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Scuttlebutt Updates
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Archived NewslettersSCUTTLEBUTT 2671 - Friday, August 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. RAMPING UP FOR PARALYMPIC GAMES Marblehead, MA - Don’t think the quest for medals in Beijing is over just because you’ve watched the closing ceremonies. Marblehead’s Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, disabled following a fall from a seawall in 1992, overcame that obstacle to become the nation’s first woman to compete on the U.S. Paralympic sailing team. She said she is allowing herself to get excited about the Paralympics now, adding that she’s more curious to see what a gold medal looks like than any part of China. “I’m not planning on doing any sightseeing until I get the job done,” she said. McKinnon-Tucker’s past year indicates she has the tenacity to do just that. McKinnon-Tucker’s challenges continued this year when her 2-year-old son Trent was diagnosed with cancer. He recently underwent surgery and continues chemotherapy treatment for a brain tumor. She left Marblehead Wednesday, flying to Colorado to meet up with sailing partner Nick Scandone of California, from which they will depart for China, where competition in their SKUD18 class begins Sept. 8. Scandone was named 2005 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year despite battling ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/SButt0828a JUNK BOAT COMPLETES PACIFIC OCEAN CROSSING Honolulu, HI (August 28, 2008) - With the hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic debris floating around in the Pacific, it would have been difficult to spot the one collection of garbage moving with a purpose. A bunch of plastic bottles, strapped together with old aluminum spars and topped with an airplane cockpit and a mast, would have barely stood out from the mass of plastic garbage in the Pacific Gyre, yet this questionable craft has carried two brave men across the Eastern Pacific, and into the history books. Nearly three months ago (June 1, 2008), Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal sailed out from Long Beach, California, on a boat made of 15,000 plastic bottles and a old Cessna 310 fusilage, which they appropriately named "Junk". Eriksen and Paschal took this little 87 day, 2,600 mile cruise in order to bring awareness to the issue of ocean pollution. Today, the team made land at the Ala Wai Harbor Fuel Dock on the Hawaiian island of Oahu - meeting their goal, and then some. With a top speed of 3.2 knots, it wasn't a fast ride, and there were some serious issues, but a steady pace over the last several weeks has brought vessel and crew in to port safely. Thanks to modern communications equipment, photos and video from sea have been posted online to bring special attention to the Pacific Ocean pollution and the North Pacific Gyre - a clockwise rotating mass of water roughly twice the size of the U.S., described by the team as a toilet bowl that never flushes. -- Complete story: http://yachtpals.com/junk-raft-3041 Team website: http://junkraft.blogspot.com => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Norm Reynolds sent us an email this week, also noting the Pacific Ocean conditions: “For all those who believe that there are no more Japanese glass fishing net balls out floating in the High Pressure zone between Hawaii and the West Coast, you are way off the mark. There must be thousands. Granted the new plastic ones are more numerous, along with all the partial fishing nets that get attached to keels, rudders, and propellers. But, there are plenty of the green glass variety out there. We scored 9 (one giant, six normal large, and two small) on a 15 day delivery from Kaneohe to San Diego earlier this month, aboard Sabrina, Calkins 50.” THE OBSTACLES THAT U.S. OLYMPIC SAILING MUST OVERCOME The amount of time, energy, and money being invested in Olympic sailing has risen, and likely is now at a par with, many of the elite Olympic events. The US did not keep pace with this rise, and are now playing catch up. However, there are some unique aspects about the US and the sport within they may make this task more challenging. A posting is now on the Forum that has identified some of the realities standing in the way of increasing the medal haul in the future. Here are some of the comments that the ‘buttheads have made: * “In my view, the key issue is that the US does not race the same classes the rest of the world does, and actually focuses on a different style of racing. Most of the rest of the sailing world has strong sailors racing international classes, these provide an excellent environment for developing skills. The strongest sailors from these classes try Olympic classes. The US trains kids in Optis (a true International class), then puts them into Club 420s (US only, and very different from the International 420, which is a very wide-spread International class). Then at college, sailors race Club 420s or Club FJs (not International) without spinnakers or trapezes. The short course racing emphasizes starts, roll tacking and gybing and short course tactics, but not boat speed, or medium/long course tactics.” * “It seems that the way for the US to get more medals is to make it more of a professional sport, but I am not sure the donations-route is ever going to do that. It needs a steady flow of funding rather than a continual "tin-cupping" approach. That being said, it would be interesting to see the funding break-down by sailor (and relative results) to see how well we directed our funds.” Please read though, and we are eager for the ‘buttheads to add their comments: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6304 TEAM MCLUBE HULLKOTE… A RACING SWIMSUIT FOR YOUR HULL The Olympic sailing competition has finished, so we can now catch up on sleep and prepare for our own “personal best” regattas. Team McLube’s new citrus-based Hullkote Speed Polish is designed to help you better prepare. It’s simply a faster finish… kind of like a full length racing swimsuit for your hull. Hullkote applies in half the time and effort it takes for regular petroleum based polishes. Just wipe on and wipe away excess. No buffing or heavy polishing needed. Hullkote is eco-friendly, safe and easy to apply, seals all surfaces completely, and leaves a very fast high-gloss protective coating. http://www.mclubemarine.com TRIVIA QUESTION “The penultimate day of racing” means what about the day being referenced? (Answer below) ROAD TRIP TO ALICANTE * PUMA Ocean Racing left Newport, Rhode Island August 26th for their final warm-up before the start of the Volvo Ocean Race, beginning their transatlantic crossing from their training base at Newport Shipyard in Newport to Alicante, Spain. Skipper Ken Read reports from Day 2: “We are always in a dilemma. When practicing, or in this case delivering the boat across the Atlantic Ocean, we have to learn, with the goal being keep making the boat and team faster. But, at the same time, if we break the boat we will have to limp back to Rhode Island or up to Halifax, or wherever the wind would take a wounded boat in the North Atlantic. That would be bad, real bad. After all, we do not want to miss the start of this race. “Don’t worry, we aren't broken. Actually, we're anything but. However, what I have ringing in my head though is our illustrious Operations and Shore Team Manager Neil Cox stating one very specific demand about 2 minutes from pushing us off the dock in Newport in his best Australian tongue, "Mate, whatever you do, don't break the vessel." Well Coxy, it is pretty hard to tame the monster at times. Navigator Andrew Cape got us nicely situated on the back side of a cold front and we just knocked off 254 miles in 12 hours. Not quite record pace but pretty quick none the less. And this is all happening while having "don't break the vessel" ringing in our ears. Anyway, all is good here. We're getting back into the rhythm again, one of being wet and eating lousy food.” -- http://pumaoceanracing.com * The Green Dragon Volvo Open 70 set sail from Ireland August 23rd for the 1400 nm delivery trip to Alicante, Spain. Here is Skipper Ian Walker’s update: “It feels like after four days of sailing, someone or something is trying to stop us entering the Mediterranean Sea. We currently have 30 to 35 knots of wind, bang on the nose and steep seas to contend with. Sailing with 2 reefs and a number 4 jib, the boat seems well balanced and easy to steer but tacking back and forth across the Straits of Gibraltar is tough on the crew who seem to spend all day carting sails from one side of the boat to the other only to tack and have to do it all again - welcome to the world of Volvo Open 70 sailing. “It is amazing to be sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar. The winds funnel through the Straits between the high land on either side and they then spread out either side thereafter. Jim Saltonstall would love trying to explain all these wind bends and local effects - but don't worry Jim we are taking notes of wind patterns conscious that the next time we come through will be during leg 1 - the leg could well be won or lost right here. All we have to do now is another 300 miles up the coast to Alicante; arriving in the Med feels like another landmark occasion for this team and it is a fantastic feeling.” -- http://www.greendragonracing.com EVENT, OVERALL STANDINGS SHUFFLED AT TP52 AUDI MEDCUP Carthagena, Spain (August 28, 2008) Vasco Vascotto and crew of Mutua Madrileña will remember today’s distance race in the Region of Murcia Trophy regatta as one of the most challenging and exciting coastal races of the last couple of years on the MedCup Circuit. With the mid race scoring gate and finish line counting for position points, Vascotto’s team benefited from their consistency today to escalate them to the top of the standings. In 18-23 knots of NE-E’ly breeze Bribón’s hard work to lead around the windward mark and to the first leeward turn was undone when their spinnaker refused to come down due to a halyard clutch malfunction. Platoon, which a day before endured a forestay failure, overcame a foul to Quantum Racing and a shredded gennaker to rally for a second by the finish. Bribón, which led in the standings coming into today, also made a steady recovery to salvage the day, but dropped down now to third overall. Another average day by Artemis has dropped them to third in the overall Audi MedCup Circuit standings, with Bribón now in second and slowly chipping away at Quantum Racing’s (USA) lead. The Region of Murcia Trophy regatta is the penultimate event on the circuit, which concludes at the Portugal Trophy in Portimão on September 15-20. Racing in Carthagena concludes with buoy racing on Friday and Saturday. -- Complete recap: http://2008.medcup.org/news/?id=392 Standings after five races (Top 5 of 14) 1. Mutua Madrileña, SPA (6,5,2,2,1,3, 19) 2. Matador, ARG (2,6,6,5,3,1, 22) 3. Bribón, SPA (1,3,9,3,5,4, 24) 4. Quantum Racing, USA (5,1,4,8,4,6, 28) 5. El Desafio, SPA (9,4,3,1,7,5, 29) Full results: http://2008.medcup.org/results/venue.php?trophy=5 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Paul Cayard has been skippering El Desafio during the 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit. The team has had moments during the season, but inconsistency holds them down at seventh overall. Paul’s report from today quickly keys on their latest issue: “Not a great day for us on El Desafio today. It started out with someone forgetting one of the important sails for the coastal race, ashore... the A3 gennaker. That made things tricky for us on the reaches.” -- http://www.cayardsailing.com/cs_Reports.cfm?evtID=91&csRpt=712 WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR: DANISH OPEN Frederikshavn, Denmark (August 28, 2008) – The first day of the Danish Open, Stage 5 of the nine stage World Match Racing Tour 2008 season saw 12 crews from 7 countries take to the waters off the Jutlandic peninsula where a shifty gusty breeze blew off the land up to 22 knots. Among the 12 teams attending are 6 of the top 8 from the current Tour leader board, the current World Tour leader, the current ISAF No 1 ranked skipper and four teams representing America’s Cup syndicates. Hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club, Royal Match Race Centre and Frederikshavn Sejlklub, the event is sailed in the DS37, with a $100,000 purse prize on the line. 2007 Tour Champion Ian Williams (GBR) ended the day 4-1 with his match against Torvar Mirsky his only loss. With a further 14 flights left in the Round Robin the standings are pretty wide open but that will soon change as the team scramble for the 4 places in the semi-finals. -- Complete report: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/86582 Standings After Day 1: Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar 4-1 Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K Challenge 3-2 Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 3-2 Mads Ebler (DEN) Team AWL Grip 2-3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 2-3 Andrew Arbuzov (RUS) 1-4 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team/Team French Spirit 2-1 Peter Wibroe(DEN) Wibroe Sailing Team 2-1 Adam Minoprio (NZL) Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Racing 2-1 Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 1-2 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Alandia Sailing Team 1-2 Johnnie Berntsson (SWE) 1-2 PROFESSIONAL WIND FORECASTS: FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS! Want a competitive edge in your next regatta? Get a forecast from PredictWind.com - the worldwide specialists in high resolution weather modeling. For the first time ever, you can access a forecast using a model that calculates the wind at an incredible 1km resolution for your local area. High resolution equals better accuracy. The web based forecasts are easy to use, and available in maps, graphs and even a text format that is accessible on your mobile phone. It is the system that champion sailors rely upon, and until January 2009 the forecasts are free of charge: http://www.PredictWind.com TRIVIA ANSWER “The penultimate day of racing” means that the day being referenced is the next to last day of the event. For sailing event reporters, this phrase seems to be in vogue of late. SAILING SHORTS * Ridgeway, ONT (August 28, 2008) - The four day Sunfish World Championship finished today with Paul Foerster (USA) as winner, 28 points ahead of Marx Chirinos of Venezuela in second. The Buffalo Canoe Club hosted the 72-boat fleet. -- Event website: http://www.sunfishclass.org/~worlds * Hull, MA - The International 110 class held its national championships last week on the waters of Hull Bay, just south of Boston. It all came down to the last day when fours boats were all but tied for the lead and the breeze came in at 12-15 knots allowing skippers to hike hard and crews to fully trap out during the one scheduled race. After multiple lead and place changes Mark Van Note (Jamestown, RI) and Josh Hill (Exeter, RI) took the lead on the final run to finish the short beat to the finish in first, taking the regatta. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6303 * Annapolis, MD - More than three years after sailing enthusiasts began searching for a suitable site in Annapolis for a museum and hall of fame, the project's boosters say they are close to reaching agreements with preservationists that could allow construction to begin at a historic home at the foot of City Dock. The city's six-member Historic Preservation Commission - one of a handful of public and private watchdogs that monitor Annapolis' historic district - is set to decide August 28, 2008 whether to approve an agreement that spells out how the National Sailing Hall of Fame will consult with the city panel as work begins on the design and construction of the museum. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/SButt0828b * Alex Jackson, who owns the Juan K designed 100-foot Speedboat, has inked a deal with Richard Branson and Virgin Money to sponsor their sailing program. She will sail this weekend in Newport, RI with the Virgin Money logo on the hull and sails as well as the Union Jack on one of the rudders. Speedboat has been on standby in Newport, RI to attempt a transatlantic record run, with plans to seek out a satisfactory weather window in September and October. -- SailKarma, http://www.sailkarma.com/2008/08/virgn-to-sponsor-speedboat.html PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include Alinghi’s latest cartoon spoof, International 210s in Boston, PUMA Ocean Racing leaving Newport, the Atlantic Class in Blue Hill (Maine), J/105s in San Francisco, Scows in Iowa, Olympic flags in Weymouth, and the U.S. O’pen Cup in New Bedford. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/0829/ VIDEO OF THE WEEK Decent summer winds in Florida are tough to come by, so kite surfers need to take advantage of the storms when they do pass through. However, when winds reach 60 knots, it might be time to pack it in. As Tropical Storm Fay reached the coast, Kevin Kearney learned a lesson he will never forget. 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/08/0825/ LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From John Turvill: Two comments about the recent Olympic regatta: firstly, as someone currently living in Indonesia where the only coverage available was on the web, and with insufficient usable bandwidth to be able to watch streaming video, I really think a big opportunity was lost in not capitalizing on the Virtual Spectator technology that worked so well for the AC (when there was sailing!). Surely I'm not the only one who would like to see a VS replay of how Ben starts, or how 11 seconds was the difference between 5 and 10th in the Star medal race...Secondly, I would be much more inclined to listen to those claiming that the weather was so extreme for the 49er medal race IF the boats had not been flying spinnakers and attempting to gybe, If you can even contemplate either of those, in my book (speaking as a retired 505 crew) the conditions cannot be classified as extreme. * From Jim Mullervy: (re, VO70 sail stacking in ‘butt 2670) Why not go back a hundred years or so ago and carry a cargo of sandbags to use in tacking upwind? * From Andrew McIrvine, Vice-Commodore Royal Ocean Racing Club: It has always struck me as moderately crazy to stack all the sails on deck on the Volvo boats. You have described how labour intensive it is, but there is a significant safety issue in that the weight of the sails on deck has the potential to carry away stanchions and lifelines in severe weather. A simple rule change banning sail stacking on deck would solve the problem and lighten the work of already hard-pressed crews. LABOR DAY HOLIDAY Like most people in the USA, the 'Butt staff will be celebrating the Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 1st, and will not be publishing the newsletter for that day. Look for the Scuttlebutt newsletter to resume for Tuesday. Enjoy the weekend! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Military Wisdom: Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you. Special thanks to Team McLube and PredictWind.com. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
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