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SCUTTLEBUTT 1881 - July 15, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. RACE YOUR HOME When looking around the marina, I can't help but notice how few tricked out carbon-fiber crinkly-sail "go-fast" boats I see and how many plain ole regular boats there are in their slip. There's really nothing wrong with these boats, they just aren't rigged for racing. Many of the owners would probably like to get out on the water and play but realize that buoy banging especially in a live aboard is not the best of moves. But there is a way for them to play. About six years ago two of our club members, Dick Wold and Glen Burnes devised a scheme that allows plain ole regular boats to get out of the slip and play. It's called "Race Your Home." Designed to get live aboards out on the water, the "Race Your Home" regatta has two important features. Feature one, no buoy banging. The start line is at the windward mark and consists of one downwind leg of about 11 miles. The course curves a little so there is usually a nice beam reach for the last five miles or so. This makes it a little easier on the new plasma TV. Feature two, the handicap ratings. Being fully aware of issues like old sails, accumulated gear and just plain "stuff" on a live aboard boat, the race committee for this regatta allows the participants to petition for an adjustment to their rating. The entry form includes a checklist of things the committee should take into consideration when adjusting the handicap. The list includes things like "Total amount of potting soil aboard (in pounds)" and "I will sail the entire race only using autopilot and/or wind vane (yes/no)." The list concludes with a description of the inducement offered to the R/C to make an appropriate handicap adjustment. This inducement (read bribe) takes the form of goodies, many times baked on board the competing vessel during the race. This has become a major event at our club with 13 boats racing last year. If you happen to be in the neighborhood on September 3, 2005, you are more than welcome to join us. -- Tom Kirwan, Vice Commodore Chula Vista Yacht Club, Race Instructions: http://www.cvyc.org/racing.php. HISTORY LESSON In July, we have the centennial edition of the Transpac, Los Angeles to Honolulu. Next year it's the centennial of the Newport-Bermuda Race-though the Newport-Bermuda is actually three months older than Transpac. Say what? Both races were first run in 1906. But the Transpacific Yacht Race switched from even-numbered to odd-numbered years in 1939 to allow a start from the site of the International Exposition in San Francisco rather than, per tradition, Southern California. A one-time exception made sense. The original race would have started from San Francisco, except that 1906 coincided with a rather distracting earthquake. The 1939 fair was big, and there just may have been a bit of pressure brought to bear by San Francisco silver-mine heir James Flood, who had swept the '36 Transpac with Dorade. Yes, that Dorade. Transpac racing was revived post-war in Southern California, beginning with the first available odd-numbered year, 1947. And so Transpacific YC in 2005 had to decide whether to declare the official centennial one year early or one year late. But why put off to tomorrow what you can do today? - Kimball Livingston, Sail magazine website, full story: http://sailmag.com/transpacpreview05/ THE ONE AND ONLY The only woman so far registered to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race -the most traditional round-the-world regatta-, is on the Brazilian team. Australian Adrienne Cahalan will be the navigator for the Brazilian team, the first team ever team to compete for Brazil in this race. "Being the only woman on the crew is not a problem. It's like being office co-workers. In the first few editions, when Volvo was still called Whitbread, it was more common to have co-ed teams. Then in the 90s, the rules demanded women-only boats. Today, we return to the tradition of co-ed teams," she says. In Brazil for just over ten days, she is learning Portuguese, doing a lot of weight lifting, and most importantly, getting to know the members of the crew who will join her on more than 57.000 kilometers, during an eight-month period, covering nine countries. "It's key to speak the main language on the boat. Sailing is a sport defined by details and when you don't speak the same language as your team members you may not understand something important," explains Adrienne. The Australian is one of the best navigators in the world. She held the same position on the Cheyenne, which broke the round-the-world speed record in 2004, and she has been nominated by ISAF (International Sailing Federation) four times for the title of best sailor. - www.brasil1.com.br DIFFERENTIATE WIND PRESSURE…TEXTURES Last month Mikee Anderson-Mitterling wrapped up his collegiate season with the highest honor, College Sailor of the Year. Swaped his college co-ed crew for his Olympic 470 crew. Flew to Kieler Woche and won the 470 class. Mikee's transitioning. Yet his eye protection remains constant. Kaenon Polarized. "They allowed us to differentiate wind pressure on the water and filter out other textures." Mikee and Dave Hughes wore the Kore with the Yellow 35 lens in the dark clouds and rain, and Copper 28 in the glarey overcast of North Germany. Kaenon Polairzed. Evolve Optically. http://www.kaenon.com HALL OF FAME (The Sailing World website has published an interview with Torben Grael - one of the new inductees into their Hall of Fame. Here's a brief excerpt.) Sailing World: Your record speaks for itself, five Olympic medals, two of them gold. Where do you find your motivation to succeed in sailing? Torben Grael: The first thing is to have fun for sure. I enjoy sailing, I think it's a wonderful sport. Then, of course, I'm a competitive person so I always want to do better and improve everything I do. In sailing it's the same thing. SW: Tell us a little bit more about your relationship with the Star boat. You've been sailing it for nearly 20 years. Grael: I started in the end of 87. I have a very good relationship with the Star boat itself, the star class as well, it's a very good organization. I think the boat suits me and I have a lot of fun sailing the boat. SW: With your resume and closing in on 45 years of age, why have you decided to tackle one of sailing's most grueling events, the Volvo Ocean Race? Grael: I have done a lot of Olympic sailing already and I have done two America's Cups-which is also very fun and very stressful too, but very fun. Something that I enjoy a lot is sailing at high speeds and I think the Volvo is very good for that and I look forward very much to the Southern Ocean legs. It's something very different, so that's a big motivation for me to do the race. SW: So you've had a taste of rough conditions, but no full-on Southern Ocean experience. Grael: No, not in the Southern Ocean. I always hear very good stories about it. There are people that hate it and people that love it. I think you're going to have your best sailing and some of your worst moments in sailing. - Stuart Streuli. Sailing World website, full story: http://www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=37532&typeID=398&catID=608 TRANSPAC The agony was over but the ecstasy was yet to start Thursday for the first 33 of 75 boats that started the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race three days earlier. Winds of 18-22 knots sent three boats in Aloha A class flying to the race's first 200-nautical mile days, led by the 2003 winner, Ross Pearlman's Sun Odyssey 52, Between the Sheets, from Calabasas, Calif., at 213. But after two days of light wind, they still hadn't reached the warmth of the trade winds that will turn their constant pounding on the wind into a pleasant sleigh ride to Paradise. Mark Schrader's Cal 40, Dancing Bear, reported: "Like every other boat on the course, we're sprinting for the ridge of high pressure where the wind will finally clock aft, we'll hoist a spinnaker and the fun will finally begin. But that long-anticipated moment is still a good day away, at least. Comfortable it is not. The once-tidy saloon of Dancing Bear looks like a train wreck." At least former Indy 500 campaigner Dick Simon was no longer feeling frustrated, reporting: "We are in 25 knots of wind and 15-foot seas, power reaching. Gotta go!" Faster boats will follow in the Division III and IV starts Friday and the Division I and II starts Sunday, and the chase across the 2,225-nautical mile expanse of the eastern Pacific will be on. B'Quest, the Challenged America entry crewed by sailors with disabilities, logged 192 miles at an average speed of 8 knots and now shares the pace 1,877 miles from Diamond Head with the historic Odyssey, which did 207 miles. Sally Honey's Illusion took over the Cal 40 lead from David Pillsbury's Ralphie. Other class leaders on projected corrected handicap time were Steve Brown's Express 37, Brown Sugar, in Division V; Odyssey in Aloha A and Larry Hillman's Swan 48, So Far, in Aloha B. Don and Betty Lessley's Cal 40, California Girl, from Richmond, Calif., dropped out because of auxiliary power problems and was returning to the mainland, reducing the Cal 40 fleet to 13 boats. -- Rich Roberts, http://www.transpacificyc.org/ IT'S STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN The 7th Swedish Match Tour season commences next week at the 2nd annual PTPortugal Match Cup in Cascais, Portugal. The event, July 19-24, kicks off what promises to be a strong year for the professional match-racing series. The schedule is still being finalized, but the season could comprise as many as 10 stages with the possibility of four new events added to the calendar. It all begins with Stage 1, the €100,000 (approx. $120,000) PTPortugal Match Cup. The event that debuted last year with resounding success once again is organized by Justino de Sa Machado's Sun Sailing Team, the Naval Club of Cascais and the Cascais Marina. It will be sailed in the Swedish Match 40.The line up features four crews from Cup syndicates, and four crews that placed in the top eight on the final 2004-'05 Tour leaderboard, including the two-time reigning Swedish Match Tour champion Peter Gilmour (AUS). - Sean McNeill, www.swedishmatchtour.com The entry list includes: Ben Ainslie (GBR) Emirates Team New Zealand; Afonso Domingos (POR) - Local qualifier; Michael Dunstan (AUS); Peter Gilmour (AUS) Pizza-La Sailing Team; Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) Gram-Hansen Racing; Peter Holmberg (ISV) Alinghi; Chris Law (GBR) The Outlaws; Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Team Finland; Manuel Marques (POR) - Local qualifier; Bertrand Pacé (FRA) BMW Oracle Racing; Hamish Pepper (NZL) Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia; Ian Williams (GBR) Musto Team. NATIONS CUP The ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final and Regional Finals have now been confirmed for 2006. The Royal Cork Yacht Club in Ireland will host the Grand Final, with Regional Finals hosted in Finland, Portugal, Slovenia, Great Britain, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, New Zealand and the North American Qualifier to be held in the US Virgin Islands, organized by the St Thomas Yacht Club. The ISAF Nations Cup is a match racing competition between nations. A total of seven Regional Finals will be held in geographical groups around the world. Each group will host an Open and a Women's event, held over a four-day period, with the winning teams in the Open and Women's event qualifying to represent their nation and their group at the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final. ISAF has selected the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Ireland to host the Grand Final in J/24's on the non-tidal waters of Cork Harbour. In its opening year in 1991, the ISAF Nations Cup attracted 50 nations, and ISAF anticipates many more will be on the start line in 2006. -- www.sailing.org/nationscup DID YOU FORGET SOMETHING AT BLOCK ISLAND??? If you missed buying your Mount Gay Rum gear at STC Block Island Race Week XXI, you still have a chance. Due to the continued demand, Lands' End Business Outfitters has made more items available. Don't miss out again - quantities are limited. Call 800-490-6402 to place an order for all Mount Gay Rum gear or request a Mount Gay Rum catalog. Look for the Mount Gay Rum Chicago YC Race to Mackinac 2005 gear line that will be sold at the Island House, Mackinac Island. Visit Mount Gay Rum's website to view the calendar of sponsored regattas: http://www.mountgay.com NEWS BRIEFS * Are you a current National, North American, or World One-Design Champion? US Sailing's Championship of Champions Committee is now accepting applications from current class champions to compete in this National Championship on Flying Scots at Bayview YC in Detroit, MI, September 28 - October 1. Applications must be received by August 14. More information can be found at http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC * Sir Robin Knox-Johnston announced that Kels Gilkison is joining Clipper Ventures, as Race Secretary on the race management team of 5-Oceans, the single handed around the world yacht race. Kels acted in a similar position for the 2002 Around Alone Race and has recently completed her role as Event Manager for the Oryx Quest. Kels will be responsible for liaison with the competitors as well as assisting the soon to be appointed Race Director. The 5-Oceans Race starts from Bilbao on 5, November 2006 and is open to solo sailors in the Open 60 and Open 50 IMOCA Class yachts. - www.5-Oceans.com * New York City will have a boat in the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race, and will host a race stopover in late May 2006 as part of the final leg of the ten identically-matched yachts 35,000-mile competition. The international sporting event will begin on September 18, 2005, in Liverpool (UK) and returns there after a 10 month circumnavigation. -- www.clipper-ventures.com * The eight members of the US Youth World Team and their coaches and supporters have arrived in Busan, Korea, and are now making their final preparations before racing begins this Saturday at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship. More than 200 youth sailors from nearly 50 nations will be competing in the event, which runs through July 22. For the latest news and results as they become available, please visit the event website at http://www.worldyouthsailingbusan.com * With all single digit finishes, San Diegans George Szabo and Eric Wilcox continue to set the pace at the 59-boat Snipe Nationals at San Diego YC. Just 2 ½ back are Florida's Ernesto Rodriguez/ Leandro Spina with former Snipe world champion Augie Diaz/Pam Kelly in third ahead of Doug Hart Zach/ Brown and Peter Commette/ Sheehan Commette. -- http://www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/snipe/results.htm * With less than 300 miles to go to the finish line in Portsmouth, 11 of the 12 boats racing in the Global Challenge round the world race are still within single digits of one another - moving at 7+ knots. A festive finishing celebration is planned for the weekend. -- http://www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/ * With nine races now completed in the Silva J/80 World Championship in Falmouth, Great Britian's Ruairidh Scott holds an 18 point lead over Kevin Sproul (GBR) after discarding the score from one race. The USA's Glenn Darden is still in the thick of things - currently in fifth place but just four points out of third. http://www.j80worlds2005.org/rep_res_phot.htm LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is neither a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Dave Culp: West Coast yachting lost a giant on Monday, in the passing of Derek Baylis. I knew him only through his reputation, his amazing children and his incredibly wide circle of friends and admirers. I had hoped one day to meet the legend himself--and I guess I still do. RIP * From Art Ahrens: With respect to the grand prix handicapping rules: The pros know where the action is, and it is in the offshore one design classes. It has been proven time and again (CCA, IOR, IMS, and PHRF) that different boats will perform differently in different conditions. If you want to test sailing skill, the high performance one design classes are the only way to go. I do hope that a developmental rule such as the TP52 does take off in different sizes though. Just as the dinghies have the International 14, 505, and other box classes, big boats need similar box rules to encourage development. Anyway, the first boat to cross the finish line always wins, and the last boat to cross the finish line is last! * From Linda Frederick: Three cheers for yesterday's letters. Lately, our ratings discussions have sounded more like doctrinal disputes among viciously divided religious fundamentalist groups, not just varying views on making racing more fair and more fun. Too bad we can't graft some of George McCroskey's down-to-earth/bluewater? approach onto, say, the Americas Cup races. That's never going to happen, I know. But think about it--would we rather sit around writing rule books, and protesting any and all infractions thereof, or would we like to just go sailing? It's not a tough choice. * From Dale Adams: Yes Ross Field - I think the whole of New Zealand cannot believe they have lost such a talent as Tom Schnackenberg and yes a "bloody nice guy" who was always willing to give his time to everyone at all levels of yachting. * From J. Tobias Reiley: My hat is off to those who maintain, sail, and pay the bills to keep the NY30 fleet and other classics on the IYRS cruise alive and well. My family and I had the unplanned pleasure to beam reach through the oncoming fleet, and it was the highlight of our 5 day cruise. Nothing is more beautiful than to see dozens of classics on beating out of Buzzards Bay, each one seemingly more beautiful than the last. It was with noted sadness that we passed the last boat, thereby ending a colorful commentary by our nine year old daughter Julia who called out their names and numbers with the intensity and interest that only a mesmerized child can impart. It reminds me of why taking time off from my work and the kids' racing to go cruising with our family means so much. Many thanks to the fleet for the spectacle! And to the kind Marblehead owner who lent us his boat, I hope your generosity rubs off on other owners so that more families can experience the magic of life afloat and, if lucky, get a chance to see a parade of Herreshoffs on their centennial cruise, all true classics. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS "In times like these, it is helpful to remember that there have always been times like these." - Paul Harvey |
