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SCUTTLEBUTT 3430 - Tuesday, September 20, 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: North Sails, Harken, and LaserPerformance. WELL RECEIVED A huge Plymouth welcome for the America's Cup World Series has delighted the organisers. More than 100,000 people watched a series of thrilling races on Plymouth Sound between nine high-tech catamarans racing at speeds of 30mph or more. "Of course we want to come back to Plymouth," America's Cup boss Richard Worth said at the end of the nine-day sailing extravaganza. "The city has exceeded our expectations in terms of the way it has been organised, the number of visitors and the quality of the racing. We have had a great welcome and people have taken real pleasure in the event. There is no reason why you wouldn't say, 'Plymouth was great, let's go back'. "But in the end it comes down to the nasty business of money." He said that "more than a handful" of Plymouth people had asked him, "How do we make this come back to the city?" "The answer is, Plymouth would need to find millions of pounds - but the return on that would be many times more. What it costs us to stage the event runs into the millions. If we are going to break even we're going to need to find a way to create a commercial model that generates millions. We could ask the council to pay up, or work with local businesses." Plymouth University is to carry out a study of the economic benefit to the city. Mr Worth said: "It would be a surprise if it was not 10 million pounds or more. It has clearly driven up visitor numbers and there are a lot of benefits to the city. But he said Plymouth was in competition with a number of other cities. "It's a world series, so it has to go around the world, and the world is a big place." -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/Plymouth-091911 BINOCULARS NOT NEEDED The last time America's Cup competition was in North America, the year was 1995, the venue was San Diego, and the race course was far offshore. But this fall race fans can shed their binoculars as the 'new and improved' America's Cup race format comes to Southern California. With the second stop for the America's Cup World Series in Plymouth concluding last Sunday, attention now shifts to the next event in San Diego on November 12-20- the first time the series will be in North America. Pack-up started in the Race Village began Sunday night, with the cargo ship HR Constitution being loaded with the AC45 race boats, 102 shipping containers, 20 support boats, and one of the cranes used to hoist the AC45s into the water. The ship is scheduled to depart Plymouth Sound on Sunday and to arrive in San Diego by October 24, approximately three weeks ahead of the first race day. Teams are expected to begin sailing in San Diego on November 8, with official practice racing scheduled to begin November 12-13. Live broadcast coverage of racing starts for the San Diego Match Racing Championship (Nov 16-19) and continues through to the Fleet Racing Championship (Nov 20). The Speed Trials is currently scheduled for Nov 16 and 20. Heading into the AC World Series - San Diego, Emirates Team New Zealand is the leader in the combined overall standings after two World Series events. The Kiwis hold a four point lead over ORACLE Racing Spithill, with ORACLE Racing Coutts and Artemis Racing on equal points in the battle for the third podium slot. Following a strong performance in Plymouth, Team Korea is just two points further back. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-091911 VIP TREATMENT: Entries are being accepted for a free drawing to award 4 VIP Experience tickets to the America's Cup World Series (ACWS) San Diego (Nov. 12-20). These 4 VIP tickets grant the winner and 3 friends to an unrivalled hospitality experience. Entry deadline is October 15th. Details here: http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-082811 RACERS AND THE RULES QUIZ A boat finishing hits the finish mark, crosses the finish line, and sails straight to the yacht club. No boat files a protest, but the Race Committee, who saw her hit the mark, scores her DSQ (disqualified). Has a rule been broken? (Answer below) ONE YEAR FREE SAIL CARE & REPAIR FROM NORTH SAILS North Sails proudly offers one year of sail care & repair FREE with the purchase of a new North cruising, racing or one design sail. Honored anywhere in North's worldwide network of sail care locations, you will be in good hands no matter where your travels take you. Sails MUST be registered online within 30 days of receiving your new sail & some restrictions apply. Now when you hoist your new North sail, you'll experience performance AND peace of mind! http://www.na.northsails.com/tabid/17679/Default.aspx CORRECTIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS The New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, an amateur fleet racing regatta held in Swan 42 Class yachts, was first held in 2009 by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) in Newport, Rhode Island. The second edition has held last week, with Terry McLaughlin leading a team from Royal Canadian Yacht Club to victory over the 22 boat field. In Scuttlebutt 3429, the regatta report mistakenly listed Terry's tactician as John Togerson. "Our tactician was my long time friend John Hele. John was not only the tactician onboard, but he is also the owner of our Swan 42 Daring, and without whom our success would not have been possible." Here is the complete crew of the winning team: Helmsman - Terry McLaughlin Tactician/Owner - John Hele Mainsail Trimmer - David Jarvis Jib Trimmer - Andrew McTavish Offside Jib Trimmer - John Millen Spinnaker Trimmer - Rob Gale Pit/Boat Captain - Jib Gibson Pit Assist/Team Manager - Allan Megarry Mastman - Will Gyles Bowman - Sandy Andrews The team has roots, as John Millen, Allan Megarry, and Sandy Andrews sailed with Terry when he skippered Canada 1 in the 1983 America's Cup challenger series in Newport, RI. And in the 2009 inaugural event, all but David Jarvis and Will Gyles were onboard when Royal Canadian Yacht Club finished second. However, the success of this team may be bigger than the people onboard. Terry, who won a silver medal in the Flying Dutchman class in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, explains: "In the 2009 Invitational, we were awarded bow and sail #17. That has been my favourite/ lucky number since 1976. I have had all of my Flying Dutchmans, Frostbite boats, Canada's Cup Farr 40s (Defiant), Ideal 18s, along with hockey jersey numbers, street address in Toronto, kid's hockey and soccer numbers, etc. as #17. When I couldn't get #17, as in the Star class, I once picked 7271 as the sail number. "We tried to get #17 this year but weren't able to arrange it. We were awarded, by draw, bow and sail #07. By the time I arrived in Newport last Monday the crew had put a clear piece of tape on the both sides of the bow to make the number 017 but of course only the 07 was visible from any distance. I don't think I would be the only sailor to be a little superstitious." Event website: http://www.invitationalcup.org/ CAN YOU COMBINE COLLEGE SAILING AND OLYMPIC SAILING? There was a time when a sailor's success in college competition was a proving ground for an Olympic campaign. But now the question is frequently asked whether four years of college competition is four lost years of Olympic training. Kenneth Andreasen, US SAILING's High Performance Director and Head Coach, answers the question "Can you combine college sailing and Olympic sailing?" "I think the answer is yes, but there has to be a variation based on where you are in your sailing career and where you want to go. For some sailors it makes sense to do four years of college sailing and pick up all you can learn in that environment, for others college sailing isn't the right path and it makes sense to go straight into an Olympic boat. "From my perspective the answer lies somewhere in between; it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Perhaps after two years of college sailing you'll find you have all you need and then feel that you are in a better position to start your Olympic campaigning. "My goal as High Performance Director and Head Coach of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is to win as many medals at the Olympics as we can. A college coach's goal is to win Nationals. We both have goals of achieving the highest goals in our fields of sailing. We both have a common goal of developing sailors to their maximum potential. "Some sailors fit really well into Olympic sailing and for some Olympic sailing is not the right path. If you think you're headed toward an Olympic campaign, here are the key points to keep in mind." Read on: http://tinyurl.com/USSTAG-091911 BIG, REALLY BIG The big news from the J/24 Annual meeting is that their 2012 World Championship in Rochester, NY will be an open event. In the past, each country was limited to a limited number of slots that were doled out in Qualifier regattas. This is typical of most one design classes. However, the downside of this is that class enthusiasts could race for years or decades and never have the opportunity to sail in a World Championship. With the qualifying limits lifted, these are now uncharted waters for anticipating the event size. "Most guesses are that entries will settle in at around 150 boats," said Will Harris of Waterline Systems. "Additionally, Rochester Yacht Club is saying they won't split the fleet, which could make for some epic starting lines." But up to the task is RYC PRO Hank Stuart, who is one of the best and easily managed the 100 boat J/22 Worlds that RYC hosted in 2008. Event details: http://2012j24worlds.com/ SPIN TO WIN WITH NEW HARKEN HIGH-PERF GENOA LEADS Upgrade your genoa leads to Harken's new CB genoa leads, now featuring ball and roller bearing sheaves for easy trimming. Harken lead cars facilitate sail changes with wide sheaves for two sheets and feature captive ball bearings for easy fore-to-aft adjustment. They also feature a new modular setup that makes future 4:1 purchase upgrades a snap. Find out more about the new Harken lineup at http://tradeonly.harken.com/pdf/CB-genoa-lead-lr.pdf USING THE CLASSIFICATION CODE The International Melges 32 Class Association will be holding its third World Championship when twenty-nine entries from eight countries converge on the Mediterranean venue of Palma de Mallorca for racing on September 20-24. The Melges 32 class utilizes the ISAF Sailor Classification Code to manage the influence of professional sailors in the class. The Code exists as a service to provide an international system of classification for sailors, and the Melges 32 class rules have a limit of no more than three Group 3 'professional' sailors onboard each boat. To enter sanctioned class regattas, owners must list each crewmember and their classification status. In the event that the status of a crew listed as Group 1 (ie, non-professional) is questioned, a review process involving the ISAF Classification Commission occurs. For the 2011 Melges 32 Worlds, Classification Commission chairman Antony Matusch was on site to interview those who the class thought should be queried on their Group status. The use of the ISAF Sailor Classification Code does warrant diligence on the part of each owner to insure that their crew is not banned from an event. And the interview is designed to provide some teeth to the rule. For the 2011 Worlds, the drama associated with a crew getting banned from the event was averted as all the teams were cleared to go racing on Tuesday. Here is the Melges 32 Worlds crew list along with each person's status as a Group 1 (ie, non-pro) or Group 3 (ie, pro): http://melges32.com/raceready/2011/im32ca_worlds_cleared.htm ISAF Sailor Classification Code: http://www.sailing.org/classification/index.php SAILING SHORTS * Nineteen teams turned out for the 2011 J/30 North American Championship, hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club on September 16-18. David McConaughy's White Boat (Hampton YC) didn't start strong, but winning three straight races put them into the lead, and surviving the final races with a pair of eights allowed them to edge out Stephen Buzbee's Blue Meanie (Raritan YC) for the win. -- Results: http://tinyurl.com/J30-NA-2011 * The 2011 MC National Championship saw 45 scow teams compete at Lake Keuka in Bath, NY, one of the Finger Lakes in Western New York on September 14-17. The four race event included two in medium winds, one barn burner and one crazy Ivan light air spinner. Joe Rotunda from Spring Lake, Michigan won his first national championship coming off last year's second place at the National Championship. Results: http://www.mcscow.org/cgi-bin/display_regatta_results.cgi?20110914 * (September 19, 2011) - It has just been announced that Ben Ainslie, Britain's most successful Olympic sailor with three gold medals and one silver, has been selected to represent his country in the Finn event at the 2012 Olympics. If he were to medal at the Games, Ainslie would join Torben Grael (BRA) as holding the most sailing medals with five. If Ben were to win, he would equal that of Paul Elvstrom (DEN) who won four consecutive Olympics. In short, Ben would become the greatest sailing Olympian ever. -- http://tinyurl.com/Ainslie-091911 * The 2011 U.S. Disabled Sailing Championships has attracted sailors representing three countries, including several Paralympic hopefuls, to compete on Long Island Sound in the single-, double- and triplehanded classes chosen for the Paralympic Games. The 2011 event, hosted by the Larchmont Yacht Club and American Yacht Club, begins Friday, September 23 and concludes Sunday, September 25. -- Full report: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/2011/USDSC_2011_Preview.htm FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are recent ads: * Youth Program Coordinator needed in Finland * North Sails GEAR hiring in Annapolis, MD * USODA Optinews Editor needed * Shop Worker to make masts, booms, etc. View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads RULE QUIZ ANSWER Regarding the rule quiz about hitting the finishing line mark, two rules actually had been broken. First, the boat hit a mark of the course, thus breaking Rule 31 - Touching a Mark. She could have exonerated herself by getting clear, doing a one-turn penalty, and finishing again, but she didn't. (Rule 44.2) The Race Committee broke a rule (A5) by scoring her DSQ. A Race Committee never can score a boat DSQ. Only a Protest Committee can do that. The Race Committee could have protested the boat under Rule 60.3(a). Since the Race Committee did not protest and the boat did finish, the race Committee's only option is to score the boat where she finished. -- Courtesy of Southern Bay Racing News You Can Use LASERPERFORMANCE FALL SALE PROMOTIONS - 9/1/11 THRU 12/31/11 Buy a qualifying boat and receive a free GoPro HD Helmet Pro video camera. Check out the Heavy Air Laser Slalom (below) filmed mostly on GoPro's. As always, yacht clubs, camps and individuals can take advantage of low Fall Fleet Builder promotional pricing on C420's, Opti's, Bug's and CFJ's. Details at LaserPerformance.com (http://na.laserperformance.com/home) or your Local Dealer (http://na.laserperformance.com/dealer-locator). VIDEO: http://na.laserperformance.com/news/heavy-weather-laser-slalom-2011-2 GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Pete Thomas: I watched the America's Cup World Series highlights show on Versus from the Plymouth event, and was amazed how much of the nine day event they tried to include in the show. Maybe they want to give the lesser teams some exposure, but it was just way too much to follow. If they are interested in attracting a new audience, my advice is to keep it simple. Near as I can tell, Saturday through Tuesday only count for team training and are not show worthy. The five remaining days (Wednesday through Sunday) provide the path for the match and fleet race championship. If they focus on that story, and hopefully do it with a more vibrant commentator, I think they will have a much better show. * From Wayne Otero: If you watched the America's Cup World Series last week, you would have to agree with Coutts' vision for the future of the event. More exciting than any AC sailing I've seen since Perth, and no weather delays. Large crowds at Plymouth. Maybe the former English team will be sorry now that they didn't join in with the new AC. I'm looking forward to SD and will be in Newport next year. Thanks Oracle, it's working! * From Matt Younkle: Just read your post about the continued strength of college sailing programs on the east coast, but thought I'd point out that the University of Wisconsin - Madison placed 1st in the Harry Anderson Intersectional Regatta at Yale last weekend: http://scores.collegesailing.info/f11/harry-anderson/ As far as I know, it's the first time ever that an MCSA team has finished first in an out-of-district intersectional regatta. College sailing in the Midwest still has a long way to go, but that's a solid start! * From Kent Fox: As a long-time resident of South Florida I am often asked why my son chose to attend the University of Wisconsin. They are absolutely dumbfounded when I respond, "because of sailing." The problem with most collegiate sailing programs in the Midwest, including UW-Madison, is that they fail to communicate the positive aspects of what their university has to offer to student athletes who sail. The University of Chicago, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Wisconsin all boast top-50 rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Many Midwestern universities offer a college-town experience like few others and a culture of genuine kindness that is often difficult to find in other parts of the country. Wisconsin even boasts an on-campus sailing venue and a sailing center literally inside the school's student union. However, very little of this is used to promote the sailing programs at these schools. My son arrived at the idea of sailing in Madison primarily on his own. He knew that an elite sailor had chosen Wisconsin the year before, and his college counselor advised him of the merits of four years in Madison both academically and socially. UW has been fortunate that so many of the talented sailors who decided to remain in the Midwest have decided to attend Wisconsin. Their current ranking and recent performances prove they can compete with the schools in the East. The idea that assistance should come from the ICSA to help teams in certain districts is ridiculous. And the concept of sailing scholarships, although appealing to a father of a sailor in high school, would accomplish the exact opposite of the claim "leveling the playing field." -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12614#12614 * From David Greene: Outside of high performance racers and one design, the boats like mine a C & C 39 1972 vintage needs the balance of a 3 legged course to be a viable competitor. It is only on the reach that I am able to make up for my lack of upwind performance. I also currently sail jib and main and unless all the competitors sail the same configuration there is no way a windward leeward course is fair to PHRF boats of all different sizes, ages, and shapes. We raced on Sunday in a point to point race from Bayview Yacht Club "in Detroit River" 15 miles out into the lake and back. Beating out of the river we were sitting in last place as we got out into the lake it was a close reach "my boat loves this point of sail" and then the route home provided for two choices, go low cut distance "my course" or stay high get the river current and pop a chute as you turned into the river. I thought the Benateau 36.7 were going to take it all but as it turned out a Morgan 42 took second "they went high popped a chute" and I took third "stayed low and did a little downwind tacking in the river using current" If this was a windward leeward course no way could the Morgan or I have any chance. I think all competition outside of one design and high performance should provide for a reach. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION If you don't like my driving, don't call anyone. Just take another road. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Quantum Sails - Morris Yachts - North Sails - Harken LaserPerformance - The Pirates Lair - BIC Sport - Lewmar Hall Spars & Rigging - Ullman Sails - Interlux - APS Need stuff? 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