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SCUTTLEBUTT 3078 - Monday, April 26, 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today's sponsors: Flexofold, APS, and LaserPerformance. WHAT'S REALLY WRONG WITH YACHT CLUBS By Nicholas Hayes, Author of Saving Sailing If I had to make a chart to represent hours of fun I've had by originating location, it would show that a big slice of my fun begins at a yacht club. So I generally like them a lot. At the same time, I'll admit a personal bias towards the idea that yacht clubs should instead call themselves sailing clubs, and the sooner they do it, the better for sailing. For me, it's not just about marketing: if I never see, smell, hear or feel a power boat again in my life, I'll be thrilled. And I hate blazers and slacks. But more than naming conventions and my pet-peeves, yacht clubs are generally in trouble, because their members are dying faster than they can find or make new ones. They need to make a change. I've been studying the problem now for almost 20 years; some of my research inspired the book Saving Sailing. Yacht clubs have an age problem: member average age is usually around 60. Of course most clubs have junior programs as a feeder, but they usually don't feed. I've written extensively about how age segregation is part of the problem - it creates a broad chasm between young skilled, eager sailors, and the older, tiring base of a club. Consider these observations, excerpted from the book: "In most sailing clubs today, the kids show up in the morning, and leave in the late afternoon, just about the time the adults are arriving" "...the decline in participation in sailing is better explained as a decline in devotion to intergenerational free-time pursuits." It is hard to explain why it seems we've gone to such lengths to create this gap -- separating the generations unnecessarily -- accept to suggest that: 1.) it is a passive response to a general trend towards youth-sports and away from intergenerational activities everywhere, because youth-sports are easier to market, coordinate and scale, or... 2.) we've come to depend on active, age-specific marketing for everything, and we're lacking the pop culture hero willing to twitter to inspire both 11 year olds and their moms to try sailing. After all, marketing to parents means marketing to their kids, right? And then some new data hit my desk, suggesting that it has nothing to do with marketing at all. We have it backwards. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0423/ SEMAINE OLYMPIQUE FRANCAISE Hyeres, France (April 25, 2010) - The opening day for the Semaine Olympique Francaise was marked by a light and fluky southern breeze that limited racing to only five of the 13 classes, with the forecast for Monday showing similar challenges. Among the fleets to compete was Women's Match Racing, which has the 22 teams divided into three groups. A single round robin will automatically advance the top two from each group to the quarter finals, which is the path that American skippers Anna Tunnicliffe and Genny Tulloch hope to take. They both finished the day undefeated, but have yet to face their strongest opponents. Racing continues to Friday, April 30th. -- Event website: http://sof.ffvoile.net/ BACKGROUND: Semaine Olympique Francaise is one of the major regattas in the international Olympic sailing circuit and the fourth of seven events in the 2009-10 ISAF Sailing World Cup series. ENTER HERE: What were you doing in 1984? For the members of the 1984 US Olympic Sailing Team, they were busy medaling in all seven events of the Los Angeles Olympics. Do you remember who was on that team? Check out the team photo and post your best guess on the Forum. Every entry is eligible for an Atlantis WeatherGear Microburst Jacket that will be raffled on May 3rd. Enter here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/10/awg PERFORMANCE MATTERS Under sail or under power; daysailing, cruising or racing - performance matters. The single most important thing you can do to improve the performance of your boat is to change to a low-drag, high-thrust Flexofold propeller. The attention to design and manufacturing details is apparent at first look. Relentlessly refined for maximum efficiency under power and lowest drag under sail -Sail faster & further, motor at lower RPM with a Flexofold sailboat propeller. Click the link for more information: http://tinyurl.com/FlexoFold-scuttlebutt ROLEX FARR 40 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic (April 24, 2010) - The Rolex Farr 40 Worlds lived up to its billing as the big boat one-design championship against which all others are measured. The 2010 series was decided on the final race of the final day, raced in front of a huge spectator fleet from rubber ducks to 25 metre sport fishers. Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (ITA) ended the day lauded champion, for the second time (first in 2003), having fought tooth and nail in a gladiatorial arena worthy of a blockbuster film. Guido Belgiorno-Nettis' Transfusion (AUS) were beaten at the last, but certainly not disgraced. The next Rolex Farr 40 World Championship will be held in Sydney in February 2011. The final day started early. Principal Race Officer, Peter Reggio, knew he was in charge of a Worlds, and was determined to give the participants every chance to complete the scheduled ten races, in spite of losing the entire second day. The first signal was brought forward to 1000 local time, three races were threatened and for once the wind played ball. Three races were held, all at the highest intensity, with the three main protagonists in contention for the laurels at the fore every time. Defending champion, Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (USA), chose today to put together their best daily tally of the series, scoring 2,3,1. -- Read on: http://www.regattanews.com/pressrelease.asp?pid=100284&lang=1 Final results (top 5 of 10) 1. Nerone, Massimo Mezzarona/Alberto Signorini (ITA), 2-5-5-2-1-1-7-4-1-2,30 2. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (AUS), 1-1-3-3-2-6-5-3-5-3, 32 3. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson (USA), 4-3-1-10-3-3-3-8-2-3-1, 38 4. Estate Master, Lisa & Martin Hill (AUS), 7-2-10-8-4-9-1-5-2-7, 52.5 5. Fiamma, Alessandro Barnaba (ITA), 5-7-6-1-7-1-10-6-6-4-6, 58 Event photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0425/ LOVING SEATTLE When it comes to sailing accomplishments, Jonathan McKee's would be hard to beat. The Seattle sailor scored wins in 505 and Laser classes while studying at Yale, then took up sailing Flying Dutchmans and became world champion in that class at the end of his first season. McKee won a gold medal in the Flying Dutchman class with Carl Buchan in the 1984 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal in the 49er class with his brother Charlie at the 2000 Summer Olympics. McKee has also been part of two America's Cup campaigns (OneWorld 2003, Luna Rossa 2007) and competed in the Barcelona World Race in 2007 with Guillermo Altadill. He also loves Seattle: * How do conditions in Northwest waters compare with other areas that you've raced in? JONATHAN MCKEE: It's cold, for one thing, so that's point number one. It's not naturally conducive to sailing, in that respect. The wind is obviously pretty erratic, so you have a lot of days when you just can't sail because there's no wind. On the other hand, there are a lot of great days too. It wouldn't be one of the places you'd point to as having the best conditions for sailing. But you tend to get highly variable conditions and changeable conditions, so I think sailors here are pretty good at light wind and pretty good at dealing with current and changeable conditions. * How does racing here compare in terms of the culture and the level of competitiveness? JONATHAN MCKEE: I'd say it's fairly typical of other sailing towns. The level of local racing is pretty good. There are a lot of people that are pretty keen. There's not a whole lot of really high-end racing boats here. They tend to be a little bit older boats and people tend to take care of their own boats and are pretty cost-conscious, for the most part. So it's a pretty pragmatic approach to sailing, I guess. * You've been sailing all over the world and could live anywhere. What keeps you coming back to Seattle? JONATHAN MCKEE: I love Seattle. I was born and raised here, and I have a very strong affinity for Seattle. I think I always will. It's a great place for our kids to grow up and our family to live. I've lived in many parts of the world, including pretty long stints in Australia, New Zealand and Spain. But I still love living here and being able to sometimes race here. It's a beautiful place. Complete interview: http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/archives/9208 SAILING SHORTS * English Harbour, Antigua (April 25, 2010) - The forecast predicted light winds that threatened to put a damper on the opening day of Antigua Sailing Week (24-30 April 2010) spiced up sufficiently this morning as the fleets made their way to the startline off Falmouth Harbour for the 50-nautical mile Yachting World Round the Island Race. The schedule continues Monday with Race 3 of the regatta series. Division A yacht will compete in two South Coast Races while Division B, based at Dickenson Bay overnight, will sail to Jolly Harbour for the West Coast Race. -- Full story: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9683#9683 * Rye, NY (April 25, 2010) - Eighty-one teams competed in the first weekend of the 2010 American Yacht Club Spring Series, with classes including one design, IRC and PHRF. The series will conclude May 1-2. -- Results: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=346 * (April 25, 2010) - Bermuda International Invitational Race Week began for seven one design classes, with Scott Snyder's Team USA 194 taking two bullets to lead the eleven-boat J/24 fleet. Snyder's home club, Lake Dillon Yacht Club is the nation's highest yacht club at 9,017 feet above sea level, in Summit County Colorado. The lake is still frozen solid, so this is his first time on the water this year. This is his fifth Bermuda International Invitational Race week, the third as a skipper. Racing concludes April 30th. -- Event website: http://www.biirw.bm/ * (April 25, 2010) - Twenty-seven boats are competing in the Regata del Sol al Sol to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, which started from the St. Petersburg Pier on April 23rd. Nearing the finish of the 500 nm across the Gulf of Mexico is leader Frank Kern's Carinthia, a J/120 from Gross Pointe, MI. -- Event website: http://www.regatadelsolalsol.org/ * (April 25, 2010; Day 6) - Spirit of Australia, overall leader of the Clipper 09-10 Round The World Yacht Race, continue their winning ways by leading the fleet through the scoring gate on their leg to Jamaica. The fleet is nearing the tip of Baja California, with Spirit of Australia now 2108 nm from the finish. -- Event website: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/ * Among the fourteen doublehanded Class 40 teams indicated to compete in the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR) is the newly announced pairing of Conrad Colman from Auckland who will be joined by co-skipper Ryan Finn from Louisiana, USA. Both Colman and Finn have roots in the Mini 6.5 class where they compete against each other. -- Read on: http://portimaorace.com/index.php?page=news&news_id=393&lang=en * Sixteen year old Abby Sunderland (USA), who sailed from Marina Del Rey to become the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the world alone, has ended her quest and sailed into Cape Town, South Africa Saturday for boat repairs. Sunderland, who had already stopped once in Mexico for repairs, halted her quest when she lost use of her boat's main autopilot. Said Sunderland, "I gave it my best shot and made it almost half way around the world. I will definitely keep going, and whether or not I will make any more stops after this I don't yet." -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/2annr29 APPAREL TO BLOCKS TO CORDAGE Androids or iPads, you can get your Scuttlebutt anywhere but there's still one thing you have to get in print. The APS catalog! Forget fancy websites with no actual stock on shelves behind them. Why risk getting parts sent from all over when you must have something for the weekend to go sailing? From Apparel to Blocks to Cordage, APS is the "World Leader in Outfitting Performance Sailors" and our catalog and APS are the only two places sailors can hold it all in their hands. Keep your eyes peeled for your 2010 APS catalog in the mailbox soon. http://www.APSLTD.com EIGHT BELLS The passing of Rudy Thompson on Saturday, April 24, 2010 saddened the Caribbean sailing world. Rudy was a Past Commodore of St. Thomas Yacht Club but participated in racing events from Trinidad to Puerto Rico for over 50 years. Whether he was sailing in his series of yachts known as Fun Hog or Cold Beer, those of us who had the privilege of sailing with Rudy will remember the many trophies he won but more importantly we will remember his infectious good humor and wonderful ability to entertain folks with his stories and adventures. Rudy loved most his wife Sheila and children Chris and Hillary, but was addicted to the sea. After being shipwrecked in Puerto Rico in the early 50's he made his way to St. Thomas and operated one of the area's first charter boats out of Yacht Haven. Notables such as author John Steinbeck sought Rudy out to be their charter captain. Rudy staged the first Sunfish World's at Sapphire Beach and was heavily involved in getting the US Virgin Islands Olympic status. Part of what many relate to "Caribbean Regattas" was incorporated in Rudy's infectious demeanor and positive attitude. Whether he was racing or cruising he did it to have fun. The red wine, rum and beer flowed early and ended late. Sailing was a love first and a competition second. The music and stories were just as big a part of the day as was sailing. More than most Rudy understood how to get the good out of life. -- Bill Canfield, http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9681 SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). 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 Ted Beier: My contempt for ISAF continues to build. Numerous actions of theirs recently demonstrate that this organization has turned its back on the traditions of "the game", and become just another self-supporting commercial organization with little/no regard for the wishes and rights of competitors. Among them: 1. Removal of Category A in Regulation 20. 2. Removal of the middle classification in Regulation 19. 3. The secret agreement with Alinghi. 4. Failure to take action on the reported misbehavior on the AC race committee boat, and now 5. The absurd Appendix Q Why are we "changing our game" to kowtow to commercial interests? I for one would rather pay several times more to keep the traditions of my sport, and steer clear of commercialism including the sponsorship monster of current times. Is there no concern for competitor's rights? Sailing should be run for the sailors and the rest of the world be damned. * From Dan Mills, Santa Cruz, CA: I think all these ideas to make sailing TV friendly (medal races, on the water judging, no protests, no redress, giant multihull match races, etc) are a lamentable perversion of the sport for no tangible benefit and considerable damage. I'm an avid sailor and racer, and I don't want to watch sailing on TV, beyond a few highlight reels, and I can't imagine why anyone else would want to either. Some things are just a lot more interesting (and fun) to do than they are to watch, and sailboat racing is one of them. Let's not make it less interesting just so more people will want to watch. * From Tom Donlan: There were several comments last week about the importance of doing circles when you know you've fouled. Epitomizing the principle was the story of golfer Bobby Jones calling a penalty on himself for an infraction nobody else saw. It is a principle more cherished than honored in these sorry modern times. Separately, there were several comments on the story of the Melges 24 that wouldn't yield to a starboard tacker, but gave the right-of-way boat a bottle of wine after the race. Jim Linville was one who criticized the right-of-way boat for failing to protest. Jim also noted that it's imperative to fly a protest flag immediately--just yelling will cause you to lose the protest, no matter how right you are. I think that these two stories are linked: If protest committees throw out all protests in which no flag is flown, many sailors will not do circles until they see a flag. Most people are not Bobby Jones; they will not accept a reduced penalty unless threatened with a greater one. The rules-writers either should change the sportsmanship rule or the flag rule. Adopt "no flag, no foul" as an explicit rule, or instruct juries to stop asking about flags and ask "did you notify the other boat?" Or we can just keep yelling at each other and not enforcing the rules. * From Howard D. Paul: I believe the issue of self policing goes a lot deeper than you should do your turns or you need to fly a flag and notify a boat of its infraction. It goes to what was known as Corinthian spirit. Not so many years ago I saw Jim Kilroy (the owner of the many maxi Kioloa's) having a drink. I went over and introduced myself. I explained how I had read about his campaigns when I was in my youth and an aspiring sailor. He was very gracious and invited me to sit down and we talked for quite a while. The next night was our Wednesday night race. The boat in front of me was on port and I saw a boat coming in on starboard. They were headed for a classic port-starboard. Moments later I heard the call "Gentleman, Starboard." Yes, the call came from Mr. Kilroy. In some 40+ years of sailing I have never heard this before or since. I fear the days of the Corinthian spirit are gone forever. Our sport would be well served if we returned to our roots of Corinthian yachting. * From Mike Esposito: (re: Olympic windsurfer court battle) Chad Lyons should listen to his own advice in S'butt No. 3077 to "get it right": $500,000 (New Zealand) is about $356,000 (U.S.) per xrates.com, an offer that many would consider an even bigger insult considering the injuries suffered. * From Guy Gurney: The letter from Mr. Lyons about Kimberly Birkenhead states that $500,000 NZ equals approximately $700,000 US, and then adds, rather rudely, "Get it right." I wish people wouldn't be so belligerent with their emails, even when they make a point correctly. In this case, Mr. Lyons should know that half-a-million NZ dollars is worth about half what he states, about $350,000 US. * From Richard Jepsen, Education Division Chair, US SAILING: I loved "Growing the Sport" your #3077 article about the FreeSail program. Thanks for placing the article in Scuttlebutt! We should all applaud the Sailing Hall of Fame and Annapolis Community Boating for their commitment to public access and the health of our sport. There are other community/ public access programs around the country that promote sailing as a sport and a lifestyle for everyone who likes adventure, the outdoors and a team-oriented social setting. If you love sailing and want to see others reap the benefits from the sport that you have, be sure to direct interested friends and associates to your local community sailing center. If there's navigable water in your area, you'll find one nearby (or call me and I'll direct you, 800-223-2984). Almost everyone has an introductory sailing lesson that is low cost or free, with a competent instructor, designed to expose would be sailors to the art and joy of sailing. LASERPERFORMANCE WORLD OPEN REGATTA LaserPerformance will be hosting the first annual LaserPerformance World Open Regatta at Sail Newport in Newport, RI on June 26th-27th. If you race Lasers, Sunfish, or just want to try a Bug or Pico in our fun race, make sure you take part in this exciting inaugural event. Registration will be available shortly at http://www.sailnewport.org CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Rules of Chocolate: If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves. Special thanks to Flexofold, APS, and LaserPerformance. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
