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SCUTTLEBUTT 2820 – Friday, April 10, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsors are PredictWind.com and Southern Spars AN OPEN LETTER This is an open letter to the Société Nautique de Genève and the Golden Gate Yacht Club from the commodores of the five yacht clubs that either set the America’s Cup competition in motion: the Royal Yacht Squadron, or have been a former trustee of the Cup: the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Perth Yacht Club, the San Diego Yacht Club and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. We write to encourage you to negotiate together for a fair and equitable multi-challenger competition for the thirty-third defense of the America’s Cup. We believe that such an event, as opposed to a “Deed of Gift” defense, is in the greater interest of the sport of sailing in general and of members of the broad America’s Cup community, who have invested their time and resources to make the event a true international competition of the highest order. We hope that the current challenger and defender will work together to find a way through their differences to bring about such an event for the good of yachting and the America’s Cup. The Lord Iliffe, Commodore Royal Yacht Squadron David K. Elwell Jr., Commodore New York Yacht Club Mark Fitzhardinge, Commodore Royal Perth Yacht Club R. Andrew La Dow, Commodore San Diego Yacht Club Scott Colebrook, Commodore Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron For further information contact communications@nyyc.org THE WORST YEAR EVER Heading the news today is the story of the third yacht that has been hijacked by Somali pirates in as many weeks, making 2009 already the worst for yachts in terms of the number of yachts seized. It is significant that the three latest hijacks, which have now resulted in 15 sailors, 10 Seychellois and five French citizens being held as hostages, including a three-year-old baby, did not occur in the traditional pirate-zone waters between Somalia and Yemen. Neither did the attempted hijack of the latest American ship Maersk Alabama, which was in the Indian Ocean 300 miles from the coast. It underscores the belief that these business-minded pirates have headed south and away from the coast to avoid clashing with the navies of the many countries who now patrol the region. It is also significant that no yachts that have either sailed close to the Yemeni shore where Yemeni coastguard are in control, or used the defined and closely guarded shipping corridor have encountered pirates. – Sail-World.com, read on: http://www.sail-world.com/cruising/index.cfm?nid=55632&rid=11 TOE IN THE WATER For nine of the sailors on three boats preparing to compete at this weekend’s Red Funnel Easter Regatta (10-12 April), their participation in the event is a crucial part of their rehabilitation programme after sustaining traumatic injuries. Sailing under the banner of ‘Toe In The Water,’ a group of injured servicemen will be lining up with and against able-bodied teams for the three-day regatta. Many of them have never sailed before and the competitive environment provides a disciplined team setting with a shared focus which directly aids their rehabilitation. ‘Toe In The Water’ Director Holly King said: “Sailing competitively as part of a team helps to re-inspire servicemen who have suffered traumatic injuries.” ‘Toe In The Water’ is a non-profit organization which uses sailing as a vehicle to re-inspire the injured servicemen and women, many of whom have been severely wounded and even lost limbs in active service in Afghanistan and Iraq, and who are currently treated at Headley Court, the Defense Medical Rehabilitation Centre. - www.toeinthewater.org A GOOD STUDENT (Following is a brief excerpt from a story posted on The Daily Sail subscription website.) Few, including the good lady herself, would have predicted that in the Vendee Globe earlier this year Aviva skipper Dee Caffari would end up finishing a more than respectable sixth out of 30 starters. But this is something the British skipper can now proudly state on her sailing CV, along with of course, being the first woman to have sailed around the world non-stop both westabout and now eastabout, with and against the prevailing winds. “When I left I wanted to have been in the top half of the fleet,” admits Caffari. “I knew the boat had the potential, but I was very aware that I needed to grow into my boat. I thought I would get better on the race, but I think I surprised myself how much that progression happened. I knew there would be a bit of a war of attrition but I didn’t realize the extent and severity of it. That changed my opinion of the race half way ‘I need to survive this first and then race it second’ a little bit.” Aviva’s Project Manager Joff Brown, who previously worked alongside Dee when they both were part of Mike Golding’s Team Group 4 shore team prior to the 2000-1 Vendee Globe, says that he is not surprised she got around, observing that there is a common thread of good seamanship that has been instilled in her as a result of having been through the ‘Challenge Business school’, something also true of Hellomoto skipper Conrad Humphries and Mike Golding. -- http://www.thedailysail.com EXPERT WIND FORECASTS - FREE 1 MONTH TRIAL! Want a competitive edge in your next regatta? Use a forecast from PredictWind.com! We are the choice of champion sailors around the world...read about it at http://www.predictwind.com/Customer+Feedback.html Using proprietary technology we generate 2 independent forecasts twice daily. For Offshore Sailors we generate 7 day forecasts with truly global coverage. For Inshore Sailors we use an incredible 1km resolution model with local topography to generate a forecast of unparalleled accuracy for your sailing area. High resolution equals better accuracy. Get your FREE 1 month trial at http://www.PredictWind.com PERFECT CONDITIONS Palma De Mallorca, Spain (Apr. 9 ,2009; Day 5) After the heavy rain and the lack of winds experienced on the last two days, the sun and wind were widely acclaimed by sailors and racing officials at the Princesa Sofia MAPFRE Trophy Regatta. The 2.4m fleet at the western end of the bay was the first to enjoy the wind and started racing in the morning while the Lasers were the last off the water at 6PM! The four racing committees made the most of these perfect conditions to add another 38 races to the programme. Three races were sailed in the Laser Radial class and Spain’s Susana Romero now leads the parade with a six point edge over Paige Railey (USA) going into Friday’s Trophy Race. With finishes of 44-16-25, Beijing Gold medallist, Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), is now 24 points further back in fifth place, and out of medal contention. -- Event website: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org THE VENUE Thursday, April 9 - Valencia Mayoress Rita Barbera has revealed that she has received a letter from Ernesto Bertarelli, the President of Alinghi, in which he stated that both BMW Oracle Racing and his syndicate want the 33rd edition of the Americas Cup to take place in Valencia. Mrs Barbera added that the letter stated that the City of Valencia was worthy of staging the Cup, and revealed that otherwise she was aware that Mr. Bertarelli had sent a letter to Larry Ellison, the head of BMW Oracle Racing in an effort to try and stage a meeting with the aim of making an agreement over the future of the race. She stated that she considered the letter an excellent piece of new for Valencia and the Valencian Government. – Valencia Life Network VIDEO OF THE WEEK After each leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, the Inmarsat Media Prize is presented to the Media Crew Member (MCM) who provided the best content from that leg. On Leg 5 from China to Brazil, Scuttlebutt is pleased to recognize Gustav Morin from Ericsson 3 as the award winner. This week, Scuttlebutt also has the privilege of showcasing several videos: * Nominated footage from Leg 5 * Winning footage from Leg 5 * Interviews with the three nominated MCMs for the Leg 5 prize about their experience thus far fulfilling this role for the Volvo Ocean Race. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/News/08/Inmarsat/leg5.asp ARE YOU READY TO PLAY? On Saturday, leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race starts from Rio de Janeiro and that means it’s time to get behind your computer screen to get ready for the start of the Volvo Ocean Race official game. With nearly 200, 000 players currently registered, the game has been a runaway hit with both gamers and sailors from all around the world. It is the biggest global sailing community in the world, with registered players in more than 180 countries. The virtual skippers compete on the exact same course and receive the same weather information as their real-world counterparts on the Volvo Open 70s, making it a true-to-life experience. Although the teams in both the game and the Volvo Ocean Race are now more than halfway around the world, there is still plenty of action left. There are five full legs of the race left and plenty of sailing between now and the finish line in St. Petersburg at the end of June. The overall prize is out of reach for new players. But there are great prizes still available to be won. The winner of the next leg is rewarded with a trip to the following stopover, where they can take in the action of the in-port race. Check out the game at: http://www.volvooceanracegame.org/home.php BAIRD ENTERTAINS AND DISAPPOINTS Anyone who expected or hoped that Ed Baird would shed some new insights on the current state of America's Cup affairs was left wanting last Wednesday night. Baird spoke to over 200 St. Petersburg, FL-area sailors, but he carefully avoided any real discussion of the Alinghi vs. BMW Oracle Racing (BOR) conflict. His hour-long talk focused instead on what he's been doing, especially in the last year. Baird is an accomplished speaker, who entertained the crowd with numerous sea stories about "crashing and burning" in Formula 40 catamarans and running over and bending a "significant crab pot" (which turned out to be a half-submerged plastic French breadbox the size of a storage trunk.) He described the "scary" experience of sailing the 60' trimaran that Alinghi used to help climb their learning curve about sailing and competing in multi-hulls.And, he talked about what it's like to see catamarans get run down from behind on a downwind leg, with the fleet closing in at 15-20 knots - lots of fiberglass fractures, broken parts and wet sailors. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0406a/ 49ERS: RIGGED FOR CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE Known for their high performance and adrenaline pumping speeds, the 49er class debuted their new Southern Spars carbon rigs at the Princess Sofia Regatta this week. In attendance was Southern Spars representative, Andrew Brown, with reports of faster and closer racing that resulted in an evening up of class performance as planned. Interest in Southern skiff rigs is growing, with the current 18ft skiff World Champions Southern Cross Constructions, and defending champions Gotta Love it 7, also working with the Southern Spars One Design team. For more information about these projects visit: http://www.southernspars.com => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Regarding the 49er’s conversion to carbon spars, an interview with John Clinton, General Manager of One Design at Southern Spars, is posted on the class website: http://www.49er.org/images/stories/pdf/49er_carbon_mast.pdf SAILING SHORTS * The International 470 Class has appointed Luissa Smith (GBR) to the new role of 470 Class Manager. Smith will focus on providing support to the International 470 Class organization, National Class Associations, sailors, Member National Authorities and event organizers. She has 18 year’s experience of working in international sailing and most recently worked as the Director of Training and Development at the International Sailing Federation. Her background includes sports development, governance and strategic planning, international relations, event management, corporate communications, marketing and media operations. Smith will be responsible for the day to day administration of the Class. – http://www.470.org * Half the fleet in the Fort Lauderdale to Charleston Race has passed the halfway point, with less than 200 miles to go. The fleet leaders have averaged over 12 knots for the past two hours, and the nine behind are still within 50 miles of each other, with Santarella, Affinity, and Primal Scream apparently within visual or radar contact with one another close behind Teamwork. The live boat tracking shows Rosebud/Team DYT leading Vanquish (ex Moneypenny), now owned/sailed by Kings Point Sailing Team, with an expected finish early Friday morning. – http://www.fortlauderdalecharlestonrace.org * On the list of the Top Ten Dressed Celebrities just published by the News and Reviews website, Kirsty Bertarelli, wife of Alinghi syndicate head, Ernesto Bertarelli took the eighth position. http://xrl.us/beoejb PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include dress code violations, sunscreen application, foiling development, 12 Meter racing, Fireball racing, Shellback racing, and landsail racing. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0410 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Doran Cushing, St. Pete, FL: In ‘Butt 2819 both "Mike" and "Michael" showed they have no clue about the Tampa Bay region. Anyone who lives here refers to "St. Petersburg" as St. Pete. The fact that St. Petersburg Beach changed their name to "St. Pete Beach" only confirms that practice. For apparent west coasters "Mike" and "Michael" it would be like saying no one understands what "LA" is. Show me a songwriter that calls it "Los Angeles." Ever hear of the "LA Freeway?" The "LA Times?" Describing St. Pete as "Tampa" is as accurate as describing Palm Springs or San Bernadino as "LA." Just ask the people who live in those "LA" cities. And the bottom line is that "St. Pete" hosts far more high-level regattas (and is home to more sailing champions) than any bay in southern California. Curmudgeon’s Comment: Generally, when a thread gets this volatile we jump in and declare the subject ‘officially dead.’ And I would have done that had it not been for Doran’s final sentence. However, I know many of our SoCal readers will take enormous exception to the notion that St. Pete “hosts far more high-level regattas (and is home to more sailing champions) than any bay in southern California.” Ouch! I don’t see how I can let this thread end on that note without giving our SoCal readers an opportunity to reply. * From Bruce Lines: I do not know all the details but my initial reaction to the ISAF/Kiteboarders announcement (S’Butt 2819) is that I find the statement to be rather frightening regarding kite boarders. I didn't know that ISAF had exclusive use of the word World, somebody had better tell major league baseball and other sports they can't have a World Series etc. To exclude anybody from sailing just because they competed in a class that wasn't going to play by ISAF's rules is counterproductive. These people are kite boarding, it is closer to surfing and they are being sanctioned by another body, the International Surfing Association. Do we now exclude anybody who surfs? The question that should be asked by sailors is what drove the kiteboarders away from ISAF? Did ISAF make unreasonable demands or did they make unreasonable demands? We need to be a bit more flexible sometimes and hopefully include more people in our sport rather that exclude them. There have been too many articles bemoaning the decline in the number of people sailing, let's not make the situation worse. * From John Rumsey: Sounds to me like ISAF is more government than we need. What does it matter if the Professional Kite Boarders have a "World" Tour or tour of the "Planet" If the kite boarders can get a circuit going, good for them. * From Alex Watters: In response to David Rogers (Scuttlebutt 2819. Finally somebody gets it right! Nice job putting into words what the vast majority of us 'buttheads think! Only one concern … what happens if Larry loses. Can you imagine in what direction Ernutoe may go. Scary thought! * From Jessica Lord: I would rather have boils lanced than watch two 90+ foot catamarans match race for the America’s Cup. Jesus, what the hell are they thinking? In this economy to spend upwards of a billion dollars for such a spectacle is criminal. Larry and Ernesto should race it out on stock sunfish on the Berkeley Circle and call it a day. They should be ashamed of themselves. What do they say about having too many dollars and not enough cents? * From Adam Turinas: April 22nd is the 40th anniversary of Robin Knox-Johnston’s non-stop circumnavigation and victory in the Sunday Times Golden Globe, the grandfather of the Vendee Globe. This is arguably the greatest sailing feat in our lifetime. It is certainly historic and worth celebrating. In an effort to celebrate the great man, I am trying to start a movement to make April 22nd Robin Knox-Johnston Day on the web. More details at http://messingaboutinboats.typepad.com CURMUDGEON’S QUOTATIONS In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress. - John Adams Special thanks to PredictWind.com and Southern Spars. 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