SCUTTLEBUTT No. 1043 - April 5, 2002
Scuttlebutt 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.
MEDICAL REPORT
The 52-year-old co-skipper and campaign director of News Corp has decided
to hang up his sailing boots, at least for a while. A disappointed Field
says that reality has finally kicked in.
Field, who has sailed this race four times, was injured on leg two of the
Volvo Ocean Race when he was thrown from the wheel. He suffered cracked
ribs and damaged vertebrae. He says he has had enough of chewing
painkillers and will not be sailing with Jez Fanstone and the crew onboard
News Corp for the next leg.
Field says his back injury has never really got any better. "I had the
series of injections in Australia and New Zealand. It was good through the
Southern Ocean but now the injections are wearing off. I am definitely not
sailing this next leg. I really am in pain every day now when I am on the
boat so it was really time to give it a rest."
There will still be plenty to keep Field occupied and he is still involved
in the sailing side as well as the support team. "I'm looking forward to
getting stuck into the shore side of things and get things wrapped up and
so there is plenty of work for me to do. It is disappointing but I am
relieved in one way that I know that I am not going to be in pain and that
I will only have to take pain killers once a day instead of three or four
times a day." Meteorologist, Nick White, will be back on the boat for this
leg, whilst watch leader/tactician Steve Cotton returns to New Zealand.
Reviewing the team's performance on the last leg, from Rio de Janeiro to
Miami, Field said, "It was a disappointing result and the blame squarely
lies on my shoulders and Steve Cotton's shoulders because we put the boat
in a position where we did not perform well. But we made a fantastic
comeback. We are in very, very good shape. We have a good boat and a good
crew. We are making some changes in the navigation side, which have to
happen now because I am stepping aside, but generally we are in very good
shape".
One with 25 points, Team Tyco with 24 points in fourth place and News Corp,
currently in fifth position with 23 points. As Field says, it's not over
until the fat lady sings, and she hasn't even got on the stage yet. -
www.volvooceanrace.org
BANNED SUBSTANCES
Based on the results of a study of 634 nutritional supplements, the Medical
Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today reissued its
warning to athletes against their use.
Out of the 634 samples tested, 94 (14.8%) contained substances, non listed
on any label, that would have led to a positive doping test. Out of these
94 samples, 23 contained precursors (building blocks) of both nandrolone
and testosterone, 64 contained precursors of testosterone alone and 7
contained precursors of nandrolone alone.
In addition to these 94 samples, 66 others (10.4%) returned borderline
results for various unlabeled substances.
The 634 non-hormonal nutritional supplements were gathered from 215
different providers in 13 countries from October 2000 to November 2001.
Ninety-one percent of them were purchased in stores or over the Internet.
The others were obtained from the manufacturers. The IOC-accredited
laboratory in Cologne, Germany, tested all supplements.
Under the Olympic Movement's rule of strict liability, athletes are
responsible for whatever substance is found in their bodies.
The IOC Medical Commission has been warning against the potential risks
linked to the use of nutritional supplements since 1997. The lack of
oversight existing in some countries has prompted the IOC to intervene and
to recommend to athletes not to take such products.
While the IOC has issued its warnings to elite athletes and their
entourages, especially due to their liability under doping control tests,
the fact that the public is unknowingly ingesting the precursors to
hormones should be a matter of public health concern.
The IOC hopes the results of this study demonstrate to governments and the
industry the need for greater quality control to ensure substances not
found on the label are not found in the product. The IOC Medical Commission
recommends controls, similar to those pertaining to the manufacture of
pharmaceuticals, be applied to the production of nutritional supplements.
The IOC also will recommend to National Olympic Committees (NOCs),
International Federations (IFs) and Organizing Committees (OCOGs) that they
adopt a cautious stance toward forming relationships with companies that
produce nutritional supplements of which the quality cannot be guaranteed.
- IOC Website: www.olympic.org
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AMERICA'S CUP
Ken McAlpine announced that IACC Sail Number 76 was issued to Oracle Racing.
Team Dennis Conner seems to have cornered the market on repeat numbers. For
AC 2000 TDC had sail number 55. Their first boat for AC 2003 was issued
sail number 66 and Ken McAlpine has just issued sail number 77 to Conner
for his second boat in this campaign.
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
leweck@earthlink.net
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room or a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Robyn Grosvenor: I heartily endorse Paul Henderson's recent
comments on the role of women in sailing. I also think he should be
acknowledged for the wonderful contribution he is making in this area
during his term as ISAF President. He correctly targets funding as one of
the critical issues for women. But it goes deeper than this. It is
fundamentally about contribution and acknowledgement for women at the
highest level of our sport.
Women are not new to sailing! Women have raced yachts for over 100 years
but you won't always find our names in the record books or committee registers.
For example, my great grand mother (Lady Sheila Grosvenor) sailed for Great
Britain in her 8 Metre Class "Saskia" in the 1908 International Classes
regatta in Cowes. She won bronze but in the records her name has been
deleted and Philip Hunlock's (her tactician) replaces hers as she was
subsequently rendered ineligible to compete. As a woman she was not
permitted to be a member of a yacht club despite owning her own yacht. Her
portrait at the helm of her yacht during this event survives to tell her story.
Ninety years later I was finally permitted to be a full member of my yacht
club. Women's participation in the Olympic classes should be viewed as one
of contribution and acknowledgement. I hope my daughter sees the day when
it is appropriate that we have a female President for ISAF.
* From Jim Champ: I find it very hard to believe that Ron Holland, who
comes from the highly innovative and exciting Kiwi scene of the 50s/60s,
can really have forgotten how much fun and satisfaction you can get out of
the whole design/ development process.
* From Glenn McCarthy: As we know, Appeals and ISAF Cases are not Rules,
but offer guidance to interpret the Racing Rules of Sailing. ISAF has
looked at the word "Damage" and went to the dictionary definition. One
definition asks if the Market Value of the boat was diminished as a result
of the damage? Another question is the boat or equipment less functional as
a result of the damage? Of course, this only helps us understand the
definition of "Damage", I can't seem to find any advice on what constitutes
"Serious" damage. Check it out:
www.sailing.org/rrs2001/casebk2001to04.pdf - ISAF Case 19 on Page 72.
SURVEY RESULTS
A survey of participants in the 2001 Transpacific Yacht Race from Los
Angeles to Honolulu reveals moderate support for staggered starts and the
new twice-a-day position reports and mixed opinions about restrictions on
receiving weather information from outside sources. But the most popular
feature had nothing to do with sailing. Among the 40% who responded, there
was landslide 27-1 support of the traditional welcome luaus at Ala Wai
Yacht Harbor. A typical comment described them as "one of the best things
about the race."
Transpac's Honolulu Committee assigns groups of volunteers to provide food,
drink and sometimes music to each boat in the race, no matter what time
they arrive at Ala Wai. One skipper said he was amazed "that anyone cared
enough to be there for us at 1 a.m."
One respondent called the twice daily position reports instituted in 2001
"the biggest improvement in the race . . . much better for the home
[Internet] viewers, too," while another thought it was "far too big a
change to the race's tactics" in that it allowed less time for a competitor
to get away on a "flyer."
The issue of receiving outside weather information covered the spectrum
from "just open it up to any source, anytime" to "on-board means only . . .
keep it even for the little guys." Current rules basically restrict weather
information sources to weather fax stations, satellite maps and the
communications vessel Alaska Eagle. Outside routing is strictly prohibited.
The subject of special Transpac handicaps received an approval of 14-11
but, as would be expected, there were spirited responses from "unfair" to
"I suppose [my] handicap allowance was OK." - Rich Roberts,
www.transpacificyc.org
TROPHEE JULES VERNE
Dry suits and balaclavas on again, diving masks glued to faces, hands
clinging onto the wheel or frozen to the sheets... The menu for this rather
special day is for cold and damp on board the maxi-catamaran Orange. The
Marseilles giant is surfing the liquid mountains of icy water of the
Southern Ocean at more than 30 knots, gobbling up almost 510 miles by the
1100 position report today Thursday 4th April. As forecast the wind has
progressively shifted to the NW and strengthened. On board they've just put
a third reef in the main and the crew is battening down waiting for 50
knots of wind by the end of the night. For these exceptional conditions, it
is an exceptional day for the maxi-catamaran which is at the halfway point
of the Jules Verne Trophy course. -
www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/site/en/index2.cfm
NEW GEAR
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ATTN: SEA LAWYERS
The 2002 edition of the US Sailing Appeals and ISAF Cases 2001-2004 is now
available. If you're a Judge, Umpire, or Race Officer, or someone
interested in the intricacies of appeals, this publication is a necessity.
Member price for US SAILING Appeals and ISAF Cases 2001-2004 is $20.
Nonmembers may purchase the book for $40.
All appeals have been reviewed and conformed to the current racing rules.
The book included a list of the deleted appeals since 1997, with an
explanation of why each was deleted. This edition also includes a
compilation of the "essences" (the brief summary printed at the top of each
appeal) to facilitate browsing. - Penny Piva Rego,
www.ussailing.org/merchandise
OLYMPICS
The Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) of US Sailing has named the members of
its US Sailing Team in the Europe, Finn and Mistral classes. They join
athletes previously announced in the 470, Laser, Tornado and Yngling
classes. Yet to be named are the Team members in the 49er and Star classes.
The members of the US Sailing Team are determined by a ranking system based
on attendance and performance at a series of qualifying regattas, which
this year, for the first time, included a mandatory event -- the Rolex
Miami OCR.
Named in the Europe class: 2000 Europe World Bronze Medallist Meg Gaillard
(Pelham, N.Y./Jamestown, R.I.); ICSA All-American Krysia Pohl (Alameda,
Calif.); ICSA All-American Christin Feldman (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Portland,
Ore.); Susannah Carr (San Francisco, Calif.); and Jaime Mack (Seattle, Wash.).
Named in the Finn class: ICSA All-American Geoff Ewenson (Annapolis,
Md./Newport, R.I.); Mo Hart (Santa Cruz, Calif./S. Portland, Maine); '98
Finn National Champion Darrell Peck (Gresham, Ore.); Andy Kern (Chicago,
Ill.); and Bryan Boyd (Jacksonville, Fla.).
Named in the Mistral men's class: ICSA All-American Peter Wells (Newport
Beach, Calif.); Phillip Muller (Ft. Pierce, Fla.); Steve Bodner (Toledo,
Ohio/San Francisco, Calif.); Jon Azevedo (Indian Harbor Beach, Fla.); and
Kevin Jewett (Deephaven, Minn.).
Named in the Mistral women's class: Kimberly Birkenfeld (Myrtle Creek,
Ore./Miami, Fla.); Beth Powell Winkler (Cocoa Beach, Fla.); Taylor Duch
(Savannah, Fla.); Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.); and Ericka Kofkin
(Melbourne, Fla.).
Note: Boardsailors Philip Muller and Ericka Kofkin have also been named to
the 2002 US Youth World Team. They will represent the USA at the 2002 Volvo
Youth Sailing ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Championships,
scheduled for July 18-27 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. - Jan Harley,
www.ussailing.org/Olympics/2002/rankingsystems.htm
ELLEN
Since completing the Vendee Globe life has been busy for Ellen MacArthur.
Her latest news is she has nearly finished writing a book, and that
Kingfisher should be re-launched by the beginning of next week in Cowes,
ready for trials and workup before sailing to France to compete in the
Regata du Rubicon in May - where all the top Open 60s will reunite for the
first big competition of the year (France-Spain-Italy). The highly
competitive fleet of 12 boats will include great friend and rival Roland
Jourdain (SILL) with whom Ellen will do battle in the solo transatlantic
race, the Route du Rhum, in November. The Rhum is likely to be the decider
in the FICO World Championship - a title currently held by Ellen. - Ellen's
website: www.ellenmacarthur.com
PARTY TIME
Any 'Butthead attending Pacific Sail Expo next week must stop by Booth 118
at 4:00 PM on Thursday, April 18. The Bitter End Yacht Club is hosting a
party to launch the "Dry Creek Vineyard 16th Annual Pro Am Regatta" and
"2nd Annual Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championships." Not only will you get
a chance to chat with some of the Pro Am skippers, and the good folks from
the BEYC, and the curmudgeon - you'll also meet Barbara Barrielle & Don
Wallace from the Dry Creek Vineyard who will be there with lots of their
product. We won't be admiring their handsome labels - we'll be having a
party. All 'Buttheads are invited! - www.beyc.com
MELGES 24 NAs
Eastport YC (28 boats). Results after three races: 1. Star, Ecklund/
Melges, 5; 2. Flying Toaster, Dow, 9; 3. Hummer, Cameron, 11; 4. Kilroy,
Jones/ Reynolds, 15.00; 5. Pumbaa, Pignolet/ Saue, 18. -
www.regattaweb.net/Melges24NAs2002/results1.htm
US YACHT CLUB CHALLENGE
Newport Harbor YC, Final Results: 1. Balboa YC, 8; 2. SanFrancisco YC 19;
3. California YC, 20; 4. Annapolis YC 24; 5. Bayview YC, 25. -
www.nhyc.org/USYCC/2002USYCC/2002Results/2002Results.htm
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
July 12-27: Laser Radial Youth, Open & Women's World Championships, Buffalo
Canoe Club, Ontario, Canada. www.laserchampionships.org
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before
you need it.
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