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SCUTTLEBUTT 3087 - Friday, May 7, 2010
Scuttlebutt 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.
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Today’s sponsors: Schaefer Marine and Team One Newport.
AMERICA'S CUP DETAILS KEPT TO A MINIMUM
(May 6, 2010) - The seven hills of Rome were due to roar today but instead
could muster little more than the squeak of a mouse when the first major
announcement about the next America's Cup was proclaimed in the majestic
forum of the Musei Capitolini on the imperious Piazza del Campidoglio.
What the fans wanted, but those in the know did not expect, was a combined
blueprint from the San Francisco-based holder, the Golden Gate Yacht Club
and the official challenger, the Club Nautico di Roma. On the stage were
Russell Coutts, who, in addition to a knighthood and an Olympic gold medal,
has won the America's Cup four times for three different countries, and
shipping magnate Vincenzo Onorato, owner of the Mascalzone Latino team.
No venue for the next event was announced - bids are still being considered
from both the United States and Europe - nor even a date, though both 2013
and 2014 were put in the frame. The boats to be used are a matter of
discussion between the defender and various potential challengers, though
design work is being done on both a monohull and a multihull by Bruce Nelson
and Peter Melvin due to be released by September 30.
That is a month after the protocol for the next Cup is to be published with
both the regatta format and rules (on August 31), plus a decision on the
venue being announced on December 31.
The challenge period will have opened in October, but closes on January 31,
2011, leaving some of the potential teams which have yet to put their
funding together dismayed at how little time will be available.
They will also need to make decisions on where they establish their training
bases. Also missing was any concrete structure for the event organisation
group, though Coutts reaffirmed that the racing will be controlled “by an
independent, neutral and professional authority.” -- Stuart Alexander, The
Independent, read on: http://tinyurl.com/379kkd8
* The one-plus hour press conference is being replayed for the next few days
online: http://www.livestream.com/34thac
BOATS AND PLACES
(May 6, 2010) - For the 34th America’s Cup, the two burning questions are
what type of boat will be used and where will the event be held. As
announced today, the requirements of the new America’s Cup Class rule are:
- It should produce dynamic and close racing
- It should use advanced, efficient and cost-effective technologies
- It should be distinctive and epitomize the pinnacle of the sport
- It should be able to race in any venue in winds from 5-35 knots
The ability to race in all venues and in most wind strengths is vital to
make race scheduling reliable for fans and broadcasters. “Delays kill
interest. Even the hard-core fan doesn’t like having to wait for enough wind
to race,” said defender CEO Russell Coutts.
Coutts confirmed that American sites were not the only ones under
consideration. But he noted: “Every candidate city knows that a very strong
case has already been put forward by San Francisco.” Cities in the USA and
Europe are under consideration. Regular racing in multiple locations Host
cities are also being sought for a series of regular racing for Cup teams.
This racing will be integrated into the America’s Cup, in a plan developed
in conjunction with the World Sailing Teams Association. -- Full report:
http://tinyurl.com/26u8s7v
SCHAEFER’S SOLVES BIG PROBLEM FOR “ATHOS”
Schaefer Marine’s patented articulating mast track in now in use on the
masts of the 203 ft. sailing mega yacht “Athos”. When underway, Schaefer’s
entire track articulates so the batten ends and luff bolt rope move as one
when the sail is trimmed. So the bolt rope, which otherwise would have been
subjected to 750kg of forward thrust from the battens, is effectively
protected by the batten ‘seats' designed into the solid aluminum extrusion.
This articulating sail track also allows the “Athos” crew to furl her sails
with full-length carbon battens, entirely into her boom. -- Additional
details here: http://www.schaefermarine.com/press/021110.html
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: I am so pleased to have Schaefer Marine as a new
Scuttlebutt advertiser. Since 1966, they have been providing great products
such as the articulating mast track, Tuff Luff Aero slotted headstay system,
jib furlers, and in-boom furling System. Check out Schaefer Marine at
http://www.schaefermarine.com
NEW EVENT CONCEPT PROVING TO BE A WINNER
East Greenwich, RI - If you asked 10 people how to create a new event in an
already crowded summer schedule and make it grow in a difficult economy you
would get ten different answers. The East Greenwich Yacht Club (EGYC) has
done it by offering something for everyone that enjoys spending time on the
water and making it easy to participate. With many different classes, free
moorings for visiting boats, and throw in a great party with plenty of food,
EGYC’s Annual Regatta Weekend is quickly becoming a key event on the West
Bay.
The event was launched last year to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary,
where more than 500 sailors and 95 boats participated in the inaugural
regatta. “Competitive sailors will always come out for a race which gives us
a great foundation to build off of,” said Udo Schroff, event chairman.
“However, our goal when we created this event was to give the cruising
sailors and power boaters a chance to get in the game and bring the family
along as well. This is what is unique about our event and where we’re
anticipating further growth this year.”
With more than 44 boats already registered, event organizers expect another
sold out regatta this year. Scheduled this year for July 16-18, the weekend
kicks off on Saturday with a competitive pursuit race with classes for
sailors of all levels, a spinnaker class for the hard core racer,
non-spinnaker for the short handed racer and a family cruising class for
everyone else. Power boaters will be challenged by the predicted log
competition where they will estimate their time plotted between various
points, and One Design sailors will compete on Sunday. -- Scuttlebutt,
Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9794
SCUTTLEBUTT TRIVIA
The Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) hosts three major high school
championships during each school year:
- Cressy Trophy - Singlehanded Fleet Racing, fall semester
- Baker Trophy - Team Racing, Seattle, WA, spring semester
- Mallory Trophy - Doublehanded Fleet Racing, spring semester
Name the students who have won the Cressy, the Baker, and won either ‘A’ or
‘B’ division at the Mallory in the same school year? (Answer below)
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
"When we committed ourselves to supporting Franck Cammas back in 1998, he
was a young sports entrepreneur, who was just discovering the multihull
scene. Twelve years on, he has won virtually all the crewed races and racked
up no less than six records, including the legendary Jules Verne Trophy on
20th March 2010. By confirming our commitment to the next two editions of
the Volvo Ocean Race, namely until 2015, we are supporting the Group's
international development, which makes 30% of its turnover overseas and
employs over 11,000 employees outside France. Groupama is today identified
as the leading vessel owner in French sailing. With the Volvo Ocean Race,
this presence will further develop overseas.” -- Frédérique Granado,
Groupama's director of external communications, http://tinyurl.com/24rjwk8
SAILING SHORTS
* (May 6, 2010; Day 17) - Prolonged rain squalls with winds up to 70 knots
have shuffled the Clipper 09-10 Round The World Yacht fleet and left some of
the teams licking their wounds. Adding insult to injury, as the storms
passed they left headwinds in their trail off the Costa Rica coastline.
Regardless, the ‘Spirit of Australia’ team still holds a 5nm lead over
‘Qingdao’ with 432 nm to Panama, where the nine teams will transit the canal
before resuming the race to Jamaica. -- Event website:
http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com
* Barbados, West Indies (May 6, 2010) - Chips Howarth & Vyv Townend (GBR)
won both races today, and have won the Fireball World Championships for the
second year running. There are still two races scheduled to be sailed on
Friday, May 7, but Chips and Vyv have been so commanding in their
performance that it is now impossible for the 70 boat fleet to catch them.
Of the eight races sailed so far, the British duo have won six of them,
finishing third in the other two. -- Event website:
http://www.fireball-worlds.com/
* In the wake of what could be the largest oil spill in US history, leading
yacht paint manufacturers Interlux and Awlgrip offer boaters in the impacted
areas the following tips for the cleaning of contaminated antifouling and
topcoat surfaces surfaces. -- Details:
http://www.homeportmarine.com/marcom/interluxnews.html
* Larchmont Yacht Club (Larchmont, NY) and American Yacht Club (Rye, NY) are
hosting the second annual Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with
disabilities June 3-6. The regatta is named after Robie Pierce, a driving
force in national and international disabled sailing for over 20 years. A
life-long sailor diagnosed with MS in 1985, Robie was instrumental in the
development of the US Disabled Championship (an event he won three times)
and adding sailing to the Paralympic Games. Entry deadline is May 15th. --
Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9779
* Ten chosen teams representing Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and
California will compete in the Inaugural Youth Match Race Clinic & Regatta,
hosted by Balboa Yacht Club (Corona del Mar, CA) on May 14-16 in Governor's
Cup 21's. Now named the Andy Rose Championship Cup (“ROSE CUP”), the winning
team will be invited to compete in the 44th Annual Governor’s Cup
International Junior Match Race Championship to be held at the same site in
July. Details:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9781
* Construction of the Juan Koujoumdjian designed Volvo Open 70 for the
Groupama team has commenced at the Multiplast yard in Vannes, France. The
team expects the build to take 10 months till her scheduled launch on 15th
March 2011. With the purchase of Ericsson 4, winner of the last edition of
the Volvo Ocean Race, the team is performing an increasing number of sail
trials offshore of Lorient in Brittany, where the Team is based. -- Full
story: http://tinyurl.com/24rjwk8
* CORRECTION: The link to the ‘Recruiting, Baby, Recruiting’ story in
Scuttlebutt 3086 was faulty. Here is the correct link:
http://tinyurl.com/23s7b4p
MORE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIALS!!
Hey Scuttlebutt readers, here is another Team One Newport 25th Anniversary
Special just for YOU! We have some Magic Marine wetsuits from previous years
(visit http://www.team1newport.com/searchprods.asp) for $25 for a shorty or
$50 for the long john. You need to put SSC25 in the search box and add it to
your order to get the special pricing. We will adjust the pricing before we
ship. Or you can always call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) to talk to a team
member. There aren't a lot of these left so HURRY!
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt
include shwanky events in Rome, shwanky events in Barcelona, boats getting
moved, kids having moved, Fireballs moving, trimaran flying, monitor image
for May, college prep, and masts falling. Here are this week’s photos:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0507
SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week,
send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Freelance producer, director, cameraman, editor Digby Fox presents five
brief segments from Antigua Sailing Week 2010. Watch Caribbean sailing at
its finest, with six challenging days of racing in some of the best sailing
conditions in the world combined with the famous Antiguan hospitality. Click
here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/10/0507/
* EXTRA 1: Videographer Vince Casalaina produced a video for the 2009 Snipe
World Championship in San Diego that received an Emmy Nomination for ‘Sports
- News Single Story or Series’. Here it is on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SehrtbdxQX8
* EXTRA 2: Bailing a small dinghy while racing at top speed is bound to lead
to compromise, or does it? Here is a new technique that may have solved the
problem of hiking the boat flat while getting rid of water, demonstrated on
the college circuit by Daniel Dalgleish called ‘The Inverted Bail’. Here it
is on Sailgroove: http://tinyurl.com/29v52zd
SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week,
send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
TRIVIA ANSWER
Sherri Campbell, whose company One Design Management provides administrative
support for the ISSA, offers this reply to the question if any student had
ever won the Cressy, the Baker, and won either ‘A’ or ‘B’ division at the
Mallory in the same school year:
“This took a little research but I’ve found that there is no sailor who has
won the Cressy, Baker and Mallory ‘A’ division. There are, however, two
sailors who have won the Cressy, the Baker and been the winner of ‘B’
division at the Mallory in the same school year. They are Mikee
Anderson-Mitterling in 2001 representing Coronado High School (Coronado, CA)
and Parker Shinn in 2003 representing Point Loma High School (San Diego,
CA).”
Seeking to become the third sailor to do it is Max Nickbarg of Antilles
School (USVI), who will take his Cressy title this weekend to the ISSA
Doublehanded Fleet Racing Championship (Mallory Trophy), which are being
hosted by Indian Harbor YC at Greenwich, CT. -- ISSA:
http://www.highschoolsailingusa.org/
LETTERS AND FORUM
Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, ‘The
Curmudgeon’). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer
than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). 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 Bill Canfield, past commodore, St. Thomas Yacht Club:
About 12 years when the current crop of college sailors from St Thomas were
still in Optis, Dennis Connors visited STYC, told the parents to go away and
talked with the kids about sailing. His main theme was that coming from The
islands was a real disadvantage in becoming a good sailor because the strong
constant breeze, lack of current and general good conditions made it too
easy. To be good, he said, you had to come from a place like Annapolis or
San Diego where you had light air and tougher conditions. I believe that
little speech spurned the kids on to prove him wrong.
One of the real positives that I believe made a difference to these young
sailors was the two or three long weekends a year when we brought down a
coach from Florida named Elizabeth Kratzig. She is the best junior coach I
have ever observed and those few days a year had a huge impact on my son
Taylor and I believe on all the Caribbean sailors she has worked with over
the years. We generally saw a big jump in skills after she left. Good
coaching is wonderful thing but it should be distributed in "manageable
bites" and not in "glutinous feasts" especially for young sailors
There is no perfect answer on why programs develop good junior sailors but
in our case the proof is in the pudding
* From John Glynn, BEYC:
In looking at Scuttlebutt 3086, and reading about the success of a small
island yacht club like St. Thomas YC, I couldn’t help but wonder if having a
role model like Peter Holmberg (Olympic medalist, AC skipper, Match Race
guru) so accessible (and in such a small fishbowl) played into the equation?
Congrats to St. Thomas YC from the Bitter End YC!
* From Doug Weitz:
Regarding the coverage of the U.S. Optimist Team Trials in Scuttlebutt 3086,
I thought you might find the following facts interesting about this year’s
event:
1. 14% of the 185 competitors were from California.
2. 27% of the top 15 finishers were from California.
3. 20% of the top 50 finishers were from California.
I believe these are all records for us and certainly affirm the West Coast’s
assimilation into the Class. Not to sound like Billy Mays, but there is
more. We have two permanent USODA Regional Championship events on the West
Coast: the WCC, which is hosted annually at Southern California venues and
another, the PCC, which is hosted at Northern California/Washington/Oregon
venues. This year’s PCC will be hosted by Seattle YC at the Gorge August
14-15 and the WCC will be hosted by CalYC September 11-12.
Of course, we were quite fortunate to have had the U.S. Optimist Nationals
hosted by CBYC last year. In addition, we now boast a significant amount of
local events, including the four regatta Harken Series (CYC, CBYC, SFYC,
St.FYC) and the five regatta SoCal Series (SBYC, VYC, CBYC, LAYC, MDYC).
And, Santa Barbara YC will be hosting the Opti’s for the first time ever in
a SoCal Junior Olympic Festival July 15-18.
Not bad for the land of fruit & nuts (and Sabots).
* From Jamie King:
I have been following the discussion on Jessica Watson’s wonderful
round-the-world achievement. While not a ‘circumnavigation’ in the strict
sense (it clearly doesn’t pass the antipodal points test), it does raise an
interesting question for me.
Based on a map showing the typical round-the-world route (see link below),
it would appear that many events, notably the Vendee Globe and the Trophee
Jules Verne don’t qualify as a ‘circumnavigation’ because their tracks also
don’t pass two points antipodean to each other.
Can anyone confirm if the Jules Verne is actually a ‘circumnavigation’ in
the strict sense, or just a ‘round-the-world’ event, as the WSSR record
would seem to indicate?
Map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CircumnavigationByCapes.png
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumnavigation
* From Robert Keefe:
With all this talk about yacht clubs, it is surprising to me that there has
been no mention at all of just how important alcohol and drinking is to
yacht club life, and the sports of yachting and yacht racing. Until just a
few years ago, almost all the big and major yacht races in the world were
sponsored by yacht clubs. Now we see corporate sponsorship, but as a rule it
is done in conjunction with a yacht club. Corporate Board Rooms have learned
that they can use our sport to sell their "whatevers"; whether it works or
not is still questionable.
Now where does the money come from within the yacht clubs to sponsor and put
on a major yachting activity or race? To some degree initiation fees and
dues of course, but more often than not they barely provide enough revenue
to cover ongoing operations and overhead. A yacht club is golden if it has
its own yacht harbor. Properly operated it will throw off cash that can be
used for big time yacht racing. A yacht club may be golden if it has a hotel
or at least some accommodations. But often the cost of operating a hotel
more than eats up generated revenue. Most big clubs putting on big time
yachting events will have a dining room. Unless they are magic, that is a
big time money loser that must be supported by initiation fees and dues; no
excess cash here, only a cash drain. Entry fees help, but in only a few
cases cover an entire event.
So, what's left? What's left is a bar, maybe two. -- Scuttlebutt Forum, read
on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9796#9796
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
My check engine light has been on for three months now and nothing's
happened. I'm starting to think that my car is just an attention whore.
Special thanks to Schaefer Marine and Team One Newport.
Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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