More of this Feature • Part 1: Saved by the Beer, On Shelves, and more • Part 2: A Golden Idea, Fatale Finale, and more
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Elsewhere on the Web • Sea Turtle Survival League

A Golden IDEA
Can you really improve a boat cleat? The Industrial Designers Society of America said yes as it heralded the new Karlyn Cleat.

The group bestowed a Gold Medal on the new device at the Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in August. Known as the Oscars of the Design World, the IDEA honored the Karlyn Group for its chic, sleek cleat.

The Karlyn performs like a traditional cleat by securing line with a cleat hitch. But here's what makes it different: You can also secure line with a simple half hitch. The cleat doubles as a chock and pad-eye, a jamb-cleat, and an end-line stop.

According to IDEA judge Chris Bangle, the best part of the cleat is its safety: "All the knots can be tied, and there's far less of a snagging cleat to trip over," he says.

Fatal Finale
After 11 years of fighting charges that he stole $2 million from clients, a renowned yacht broker shot himself to death on a Florida beach in August.

Richard Anthony Bell, 61, was found dead on an Ormand by the Sea beach with a suicide note and a .38-caliber handgun nearby, police officials reported. He had missed a court appearance in a Broward court the day before his body was found. Bell ran Spindrift Yachts, a high-end brokerage that sold boats to Hollywood film executives and to the Florida elite.

He was accused of skipping town in 1987 with partial payments from 25 customers and fleeing to South America.

He returned to Florida in 1990, and after opening an RV service center in Winter Park, he was arrested on charges of racketeering and grand theft. He fought the allegations for more than decade by arguing that Florida courts had no jurisdiction over sales made in California.

Bell, who had also sent two other suicide letters to girlfriends, would have faced seven to 17 years in prison if convicted.

Dangerous Curves
A plan to straighten out a hairy curve in a Florida inlet was derailed in August because it would cost local taxpayers too much.

The Broward County Commission voted to oppose a complete straightening of the Hillsboro Inlet--one of the most dangerous passages along the southeastern Florida coast--because it would lead to a tripling of property tax rates, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Among its worst hazards, the shallow, serpentine inlet contains a 24-degree turn and several perilous outcroppings of rocks and coral. An alternate plan to make the passage safer is still under consideration. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a partial straightening and dredging of rock from the channel would reduce accidents.

Gift of Life
Forget the two turtle doves. On the second day of Christmas, give your true love a pair of sea turtles.

In a move to save all seven species from extinction, the Sea Turtle Survival League in Gainesville, Florida, has launched a yuletide adoption program. For a tax-deductible donation of $25, you get a complete dossier on your sea turtle that includes a personalized adoption certificate, a sea turtle fact sheet, a decal and magnet, and a subscription to the organization's newsletter.

For more information call (800) 678-7853 or log on to www.cccturtle.com.

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