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SCUTTLEBUTT 2688 - Wednesday, September 24, 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. SALVAGE CREWS ROUND UP HUNDREDS OF VESSELS Galveston, TX (September 21, 2008) - Technically, Cliff Rodrigue's offshore fishing boat is still tied to the same dock where he left it before Hurricane Ike roared ashore. But now, the dock and Rodrigue's boat, Hot Sauce, are resting on the shoulder of Interstate 45, yards away from the marina. Rodrigue, who bought the offshore fishing boat six months ago, had never gotten a chance take it for a spin. Across the island, salvage crews are trying to move hundreds of boats from their new resting places, where they were pushed inland by Ike's tidal surge. There are boats in roads, in yards, in parking lots, in medians and on the base of the causeway. Working to clear the paths for rescue crews, debris removal crews unceremoniously shoved landlocked boats, worth more money than some homes, into piles along roads. Boat salvage crews, when they were finally allowed back on the island, hastily recovered what was left. Boats docked at Payco Marina in Galveston washed ashore at the base of the causeway, dragging with them pieces of pilings and piers. State authorities told salvage crews they had until Monday to clear the wreckage before they demolished what was left, said Chris Cotter of Land and Sea Services, a boat salvage company based in La Marque. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/SButt092308a * Updates from local yacht club websites: Houston Yacht Club: http://www.houstonyachtclub.com/ Texas Corinthian Yacht Club: http://www.tcyc.org/ * U.S. Coast Guard helicopter video: http://tinyurl.com/SButt092308b WHO WILL WIN THE ISAF ROLEX WORLD SAILOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS? ISAF and Rolex have announced the Nominees for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2008. ISAF received nominations from across the world representing all aspects of the sport in two categories - male and female - and now have shortlisted five candidates in each group. Mixed among the Olympic medalists are the top ranked male and female match racers, both who have dominated their field, along with the solo, non-stop around the world record holder and the three time Farr 40 Worlds champion. Put your bias aside, nationalistic or otherwise, and cast your vote on who you find to be truly the most deserving nominees. Vote here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/08/0923 VOLVO OCEAN RACE - 10 DAYS TO GO * PUMA general manager Kimo Worthington anticipates tough competition for overall race honours from the Ericsson Racing Team, but he expects another blast from the past to steal a few of the headlines along the way. "After seeing that ABN AMRO ONE boat in the last race I would think Delta Lloyd is more than capable, first generation boat or whatever, of scoring some good points in this race," he said. "In boat terms, there is not a lot wrong. There have been developments in a lot of areas since the last race, but not huge changes. "When I was at Pirates, there was a bigger gap in terms of performance between us and ABN AMRO ONE than there is now between that boat and the current fleet. Cumulatively, though, Worthington thinks the international crew on Ericsson 4 will be the tough out of the gate. He said: "They have huge resources, a good backer and the benefits of two-boat testing. I think you'd have to say, at this point before anyone has raced anyone, that they are favourites. -- Complete story: http://tinyurl.com/SButt092308c * (September 23, 2008) - Training begins again today in Alicante for the Media Crew Members (MCM), the embedded reporters who will, for the first time in the history of this race, sail onboard each boat in the fleet racing in the Volvo Ocean Race. Using the HD video cameras, both fixed and handheld, the MCM will record the rollercoaster ups and downs of life onboard and then edit the material and transmit it to Volvo Ocean Race Head Quarters (RHQ) in quantities ranging from 95 minutes for the longest leg and 10 minutes for the shortest leg. In addition, they will be taking still photographs, record audio interviews, and file written stories and crew blogs. While the MCM is not permitted to help sail the boat, they are allowed to cook, empty the bilges, and be used as ballast. Additionally, the MCM will participate in an international environmental study on the discharge of ballast water from ships. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org DOYLE 1,2,5 AT 2008 ETCHELLS NORTH AMERICANS For the sixth time, Jud Smith won the Etchells North American Championship. Jud Smith, Mark Johnson, and Nik Burfoot won the Championship with 9 points. Hank Lammens, Dirk Kneulman and Dwayne Smithers came in 2nd with 17 points. Wade Edwards, Justin Muller, and Tim Platt finished 5th in the 30-boat fleet packed with pros and former Etchells Champions. Presented by Pat Stadel and awarded to the top all amateur crew, Wade's team won the Corinthian Cup. When you want to put in a winning performance, contact your local Doyle loft: 800-94-DOYLE, http://www.doylesails.com DEATH DURING ALINGHI'S CLUB'S ANNUAL REGATTA Cannes, France (September 23, 2008) - Wilf Tolhurst was killed today when two British yachts collided in 20-knot north-easterly winds and confused seas on the opening day of the Regates Royales in the Bay of Cannes today. Tolhurst, 64, with his son as one of the other seven crew, was at the helm of his 8-Metre Safir and said to be trying to avoid a right of way boat, British America's Cup boss and Admiral's Cup team captain Graham Walker's 1912-built 65-foot Nathaniel Herreshoff-designed Rowdy. At 35 tons, Rowdy would be over twice the weight of Safir. The 8-Metre was dismasted and Walker's bowsprit, which was locked between Safir's mast and its forestay, was snapped. Making the announcement, Jean-Claude Montesinos, president of the Yacht Club de Cannes, said that, although Tolhurst was lifted off and rushed to hospital, he was thought to have died instantly, hit by the mast and boom as it crashed down. He added that the Tolhurst family had said that they wished the regatta, which finishes on Saturday, to continue. It was the first death in a regatta celebrating its 30th anniversary. All the rest of the 168-boat fleet will carry black tomorrow. The regatta is used by Societe Nautique de Geneve, the club which is the holder of the America's Cup, to fulfill the Deed of Gift requirements that they host an annual regatta on the sea or an arm of the sea. Geneva does not meet that requirement. -- Stuart Alexander, The Independent, full story: http://tinyurl.com/SButt092308d FIND IT IN THE ARCHIVES Curious who won the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards after the last Olympics? It was Robert Scheidt (BRA) and Sofia Bedatorou/Emilia Tsoulfa (GRE). How about the first boat to finish the 2003 Chicago Mackinac Race? It was Randall Pitman's Dubois 90 Genuine Risk? Whatever you have read in Scuttlebutt is stored in the Archived Newsletter section of the Scuttlebutt website. Any newsletter you might have missed is posted there too. To make it easier to find information, there is a Google search tool there that will specifically search only the Scuttlebutt website. Find it all here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/archivedMonth.asp?year=2008 LUFF SO THE LUFF CAN LUFF The Laser Training Center in Cabarete, Dominican Republic played host to Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe and 16 other athletes that competed at the 2008 Olympic Games, providing equipment, coaching, and ideal sailing conditions, The center is now in the final stages of producing a Laser boat handling DVD to allow the everyday sailor to see and learn from the same footage the Pros use to get even better. However, they are faced with some translation issues, and are struggling to find words or terms that exist in many other languages, but not in English. One of the issues they face is for the many uses of the English word 'luff'. An example is that the leading edge of the sail is the luff, the opposite of bearing away is to luff, and when the leading edge of the sail is flapping the sail is luffing. Comments Ari Barshi of the Laser Training Center, "In English you can ask a person to luff (head upwind) but then scold him for luffing, as his sail is flapping with no force."As a result, Ari is eager for alternate words to describe the flapping of the sail in the leading edge that is NOT luffing. Ari is also looking for a word that describes a sudden and forceful extension of the body to windward. This is usually done when completing a tack in light and medium winds. Once done, the sailor sits back in the boat or begins to hike in continues mode. (By the ISAF Rule book the word is maybe Torque, but most people think of torque as a repeated fore and aft motion). Post your suggestions here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6427 SAILING SHORTS * The names of the members of the New Brunswick province's sailing team at the 2009 Canada Summer Games have been released by the New Brunswick Sailing Association. They are Catherine Richards (Laser Radial), Chris Thomas (Laser), Meredith Evan and Erin Moir (Women's 29er), and Alex Black and Kelvin Galliland (Men's 29er). The 2009 Games will be held out of the Summerside Yacht Club in Prince Edward Island, Canada during the first week of the Games, scheduled for August 15-29, 2009. -- Full story: http://kingscorecord.canadaeast.com/onyourmark/article/423418 * The Maltese Falcon, considered to be the most technologically advanced yacht in the world, will be making its first trip to the continental United States, entering San Francisco Bay on Saturday, September 27th. Owner Tom Perkins is bringing the 289-foot yacht into the bay in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's third annual XOJET Leukemia Cup Regatta on October 4-5, 2008. The Maltese Falcon will enter the bay at 2:00pm at low tide because the masts rise 191 feet over the water and there will only be about 20 feet clearance under the Golden Gate Bridge. -- http://www.symaltesefalcon.com * CORRECTION: In Scuttlebutt 2687, the US SAILING report noted that Sayville Yacht Club was hosting the U.S. Championship of Champions in Sunfish, and that racing would be on Long Island Sound. Actually, the boats will be launched from the beach at Blue Point onto the waters of the Great South Bay, on the southern shore of Long Island. -- Event website: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC PRICING DISCOUNT AT J WORLD SAN DIEGO It is an exciting time at J World San Diego as never before! With refurbished boats, new sails, a new location, and a new website we have. new energy! Our Staff is ready to help you escape to your 'Happy Place' on the water each and every time you visit us. The summer goes on and on in San Diego so book now for a one-time special of 20.08 % off any course or membership booked before October 11, 2008. To Contact J World San Diego about our special and to check out our new website, click here: http://www.jworldsandiego.com/contact 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 Barrie Harmsworth, ISAF Youth and Development Committee member: (re, story in #2686) Andrew Hurst's comments show sympathy for emerging nations but he is wide of the mark. The cost of boats is not the inhibiting factor for these nations but rather the cost and time to develop sailing as a sport. ISAF has a programme called "Connect to Sailing" and this project is addressing that problem amongst a few select nations. For an emerging nation to become one of the sailing family it is essential to attract the young and hold them during their teens. Without this happening the chance that they will need any sort of Olympic class is remote. It has become apparent that the progression from Oppy to Laser 4.7 then Radial and finally the Olympic class standard rig holds the best promise. During that time, the sport has to be run by a member national authority, either government or private sponsored, and competent trainers have to available locally (and in most cases funded). As "Connect to Sailing" has found out this is no mean task and it requires dedication, money and above all patience. That it would be as simple as a low cost boat then we would have many more nations in ISAF. * From Sally Burnett, Secretary, International Optimist Dinghy Association: With reference to Andrew Hurst's article in Butt 2686 may I make the following points: 1. A way HAS been found to "introduce more emerging nations into our great sport". The International Optimist is currently sailed in 110-120 countries, double the number of 15 years ago. For example in Africa it is sailed in 14 countries of which 10 were represented at the recent Optimist African championship. 2. It is possible to "produce an exciting and attractive small boat for under $1,500 using local labor". In the past 12 months four separate manufacturers have supplied or quoted "emerging countries" for "top-level" Optimists at under USD 1,600 (USD 1,100-1,200 with entry level sails and spars). 3. Andrew draws the comparison with "a perfectly workable small car". The Optimist is more than a perfectly workable small boat: it survives in the bumpiest conditions, lasts for at least ten years due to virtually indestructible spars and "old-fashioned" Dacron sails, and is built in 20 countries. Last year more than 4,300 Optimists were sold which suggests that the real market finds them sufficiently "exciting and attractive". Optimist Class success in introducing more emerging nations into our great sport is fully documented at http://www.optiworld.org/07-08activity.pdf * From David Barrow, Lymington, Hampshire, UK: Regarding Ted Jones's comments (in #2687) on Andrew Hurst's letter on the stitch and glue boat, I think you will find that the boat he had in mind was the Mirror dinghy. Over the last thirty years or so some 70,000 have been built, it is not the prettiest boat, but almost has a VW beetle type of quality about it. It is a great father and son trainer and has got a big competitive following after all these years. I believe two girls, Anna and Holly, won the World Champs in South Africa last year; you might want to keep an eye out for them in the future. It was designed by Jack Holt and the construction was developed by a do it yourself guru of the time called Barry Bucknell. It was sponsored by a red top newspaper called the Daily Mirror. 10's of thousands of these boats were built in garages all across the UK for a few hundred pounds and we are still seeing the results of this with many current champions in other classes having started in a mirror dinghy. It is easy to be complacent and say that big money will always win there are many other little street fighters who are out there who would beg to differ. Good idea for Seahorse to develop the idea, we need another Mirror but using new materials? * From Wilder Lewis, Sutton, Quebec: (re, story in #2687) Please, give me, and most intelligent sailors, a break from the mealy-mouthed words and self-serving actions of BMW Oracle. They can't really think that we believe that rot about saving sailing and the integrity of the Cup as they flood our bilges with Ehmanisk words in a vain attempt to justify their greed and failure on the water. Yup, Alinghi ain't no heroes but the smarmy words coming out of the GGYC make the Swiss seem almost gentlemenly. I read Scuttlebutt every morning with my coffee but the milk is turning sour so I think I'll give it a rest. What a shame. * From Bruce Munro: Tom Ehman may be getting a lot of heat from the sailing world for being such an active supporter of the litigation against Alinghi, but I applaud him for it. The Alinghi protocol and phony Challenger of Record made a mockery of the America's Cup that should not be allowed to stand. The clearest proof of that is the desertion of the event by Louis Vuitton and such long time stalwarts as Dyer Jones. The real question for Ehman should be what BOR will do if it should win the next America's Cup. Will they continue with the same system that lets the winner call all the shots for the next event or will they reform the event so this nonsense cannot happen again? Put another way, will they take the high road or the low road as Alinghi has done. * From David Tabor: (re, the America's Cup) WHO FREAKING CARES anymore? I can honestly say my apathy meter is pegged at 10 now. Or as the song says, MY GIVE A DAMN'S BUSTED. I thought I didn't care last year but I realized after reading yet another story about the bickering that I just don't have any interest. Not one iota. I don't even care how the court rules on whatever the current issue is to be decided. (they ARE still in court aren't they?) I've been enjoying actually SAILING, and talking sailing, and working on the boat, and thinking about skipping work, and well, you get my drift. And reading about the Nick Scandone/Maureen McKinnon Tucker Gold Medal! You know. things that actually matter. Jeez. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world and I can take you out." Special thanks to Doyle Sails and J World San Diego. 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