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SCUTTLEBUTT 2620 - Wednesday, June 18, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. EPA RELEASES PROBLEMATIC PROPOSAL (June 17, 2008) - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Clean Water Act proposal in the Federal Register that will impose new requirements on recreational boaters to learn about and follow specific practices mandated by the federal government to operate their boats and manage their everyday, overboard water discharges. Mandated by a court order in 2006 that focused exclusively on commercial vessel ballast water, the proposal includes two draft permits that are an unprecedented, new regulation on American recreational boaters, demonstrating the urgent need to pass the Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766 and H. R. 5949) as these new regulations will take effect on October 1, 2008. Along with the Federal Register notice, EPA also released two draft permits, fact sheets and multiple additional supplementary documents, all of which add up to a confusing mess for boaters. EPA’s Clean Water Act proposal unnecessarily creates a cumbersome, complex and confusing permitting scheme for recreational boaters, throwing them into a regulatory regime designed for land-based industrial facilities like sewer treatment plants. As a result, America’s 18 million recreational boat owners will be required to observe a multitude of new rules and practices, yet they won’t be provided clear information as to how to comply with these new federal requirements by EPA, exposing them to a high degree of regulatory uncertainty, compliance issues and legal jeopardy involving citizen lawsuits and $32,500 per violation per day penalties. The EPA proposal also allows individual states to implement their own boating permits, creating the potential for mass confusion with a patchwork of differing state-by-state laws for boaters. -- Read on: http://www.boatblue.org/news.aspx?id=17372 OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN: 52 DAYS TO GO * American Star crew Austin Sperry has landed in China for a training session, and notes with pleasure their decision to rent the 40' Container that was used for their boats shipment, and adapt it as a base station and a storage locker for all of their sails, masts, booms & parts. The only negative thing so far is how the locals are charging them 300 Yuan to launch their Star boat and 300 Yuan to haul the boat out at the end of the day. When 300 Yuan converts to about $43 US, and you consider they have 3 Star boats and 2 tenders, you can see how the Chinese might be starting to appreciate capitalism. -- http://www.austinsperry.com * One of Israel's best Olympic medal hopes may be denied the chance to take part at this summer's Beijing Games after it was revealed on Monday that the A sample of a drug test taken from sailor Udi Gal had been found to be positive. Gal, who is set to compete in the 470 Class sailing competition with partner Gidi Kliger, is now anxiously waiting for the result of the tests on his B sample. The 29-year-old has claimed that the test result came out positive because of an anti-balding medication he has been taking. The test was part of a series of random drug tests conducted on some Israeli Olympic athletes by the Anti-Doping Committee of Israel last month. -- Read on: http://xrl.us/chig8 * American Laser Radial rep Anna Tunnicliffe is finishing up a training session in Qingdao before her upcoming ISAF Grade One regatta in Kiel, Germany (June 25-30). She has been joined by coaches Mitch Brindley and Luther Carpenter along with her US training partner (and husband), Brad Funk. Among the challenges thus far has been the fog, which has pre-empted some of their plans. Anna had initially hoped to divide the daily training schedule into two parts, with the first being a warm-up session against Brad, and then a second session against Tania Calles (MEX) Lisa Ross (CAN). However, the visibility has been so low with the fog that the groups have been unable to connect on the water, so now they all work together from the beginning. -- Full report: http://www.annatunnicliffe.com/content/view/175/1 Photos: http://xrl.us/chinj TEAM RACING TIPS – PORT LAYLINE WEATHER MARK APPROACH by Steve Hunt Have you ever had trouble getting around the windward mark cleanly? This article discusses how to handle rounding the windward mark from the left side of the course, when approaching on the port tack layline. The specific situation is this: You are sailing up to the weather mark on the port tack layline and there is an opponent on starboard tack with intentions of forcing you to tack, and therefore pinning you from rounding. The starboard tack opponent is controlling their speed so they can take you out as you approach the mark. This is common in team racing with a windward-starboard-tack rounding. What can you do to avoid being taken out? The answer is simple. Overstand the port tack layline by a boatlength when you see this situation developing. As you sail overstood to the weather mark, the starboard tack opponent will converge with you at some point trying to force you to tack. At the very last second, you should bear away hard to duck them. If you wait until the last second, Rule 16 prevents the starboard tack boat from bearing away at you and preventing you from keeping clear. Since you overstood the layline after ducking, you still make the weather mark. The key is to overstand the port tack layline, so when you duck the starboard opponent you still make the mark. If you were to duck the starboard boat and you are not overstood, you will not make the weather mark after ducking. So remember, if you see that a starboard tack opponent has you in their sites as you approach the weather mark, sail an extra boatlength before tacking on the port tack layline and you will have a good shot at getting around without being pinned. -- http://www.teachingteamracing.com 2008 NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE - LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE The race which champions are made…This year’s Newport to Bermuda Race is nothing short of a true pedigree line-up. A mix of potential and proven champions ….. The maxi Speedboat will make her debut, a yacht that on her maiden voyage clocked 28 knots in 22 knot winds. Also debuting is IRC69 Bella Mente, and STP65 Moneypenny. And then there’s the current champions; STP65 Rosebud – winner 2007 Sydney-Hobart, IRC66 Numbers, Blue Yankee, Rima II and multi record-breaker Rambler. The formula these yachts all use: EC6+ carbon rigging. Find out about the science behind EC6+ carbon rigging: http://www.southernspars.com YOUTH WORLDS GO GREEN Blue is normally the predominant colour when it comes to sailing, but the colour green plays an important role this July 12-18 when the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship begins in Århus, Denmark.This year’s edition of the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship has a strong focus on sustainable environmental practices, for which the organizing committee has now received funding from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to carry out (20,000 USD in addition to the 11,500 USD from Danish Yachting Association). When the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship sets off on the Bay of Århus this summer, the porpoises will be scampering about below the many boats. This scenario should hopefully be seen for many years to come. Sailing Aarhus, the organizers of 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship has launched a number of initiatives meant not only to keep the Bay of Århus clean, but also to make the 400 plus sailors and team leaders from 60 different nations, volunteers and guests aware of how important it is to protect the environment and not least the water. -- Read on: http://www.youthworlds2008.org * Among the events at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship is the best-nation competition, first introduced in 1991, now known as the Volvo Trophy. Leading the charge will be defending champions Australia, whose team for 2008 includes four members of the victorious 2007 squad, all of whom left Canada with individual medals as well as team success. Historically it has been the French who have dominated the best-nation competition, winning on no less than nine occasions, with the North American countries still looking for their first bite of the apple. Scores towards the Volvo Trophy standings are taken on a race-by-race basis from the top four performers across the seven events. Top 10 race finishes translate into points: 10 points for a first, nine for a second, all the way down to one point for a 10th place finish. After each race is completed across all seven events, a nation takes its four best scores and combines them to come up with their overall Volvo Trophy score for that race. With a potential 40 points up for grabs, the standings can alter rapidly from one race to another, making the battle for the trophy one of the most exciting and keenly fought contests of the championship. LEADING THE WAY TO MACKINAC ISLAND Two legendary boats -- the America's Cup catamaran Stars and Stripes; and Windquest, the fastest monohull on the Great Lakes -- will be the stars of this year's 214-mile Port Huron-to-Mackinac Race on July 12. Windquest was leased with an option to buy by David, Bobby and Mark Schostak for dad Jerry Schostak's 75th birthday, and about half the crew will be family. The family has owned a series of boats named Fujimo, and Windquest has been renamed as the latest Fujimo. At 86 feet -- 96 feet overall with the bowsprit -- it's the longest boat in the fleet. "It could get there anywhere between 19 and 24 hours," crew chief Wally Cross said. Stars and Stripes, the catamaran that won the 1988 America's Cup race, is owned by Donald Wilson of Chicago. The crew's goal is to get to the Pink Pony, the sailors' favorite Mackinac Island bar, before last call on Saturday night. -- Detroit Free Press, read on: http://xrl.us/chiwr BOAT GODMOTHERS It is pretty standard stuff for kids to have godparents, but did we miss the memo about boats having them? Maybe there is something in the Volvo Ocean Race sailing instructions that each entry must designate a godmother, as the last two launchings have had them. First it was the splashy Hollywood style launching of the PUMA team’s VO 70 - named ‘il mostro’( aka The Monster) - with goddess Salma Hayek as the boat’s godmother. Now Team Russia christened its boat Kosatka, (Russian for Orca, Killer Whale), and have designated Birgitta Westerberg, co-founder of the Solntse (Sun) Foundation charity for sick and underprivileged children in St Petersburg, as godmother to the boat. Does anybody know if the rules are the same for boat godmothers as they are for person godmothers? -- Scuttleblog, post comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/06/boat-godmothers.html WANT TO BE A SAILMAKER? Or design sails? Doyle Sailmakers is seeking permanent full time sailmakers and a sail designer at their Salem, MA headquarters. Sewing skills are helpful but not required for the sailmaking position. Background in engineering required for the sail design position. Will provide training. Email resume to mailto:jdoyle@doylesails.com SAILING SHORTS * RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. has presented its first annual Bill Riker Scholarship for Young Sailors award, in partnership with the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, to 14-year-old students Kristen Greene and Courtney Dublin, both of the Berkeley Institute. RenRe set up the scholarship with the Bermuda Sloop Foundation to mark Bill Riker's retirement this year from the positions of president and chief underwriting officer. The scholarship, which reflects Mr. Riker's love of sailing and his contributions to Bermuda's community, has been established to encourage deserving Bermudian students to experience sailing and thus enhance their teamwork, self-confidence and leadership skills. -- Read on: http://xrl.us/chi9q * Boston Whaler Inc. filed notice with the state Agency for Workforce Innovation that it will furlough 250 employees between the end of June and the end of July. The 250 workers involved amounts to half of the Edgewater-based plant's workforce. The company expects to recall all the workers, although they may be off work long enough to become eligible for unemployment benefits, says a company spokesman. Boston Whaler is owned by Lake Forest, Ill.-based Brunswick Corp. -- Read on: http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/06/09/daily56.html * Whether one is new to sailing or looking to sharpen racing starts or navigation skills, the inaugural Women's Sailing Conference kicks off at the Port Townsend Yacht Club in Port Townsend, WA on Saturday, August 2. The conference, sponsored by BoatU.S., is one of three regional events held for women sailors, with others held annually in Marblehead, MA and Marina del Rey, CA. The all-day sailing workshops specifically for women are organized by the National Women's Sailing Association. -- http://www.womensailing.org * The early online entry deadline for the Rolex US-IRC National Championship is June 20th, with only 8 slots remaining in Division 1 IRC where the battle for the championship will ensue. The division is limited to 50 entries. Late entries will be accepted through Friday, July 18, 2008, with the event to be hosted by Little Traverse Yacht Club's (LTYC) on July 25-27. -- http://www.us-irc.org/newsfull.cfm?ID=99 DOING THINGS WE SHOULD DO In case you missed the announcement, the US SAILING Board of Directors voted last Monday to withdraw a proposal that would require US SAILING membership of American racing sailors. This has been hotly debated since March, with a reoccurring comment ringing loudest: ‘we should support our national sailing authority… but just don’t make us.’ The word “should” is the focus here, as it was in the Scuttlebutt poll last week. US SAILING President Jim Capron uses the word in his statement following the BOD decision: "Many sailors and sailing organizations have told us that racing sailors should be members, but that their membership should be voluntary. “ We all should do a lot of things, many of which we don’t think of until someone mentions them. This week the Scuttlebutt office got calls from two charities looking for help, and we said yes not because we would get anything from them, but because it felt like something we should do. It would seem that sailors supporting their national authority, U.S. or otherwise, is something they should do too. We suspect there are those who respectfully disagree with this line of thinking. However, for the American sailors that would like to join US SAILING - because it is being mentioned - can do so by going to this link: http://www.ussailing.org/membership 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 may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). 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. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Dobbs Davis, Seahorse International Sailing: Given your recent newsflash regarding US SAILING membership, you'll no doubt be closing the thread on this topic soon, and I will say that I believe we should all help support the sport through being members of the MNA. However, I will tell those who were throwing personal attacks at Jim Capron that this is completely unwarranted and unreasonable given the dedication he has shown towards the sport and his duties as US SAILING President. I was with Jim last week at the Korea Match Cup, where he was working hard as an umpire for an event with the largest prize money ($300K) and most number of people (350,000) of any other I've heard of, yet he left early so as to attend the US Sailing Board meeting to resolve this issue. Seeing all those people form queues a quarter mile long just to get a chance to spend a few minutes down at dockside to watch the racing was inspiring - how ironic that there are those who do this regularly will moan about joining an organization that helps provide the structure necessary to play this game. * From Eric Feigel: It is good to see that US SAILING'S Board has seen the errors of their ways and made the correct choice by dropping the requirement that all sailors join. Good choices should be rewarded. As a result I re-joined US SAILING after not having had a membership for the past two years. Being a member of US SAILING is the proper thing to do (as pointed out several times in the recent discussions). * From Tim Chambers: You know, maybe the whole idea of mandatory membership was a cleverly planned scheme by Jim Capron and the rest of the brain-trust at US SAILING to get constructive feedback on ways to improve US SAILING. Think about it - if he had said something like ‘what can US SAILING do to improve?’ - he would have gotten maybe a handful of vague responses. BUT when faced with the prospect of mandatory membership, LOTS of folks spoke up with good ideas to make things better. Genius! * From Anatole Perry: Interesting seeing the articles on Kiteboarding being introduced.... I'm surprised none of the sailing establishments have caught onto Kite Boating at all...Which is another discipline gaining significant interest as it's introduced and is certainly more in line with Boat clubs than kite boarding. I'm thinking there may be some interest from people out there on the boats if they knew they were an option! => Curmudgeon’s Comment: For those of advancing age, there is a video on Anatole’s website showing sit-down kiting. Pretty neat: http://www.skytoys.co.nz/Kite%20videos.htm CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. 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