 and 1992.  He is a seven-time National team member.

(Photo by Brett Johnson)

Marin Women Rowers- Fastest High School Boat In The Nation!

It only took about six and a half minutes to find out which women's team had the fastest boat on the water, and this year it's the Marin Rowing Association (MRA) Women's Varsity 8!   Yesterday at Harsha Lake- just outside Cincinnati- the team took first place at the US Rowing Youth National Championships, in a decisive  time of 6:33.66, beating their arch rivals, Los Gatos Rowing Club who came in second place nearly four seconds later.

From Mill Valley To Stinson Beach For The 98th Dipsea

Some ran, some walked and others collapsed from the heat as they, and the other hordes of runners competed in the 98th annual Dipsea Race.  A Mill Valley man, 51 year-old Roy Rivers, won the race after several previous years of racing, including a third-place finish last year.  Rivers finished strongly, even though temps ranged in the 70s at the coastal finish line- great to watch the race, but quite hot for the runners.  A couple of competitors suffered heat exhaustion and had to be airlifted by helicopter to area hospitals, and race organizers said they treated about 30 other runners for lacerations, bruises and other injuries at the finish line.  Melody-Anne Schultz, 66, of Ross was the first female to cross the finish line.  Congratulations to the winners and everyone who took part!  For a full list of finishers, look here.

Bike To Work Day Tomorrow!

Bay Area residents are asked to ditch the car and pedal the wheels for Bike To Work Day on Thursday, May 15th.  It's part of an effort to bring awareness to the benefits of biking; saving money on gas, burning calories and preventing pollution.  Mike's Bike's in Sausalito will be holding an end-of-day party from 4p to 6p to celebrate.  Just be sure to bring the water, if you do decide to ride, because temps are supposed to peak Thursday afternoon, just in time for the afternoon rush!

Second Fatal Shark Attack on Pacific Coast

A surfer from San Francisco, was attacked and killed by a tiger shark while surfing in Mexico.  Adrian Ruiz, 24, was bitten on his leg, and bled to death, apparently because it took so long for him to get to a hospital from the isolated surfing spot.  This is the second fatal shark attack on the Pacific coast in less than a week.  Dave Martin, a 66 year-old triathalete, was killed by a great white, while swimming in Southern California last Friday.  Experts say shark attacks are relatively rare, and being killed by a shark, rarer still.

Bike Riders Getting Ticketed In Sausalito

Riding your bike in Sausalito could get very expensive if you don't follow the traffic laws...

A Savage Film About Mountain Biking!

A line in this new documentary about the start of mountain biking sums it up-

"With bicycle riding, you have cops, cars and pavement.  Out in the hills, you eliminate all three of them."

The hill he's talking about is Tam, and the mountain and its riders, are the stars in the new documentary, "Klunkerz",  by first-time filmmaker, Billy Savage.