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SCUTTLEBUTT 3177 - Wednesday, September 15, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: North Sails and APS THE RULES OF THE GAME With the parameters for the 34th America's Cup now released in the event Protocol, here is a closer look at what this next event will look like: * PARTICIPANTS: Russell Coutts, CEO of current defender BMW Oracle Racing (BOR), acknowledged there is at least one American team that may challenge BOR in a defender series, and believes there could be eight teams in the challenger series. Coutts also noted their research indicated more teams would enter a multihull event than a monohull event. Entries are open from November 1, 2010 until March 31, 2011. * BUDGETS: Coutts estimates a team's budget will not be more than what was needed for the 32nd America's Cup in 2007, and should be less. His estimate is between 40-100 million Euros (52-130 million USD). * BOATS: The AC45 is a one design wing sail catamaran class that was designed by BOR and is being assembled in New Zealand. The prototype is to be launched in December 2010, and will go into production early in 2011. Cup teams will have their first AC45 event in June 2011 and will compete in the class through March 30, 2012. Thereafter, the AC72 will be raced through to the America's Cup match, with its design rule announced September 30, 2010. AC72 approximate dimensions are: length (72 feet), beam (46 feet), displacement (15,500 pounds), wing height (130 feet), and wing cord (32 and 36 feet). * PRE-EVENTS: Each team that submits an America's Cup entry is required to participate in designated events leading up to the America's Cup or risk significant financial penalties. These events will be part of the America's Cup World Series, of which an overall title of America's Cup World Champion will follow the events in 2011 (3 regattas), 2012 (7 regattas), and 2013 (3 regattas). Venue locations will vary and have yet to be announced. The relevance of the America's Cup World Series events in selecting the challenger and defender (if needed) has not been determined. * TEAM RESTRICTIONS: There is no nationality requirement for team members, designers are allowed to work with multiple teams up to a certain date, there are limits on when teams can train, and on how much equipment they can build or acquire. Teams are not allowed to shroud their yachts, and are limited on how they can acquire weather data at a venue. * FUTURE STABILITY: While the control of the America's Cup is largely held by the Defender and its Challenger of Record, there is a clause in the 34th America's Cup Protocol to extend certain conditions beyond the 2013 Match. This is connected to the distribution of any net surplus revenue, wherein the winner of the 2013 Match and its Challenger of Record (if entitled to a share of the net surplus revenue) would forfeit any monies they are entitled to if they do not follow the current guidelines for the 35th America's Cup. As to the amount of money at stake, following the 32nd America's Cup in 2007, a net surplus of 66.5 million Euros was distributed (10% to event management, 45% to the Defender, and 45% to the other teams). Complete Protocol: http://cdn.americascup.com/AC34-Protocol-9-Sep-2010.pdf KIWIS: The team that lost the 32nd America's Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand, has sustained itself at the top of the sport through its participation in the Louis Vuitton Trophy events, the TP52 MedCup circuit, and the upcoming 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race. How do they feel about the plan for the 34th America's Cup? Read on: http://tinyurl.com/SailWorld-091410 USA 17: A post on the Scuttlebutt Forum had asked about future plans for the BOR 90 foot trimaran used in the 33rd America's Cup. A BOR team advisor said that USA 17 remains in Valencia in a tent at the commercial port, and that sailing plans are under review pending venue selection for the 34th Match. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10515 UPDATE: If you had trouble listening to the conference call that BMW Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts hosted on Monday with a group of sailing journalists, the file has been corrected and can be listened to here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/10/0909/ WHAT IS THAT HANGIN' OFF YOUR TRANSOM? By Matt Knowles, Unruly rules blog It is fairly common for race committees to attach a "keep off" or "limit" mark to the transom of the start boats. Usually this is a small inflatable buoy attached with a short length of rope. The reasons for doing so are simple: to provide an additional buffer zone between eager competitors and the freshly painted topsides of the start boat. These inflatable things and the lines attaching them to the committee boat are not marks. The definition of mark states in part that "An... object attached temporarily or accidentally to a mark is not part of it." The race committee boat itself is a mark, but because these keep off buoys are attached only temporarily to the boat, they are not marks. Thus, a competitor cannot be penalized for hitting them. Some race committees try to get around this problem by writing a sailing instruction stating that the keep off buoy is a mark, or simply that the buoy is "part of" the race committee boat. However, such an instruction is invalid. Rule 86.1(b) makes clear that sailing instructions may not change the definition of mark in this way. A creative race committee might instead include an instruction simply prohibiting competitors from touching the keep off buoy or its connecting rope, and specifying that a boat may exonerate such a breach by taking a one-turn penalty. This would not make the buoy a mark, but merely another sort of object that must not be touched while racing. Read on to see how the US SAILING Race Management handbook addresses this issue, and why the best practice is to avoid inserting this sort of language into the sailing instructions: http://tinyurl.com/Knowles-091410 BAD HAIR DAY? We can't help you with that, but we'll send you a free Spinnaker hat with any purchase over $30 (excl. taxes and freight) at NorthSailsGear.com You'll find a stylish assortment of fleece pullovers, hoodies, and jackets to take you through the cool of Autumn and into Winter. There are new tee colors and patterns great for layering; backpacks, duffels and tote bags to suit every taste and books and videos to stockpile for those cool Fall evenings. Enter SBUTT HAT in the order notes at checkout to receive your free Spinnaker Hat. Offer expires Sept. 18, 2010. When looking good matters, head North! http://www.NorthSailsGear.com LASER MASTERS WORLDS Hayling Island, England (September 14, 2010) - Gusty winds which built as forecasted to over 30 knots during this afternoon meant that racing was cancelled today for the 350 sailors from 30 different countries who were due to race the second day of the Laser Masters World Championships (minimum 35 years to 84 years of age) off Hayling Island Sailing Club. Commenting on the preparation needed for the 2010 Laser Masters Worlds, blogger Tillerman offers these tongue-in-cheek observations: "I have recently completed some ground-breaking research into the nutritional requirements of old geezers such as myself who are preparing to compete in a Laser Masters World Championship, and in particular the perfect way in which to satisfy those needs. I have identified four essential food groups: ALCOHOL. It's a closely guarded secret that a Laser Masters Worlds is not about sailing; it's really about the parties. The organizers will have a party for the opening ceremony. They will have another party for the prize-giving and closing ceremony. There will be at least one other official party during the week. Each major nation and continent will organize a party for its sailors; there's bound to be a North American Laser Class party. Some of our fellow sailors will organize parties too. At all of these parties huge quantities of alcohol will be consumed. None of us wants to be a party pooper. Now is the time to increase our daily alcohol consumption in order to raise our alcohol tolerance to the level we will need to face the challenges of Masters Worlds parties. FAT. We are going to need to raise our calorie intake too in order to meet the physical challenges of racing in those 30 knot winds and 12 foot waves off Hayling Island. Have you ever studied the calorific contents of various nutrients? Carbohydrates and protein only have about 4 kcal/gram. Fat has over 9 kcal/gram. Fat is the way to go, obviously. Eat more fat. SUGAR. During digestion, sugars are rapidly broken down into glucose by digestive enzymes in the stomach and intestine, and then absorbed into the blood stream and dispersed around the body as energy for muscles and cells. Sugars provide the best way of raising our energy levels quickly. Sugar is the way to go. Eat more sugar. CAFFEINE. The 2010 Laser Masters Worlds is being held 5 time zones east of where I live (RI) and 8 time zones east of California. That means that we US sailors are going to be getting up to start preparing to sail each day at a time that our body clocks think of as the middle of the night. We will need vast quantities of caffeine each morning in order to function effectively in this disorienting situation. We need to start acclimating our bodies to that now. So what food contains all four essential food groups... details here: http://propercourse.blogspot.com/2010/08/irish-coffee.html Racing continues to Sunday, September 19 - here are results from the first day of competition: http://www.laserworlds2010.co.uk/laserworlds/masters/results.htm YACHT CLUB RENEWS EFFORT TO HOLD SAIL RACE TO CUBA The Sarasota Yacht Club Charitable Foundation says it plans a second attempt to hold a landmark race from Sarasota, Fla., to Havana. Last year, after much planning and pre-race events, the yacht club canceled the event (scheduled for Nov. 2010) because the federal government decided not to sanction it. Yacht club officers are optimistic that they can get government approval for the race to Cuba, which would start May 14, 2011. "Realistic hopes are high that the race will come to be this spring," said Vincent Di Pano, chairman of the race committee. Only U.S. charities would share in the proceeds from the event. Mote Marine Laboratories, along with the American Cancer Society and the Sarasota Youth Sailing Program, would be the beneficiaries of the regatta. Mote has been approved to conduct an educational visit to Cuba in December and again next spring, according to Di Pano. To date, more than 120 yachts have signed up for the 260-mile trip to the finish line at the entrance to the Hemingway Marina in Havana. -- Soundings, http://tinyurl.com/Soundings-091410 SAILING SHORTS * Despite our lackluster economy, there's no shortage of cruisers heading south to the sunny latitudes of Mexico this fall. As the entry process for the annual Baja Ha-Ha rally draws to a close, 186 boats have registered for the 750-mile event (193 participants in 2009). The course from San Diego, California (October 25) to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico has two R&R stops along the way at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. Since its inception in 1994, with a fleet of only 39 boats, the Ha-Ha has grown during its 17-year run to become the second largest cruising rally in the world (behind the ARC). Details at http://www.baja-haha.com * Sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston has launched his latest search for ten exceptional skippers to lead the internationally sponsored teams in the next edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Clipper 11-12 will start from the UK in August next year and on board the matched fleet of stripped down 68-foot ocean racing yachts will be teams of novice crews representing all walks of life. The only professional sailor on board, the skipper has the challenge of turning such a diverse mix of people into a finely-honed racing team and it's one that professionals understand can deliver valuable benefits to their CV. -- Read on: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/index.php/race_news/?item=12344 * Botswana, a land-locked desert country with no permanent outward flowing rivers and the famous Okavango swamps with its hippopotamuses and crocodiles, does not automatically spring to mind as a sailing nation. However, with a large number of man-made reservoirs sailing is thriving and the Botswana Yacht Racing Association have become the newest International Sailing Federation member. -- Read on: http://www.sailing.org/news/34047.php * To accommodate a growing waiting list of exhibitors, the United States Sailboat Show has leased an additional 10,000 square feet of space to house a large group of exhibitors. This is in addition to an island of floating docks that was added a few weeks ago to accommodate additional exhibitors. The United States Sailboat Show runs Oct. 7-11 in Annapolis, Md. The following week, the annual United States Powerboat Show will be held at the same city dock location. Organizers also reported that advance online ticket sales are ahead of last year by 12.2 percent for the sailboat show and 14.4 percent for the powerboat show. -- Soundings, full story: http://tinyurl.com/Soundings-091410a SIMPLE, SMART, SCHOLASTIC SAVINGS AT APS Scholastic sailors in need of new gear don't waste your time dealing with the rest come where it's easy, APS, "The World Leaders in Outfitting Performance Sailors". We keep it simple by offering great deals on gear we stock and we ship the orders you can place individually, online, quickly with no hoops to jump through or emails to send begging for pricing first. As long time supporters of the ISSA, the sole retail sponsor of the ICSA, and title sponsor of the APS/ICSA Team Race Nationals we're also known for giving back. Ordering at APS simply makes sense! Details: http://www.apsltd.com/c-5804-ScholasticOrders.aspx GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit your comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter are limited to 250 words. One published submission per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Frederic Berg: Voila! One hundred forty-five Scuttlebutts later and a lot of armchair advice, BMW Oracle got it right - use the fastest boats on the planet. I look forward to the new era of sailing and can't wait for hard wing technology to trickle down to boats we all can afford. Exciting stuff! * From David Fuller, YachtSponsorship.com: After months of consulting the world's best marketing and television experts, BMW ORACLE delivered an uninspiring and televisually dull product launch of the AC72, a multi-hull catamaran with a fixed wing that will be the yacht for the next America's Cup to be held in 2013. Russell Coutts told sailing journalists in Valencia that the Defender of the America's Cup had consulted with experts from Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and NASCAR about how to make the America's Cup more appealing to a new audience. Yet the event to launch the vision of the Cup's future featured Yacht Club Commodores signing contracts and a rotating 3D model. Most soap powder product launches are more inspired and inspiring than this unrehearsed, amateur production. BMW-ORACLE have set themselves up as being an organisation that understands the "Facebook generation", but there is no way that brands like Zynga (Google it) would announce a new global product in such a lacklustre manner. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/YS-091410 * From Gunther E. Hering, Hamburg, Germany: The America's Cup was buried Monday by Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison in cooperation with the Italians. Catamarans are not suitable for match racing, just for straight line speed. The nationality clause was not reintroduced (Russell - read the Deed of Gift!) The whole thing has been turned into a permanent circus and a job program for professional sailors. This is not sport, just commercial entertainment. Sorry - count me out! * From John Irvine: To quote Yogi - "Include me out!" Catamarans? Humbug! * From Howard D. Paul, Burlingame, CA: So why am I not surprised it is Catamarans. Yes they go fast but there won't be any tacking duels or jibing on the opponents wind. Boring! So why? Simple. BMW/Oracle has already spent millions on R&D so it is simple to downsize the boat. They already know how to sail one. It is their "Fair Advantage". Mark my words: It will not be in San Francisco. There is no allegiance to the Deed of Gift which clearly states a friendly competition between countries. Why would it be in the U.S. at all? The CEO is from New Zealand, the helmsman is Australian - the name of the team alone says it best: BMW/Oracle. The America's Cup is DEAD! * From Adrian Morgan: So, all the Alinghi mulithull gurus have jumped ship to BMW Oracle, and before the multihull announcement was made. Head start? More like flying start, or perhaps jumping the gun. As I said in Seahorse magazine in March "And now, surprise surprise, they're considering multihulls, now they have a hefty head start and all the technology and expertise. Level playing field? Not in our lifetime, or indeed ever." * From Gregory Scott, Kingston, ONT: It has long been established that to set yourself apart in politics, finding a 'wedge" can be a ticket to notoriety. Now notoriety comes in many forms. Starting a campaign with the words: "This will be a competition for the Facebook generation, not the Flintstone generation," as Russell Coutts said Monday, lacks a certain nation building quality. To insult the significant percentage of the remaining marketplace for sailing, that are still actually interested, seems to be foolhardy. Oh it will no doubt create notoriety, but if any of the myriad of articles noting the decline in sailing are in any way true - then this is the final nail. Having grown up in business around marinas and yacht clubs, the Facebook Generation isn't paying the bills. The slips are full of Flinstoners and they aren't coming to Russell's party. => Curmudgeon's Comment: Interestingly, most of the comments on the Scuttlebutt Facebook page have not been in support of the catamaran vision. So much for slogans. INDUSTRY NEWS The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum provides an opportunity for companies to announce new products and services, with updates to be included in the Thursday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to view and/or post Industry News updates: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/industry_news_c15/ CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "There are no gains without pains." - Benjamin Franklin, politician, inventor Special thanks to North Sails and APS. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
