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SCUTTLEBUTT 2758 - Tuesday, January 13, 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. Today's sponsors are Special thanks to North U and Camet. IAN WILLIAMS: WORLD MATCH RACING CHAMPION In December 2008, Brit Ian Williams claimed his second consecutive World Match Racing Tour title. Here he provides a look into this segment of the sport. * How long have you been competing on the World Match Racing Tour? How has it changed during this time? WILLIAMS: I have been on the tour for 3 1/2 years and in that time the teams have got much more organised and consequently the depth in the field at each event is now better than ever. This was particularly evident in the 2008 tour with no team consistently dominating. Indeed, we won the tour with only one event victory and it was the fact that we made six out of nine semi-finals that won it for us. * Having won the tour the past two year, is a three-peat in your plans for 2009? WILLIAMS: Yes, absolutely - we plan to do the World Match Racing Tour with Bahrain Team Pindar in 2009, so will be striving to make it three in a row. * You were the only team to sail all nine events, with the teams sailing 8 of 9 events finishing 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 in the standings. Getting to all the events seems to help. Can only a sponsored team have a chance at doing well in the season championship? WILLIAMS: My guess is that at least the top six on the tour will have covered their expenses for the year through the prize money they have won, so it is not absolutely necessary to have a sponsor. That's the great thing about match racing as opposed to pretty much any other type of sailing where you really do need help from a sponsor, benefactor, or federation. Having said that, three of my teammates have families and certainly we all get to the point in our lives where just covering expenses is not sufficient. The model I used, and I think most other teams do as well, is that you start off unsponsored, make your name, and then try to find a sponsor so that you can carry on to the top. In my case, I had a World Championship Silver Medal before I joined with Pindar but their support, along with that of Capita Symonds, has enabled me to win two championships since. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/tt WHAT DO THE FANS THINK OF SAILORS? Many people in sailing believe that the way to encourage more people to engage with the sport is to create heroes. Sailing sports fans are an afterthought for a lot of event organisers, which is why perhaps the industry should wait a little while before adopting a rating scale like that used by Millsport (http://www.millsport.com) to assess what fans think of Motor-racing drivers. While Jimmie Johnson may have won his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. who’s won the hearts of NASCAR race fans according to the Motorsports DBI (MDBI). In a survey of avid NASCAR fans, Earnhardt Jr. scored the highest across each of the index’s nine attributes. Johnson ranked fifth. The attributes that fans were using included: trust, appeal, influence, and passion. It’s an interesting exercise to contemplate for sailing - especially for potential sponsors. While the Olympic sailors would rank highly on passion - they may not rank highly on influence (until retirement). The current America’s Cup crowd would rank pretty low on trust and appeal, but high on influence. Those in the Vendee Globe would score highly across all. -- Excerpt from Yacht Sponsorship: http://www.yachtsponsorship.com/2009/01/what-do-the-fans-think-of-sailors RECOGNIZING SPORTSMANSHIP Sportsmanship is a word that we hear nearly every day, but what does it mean? Everyone who competes in any form of athletic endeavor is expected to display it and although it can be difficult to define or describe, we all recognize it when we see it. Demonstrating good sportsmanship is very noticeable and necessary in competitive sailing. Whether it is the conduct of the skippers and their crew, or even the event organizers or race officials, cooperation, courtesy and fair play are essential to the continuation and growth of competitive sailing and to keep our sport fun. How you race is as important as how you finish. The W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. National Sportsmanship Award, presented annually by US SAILING, recognizes an individual who best exemplifies the spirit of sportsmanship in sailing. Nominations are now being accepted, and must be submitted no later than February 1st. -- Full details: http://www.ussailing.org/sportsmanship NEW US SAILING RULES SEMINARS Next Up: Minnesota, Maine, Ohio, Massachusetts; with forty more to follow. New Racing Rules took effect January 1. US Sailing Racing Rules Seminars are now underway. Presented by North U, the seminars cover all the rules - new and old - and include a Racing Rules Workbook created by Dave Perry. US Sailing members save $40. Check the schedule and sign up by visiting NorthU.com or by calling North U at 800-347-2457 or 203-245-0727. -- http://www.northu.com PUMA TEAMMATE GOES ON INJURED RESERVE (Jan. 12, 2009) - Chris Nicholson is set to miss the next few legs of the Volvo Ocean Race due a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained on the second leg from Cape Town to Cochin. The 39 year-old Australian watch captain on PUMA sustained the injury when his knee took the brunt of a crew mate's violent tumble on deck. "I was hanging on the mainsheet pedestal and one of the guys got washed down the deck and bashed straight into my knee," he explained. "It was quite funny until the pain set in. My foot was out here sort of thing so my initial reaction was to push it straight back. The pain was intense. I was choking. The guys wanted to take me down below but I told them just to put me on the sail stack so I could just look at the sky and breathe for five minutes. If I had gone downstairs I would have been ill. So I stayed there for a while then they took my clothes off put me in a bunk and gave me some drugs." -- Read on: http://linkbee.com/9IQ The fleet begins Leg 4, the 2,500 nm route from Singapore to Qingdao, China, on January 18, 2009. Current standings after Singapore In-Port Race: 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 39 points 2. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 33.5 points 3. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 31.0 points 4. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Anders Lewander/SWE, 24.0 points 5. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 22.5 points 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), F. Echavarri/ESP, 22.5 points 7. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 points 8. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 10 points Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race replay and tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com RACING RULES QUESTION A supplier claims that application of its product “…has reduced the residual resistance, associated with drag viscous resistance, by 6%.” Once applied, this “wax” will last about 60-80 hours of sailing. Is the use of this product is allowed under the racing rules? (Answer below). THE PROFESSOR IS IN PHASE (Jan. 12, 2009; Day 64) - For Vendee Globe learder Michel Desjoyeaux, he passed Cape Horn a week ago with a lead of 112 miles to begin his final leg north in the Atlantic toward the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne, France. In seven days he has increased his lead to the best part of 340 miles this afternoon, and as the wind veers more NE, with his nearest opponent Roland Jourdain now tucked in his pocket 275 miles away inshore, toward the Brasilian coast, the prospects for Desjoyeaux - aka The Professor - look increasingly favourable. Jourdain said today that he has yet to press the accelerator hard since making his repairs after hitting a sea mammal Thursday, and has been sailing especially carefully - trying to reduce the slamming on Veolia Environnment - a task which is not proving easy in more than 40 knots when the optimum course is upwind. Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (Top 5 plus of 30 entrants; 12 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, 4912.7 nm Distance to finish 2. Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement, 342.9 nm Distance to leader 3. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 714.5 nm DTL 4. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 1716.2 nm DTL 5. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 2013.8 nm DTL 8. Dee Caffari (GBR), Aviva, 2973.4 nm DTL 10. Rich Wilson (USA), Great American III, 4947.0 nm DTL Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en SAILING SHORTS * 48° North Sailing Magazine and Harken have released the list of the Top 25 PHRF race boats in the Pacific Northwest. Scores are based on following over 350 boats over the 2008 season and turning selected races over the year into a series, with number of boats beat as a tie-breaker. The top spot was won by Brian Watkins and his crew aboard his Express 37, "Declaration of Independence." Earning a spot on the Top 25 list rewards not just consistent, excellent sailing, but participation as well. The more you race the better your chances. -- Complete list: http://www.48north.com/jan_2009/top25.htm * ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final will be held at Veleiros do Sul, Brazil, March 23-28, 2009. Brazil, as a country headquarters, has already guaranteed its place in it, and will determine their representatives at the Brazilian National Selective March 4-8, at Veleiros do Sul. The Nations Cup Grand Final counts the participation of ten countries in each division. Europe, Oceania and Asia have already defined their representatives for Open and Women’s categories. Representing North America in the Open and Women’s Division are Americans Dave Perry and Anna Tunnicliffe, respectively. A list of entries is posted here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0109/ * CORRECTION: Dave Perry, Chairman of the US SAILING Appeals Committee, had provided Scuttlebutt a list of seven rule changes that he found to alter the game of sailing. Regrettably, there was a typo in the explanation for Rule 17.2 (On the Same Tack; Proper Course). It is now corrected, and all the information can be found here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0108 A BIGGER AND BETTER NEW YEAR! As we gear up for another successful year, we look forward to outfitting you and your team for Key West and many other regattas to come. At CAMET we are proud to have the best sailing shorts in the industry and our dealers are ready to make you look good on and off the water. So give them a call or check out our website! Feel good... Get out and sail! -- http://www.camet.com/?Click=1104 RACING RULES ANSWER Regarding surface coatings that are applied to a hull, yes, they are allowed under the racing rules. Rule 53 prohibits the specific action of releasing a substance into the water while racing. Using a preparation prior to racing that is removed by the water contact with the hull does not break Rule 53. Consideration of class rules may result in different answers. -- http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/QA2009001-[6743].pdf 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 Peter Harken (re, Nick Scandone) I am still in absolute awe and admiration of this special human being I sincerely wish to have met. His attitude of life; it's mine to live, I make it, good or bad, period. What struck me was the similarity of his attitude regards his decease misfortune and my father's misfortune and how they handled it. My brother, mother and I managed to escape during the Japanese invasion of Indonesia in WW11, but Dad as a civilian decided to help fight and was imprisoned for almost 5 years in a pretty brutal concentration camp. When we got reunited end of '45 and after the huggin, kissin and crying, he simply put his arms around us and said, "War is hell, life's not always fair, let's get on with it!" And he and my Mother never looked back, never whinged about it and gave us a great life. Nick Scandone -- Lou Gehrig's disease is hell, life's not always fair, BUT what Nick did for all of us in sailing, his tremendous legacy; the man put the long reach of his arms around all of us and, "Let's get on with it!" And what a great life he gave to United States sailing! Folks, times are tough, oh really? We owe Nick tribute; "Let's get on with it!" * From Ed Furry, Sail22 LLC: (re, coaching thread from Issue 2755) I am all for coach boats off the race course as all powerboats should be. But I work with a lot of amateur drivers that want to improve. I already know we have a disadvantage over teams with a pro driver. That is why we look for coaching to get us closer to where the pros are. No one is allowed to get coaching during races. Never have been - never will. However, if we wait until the end of the day we lose the opportunity to fully learn from our mistakes. Last time I checked we are still the only sport where amateurs can truly compete against the top level pros. So if the pros are using coaches to win, why should we limit the amateurs from getting the same coaches? If you think it is unfair then why don't you ask for a list of coaches that can help you get closer to the pros. If you have an issue with paying money for a coach then that is your choice for not wanting to improve. But there are a lot of sailors out there that want to spend the money to get better. Not because they have it, but because they have the drive to get better and feel spending money on a coach is how to do that. And the issue to talk about in the next article is how to pick a coach that works for both your budget and your personality. * From Tom Donlan (re, coaching thread): I am generally opposed to professionalism of all kinds in sailboat racing. But since that horse left the barn some time ago, I suggest full disclosure. Any competitor engaging a coach should be required to disclose the fact and to disclose the contract he has with the coach, including the amount he pays the coach. * From Ray Tostado: (re, letter in #2757) I hope my fading mind is correct. The devices suggested as to installing tracking devices on all containers is a recognized historical innovation. But for some reason, the international bodies, governments, whom might have the authority to require such have decided not to. What would you suggest? It seems to me that shippers do not want the liability associated with the discovery that their container caused liable damage to a vessel. Or, even that the "loss" is better than the recovery in terms of insurance. Remember, the legal concept of institutional "insurance", began back with 16th century shippers, Dutch, British shippers I believe. LLoyds? I realize and sympathize with your concerns regarding a collision, but, we are weak voices in an ocean of commerce. I made the suggestion once, and was ridiculed for making such, that every container have a 72 hour water immersion valve at which time it would automatically be flooded and sink to the bottom to join Davy Jones and his chorus. This included ballast for materials which might prevent such an intentional sinking. Being a boater at the Long Beach/LA Harbor area it is nothing unusual to witness arriving commercial container ships with gapping empty spaces amongst the stacks and slack cables indicating containers lost at sea. * From John Turvill: Toby Cooper (in Issue 2757) suggests someone could make money from 'an inexpensive seawater-activated tracking device that could signal the position of containers at sea' - it seems to me that the device exists and is called an EPIRB. Current cost less than $1000 and per wikipedia: Automatic EPIRBs are water activated, coverage is global and each transmits a unique serial number which can include "identification of the… (container?).... in distress". Concerns: battery life and the statistic that 97% of current EPIRB alerts are false alarms. However, if I continued dreaming a little along Mr. Cooper's money making concept, the value proposition could come from a) Captain: you just lost a container - especially if in the future there was a direct financial penalty for 'dumping' containers at sea; b) Mr. Customer: you won't be getting your shipment, what would you like to do about it? c) Salvage. d) Plotting the positions in real-time for sailors so they can avoid them! e) New information on surface drift! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." -- Ernest Hemingway Special thanks to Special thanks to North U and Camet. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
