Yamaha

I don't wish to boast, but recently I was on the crew of one of the yachts in the prestigious Whitbread round-the-world yacht race.OK, if you want to get picky, I was not, technically, "on the crew." A more accurate statement is that I was "constantly in the way of the crew." But I was on the yacht, and it was an experience that will remain with me for the rest of my life in the form of chronic butt soreness, caused by "tacking." (More on this later.)For the benefit of those of you who do not keep up with international yacht racing, I should explain that the Whitbread is a grueling nine-month race in which hardy yachtspersons sail around the world, relying only upon their skill, the wind, and humongous sums of money from corporate sponsors.

Midway through a Howard Circuit Court trial, a Columbia couple settled their $9 million lawsuit against the distributor of an all-terrain vehicle that flipped backward and seriously injured the woman 7 1/2 years ago.Marcia and Warren Turner accepted a $70,000 settlement Wednesday afternoon, just before the couple's attorneys were to finish their case against Yamaha Motor Corp. USA on the third day of a jury trial.The Turners, of the 10600 block of Vista Road, had sought the damages in their lawsuit against Yamaha, of Cypress, Calif.

A Columbia woman was driving an all-terrain vehicle that was "unusually dangerous" when it flipped backward and threw her off, her attorney argued in Howard Circuit Court yesterday.But the lawyer for the ATV's distributor, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA, contended that the woman was not operating the vehicle properly in the July 1986 accident in which she was severely injured.The arguments came during the first day of a trial of a lawsuit brought by Marcia Turner and her husband, Warren Turner, of the 10600 block of Vista Road in Columbia.

A Columbia woman and her husband go to court tomorrow in a civil lawsuit they filed against the maker of an all-terrain vehicle that they claim flipped and crushed the woman while she was riding the ATV.Marcia and Warren Turner contend in the lawsuit that the ATV was unsafe and its manufacturer is to blame for injuries Mrs. Turner received in a July 1986 accident."

With rhetoric as souped up as their engines, a contingent of leather-clad lobbyists rallied against Maryland's motorcycle helmet law yesterday, roaring into Annapolis with a noisy but peaceful protest.About 300 motorcyclists assembled first at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds to hear speeches blasting both the law that requires helmets and the man they hold responsible -- Gov. William Donald Schaefer."We know he did this dirty work by himself," said Sally Bruce, a director of ABATE of Maryland, a motorcycle lobbying group that fought the helmet law and organized yesterday's event.

Sony Corp. and Yamaha Corp., two venerable Japanese companies, have been hit hard by the worldwide economic slump.Sony Corp. said today that flagging domestic demand for consumer electronics would create the first annual operating loss in its history. The loss was estimated at $156 million for the fiscal year ending March 31. Sony has fallen victim to Japan's rapidly slowing economy and the slump in consumer demand.Meanwhile, Hiroshi Kawakami, president of Yamaha, the world's largest maker of musical instruments, resigned today.

With the economy sliding under a cloud, the audio industry is adjusting to darker days and more attention is being given to low-cost equipment.In the past, little thought was squandered on inexpensive models. Most were designed by rote. Now, by contrast, some bottom-priced sound gear is being spruced up with top-rank engineering in hopes of attracting otherwise reluctant buyers.Three leading brands -- Technics, Denon and Yamaha -- have come up with fine examples of this trend. All three offer budget-priced stereo receivers with technical features not found previously in this price range.