You Can Help

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Controversy continues to swirl around the re-ordering of Tillerman's Top Blogs list.

Bloggers are manuevering cagily to snag one of the coveted spots on the list after recent shakeups were announced. The latest campaign has been mounted by veteran San Francisco Bay superblogger Edward, a perennial favorite on anyone's list, who made that old mistake of assuming. He thought his five consecutive wins guaranteed him a lifetime spot, but neglected to read Tillerman's fine print.

Edward is now locked in a life or death struggle with juggernaut John Bertrand Inc. - a multinational sailing conglomerate with offshore offices located in the Bahamas (for tax purposes). Besides still sailing, Bertrand manages an empire of racing syndicates, sailing clinics, training gyms, and a string of pizza shops on Staten Island. He also manufactures those little plastic caps that go on the end of USB flash drives that everyone always assumes are just made in China.

Edward seems to be the only blogger with the chops to knock off sailing legend Bertrand and has thrown down the gauntlet to Bertrand in the form of a sailing race challenge (there's that gauntlet again - has anyone ever actually seen a gauntlet being tossed?) .

Wisely, Edward has stacked things in his favor by opting to choose both the venue and the boats to be sailed. He hasn't made a final decision, but his Newport 28 is now in a downwind slip and must be motored out to the start line which means getting his old Atomic 4 to start - deemed highly unlikely by most observers given how long it's been sitting unused (yes, 'it's' does get an apostrophe in this context).

So, it's likely the race will be sailed in El Toro's over the tricky J Dock course, where Edward's local knowledge of the ever-changing Berkeley Marina currents should pay off handsomely for him.

The El Toro's simplicity is also expected to play to Edward's advantage. Bertrand, used to sophisticated racing machines, is said to be at a loss when there's only one string to pull. He said in a Sailing interview last month,

"In an El Toro, I never know what to do with my hands."

So, as a concerned sailing blogger, what can you do to help Edward in the John Bertrand Challenge?

Ah, that's where O Dock comes in. For this momentous race, we have decided to give up our traditional interdockal rivalry and are throwing our undivided support to Edward. To help in gathering the substantial funds that Edward will need to build a successful syndicate, we are making available to the blogging public these attractive and trendy plastic wristbands with the SailStrong motto tastefully imprinted. Wearing one will let you show the world your commitment to this worthy cause without actually having to think about it too much.

The wristbands are available for only $49.95 through our website WristbandScam.com. From the $49.95 purchase price, fully 10 per cent goes directly to Edward to support the John Bertrand Challenge. We retain a modest 90 per cent for administrative costs and to help pay for my recently repaired autopilot.

Show Edward you're behind him in his struggle to take on John Bertrand and in his fight for truth, justice, and the American way. Visa and Mastercard accepted.

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