Welcome to Episode 71 of TheBoaters.TV!

Please Rate It (Even If You Hate It) at the Link Below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqvAz6DgjdY

First up: Francis Joyon and the Around the World Solo Sailing Record

French sail racing soloist Francis Joyon is making major headway in his bid to reclaim the record for the fastest non-stop, single-handed circumnavigation of the globe.

Joyon's 2004 record aboard his old trimaran IDEC beat the previous time set by Olivier de Kersauson in 1988 by a full 20 DAYS.

In February 2005, Dame Ellen MacArthur stole the record from Joyon, bettering it by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes, 49 seconds aboard her boat, B&Q.

Now Joyon has a new trimaran: the 97-ft trimaran IDEC II -- purpose built by the Anglo/French team of Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret for ocean record breaking.

Joyon departed from Brest France on November 25, and only four days after he left, he had extended his lead to 280 miles over MacArthur's record.

Visit www.Trimaran-IDEC.com to learn more.

Next up - BoatTEST Reports Feature of the Week - The 20 X-Plode Cruise SHP from Manitou

To see more of the Manitou 20 X-Plode Cruise SHP, please visit BoatTEST's website: www.BoatTEST.com.

Finally Today - Young Naval Designers Made Big Waves in the MDRA Scholarship Competition

The 2007 Marine Design Resource Alliance's Boating Leaders Scholarship winners were recently announced.

$16,000 in scholarships were awarded to design and art students who submitted original boat designs across five award categories.

The GE Scholarship for best Marine Products Design that Enhances the Boating Experience, was presented to Adam Voorhees of the Art Center College of Design for his "Vantage Display."

The OMNOVA Scholarship for Excellence in Interior Design was granted to a group of four student designers from Kendall College of Art Design

Eight students from the Savannah College of Art & Design were awarded the Sovran Scholarship from Tiara and Pursuit Boats for Excellence in Powerboat Design for heir winnig project, "Quarzo."

The Master Craft Marine Design Breakthrough Award for Emerging Innovative Boating Concepts went to Graham Tuttle and Matthew Malone of Syracuse University for their "Portage Pak."

The Premier Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in Pontoon Design, as well as the Anchor Scholarship for Overall Winning Entry, were both received by Vyasateja Jyothigowdanapura of North Carolina State University for his "Grand Towa."

To see more of the winning designs, please visit Marine Design Resource Alliance's website at www.MDRA.biz.