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Scuttlebutt Updates
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Archived NewslettersSCUTTLEBUTT 2967 - Friday, November 6, 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today's sponsors are Quantum Sails, Classic Yacht Foundation, and Premiere Racing. JOHN RUF WINS 2.4 MR WORLD CHAMPION (November 5, 2009) - 2008 Paralympic Bronze Medalist John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) clinched the 2.4 mR World Championship a day early today, with one race to spare. Ruf, a member of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics’ (USSTAG), won the 44-boat, open fleet, beating 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist Paul Tingley (CAN) and 2009 IFDS Disabled Sailing World Champion Thierry Schmitter (NED). Schmitter also won the 2009 2.4 mR National Championship last week at the same venue. Held at the Edison Sailing Center on Caloosahatchee River in Ft. Myers, Fla., the 2009 2.4 mR World Championship includes four days of competitive racing for the world’s best able-bodied and disabled 2.4 mR sailors. USA’s Carl Horrocks also clinched silver today, while the rest of the competitors have one more race on Friday. “I’m in shock. I’ve never won a World Championship,” said Ruf. “It’s pretty humbling, knowing all those people on the trophy. It’s pretty impressive company to be in.” Ruf won three out of 10 races this week, and after dropping his two lowest scores -- an eighth and 11th -- Ruf’s worst finish was only fourth. He said he never once looked at the results board throughout the week, so he didn’t realize he mathematically had a chance of winning gold today. “I focused on taking one race at a time,” he said. Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/ykmza49 Event website: http://24mrworlds09.edisonsailingcenter.org FOR THE RECORD Ushant, France (November 5, 2009) - A granulated sky, gusts, intermittent showers, setting sun, big Atlantic swell, squalls, breaking waves: this was the setting for Franck Cammas and his nine crew onboard the 105-foot maxi trimaran for their latest departure to gain a new reference time in the Jules Verne Trophy, the round the world record held by Bruno Peyron and his crew since 2005 (50d 16h 20m). "We're going to set off under reduced sail to get free of the continental shelf. After that this NW'ly wind will shift round to the West for three hours at which point we'll have to sail close-hauled. It's not the ideal scenario for starting out, however the weather window is pretty favourable after that. In fact, from tomorrow lunchtime, Friday, Groupama 3 should already be sailing along the coast of Portugal. At that stage we'll hit some N'ly and then NE'ly winds, which are set to accompany us to the archipelago of Cape Verde," observed Cammas. With the team on standby since only November 1st, this effort comes early in the season, with a favourable "firing window” offering the chance to be back before Christmas. Explained helmsman Lionel Lemonchois, "We're going to be shaken about at the exit from the English Channel because the seas are big, but that makes for a good introduction before we slip southwards. It'll be hot from this weekend, we'll be at the equator in the middle of next week and the Southern Atlantic appears to be willing to enable us a swift passage.” To set a new record, Groupama 3 must cross the finish line off Ushant, France before December 26th at 08:09:26 (UT). -- Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/yf8oxnd => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Our interview in Scuttlebutt 2966 with G3 navigator Stan Honey left out a couple details. One is that Stan is not your typical professional sailor, as he is an electrical engineer by trade, and in his “previous life” was responsible for bringing us those handy television sports graphics that show the first down line in football, strike zone in baseball, pointer arrow in NASCAR, etc. Also, Stan will be providing Scuttlebutt with weekly updates during his record run onboard Groupama 3. COMPETITIVE PRICES OR COMPETITIVE SAILS!?! Ah the Fall...when the only thing falling faster than leaves are sail prices as sailmakers ‘traditionally’ race each other to the bottom. Unfortunately you tend to get what you pay for. At Quantum they pride themselves on Quality... no matter what the season. While now is the perfect time to get the best deal on Quantum sails, be assured that this is one of those rare moments when you will actually get more than you paid for! Contact your nearest Quantum representative and get a truly good deal on the industry’s highest quality sails or visit http://www.quantumsails.com VINEYARD VINES PRO AM REGATTA The annual fantasy camp for sailors has commenced this week - the Vineyard Vines Pro Am Regatta at the Bitter End YC. The BEYC is a premiere luxury water sports resort in Virgin Gorda, BVI, and the Pro Am event schedule combines the skills of professional skipper with the desire of hotel guests in a series of racing events. Here is Thursday’s update: (November 5, 2009) - There was wall-to-wall excitement today at the Bitter End Yacht Club. The morning schedule was filled with the final races of the round robin series of the Vineyard Vines Pro Am - but the pro sailors took the afternoon off while the resort guests raced in the finals of the Musto Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship Regatta. Both events were sailed in brochure-like conditions. The morning races pretty much turned out to be the “Paul and Kenny show,” as Cayard and Read both entered the two final round robin races with six wins. There were hard luffs. There were flags. There were whistles. Cayard started prematurely twice and Read once, and Read also caught a penalty from the umpires. Nonetheless, it was Ken Read who won the round robin phase of the Pro Am, with seven wins - one better than Paul Cayard. However, because Cayard will be leaving the BVI on an early morning Friday flight to Nice for the Louis Vuitton Series, it will be third place finisher Anna Tunnicliffe who will match race Read on Friday for the Pro Am crown. Match racing in the Petit Finals for third place will be Zach Railey against amateur sailor Craig Albrecht, who secured a skippers assignment in the Pro Am by winning his class at Block Island Race Week earlier this year. It’s unlikely that the afternoon racing for the Musto Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship could have been much tighter. Three of the four finalist racing IC24s won at least one of the five races. Interestingly, it was the only non-race winner, Jim Durden from Marina del Rey, California, who claimed the runner-up prize with a string of second and third place finishes. George Huntington from Manhasset, New York scored three bullets, a third and a fourth for a two-point victory over Durden to win the championship, plus a big pile of Musto gear and three free nights at next year’s BEYC Pro-Am Regatta. Larry Roland from Jacksonville, Florida finished in third place. Event website: http://www.beyc.com/index.php/proam.html Daily updates: http://tinyurl.com/Pro-Am-2009 LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY KICKS OFF SATURDAY Although the 2009 sailing calendar is drawing to a close the action on the Mediterranean Sea will be heated over the coming weeks during the inaugural Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur, slated to begin Saturday, 7 November. The eight teams entered in the match race regatta have been practicing this week while tents and scaffolding were being erected in the race village at the Port of Nice. A giant TV screen is in place so that spectators can watch the waterborne action from the shoreside. While some of the teams will be familiar to race fans the sailors will be even more familiar. World and Olympic champions such as Ben Ainslie (TeamOrigin), Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand), Paul Cayard (Artemis), Tommaso Chieffi (Azzurra), Russell Coutts (BMW ORACLE Racing), Karol Jablonski (Synergy), Bertrand Pacé (French Spirit) and Jochen Schumann (ALL4ONE) are skipper and/or helmsman of their respective teams. The Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur is the inaugural event of the World Sailing Teams Association. Founded in September, the WSTA is a group of professional sailing teams that have banded together in an effort to create consistent exposure. The WSTA event is designed to be a cost-effective format for the teams. They do not bring their boats to the event. Rather, the four boats being used in Nice are on loan from three teams: ALL4ONE (FRA-93), Mascalzone Latino (ITA-90, ITA-99) and TeamOrigin (GBR-75). The boats have been equalised as much as possible to create a level playing field that will test the sailors’ skill more than their boat’s speed. -- Complete report: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/news/nov_4_event_preview Competing teams ALL4ONE (FRA/GER) Azzurra (ITA) BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Swedish Challenge Artemis (SWE) Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) TeamOrigin (GBR) Team French Spirit (FRA) Event website: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/home/ ON THE ROUTES OF COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE On Sunday November 8th, the ninth edition of the doublehanded Transat Jacques Vabre race from France to Costa Rica will feature 14 Open 60 monohulls and 6 Open 50 multihulls. Having existed now for fourteen years, the 4800-mile course follows the historic coffee trade route, and while previous editions of the race have concluded in either Brazil or Columbia, Costa Rica was added for the first time this year. One of the fleets not participating in the Transat Jacques Vabre will be the Class40, who had a strong presence in the 2007 edition with 30 entrants. Tired of being overshadowed by 60 footers, 50s and multihulls, and with their class interests not being suitably served, the Class40 fleet initiated their own fall event, La Solidaire du Chocolat, a new double-handed, non-stop 5,000-mile transatlantic race from France to Mexico (and yes, following the historic chocolate route). Twenty-four doublehanded teams began the race on October 18th, with the leader now 1,700 miles from the finish. Transat Jacques Vabre: http://www.jacques-vabre.com/en La Solidaire du Chocolat: http://www.lasolidaireduchocolat.com/en AMERICA’S CUP HISTORY FROM THE INSIDE Dennis Conner was the first America’s Cup skipper to establish a trial-horse to race against. To be successful, Dennis had to have a trial horse skipper of the highest caliber, and he chose Jack Sutphen. What Dennis says about Jack: “Involved in every America’s Cup defense of the modern era, Sutphen’s path crossed mine in 1974. Perhaps no one is a better example of the skill and dedication it takes to earn a spot with us than Jack Sutphen. Jack is someone to whom I owe an awful lot.” Jack Sutphen played an important role in nine America’s Cup campaigns. Most notably, serving as the trial-horse skipper for a number of Dennis Conner's America's Cup bids. Jack Sutphen was afforded one of the highest honors by being voted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 2005. Jack’s book ‘Messing About in Boats for 80 Years, with Jack Sutphen’ is a must read for anyone interested in America’s Cup history from the inside. The first edition sold out! It’s not too early to buy the perfect Christmas gift. Only $28. To purchase a copy of Jack’s book contact the Classic Yacht Foundation, Publisher at http://www.classicyachtfoundation.org SAILING SHORTS * The 2009-2010 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association/ LaserPerformance Men’s and Women's Singlehanded Nationals will be hosted by Corpus Christi YC (TX) on November 6-8. Competing in Lasers and Laser Radials, here are the participants scheduled to attend from the seven ICSA regional conferences: http://tinyurl.com/yhcferu * Lucy Macgregor and her Team GBR Match Racing Team have won the ISAF Grade 1 2009 Busan Cup International Women’s Match Race in Busan, South Korea. Macgregor (GBR) beat Sally Barkow (USA) 3-1 in the finals. Claire Leroy (FRA) beat Anne-Claire Le Berre (FRA) 2-0 in the petit-finals. -- Details: http://www.wimra.org/news_detail.asp?rk=504 * The Balboa Yacht Club announced new dates for its 2010 Corona del Mar to Cabo San Lucas Race. The race will start one week later than initially scheduled on Friday, March 26, for smaller boats and Saturday, March 27, for the larger premier classes. -- http://tinyurl.com/yjhl9ls GO FOR THE APPEAL, OR CHOOSE CURTAIN #2 (November 5, 2009) - Alinghi, the Swiss defender of the America’s Cup, said today it was willing to give up Ras al Khaimah as the site of the next race and meet the American challenger, BMW-Oracle, at a yet-to-be-named location on the east coast of Australia, starting Feb. 8. Moving the event from the tiny United Arab Emirates state on the Persian Gulf would end a conflict with the 1887 Deed of Gift , which sets the basic rules and forbids racing in the northern hemisphere from Nov. 1-May 1. Australia’s east coast is about 2,500 miles long. Sydney in the south has a climate much like San Diego, while Cairns in the north is tropically steamy. Between those points, the Australian coastal summer in February offers a wide range of wind and sea conditions. That prompted the Americans to send a letter asking Alinghi for a specific venue for the race before BMW-Oracle will agree to it. The Americans said they would have a response to Alinghi’s offer later today. Barry Ostrager, who heads Alinghi’s American legal team, said, “This is the way to get the race on the water and end the litigation that’s now gone on for years. This is a big concession from us. We have an expedited appeal on file on the venue issue. But (Australia) seems fair. Let’s do it.” Ostrager said that while Alinghi did not have a firm location in Australia, “there are only a few locations,” with Sydney and Brisbane near the top. “Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want the America’s Cup?” -- Eric Sharp, Detroit Free Press, read on: http://tinyurl.com/yhfzzuh => Curmudgeon’s Comment: My calcs has the coastline for eastern Australia and eastern United States at about the same length, and I suspect there are a lot of varying weather patterns within that distance. Commented Alinghi spokesman Paco Latorre, "It's just been a week [since Justice Shirley Kornreich deemed Alinghi's chosen location Ras Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates was not deed compliant]. Now if Oracle agrees with the principle of an Australian venue, it will take very few days for us to identify a precise location with the infrastructure and more importantly, the willingness, to host the America's Cup." PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include people that we wish we were, moments that we’d like to forget, winning high school sailors, why sailors are tougher than baseball players, and what Annapolis needs in the fall. 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/09/1106/ KEY WEST RACE WEEK - RSVP You’re invited! Join IRC, PHRF and One Design racing sailors from around the world heading for Key West 2010, presented by Nautica (Jan 18-22) Escape winter’s chill for tropical paradise to wage battle on warm azure waters by day and enjoy island nightlife. Awesome conditions, unrivaled international competition, professional race management and shoreside fun await! Invited classes: Farr 40 and 30, Melges 24 and 32, Swan 42, 20’ Sportboats, Corsairs, J/105, J/80 (and more). Entries rolling in as temperatures dropping… Don’t wait ‘till it’s too late, enter today and let the competition know you won’t miss the party! Details & Online Entry: http://www.premiere-racing.com * Does anybody need crew? The Curmudgeon is accepting offers, plus the Scuttlebutt crew list is up and active. If you want to sign up to crew, or if you are looking for extra personnel, this is the official list for Key West Race Week 2010: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar/eventdescription.asp?ID=16746 VIDEO OF THE WEEK With all the legal maneuvers in the New York courtrooms, we tend to forget that the America's Cup is a boat race, and that the attraction to the event is in part due to the amazing boats that are sailed. To help remember just how amazing the multihulls will be for the 33rd Match, this week we have three brief clips that should put a smile on your face. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/09/1106/ When it comes to running the races at major yachting events across the globe, one name is consistently at the top of the list of people to call. Peter ‘Luigi’ Reggio has ticked the boxes on all of the big regattas - America’s Cup, Olympics, TP52 MedCup, RC44 European Circuit, Farr 40 Worlds, Melges 24 Worlds….and so the list goes on. His unique expertise reputation for fairness and open dialogue with the competitors makes him a popular choice with regatta organisers and sailors alike. Peter is not a blue blazer, straw hat kind of guy, and his friends had some fun at his expense when he recently turned 60. Here’s the video montage: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/11/peter-luigi-reggio.html LETTERS AND FORUM Please email 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 Bill Canfield, St. Thomas, USVI: I have watched and run more Optimist races than most so I guess I am qualified to comment on Optimist racing and the letter submitted by Paul Tara (in Scuttlebutt 2966). On bumbling at the starts - Remember that the average age of an Opti sailor is 11 or 12 and most of the fleet has only learned one way to start - line up at 30 seconds to start on a usually too short heavily favored starting line in a large fleet. Sometimes (in my estimation quite often) it is bad RC work that causes this harmless bumping and not because the kids want it that way . I acknowledge it is against the rules and should not be encouraged but maybe the blame is misplaced. On creative sculling - Has the writer of the letter ever witnessed a very talented laser sailor sail away from the fleet downwind? One former World and Olympic Champion comes to mind. Unfortunately it is "creative sculling" and body movement that makes the winning happen. Again it is part of the sport - should we blame the kids? On protesting - The key to having Opti sailors protest infractions is actually quite simple. Currently, Opti sailors show their real wisdom by not protesting more. Have you as a adult sailor ever ruined a very good race day by going to a protest hearing and come out two frustrating hours later saying I will never do that again. Give the kids some sensible "3 minute justice" or short "open hearings" without witnesses and you will see some protests being filed. The "kids" are smart enough not to ruin their day over an incident they have already forgotten. The Beer Keg - By the way the "keg" is a fabulous idea as it does offer a release for parents who can't understand why their kids are smiling and not moping around lamenting their finishing place after a "beautiful day on the water" It is a real world out there; not a fantasy land! The Opti sailors see it much more clearly than the rest of us. * From Bruce Thompson: I agree that we need to teach proper compliance to the rules right from the start. But let us take Bruce Kirby's comments in context. He wrote: "In this event, the pin end was a 36-foot powerboat. Through more than 36 starts it was not scratched. Because the Opti does not point well and goes sideways after a tack or when pinched, it's easy for a starter to get trapped at the pin end... When the competitors couldn't lay the pin, they simply tacked onto port and hollered, "Tack! Tack!" at the approaching starboard tackers. And the right-of-way boats nearly always did tack!" So the kids had respect for the RC, the "tonnage rules", the "Cry Uncle" rule and generally with RRS 20.1, in that order. Let's send the judges, coaches and parents to the keg and let the on-the-water officials hold a post race de-briefing with the kids to clarify the rules so they improve their knowledge of the rules. That way "The Room" becomes a learning experience. * From Chris Boome, San Francisco: As a parent, I will take Paul Tara's approach any day and every day, over the crazed Opti parent route. * From Adrian Morgan: If Cahn, Kornreich and all the other America's Cup judges had used plain, unambiguous English, then maybe we would have a match by now. They clearly have neither the wisdom of Solomon nor the eloquence of Roosevelt. It says little for the competence of the Supreme Court that so many questions were left open to interpretation by the swarm of rapacious lawyers circling this train crash. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “Intellectuals solve problems; geniuses prevent them.” - Albert Einstein Special thanks to Quantum Sails, Classic Yacht Foundation, and Premiere Racing. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
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