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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 847 - June 29 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
GUEST EDITORIAL From time to time, discussion erupts concerning some aspect of inter-collegiate sailing. Ordinarily, I refrain from any broadcast comment, but occasionally reply directly to individuals. However, some of the recent comments about the All America Sailing Team selection process contain enough incorrect information that I feel compelled to respond in general. First, the All American Sailing Team is selected by a committee of seven individuals, one representing each of the seven ICSA geographical Districts. It is not a committee of three coaches from two coasts. In the early years of the Team selection, not every District was represented on the committee. In recent years, a consistent effort has been made to ensure the broadest representation. Second, very few people who have not served on the committee have even the faintest idea of the amount of preparation throughout the year that currently precedes the many hours of deliberation that then occur during the ten days of the spring championships. Full and complete records of skippers and crews are compiled, distributed, and discussed by the members of the committee. Individuals move up and down the various lists until the final selections are made. No system could hope to be perfect, but the current one used by the committee strives to give every candidate full and complete consideration. Some will note that, in recent years, a few teams may have multiple honorees while some whole Districts may not have anyone selected for the Team. The charge of the committee is to select the best collegiate sailors of the year, wherever they may come from, based on competitive achievement. If one looks at the results of the three recently completed ICSA championships (Women's Dinghy, Team Race, and Dinghy), one cannot escape the fact that the best performances are by teams from only a few Districts. While the leaders of ICSA sincerely wish that the level of competition might be more even throughout the country - and have, indeed, been investigating ways in which to foster greater balance - reality cannot be ignored. Some assume and state with assurance that the winner of any ICSA championship is, or should be, automatically selected a full All-American. In earlier years, such assumption and statement had some basis in fact. In recent years, that is not the case. - Mike Horn, ICSA website. Full posting: www.collegesailing.org/aaprocess.htm
MATCH RACING
SUPER COMPASS
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Skip Allan (edited to our 250-word limit): The history, creativeness, and controversy surrounding starboard tack ballasting in trans-Pacific racing is as old and colorful as the races themselves, and always elicits race time discussion and envy. Photos show the 1939 Transpac winner with a hard dinghy stowed upright on the starboard side, presumably a repository for deck equipment and sails. Starboard tack bias has even extended into the construction of Pacific racers, as at least one maxi-sled had its permanent furniture arranged so the boat heeled several degrees to starboard with nothing aboard. In fact, the near ultimate in creativeness came in the 1998 Pacific Cup when Pyewacket set the course record, assisted by the then legal use of water ballast bags externally hung over the weather rail in kevlar slings. But even this pales by the most humorous of scenes in the 1985 Transpac aboard the ULDB 70 Saga. When the wind came aft and the spinnaker was set on the third day, Tom Blackaller, inshore race, sailmaker, and raconteur par excellence, couldn't believe we were going to carry 300 pounds of wet jibs the remaining 1500 downwind miles to Honolulu. He reached into his duffel, wrote the owner a check for the headsail inventory, and ordered the crew to jettison all the jibs overboard. Cooler heads prevailed and the check was not accepted. But Blackaller never let us forget it - every time he came on watch we'd hear, "Just think how much faster we'd be going if we weren't carrying all these damn sails." * From Julie Hahnke (re: Morgan Larson's editorial in #846): I think rule 51 - Movable Ballast is pretty clear; If the ballast - whether it be water, sails, food or even cans of ham - can be moved, then it shall not be moved for the purpose of changing trim or stability. If you stow your gear on the starboard side, it can't be moved (or removed) to change the boat's trim or stability later in the race. If you needed to shower and were going to (NOT because you wanted to lighten the boat), then you can shower. If you're only showering to lighten the boat, and you'd otherwise put up with your own aroma, then you can't shower. Likewise, if you're eating the canned ham because you're hungry, then bon appetite. If you're biting into it so you can pitch it overboard then you've broken rule 51. I can't imagine you'd ever unzip your sail bags hoping they'd scoop up water, unless you were looking to alter boat stability, so leave the zippers zipped. How enforceable is this? Well, that question leads us right into rule 2 - Fair Sailing. In sailing we don't simply follow the rules that we expect to be enforced (like driving over the speed limit). Rule 2 says that we have to follow all of them. It's largely an honor system. So rule 51 isn't likely to be easily enforced from without, but rule 2 puts the onus on every racer aboard to see that it's enforced from within the boat. * From Nick Barran: Pacific Cup does have at least two specific rules on trim. The first is that at inspection "yachts shall exhibit negligible port or starboard list", without crew, sails, life rafts or provisions on board. The second is that and yacht shall not start with a list to starboard of greater than 2 degrees. This is checked at the dock prior to departure. Thus, it is OK to store containers of water on the starboard side, and use them for generous showers or dump the contents as being surplus to requirements after the first few days. The only requirement is that yachts finish with the emergency water supply of one gallon per person. As to throwing ham away after one bite per can, the adoption of the Save Our Seas, (a Hawaiian marine research and education organization) recommendation that "no garbage be dumped, period", which has been adopted in previous years by TransPac, would eliminate that probably apocryphal occurrence. * From Glenn T. McCarthy: The answer to Morgan Larson's question about the legality of his weight observations are quite simple. The first step is the Fundamental Rule of Fair Sailing (RRS #2) http://www.sailing.org/rrs2001/part1.html and of course Movable Ballast (RRS 51) http://www.sailing.org/rrs2001/part4.html. The second step is, that a protest would need to be filed, and a hearing be held, which is the only way to ascertain a violation of the rules. Now think about the politics. Most (all?) judges I have worked with are the most conservative bunch around. It is normal for them to decide issues towards the strictest sense of a rule, not a liberal interpretation. I haven't heard all of the testimony or seen any evidence, but I suspect I know how judges might rule given the testimony presented so far. * From Rod Carr: Fin Beven misses the mark when he says that the US should take back its control over American Sailing. We never lost it. Those of us who sail radio controlled model yachts have long understood that the ISAF Rules are the procedural consistency that is required for US sailors to learn the methods and protocols necessary to compete effectively in the International arena. The American Model Yachting Association (AMYA) requires absolute compliance with ISAF RRS at National Championships, strongly urges it to be used at Regional Championships and counsels individual model yacht clubs to use RRS for local club racing for the benefits accrued for training skippers who wish to rise to the top of the competition heap. However, AMYA has always bowed to local traditions or procedures that resulted from local conditions and are applied to local events. As soon as skippers from more than one club meet, AMYA pushes hard for RRS to be used. In 33 years of trying, we have been pretty successful in using ISAF RRS where is was most valuable and appropriate, and yet left individual clubs the flexibility to establish their own local racing. AMYA's job is to point out that when the RRS are used at the local level, it trains skippers in what to expect at the upper levels of competition. So in my opinion, there is no logical way to see the situation as a "them vs. US". "US" gets the benefit of RRS and can use it appropriately as we determine. * From Rob Mundle: Jet skis, those aquatic lawn mowers with the potential to destroy the serenity and silence of every peaceful anchorage on the planet, have been banned from Sydney Harbour. The only whining we will now hear is from the jet ski jockeys. * Scott J. MacLeod: I won the ' 83 single-handed nationals in my sophomore year at Tulane and was selected to the All-America team in that year and two more years. I don't think I did too much else that year in college sailing. Bruce should have definitely been selected. He won a National Championship! * From Nicole Breault: Bruce Mahoney is no doubt an accomplished sailor. The All American selection process is no doubt a subjective selection process. Subjectivity is no doubt something which draws criticism. But without subjectivity involved in the All American selection process there would be many good sailors who would go unrecognized. If All Americans were simply the winners of the national championships, then why not let the perpetual trophies display the names of All Americans and do away with the honor badge all together. However, with all of the variables involved in the game of sailing, and with all of the different highly competitive collegiate regattas that go on (in addition to national championships), I think that would be a mistake. And even if you attempt to reform the selection process by having more "objective" people make the required "subjective" decisions, there will still be grounds for criticism from the outside. Simply look at the way competitors often disagree with judges' decisions in the protest room. Bruce, don't think that you got screwed by the system. Remember, actions speak louder than words. Your championship results cannot be disputed, whereas All American status can. The mere fact that Scuttlebutt readers are criticizing the system should indicate that your rockin' performance at Singlehanded champs means more. * From Ned Roseberry: While it seems as though the senitment on Bruce Mahoney among the 'butt forum is unanimous, I hope the disappointment people are reflecting about this apparent oversight/mistake doesnt take anything away from the accomplishments of all the other talented College sailors who were named All-Americans, and in particular to Tyler Pruett, College Sailor of the Year. * From Dierk Polzin: The facts are that the number of All-Americans coming out of districts outside the Northeast and Middle Atlantic have decreased dramatically over the last 10 years. Is this good for college sailing, I think not. Can it be rationalized in some way? Sure, it correlates with the number of ranked Teams in Sailing World. Who ranks teams in Sailing World? Predominantly coaches from the East. The question in my mind and many others is, 'What does a guy have to do to become All-American, if winning Singlehandeds and 7th at A-division of Doublehanded Nationals is not enough then what is?'. Are those championship regattas really only given the same weight as any other Intersectional. 75% of the Intersectionals are in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.When the non-core districts petition to add intersectionals to try to negate this disadvantage, ICSA grants even more intersectionals to the core districts, many of which are on the same weekends, relegating these non-core intersectionals to perpetual "minor" status. Two of the main non-core intersectionals are on the same weekend Thanksgiving.
OLIN STEPHENS
TRANSPAC Meanwhile, the heretofore bleak weather reports brightened considerably with a promise of trade winds along the southern track, although none of the eight Aloha Division boats had found them yet. The Alohas are harbingers of the 33-boat fleet that will be complete after Divisions II and IV start Saturday and Divisions I and II go Sunday. Mark Rudiger, the Transpac and victorious Whitbread Round the World Race navigator, said, "I was pretty encouraged this morning. It's definitely looking more traditional. If things keep shaping up this way, it's potentially record-breaking weather." Rudiger will be aboard a potential record-breaking boat: Philippe Kahn's new Reichel/Pugh 75 Pegasus. - Rich Roberts Class leaders: Aloha A: Shanakee II (Pedrick 75), Jim Warmington, 1,825 miles to go; Aloha B: Axapac (Wylie 39), Barry Ruff, 1,869 mtg. - www.transpacificyc.org CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: The curmudgeon went aboard the new Pegasus on Thursday. Attention to detail? Oh yea! Most impressive details? It just has to be the gimbaled head with the Kevlar seat — or maybe the Kevlar toothbrush holder complete with 12 new toothbrushes. Pegasus may have topped the carbon fiber wine rack on Jim Demetriades' new Transpac 52, Yassou.
HELP WANTED
JUNIOR OLYMPIC NATIONALS Nearly 250 young sailors submitted applications to sail Laser, Radial, Europe, Club 420, and 470 dinghies in the Championship, and for a chance to become members of the 2001 US Junior Sailing Team. Laser sailor Andrew Campbell (San Diego, CA), Club 420 team Michael Anderson-Mitterling and Graham Biehl (San Diego, CA), Europe sailor Abigail Sloan Devlin (Mystic, CT), 470 team Stuart McNay (Chestnut Hill, MA) and Ross Anderson (Preston, CT), and Radial sailor Matthew Stine (San Juan Capistrano, CA) are new members to the Team. - Penny Rego Complete results: http://www.gromurph.org/jonationals/ For more information: http://www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jo/Nationals/
BLOCK ISLAND In the one race that the Farr 40s successfully completed, Newport, RI's Jim Richardson won his third race in a row aboard his Barking Mad, while John Thomson skippering Solution from Port Washington, NY logged a second place in three consecutive starts. Bob Towse's Reichel/Pugh 66 Blue Yankee from Stamford, CT, won two races today in the IMS big boat class, consolidating her lead over Bache Renshaw' s Nelson/Marek Virago from South Dartmouth, MA. A starting line collision in the PHRF big boat class between the English Sydney 60 Yes, sailed by Adam Gosling and Azien Van Vemde's Swan 60 Sotto Voce from Newport, RI, resulted in the disqualification of Sotto Voce. Yes withdrew from the race but was awarded average points and enjoys a three-point lead over Richard Breeden's Riechel/Pugh 73 Bright Star from Greenwich, CT going into the final day of racing. - Keith Taylor Complete standings: http://www.blockislandraceweek.com/
FLYING DUTCHMAN WORLDS
X RATED The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, holder of the America's Cup, has had its brand hijacked for pornography on the internet. For just $US35 ($80) Canadian Christian Francoeur, of Quebec, took one of the squadron's two addresses for its website on June 11, after the organization failed to keep up payments to protect it from brand-poachers. Members of the elite yachting club are bracing themselves for hefty costs to get it back. The squadron is taking legal action over a website address which is now a webpage that shows various x-rated pictures. The address defaults to a page showing 19-year-old "Tina" in states of undress. The club's other site, www.rnzys.org.nz, remains unaffected. Yacht squadron commodore Peter Taylor said the lost address "slipped through the system" and the organization was now being held to ransom by the new owner. "The person who picked up the name wants to sell it back to us. "Our view is that we should not have to pay for it ... It is a modern form of blackmail." Mr Taylor said he was outraged about the site's content and the organisation might sue for damages. - Bridget Carter, NZ Herald Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Bridget's story failed to identify the URL that was 'hijacked:' www.rnzys.org
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
