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SCUTTLEBUTT 1428- October 3, 2003
Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is a
digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock
talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press
releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always
welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
SMOKING POT
Cannabinoids (e.g. hashish and marijuana) are to become prohibited (in
sailing). In previous years, (2003 inclusive), Cannabinoids have not been
proscribed by ISAF, and have only been banned for the Olympic Regatta.
Following the release of the World Anti-Doping Code - 2004 Prohibited List
of Substances and Methods, due to become effective from January 1st 2004,
we must announce that there is to be a significant change from the current
list regarding the status of Cannabinoids in the sport of sailing.
All sailors must be aware that this substance will now be tested for and
that they also may face the possibility of being tested un-announced.
Cannabinoids are however, classed as a "specified substance", which means
that it is considered to be less likely to be successfully abused as a
doping agent. This means that where an Athlete can establish that the use
of such a "specified substance" was not intended to enhance sport
performance, the period of ineligibility (or sanctioning) will be reduced
to the following:
- First Violation: At a minimum, a warning and reprimand and no period
of ineligibility from future events, and at a maximum, one (1) year's
ineligibility.
- Second Violation: Two (2) years' ineligibility
- Third Violation: Lifetime ineligibility.
Full story - ISAF website:
http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=5550
FOR THE RECORD
Robert Miller's 140-foot super yacht, Mari Cha IV, started its west to east
transatlantic record attempt Thursday afternoon at 17:39:41 BST. Mari Cha
IV set sail with Miller at the wheel and a crew of 23 of the world's best
sailors on board. The record attempt officially started as they passed
Ambrose Lighthouse off New York Harbor.
To capture the current record, set by Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm on 1st
February 2001, they must sail to Lizard Point, Cornwall in less 8 days, 20
hours, 55 minutes and 35 seconds. But Miller and his crew are not just
aiming to break the record, as they hope to rewrite sailing history by
becoming the first monohull to sail across the Atlantic in less than 8
days. They also hope to become the first monohull to ever sail over 500
miles in a 24 hour period.
Miller, a 70 year old British billionaire has spent four years developing
Mari Cha IV. The schooner, which has only been in the water since August,
is potentially capable of speeds of over 40 knots. It has two massive 45
metre masts but weighs only 50 tonnes thanks to an ultra lightweight
carbon-fibre hull. - www.mari-cha4.com
THE NEW GRAND PRIX RATING RULE
The Grand Prix Rule Working Party, made up of representatives from the
RORC, ORC, and US Sailing, has issued a press release today stating that
their recommendation for a new Grand Prix Rule is a VPP-based Box Rule with
deliberate type-forming. This recommendation will be good news for any
owners who have been on the fence about what to build next and great news
for the owners, builders, and designers of the Transpac 52 class. - Sailing
World website. To read the text of the press release:
http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_article.php?articleID=2032
AND ANOTHER REASON . . .
Need another reason to go to the Annapolis Boat Show next weekend?
Annapolis Performance Sailing will be having their First Annual Boat Show
Sale. Get great deals on brands like Harken, Yale Cordage, Tuff Luff,
Musto, Tack Tick, Gill and more. Everything in our store will be on sale. A
walk in sale only, you must stop by our booth or grab the water taxi to our
new store to get the deal. While you're at it, see what, and who, makes APS
the most comprehensive performance sailing store. For details, directions
and sample savings... http://www.apsltd.com/depts/dept3393.asp
RIWKC
Annapolis, MD - Today's scenes on Chesapeake Bay will not soon be forgotten
by the 66 teams of nearly 300 women competing here at the 2003 Rolex
International Women's Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC). With 18-25 knot
winds packing 30-knot punches, the four-person crews worked aggressively to
keep their 22-foot boats under control, while several teams experienced
their worst nightmares -- harrowing knockdowns that tossed crew members
overboard while pinning masts to the water and exposing white underbellies
of hulls.
The race committee ran just one race, before canceling the second race and
sending everyone back to the dock. Those that maintained concentration and
kept control of their boats were rewarded with advances in the standings.
Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) sailed confidently, faltering only once
during a spinnaker set and is now the regatta's leader by a 20-point margin
over Paula Lewin (Paget, Bermuda).
Some competitors suffered under the black flag penalty hoisted after two
general recall starts, the second adding a Z-flag (20% scoring) penalty.
Perhaps the most disappointed of those was Betsy Alison, who gained a
second black flag for the series, dropping her to 15th overall and dashing
her hopes at a sixth Rolex IWKC title. - Media Pro Int'l,
http://www.ussailing.org/
1. Sally Barkow, Team Seven, 33
2. Paula Lewin, Team ACE Group, 53
3. Carol Cronin, Team Atkins, 55
4. Karleen Dixon, The Lion Foundation, NZL, 56
5. Mary Brigden, Team San Diego, 60
AMERICA'S CUP VENUE
(Following are excerpts from two stories presently posted on the 'Cup in
Europe' website.)
Rumours are flying around that the host city for the 32nd America's Cup
could be announced as soon as the end of this month and the competition
forces the four governments to act to convince AC Management. In the last
straight line, one can undoubtedly estimate that the four retained European
venues have a good file and it's now time for financial discussions. The
huge sums concerned, coupled with the strict Swiss requirements, have led
Governements to enter the Cup Arena.
This morning, the vice-president of the central Spanish Government Rodrigo
Rato held a meeting in Valencia with the President of the "Generalitat
Valenciana" Francisco Camps and the Mayor of Valencia Rita Barbera to
create a consortium which will support and defend the Valencian colors.
"The government is committed to giving legal and financial necessary
support", Rodrigo Rato said. "We will provide all the resources necessary
to enable Valencia to offer the best facilities for organising this
sporting event".
No figure were given but the Valencia project comprises the transformation
of the Port's inner Basin - the Balcon al Mar - into the syndicates bases,
and the possibility of opening up a channel that gives direct access to the
regatta zone is being studdied.After a meeting at the Council of Ministers
in Lisbon, the Portuguese Commission for the Cascais' Candidature obtained
a "declaration of public utility". The works the Commission plans to
undertake will now begin very soon, without awaiting the decision from Geneva.
The Marseille's existing land use plan will be modified to incorporate new
building identified as necessary at the "Vieux-Port" entrance by the
municipal council (home for the super yachts, a 'foredeck club', new
piers...). In addition to French government participation (€40 million),
discussions are in progress about the remaining €80 million and to create a
consortium which will support the Marseille's bid.
Full stories: http://www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/Where7.htm
TAKE IT WITH YOU
Not going to be at your computer long enough to read Scuttlebutt today?
Click on the "Printer Friendly" feature on the Scuttlebutt website and
bring the latest issue along with you. Look for the printer icon in the
upper right corner of your screen: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com
MCLAUGHLIN SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS CANADA'S CUP
Terry McLaughlin's Team Defiant from the Royal Canadian YC successfully
defended the Canada's Cup by defeating Bob Hughes' Team Heartbreaker from
the challenging Macatawa Bay YC, 7-5, in a match race series sailed in Farr
40s in Toronto, Canada. The final two races were sailed in 10-12 knots of
breeze with lumpy seas and the temperature right at 48 degrees.
http://www.rcyc.ca/Special/index.htm and http://www.canadascup.org/
HOBIE 16 NAs
Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association, Dewey Beach Delaware - There was big
breeze Thursday at the Hobie 16 North American Continental Championship.
The first race started in single trapeze conditions but as each leg of each
race was sailed the wind picked up steadily. By the third beat of the
fourth race the wind speed was measured at thirty knots with higher gusts.
By the end of the fourth race most of the boats were either on the beach or
upside down. Twenty-eight boats, out of seventy, were able to finish.
Standings (70 boats - protest pending):
1) Paul Hess and Mary Ann Hess 42pts.
2) Armando Noriega Jr. and Rodrigo Achach 65pts.
3) Wally Myers and Tyler Myers 81pts.
4) Randy MacConnell and Chris CacConnell 82pts.
5) Dan Kulkoski and Kathy Kulkoski 85pts.
Full results will be posted at: www.hobie16cc.com/
MINI TRANSAT
Jonathan Mc Kee's Team Mc Lube has increased it's lead over Armel Tripon's
Roty Mill to 32 miles and more than 66 miles on Manuel Manuard's Tip Top
Too. After a third of race, McKee has largely made up his deficit of the
first stage and built an advantage of several hours on Manuard. Also, the
lead boats are all sailing very similar tracks. The boats have been sailing
in 10 knot northeasterly trade winds.
Standings at 1500 GMT Thursday:
1. Jonathan McKee, Team McLube, 1928 miles to finish.
2. Armel Tripon Moulin Roty, 1960 mtf
3. Samuel Manuard Tip Top Too, 1994 mtf
4. François Cuinet, Reglisse, 1998 mtf
5. Pierre Rolland, Extrado, 2012 mtf
Event website: http://www.transat650.org/
WIRELESS CAUTION STATEMENT: SPONTANEOUS DOCK PARTY WARNING
Overheard from a brand-new Micronet Wireless Instruments owner: "I was on
the dock getting ready for the regatta… Pulled the components out of the
boxes, followed the instructions, and 'introduced the system to itself.'
Before I knew it, Micronet had started a party - Word spread fast! Every
sailor on the dock was checking it out, walking around with the wireless
wind unit and displays, yelling back and forth to one another about their
display readouts." Come party with us at the Annapolis Boat Show! Booth
map: www.layline.com/llf/prod/mn/map.htm or call for information anytime:
1-800-542-5463.
LITTLE AMERICA'S CUP
While the temperatures dropped on Narragansett Bay, action on the race
course heated up as competition for the International Catamaran Challenge
Trophy (ICCT) resumed today after yesterday's planned lay day. The
Challenger (Italy's Daniele Saragoni and crew Teo Di Battista, representing
Club Nautico Rimini) and the Defender (John Lovell of New Orleans, La., and
crew Charlie Ogletree of Houston, Texas, representing Southern Yacht Club)
faced each other on a windward-leeward course (three times around) for
three matches in breeze upwards of 23 knots with temperatures hovering in
the low 60s.
In race one Lovell and Ogletree were in the lead only to hook the windward
mark, which allowed Saragoni and Di Battista to pass them and get on the
scoreboard with the first win. In the second race, the Americans held the
lead until the second downwind leg when, with the spinnaker out, they hit a
wave and capsized, opening the door for the Italians to pass them on their
way to the finish line.
In race three, Lovell and Ogletree capsized on the starting line and
despite getting their cat back up quickly, the time elapsed was enough to
give a half leg lead to the Italians who had sustained a pre-start penalty
which they performed on the first leg. Showing plenty of determination,
Lovell and Ogletree ran them down in the puffy and shifty conditions to win
their first race of the day. The final two races of the day saw even starts
with both boats jockeying upwind. The Americans were around each mark
first, albeit with the Italians right on them. In both instances, Saragoni
and Di Battista crossed the line only 10-15 seconds behind Lovell and
Ogletree, who ended the day 3-2.
The winner of the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy will be
determined tomorrow when the final two races are sailed in this best
four-out-of-seven series between the Defender and Challenger. - Media Pro
Int'l, www.icct2003.org or www.littleamericascup2003.org
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com)
(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 nor a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Bruno Trouble: Magnus Wheatley's article is frightening, but I see
several solutions to have more teams in the next America's cup. There is a
limit in corporate sponsorship around 30 million dollars (ask Dennis…) and
we want to give a chance to a team coming with this kind of money to be
competitive. This is the key to the success. The only" big"" way to keep
the budgets at a reasonable level would be to limit the number of sailing
days. (For example: 30 days in 2004, 50 in 2005, 80 in 2006, free in 2007...)
Doing that, you will lower the salaries (60% of any budget) and people like
Peyron, or Read or any of the guys will be able to make money elsewhere.
This is the main area of savings but I am sure that AC Management is
working on some other ideas. They are not stupid and they are well aware of
the problem…
* From Wolfgang Chamberlain: I was involved in the 2000 and 2003 LV
Challenges in Auckland, first with Young America and then Prada. As a
boatbuilder, I find Grant Daltons comment in the "AC News" of the October
Seahorse very amusing. Refering to NZL 81 and 82 Mr. Dalton says, "There's
no point in sailing them now, they'll sink".
In 2000, Young America USA 53 experienced well documented structural
failures prior the the first race of the LV. With each failure, the team
made the necessary repairs and carried on...and we are not talking about
foot chauks here, I am talking about mast bulkheads, keelboxes, maststeps,
sidedeck panels, and the list could go on and on. Even after the final
catastrophic hull failure of USA 53, Young America and the Goetz team
rebuilt the boat in 31 days with the expectation that it could still be a
benefit to the new race boat USA 58. Unfortunately, We were eliminated
before we could see just how solid USA 53 had become.
As you know, the boat and program was sold to Prada and USA 53 quickly
became an important benchmark in the testing progam, sailing many 25 knot
days w/o problems. Mr. Dalton, when your boat breaks.....you fix it; when
it breaks again....you fix it. You keep on fixing it until it is right. To
make excuses now is like me saying I can' train for a marathon because I
don't live in Kenya.
* From Scott Fox: A $100,000,000 America's Cup budget would purchase
roughly 18,000 420s or 40,000 Optimists. That would be quite the shot in
the arm for community sailing programs around the nation!
* From Roger Boshier: Before worrying about how to host an America's Cup
regatta, those guys in Newport need to know there's another not-so-small
task to be accomplished.
* From Mike de Angeli: As a lawyer, the comments on liability for sailing
accidents were interesting. The problem is essentially insoluble - that is,
although it's entirely fair and correct for a sailor to accept the risks
inherent in sailing, there are also situations where additional risks are
not apparent (e.g., a skipper who signs on volunteer crew knowing the boat
is unsafe, that essential safety equipment is missing, etc), so that
liability is reasonable. Attempts to provide predictability to an infinite
variety of fact patterns doubtless led to the three-tier California system
for assumption of the risk discussed in a recent 'Butt.
The same problem persists throughout the legal system; although the US tort
system is rife with abuse and injustice, at bottom the idea is to apportion
losses equitably. Most of the injustices that are so striking are the
results of attempts to find "deep pockets" to convert an accident into a
windfall. On a lighter but related note, have you noticed that there are a
thousand golf jokes, but no sailing jokes, and a thousand sailing songs,
but no golf songs? I think it's because golf is a non-threatening activity
its practitioners take too seriously (which is what all the jokes are
about) while sailing can be quite serious indeed, as this thread has
acknowledged.
* From David Gill: Amen to the comments of to Emma Paull. To bad it is so
difficult for people to take responsibility for the choices they make and
we are now to the point were a lot of those choices are made for us.
* From W.C. Rugg: I am disappointed by the media coverage of the Canada's
Cup 2003. There were two web-sites, managed by each side, both tried to
provide updates, but in the end, the fans following the event were left to
imagine what it was like to see two World-Class Farr 40 teams go head to
head over 12 races in a Match Race series that both teams prepared for with
America's Cup work ethic over the last 4-6 months. What an exciting
prospect, two highly tuned teams going for it in equally matched boats. If
you to look at the C/V's of each team, the talent is pretty incredible even
though, half the players are amateurs. I think that there should have been
at least equal coverage with the RWIC, and LACC. Just one person's opinion.
Congratulations, to Team Defiant and Team Heartbreaker for an interesting
series that got me through the slow times at work this week!
Curmudgeon's Comment: I'm not sure what you expected, but Scuttlebutt has
covered the event each day during the racing … in spite of the fact that
the event organizers never sent us even one press release. Go back and read
the coverage in this issue of the RIWKC, the Hobie 16 NAs and the Little
America's Cup to see what can happen when major event organizers utilize
the skills of media professionals or committed volunteers to insure that
their event gets 'appropriate' coverage.
CURMUDGEON'S DEFINITIONS
Secret: Something you tell to only one person at a time.
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