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SCUTTLEBUTT 2834 - Thursday, April 30, 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 JK3 Nautical Enterprises and Ullman Sails. BOSTON COLLEGE - STILL ON TOP Following the 2007/2008 college season, Boston College (BC) won the Fowle Trophy which recognizes the school with the best overall performance in the six National Championships (Men's Singlehandeds, Women's Singlehandeds, Sloops, Women's Dinghies, Team Race, and Coed Dinghies). BC is still on a roll as their #1 ranked coed dinghy team prepares for the National Championship Semi-Finals this weekend in Boston, MA. Scuttlebutt checked in with BC coach Greg Wilkinson for an update: * What has led to Boston College becoming a dominant team? GREG WILKINSON: “We have a deep, talented team that has bought into the idea that the team - not the individuals - win and lose events. We're able to make roster changes without egos getting in the way. Our sailors have learned to be good teammates.” * What is it about BC that has attracted such depth? WILKINSON: “We've had a lot of recruiting success; we've got the support of a large Division 1 athletic department which treats sailing like any other collegiate sport - this seems to be attractive to youth sailors who have chosen sailing as their sport. Within the team, we've been successful at creating a "team first" attitude, which in my mind is the key to bringing all that talent together to get the results (there are 30 athletes on the roster).” * How important is the rankings to your team? WILKINSON: “The team knows that the real #1 team is determined on the finish line of the last race of the event they're sailing. “ * How do you feel about the semi-final format? -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0429 => Free live internet broadcast of the 36-team Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Semifinals regatta this weekend, May 2-3 will be provided by SailGroove. Event details: http://www.collegesailing.org/neisa/semis09/ NOTHING STOPS OLSSON (Apr. 29, 2009) Ericsson Racing Team skipper Magnus Olsson has been cleared to compete in the Boston In-Port Race and Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race after fracturing a rib on the recently concluded Leg 6. Olsson, 60, suffered the injury on Apr. 16, five days into the leg that originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when a wave swept him into the guard rail around the starboard helmsman’s station. He was bunk ridden for a week and administered anti-inflammatory pills. “The situation is stable,” said Dr. Antonio Zoido Alvarez, Ericsson Racing Team physician. “Magnus has a fracture of the ninth rib, left hemithorax. There’s no compromise with his lung. I think he will be able to do the In-Port race and next leg without any problem.” Olsson was nearly removed from Ericsson 3 due to the pain, but he refused to disembark the yacht. Zoido Alvarez said that pain is the only issue he’ll have going forward. “It takes about three weeks to recover fully,” said Zoido Alvarez. “It’s a matter of pain, but it can be treated with pain killers. It’s not going to be any trouble to carry on.” -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/cl5oub * VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Began Oct. 4, 2008, crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. The next event is the Boston In-Port race on May 9th, followed by the 2,550 nm transatlantic Leg 7 from Boston to Galway, Ireland that starts May 16th and is expected to finish by May 23rd. Seven of the eight teams are expected to compete (Team Russia will not compete). Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 JK3 NAUTICAL ENTERPRISES, INC. Thank you for visiting us at the Newport Boat Show, it was a huge success! The crowds were out, enjoying the sun and walking the docks. Spring is the time to buy! Prices are low and many manufacturers are offering extra incentives in order to compete. If you are searching for the perfect boat for the summer JK3 has one lined up, just in time for Opening Day. Whether you are a sailor or a power boater, we have the boat for you. We are dealers for J Boats, Back Cove & Sabre, Santa Cruz Yachts and Raider RIBs. Call us in San Diego at 619.224.6200 or Newport Beach at 949.675.8053 or visit us at http://www.jk3yachts.com MOVIE STAR BOAT RELISHES IN RACE The overall elapsed time winner for the 125.5 mile 62nd Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race last Friday was H.L. Enloe's big trimaran, LoeReal, covering the course in 8:45:03 to log the race's second fastest time ever for a multihull, next to the late Steve Fossett's record of 6:46:40 on the Stars & Stripes catamaran in 1998. The VPLP designed 60-foot LoeReal was originally built for the 1995 movie Waterworld, and was purchased afterwards by Enloe and fully refitted to racing trim. North American Sales Director for North Sails, John Gladstone, was part of the Ensenada crew and provided this report for Scuttlebutt: * You are a monohull sailor. What were you doing on a multihull for the Ensenada race? JOHN GLADSTONE: “You're are right I am for the most part a uni-hull sailor, but it seems over the years I've had the fortune to do some pretty cool multihull races with some great talent. I crewed with Steve Fossett on Stars and Stripes when we broke the Ensenada and Chi-Mac records in 1998 and on Lakota (similar design to LoeReal) on the San Diego-PV race in 1997 (I think) . Have to say if it wasn't for my association and friendships with Cam Lewis, Gino Morrelli and Pete Melvin none of this would have ever happened. These are the REAL talents. My contribution is purely from the sail provision and organization side and perhaps at times a little comic relief. It's always a treat to change it up a bit sailing these wonderful machines.” * What were the big lessons that you learned? GLADSTONE: “Not sure there were any big lessons involved. We had a few new sails in the LoeReal arsenal that, along with the conditions, made the decision making process pretty straight forward. I spent a few hours with Peter Isler the day before fairing the boats polars and getting up to speed with the latest version on Expedition. Might have been a little overkill for a 125 mile race, but in the end it gave us reasonable confidence we were doing the right things as the day progressed. Only sailing an addition 5 miles seems to bear that out. Not that it's any light bulb lesson, but Enloe really covered all the bases this time around. Having the likes of Cam Lewis and Tim McKegney driving the entire race can't help but increase your odds as well as great preparation on the part of Nat Iyengar, Jan Majer and Ed McCoy. It was gratifying to see Enloe's first to finish goal finally attained. He is stoked.” * Sounded like the conditions were a dream? Can you describe what it was like? -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0429a THE BILGE WAS MY BABYSITTER How many people had their first sailing experiences in the bilge of a boat? Your parents thought it would be neat to bring you sailing at a young age, but pretty soon you were down below by the bilge, leaving you to wonder why they hadn’t just left you at home. Do you have a memory like this (and have worked through therapy)? Everyone that submits their “The Bilge Was My Babysitter” story is entered in a raffle sponsored by McLube and could win some of their Hullkote speed polish. Raffle to occur May 4, 2009 at 9am PT. Post your story here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7361#7361 PRB GOES TO COURT FOR RESCUE COSTS by Elaine Bunting, Yachting World French yacht sponsor PRB is pressing ahead with plans to sue for costs it says were incurred as result of rescuing (Open 60 skipper) Jean Le Cam during the Vendée Globe. Earlier this month I wrote about the shockwaves sent out by (Open 60 skipper Vincent Riou sponsor) PRB's decision to try to recoup the costs of uninsured damage to the boat following the lifesaving rescue of Le Cam from his capsized boat 200 miles WNW of Cape Horn in January. Riou clipped the canted keel of VM Matériaux with one of his deck spreaders in an attempt to get close enough to throw a line to Le Cam. The mast came down a day later. PRB's chief executive Jean-Jacques Laurent argues that the dismasting was a direct consequence of the rescue. The claim is being made against SEM Vendée (the Vendée Globe race organisers), Ambrose Light (race director Denis Horeau's company), the underwriters of VM Matériaux and Jean Le Cam's company Mervent. -- Read on: http://www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/20090329065835blog_elaine_bunting.html THAT’S TWO IN A ROW! Brian Keane and crew on J/105 “Savasana” landed the coveted overall trophy last weekend at the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD in Annapolis, becoming the second Ullman Sails customer in a row to be named boat of the regatta in the NOOD series. Sharon and Dennis Case on J/105 “Wings” were named the overall champions at the San Diego NOOD in March. Both winners competed with 100% Ullman inventory! Keane led the charge in the Annapolis J/105 division where Ullman Sails customers claimed five of the top six spots. Make an investment in your performance. Visit Ullman Sails at http://www.ullmansails.com DAMNED IF YOU DO - DAMNED IF YOU DON’T When the legal train for the America’s Cup made its last stop at the New York Court of Appeal, it was on April 2, 2009 when the conductor called for the America’s Cup to be held in February 2010. However, it was inevitable that more trouble would ensue, as the Deed of Gift says that “no race shall be sailed in the days intervening between November 1st and May 1st if the races are to be conducted in the Northern Hemisphere.” Both teams preferred the match to be in Valencia, Spain… in the Northern Hemisphere. When Alinghi’s club, Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) called for a May 2010 match, the challenging BMW Oracle’s club Golden Gate Yacht Club decided it would let the New York legal system sort this out, as they would prefer to follow the wishes of the courts and avoid a further three month delay. GGYC made their court filing on Apr. 27, which prompted this statement from SNG on Apr. 29, 2009: “BMW Oracle Racing (BOR) and its club Golden Gate (GGYC) have again chosen the New York law courts, instead of accepting an invitation to another meeting to discuss the terms of the 33rd America’s Cup. They have ignored both our proposal to open the competition to other challengers and our invitation to agree to mutual consent terms. “As Defender of the America’s Cup, Alinghi and the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) are duty bound to fulfill the Deed of Gift that governs the event. The document clearly states that May is the earliest possible date for a race in the Northern Hemisphere, where both clubs are located. The New York Supreme Court Order does not instruct us to breach our duties as trustee.” -- Read on: http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200&idContent=19379 PIRACY PROTOCOL (Apr. 29, 2009) - The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) announced today the publication of Guidelines for yachts considering a passage through the Gulf of Aden, Yemeni and Somali waters. In view of the recent escalation in piratical attacks in the area of the Gulf of Aden, Yemeni and Somali, and the consequent very high risk, the essential advice is not to enter this area. However a yacht which, despite this advice, decides on such a passage is recommended to make contact in advance with the naval authorities and will find in the document basic guidance for her transit. The Guidelines are a joint production of MSCHOA (Maritime Security Centre, Horn of Africa), and ISAF under the auspices of the ISAF International Regulations Commission. -- Read on: http://www.sailing.org/28144.php SAILING SHORTS * Despite the tough economic conditions facing the marine industry, the 2009 Strictly Sail Pacific & Powerboat Expo drew more than 12,000 boating enthusiasts to the five-day event. While total attendance was down (this year’s gate was 12,100 versus last year’s gate of 13,200), exhibitors reported quality traffic and strong sales. The newly combined show brought together over 250 sail and power exhibitors from April 15-19, 2009 at Oakland’s newly remodeled Jack London Square. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7383 * French boatbuilding group Bénéteau has reported €30.9m in negative operating income for the first half of 2008/2009 and a net loss of €20.3m, compared to last year's net profit of €29.8m. Operating income on the boat business came to -€35m for the first half of the year compared to €28.4m for the same period the year before. -- IBI Magazine, read on: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20090329110648ibinews.html * Source Interlink Companies - publisher of SAIL and Power & Motoryacht magazines - reached a restructured agreement with its lenders to eliminate about $1 billion of debt and privatize the company. Source Interlink publishes more than 75 magazines for consumer audiences, including Motor Trend, Automobile, Hot Rod, Snowboarder, Stereophile and Surfer. Under the agreement, the lenders will cancel nearly $1 billion of the company's existing debt and provide about $100 million in additional liquidity, according to a company release. Source Interlink reportedly will pay all of its vendors in full and on time if they agree to maintain current credit and payment terms. -- Soundings Trade Only, read on: http://tinyurl.com/cmbvqy CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Here are a few of the events that are coming up: May 1-3 - BYC Spring Invitational - Detroit, MI, USA May 1-3 - Yachting & Leukemia Cup - San Diego, CA, USA May 2 - 1st Annual Clean, Green Boating Fair - Tacoma, WA, USA Is your event this weekend listed above? It could be by using the self-serve tool on the Scuttlebutt website. Your event information is held in a shared database used by several popular sailing websites… there is no easier way to get the word. View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar EIGHT BELLS Raymond S. Peterson, 71, of Warren RI, died unexpectedly Saturday, April 25th. He was a self-employed consultant to the manufacturing industry and passionate, avid sailor. Ray had his first sail on a Swan in 1980 and was bitten by the Swan bug. In 1981 he purchased a Swan 431 and in 1988 a Swan 46. The Swan 46 was everything he wanted and has owned her the past 20 years. With the 431 and 46 Ray has participated in nine Bermuda Races with four class finishes and a first in class. Cruising has been an important part of his sailing. He has cruised from Maine to Granada and has spent four seasons in the Caribbean. Long a supporter of Swan events Ray has participated in 10 American Swan Regattas. Ray and wife Erika Peterson have been the organizers of the 2002, 2004, 2006 SOA Bermuda Race Dinner in Bermuda. Ray has been Commodore of SOA since 2002 and looks forward to continued support of the organization as a Board Member and Treasurer. Funeral will be Saturday, 2pm, in St. Michaels Church, 399 Hope St., Bristol, RI. -- Full details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7387 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 Cleo Martin: Cory Friedman is right on spot. How can a foreign challenge have convincing arguments against an American challenge in an American court facing six American judges who have to decide about the future of the only American team in the America's Cup? It's like asking an Italian referee to umpire the final's match of the World Soccer Cup between Brazil & Italy. Anybody would be in a position to make money on this kind of bet. As Bill Koch is saying, the AC Cup is a rigged game...... So this time the Deed is to be interpreted and not taken literally since the judgment of Cahn's is supposed to be in favour of BOR. But what counts in the end is the result on the water, and we are all looking forward to see if BOR is as strong there as in the US courts, because from what we have seen until now (iShares Cup [with 2 boats] or the recent LVPS in Auckland not to mention Auckland 03 or Valencia 07) doubts remain. PS to Friedman, "rira bien qui rira le dernier" * From Phil Smithies: (edited to the 250-word limit) I am sure that a lot of folks out there are extremely tired of hearing about a couple of billionaires bumping their chests. Last weekend at what could be called the other end of the sailing world, the city of St Pete's Recreation Department organized the expo for disabled members of the community; 99 people signed up, 90% of which never had been in a boat before. The disabilities were from paraplegics to quadriplegics to cerebral palsy to Down syndrome. Boats used were access dinghies, Rhodes 19 and Ideal 18's, along with kayaks and paddle boards. It turned into a great success and a big kudos to the staff of the St Pete Sailing Center for their great help. I have a couple of favorite photo's Numbers 68 & 83 are of a young man called Forest who has Down syndrome. Not only did he have the time of his young life sailing, he bonded beautifully with the young volunteer student sailor. Photo # 111 is of a lady who has severe cerebral palsy - she was hoot, always laughing , she stayed all day and went out several times , could not keep her out of the boat! Team Paradise was also there to give a hand and to show some of their Paralympic boats. Explaining to quadriplegics that they could - with practice - end up sailing a Skud 18 was a challenge, but we were happy to prove it to them. -- Photos: http://tinyurl.com/clhk2v CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.” - Albert Einstein Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises and Ullman Sails. 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