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SCUTTLEBUTT 2478 – November 19, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN Following up on an inaugural year that was “nothing short of a smashing success,” according to class president Steve Davis, the International Lightning Class Association will continue with its innovative Boat Grant program for 2008. While many one-design classes struggle to attract and retain young sailors, the Lightning Class is taking active steps to give young adults a leg up: the class provided fully rigged, insured and competitive boats for several worthy teams for the 2007 sailing season. An idea dreamed up and put into practice by Allan Terhune of North Sails in Annapolis and Bill Fastiggi of Vermont Sailing Partners in Burlington, the ILCA Boat Grant had an ambitious goal: supply two race-ready boats, mentoring, upkeep, fee supplements, and insurance -- at no cost to the young skipper. In 2007, the ILCA granted four boats, with teams selected from 15 applicants from across the US, Canada, and South America. Teams headed by Bob King, 24, of Syracuse, NY; Bobby Martin, 22, of Riverton, NJ; Guy Tawney, 19, of Baltimore, MD; and Stephen Waldie, 21, of Montreal, QC (Canada) competed at the North American Championship, as well as their District Championships and various other local events. For 2008, the ILCA plans to build on these successes. At least four grants will be offered. Both Nickels Boat Works and Allen Boat Company are providing the use of a new boat for the 2008 season. “We hope that even more young sailors will apply to the program, knowing what a positive experience it's been.” Said John Faus, of the ILCA Executive Board, who will be helping organize this year's program, “This really works out for the sailors and the class.” The ILCA is now accepting applications for the boat grant program for the 2008 season. The application deadline is December 31, 2007. -- Complete report: http://www.lightningclass.org/Boat_Grant/PressRelease.htm FATE OF CUP IN THE BALANCE The bitter row between America’s Cup holders Alinghi and US challenger BMW Oracle Racing looks ever more likely to force a postponement of the 33rd America's Cup. The next edition of the yachting blue riband was scheduled for Valencia in 2009 but unless a last minute deal is struck between the warring sides a delay until 2010 or even 2011 is now on the cards. A postponement appeared the most probable outcome after Alinghi rejected a compromise aimed at ending the damaging legal dispute over controversial new rules on Friday. The proposal was presented by Oracle and three of the five challengers to the crown Alinghi won off the coast of Valencia this summer. "We're continuing to evaluate the situation," was all a spokesman for Alinghi would say when contacted by AFP following the passing of the Swiss-team's deadline demanding that Oracle drop its legal action. An announcement is expected on Monday on an expected date change from the organisers, America's Cup Management, worried about the effect the feud will have on prospective backers. – AFP, read on: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5guyOA3wkY73_H28Ezn9SQRHKT0zg * Audio interview with Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/1118 * The challenger’s proposal that was presented late last Thursday, and was promptly refused by Alinghi: http://www.ggyc.com/SettlementOfferToAlingi.pdf ON THE ROAD TOWARD THE VENDÉE GLOBE Building up to the ultimate Vendée Globe 2008/ 2009 non-stop singlehanded round the world race scheduled for November 2008, Canadian Derek Hatfield and Spirit of Canada intends to take part in the IMOCA Open 60 circuit, where his first event will be the Transat Ecover B to B. This will be the first year for the race, which was created to provide the participants of the Transat Jacques Vabre with a single-handed Open 60 race that will get the boats back to Europe and also be a qualifier for the Vendée Globe. Currently, 15 boats are set to start November 25, 2007 for the race from Brazil to France, with Hatfield providing this report after completing the delivery of his Open 60 from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. --------------------------------------------- (November 15, 2007) Spirit of Canada sits peacefully at the dock in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil after 4300 nm and a 17 and a half day delivery from Halifax, Nova Scotia. We arrived here around midnight local time on Tuesday Nov 13th and sat on the boat for more than an hour contemplating the trip. The Open 60, Spirit of Canada proved a lot more physically demanding than the Open 40 but the performance is very impressive. I am slowly coming to grips with how to run the boat by myself. Because of the grand prix design, the boat trim requires a lot more diligence to maintain maximum performance. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1116 * (November 18, 2007) The monohull fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre, a 4,300-mile doublehanded ocean race from Le Harve, France to Salvador, Brazil, is led by Foncia, Michel Desjoyeaux/ Emmanuel Le Borgne (Open 60; 564 mile DTF) and Télécom Italia, Giovanni Soldini/Pietro D'ali (Class 40; 1555 miles DTF). The ORMA 60 multihull contingent has now completed the race, with Class 50 leader Crèpes Whaou!,Franck Yves Escoffier/Karine Fauconnier 552 miles from the finish. -- Event website: http://www.jacques-vabre.com/en HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE RACING RULES? If you want to feel more confident when racing near other boats, you should get Learn The Racing Rules! This two-part DVD, written and narrated by Dave Dellenbaugh, uses live sailing and computerized animation to explain all the important right-of-way rules. Part 1 covers the essential rules and limitations that apply whenever boats meet. Part 2 explains the complex rules about marks and obstructions. Each is an hour long and includes text of all rules discussed. Produced by SEA-TV, it makes a great gift! To learn more or place an order: http://www.SpeedandSmarts.com ROLEX INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S KEELBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP Houston, TX (November 17, 2007) -- For the third straight time, Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) has won US SAILING's Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship. Racing took place November 14-17 in Shoreacres, Texas. After rolling three bullets on Friday, Barkow led the 39-boat fleet with 14 total points with two races to be sailed. "Today we went out and knew what we had to do. It was tricky and light and mind boggling, instead of having to race the boat hard like Friday. We had to make sure we were in the top eight. Then if we were beating Derby Anderson, we wouldn't have to sail the last race." Barkow finished fifth in the first race and elected not to sail the final race. "That was sort of the goal, but no real pressure," she said. "If we could do it, we would do it. Truthfully it's about getting the boat pulled out early. It was so close for second, so we thought we'd let them duke it out." Barkow’s winning crew included Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), Amanda Callahan (Canton, Mass.) and Annie Lush (Poole, England). -- Complete report: http://www.regattanews.com/pressrelease.asp?pid=1780&lang=1 Final standings (top 10 of 39) 1. Sally Barkow, Nashotah, Wis., 2-16-3-3-2-1-1-1-1-5-[DNS], 35 pts 2. Cory Sertl, Rochester, N.Y. 5-7-1-6-3-4-2-[8]-8-2-4, 42 3. Anna Tunnicliffe, Plantation, Fla., 3-18-[21]-4-1-2-9-6-3-7-2, 55 4. Derby Anderson, Annapolis, Md., 1-[22]-4-2-4-6-6-4-2-11-16, 56 5. Dominique Provoyeur, Capetown, RSA, 6-[21]-2-12-15-5-3-2-4-10-12, 71 6. Nicole Breault, Old Lyme, Conn., 4-[OCS]-14-1-5-8-7-3-6-19-26, 93 7. Jo Ann Fisher, Annapolis, Md., 10-20-8-9-6-[34]-8-5-7-3-24, 100 8. Sarah Bury, Toronto, Ontario, CAN, 11-3-12-18-13-22-4- [24]-15-8-7, 113 9. Terry Schertz, Lakewood, Colorado, 29-[37]-9-5-12-9-12-7-17-15-5, 120 10. Dana Bethancourt, Shoreacres, Texas, 17-9-24-8-9-3-11-12-14-16-[28], 123 Complete results: http://www.riwkc.com/index.php?pageID=3 Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/1118 Daily videos on http://www.t2p.tv/guide/riwkc07.php WORLD TOUR – BRASIL SAILING CUP Vitoria, Brasil (November 18, 2007) -- In a dramatic all-French finale, Mathieu Richard (FRA) and his Saba Sailing Team has defeated Philippe Presti (FRA) of Luna Rossa to win the Vitória Brasil Sailing Cup. Richard and his team of Yannick Simon, Olivier Herledant, Greg Evrard, Thierry Briend have also vaulted into the lead of the World Match Racing Tour standings, putting former leader Ian Williams (GBR) of Team Pindar into second position, now 8 points behind Richard. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and Paolo Cian (ITA) entered the quarterfinals as the top seeds after winning Group A and Group B respectively in the first round robin. They played through to the semifinals, as did Presti by defeating Bjorn Hansen (SWE) 3-2, and Richard by defeating Ian Williams (GBR) 3-2. To qualify for the Finals, Richard beat out Cian 3-2, with Presti downing Holmberg 3-1. In the Petit-Finals, Cian beat Homberg 2-1 to finish third in the standings. The Monsoon Cup will be the fifteenth and final stage in the ’ 06-’07 World Match Racing Tour, and is one of the richest, featuring a MYR 1 million (about $275,000) purse in total prize money. For their efforts in Brazil, Richard and his team have won the top $50,000.00 prize, one third of the total purse of $150,000.00. -- Complete recap: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=64787 Overall Standings - Stage 14 1. Mathieu Richard (FRA) Saba Sailing Team - $50,000.00 2. Philippe Presti (FRA) Luna Rosa - $30,000.00 3. Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza - $20,000.00 4. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge - $15,000.00 5. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar - $11,000.00 6. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Apport.Net - $9,000.00 7. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team - $8,000.00 8. Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth PT Team - $7,000.00 9. Pierre-Antoine Morvan(FRA) Extrem Team Morbihan 10. Daniel Glomb (BRA) Team Bravissimo 11. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Meister Ropes 12. Claire Leroy (FRA) Team Mermaids Race by race results: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=64445 BARCELONA WORLD RACE Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles) (November 18, 2007) One week into the Barcelona World Race, the leader, Paprec-Virbac 2 is projecting an ETA of noon GMT on Monday to pass through the second scoring gate at the Canary Islands. “I think it will be close to noon tomorrow,” said co-skipper Damian Foxall on the phone conference Sunday afternoon. “But it’s really quite difficult. If someone had told me before the race that we’d be leading at this point, I’d have signed on for that right away. But it’s very uncertain coming up to this gate and a lot could still happen. It’s tending to lighten up and our main concern is how to deal with it. The islands can throw a long wind shadow so a 10-degree shift can make a big difference. We’ll be really pleased if we can get through this next gate in the lead.” The middle of the leaderboard was given a good shake-up overnight as Veolia Environnement, Delta Dore and Hugo Boss all used a westerly position to sail around Estrella Damm and Temenos II. Commented Jonathan McKee from Estrella Damm, “We sat in little or no wind all day and most of the night, often barely moving. We were aware of the light air zone from the weather charts, and were trying to avoid it, but it ended up being bigger and lighter than forecast, so there you are. It was a little easier for the guys behind because they could watch us. Now it looks like moderate air upwind for at least 3 more days. There is a huge low near the Azores that is wrecking the normal weather pattern, including the trade winds we would often have by now. More opportunities ahead!” -- Complete report: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com/default.asp?section=10&sid=10740 Day 8 Positions - November 18, 2007 - 18:00 (GMT) 1. Paprec-Virbac 2 - Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA)/Damian Foxall (IRE), 23,485 DTF 2. PRB - Vincent Riou (FRA)/Sébastien Josse (FRA), 14 miles DTL 3. Veolia Environnement - Roland Jourdain (FRA)/Jean-Luc Nélias (FRA), 76 4. Delta Dore - Jérémie Beyou (FRA)/Sidney Gavignet (FRA), 78 5. Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson (GBR)/Andrew Cape (AUS), 107 6. Estrella Damm - Guillermo Altadill (ESP)/Jonathan McKee (USA), 136 7. Temenos II - Dominique Wavre (SUI)/Michéle Paret (FRA), 139 8. Mutua Madrilena - Javier Sanso Windmann (ESP)/Pachi Rivero (ESP), 156 9. Educación sin Fronteras -Albert Bargués (ESP)/Servanne Escoffier (FRA),368 Race website: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com THE "UN-REGATTA" MID-WINTERS Shake-A-Leg Miami is hosting the O'Pen BIC Mid-Winters January 19-20 (MLK weekend) in conjunction with the Alex Caviglia Classic. The new-age "Un-Regatta" format follows the fun, unorthodox, and loosely competitive style that was highly successful at Sail Newport in August. Don't expect conventional round the buoys racing or normal 1-2-3 prizes. Freestyle, slalom, and mandatory capsizes are part of the fun! Sailors are divided into two age groups, and charter boats included for the first forty registrants. For NOR and Registration, go to http://class.openbic.com. For more information about the new age of sailing with the new ISAF recognized class, contact mailto:info@BicSportNA.com A CAT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Islamorada, Florida (November 16, 2007) The racing conditions for the last day on Friday turned out to be pretty severe. A frontal system passed over the Florida Keys Thursday night and the breeze picked up to over 25 knots just after 0300EST. This strong breeze refused to abate throughout the morning. Buoy and land station reports were coming in at 22-29 knots, with gusts in the 30+ range for most of the morning. The Organizing Authority requested a postponement at around 0900 and the PRO, Billy Richnow, flew the AP. There were more than a couple of sighs of relief from the competitors. At 1015 the RC sent a boat a couple of miles offshore to where racing would be held to assess the conditions on the spot. Winds at water level continued in the 19-22 knot range with gusts to 28. There was also a fairly severe and square chop setting up with standard waves at 4 feet with frequent sets of 3 waves in the 6 foot range. The OA was concerned with the safety of the sailors as well as the almost certain carnage to equipment that would have resulted if the races would have been held within the time available and racing was Abandoned at 1100EST. -- http://www.acatworlds.com/news.php?type=nav_3 Final Standing (top six of ninety-eight) 1. Glenn Ashby (AUS) 1-3-1-2-(4)-1-1, 9 2. Lars Guck (USA) 2-1-(3)-1-2-2-3, 11 3. Pete Melvin (USA) (10)-2-2-3-3-9-4, 23 4. Luc Du Bois (SUE) 13-5-5-6-(23)-6-2, 37 5. Mitch Booth (NED) 6-4-10-(12/RDG)-5-7-7, 39 6. Charlie Ogletree (USA) 8-(15)-8-5-6-15-5, 47 Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/2cycff SAILING SHORTS * Hall Spars & Rigging announced that Hall Inc. has signed a letter of intent to acquire Matrix Masts, located in Auckland, New Zealand. Following the formal filing of papers (expected in mid-December), the Matrix factory will operate under the Hall name. Current Matrix owners Garry Hassall and Murray Jones will remain as managing partners of the new company with a strong minority share interest. Hall Spars & Rigging currently operates factories in the U.S. and Holland. British America’s Cup challenger Team Origin had previously signed with Matrix Masts NZ to assist and support the manufacture of AC rigs. -- http://www.hallspars.com * The U.S. J/24 Class Association is soliciting petitions from qualified J/24 Youth teams and All-Women teams to represent the USJCA at the 2008 J/24 World Championship. The Championship will be held June 5-13, 2008 at Club Nautico Arzachena in Cannigione, Sardinia, Italy. The USJCA Executive Committee will select teams for each slot based on sailing resume, experience in the J/24 Class, and financial means. Deadline for submission is December 31, 2007. -- Complete details: http://www.j24class.org/usa/news/2008%20youth_women.htm * Emirates Team New Zealand was named Carlson Wagonlit Travel Sailor of the Year 2007 at the Yachting New Zealand Excellence Awards. Young Sailor of the Year was jointly awarded to Optimist World Champion Chris Steele and 420 World Champions Carl Evans and Peter Burling. -- Complete report: http://www.sailing.org/21432.php * Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) concluded last week in Amsterdam with a total of 1,137 exhibitors from 39 countries and a visitor total of 19,764, further strengthening its position as the world's number one marine leisure trade show. Since its introduction in 1991, the DAME (Design Award METS), has become recognized worldwide as the leading competition of its type in the field of marine equipment and accessories. Details on this year’s winners: http://www.myboatsgear.com/newsletter/20071114.asp DREAM IT, PLAN IT, DO IT Earn year round bragging rights at North America's premiere international regatta - Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica. World-class competition featuring IRC, One Designs, and a PHRF National Championship. Ideal sailing conditions and one of a kind party venue! Entry deadline is December 14th. Details and online entry: http://www.Premiere-Racing.com * Scuttlebutt Publisher Craig Leweck spoke with Peter Craig of Premiere Racing, where Peter provides an update on the Key West event. If you are going to be there, thinking about it, or have not heard of it (glad you came out of the cave today), here is the audio file (2:53 minutes): http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/1116/ LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From William Cook: I'm here in Houston with my wife as she competes in the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championships, and I want to give kudos to the Houston Yacht Club for putting on a fantastic regatta. Warm hospitality, great parties free to all competitors and reasonably priced for the rest of us (open bar!), free rides on a 100 ft spectator boat, a well-run registration and measurement process, housing help for out-of-town sailors...the list of great regatta features goes on and on. HYC should be very proud - and other yacht clubs should take note - this is how regattas like this should be done. * From Paul Henderson, ISAF President 1994-2004: I was in the hot seat for a decade defending the selection of Olympic Classes. As President, I had to support the majority position, as Goran Petersson must do now. Every time the decision was made, all hell broke loose with all the arguments of why one piece of fiberglass and Dacron was better than the other. Looking at the sailors who sailed them, I always thought more important. It is harder to build a class structure than design a new boat. This year is no exception except that the process is now open and how each delegate voted is public. It is ridiculous to blame ISAF, which is only the structure wherein the votes are cast. ISAF is only as good as the delegates nominated by their respective National Authorities. The final vote is next year in November and done by 39 Council Members. Council is the only committee of ISAF where alternates are allowed. Ask your National delegates why they voted the way they did and make them accountable for their actions. The ISAF process is open and transparent and allows a reassessment of the selections to be finalized next year when the classes will be set in concrete. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: If you are curious about Paul’s preferences, here is a report that Scuttlebutt published from him in March 2007: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0329 * From Scott Fox, President, U.S. 470 Class: (In response to Brett Phillips comment in Issue 2477 on the 470 being outdated and eliminated) Just in case people were, A) wondering what kind of organization the International 470 class is and how it self promotes and supports youth sailing and, B) how great a boat it really is tactically and performance wise, check out the latest 470 e-times. There is nothing outdated here: http://www.sail470.org/etimes/et200711.pdf * From Dave Tommela: I will appreciate you not printing similar articles such as the one in Issue 2477 about the sailing instructor secretly videotaping students changing their cloths. Especially ones occurring 1/2 way around the world. I enjoy reading about sailing and don't encourage lurid articles. I hope this does not signal Scuttlebutt entering the tabloid market. CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar CURMUDGEON’S COUNSEL Be really nice to your friends because you never know when you are going to need them to empty your bed urinal. Special thanks to Speed & Smarts, O'Pen BIC, and Premiere Racing. |
