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Scuttlebutt Updates
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Archived NewslettersSCUTTLEBUTT 2606 - May 29, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. TUNNICLIFFE RETAINS TOP RANKED LASER RADIAL POSITION The latest release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings on May 28th finds Spain has risen to the top of the national standings. For the second month running all 11 Olympic class crews occupying the world #1 spots remain unchanged, but just behind them several shifts have made for some significant changes in the best-nation standings. Led by Marina Alabau (ESP), who holds the world #1 spot in the Women’s RS:X, Spain now has five crews Ranked amongst the top-three in the world across the 11 Olympic events. Not only does this enable Spain to leapfrog Australia, Poland, Great Britain and Italy to hit the top of the national standings, it is also the best performance amongst any nation since Britain held six top-three spots back in May 2007. Among the national standings, the top North American country is the United States, which is tied with Denmark in eighth. Here are the top ranked sailors from North America in each Olympic class: Laser Radial: 1st Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) Laser: 5th Michael Leigh (CAN) Yngling: 5th Sally Barkow/ Deborah Capozzi/ Carolyn Howe (USA) Tornado: 6th Oskar Johansson/ Kevin Stittle (CAN) 49er: 8th Tim Wadlow/ Chris Rast (USA) 470 Women: 9th Amanda Clark/ Sarah Mergenthaler (USA) Finn: 10th Chris Cook (CAN) Star: 11th George Szabo/ Eric Monroe, Rick Peters, Andrew Scott (USA) 470 Men: 13th Stuart McNay/ Graham Biehl (USA) RS:X Men: 28th Zachary Plavsic (CAN) RS:X Women: 29th Nikola Girke (CAN) ISAF Rankings: http://www.sailing.org/23420.php * North America’s strength in the Laser class may be due to its local roots, with the longest running Laser event in the world to be hosted this weekend in Surf City, New Jersey, USA. The first winner in 1972 was Skip Whyte, current US Olympic Team Coach, and he will be returning to try to regain the title after 36 years. The NOR is posted on the Surf City YC website: http://www.scyc-nj.org/NOR/08_OCP.doc CREATIVE MARKETING TO COMBAT ECONOMIC ISSUES The tough economy and rising fuel prices has at least two groups taking a proactive stance to insure that these factors don’t stand in the way of their operations. A couple weeks ago RIBCRAFT, a Marblehead, MA based RIB manufacturer, announced that they were hosting a Free Gas Promotion, where they would provide a $1,000 gas card for customers who purchase any new RIBCRAFT rigid inflatable boat (RIB) 19' and greater between May 15th and June 30th. On the event side, the 2008 J/22 Worlds, which will be held in Rochester, NY in August, is offering a $150 gas card to any entrant that drives over 400 miles from their home base to the event, and a $300 card for teams driving over 800 miles. While the large J/22 fleet in Annapolis, MD might be out luck (384 miles away per Google Maps), this might be just the push that the Gulf Coast contingent needs to drive. Have you heard of any other interesting marketing ideas? Add them here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/05/creative-marketing.html BOSTON COLLEGE OVERCOMES DEFICIT TO WIN WOMEN’S NATIONALS Newport, Rhode Island (May 28, 2008) – Only eight races – four in both A- and B-Divisions – were left to be contested on the third and final day of racing for the 2008 ICSA Women’s National Championship. The dramatic finale of the women’s college sailing year got underway with cooler temperatures and 10-12 knots of breeze coming down Narragansett Bay out of the north courtesy of a front that had passed through the area overnight. Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) came into the final day in second place overall, having made a significant move from seventh on day two. Early on, the Eagles took the overall lead when A-Division junior skipper Leigh Kempton (Island Heights, N.J.) and senior Emily Flint (Longmeadow, Mass.) smoked the competition with three back-to-back decisive wins that saw them cross the finish line almost 10 boat lengths ahead of the fleet in one race. The B-Division team of juniors Martha Pitt (Milton, Mass.) and Lily Beck (Larchmont, N.Y.) were 2-5 before a 16 in the third race threatened to put the brakes on the Eagles hopes of winning the title. Despite Brown University (Providence, R.I.) freshman B team skipper Elizabeth Barry (Riverside, Conn.) and crew Maria Mahler-Haug (Branford, Conn.) picking up their fourth straight win in the last race, BC’s B team bounced back from their 16 to finish second in the final race reverse the final order while keeping the two-point spread. Boston College won the championship with 186 combined points to Brown’s 188. Daily report: http://foxholefengshui.com/wordpress/?p=23 Results: http://www.collegesailing.org/nas/spring08/womensresults.asp Lots of photos by Amory Ross and Glennon Stratton: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/cn ULLMAN SAILS HAWAII IN SEARCH OF NEW LOFT MANAGER Ullman Sails Hawaii is looking for a new loft manager to join their team. A small loft located in Honolulu, the U/S loft is searching for a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ to handle work on the floor and in the office starting this summer. Initial duties would include sail repairs, canvas work and some new sail production. You would also handle sail production and repair scheduling, estimates and inventory. This is a unique opportunity to migrate to Hawaii and become an integral part of a long-standing, successful team. For more information, contact Larry Stenek at mailto:ullmanHI@artnelsonsailmakers.com. Invest in your performance. -- http://www.ullmansails.com * For anyone not yet signed up for June 27-29 when Acura presents Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week, the early entry fee deadline is Monday, June 2. After that it goes up $50. http://www.lbrw.org MORE OPPOSITION FOR U.S. SAILING MANDATORY MEMBERSHIP The South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association, which represents 40 clubs and associations within Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, has announced their opposition to US SAILING's proposal for mandatory membership that is to be voted on at their June 2008 Board Meeting. The action was taken at the SAYRA’s spring meeting on May 10. Prior to the meeting, the committee had solicited comments from the SAYRA membership. Written responses were received from clubs, sailing associations, dinghy sailors, PHRF sailors, lake sailors, offshore sailors, high school sailors and even non-sailors who participate on race committees. Ninety-three percent of the responses opposed the US SAILING proposal, citing a wide variety of reasons and offering numerous alternatives for addressing US SAILING's cash-flow difficulties. Several noted that the proposed prescription would be impossible to enforce. The committee understands that its opposition is likely to have little effect on US SAILING's decision to implement its scheme, but it hopes the final version will include exemptions for local races (in which no boat travels more than 50 miles to take part), races that are conducted for the purpose of teaching sailing, races that are intended principally to attract new participants to the sport, and all ISSA events. In addition, the committee urges US SAILING to make its membership database more accessible to regatta organizers, who must have accurate, real-time information available if they are to enforce the mandatory membership provisions. -- http://www.sayra-sailing.com * Among the feedback received by the SAYRA was a letter from Craig Milliken, Commodore of the Lake Norman Yacht Club: “In 1989, Lake Norman Yacht Club (LNYC) proposed the concept that became the ‘Golden Anchor Program’ to USYRU. The proposal included recognition, discounted fees and other benefits for yacht clubs with 100 percent membership in USYRU. LNYC became the nation’s first Golden Anchor Club. LNYC remains a Golden Anchor Club today; our annual dues include US Sailing membership for all active members. We continue our participation in the Golden Anchor Program because we believe it benefits our club and membership. We agree it is important to increase membership in US Sailing for all the reasons that have been provided. However, we are concerned about the method being considered and the manner in which it was presented to US Sailing members.” -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0528 LESSONS FROM THE OLYMPIC SAILING SITE by Tim Wadlow, USA 2008 Olympic 49er skipper Chris and I just returned home from China. We are pretty seriously jet lagged at this point. Qingdao, China is a 12 hour time change from the East Coast, so we think it's impossible to be more anymore jet lagged! We had a super productive trip, and we were very happy with our choice to spend more time in China, and less time in Europe racing. On the water: Racing in Qingdao created a long list of unique challenges. The average wind speed is very light, and this is exactly what we experienced. We sailed 9 of 10 days, and were shut down with no wind only once. However, almost all our our training was in less than 8 knots of wind. The waves in China are also very unique. The swell comes in off axis, and there is a lot of chop. Waves breaking over the bow on the downwinds, and surfing waves upwind are common. Every day is different. The weather is super humid, and often there is a haze/fog that drastically reduces visibility. Without the ability to see land, and with off axis waves, keeping track of the wind shifts is very difficult. Finding the marks can also be challenging. Probably the biggest challenge is the current. It moves at up to 8 boat lengths/minute. Combined with the light winds, this means that at times it is difficult to make progress. The mark roundings and laylines are also very critical. Off the water: Most of the countries we travel to we find quite a few English speakers, but in China English is rare. The only Chinese words Chris and I know are hello and thank you, so this doesn't get us very far. Communicating is a big challenge. Food is also a big challenge. We put a lot of effort into eating very carefully so that we didn't get sick. We had the guidance of Luther Carpenter, who has been to China 3 times before. He was coaching us as much about what to eat, as he was on the water. His adivce paid off--none of us got significantly sick. We also started to learn what foods we like to eat. -- Read on: http://www.wadlowrast.com/2008/05/home-from-china.html * The topic of food comes up a lot in reports from China. Anybody hungry for Scorpion Brochettes or Dog Brain Soup? The Chinese version of fast food can be pretty frightening… you got to see this slideshow: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/08/0505 GAME PLANNING FOR THE APPEAL HEARING by Cory Friedman, America’s Cup Legal Analyst Since Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG) succeeded in consolidating the appeals before the Appellate Division for one big shoot out on June 5, 2008, the appeal has begun to resemble the Democratic primary melodrama. For one thing, the briefing has been dragged out with two extra briefs. The rhetoric has also gone pretty far over the top. Although Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, SNG’s law firm, does considerable pro bono work representing Guantanamo detainees, suing the State of New York to get more money for New York City schools and the like, its bread and butter is representing the richest and most powerful interests in the world, for which it is well compensated. Thus, it was hilarious when, tearing a page from the playbook of a certain multi-millionaire Wellesley/Yale Law graduate knocking down boilermakers at Bronko’s Bar, Simpson Thacher filed a brief for billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli’s SNG bewailing the attempt of a “billionaire ‘sportsman’ [Larry Ellison] utilizing Tonya Harding litigation tactics . . . .” It actually went downhill from there. You would think Ernesto Bertarelli was an impoverish worker out of a John Grisham novel injured by the kinds of interests Simpson Thatcher might represent in a Grisham novel. Asking the Court to allow SNG to proceed in forma pauperis (as a poor person relieved of filing fees) would have fit right in. The catalog of Ellison’s evil deeds even extended to teeing up a two boat match race – something unprecedented in AC history. Perhaps Barry Ostrager plans on offering to knock down boilermakers with the Justices of the Appellate Division at oral argument. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/#p25 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: This is Cory’s 25th report - 27,622 words in all - helping us navigate through all the twists, turns, and “forest killing” briefs that each team’s esteemed legal representatives have provided. For now, the next stop is oral argument at 2:00 pm on June 5, 2008 at 25th Street and Madison Avenue. MAKE A LIST AND CHECK IT TWICE... No, it's not time for Santa to come yet, but if you are racing to Bermuda or Mackinac this summer, Team One Newport is the ONLY place to prepare your duffle! They even have a checklist for you! Remember to have your first layer, your thermal layer and your waterproof layer. Team One Newport has the largest selection and inventory of Musto, Henri-Lloyd, Gill, Slam, Patagonia, Atlantis, Railriders, Puma, Harken, Spinlock, Wichard, Mustang, Petzl, Kaenon, Native Eyewear, and lots more. They even have an in-house embroidery department that can customize your gear! Call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) or visit http://www.team1newport.com SAILING SHORTS * Of the thirteen Open 60s that started The Artemis Transat, the nine still racing have all now finished. In the Class40 fleet, leader Giovanni Soldini's Telecom Italia finished Wednesday morning in Boston, MA, USA, completing the North Atlantic crossing in 16 days 22 hours and 11 minutes, having led the 11 boats in the fleet since passing Lizard Point on the south coast of England during the first night of the race. -- Event site: http://www.theartemistransat.com * Gmunden, Austria (May 28, 2008) Following two RC 44 events held on the sea, Lake Traunsee, well known for its consistent thermal breeze, failed to produce any stable winds on the first day of the Austria Cup for the nine RC 44s. The format calls for a full round robin match racing event for the professional drivers, followed by a fleet race schedule for the team owners. Among the participants are Sébastien Col, who currently sails with the Championship Tour leader’s gold wheel (similar to yellow jersey), James Spithill, Cameron Appleton, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Kevin Harrap, Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts and John Kostecki. -- http://www.rc44.com/en * Lake Hartwell, South Carolina (May 26, 2008) – Thirty-three Buccaneer 18s from as far as Arizona, Colorado, Vermont and Ontario converged on Western Carolina Sailing Club for their North American Championships. With a mixture of light to medium winds from all points of the compass over the four day event, David Spira (Denver, CO) with crew Dennis Martinelli (Phoenix, AZ) secured his 4th championship win with a consistent performance winning four races and placing no lower than 6th. -- Results: http://www.buccaneer18.org/bnacresults/bnac2008A.htm * (May 28, 2008) The carbon fiber mast for BMW Oracle Racing's new America's Cup multihull is now under construction at Hall Spars in Bristol, Rhode Island, the team confirmed today. Located about 20 miles from Newport, the rig design team will be led by American Scott Ferguson and Hervé Devaux of France with support from BMW. In the 32nd America’s Cup, Hall Spars worked with the America’s Cup defender Alinghi, while Ferguson was aligned with the Luna Rossa campaign and Devaux was with the China Team. -- http://abe5.com/4cy VIDEO OF THE WEEK On May 31st, Zac Sunderland, a 16-year old high school sophomore from Southern California, will depart from Marina del Rey, CA onboard his 36-foot Islander in an attempt to be the youngest person to solo-sail around the world, and the only person to complete the journey before turning 18. He'll have until January 2010 to break the record held by David Dicks, who left Australia when he was 17, in 1996, and returned nine months later when he was 18 years, 41 days old. There will be a reception for Zac prior to his departure on the 31st at Burton Chace Park in MDR from 10am-12pm (RSVP: 818-766-1544). Take a moment to meet Zac in this week’s video. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/08/0526 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Here are a few of the events that are coming up: May 28-June 1 - Volvo Melges 24 World Championship - Porto Cervo, Italy May 30-June 1 - Cal Race Week - Marina del Rey, CA, USA May 30-June 1 - Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta - Detroit, MI, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Ian Duff: In response to John Ritter's comments (in #2605) about prospective mandatory US Sailing membership to race, I too have received value for the membership fees I've paid, as well as having received value for the one time fees I've paid such as race officer certification and level one instructor and level two coach training and certification. Unlike Mr. Ritter, I object to the mandatory nature of the proposed action. I choose to buy docklines and sails for my modest PHRF boat. There have been enquiries of US Sailing leadership as to why membership is declining, with no useful or informed answer. Determining the root causes of the membership decline and implementing measures to address these causes seems to me to be a far more productive use of US Sailing's goodwill and political capital. Entice rather than force. One can catch more bears with honey than with traps. * From Paul Grevens: Sometimes I think our sport is completely lost, as is exemplified in Tim Jeffery’s story in ‘butt 2605. All these coaches and coach boats at the Olympic events… holy smokes. Talk about barriers to entrance. However, I guess that is what’s happening at the junior level in Optimist, and then again at the top level in the Farr 40, etc. The social part of the sport is getting squeezed out by the professional approach. Plenty of people blaming US SAILING for the decline in membership, but maybe it is just a reflection of a decline in participation. All for what… the pickle dish? Bummer! * From Annie Peters: Regarding the VOR media plan (from #2605), I am eager to hear what their plan is for showing the video footage. With so much material, it would seem that they would be able to produce a nicely edited daily show. Getting raw clips from each boat might be fine in the beginning, but with the race spanning nine months, I suspect it will become tiring after awhile. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Team One Newport. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
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