|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2751 - Wednesday, December 24, 2008Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsor is Seahorse Magazine. GUEST COMMENTARY: SPONSORSHIP AND SAILING The discourse last month in Scuttlebutt regarding sponsorship had elicited over fifty submissions from the ‘buttheads, with a really long and comprehensive one from Benjamin Jarashow. Here is something to mull over during the holidays: "In certain classes (I can specifically think of the Stars, Etchells, J/24, and Melges 24), most competitors I know of do LIKE to compete against pros - interestingly, of those classes, they span the range of Advertising allowance..... The Melges class is a good microcosm, I think, of allowing sponsorship, which makes it easier to field a professional team, which keeps the level of competition very high, which keeps interest for competitors, viewers watching an event, and other prospective sponsors. An upward spiral, hopefully. That said, I do seem to recall many discussions over the years about how to tread that fine line. The Melges 24 class’ embracement of the "Corinthian division" seems to be effective presently. "My understanding is that sponsorship is more prevalent in Europe, for various reasons - one is simply that sponsorship is more accepted a practice across the board there. The branding on sports team jerseys, billboards, etc. is much more obvious and obnoxious - but it's what they are used to (as opposed to the backlash against banks buying naming rights on stadiums here). I have been led to believe that the tax codes are friendlier to corporations spending money for sport than is the case here. "The sailboat racing world is going to divide up into classes that people want to sail - every owner wants something different for his or her racing experience. Part of that decision right now includes whether the owner wants to race in a class where pros are allowed, or sponsorship is allowed, etc. Once part of a class, they are part of the membership which, generally speaking, gets to be a part of the decision if the class wants to change its regulation. In the case of the handicap classes, they are generally handled locally - your local PHRF-board, or Yacht Club may choose whether IT wants to allow these things. Owners that travel to Key West know what they are getting into, and they may certainly choose to go to some other event where there are Category A advertising rules, instead of Cat. C. They'll probably spend less money to go to some other event anyway. If a grass-roots team wants a certain racing experience that includes no pros and no advertising, there are classes like the J/105 that are very successful classes with close racing and lots of boats." -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6647#6647 NO HOLIDAY PRESENT FOR TEAM RUSSIA (Dec. 23, 2008) - Team Russia today announced it has suspended racing upon arrival in Singapore at the end of Leg 3 due to insufficient funds to continue the campaign. The team has been seeking sponsorship in recent months to secure enough financial support to continue to Qingdao and beyond. However no sponsorship has been forthcoming and the team has no alternative but to suspend racing until further financial support can be secured. “From the outset, it was always a goal to bring commercial partners into the project,” said Oleg Zherebtsov, the Team principal. “Until now, I have financed the team with my own money, in advance of anticipated sponsorship funding. By this stage in the Volvo campaign we had intended to find sponsorship, but this process has been impacted by the global economic situation.” Cessation of racing also means that Team Russia is unable to continue its partnership with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). The team was proud to “Sail For The Whale”, during the first three legs of the race and was instrumental in spreading the call for safe habitats for whales and dolphins around the globe. WDCS is very proud to have been a part of this race and will continue to work for the creation of 12 large marine protection areas by the year 2012 and will find new ways to work with the international sailing community as well as the general public to achieve this goal. Delta Lloyd, struggling since December 18th with a damaged canting keel system, finished today to complete the conclusion of what had mostly been a light air upwind route. The next event for the Volvo Ocean Race teams will be the Singapore In-Port Race on January 10, 2009. After that, the fleet will begin Leg 4, the 2,500 nm route from Singapore to Qingdao, China, on January 18, 2009. -- Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Finish positions for Leg Three from Cochin to Singapore (1,950 nm). 1. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, Finished Dec. 22, 14:51:22 GMT 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, Finished Dec. 22, 15:08:01 GMT 3. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Anders Lewander/SWE, Finished Dec. 22, 15:09:48 GMT 4. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, Finished Dec. 22, 15:10:28 GMT 5. Telefonica Black (ESP),Fernando Echavarri/ESP,Finished Dec. 22,17:36:23 GMT 6. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, Finished Dec. 22, 22:49:36 GMT 7. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, Finished Dec. 23, 00:08:25 GMT 8. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, Finished Dec. 23, 20:07:05 GMT Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Current standings after Leg Three 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 35 points 2. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 30.5 points 3. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 27.5 points 4. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Anders Lewander/SWE, 23.5 points 5. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 20.5 points 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), F. Echavarri/ESP, 19.5 points 7. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 points 8. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 9 points Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 HOLIDAY SPECIAL FROM SEAHORSE MAGAZINE Looking for that last-minute stocking-stuffer gift? Seahorse Magazine is offering a special holiday subscription offer to Scuttlebutt readers: For a limited time, save up to 45% off the cover price and up to 30% off the normal subscription price to the world's leading international performance sailing publication, published monthly from the UK. Until December 31st, new 1-year subscriptions are available for $65, and new 2-year subscriptions available for $99 for airmailed monthly delivery to addresses in the US and Canada. For secure online orders, go to http://www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs and enter promotion code DOBBS603487 to take advantage of these special rates, or contact Dobbs Davis directly at mailto:seahorse.usa@earthlink.net EQUAL PARTS RISK AND REWARD (Dec, 23, 2008; Day 44) - Michel Desjoyeaux has been in the fast lane of the Vendee Globe since December 16, but it looks like the speed limit has just been reduced with Foncia and Veolia Environment slowed by a ridge of high pressure, and the two pairs of boats which have been fighting to stay with him are now hitting the accelerator hard whilst they still can. Racing on a near-parallel track, the third and fourth-placed duo of Sébastien Josse (BT) and Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) have made significant gains, with Josse eager for the race to become more of a tactical battle and less about sheer speed. As already demonstrated amongst the breakdowns within the fleet, high speed involves equal parts risk and reward. Things will soon change again, however, thanks to a thundery low-pressure area coming down from Auckland: this low is generating moderate northerlies, which will back SW'ly and strengthen to 35 knots with some very strong gusts. This new front will particularly affect the leaders Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement). As for the medical status of Yann Eliès, he was successfully operated on in Perth, Australia to have a pin fitted to his femur, and it was good news to find that his ribs were not fractured. Mike Golding is also making steady progress on the dismasted Ecover 3, and should complete his 1000 nm to Fremantle by Christmas Day (local time). -- Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (Top 5 plus of 30 entrants; 18 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, 11111.1 nm Distance to finish 2. Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement, 54.7 nm Distance to leader 3. Sébastien Josse (FRA), BT, 146.5 nm DTL 4. Jean Le Cam (FRA), VM Matériaux, 163.3 nm DTL 5. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 373.6 nm DTL 8. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 1508.7 nm DTL 11. Dee Caffari (GBR), Aviva, 1987.5 nm DTL 15. Rich Wilson (USA), Great American III, 3129.5 nm DTL 16. Derek Hatfield (CAN), Algimouss Spirit of Canada, 3278.2 nm DTL Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en HOLIDAY HELP NEEDED FOR USA WINDSURFING In an effort to improve the USA’s future Olympic Windsurfing results, the Windsurfing Task Force (WTF) would like to send our country’s top junior prospects to the 2009 Techno 293 Windsurfing World Championship this August (the Techno293 is the de facto breeder class for future Olympic hopefuls and this year’s world championship is being held in the location of the 2012 Olympics at Weymouth, UK). This is a chance for everyone to put their money where their mouth is and help turn things around for a brighter future (even $5 or $10 could make a difference - we already have $2K matching grants from US Windsurfing). It starts with helping juniors race and becoming competitive on an international level. Thus traveling to the world championship with our top prospects is an important element on the path for future success. Contributions to this cause are made here: http://www.uswindsurfing.org * To help the cause, the progressive WTF t-shirt is available for sale, with each purchase of a t-shirt helping to send the top USA talent to compete in the world championship: http://www.zazzle.com/wtf_t_shirt-235899483082186985 BOAT FAILURE DUE TO PREVIOUS GROUNDINGS A lawsuit against Cape Fear Yachts took a new turn last week when a US Coast Guard report concluded that the cause of the sailboat's failure was due to improperly repaired damage to the keel rather than any manufacturing defect. The widow of a sailor who drowned aboard a Texas A&M University racing yacht initiated a lawsuit against Cape Fear last summer, alleging that shoddy manufacturing and poor design contributed to the shearing of the keel. But a US Coast Guard investigation into the accident concluded that the boat failed because it had not been repaired properly after numerous earlier groundings. The sailboat failed on the night of June 10, about 10 hours after the start of a race from Galveston, Texas to Veracruz, Mexico. Roger Stone, a Texas A&M safety officer on board, pushed two students through the doorway of the cabin before being trapped inside the cabin. -- IBI Magazine, read on: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20081123022509ibinews.html GAME ON New Zealanders now have the option to bet on yacht racing. Yachting New Zealand has reached an agreement with the New Zealand Racing Board which allows TAB - which runs all betting on racing and sport in New Zealand - to conduct betting on yachting. Most major New Zealand sports have allowed betting for some time, and this is sanctioned under section 5 of the Racing Act 2003. Yachting New Zealand's Chief Executive Des Brennan says, "Most sports funding is sourced from gaming activity, and when Yachting New Zealand sought the views of members last year, we found that there was little strong opinion against the move." While it is not foreseen that funding from betting will be a major source of income, it is hoped that it will be a useful one. It is also hoped that any promotion of events carried out by the TAB will increase the visibility of yachting and increase interest in its principal regattas. -- http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/Home.aspx WILL THERE BE A RISING FROM THE ASHES? Loki, the replacement for Stephen Ainsworth’s previous boat of the same name that had to be abandoned during the 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race when its rudder broke, was fast-tracked by McConahgy’s so the new Reichel/Pugh 63 can be amid the 100 starters for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on December 26th. The owner, sailing master and many of the crew sailing in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart aboard the brand new Loki were airlifted off the stricken Loki (previous boat, a Reichel/Pugh 60) in October last year as it foundered off the northern coast of Sicily in stormy conditions. The boat couldn’t be salvaged but at the time, sailing master Cameron Miles posed the question, “Will there be a rising from the ashes?” -- Race website: http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com * Photo just prior to going aground: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/1102/ 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 Reynald Neron: (re, letter in #2570; edited to the 250-word limit) Rasa Bertrand asks why do Aussie tax payers (as in...me, for instance!) pay for rescue efforts in the southern ocean every time a Vendee Globe (or Volvo race, or any other race) comes by? It is simple: Because they also would like to be rescued if they get in trouble anywhere else in the world. That is why all the nations came together some years ago and signed a treaty (somewhere in Germany I believe), agreeing to share the oceans of the world and be in charge of rescuing people in the areas under their responsibility. Under that treaty, Australia's responsibility covers an huge area, given the size of the country, and the fact that they are in charge of the waters all the way to Antartica. That treaty covers the people, not the property (as in... boats) which is why the yacht of the Vendee Globe sailor was left drifting. I also would like to point out that France is rescuing more Australian every year, in the Alps, when young Aussie backpackers get in trouble in the mountains. They do it free of charge too. Obviously, France also rescues people at sea in the Med and Atlantic area, Caribbean, South Indian Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, due to their overseas territories. (And to make sure I disclose all the information about me, I am both French and Australian, I work at sea and pay my taxes in Australia...) => Curmudgeon’s Comment: This debate often surfaces following these amazing rescues. With the Holidays upon us, this thread is now closed. * From Capt. Gary P. Joyce, Aquebogue, NY: (re, Photos of the Week in #2750) I hate to be a stickler, but that's either an M-60 or a M-249 SAW on the nose of the CG Defender-class boat in Tom Causin's (of Ashburn, Virginia) shot of the in-port racing from the Volvo in 2006. It definitely isn’t a .50 ... * From Jim Durden, Southern California: (re, Nile photos in #2570) One of my main reasons for going to Egypt in April was to sail a Falucca on the Nile. We sailed around Elephantine Island, as the early Egyptians did thousands of years ago, with little difference in the classical design, but a big difference in modern materials. No, not carbon fiber, or mylar, or even fiberglass, but all Faluccas' on the Nile these days are made of steel. The way those guys sail, if they were made of wood, they would be toothpicks in less than a month. The three-hour sail was an experience of a life time, but just like sailing anywhere in the world, just when you need wind, it dies. Fortunately, the local powerboat shuttles understand the sailors' dilemma and graciously towed us back to our mooring, no fenders needed. * From Andrew Troup, New Zealand: Once again keel canting rams - or the structures mounting them - are failing offshore. The most recent example is the wonderfully cosmopolitan Dutch/Irish VOR entry with the highly respected Argentinean designer. This is actually a 'much-modified' ABN Amro One, so some of what I have to say may not be applicable in this specific instance, depending on the extent of the modifications. If a pattern of failures emerges in a new generation of VOR competitors, this may be a cause for deeper concern. Ahead of this possibility, while there's still potentially time to do something about it, I care to provide a few observations, hopefully in sufficient depth to at least be meaningful, possibly useful. It goes without saying that this is the last area one would *want* to see failures. It is also the last area I would *expect* to see failures, for reasons I hope to explain. -- Read on and post comments here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6829 * From James Marta: (re, close VOR finish in #2750) I was a crewmember aboard Scaramouche in the 1973 Transpac when we sailed for five days and nights within sight of its sister ship, Aura. We finished but a very few minutes of each other and Scaramouche corrected first in Class "B" by 42 seconds! That was close for a 2,225-mile race to Hawaii! CURMUDGEON’S HOLIDAY WISH On my wish list for Santa is a final resolution to the America’s Cup legal quandary, a smooth transition to the 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing, the launch of new Olympic dreams, the sparks that grow the sport, and a week’s vacation. Since I can only control the last item, I will take it now to enjoy the holidays. To all the Scuttlebutt readers, contributors, and sponsors, thank you for another great year. Best wishes from the Scuttlebutt team - look for the newsletter to return January 5, 2009. Special thanks to Seahorse Magazine. Please give consideration to supporting Scuttlebutt sponsors. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
