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SCUTTLEBUTT 3308 - Tuesday, March 29, 2011Scuttlebutt 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: Team One Newport, Melges Performance Sailboats, and Southern Spars. SHOULD SAILING THROW AWAY THE RULE BOOK? By David Fuller, YachtSponsorship.com Sailing is too complicated. We need to simplify it. Right? One of the best sailors in the world is saying we should rewrite the rulebook and replace archaic nautical terms with language that is easier to understand. Russell Coutts said the following in an interview about changing the rules for the America's Cup recently. "It's too complicated. We have a rulebook that is like this (holding up his fingers to show a thickness of about an inch). Frankly, I think people have got better things to do than sit at home at night and read the rulebook. Once upon a time, I used to read the rulebook quite a lot - now it bores me to tears to sit down and read a book of sailing instructions before a regatta. We've tried to simplify it. We've got all these archaic terms, all the nautical terms and all the yacht club BS and we need to get away from that if we are going to encourage more people to participate in the sport." It makes sense on the surface, but is there a real need to change the rules, or does sailing just need to get better at communication? Yes sailing has rules and jargon, but all sports have rules and jargon. Formula One racing has two rulebooks - one of sporting regulations which is 37 pages and one of technical regulations which is 63 pages. Rugby has only 22 rules, but rule 20, which relates to a scrum has 12 parts and some of those parts have 9 sub-parts. Russell Coutts, a New Zealander who by his nationality should understand Rugby, should try explaining the difference between a ruck, a maul and a scrum to people who don't follow the game. But Rugby is an old fashioned game; what about the sports that excite the facebook generation? Well skateboarding includes terms like Nollie, Fakie and Indy and snowboarding features phrases like caballarial, crossbone method air and Elgeurial. So that's simple isn't it? You can't really imagine Tiger Woods coming out and saying 'let's get rid of all this golf club BS, we need new terms for caddie, tee and eagle. Bunker is too hard to explain, so let's dumb it down to sand-trap.' Coutts' argument is echoed by broadcasters trying to make Olympic sailing more accessible for a TV audience. Some think that having an event where the first person across the line is not always the winner is too hard to explain, yet hugely popular events like the Tour de France don't seem to have a problem with it. While it's great that sailing is finally thinking about the people watching and not just the people competing, it would be a great shame to dumb the sport down while other relatively complicated activities help their audience understand. Poker has managed to educate millions of people about blinds, flops and rivers The idea that sailing needs to be simplified is a lazy alternative to making the effort to teach the rules to a new audience. -- Full story: http://www.yachtsponsorship.com/2011/03/is-sailing-too-complicated/ BETTER TIMES MIGHT BE AHEAD The last North American windsurfer to medal in the Olympics was American Michael Gebhardt in 1992. But ever since the departure of Gebi and Lanee Butler (USA), who came close with a fourth at the 2000 Games, there has been an epic dry spell. For the U.S. program, whose funding model is based on performance, the sailors have been more or less on their own to raise the program's productivity. And if the determination exhibited by top American Farrah Hall is any indication, better times might be ahead. Here's a recent report from Hall... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Life would be a lot easier if someone took over the responsibility of planning my campaign, and all I had to worry about was training and racing. However, like the majority of Olympic hopefuls who don't have a team of support personnel, planning, logistics, and budget management falls squarely onto my shoulders. Without missing a beat, the day after the Rolex Miami OCR (on January 30th), I attended a USSTAG meeting to learn about what they had planned for us regarding training camps, logistics, and coaching. As is the norm, the boards are the least-funded Olympic class, and only $10,000 is allocated for our coaching budget, a total of two regattas for both men and women RS:X sailors. (All the other boat classes have coaches for most of the World Cup events.) With this shortcoming in mind, I set to work raising money for my own program. Most Olympic-class sailors are well-aware that full-time coaching is an absolute necessity. Without constant feedback, analysis, and support on the water, jumping into Olympic-level training and competition is frustrating and difficult. All the top teams have a fully-planned schedule with a national coach, and most sailors wouldn't think of heading out to a serious training session without this support. In order to compete with the best, my resources must be at the same level, or better, in an innovative way. Both coaching and the logistics of including a coach are expensive and time-consuming, and I can't say that I've exactly found the most innovative solution for myself, but that the resources have come slowly together over the past few years and I'm now in a position to have a coaching program for the spring World Cup regattas. After the Miami OCR, I spent the entire month of February pushing single-mindedly to get funding. I've applied for a few more grants, and spent a lot of time following up with prospective donors. In some ways, I'm "counting chickens before they're hatched" in that I don't have my full budget, but I'm expecting my efforts to pay off, and put me in the best position possible to make good results for the USA at the early World Cup events, our first Olympic Trials event, and score the boards more funding for the 2016 quadrennium. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/FH-032811 CATCH ALL THE ACTION IN HD WITH A GO PRO The HD Surf camera by Go Pro is an awesome way to remember your fast days on the water! Team One Newport has Go Pro, and whether you want to use it for training purposes or to catch your memories while cruising, the Go Pro is an incredible High Definition camera in a waterproof casing. We've used it on the Melges 32, surfing, skiing and biking! It's great fun! Visit http://www.team1newport.com and also look for the new Musto race gear, the new Henri-Lloyd Shockwave, and all your other sailing gear that you might need! Or you can call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) and talk with a gear expert! GETTING CLOSER The deadline has passed and from March 16, 2011, teams entered in the race which have been using existing Volvo Open 70s as their training boats may now only sail their 2011-12 race boats, currently under construction and very close to completion. Jack Lloyd, Race Director, says the introduction of this new rule, which effectively forbids two-boat testing, is part of the ongoing cost cutting measures introduced by the race organisation. "The measures were implemented following the 2008-09 event and cover from the way in which the boat and the sails are produced through to training with the new boats. The costs involved in two-boat testing are very high, as a second boat needs to be maintained in full race condition and requires a full crew to sail and maintain the boat. In Newport, Rhode Island, PUMA Ocean Racing Team eagerly awaits il Mostro's successor. "The end of a new boat build is always the same story. The sailing team is chomping at the bit to get the boat out of the shed and take it for a ride, and the boat build team is trying to keep the boat in the shed to finish every little detail. At the end of the day the sailors have to learn patience and let the build experts do their thing," says skipper Ken Read. "This measure will not rush the boat builds, as the teams have known about the rule since late 2009 and they have planned their build schedule around the availability of funds and the design process," explained Lloyd. "They all know how much time each process takes and that trying to cut corners may affect the quality of the final product." To comply with the rule, the teams have taken a break from sea trials on their training boats and are now fully focused on the completion of their new Volvo Open 70s, which will be launched this spring. With less than 32 weeks until the first in-port race in Alicante, launching the boats and resuming training is a priority and a major milestone on every team's agenda. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.com/news/New-Volvo-Open-70s-on-the-threshold/3054 ENTRY UPDATE: "We know about six boats today that will be on the start line. Five of the teams have the calibre to potentially win this race," confirmed Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive, Knut Frostad. Additional entries that acquire existing boats can be submitted up to just prior to the start date. The first In-Port Race will be in Alicante, Spain on October 29th, with the 6500 nm leg from Alicante Cape Town, SA to start on November 5 with an expected finish by November 25th. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.com/teams MADE IN CHINA For the second time in America's Cup history, China has entered a team to challenge for the 34th America's Cup. With the entry deadline of March 31st fast approaching, China has revealed itself to be one of the three undisclosed teams among the ten entries that have currently been submitted. "All boats need to be designed by the team, and built in country," said Wang Chao Yong, chairman of China Team. "We have been working with some of the best worldwide designers for hull and wings for a few months already, in partnership with top Chinese Universities. This is an opportunity to showcase China's talents in the leading-edge hi-tech areas of both hydrodynamics and aeronautics. Our boat will then be built in China, and ready to sail by February 2012." Thierry Barot, CEO of China Team, has been busy recruiting the worldwide and Olympic champion sailors who will be responsible for training the sailing team. "Our boat will be powered mainly by Chinese sailors, and we are very fortunate to have an elite team of international sailors to come to China and train our Chinese team." The list of submitted entries for the 2013 event are Aleph-Equipe De France (France), Artemis Racing (Sweden), China Team (China), Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand), Energy Team (France), Mascalzone Latino (Italy), ORACLE Racing (USA), Team Australia, and two other undisclosed teams. -- http://tinyurl.com/AC34-032811 UNDERFUNDED: French America's Cup veteran Bertrand Pace, skipper of the Aleph France, admits his team is not yet funded. However, he claims that with the exception Oracle Racing, Artemis Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand, all of the entered teams are in the same situation, and even believes Team New Zealand hasn't yet secured the involvement of Emirates Airlines beyond 2011. He is also concerned that there are three French teams entered who will all be seeking the same sponsorship funds. An interview with Pace is in Voiles et Voiliers and has been translated on the Valencia Sailing website: http://www.vsail.info/2011/03/28/bertrand-pace/ AN OFFSHORE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUTH SAILORS This summer, junior sailors will broaden their horizons - literally - as they escape the confines of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island to embark on an offshore adventure covering up to 177 nautical miles. The Organizing Committee of the Ida Lewis Distance Race introduced its Youth Challenge last year, and it was met with huge success when six boats out of a fleet of 35 signed up to compete. It will be repeated this year when the seventh race starts August 19th. "The goal of the Youth Challenge is to introduce the junior sailing world to offshore sailing," said Event Chair Dirk Johnson (Newport, R.I.). "There is a whole new skill set that is needed to sail in an overnight race, and this is the perfect distance to get juniors onboard and excited without overdoing it." Johnson explained that the race attracts family cruisers as well as grand prix racers. "In somewhat the same vein as the Youth Challenge, the cruising spinnaker class aims at getting cruising boats without racing inventories out on the race course and experiencing overnight racing," added Johnson. "This is a great 'starter' class for folks without racing crew or equipment. To qualify for the Youth Challenge, more than 40% of the crew must have reached their 14th birthday but not turn 20 prior to August 19, 2011. All youth sailors will be required to attend a brief informational meeting the evening before the race and will be strongly encouraged to attend the Storm Trysail Junior Safety at Sea Seminar, which will be held in Newport, R.I., the Wednesday prior to the race. Race website: http://ildistancerace.org/2011/index.php MARCH (MELGES) MADNESS Congratulations to Mary Anne Ward on M&M Racing Team who earlier this month was awarded the trophy and title of 2011 Audi Melges 20 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week Champion. This is the first time ever that a woman has won a premiere open championship in any of the Melges sportboat classes. In May, speed will be king for Melges 24 sailors who compete in the Velocitek Speed Challenge, where a $1000 USD prize will be awarded to the crew that achieves the top speed at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas on May 11-21. Follow all the Melges madness at http://www.melges.com SAILING SHORTS * Hamilton Island, AUS (March 28, 2011) - The 2011 SAP 505 World Championship were forced to abandon racing for a second consecutive day on Monday (3/28) when the course area was deemed too dangerous to send the competitors out on. With only two races completed from Saturday, the plan was to run two races back-to-back on Tuesday. Sixteen teams represent USA and Canada, with Americans Ted Conrads/Brian Haines and Mike Holt/Carl Smit in a tie for second. -- http://www.505sapworldchampionship2011.com * (March 28, 2011; Day 2; 18:00 UTC) - After winning the first three of five legs in the VELUX 5 OCEANS race, American Brad Van Liew has again jumped to the front on the 5700 nm fourth leg from Punta del Este, Uruguay to Charleston on the east coast of the U.S. Van Liew currently leads second place Derek Hatfield (CAN) by 11nm . -- http://www.velux5oceans.com/ * (March 28, 2011, Day 86) - Barcelona World Race leader Virbac-Paprec 3 has passed the Canary Islands, and is expected to reach Gibraltar on the night of March 31st. Co-skippers Jean Pierre Dick/Loick Peyron (FRA/FRA) are 1172 nm from the finish, with Iker Martinez/Xabi Fernandez (ESP/ESP) on MAPFRE 263.4 nm behind. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en LASER CLASS CALLS FOR URGENT VOTE The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) has reached out to its membership to make what the ILCA World Council and Advisory Council believes to be an urgent and necessary rule change to help protect the class against a dispute that is occurring between one of its boat manufacturers and the entity that holds the authority to license manufacturers. The ILCA lists three manufacturers for the Laser on its website, each of which is permitted to build the boat for a given territory, and allowed to do so by way of an agreement the manufacturer holds with the boat's designer, Bruce Kirby. However, Bruce sold his rights about two and a half years ago to a New Zealand company called Global Sailing, and it is now Global Sailing that is disputing with the largest of the three manufacturers, LaserPerformance. It is unclear what the dispute is about, but given the territory for LaserPerformance includes Europe, North America, Central & South America, Far East and Asia (excluding Japan, North & South Korea), Middle East, Africa, Russia, and all other territories not specifically covered by other builders, it is likely the dispute is about money. To maintain the status quo, the ILCA has determined that a rule change is needed to protect its members, to insure the uninterrupted supply of class-legal Laser boats, and to maintain its ISAF recognition and Olympic status. However, the rule change requires the Laser Class Association members to vote on it. Details: http://www.laserinternational.org/rules2011 IS YOUR HALL OF FAMER ON THIS LIST? The U.S. National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame will honor its first class of inductees this year. Information on how to make a formal nomination will be available later this week, but Scuttlebutt had asked for some advance brainstorming to see who should be considered for a nomination. As of Monday afternoon, 91 names had been submitted to either Facebook or the Forum. Here is the list: Betsy Alison, Bob Allen, Hobie Alter, Bob Bavier, Derek Baylis, Faye Bennet , Bill Bentson, Tom Blackaller, Ash Brown, Bill Buchan, Starling Burgess, Malin Burnham, Frank Butler, Don Casey, Paul Cayard, Owen Churchill, Steve Colgate, Dennis Conner, Newman Darby , Bob Direcktor, Roy Disney, Robby Doyle, Gerry Driscoll, Hank Easom, Carl Eichenlaub, Earl Elms, Skip Etchells, JJ Fetter, Bill Ficker, Buddy Freidichs, Gilbert Gray , Cy Gillette, Jan Gougeon, Meade Gougeon , Amy Gross Kehoe, Olof Harken, Peter Harken, Fred Hazzard , Nat Herreshoff, Stan Honey, Ted Hood, Adrian Iselin, Gary Jobson, Rod Johnstone, Bruce Kirby, Arthur Knapp, John Kolius, Timmy Lahr, Bill Lapworth, Bill Lee, Tom Leweck, Sir Thomas Lipton , Bill Luders, Monica Manzer , Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, Harry Melges, Buddy Melges, Jim Michales, Bus Mosbacher, Tim Mosley, Dick Newick, Lowell North, Doug Peterson, Robie Pierce, Brad Read, Kenny Read, Peter Reggio, Mark Reynolds , Dawn Riley, Nick Scandone, Betty Sue Sherman , Ding Schoonmaker, Cornelius Shields , Peggy Slater, Joshua Slocum, Paul Smart, Randy Smyth, Myron Spaulding, Olin Stephens, Rod Stephens, Commodore Tompkins, Don Trask, Ted Turner, Dave Ullman, Harold Vanderbilt, Dr. Stuart Walker, Kenny Watts, Ted Wells, Skip Whyte, 'Captain Tuna' Wollschlager, Jack Woods. Do you see any missing names? Post your suggestion on either the Forum or Facebook, where all submissions will be eligible to win an Optimum Time 121/122 sailing watch from Ocean Racing. Random drawing will be held at 12:00 pm PT on March 29th. Links: Forum: http://tinyurl.com/Nominate-in-forum Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/Nominate-in-facebook THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FARR 400 HAS LAUNCHED! And Southern Spars is on hand to oversee stepping, tuning and sea-trialling of the spars and rigging. The first production boat to feature a custom carbon mast engineered to optimise weight, bend, stiffness & VCG Characteristics, with a full set of EC6 rigging, the Farr 400 will be presenting one view to her competitors - her transom! http://www.southernspars.com CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION You know when you're getting old because just at the point you realize everything your farther said was right is also the point when your kids tell you you're wrong. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Gowrie Group - Summit Yachts - Team One Newport Melges Performance Sailboats - Southern Spars Point Loma Outfitting - North Sails - LaserPerformance Ullman Sails - Mount Gay Rum - Doyle Sails - APS Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
