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SCUTTLEBUTT 2348 – May 21, 2007
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is
distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of
Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing).
FOR THOSE WHO WERE WATCHING OVER THE WEEKEND
(May 20, 2007) Day 6 of the Louis Vuitton semi-final opened with Luna Rossa
and ETNZ needing just one more win to go through to the final - that fact
alone would have surprised plenty of people 7 days ago. Then chuck in the
real humdinger – by the end of Race 6, Luna Rossa were on their merry way,
having dispatched Oracle 5 -1 with a 33 second fifth race win. And it was
ETNZ having to come back Tuesday - like naughty schoolboys for extra work -
to try again to put Desafio down, after the Spanish frustrated ETNZ with a
15 second win.
For Oracle, it may have been a different helmsman, as Sten Mohr replaced
Chris Dickson, but it was the same result. Luna Rossa wanted the left-hand
side of the first beat, and once again that was what they got off the line.
Jimmy Spithill chased Sten Mohr for as long as he could, to make his life
difficult, then peeled away to start at full speed on the pin on starboard,
while Oracle had to luff around the committee boat to start on port.
Inevitably, Luna Rossa tacked to cover and the pair of them headed upwind.
It was soon clear why Luna Rossa wanted the left – stronger breeze or shift
on that side lifted Luna Rossa’s bow higher than Oracle’s, and the Italians
sailed out to a four length lead. And that really was the end of the
contest. Torben Grael kept it pretty tight all the way round, and Oracle
looked beaten. – Mark Chisnell, full story:
http://markchisnell.blogspot.com/2007/05/man-on-fire.html
FOR THOSE WHO WEREN’T WATCHING OVER THE WEEKEND
If you weren’t following the racing amongst the America’s Cup challenger
semi-finalist, you missed an opportunity to witness high drama. The
unraveling of one syndicate took place, while the heroic resilience of
another was captured. While most anticipate a predictable outcome of
Emirates Team New Zealand defeating Desafío Español 2007, the Spanish remain
alive, winning on Sunday with their backs against the wall. Their defeats on
Friday and Saturday were close matches, and on the brink of elimination,
with one more loss ending their run, the Spanish won the start and withstood
the tailgating Kiwis to give the people of Valencia another reason to party.
As for the other pair, an utter and unbelievable collapse by BMW Oracle
Racing took place during the racing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. For a
team that once seemed so dominant, they unraveled before our eyes, and it
happened very early in each of the three races. Quite simply, they couldn’t
start, they couldn’t predict the first shift, and they had no perceivable
boat speed edge. The team on Luna Rosa, led by the brilliant helmsman James
Spithill, so completely undressed the BOR team that it became uncomfortable
to watch. Like an ice cube in the Sahara, the American entry was melting
away.
Saturday’s start was the final straw, where the BOR afterguard blinked in
the dial-up, giving the Italian team complete control. Than, in painful
desperation, Dickson attempted to reverse his fortunes, but failed in flying
colors, giving the umpires 2 no-brainer calls, earning penalty circles for
each. Following this horrific defeat, the American entry removed the
multi-tasking Chris Dickson (helm, skipper, CEO) from the boat for Sunday,
and while back-up helm Sten Mohr gave the team a decent split start, the
squad’s lack of tactical edge and boatspeed advantage quickly put them
behind, where they would remain for a fifth and final loss, their
elimination now complete.
First team to win 5 races advances to challenger finals. The pairings are:
1. (NZL) 1-1-0-1-1-0-_-_-_ = 4
4. (ESP) 0-0-1-0-0-1-_-_-_ = 2
Race 6 stats: Wind speed (12-15kts), Race length (01:24:33), Total tacks/
gybes (ESP-21; NZL-23), Avg boat speed (ESP-10.2; NZL-10.2) --
http://tinyurl.com/2h3z3h
2. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) 0-1-0-0-0-0-_-_-_ = 1
3. Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA) 1-0-1-1-1-1-_-_-_ = 5 - WINNER
Race 6 stats: Wind speed (12-15kts), Race length (01:22:34), Total tacks/
gybes (ITA-30; USA-31), Avg boat speed (ITA-10.575; USA-10.575) --
http://tinyurl.com/24oyq3
* Race schedule: Monday is a reserve day, with the final set of race days
scheduled for Tuesday-Thursday. Note that semi-final racing will be complete
as soon as either Emirates Team New Zealand or Desafío Español 2007 gains 5
wins, where the winner will then pair up with Luna Rossa Challenge in the
challenger finals beginning on June 1st. - Complete schedule:
http://www.americascup.com/en/americascup/program/calendrier.php
* Being Dicko’d: A statement from BMW Oracle says: "The team has always
built the sailing squad on the basis that there are two people for every
position on the boat and it was felt necessary to bring some fresh blood in
off the bench." Chris Dickson said: "We brought our best package into the
Semi Finals, but we have not achieved the results we were hoping for, so in
my capacity as CEO I fully support any moves that will give us a choice to
win." An interesting choice of words, "fully support" implying that Dickson
was pushed rather than volunteered to step away. -- Andy Rice, SailJuice,
http://tinyurl.com/ystk95
* Michel Bonnefous, the President of the Americas Cup Management Committee,
met last week with Spanish officials about the possibility of hosting the
Americas Cup again in Valencia in 2009. An agreement to study the idea was
reached, where it was also decided that conversations would continue again
after the America’s Cup competition had finished in July. -- Valencia Life,
mailto:publisher@valencialife.net
* Fundraiser: Paul Cayard has graciously donated several items of his
Desafío Español 2007 team gear for an auction to benefit junior sailing at
the St Francis YC. Look for more information in the Tuesday issue of
Scuttlebutt.
FREE EMBROIDERY FROM NORTH SAILS
With special occasions like Father's Day (June 17) and the start of summer
regattas right around the corner, North Sails is offering Scuttlebutt
readers free text embroidery on all Polo and Camp shirts purchased through
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http://na.northsails.com/an/AN_catalog.taf?_function=list&category=01
KEEPING A LOW PROFILE
Swiss America's Cup champions Alinghi have been keeping a low profile here
as pressure builds in the Louis Vuitton Cup that will decide its competitor
in next month's head-to-head sail-off. The Swiss are favourites to retain
the trophy they won off Auckland in 2003 but they have not been trumpeting
their talents to date here ahead of the America's Cup which will be the main
course to the drawn-out Vuitton hors d'oeuvre. Quite the reverse, in fact.
"They almost give the impression that thet don't exist - people are scarcely
talking about them," observed Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia on
Friday.
Yet appearances can be deceptive. "We're busy refining our game. We'll be up
for it when the time comes," a spokesman from the team entourage said as the
crowds began lining the assorted cafes and restaurants which double as
look-out points for match racing competition here. Designer Manuel Ruiz de
Elvira backs the assessment. "We are working intensively every day, pitting
our own boats and crews against each other. We're analysing what our rivals
our doing, (our) physical preparation is more intense than ever and we are
keeping ourselves steeled for the big challenge," he added. In fact, while
almost all eyes have been focused on the Vuitton semi-finalists the Swiss,
whose patron is billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, have been racing six days a
week on a stretch of water specially set aside for the purpose. --
SuperXtra, full story:
http://www.superxtra.co.za/default.asp?id=215675&des=article
CONGRESSIONAL CUP
Long Beach, CA (May 19, 2007) - Parlez-vous Francais? The Long Beach Yacht
Club's 43rd production of the Congressional Cup, presented by Acura, was
bound to go bilingual Saturday when Mathieu Richard (that's ma-too
ree-chard) met Johnie Berntsson of Sweden in the best-of-three championship
match. The tri-color republic prevailed as Richard, the No. 2-ranked match
racer in the world, finessed his way past his Scandinavian rival, 2-1.
"I think we're the first non-Anglo-Saxon winner," Richard said at the dock
as he and his crew celebrated with an international feast of champagne,
pizza and hamburgers. His crew: Olivier Herledant, grinder-spinnaker trim;
Frederic Rivet, pit-tactics; Thierry Briend, jib trim; Greg Eurard, main
trim-tactics; Yannick Simon, bow. Conditions were ideal on the Long Beach
outer harbor, blessed by sunny skies, flat water, winds to 15 knots and
spectators on Belmont Pier wildly cheering their favorites---on this day,
Richard and Berntsson on their sail-bys between races.
For the six teams that failed to reach the sailoffs, they sailed a long
fleet race to the far corners of the harbor. Russia's Eugeniy Neugodnikov
collected $1,000 for finishing first just ahead of Poland's Przemek Tarnacki
in second and Long Beach's Scott Dickson in third. -- Complete results, news
stories, and video highlights produced by t2p.tv are available nightly on
the event website: http://www.lbyc.org/concup
Final results
1. Mathieu Richard, France ($10,000)
2. Johnie Berntsson, Sweden ($5,700)
3. Simon Minoprio, New Zealand ($4,800)
4. Damien Iehl, France ($4,400);
5. Brian Angel, Redondo Beach, Calif. ($3,800);
6. Eugeniy Neugodnikov, Russia ($3,000);
7. Scott Dickson, Long Beach ($2,700);
8. Andrew Arbuzov, Russia ($2,300);
9. Martin Angsell, Sweden ($1,900);
10. Przemek Tarnacki, Poland ($1,500).
TYBEE 500
The sixth and final day of the 6th annual Tybee 500 had the fleet going from
Fernandina Beach, FL to Tybee Island, GA, where they started with 15kts
steady from the NE. Nine boats started the beat to weather with Cat in the
Hat capsizing just after leaving the breakers. They quickly righted,
returned to the beach for a daggerboard and were off to chase the fleet. At
Saint Mary's inlet the race finally took it's toll on TCDYC. Equipment
failures and heavy seas forced them to drop out. Tiki Yellow also had to
retire about sixty miles into the one hundred twenty-five mile leg.
At Tybee Island the breeze clocked East around 10-12kts. Oolaalaa (1st
overall) was again first to finish, one of the few F18’s sailed by Mischa
Heemskerk and Eduard Zanen in a fleet mostly of I20’S. Ten minutes later,
Team Velocity (5th overall) and Team Tybee Island (2nd overall) finished in
quick succession, with Tiki Orange (3rd overall) and Accelerated Chaos (4th
overall) following shortly after. Incoming sailors reported ten to twelve
foot seas that made the leg difficult for the less experienced teams. --
http://www.tybee500.com
* If you missed last week’s VIDEO OF THE WEEK, it was shot from the start of
Leg 3 of the Tybee 500, where big wind and waves made the beach start…
messy: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/0514
SAIL FASTER AND SMARTER
If you want to improve your results on the race course, you should read
Speed & Smarts. This bi-monthly newsletter, written by winning America's Cup
tactician Dave Dellenbaugh, has been praised by racing sailors worldwide for
more than 12 years. Each colorful issue has 16 pages full of race-winning
tips on boatspeed, tactics, strategy, rules and more! Whether you are a
skipper or crew, on a one-design or big boat, Speed & Smarts will improve
your performance. To see a sample issue or sign up for a subscription, visit
our website at http://www.SpeedandSmarts.com
FROM BOSTON TO IRELAND
The west coast Irish port of Galway will be the stopover for the 2008-09
Volvo Ocean Race following the Irish Government’s announcement this week
that it had agreed to make funding available to help bring the race to
Ireland for the first time. Race organisers welcomed the Irish commitment of
up to eight million Euros (10.8 million USD) to secure the stopover.
Negotiations have been under way since late last year with a Galway-based
group, “Let’s Do It Ireland”, aimed at making one of Ireland’s fastest
growing cities the first European port of call.
“This is great news for the race and a just reward for the enthusiasm and
commitment shown by Galway,” said Glenn Bourke, the Volvo Ocean Race CEO.
“Everyone will be looking forward to the famous Irish hospitality and craic
(fun) when the boats arrive after a high-speed dash from the U.S. port of
Boston.” The race has consistently reaped economic benefits running to
millions of Euros for the ports of call. The 2005-06 start from Vigo in
northwestern Spain generated 61 million Euros for the Galicia region,
according to a Deloitte’s report on economic impact. In the past month, port
stopovers have now been confirmed in Galway, Boston, India and China. -- VOR
website, complete report: http://tinyurl.com/2zelne
ROLEX CAPRI SAILING WEEK
Capri, Italy. The fourth and final day of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week,
organized by the Yacht Club Capri in collaboration with the Yacht Club Costa
Smeralda with Rolex as title sponsor, saw the competing fleet set out
accompanied by bright sunshine and a 5 to 6 knot breeze from approximately
250°, increasing to 10 knots. The Race Committee set a windward-leeward
course of approximately 8 nautical miles for the Farr 40 and Swan 45
divisions, while the Mini Maxi and Comet divisions also sailed approximately
8 nautical miles around the marks positioned in the Gulf of Naples.
In the Farr 40 fleet Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (USA), overall leader
since Day Two, won the series by a clear margin over Massimo Stefano
Leporati's Kismet (ITA) and Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (ITA). The sixteen
competing boats completed one windward-leeward race today, bringing them to
a total of seven regattas for the event. Several of the former America's Cup
tacticians competing in this division showed their worth today as Finland's
Siragusawa, owned by Olli-Pekka Lumijarvi and with Dee Smith calling
tactics, took their first victory of the series ahead of Marco Rodolfi's TWT
(ITA) with tactician Tiziano Nava. Alessandro Barnaba's Fiamma (ITA), with
Tommaso Chieffi calling tactics, took third place. -- Full report:
http://www.yccs.it/eng/stagioni/2007/capri/press_6.php
SAILING SHORTS
* (Marina del Rey, CA) The ULDB sleds of Southern California had wandered
from the region for several years, but many have returned, and this past
weekend they enjoyed competing together again at the California Cup, hosted
by California YC. The reunion of 10 boats from 65-70 feet in length were
greeted with 8-15 knot winds, and demonstrated dinghy-like aggressiveness in
4 windward-leeward races handicapped under ORR. Ed McDowell sailing his
Santa Cruz 70 Grand Illusion blitzed the fleet with four firsts, followed by
the Compton/ Yabsley/ Parker syndicate sailing their R/P 70 in second, and
Doug Ayres with his Santa Cruz 70 in third. -- Complete results:
http://tinyurl.com/yvpelx
* Lars Guuk threw a no-hitter at the A-Class Catamaran North Americans,
rolling to a perfect score of all firsts over the thirty-boat fleet. Hosted
by West River Sailing Club in Galesville, MD, Guuk was followed by Phil
Kinder and Charlie Ogletree. -- Complete results:
http://www.usaca.info/results/2007/2007%20NA/home.html
* (May 20, 2007) Competing in the Charleston (SC) to Bermuda race that
started on Friday, the Open 50 Gryphon Solo maintained a solid lead over the
18-boat field as Sunday dawned out on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 8:00
a.m. position update, she was averaging 9.7 knots and had crossed the
halfway point to Bermuda several hours earlier. At that juncture, Gryphon
Solo was just over 67 miles in front of the second-place boat, Mark Weber’s
Swan 56 Nova. -- Results and fleet tracking are available here:
http://www.charlestontobermuda.com
COOL NEW O'PEN BIC VIDEO NOW ON-LINE!
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Offers, or to join the 2007 Demo Tour.
EIGHT BELLS
Kawika Kapahulehua, 76, the captain of the historic first voyage of the
ocean-sailing canoe Hokulea, died Thursday at Queen's Medical Center in
Honolulu, according to the Polynesian Voyaging Society. The cause of death
was not announced. The 62-foot double-hulled wooden canoe first set sail
from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976, using only celestial navigation and calling
attention to the journey Polynesians had made 600 years before in the
opposite direction. The canoe is now on its 10th major voyage, which
includes stops in Micronesia and Japan.
Kapahulehua was born on the island of Niihau off Kauai on July 13, 1930. As
an adult he sailed catamarans out of Waikiki and raced them off the
California coast. A resident of Honolulu, he gave lectures about the
Hawaiian language and culture to university students, schoolchildren and
community groups. -- LA Times, http://tinyurl.com/yqxpua
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be
edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250
words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot,
don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks
for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is
available on the Scuttlebutt Forum.
-- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
-- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From Andrew Rice: It was nice to see the Tybee 500 pay tribute to the now
defunct Worrell 1000 race, the brainchild of Mike Worrell. However, the race
didn't fold due to crews not being able to afford to do the race. There were
plenty of entries flooding into Mike Worrell. I was one of a number of
competitors (49er World Champ and Volvo Ocean Racer Chris Nicholson was
another, for example), who each paid Mike the $5000 entry fee to compete in
the 2003 event. I think there were about 40 entries from around the world.
However, with about a month to go, Mike pulled the plug on the race, and he
promised to give us back our money. We're still waiting. Maybe Mike is a
regular reader of Scuttlebutt. Perhaps you could tell him I'm still at the
same address and my bank account transfer details are the same ones I sent
him four years ago.
* From Paddy Boyd: As a member of ISAF’s Youth and Development Committee I
opened the link to the Lightnings in Lagos story in ‘Butt 2347 with
interest. And it was interesting, but as I read the daily reports and looked
at the photos, I was struck by the apparent complete lack of black
competitors in the sailing photos.
* From Michael Panosh Two Rivers, WI: Despite the wonderful television
coverage and fantastic racing, the sound of silence coming from the boats is
awful. The fact that the afterguards nixed the idea of being mic'd up is an
absolute disgrace. Although it does not ruin the viewing experience, it
definitely takes a lot away from it. Although not a fan, at least NASCAR
allows in-car audio activity to be broadcast. Heck, they even interview the
drivers during the race! At the very least, we could expect a few
on-the-water interviews with the crew before and after the races. Sure the
coverage has been great so far, but it could be so much better. Who doesn't
want to hear what is being said on the BMW Oracle boat? Sure we might need a
7 second delay but so be it, mic up Ellison and Dickson and give the kids
earplugs.
Curmudgeon’s Comment: This has been bugging us too, and after some research,
we have learned that the teams have been resistant to being mid’d. We have
noticed a background microphone that seems to becoming more audible each
day, and that the prospect of onboard audio during the America’s Cup races
is likely.
* From Eric A Sorensen: The LV Cup is fun for us up here in Anacortes, WA
since the hulls for Oracle were built in this town. Our YC got the Versus
channel and we have to be in our seats at 5:45 AM to catch the dial-ups,
which is pretty darn early for me since I have to drive an hour to get
there. I was able to watch Race 3 with Defasio beating the Kiwis and Luna
Rossa handily beating Oracle. Scuttlebutt’s apres race write-up was spot on
with what we watched. I will be able to sleep in now that I see the quality
of coverage you are providing even though I will still go up and watch, I
just won't have to go as often.
It was easy money for me to get down a bet on the AC, saying these races
don't matter since Alinghi will win it all. The Swiss will win it, maybe not
5-0 but they dominated most of the fleet races and early stages and I don't
see that syndicate slowing down as these other guys beat themselves up in
the LV Cup. Thanks for the coverage. These boats may not be cutting edge
fast but it is still fun to watch the skills being shown off.
CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM
If diamonds are a girl's best friend and a dog is man's best friend, who
really is the dumber sex?
Special thanks to North Sails, Speed & Smarts, and BIC Sport.
Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender
of the 32nd America's Cup.
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