Multihulls, About a around the world Catamaran Race

Book: MULTIHULLS, copyright Ó 2000 Author: Jon Schiller

Type: Novel: Adventure 211 pages

A select group of world-class yachtsmen prepares for the Round-the-World Multihull Race, a test to determine not only the best go-fast design but also who is the world's greatest skipper.

The challengers have known each other through years of Grand Prix and Olympic sailing competitions. Ronny Kelly, amiable and clever Californian, Paoli Venuzzi, who secretly cheated Kelly out of the gold at the Barcelona Olympics, and Philippe Matin of France emerge as the top contenders.

Their efforts are bankrolled by international corporations which hope to capitalize on the favorable publicity attached to the winning team. Kelly is backed by Crédit Juillarde, a French banking empire whose young chairperson, Regina Juillarde, seeks to advertise her bank's innovative bank-by-personal-computer system for international financial transactions. Banco di Napoli, a Mafia front based in the Cayman Islands, backs Venuzzi. The Mafia is not content with just favorable publicity for their bank; they scheme to collect millions in gambling and drug peddling profits plus break into and transfer (steal) millions more from the Crédit Juillarde system. They pressure Venuzzi to smuggle cocaine and arrange for accidents during the race, but he draws the line at hurting anyone.

Secretly, Venuzzi bribes confederates among the other crews to sabotage his rivals. As the race proceeds Kelly discovers Venuzzi's rôle and forces him to call off his dirty tricks team. On the final leg, desperate to recoup their gambling losses on the race by making Venuzzi win, the Mafia hides bombs on his two closest competitors' boats, but Kelly's vigilance saves him from the bombing attempts. Matin is not as lucky; his boat is blown up off the South American coast.

The contest is battled closely to the finish in Southampton, England. Dueling from far out at sea, Kelly and Venuzzi tear towards the line, Kelly managing a 20-second victory. The Mafia executes Venuzzi for losing.

AUTHOR: JON SCHILLER

Jon Schiller's books, The Insider's Automatic Option Strategy ISBN 0-930233-49-2 was published in early 1992 and The 100% Return Options Trading Strategy was published in May 1998 both by Windsor Books,. Another book on option trading, Profit in Index Option Trading Using Decision Charts was published in early 1993 by Emilie Books. He designed computer software systems for options trading, after receiving the BS from Caltech and the doctorate from the University of Southern California. He skippered three Transpacific Yacht Races, trophying twice. His hobbies of yacht racing and world-wide traveling provided the depth of experience to create this story. In Europe during the last several years, the author witnessed a great many multihull regattas of the high technology 40 and 80 foot boats described in the book including the finish of the single handed around the world multihull race in April 1987 and the Olympic regatta in Barcelona in 1992. He has met many of the top racing skippers and multihull designers (none of them were involved in the skullduggery of the fictitious Venuzzi).