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Or, well, if by "deep research" you mean "running around and looking at a lot of cool random sailboats, dive gear and water-based builds," then yes, I've been quite busy with deep research. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the time is finally here; time for this month's ITG feature, this time on water-based activities within the grid. I'm hoping that for the next week or so, in fact, almost all entries here at the blog will be on this subject -- a combination of reviews, photo essays, interviews and more, featuring the best of what I find along with all your tips.

One of the interesting things about this feature, in fact, is that I hardly know anything about the subject going into it; it effectively puts me at the same level as any other beginner to SL water-based activities, which I'm hoping will make for some intriguing entries along the way. For example, just to start things out, I thought I'd visit what is currently being counted by Linden Lab as the most popular destination for sailing within SL; which turned out to be the amazing and overwhelming Starboards Yacht Club [Hollywood 95/150/24], a place that has already led me to half a dozen other intriguing water-based locations. Part social club, part racing center, part retail store, Starboards seemingly has everything a beginning sailor needs -- not only various boats and other equipment for sale, but detailed tutorials and videos on the sailing process, right-of-way rules within Starboards property, a chance to join their professional organization and more.

And then another interesting thing I discovered while at Starboards is that the sailing ship I myself have been using (the Flying Tako 2.1) is actually up to version 3.2 by now (seen in the above photo), and loaded with a ton more features; so I bought one while I was there (for 75 American cents -- how can you lose?), and will be teaching myself all the new features tomorrow and snapping photos for all of you to check out. This is in preparation for this Sunday, by the way, when Starboards sponsors a whole afternoon of fun stuff for SL sailors (from 1 to 4pm SLT every week, in fact): first an hour of easy, open sailing for beginners like me; then an hour of boat-based games (like boat polo, boat tag, etc); and then an hour dedicated to a sailing regatta, with a running list of weekly winners maintained throughout the year and posted at the clubhouse. And then another thing I'll be doing as well will be this Thursday, when I participate in a "ride-along" with the owners of Starboards, MarkTwain White and Nber Medici, during yet another weekly event they hold (training and practice for those who want to compete -- 6pm SLT every week), and conducting a long-form interview with them on the various subjects involved.

If you have the time, by the way, do make sure to stick around while at Starboards and take a look at the rest of the Hollywood sim; the majority of the build is actually dedicated to movies, including such cool things as a giant Hollywood sign, a Sidewalk Of Fame, and a recreation of the Hollywood Bowl. Man, there's always so many amazing things to see around every corner in SL, you know?

And then here finally you can see the observation deck at Starboards for their weekly regattas, cleverly placed at the conflux of four water-based sims to allow for maximum view distance and minimum lag. And then in that last photo you can see yet another extremely cool thing that Starboards does during races (or during practice runs in this case); much like FOX Sports, they've managed to erect a virtual finish line across the water, as well as a public virtual display of the time elapsed. (And of course don't forget the coolest thing about observing regattas in the grid; that you can place your camera wherever you want, including right on the deck of one of the competing ships if you desire.)

Anyway, I am actively this moment seeking recommendations for other cool water-based things to check out this week; deep-sea builds, dive shops, river rapids, Asian lakes and more. Please send all tips and comments to inthegrid [at] gmail.com; and in the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy ITG's coverage of the subject all this week and into the next.