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SCUTTLEBUTT 1362 - July 1, 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.
REMATCH
In the first of a series of America's Cup Class events preceding the next
America's Cup, the 2003 winner Alinghi will face off against Challenger of
Record Oracle BMW Racing this upcoming September in the Moët Cup to be held
in San Francisco.
The September 15-20 event will pit the Louis Vuitton Cup finalists of the
2002-2003 Challenger Races against each other for the first time on San
Francisco Bay, homeport of Oracle BMW Racing and its affiliated yacht club,
Golden Gate Yacht Club. The race will be staged within viewing distance of
Pier 39 and the Marina District with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop
to the magnificent America's Cup Class boats. This area provides unique
arena-type sailing, and the public is encouraged to come out and enjoy a
rare opportunity to view high-tech racing coupled with world-class sailing.
The Moët Cup is a first step toward making the event more accessible to the
general public and sailing fans worldwide. For the teams, this highly
anticipated competition provides a training platform and the opportunity to
try out new crew in an authentic racing environment. Oracle BMW Racing, led
by Chris Dickson and new member Gavin Brady will sail USA 76, and Alinghi,
with Brad Butterworth and Russell Coutts, will race SUI 64, the same
state-of-the-art boats sailed in New Zealand earlier this year. The same
international umpires who governed the racing in New Zealand will make
instantaneous calls from patrol boats on the race course to ensure a fair
playing field. - Jane Eagleson
Information about the Moët Cup and race results and updates during the
event can be found by visiting the Golden Gate Yacht Club web site at
http://www.ggyc.com
RANDY SMYTH
Recently elected to Sailing World's Hall of Fame, multihull sailor Randy
Smyth reflects on his sailing career in an interview on the Sailing World
website. Here are a few excerpts:
SW: You've won quite a few events over the years. Do any of them stand out
as being the biggest or the most exciting?
RS: The beauty of the sport, even though I'm sort a freak case--just a
multihuller now-but even within multihulls there's such a variety that it
can keep my interest. It was totally cool to do the 1988 catamaran with
Dennis Conner in the America's Cup. I was like a kid in a candy store,
being able to build those big old cats in short order without any real
restraints from rules-"How fast can you go in 6 months?" That was really an
enjoyable time. And way back in 1985, doing my first Worrell 1000,
thinking, "I wonder if I can even finish this thing," and to actually go
there and be real prepared and throw some asymmetric spinnakers on a little
beach cat and to have it work and win-that was a huge challenge to look
back on as an achievement. And although I'll never do it again, the around
the world Race with Cam Lewis was definitely mind-boggling. I got put in
over my head: I don't do sails for 110-foot catamarans, but for some reason
I was the candidate to design all those crazy things and spearhead the
sailmaking end of that project. And then to sail on the boat, dodging
icebergs and seeing all the people in hospitals with spinal injuries was
like, "Yeah, this is the top of the line, insanity." Going around the world
at high speed like that, and, like I said, once was about right for me. It
was like rolling the dice a little too heavy.
SW: What's the fastest multihull you've ever sailed on?
RS: The fastest was Team Adventure. We got over 40 knots in the middle of
the night, ripping along. That gets your nosebleed rolling.
SW: Where were you?
RS: Down in the Southern Ocean. We'd dropped off a lot of our crewmembers
with spinal injuries; we started with 14 and I think we had 10 people.
SW: What's your favorite multihull?
RS: Probably the most fun I've had was in the Formula 40s: super short
course racing, big crazy monster boats, with a crew that's totally aerobic
the whole time so it was a total workout. It was high stakes and high
thrill, not to mention the prize money. It's hard to imagine anything
better than that.
For the full interview, go to
http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_article.php?articleID=1906
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QUALIFYING EVENTS
The Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) of US Sailing has announced the
qualifying events it will use to select its team to represent the U.S.A. at
the 2004 Youth Sailing ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World
Championships. The championships will be sailed July 8-17, 2004, in Gdynia,
Poland, and will offer competition in the following classes (events): Hobie
16 (open multihull); Laser (boys singlehanded) and Laser Radial (girls
singlehanded); International 420 (boys and girls doublehanded); and Mistral
(boys and girls boardsailing). The members of the 2004 US Youth World Team
will be the winners of the events listed below, who have not have reached
their 19th birthday in 2004.
Qualifying Events: Girls Singlehanded Entrant: The 2004 Laser Radial
Midwinters East, in February, 2004, at Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater,
Fla. Boys Singlehanded Entrant: The 2004 Laser Midwinters East, in
February, 2004, at Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater, Fla. Girls
Doublehanded Entrants: The 2003 U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded
Championship (Ida Lewis Trophy) scheduled for July 5-11, 2003, which will
be sailed in Club 420s at Windycrest Sailing Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Boys
Doublehanded Entrants: The 2004 Club 420 Midwinters, February 14-16, 2004,
at the US Sailing Center-Martin County, Jensen Beach, Fla. Open Multihull
Entrants: The 2003 U.S. Youth Multihull Championship (Hoyt-Jolley Cup)
scheduled for July 10-13, 2003, to be sailed in Hobie 16s at Fort Walton
Yacht Club, Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. Boys and Girls Boardsailing Entrants:
February 14-16, 2004, at the US Sailing Center-Martin County, Jensen Beach,
Fla., sailed in Mistrals.
OPEN 60 SKIPPER DIES
Italian singlehanded round the world racer Simone Bianchetti dropped dead
suddenly Saturday morning in his hometown of Savona. The 35 year-old
skipper is believed to have suffered from cardiac and respiratory arrest
prior to his death. Bianchetti most recently finished in third place
overall in Around Alone. During this race his Open 60 Tiscali dismasted in
the second leg, but those involved with the race in particular Bernard
Stamm and Andrew Pindar, rallied round Stamm lending him his old spar and
Pindar offering the Pindar motor vessel the Hatherleigh as transportation
to get the mast from France to Spain. Aside from his ability as a solo
sailor, Bianchetti was a talented poet and a book was published of his
poems in both French and Italian. He will be missed by the entire solo
sailing community, who have lost one of their most colourful characters. -
http://www.thedailysail.com
NEW CAMET ARUBA SHORTS
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optional foam pad. Features include a roomy right side cargo pocket with
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motion. Fabric has a UV rating of 40, blocking 97.5 % of UV rays for
excellent skin protection. All the different styles and colors of the Camet
shorts and the Coolmax shirts are available at http://www.camet.com
SWEDISH MATCH TOUR
MARSTRAND, Sweden (June 30, 2003) - The Swedish Match Cup, the final event
on Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003, kicked off its tenth anniversary today
with eight of the world's best female match racing commencing competition
in the Swedish Match Cup women's class.
Filling out the women's draw this year are Sweden's Marie Bjorling, the
top-ranked women's match racer in the world; Sweden's Malin Millbourn the
recently crowned Women's Match Racing World Champion; Denmark's Lotte
Meldgaard-Pederson, reigning Nordic Match Racing champion; Betsy Alison of
the USA, a five-time Rolxe Yachtswoman of the Year and 1998 Match Racing
World Champion; Bermuda's Paula Lewin, sixth in last year's Bermuda gold
Cup main draw; France's Claire Leroy, an up-and-coming match racer who is
also training for the Olympic Yngling competition; Malin Kallstrom of
Sweden, a finalist in the Swedish Match Cup women's class in 2001 who is
making a return to racing following maternity leave; and Denmark's Annette
Strom, a former member of three-time world champion Dorte Jensen's crew,
now helming her own entry.
After the first day of racing, Alison, Bjorling and Kalstrom all stand on
top with three wins apiece, while Malin Milbourn and Anette Strom have two
wins each. The Swedish Match Cup women's class resumes action Tuesday
morning. - Shawn McBride. Complete story and results at
http://www.swedishmatchtour.com
COUNTERPOINT
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore John Messenger today responded
strongly to comments by Neville Crichton, owner of Alfa Romeo, as to this
year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (Editor's note: Crichton's comments
were carried last week in Scuttlebutt Issue 1359).
"Contrary to Mr. Crichton's statements, the CYCA has not this year changed
the rules and set a speed limit for the event," he said. "An upper limit
has been part of the Sydney Hobart race for many years. Indeed, other key
events in the world yachting calendar also have upper limits," he added.
The Commodore went on to say that "Alfa Romeo will not be ineligible for
this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart unless Neville Crichton chooses for it to
be so. Alfa Romeo raced in the event last year when the upper limit was
lower than that applicable for 2003. We know that it is quite possible for
Alfa Romeo to race again."
Explaining the requirements, Commodore Messenger said: "The upper limit
that is in place for this year's event was selected, with the concurrence
of other line honours contenders, so that Alfa Romeo could return in 2003
in the same configuration in which it was happy to race before. If Mr.
Crichton decides that he does not wish to take advantage of the change to
the upper limit and defend his 2002 line honours win then that is a matter
for him. - Peter Campbell, CYCA, http://www.sail-world.com
SERIOUS SNIPE FUN AT LAKE QUASSIPAUG
Serious fun was had by all at this past weekend's Whittemore-St. John
Regatta hosted by Quassipaug Yacht Club in Connecticut. Twenty plus
competitors plus families gathered at the lake to camp, dance and race.
Regattas at Lake Quassipaug are uniquely suited to family-style sailing
which is at the very heart of the Snipe class. The venue's light air and
frequent wind shifts kept racing unpredictable and exciting for all
competitors. Get the August 23-24 Quassy family regatta on your schedule
and stay for the US Masters Championship September 4-7. Check out regatta
results and get event information at http://www.snipeus.org
RACING RULES FOR KIDS AND SMALL BOAT TACTICIANS
As a small boat skipper or tactician, I am too busy with steering or
trimming to get into arcane details (of the rules). I offer the following
as a lighthearted collection of very basic rules. While it mixes right of
way rules with tactical rules of thumb, I find it quite a good place to
start. Experience and study will fill in the blanks.
1. Don't hit other boats. Collisions are slow and arguments are slower.
2. Keep out of the way of boats in front of you.
3. Port tack boats usually have to stay out of the way of everyone else.
4. Windward boats must stay away from leeward boats.
5. The inside boat gets to go round the mark first.
6. Don't hit marks. Doing circles is slow.
7. Don't hit the committee boat. First, it is a mark (see Rule 6) and
second, it really makes them mad.
8. Nothing good ever happens on a layline.
9. The port tack layline is a very ugly place.
10. Control your own destiny: stay out of the Protest Room. Protest
Committees are uncontrollable: with a 100% solid case, you have a 50%
chance of being DSQ.
-Hugh Elliot, US Sailing Certified Judge
NEWS BRIEFS
* By Monday morning, the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge race
headquarters had been notified that One Step Ahead, a Bashford 41 owned by
Hans Ostmeier and skippered by Kaspar Stubenrauch, both of Germany, had
retired from the race due to the failure of the onboard electrical system.
The boat is currently en route to Great Britain. The yacht Meltemi, a
Comfortina 42 owned by Harald Graf von Saurman-Jeltsch of Germany, also
retired due to electrical problems on June 29. The crew will continue to
Cork, Ireland. Of the 63 yachts to start the race from Newport, 55 are
currently still competing in the 3,600 nautical mile race. Zaraffa is the
only boat to finish the race, having done so on June 28. - Dana Paxton,
Media Pro Intl.
* Hosted by Santa Barbara YC this past weekend, the International 14
National Championships featured teams from Seattle to San Diego. Held June
27-29, the nine-race regatta was dominated by current world champion Zach
Berkowitz sailing with current 18 Foot Skiff world champion Mike Martin
with six firsts and three seconds. 2000 I-14 world champions Kris Bundy and
Jamie Hanseler came on strong on the final day with 3 bullets to finish in
second. Complete results at http://www.sbyc.org/SemanaNauticaI14NATIONALS.htm
* Robbie Hirst recently claimed the Caribbean One Design Keelboat
Championship, held at St. Martin YC on June 28-29. The races were sailed in
identical Jeanneau 20 sailboats and the sailing was held in the Simpson Bay
lagoon on short courses that proved ideal for spectator viewing. The fleet
consisted of most of the top Caribbean based sailors from the entire
eastern Caribbean. - Robbie Ferron
* The star studded Farr 40 fleet completed their pre-worlds in Sardinia
yesterday in light and tricky conditions. Establishing themselves as real
contenders for the World title, Mark Heeley's GBR 25 won the seven race
series with a string of consistent results. Heeley, with Olympic gold
medalist Iain Percy on tactics, posted their worst result in the final race
as the breeze faded to under five knots. This 15th position was enough to
clinch the trophy with an 11-point margin over the Italian boat Nerone.
Final Results (Owner/Tactician): 1. GBR 25 - Mark Heeley/ Iain Percy - 60
pts; 2. Nerone - M.Mezzaroma-A.Sodo Migliori / Vasco Vascotto - 71 pts; 3.
Victric 5 - Tony De Mulder/ Adrian Stead - 72 pts; 4. Breez - Vincenzo
Onorato/ Flavio Favini - 80 pts; 5. Crocodile Rock - A. Geremia-S. Harris /
Vince Brun - 83 pts. Complete story and results at http://www.thedailysail.com
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 or a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Peter Harken: Bernie Goldhirsh, the founder of Sail magazine and
later, Inc. business magazine, was one of the very best I've known and our
sport was still his love regardless of the huge success of Inc. magazine.
From a humble start to big success, he never changed his wonderful
demeanor. We who knew him were the lucky ones!
* From Steven Levy: With all due respect to those saying the RRS are (too)
complex, the rulebook for the great American sport of baseball
(http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/baseball_basics/mlb_basics_foreward.jsp)
makes the RRS look simple. They take up 56 single-spaced 8.5x11 pages! Even
the definition of a pitcher's delivery takes up more than a page.
As an example, the Infield Fly rule is probably the equivalent of leeward
rights; participants think they know it, but there are invariably
protestable situations arising from confusion. (Mast abeam, anyone? Must
the runner advance if an Infield Fly falls untouched in fair territory?).
The Infield Fly rule is 348 words long and contains 23 different
provisions, plus 7 additional provisions scattered elsewhere in the rulebook.
The RRS aren't so bad after all.
In an after-work or weekend baseball game without umpires, we all muddle
through Infield Flies and the other rules, reasonably approximating the
real thing. Likewise in beer can racing, we usually get by.
I applaud the folks who have worked so hard to make the RRS as usable as
they are today. As Einstein said, Things should be made as simple as
possible - but no simpler.
(PS - It was a trick question; there can be no Infield Fly with just one
runner.)
Curmudgeon's Comment: This looks to me like a good spot to end this thread.
CURMUDGEON'S REALIZATION
Everyday I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've
stayed alive.
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