|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2867 - Wednesday, June 17, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are Morris Yachts and The Pirate’s Lair. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE DUMBO SAILS? There are rules that regulate sail measurement throughout the sport. Under handicap systems, the rating of the boat is based in part on the size of the sails. For one design racing, each class dictates sail sizes and how they are measured. However, as sail material improved, and as sailmakers became more innovative, there have been instances of how the class rules allowed for unintended innovations. Not too long ago, the Optimist class weathered a loophole in their sail measurement rules that allowed for an extended roach sail, aptly referred to as “Dumbo” (for big ears). This report comes from the “If We Don't Learn From History, We're Bound to Repeat It” Department, as reprinted from the Optimist class newsletter (#57 Sep 2004): While the Optimist hull is very strictly one-design, the Class has always allowed a certain flexibility in sail design because of the huge variation in weight of even the top sailors (last year the top ten at the 2003 Worlds varied from 37 to 55kg). Strict one-design sails, we believe, lead to strict one-design sailors as can be seen in, for example, the uniform stature of top Laser sailors. In the second half of last year (2003) we became aware of experiments with extended roaches. Initially they were certainly within existing Class Rules, but by Easter 2004 we were seeing some very strange shapes indeed. Sailmakers around the world had studied the minutiae not only of our Class Rules but also the definitions in the ISAF Equipment Rules of Sailing to experiment with different shapes. Some of the more extreme were ruled, with the help of ISAF guidance documents, to be outside the Rules, but in general we adopted a "wait and see" policy. In particular we suspected that many of the sails would have an unacceptably short life span but this could obviously only be established by experience. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0616 TELEFONICA BLUE: DOWN BUT NOT OUT Their boat is broken and the crew's chances of taking second place in the Volvo Ocean Race are hanging by a thread, but Telefonica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking today revealed repairs were going well and insisted his team "will never give up". The crew suffered heartbreak on Sunday when they smashed into rocks shortly after the leg nine start, enduring a 90-minute battle to save the boat and free themselves before suspending racing and returning to shore. It left them with extensive damage to their port daggerboard, port rudder, keel bulb and the daggerboard casing, which split and allowed water to flow into the boat. They could only watch on helplessly as their rivals embarked on the 525-nautical mile sprint, made all the worse as PUMA, who led third-placed Blue by one point going into the leg, won the stage and opened a nine-point gap with only 12 to play for. That will shrink to seven if Blue formally retire from racing or opt to finish the leg, but at the moment Bekking plans to return to the water on Thursday morning with a view to racing Sunday's in-port race. "We intend to sail the in-port race," he said. "This has all been a big challenge and very disappointing, but we are just focusing on getting back on the water on Thursday morning, probably reaching Stockholm on Saturday morning or hopefully earlier.” -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/ndyvt9 * Update on Bouwe Bekking’s website: http://tinyurl.com/BB-6-16-09 * VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Began in Alicante, Spain on Oct. 4, 2008, crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Finish is in St Petersburg, Russia on June 27th. Leg 9 from Marstrand, Sweden to Stockholm, Sweden (525 nm) had started on Sunday, June 14th, with the next event to be the Stockholm In-Port Race on June 21st before the final leg (400 nm) from Stockholm to St Petersburg begins on June 25th. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org/schedule * SCOREBOARD: With Ericsson 4 having mathematically clinched the event, it has now become a race for second. If there was to be a tie between PUMA and Telefonica Blue, the later would win. Here is the rule: When there is a tie on total points between two or more Boats, the tie will be broken in favour of the Boat with the most first places counting Legs and In Port Races, and, if the tie remains, the most second places, and so on. If after completing the procedures described above a tie still exists, it will be broken in favour of the Boat that has the highest place on the last Leg. Any ties still remaining shall be broken in favour of the Boat that has the highest place on the next-to-last race (Leg or In Port race) and so on until all ties are broken. -- http://noticeboard.volvooceanrace.org/wp-content/uploads/nor-2008.pdf 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 108 points - WINNER 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 95 3. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 86 (88 if they complete Leg 9) 4. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 71.5 5. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 63 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 47 7. Delta Lloyd (NED), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 38 8. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 HULL #1 OF THE MORRIS M52 IS LAUNCHED! While entirely capable of crossing oceans and perfectly suited for extended cruising, the M52 is closely related to her successful smaller cousins M29, M36 and M42. With the unmistakable S&S lines and designed to be just as easy to sail, the M52 will complete the fleet of the M-series providing sailors with the unique option for a 52¹ yacht that doubles as the perfect daysailer! Morris was particularly pleased to build this boat for a family who owned a M42. They will spend summers in New England and winters south. To see photos: http://www.morrisyachts.com/The-Morris-M52 WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR: TROIA PORTUGAL MATCH CUP Hot on the heels of the hugely popular Korea Match Cup, the World Match Racing Tour heads for the Portuguese resort of Troia for stage 4 of the 10 event 2009 season. Sailed in the purpose designed SM40, the Troia Portugal Match Cup will see 12 teams racing for a share of the $69,000US prize purse and valuable World Championship points. Racing begins Wednesday, June 17th. Currently leading the World Match Racing Tour is ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing’s Adam Minoprio, (NZL), who has been in Valencia training on Victory Challenges SM40’s, hoping to improve on his 9th place finish in Troia a year ago. Second in the Tour standings is Ben Ainslie (GBR), whose last appearance at the Troia event was in 2005. Defending Troia Portugal Match Cup Champion Sébastien Col has yet to advance past the quarterfinals this season, and is currently 12th in the Tour standings. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/la8hqo GRIM FORECAST FOR COMMERCIAL SAILING EVENTS At the editor’s desk of Scuttlebutt, there is no shortage of press releases announcing the launch of new events or professional teams, with many of them badly needing the early press to have any hope of meeting their stated goals. When Paul Cayard and Russell Coutts announced their plans for the World Sailing League in February 2007, the sailing media - including Scuttlebutt - all bit hard. This week in Scuttlebutt 2866, Paul discussed the initial concept of the WSL, and why it failed to succeed. Taking a further look at the development of the professional sector of sailboat racing, Scott MacLeod, whose company Force 10 Marketing has owned and operated the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) since 2003, shared his thoughts: “As for pro sailing, there are two areas in the sport for professionals to make a living: self-supporting commercial events and existing events within the sport that permit ISAF Group 3 (paid) crew. The question is: Can professional sailing be commercially viable without the support of a patron (billionaire, rich owner, etc)? Right now the answer is no for a number of reasons.” -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/06/professional-sailing.html REMEMBER THAT TIME? By Rob Beach, APS Remember that time when the weather wasn't particularly fantastic for sailing? Remember that time when things just didn't seem to go your way at all the marks? Remember that time when you narrowly missed taking out two boats and as a result spun two circles? This past weekend I took the northbound Annapolis sailor bus (aka, the Thurs/Fri evening Southwest flight to Newport, RI)in order to sail the NYYC 155th Annual Regatta aboard the RP 55 Rima2. After a weekend of trying conditions, drizzly weather, and some tough breaks on the course we found ourselves deep in fleet of some tough competition. But Sunday night, southbound and surrounded by a flight full of familiar sun burnt faces each on their way back to the real world, I forgot about all of that. Remember that time when you got to race on a really neat boat against some of the best big boat sailors in the world? Remember that time you spent a weekend on and off the water surrounded by the people you had the honor and pleasure to sail that boat with and against? Remember how at one point in time those people were complete strangers and now thanks to the sport of sailing they're some of your favorite people in your life? -- Comments: http://blog.apsltd.com/2009/06/remember-that-time.html LIKE THE BAJA 1000, EXCEPT ON WATER Ocean racer Mike Mahoney said he enjoys the sport most when riding down a 15-foot wave as though his 42-foot sailboat were a surfboard. Although he and his twin brother Pat grew up sailing and racing on the (San Francisco) Bay, the ocean is another game altogether. "In the ocean you have to step up your game," said Mike, a Danville, CA resident. "The danger heightens outside of the Golden Gate, with waves breaking 15-20 feet." The brothers are scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning on their Catalina 42 MkII named the Irish Lady to sail in the (360 nm) Coastal Cup. This is the West Coast's premiere coastal ocean race and goes from the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco to Santa Catalina (Island); they are competing against 25 other boats. This race brings the brothers full circle, as it was 20 years ago at the age of 19 that they joined their father Denis on the 1989 contest, their first multi-day ocean race that included 35 knots of wind and 20-foot seas. It was that race, where they placed third, that set in motion their love for ocean racing. "Ocean racing is truly a test of not just skill, but endurance," said Mike. "It is like the Baja 1000, except on water. You just never know what she is going to throw at you." -- Read on: http://www.danvilleweekly.com/news/show_story.php?id=1661 BLOCK ISLAND, KEY WEST, BIG BOATS, CHI-MAC, N2E… The Pirates Lair rules the seas with custom graphics, tees, embroidery, Mount Gay Rum apparel and other regatta loot! If you have a regatta or team in need of gear log on to http://www.pirateslair.com for more info or call (888) 724-5286. SAILING SHORTS * There are now 217 boats registered for the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race, exceeding the entry total from a year ago. The 2009 race will include the addition of race tracking, a new rating handicap option, new course option to Cove Island, running of the Super Mac, and the partnership with Pure Michigan. Competing on the two course options (214 or 254 miles) begins on July 25th. -- Race website: http://www.byc.com/mack * The algae that threatened the Olympic Games sailing venue last year has reappeared in the Yellow Sea off the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, local authorities said Monday. The algae bloom, covering about 42 square kilometers, was drifting north at 9 km per day and was some 120 km from Dagong island of the coastal Qingdao city by Monday, said an official with the North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). -- Sail World, read on: http://tinyurl.com/mnzokv * When eighteen year old Oscar Mead (GBR) completed the 2009 Original Singlehanded Transatlantic Race (OSTAR) on June 15th as the seventh finisher, he became the youngest ever finisher in this classic race. When he started the 3000 mile OSTAR aboard his J/105 King of Shaves as the youngest ever competitor 21 days ago, Mead had already set his goal out as being the youngest ever finisher. In his own words, “It doesn’t mean anything to be the youngest ever starter, that’s do-able, racing the Atlantic , and finishing, that’s harder!” -- http://www.ostar2009.co.uk/newsFull.php?id=65&start=0 * CORRECTION: As pointed out in Scuttlebutt 2866, there was a typo in the abbreviated rules guide titled ‘Basic Rules That Every Racer Should Know’ which was included in Scuttlebutt 2865. The typo has now been fixed. Here is the corrected version: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0309 * ADDITION: Following Sally Barkow’s win last weekend at the 2009 Ficker Cup match race - thus becoming the first woman to sail into a spot in the Congressional Cup - the requests started coming in to learn who was on her all female crew. Here is the list: Annie Lush, Liz Baylis, Mary Rook, Katie Pettibone, Dana Riley, and Suzy Leech. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7663 BEHIND THE CLUB GATES By Ralph Stocek, Montreal Sailing Sailing is a skill, and an art. Sailing is a wonderful escape, and a challenge that improves character. Heck, sailing can be almost anything we want it to be. How about sailing is a socially redeeming pastime? Well no, not usually. Let’s face it. As much as sailing has tried to change its image from a snob’s sport, from an exclusive playground for rich people, how much do we really do to make sailing relevant for more people? Is sailing an accessible sport, or does it persist as a barrier between us and the rest? How much do we do to make sailing accessible to people, who for whatever reason, are shut out of the sport? Usually, not much. Yes, occasionally regattas raise money for charitable purposes. That is an important endeavour, but it doesn’t change the reality of sailing. Usually sailing has a primary prerequisite: money. Obviously, sailing has made some incremental steps. That is in keeping with larger social trends. I will even acknowledge that significant change has occurred. Sailing opportunities have improved. The pastime is not just for the upper crust anymore. Many clubs market themselves toward the upper middle class or the broader middle class. Very little exists for the larger population as a whole. Sometimes, it is simply the reality of the real costs that are the barrier. Some community-owned facilities are out there. Most waterfront is privatized. Worst of all, dinosaurs and intolerance persist. Some sailors are still looking for an exclusive, private social club with a country atmosphere. They are not trying to grow the sport, which is a different ambition (and not necessarily a progressive objective either). I have little patience for them. -- Read on: http://montrealsailing.blogspot.com/2009/06/behind-club-gates.html CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle will arrive last. Special thanks to Morris Yachts and The Pirate’s Lair. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
