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SCUTTLEBUTT 2349 – May 22, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). BID ON CAYARD’S GEAR Paul Cayard has graciously donated a few items of his personal Desafío Español 2007 team gear for the ‘buttheads to bid on. Maybe you didn’t turn the handles during the Spanish team’s outstanding campaign, but you can look like you did. Better yet, you will be taking the gear directly off Cayard’s back, arguably one of the most decorated and influential sailors in the sport. Bids are tax-deductible, with the proceeds benefiting youth sailing. The gear now on the auction block is his jacket, vest, and backpack. Details at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/07/cayard THE COLLAPSE OF TEAM DICKO After dominating the early rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup, BMW Oracle Racing has finally sunk into Valencian waters. It was only 12 days ago that Gavin Brady declared at the end of the rounds robin that USA 98 was "formidable", a view shared by rivals and observers alike, and that Chris Dickson "was sailing better than I have ever seen.” Despite high expectations and the event's highest budget, the San Francisco-based team was was soundly defeated by Luna Rossa Challenge. So what could have happened to make the former invincible looking BMW Oracle look so eminently beatable? According to Chris Dickson, the only reason of the Italian dominance is that Luna Rossa has taken a huge leap in performance. "The reason for our departure is that they have excelled this week", he said at last night’s press conference. "We were outclassed by Luna Rossa in a number of areas this week. If there was something glaringly obvious we’d have done something about it. They have been quietly building up and have grown a huge amount stronger. They have out-sailed us in many areas on the race course this week, they’ve had great speed upwind, enough speed downwind, started well, got those first wind shifts, made good tactical calls. That’s sport. They’ve done a fantastic job." -- Cup in Europe, read on for the complete analysis: http://www.cupineurope.com/NewsEN/2007/BMWOracle.htm * Curmudgeon’s Comment: If Larry Ellison does participate in the next America’s Cup - as is rumored about - we suspect the changes he makes for the next campaign will reveal volumes regarding the problems he experienced in this cup. It is fair to say, though, that the changes will be at the top, and in the management structure. As one notable former America’s Cup campaigner discussed with Scuttlebutt over the past weekend, “Ultimately, Larry Ellison has to bear the responsibility for this campaign, as he chose Dickson to be his CEO. While Dickson may be respected, he is hardly "loved" by his employees. When he goes one way, they go the other, so it is hard to imagine them digging deep for someone so disliked.” Or as Paul Cayard noted about Dickson, “His personality and style of leadership is not conducive to garnering unconditional support. Can he rally the troupes to come back from 1:4? What is going to save him and BMW Oracle?” That question was answered last Sunday… nothing. First team to win 5 races advances to challenger finals. The pairings are: 1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 1-1-0-1-1-0-_-_-_ = 4 4. Desafío Español 2007 (ESP) 0-0-1-0-0-1-_-_-_ = 2 2. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) 0-1-0-0-0-0-_-_-_ = 1 3. Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA) 1-0-1-1-1-1-_-_-_ = 5 - WINNER * Weather forecast: Monday saw clear skies with an easterly gradient breeze backing to northeast as the sea breeze took hold. Starting at 8-10 knots, building to 12-14 knots. The outlook for Tuesday expects the northeasterly breeze to continue, but with clouds moving in. Temperature at 23 degrees C (73 degrees F). -- http://tinyurl.com/29ve73 * Television schedule: Versus’ coverage of the Semi-Finals will consist of live coverage from 8:30–11:00 a.m. ET, with replays from 12-2:30 p.m. and 4:30–7 p.m. ET. -- http://www.versus.com/americascup * Race schedule: The final set of semi-final race days is scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday, with Friday as a reserve day if needed. Note that semi-final racing will be complete as soon as either Emirates Team New Zealand or Desafío Español 2007 gains 5 wins, where the winner will then pair up with Luna Rossa Challenge in the challenger finals beginning on June 1st. - Complete schedule: http://www.americascup.com/en/americascup/program/calendrier.php * Boat buying: TEAMORIGIN, Britain’s bid to enter the 33rd America’s Cup, announced its intention to purchase its first America’s Cup Class training boat - SUI 75 - the training and testing boat used by Alinghi, the current Defenders of the Cup, during the pre-regatta Acts in 2005-2006. SUI 75 was used in New Zealand during the 31st America’s Cup for testing and racing and was developed alongside SUI 64, though the team did use the in the AC Match where it won the 31st America’s Cup. – http://www.originsailing.com BREEZE READERS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE Multi-millions have been poured into technology to win the Cup. Sails, rigs, hulls, appendages, scientific computer-aided technology. So what’s the difference maker in Valencia? It’s the lens, stupid! At Kaenon Polarized we developed the technology that is making the difference in Valencia – our patented SR-91 Polarized Lens Technology. Also available in Rx, including our latest innovation, the new SR-91 Rx Freestyle Progressive lens. Ask for it by name, Kaenon Polarized SR-91. For women and men. Prescription-ready. View the entire collection online and locate an authorized dealer nearest you at http://www.kaenon.com Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. ISAF SAILING WORLD CUP In 2008, the sailing sport will get its own world tour – the ISAF Sailing World Cup. This was agreed by the International Sailing Association (ISAF) at the ISAF Midyear Meeting in early May in Paris, France. The ISAF Sailing World Cup is a Grand Prix-style scoring system that comprises the Sail Melbourne (Australia), the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta (USA), the Princess Sofia Trophy (Palma/Spain), the Sémaine Olympique Hyères (France), the Holland Regatta (Medemblik/Netherlands) and the Kieler Woche. The intent is that winning the World Cup will become every sailor’s second most important goal after winning the Olympic Games. Among the remaining issues is the blending of the financial and sponsoring agreements. The aim is to find compromises and solutions that balance ISAF self-marketing interests with the options of the six Grade One event organizers, that all have their individual sponsoring packages and obligations to fulfill. ISAF will now proceed to discuss the ideas developed at the Midyear Meeting with the organizers, hopefully ironing out a plan this year so that in January 2008, the first starting gun of the new series may be fired at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Melbourne. -- Hermann Hell, Media contact, Kieler Woche PHOTO GALLERIES * Photographer Andy Herbick has supplied Scuttlebutt with a sampling of images from A-Class Catamaran North Americans, ably won last week by Lars Guuk: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0521 * Photographer Pierrick Contin sent Scuttlebutt images from Le Grand Prix de l’Ecole navale 2007, and while little is known about the event, it appears to be a big deal for the Open 5.70 class in France. Since the boat was awarded the Best One-Design in Sailing World’s 2007 Boat of the Year contest, we thought some of the ‘buttheads might want a peak: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0522 * If you have yet to see the jazzy graphics on the PUMA Racing Team’s VO 70, photographer Peter McGowan joined skipper Ken Read during a practice session off Boston, MA: http://www.sailingworld.com/gallery.jsp?id=3922&tpos=-2&ipos=1 ON THE TRAIL (Anna Tunnicliffe, top ranked US Laser Radial sailor, provides the following report as she heads toward the next European event, the Breitling Regatta in Medemblik, Netherlands.) I’ve just wrapped up my week of training in Cascais, Portugal, the site in July for the 2007 ISAF Combined World Championships. During the week we experienced all sorts of conditions, which gave us a great feel for the place. I’ve been here training with Tania Calles (MEX), Lisa Ross (CAN), and Tania’s friend from Argentina, Federico, or Fede as we call him. I would like to thank Caroline Brisbois, Tania’s coach, for allowing me to train with them. I flew to Cascais after a week at "home." Yes, I had a week back in the USA, but of my eight days there, I spent six of them on a plane going somewhere. I arrived home on Sunday evening, and then had two relaxing days while sorting out bills, laundry, and other business that needed attention. Then I flew to California for a sponsor event on the Wednesday and flew back on the Thursday. Friday I was able to spend at home. Then on Saturday and Sunday I flew to Tampa and back for a fundraiser event for Brad Funk (USA Laser). On the Monday, I was boarding another plane to fly to Portugal. Although it was busy week, there’s nothing quite like being back in your home country eating familiar and favorite foods. What a difference from existing on the regatta circuit on pasta and baguettes with cheese. -- Read on: http://www.annatunnicliffe.com/content/view/93/81 THE CAMET PORTO CERVO SHORTS Give your crew a modern twist on the classic look! These canvas shorts give you the protection that you need while maintaining the comfort and feel of our original sailing shorts. With attention to detail, these shorts have become the contemporary look on yachts all over the world. The Camet Porto Cervo Shorts are made from 9 oz. brushed, soft cotton canvas. They have a relaxed fit with plain front, zipper fly, belt loops, two deep side pockets, and two stitched rear-pockets with Velcro closures. They are designed with a double seat for protection and gusseted crotch for full range of motion. http://www.camet.com CONFESSIONS OF A SAILING WRITER There may be a number of people who think that writing a sailing column for this newspaper for about 25 years has been an overwhelming joy. In the main, they'd be right. There are challenges, however. Prying quotes for stories out of competitive sailors is like trying to get a barber to admit that he's the one who is responsible for Donald Trump's awful haircuts. Competitive sailors are -- and I think you need to know this -- laconic, self-effacing and given to few explanatory words. Earlier this week I briefly interviewed Rita Steele, who is a fine sailor. She had just won the Sunfish class at the Rainbow Regatta at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, and I asked her how it was that she had notched three first-place finishes in three races. Steele said to me, keeping to the stereotype, "I just got lucky." -- Morgan Stinemetz, Herald Tribune, complete story: http://tinyurl.com/2259rl SAILING SHORTS * The 665-ton travel lift operated by the San Diego based Marine Group Boat Works is the subject of a show on the History Channel's Modern Marvel this week titled "The World's Strongest II." Scheduled for Wednesday, May 23 at 10:00 pm (PST), look for footage to include the travel lift hauling San Diego Harbor Excursion's newest yacht, the California Spirit (a regular at the Marine Group shipyard) and San Diego Maritime Museum's HMS Surprise (famous for her role in the Russell Crow movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World). * Last Friday, the VO 70 Mean Machine (formerly Pirates of the Caribbean) smashed the record of the North Sea Race, organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and part of the ABN AMRO North Sea Regatta. Skipper and CEO Peter de Ridder’s 70-footer broke the previous record by more than eight hours, setting the new mark in 11 hours, 3 minutes and 50 seconds for the 185 nautical mile course between Harwich (UK) and Scheveningen (Netherlands). -- http://www.nsr.nl * The Riverside Yacht Club in Riverside, Conn., kicked off a successful summer sailing season this past Sunday by making the largest ever donation by a yacht club to the US Olympic Sailing Program. The club raised $143,000 at its “Sail for the Gold” fundraiser held April 26. The event co-chairpersons Rear Commodore Walton Alder and his wife, Diane, presented the check to the chairman of the Olympic Sailing Program, Dean Brenner, at a ceremony for the 119th commissioning of the club. -- http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/riversidefundraiser.asp * The first Class40 to sail in US waters has arrived in Portland, ME. The Marc Lombard designed yacht is one of an exploding class of box-rule 40 footers and marks the start of what’s expected to be a burgeoning fleet of US-based short-handed sailboats. Co-owners Micah Davis and Brian Harris expect to spend the summer tuning the boat before embarking on a more aggressive racing schedule in 2008. -- Complete report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0521 * The ISAF Medical Commission have published Medical Guidelines for Safety at Designated Regattas on the ISAF Medical and Anti-Doping microsite: http://www.sailing.org/medical * Quadriplegic sailor, Geoff Holt (GBR), has resumed his attempt to be the first disabled person to sail around Great Britain. Sailing his 15 ft Challenger trimaran, Freethinker, Holt sailed past the South Cardinal marker in Southampton Water at 17:05 on Sunday 20 May to start his round Great Britain challenge, which he describes as his ‘Personal Everest’. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6fFnA?7~&format=popup * (May 21, 2007) The majority of the fleet in the Charleston to Bermuda Race continued to make slow but steady progress toward the finish line off St. David’s Light on Bermuda. Maintaining the lead he’s held since 25 minutes after the start on Friday, Hugh Piggin and his crew on board Joe Harris’s 10-year-old Open 50 Gryphon Solo were 239 miles from the finish as of the 10:00 a.m. position update moving at only 4.8 knots. Piggin’s nearest rival, Buddy Darby and his crew on board the Sweden 70 Luna Danns, trailed the smaller boat by some 56 miles. -- Results and fleet tracking are available here: http://www.charlestontobermuda.com * Correction: The Tybee 500 winners (Mischa Heemskerk and Eduard Zanen) were sailing a chartered Inter 20, not a F18 as reported in Issue 2348. They do normally race in the F18 class in Europe but in the Tybee 500 they were sailing an Inter 20. WHAT DO HYANNIS, BERMUDA, AND BOY SCOUTS HAVE IN COMMON? They store their boats on Seitech racks. When they needed the best designed, most durable racks, they came to us. We make racks not only for large clubs but for home and small fleet use as well. We have a design to fit your needs. See them all at http://www.seitech.com 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 Len Davies, Zeekoe Vlei, South Africa: In response to Patti Boyd – Letters 2348 – re the absence of non-Caucasian faces in the coverage of the Lightnings in Lagos, a few questions are appropriate. What is significant of the absence of certain skin tones? As a member of the ISAF Committee entrusted with Youth Development, Patti, if on top of the job at hand, should be more aware than most that one of the greatest obstacles to overcome in encouraging the African Youth to sail is an absolute fear of anything related to the water. What have Patti and his fellow committee members been doing to address the matter of Development in Africa? They have been conspicuous by their absence in South Africa, leading us to get on with it ourselves – refer our crew on board “Shosholoza” in the AICC. I implore Patti to publish a picture of an Irish sailing team, possibly their Optimists, showing black faces as testament to his efforts in his home waters. What an inspiration that would be! * From Skip Dieball: In response to Paddy Boyd's letter regarding the Lightning Class in Nigeria, I have to agree that I too found it odd that the makeup of the Nigerian sailing scene wasn't more diverse. I had talked with the Commodore of the Lagos Yacht Club and he mentioned that they are like a lot of yacht clubs around the world, searching for members. They have an open policy and welcome any/ all that are interested in enjoying sailing. Their members include native Nigerians, but mostly expatriates on assignment in Nigeria...and typically short-term contracts, which adds to the membership challenge(s). The reality might not be far from what we are all facing within the sport. That is both access and expense make it difficult for many to enjoy. In Nigeria, the socio-economics is magnified. * From Bruce Vanderlaan: It's great that Versus is putting so much sailing on TV. While there are things that could be improved, I think they are doing a very good job. One way we can keep sailing on tv, and maybe even get more, is to buy something that is advertised on Versus, and tell womever you are buying from that the reason you are buying it is because the item was advertised on Versus during the America's Cup. Seller's (read: advertisers) really listen to that kind of feedback, since almost no one does it. * From Brian M. Trotta: While I’m grateful that the AC is being shown on US television, I can’t help but cringe as I watch the amateurish production and listen to the announcers. While the video from the boats is fantastic, it seems Versus can never get a replay when they want one. The anchors look like little kids sitting behind daddy’s desk. Somebody please get them some hydraulic lift chairs. Speaking of the anchors, someone please calm them down a little. Also, let’s see a consistent display of the delta on the screen, along with speeds for each boat and less reliance on “Virtual Eye.” I would, however, like to see more use of the graphic showing the wind speed/ direction at various points on the course. The few times they have used it mid-race had me wondering why the boats were on the opposite side of the course from the wind. I can’t help but think that many of these gripes would have been solved had Versus just decided to work out the bugs by showing us more races from the round robins. * From Ken Guyer: I have enjoyed the TV coverage of the Cup so far, but watching and listening to the commentary during the Oracle/ Luna Rossa matches had me cringing. Every time they said the "American" boat this and the "American" boat that, brought the point home that there was no "American" boat racing for the Cup. Oracle was a New Zealand challenge, period. I think there is a total of 3 Americans on the team, but make no mistake about it, it was a New Zealand team. Now I know that is allowed with the new rules. And Larry Ellison showed his complete lack of faith in American sailors in his choices for his team. All this points to why I can't really get behind the elimination of nationality of the teams. I wanted to cheer for an American boat.... but there were none. Some great racing and I have to hand it to the Spanish team, they are doing pretty well for an underdog. They even have a good number of Spanish sailors onboard. But it would really be great to see a boat full of U.S. sailors out there duking it out with the rest. * From Buck Downes: I expect Larry Ellison is sitting on his mega yacht sipping a one hundred year old single malt scotch wondering what the hell just happened. I am sitting in Annapolis with a cheap rum wondering the same thing. Not to slight the Italians/Ozzie, but when he figures it out, ask him to let us know. Curmudgeon’s Comment: There is no way we can print all the letters on the demise of BMW Oracle Racing, so if you want to flex your armchair quarterback muscles, there is a thread on the Forum for you: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4896#4896 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of China’s birthrate. Special thanks to Kaenon Polarized, Camet International, and Seitech Products. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
