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Scuttlebutt Updates
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Archived NewslettersSCUTTLEBUTT 2941 - Thursday, October 1, 2009Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics and Ullman Sails. SECRETS REVEALED FROM THE SUMMER OF 1983 by Stuart Johnstone I'll never forget the Summer of '83 in Newport. It was fun, full of intrigue, crazy and everyone, seemingly, was having a wonderful time sailing, going to black-tie balls and the sort. Remember the VICTORY BAR? Fabulous place to carry-on and meet people from all over the world. Everyone was having fun, that is, except for the defender's skipper Dennis Conner and the New York Yacht Club. Here's a story for the history books regarding that historic event when the boys from Down Under lifted the Auld Mug off its bolted pedestal from the NYYC and changed the America's Cup game forever (though the skipper's head didn't replace it, I might add). In that summer of '83, Drake, Jeff and I were running J/World Sailing School out of the famous old RANGER shed, the northernmost pier at what was the old Newport Offshore shipyard. Our J/24's were docked near the shore with Australia II leader Alan Bond's motoryacht parked out at the end. Just about every Sunday during that summer, a combination of the lads from Australia II would wander down the dock - Skip Lissiman, Bondie and others - to enjoy our Sunday evening J/World cookouts with beer, hotdogs, and hamburgers. During these barbeques, we learned from our Down Under "friends" that Australia II was "different", and while they were remarkably circumspect about what they had, there was no question they were confident about their prospects of doing well, particularly in light-medium winds. As to how "different" their 12-meter was, the rest of the world would not know until that crazy September evening victory celebration next to our docks when Australia II was pulled from the water for all to see. However, we already knew what she looked like...as early as June! -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0930/ WILL IT BE CAUTION OR CONFIDENCE? "Confidence is contagious," the iconic NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said. "So is lack of confidence." Confidence also is fickle - here one day and hiding in a closet the next. Too many bad headlines or a friend gets laid off, and suddenly you're walking on eggshells and putting your cash under a mattress. That's not the swaggering profile of someone about to plunk down a pile of Benjamins as down payment on a new center console. When it comes to spending large amounts of discretionary income on a boat - especially with the economy in recession and unemployment above 9 percent - you need consumers flush with confidence and cash. Or sterling credit. With the fall boat show season fast approaching, everybody is holding their collective breath as to just who will show up and how much will be sold. Will attendees be in a mood to buy? Will they have confidence or caution in their boat bags? Equally important, perhaps, is will they be in a position to buy? Can they get financing if they need it? -- Trade Only, read on: http://tinyurl.com/yedmymn ATLANTIS WEATHERGEAR CELEBRATES SUCCESS Gold Partner Atlantis WeatherGear would like to congratulate US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics on winning four medals at the 2009 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth, England, the venue of the 2012 Olympic Regatta. Kudos to Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett in the SKUD-18 (Gold), Rick Doerr, Hugh Freund and Maureen McKinnon Tucker in the Sonar (Gold), Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer and Alice Manard in the Elliott 6m (Bronze) and Zach Railey in the Finn (Bronze). Atlantis is proud to be the official technical and casual apparel partner of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. Follow the team on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/krhovk SAILING CONDITIONS FOR 2016 OLYMPICS by Chris Bedford, Sailing Weather Services The Olympic bidding process for the 2016 Games has narrowed the field to four major cities located in 4 rather different climates and, therefore, 4 different prevailing weather patterns. The four finalists are Chicago (USA), Madrid (Spain), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Tokyo (Japan). With the exception of Madrid, all cities are coastal with access to harbor facilities and waters suitable for holding the sailing competitions in relatively close proximity to the Olympic city - certainly much less than the 1-hour plane flight like in 2008 when the Beijing Olympic events were held in the coastal city of Qingdao. The exception is Madrid, where sailing events will be held on the Mediterranean Sea off Valencia, making use of its recently updated marina facilities courtesy of the city's status as host of the 32nd America's Cup. Before providing a brief summary of the prevailing wind and weather conditions at each sailing venue under consideration, I will first off discuss sensible weather. The warmest venue is Tokyo with an average temperature of 79F (26C). Valencia is a close second at 77F (25C). Rio de Janeiro is coolest with an average of 72F (22C) - remember, its winter in the southern hemisphere. In terms of extreme heat, all the venues stack up similarly with approximately 1 out of every 5 days exceeding 90F (32C), though Tokyo has a slight edge here with up to 1/3 of the days 90F (32C) or higher in the warmest month - August. Tokyo also wins the Gold in terms of rainfall, averaging over 5 inches in the month of August with rain on over 20 days of the month. Valencia is driest with rain on less than 5 days, though Rio is a very close second (winter is the dry season in Rio). The prevailing winds at each candidate city offer reasonably favorable prospects for sailing. In particular, extreme wind events - like that experienced at a recent event hosted in Weymouth at the site of the 2012 Games - are not expected. While not impossible, gale force winds at all the candidate sailing venues are certainly rare. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0930a * The International Olympic Committee will announce the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games on October 2, 2009. SAILING SHORTS * Heath, TX (September 30, 2009) - Phil "Flip" Wehrheim, of Rochester, NY, scored bullets in three of four races to rule day one at the Genesta J/22 North American Championship at Rush Creek Yacht Club. Sailing with Max Skelley and Greg Koski, Wehrheim controlled the other 36 teams, and finished the day with just 8 points. The competitors were greeted with winds of 8-12 knots and abundant sunshine. Racing continues Thursday and Friday. Nine total races are planned. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8342#8342 * US SAILING has begun accepting nominations for the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize one female sailor and one male sailor for their individual outstanding on-the-water achievements within the calendar year. Last year's winners were Anna Tunnicliffe and Terry Hutchinson. Voting closes on November 30th. -- Details: http://tinyurl.com/ycfpukp * Registration is now open for the Orange Bowl Regattas on Biscayne Bay in Miami, December 27-30. Coral Reef Yacht Club will again host the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta for competitors up through age 18 in Lasers, Laser Radials, Laser 4.7's, Club 420's and Opti's. This is one of the largest and best-known youth regattas in the World! At the same time, nearby Coconut Grove Sailing Club will host its 47th Annual Open Orange Bowl Regatta for Lightnings and age 19 and over Laser sailors in Lasers, Laser Masters and Laser Radials. -- Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8340 * US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR will bring together the world's top sailors for elite-level competition in all the classes selected for the Olympic and Paralympic Games from January 24-30, 2010, the second stop on the International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) Sailing World Cup 2009-2010 circuit. The Notice of Race is now available online, with registration open November 13. Women's Match Racers must register online prior to the December 1, 2009; the registration deadline for all other events is January 8, 2010. -- Details: http://tinyurl.com/ydyq8hu * (Pewaukee, WI) - The E Scow class is famous for their Blue Chip Regatta, which has a long history of hosting mystery skippers such as Vince Brun, Paul Cayard, Russell Coutts, Gary Jobson, Mark Reynolds, Ken Read, and Dave Ullman. At this year's event hosted by Pewaukee Yacht Club, mystery guest Liz Baylis maintained a streak that has only been broken by Dennis Conner - she didn't win. At the top of the 24 boat heap was Vincent Porter, who benefited from an act of sportsmanship by Sam Rogers to seal the victory. -- Full story: http://e-scow.org/2009files/2009BlueChip.html * Portoroz, Slovenia (September 30, 2009; Day 2) Paul Cayard and his new team Katusha surprised everyone - and himself - in the Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup match race series, dominating the event and winning the best of three final against Karol Jablonski's Organika. Katusha is the latest RC 44 (number 22), just out of the Pauger boatyard. The team is also brand new and had never sailed together under Cayard's leadership. No Way Back (Ray Davies & Pieter Heerema) finished third. The fleet racing portion of the regatta to begin Thursday. -- Full story: http://www.rc44.com/en/regattas/news/index.php?idContent=2138 "NEMESIS" TOO FAST AT ANARCHY'S SPORTBOAT FESTIVAL Last weekend the U.S. contingent of sportboats gathered in San Diego to find out who was top of the food chain at Sailing Anarchy's International Sportboat Anarchy Festival. After six races over two days in 10-15 knots of breeze, longtime Ullman Sails customer Geoff Longenecker and his crew on Melges 30 "Nemesis" proved their prowess and claimed the overall title. Fully powered by Ullman Sails, the "Nemesis" team won the 19-boat Sportboat A division, beating a competitive lineup of 11 Flying Tigers, a J-125, a Corsair 29 and others. Ullman Sails - Invest in your performance. Visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com IRC ENDORSES SCUTTLEBUTT CALENDAR The official IRC website (ircrating.org) will now be using the same shared database for its yacht racing calendar that has been hosted on the Scuttlebutt website since 2005. Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: Oct 1-4 - J/30 North American Championship - Westport, CT, USA Oct 2-4 - Finn US National Championship - New Orleans, LA, USA Oct 5-8 - Nacra North Americans - Ft Walton Beach, FL, USA Oct 5-11 - King Edward VII Gold Cup - Hamilton, Bermuda Oct 7-10 - Rolex Intl. Women's Keelboat Championship - Rochester, NY, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar BACK AND FORTH Like a tennis match, the America's Cup defender and challenger continue to keep the volley alive. The latest return is by the challenger Golden Gate Yacht Club, with their recent court filing focusing on the following issues: * The Deed of Gift does not permit the Defender to set the rules and sailing regulations. * Disqualifying GGYC's vessel if its dimensions do not match the dimensions in the challenge certificate will violate the Deed of Gift. * SNG's inclusion of the rudder in the measurement of the "length of load water-line" violates the Deed of Gift. * SNG seeks to race a boat that exceeds the maximum length permitted by the Deed of Gift. * SNG cannot be permitted to modify its standard rules regarding the powers of the racing officials. Required reading for America's Cup fans: http://www.ggyc.com/2009%2009%2029%20Reply%20Memo%20of%20GGYC.pdf LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). 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 Ray Tostado: Commenting on the story in Scuttlebutt 2940, here in the So Cal area we are suffering from the ethanol effect in our gasoline. An OB motor cannot be left unused for more than a month without suffering clogging that requires a carburetor R/R and boil out. Winter layovers are certain death to the fuel system. This, even after running the engine dry by disconnecting the fuel line when shutting down. The jet size on a 4.5 hp engine makes it even more vulnerable, clogging in 2 weeks in hot weather. And the Feds want to allow the ratio to be raised to 20%. I'm sorry, but this is just a bailout for all the investors who dumped millions into the ethanol boom hoping to make billions. Now they are stuck with farms and refineries for a fuel that is harmful to engines. Automobiles can survive this because they run daily and recycle tank loads weekly. My question is: How are the Feds going to accept us dumping millions of gallons of spoiled unusable fuel? There should be non-ethanol fuel available at all marinas. * From Skip Doyle: If Paul Henderson is elected President of The Canadian Yachting Association, can we expect to see a plume of white smoke coming from CYA headquarters? * From Warren Muir: Regarding the article "Setting the record straight" by Dan Spurr (in Scuttlebutt 2940), his interview with Peter van Oossanen was a little one sided. Mr Ben Lexcen unfortunately is no longer alive to defend himself and must be turning in his grave to see all this being rehashed and Mr. Spurr did not even quote anybody else involved in the controversy from the Australian camp to acknowledge or condemn Mr. van Oossanen's claims. Now we will see the supporters of the Auld Mug wanting the cup back at the NYYC for breach of the America's cup rules that were in affect at the time. After such a long time I question Mr. van Oossanen's motives, is he after publicity for his company or does he just feel he should have a bigger role in history for the whole affair. Did he purjer himself when the 1983 cup was being conducted to the NYC and Dennis Conner or has he written proof that all his claims are correct and has been hidden all these years? Let's just get over this and move on, there are more court cases to read about before we even have another America's cup event. * From Jim Champ: Another Cup cycle, another U.S. authored attempt at blackening poor Ben Lexcen's name when he isn't about to defend himself. Seasons come and go, but sour grapes, it seems, are forever. * From Stephen A Van Dyck: It is 100% predictable that an on-the-water emergency that involves serious personal injury or death will be an extremely traumatic event for all concerned, directly and indirectly. Every individual, no matter how small their role, will be deeply affected. Usually the first thoughts that come to mind when one contemplates accidents afloat are issues such as liability and insurance coverage. BUT, the real issues for anyone involved are much more problematic, long lasting and damaging. The deep feelings, emotions, sense of responsibility, and guilt that each individual experiences can be very painful, damaging and life changing. "If only" scenarios will play in the heads of those involved for years. Recriminations and finding fault will abound among friends and participants. Lives will be changed forever. And then there are the civil and criminal legal actions that follow such incidents. This heaps even more emotional damage on innocent witnesses, well intentioned responders, and victims'. They are dragged for years through a grueling legal system which damages psyches more than wallets. The inescapable systemic attempt to pin "blame" and find fault leaves terrible emotional damage in its wake, even for those who "were only trying to help." Skippers must ensure that they are safety self sufficient. Clubs, event organizers, and participants need to ensure that appropriate, proactive and effective safety plans are in place for them and their events. Useful and workable plans prevent inevitable INCIDENTS from turning into ACCIDENTS. ACCIDENTS that leave everyone involved "injured." No insurance policy protects us from that risk. WIN AN OPTIMUM TIME WATCH Did you have a mentor that helped you in the sport? Was there someone that took you under their wing, helped with your learning and opened some doors for you? Scuttlebutt advertiser Ocean Racing would like to recognize these mentors, and raffle off three Optimum Time watches to anyone who posts who their mentor was. Here is one of the recent posts: "My mentor was Dick Clogg (Bayview Yacht Club / Detroit Yacht Club). An avid racer who sailed over 25 Port Huron to Mackinac races along with some international events. In his later years Dick's love of yacht racing turned to race management, long before it became the program it is now. Dick believed that good sailing required good race management and he brought a number of people in the Detroit area into it with him. I had sailed for a good number of years and at Dick's request helped him with a number of regattas at the Bayview Yacht Club and other clubs on Lake Saint Clair. "We worked on a number of sailing menus from Jib & Main Races to Etchells, Star and J/24 regattas together. Today the Detroit area has great race management personnel who are registered members of US Sailing - Race Management and who have worked on the America's Cup and other national and international events. I will not mention their names but they are Umpires / Judges / Club Race Officers and have participated and supported yacht racing in its highest form. As Dick would often say, 'You give them good racing and they will appreciate it long after the race is over.' Unfortunately Dick passed away some years ago but his legacy and love for yacht racing still lives on the lake and in the clubs and with those that worked with him and sailed under his race management." Email your submission to the Scuttlebutt Editor, or post it here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8302#8302 CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS LOL has gone from meaning "laughing out loud" to "I have nothing else to say". Special thanks to US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics and Ullman Sails. 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