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SCUTTLEBUTT #322 - May 13, 1999TRANSPAC 99After two withdrawals, the entry list of 25 boats is virtually what it was at the same point for the previous race in 1997 when 26 were listed and 38 showed up to start. Entry chairman Dan Nowlan reported up to 40 "possibles" but only 25 with entry fees paid. Entries as of May 12, 1999: DIVISION I (starts July 3 at 1 p.m.)
DIVISION II (starts July 3, 1 p.m.)
DIVISION III (starts July 3, 1 p.m.)
DIVISION IV (starts July 2, 1 p.m.)
DOUBLEHANDED (starts July 2, 1 p.m.)
CRUISING DIVISION (starts June 29, 1 p.m.)
Race website: http://www.transpacificyc.org/ COLLEGE SAILING The best college teams from seven Inter-Collegiate Yacht Racing Association (ICYRA) districts across the country will gather in St. Petersburg, Fla., May 26-June 4 to vie for national titles in three disciplines: Women's Dinghy, Team Race and Coed Dinghy racing. The ICYRA National Sailing Championships, hosted by Eckerd College and supported by Vanguard Sailboats, a partner in the ICYRA Growth and Development Project, will be raced on Boca Ciega Bay in company-supplied Vanguard 420s. The championships signify the culmination of the college sailing year, which spans both the fall and spring seasons. They are critical in the development of athletes who go on to participate in Olympic, America's Cup and other world-class competitions. For the coed ICYRA National Dinghy Championship, sponsored by New England Ropes, and the ICYRA National Women's Dinghy Championship, which will have its awards dinner sponsored by Layline, each college will field a separate A and B division team. Weather permitting, each division will sail sixteen 20- to 30-minute fleet races over three days for a total of 32 races. The ICYRA/Ronstan Team Race Championship will pit each college's three-boat team against another's in a round robin series of matches (66 races). The top four teams will then sail two mini-rounds to determine the winner. All racing is one-design, which means the two-person Vanguard 420s are built and rigged exactly alike. This places the emphasis on the skill and tactics of the sailors rather than on the speed of the boat. In the Coed and Women's Dinghy events, a team's final score is determined by the combined results of its sailors in A and B divisions. In the Team Race event, the team with the best win-loss record in matches against all other teams is the winner. At the conclusion of racing on June 4, the ICYRA/Ronstan All-American Sailing Team will be announced. The Team will include both skippers and crews who have recorded outstanding achievements in college regattas throughout the year. The College Sailor of the Year, Sportsman of the Year and Team of the Year also will be announced. Ronstan International is one of the sailing world's most recognized marine hardware companies. -- Barby MacGowan, Media Pro Int'l ICYRA website: http://www.icyra.org/index.shtml BERMUDA RACE WEEK After a score of boats had been disqualified on the Alpha course Tuesday for sailing through the start/finish line gate, Peter Bromby (Bermuda) almost did it himself in Thursday's first race. Sailing downwind in the International Etchells Class Bromby was confused and thought he was finishing. Luckily, one of his crew warned him at the last minute before he would have crossed the line to DSQ. He headed up and barely scraped by the bow of the committee boat flagging his spinnaker then set off on the proper course. Peter Allen (Toronto) in the J-24 "Tempest" sailed boom and mainless through the two races. And he did very well considering. Allen sailed to 5th and 6th for the day. And ended the series in 4th place only one point behind Jim Burns (Vancouver BC). Stuart Jardine (UK) was first with 12 points in the eight race series. The protest room was active again with two competitors protesting Frank Keesling for an infringement of J-24 class rules by using a spinnaker which was not measured for the regatta. Each J-24 skipper provides one measured mainsail, one measured genoa, and one measured spinnaker. These sails are approved by the Bermuda J-24 Class Association and no other sails may be used without the Bermuda J-24 Class Association's written approval. Keesling was given a "DND" for Races 7 and 8. He was not allowed to drop the The I.O.D. Class saw another injury and a breakdown. Terri Hart (Bermuda) was struck in the head by the boom as the boat was doing penalty turns. She was briefly unconscious. As Terri was being taken ashore she asked five times, "How did it happen?" She has a huge egg on her head, but was not seriously injured. She will be a spectator on Friday. Winds were good at 15-20 kts at 075 degrees for the morning and about 12kts at 090 degrees in the afternoon. I.O.D.'s race without spinnakers in the first race because the wind was over 29. On the Bravo course there were races, not too much carnage. Christian Luthi broke his boom in the first race. All classes saw lots of retirees and DNC's. Two more races will be sailed tomorrow for the Snipes and comets to finish their series. The Lasers finished on Thursday with Sunfish champion Malcolm Smith coming first with 5pts, Brett Wright was 2nd with 10.75. He was followed by Christian Luthi with 13.75pts. Racing concludes Friday and the prizes will be awarded Saturday evening at the final Bacardi cocktail party for Bermuda International Invitational 1999. -- Talbot Wilson Results, commentary and photos: http://www.rbyc.bm DRESS FOR SUCCESS It's been proven over and over again - if look successful you'll feel successfuland ultimately be successful. It applies in business. It works on the racecourse. So what are you waiting for? Go where the winners go for their crew shirts and regatta apparel. Frank Whitton at Pacific Yacht Embroidery can help you as he's helped so many successful racing programs: 619-226-8033 / pacyacht@aol.com WORRELL 1000 "Nobody calls this race fun - it's a destruction derby for 20-foot catamarans and their crews." -- Motor Boating & Sailing Magazine The twelve remaining competitors started into a light northeast wind Wednesday morning. Pomodoro, Taipan, and Chick's Beach had little control in the light wind, and the surf almost pushed them into a muddled heap. At the last minute Randy Smyth, in Chick's Beach caught a puff and sailed off into second place behind Rudee's Restaurant. All the competitors had to tack out to get around a big pier just north of the starting line. Big Bros./Big Sisters and Lions Club International rounded the pier in third and fourth place. Guy Selsmeyer of Big Bros./Big Sisters is from from Michigan and Little Suamico, Wisconsin. Carl Roberts of Lions Inter. is from Brighton, Michigan. Both have necessarily learned to sail in the light airs of the Great Lakes and may continue to do well with this wind. A stronger sea breeze is expected to fill in from the south at 15 to 18 knots. 1 Chick's Beach (Randy L. Smith / Keith I Notary) 29:39:56; 2. Rudee's Rest. (Brett A. Dryland / Rod J. Waterhouse) 29:47:34 00:07:38; 3. Pomodoro (Hans H. Meijer / Brian J. Lambert) 30:40:45 01:00:49; 4. Worrell Bros. Rest. 31:06:08 01:26:12; 5. Tybee Island 31:16:34 01:36:38 Event website: http://www.worrell1000.com/ CHICAGO WOMEN'S SAILING CLINIC The Chicago Women's Sailing network is sponsoring a sailing clinic featuring 5 time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Betsy Allison. This 2-day clinic is this weekend Saturday May 15 and Sunday May 16. On Saturday will conduct an on the water clinic in J 22's. The clinic will run from 0800 to 1600 with a reception to follow. Saturday night will see Betsy giving a presentation titled, "Get Psyched for Sailing". This program is open to all with a $ 10.00 admission fee. Sunday will see Alison presiding over a regatta. Again J 22's will be the boats. The regatta is off at 0800. The cost is $ 75.00 for both days or $ 50.00 for one day. Call Alice Martin 312-214-8316 or Patti Smith for a registration form. Make checks payable to Patti Smith who can be reached by phone at 773-935-6503 or Fax at 773-935-1347. The location for this event is Chicago Yacht Club's Belmont Harbor station. -- Courtesy of the Torresen Sailing Site, http://www.torresen.com For more on the Chicago Women's Sailing Network: http://www.torresen.com/cwsn LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON The curmudgeon reads all of your e-mail (except jokes) but simply can't publish every letter. Those printed here are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. -- From Robert Bethune regarding yesterday's curmudgeon's observation -- The world has a lot more elbows than you do, so keep yours to yourself! -- From Kyle Clark, San Diego -- The basic premise of country vs. country in all-out technical warfare is not only a foundation of the event but adds lots of intrigue and pride. Switching to a strict one-design format would eliminate this all-important aspect. We need to make the A-Cup exciting to the masses who don't necessarily understand what is going on. When I worked the last two cups, the most popular portions were the fleet racing we saw in the World Championship Regattas and the exhibition races that were held in the bay. The public didn't really understand the nuances of what was going on but they could see the potential for carnage on the racecourse. 10 boats converging on the start, crossing tacks and rounding marks at the same time was infinitely more interesting than two boats drag-racing to one corner of the course. My suggestion is to get rid of the match-racing format. Let's have a series of fleet races a week at a time with three weeks between each series. Points would increase with each series, weighting the later series' more than the beginning races. During each break, the teams would be allowed to tweak the boats to try to improve over the competition. I believe this type of scenario would make for an extremely interesting event for landlubbers and be even more interesting to those of us interested in the technical aspects. If the public interest is there, cost won't be such an issue because the sponsorship will also increase. -- From John Fracisco- The following quotes came out of 'yesterday' but they echo a lot of the same sentiments expressed in the new issue of "Sailing World", and by other recipients of "Scuttlebutt." From the book "Racing with Cornelius Shields and the Masters", by Cornelius Shields -- "I'd like to see the America's Cup races become a competition purely between sailors. To accomplish this, the races should be sailed in truly one-design boats, and the skippers and crews should switch boats after each race. If the cup races were sailed this way, a debacle such as that of 1958 would be avoided--the possible differences between sailors are not nearly as great as the possible differences between boats. "There are those who say that the point of the America's Cup competition has always been to allow designers and sailmakers to compete against one another. This is simply putting the emphasis in the wrong place, and I want to see it put where I believe it belongs: on the sailors. Other people contend that racing in one-design boats would rob the competition of some of its glamour. I maintain that the boats can be as glamorous--as beautiful as and big--as the two countries involved care to make them. As long as they're identical, I--and, I believe a lot of sailors, too--would be happy. "Probably the sort of competition I suggest will never come to pass. If it should, however, we'd have truly fair and interesting racing. It's the only way to find out who the real champions are. "I repeat: let's put the emphasis where it belongs--on the sailors." -- Cornelius Shields -- From Seth Radow - Mr. Puckett and others have expressed many good ideas re the America's Cup: 1. One Design Racing. Never, in the history of the event was this what the event was about. It should never be. 2. Banning or limiting the use of exotic would limit innovation: Bad idea 3. Ban Asymmetric Spinnakers: I don't think this is where the big money is going. Some would argue that this would limit innovation as well. 4. Stability limits: potentially a good idea but it can limit innovation. I don't see how this will save big $ without limiting exotic materials which will limit innovation. Bad idea. 5. Scale the rule to make the boats smaller. This might reduce cost of each boat by about the 20%. The big money is not going into the boat however. It is going into R&D and maintaining the team. 60 feet does seem to be a sweet spot for boating. The size and grandeur of the 75-foot boats does add to the spectacle. 6. Fleet Racing??? In an America's Cup??? Now this will be a spectacle!!! I could imagine a fight for the TV rights to this. I like it... but I have no idea how this would reduce costs. I could see them going through the roof in terms of damage and repairs! Bigger, faster, stronger... in a word...better! That is what the America's Cup is about! All the mystery, intrigue, bickering and personalities... this is all part of the game from day one. -- From Eric Steinberg -- Ban Asymmetrical Spinnakers from the America's Cup? Please, let's not go there. I guess he's thinking that now that asyo kite are really popular and incredibly functional that we can take them away from AC racing? Seems to me that asyos were hardly seen before the AC, so I am glad the ban didn't occur in the AC years ago or we may never have seen the J/105, etc! After doing the PV race with asyos and long poles, I can't see why anyone would want to sail slower with symmetrical kites again. Long live the asyo! And no, I am not on a sailmaker's payroll... AUCKLAND UPDATE (The following are excerpts from DEFENCE 2000, which is available from John@roake.gen.nz -- US $48 per year.) The order book for New Zealand boat builders is at an all time high, and we are seeing New Zealand companies beating United States and European yards for business, all materially assisted by our lower than usual exchange rate. Northland Port Corporation has just won a contract to convert a former Greek tug boat into a luxury charter yacht, a contract worth NZ$5million. Meanwhile Alloy Yachts of Auckland have been receiving "call after call" for new luxury yachts since the exchange rate started falling last year. Sensation Yachts, also of Auckland, say they have NZ$70milllion worth of new luxury boat contracts ahead of them, an amount that would normally be done over a three-year period. RAY WALLACE Transpac veteran Ray Wallace of San Pedro died in April after a brief illness. He was 81. Wallace sailed several Transpacs in the 50s as navigator on various boats and was No. 19 on the Transpacific Yacht Club seniority list. Wallace, a staff commodore of Los Angeles YC and a renowned designer of classic boats and waterfront theme villages, is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons Jim and Rob, daughter Mari, brother Bill Steel and sister Marilynn Matisevich. AROUND ALONE Still at sea in Class II: 3.Yazykov (565 from finish) 4. Van Liew (1395) Event website: http://www.aroundalone.com THE CURMUDGEON'S OXYMORONS Rap music |
