I was in a weird mood last weekend. A friend had rented "Gumball
Rally" (I think that was the title), and during the after-movie
gab session, we somehow got onto the subject of the America's Cup
yacht race, and from there, to Traveller (no, I don't remember
how. You don't stay sober with my friends when you watch
something like Gumball Rally. Or Spaceballs). The idea for a
(type Y modified) Yacht Race was played around with. So, this
afternoon, the idea hit me again (I was totally sober - the NYPD
doesn't approve of people being inebriated on duty - not even
civilians), and I thought "Why not?" So, the following is
reprinted with permission. Lines of "==========" represent page
breaks. Some background not given in the Stellar Seas article:
The Glisten Cup was created in 1148 as a cooperative effort among
several of the economically strong planets and the Regency Office
for Economic Development as a way to encourage economic activity
(tourism) that would lift the Regency out of the post-Collapse
depression. Coupled with public works projects throughout the
Regency, and the increased trade with the other Spinward States,
the effort succeeded. Because of the duration of the race, it
was decided that running it annually was impractical. A
four-year cycle (as needed) was felt to provide the desired
stimulus, and result in a manageable race system. An attempt to
discontinue the race after the 1164 running resulted in such
protests against what had turned out to be a popular sporting
event that the Regency and the Coordinating Committee
acknowledged that it had passed into "tradition." The 1168 race
was a casualty of the decision and the protests, but the race
returned in 1172, with news coverage in all of the Spinward
States. The twelfth running in 1196 saw the team from Dinomn win
with an extremely unorthodox design, but protests from every
other participating team caused the results to be voided, and it
was announced that the Coordinating Committee would reexamine and
revise the rules for the 1200 race. Unfortunately, the Committee
could not agree on rules in time to allow for proper
qualification races to occur, and the 1200 race went by the
wayside. On 180-1200, the Committee announced that they had come
to a virtual agreement on new rules for the 1204 race, and that
they expected that the new rules would be published within the
next 50 days.
Currently, the Committee is debating whether to permit teams from
outside the Regency to participate in the 1208 running of the
race.
GLISTEN,211-1200 - The 3. The following changes to
following are the rules and the standard Yacht design
rationales for the 1204 shall be made:
Quadrennial Glisten Cup race. a) The maximum interstellar
They are reprinted here with capability shall be
the permission of the Glisten restricted to Jump-3.
Cup Coordinating Committee and RATIONALE: This virtually
Stellar Seas, the Magazine for mandates that strategic route
the Fun-Loving Spaceman. planning be practiced. There
Additional information on the are several areas of the
Glisten Cup, including past Spinward Marches Sector that
winners and race rules, can be are inaccessible to Jump-3
found in the Third Quarter ships, requiring detours
1200 issue of Stellar Seas. around them. Additionally,
it requires that lower-grade
1204 GLISTEN CUP RULES starports be visited en-route.
b) Streamlined hulls shall
1. The race for the year be permitted; airframe
1204 shall be from the main designs shall be prohibited.
starport at REGINA to the RATIONALE: An airframe
main starport at GLISTEN. The design is perceived by a
ship that arrives in minimum majority of the Committee as
time shall win. providing too much of a
RATIONALE: The Glisten Cup performance advantage in
race is designed to generate Wilderness Refueling
interest in stellar yachting maneuvers. Streamlining
among the public. A race enables those same maneuvers.
remaining in one system does c) Fuel Purifier Plants,
not present the opportunity if installed, shall not
for participating yachtsmen require less than six hours
to exhibit their skills in a to purify the entire fuel
variety of conditions. supply. Fuel Purifier Plants
Additionally, the presence of are not required.
de facto celebrities in a RATIONALE: Previous designs
system will have a positive have had extremely large FPPs;
effect on tourism. This is the Committee recalls one
encouraged by the Regency instance where the FPP is one
Office for Economic ship exceeded the maximum
Development. that another ship could carry.
2. All vessels competing This restriction was imposed
for the Regina Cup shall to ensure that there was no
fundamentally conform to way to design a ship with a
Regency standards for a 200dt set of components that was
(type Y) Yacht, except where guaranteed to outperform any
noted in these rules. other combination of
RATIONALE: The 200dt Yacht components.
is large enough to require a 4. Race travel through
team to operate it, yet not Code Yellow or Code Red
large enough to prevent the travel zones shall be
skills of all team members prohibited.
(Continued to next message)
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~ QMPro 1.50 ~ My friends.. to the future.. the undiscovered country..