But a report last year that an expedition had found open water at the North Pole was dismissed as largely meaningless by critics who said it happened every year.

BBC: Ice surprise for sailor

Nonetheless, she was the first Pole to contest a grand slam final since the Open Era began in 1968 -- even if her defeat meant she missed out on a long-held dream.

CNN: Net gain

After checking into the Treasure Cay Resort and Marina ( www.treasurecay.com), I headed to the docks for a look at the 26-foot open sport fishing powerboat I rented for the next four days, complete with diving gear and pole spears.

BBC: Lobster diving in the Abacos

Does the event need the rush and volume of creative hackers, free thinkers, and open web advocates that drove Interactive from a little sideshow of Film and Music to becoming the tent-pole tech event of year?

FORBES: Will The Creatives Return To SXSW Interactive in 2014?