Marshall Islands issues new stamps in its landmark Culture series

The Marshall Islands Postal Service has issued five new stamps celebrating Marshallese Culture - the eighth issue in this ongoing series. 

Even as late as the early 1800s, Western civilization had not yet reached the Marshall Islands. Subsequently, the unique culture and traditions of the Islanders remained virtually untouched by foreign influences. Over the course of many centuries, however, the proud and eminently resourceful Marshallese developed a rich and fascinating culture that became apparent in their home-building, clothing styles, religious activities, canoe-construction, navigation and fishing methods, just to name a few. 

The stamps in this eighth installment of the Marshallese Culture series depict vintage photographs capturing various scenes of Marshallese life: Church Buildings in Likiep (c. 1912); Ijuran Ready to Launch (c. 1921); Group of People, One Man Holding a Fish Net (c. 1904); Lejek with Fish Trap on Korkor in Likiep Lagoon (c. 1920); Landscape with Outrigger and Sailboat (c. 1904).

Barbados - Sailing Boats

Throughout the history of Barbados, sail-powered vessels have always been integral to regional trade and local livelihoods. With the advent of engine powered boats for trade, the sailing boats evolved from workboats to play boats, and boat designs changed where speed was a key factor. For over 30 years now, Barbados has been a global haven for great coastal and offshore racing, mostly due to consistent trade winds, crystal clear warm waters, and the welcoming smiles from local enthusiasts.

Barbados has been hosts to many types of sailing regattas, for boats of all sizes, ranging from the ‘model boats’ about one metre in length, to the ‘big boats’ up to 25 metres long. The local Barbados Mount Gay Regatta, held every year, is the longest running. We are also now hosting J24 Invitational Regional Regattas annually, and have been proud hosts to the International One Metres (IOM) Worlds 2009.

This year, the friendly shores of Carlisle Bay will be the venue for the Fireball International World Championships starting April 24th through to May 7th 2010, under the auspices of the Barbados Sailing Association, the governing body for sailing in Barbados. This Fireball Worlds 2010 Regatta is a good way to promote Barbados as the great sailing and racing venue we know it to be, a place where sailors can enjoy our islands’ natural resources of sun, sea and wind. The main sponsor for this event is the Barbados Tourism Authority.

The Fireball, one of the most competitive racing dinghies in the world is a high performance, two-person sailing dinghy offering exciting sailing, intense competition and a great social life off the water. Hull and sail plans are of strictly one design, yet class rules allow for the adaption of the position of the gear to suit your weight and sailing style. The key distinguishing aspect of the Fireball is its ability to sail in a wide spectrum of wind conditions. The thrill of trapeze and spinnakers are hard to match in any type of sailboat or board. If capsized, the boats are easily righted, and can be sailed without bailing. The performance of the boat is very dependent on tuning as the Fireball's rig can be adjusted in numerous ways. The weight and strength of the crew is not as important as the tuning of the boat, winning races comes down to mastering the art of tuning, and sailing better than your competition, as the trapeze and sail handling requires skill rather than strength; some countries’ leading Fireball sailors are women.

This competition which is held annually in different countries will be featuring seventy-six Fireball dinghies with one hundred and sixty sailors from Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Shetland Islands, Slovenia, South Africa, St. Lucia, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States. A large number of family and friends will also journey to Barbados for this prestigious event.

Source: Barbados Post

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Country	Barbados
Title	Sailing Boats
Release Date	23rd April, 2010
Design & Layout	CASCO Studio
Printer	BDT International Security Printing Ltd.
Stamp size	28.45mm x 42.58mm
Sheet format	50 (2 x 25)
Paper	CASCO Crown Watermark
Perforation	14 per 2 cms
Value & Designs	10c $0.50 $0.90 $1.75 $2.00

Belarus - Sport sailboats

Title: Sport sailboats
Date of Issue: 28 June 2010
Country: Belarus
Denominations: 920 BYR, 1420 BYR

Designer: Yevgeni Simonenko.  

Printing: offset. 

Colour: full colour. 

Paper: chalk-surfaced, gummed.  

Perforation: comb 14^1/4: 14. 

Size of the stamp: 28x40 mm.  

The Ministry of Communications and Information of the Republic of Belarus issued a set of two stamps from the series “Sport sailboats”.

There is the sport classification of sailboats dividing them into classes. It is necessary for providing equal conditions in racing. National “Luch” Class sailboat is a sport single-handed sailing schvertboat. It is a copy of the International “Lazer” Class sailboat. A small single-handed schvertboat “Optimist” is designed for sailing by children.

 

Source: www.belpost.by