|
SCUTTLEBUTT No. 845 - June 27 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
BEHIND THE AD CODE DECISIONS Based on PHRF sailor's input, Category C was chosen for PHRF fleets so those local regatta organizers could make decisions about allowing advertising. With Category A as the default, advertising would be banned in the United States based on the Ad Code. In Fall 2000, US Sailing surveyed sailors about advertising and announced a poll with a press release, web site banner, email to the 7000 members, and a notice in Scuttlebutt*. Open until March 2001, the poll responses were half for and half against permitting advertising. US Sailing appointed a working party including three offshore sailors, all of whom had competed in PHRF, and two national PHRF leaders to look at the responses and the various issues. All Olympic classes have been placed in Category C by ISAF. Other international classes, including J22 and J24 have elected to become Category C, and many other one-design keelboat classes have also selected that designation. These classes regularly sail in events that include PHRF fleets. IMS adopted advertising and US sailors are multi-fleet competitors, Sailing in IMS in some events and in PHRF in others. Another reason for not banning advertising is that some events involving PHRF have permitted and have been supported by advertising. The new Advertising Code does NOT allow PHRF Fleet to decide regionally. For more information: www.usSailing.org/News/SkippersMeeting.htm. * CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: In the interest of accuracy, I must report that the notice in Scuttlebutt appeared AFTER survey was already closed. 'Butt readers who tried to contribute were told the period for input had expired.
COACHING Following on from the success of the New Zealand Team in Sydney the challenge is to have an even more successful team in Athens. The coaches appointed are an integral part of plans for 2004. They will be working to ensure athletes are adequately supported and prepared for a successful campaign. All coaches will work closely with the Academy of Sport and also work towards establishing closer relationships with the Head Coach of able-bodied sports. - Yachting New Zealand website: www.yachtingnz.org.nz
TRENDS
INDUSTRY NEWS * Two international brand leaders, National Geographic and Volvo Car Corporation, have signed a one-year deal valued at $9.7 million to provide global, multiplatform coverage of the Volvo Ocean Race, Round The World 2001-2002. The cross-media package comprises scientific, adventure and environment themed content, which includes original television programming for the National Geographic Channel in at least 129 countries, Internet-based coverage and four special advertising sections in National Geographic magazine. National Geographic Channel's coverage of the Volvo Ocean Race will include international television broadcasts over the nine months of the race to more than 110 million households in at least 129 countries. Original programming kicks off with "Science of Sailing," airing globally in September 2001. Other Channel programs will highlight the race and draw attention to the science of the oceans, and special features will focus on survival at sea and the culture and attractions of some of the port cities the yachts will visit. Ports en route include Cape Town, Sydney, Auckland, Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Baltimore, La Rochelle, France, and Goteborg, Sweden. National Geographic magazine coverage in the United States and international editions will include special advertising sections giving an overview of the race, mini-maps of places along the route and information on ocean plants and animal life. National Geographic magazine is read by nearly 50 million people in every country of the world.
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Bill Mosher: Once again a call for mandated safety requirements is raised to cover what should be common sense especially among sailors who deliberately seek the challenge of the sea alone. Why do we need to tell these sailors what they should or should not do when they chose to go offshore in circumstances where they are masters of their own destiny? They check and double-check their Sailing equipment, they should check and recheck and rethink their personal safety equipment including their need to stay healthy to stay alive. It is their responsibility to make decisions for their own safety not some governing body reacting to accidents. * From Chris Welsh (Re: Helmets): Is it April Fools already? Before the helmet required bandwagon gathers any steam, let's just recognize that anyone who wants to wear one, can - no rules change required, and leave it at that. * From Andrew Burton: The guest "editorial" from Jack Boye calling for safety helmets to be used on all boats fails to mention that Mr Boye sells safety helmets. The last thing we need in our sport is for vendors to start calling for new rules and attempting to create the perception that their gear is necessary. * From Dick Lemke (re "The time has come to demand that sailors and race organizers begin to initiate rules that make helmets part of the safety equipment required for sailing races."): Ahh - there is that word again ... "DEMAND" Why is it that no sailor is capable of taking charge of their own life - and that race organizers must assume the liability of making sure to call for every possible protective device known - or yet to be developed? Where are liability issues if the race organizers overlook some safety item? Why only singlehanded sailors - does the boom or other equipment have a penchant to only seek out those sailing alone? Will the new classes come factory equipped with seat belts and frontal crash documentation? Give me a break ! In the late 1970's some singlehanded 18 Square Meter catamaran sailors were known to wear (and be photographed) wearing kayak helmets for inland lake racing. It wasn't mandatory, the race organizers didn't have to tell them, and the liability to be safe rested directly with the participant. Now that this suggestion has been made as a public statement - how long will it be before the ISAF once again re-writes the rules to include this "demand". Anyone that is not aware of the risks of sailing doesn't belong with a wheel or tiller in his/her hand. We don't need a bureaucracy telling us what we should already know. It's called common sense. Of course, having sufficient money to purchase a boat doesn't equate with having common sense. * From Don McNair: Another Solo Sailor was hit on the head by his boom? Maybe if he hadn't been solo sailing that wouldn't have happened, nor would it have been necessary to send a helocopter to rescue him (twice). Banning overnight solo sailing would certainly make more sense than requiring all sailors to wear helmets. The enjoyment of sailing comes from feeling the wind on your face, sensing it's direction and force from the subtle inputs thereof. Put a helmet on and you might as well enclose the helmsman in an air conditioned bubble where he can steer with the assistance of a computer (too many of those already!) While we're at it, let's add visors to all of those helmets to shield us from UV radiation and don't forget leg padding and oh yes - guards on the winches to stop us from getting hand injuries. Come to think of it, running backstays are really dangerous. We should ban them as well. Where will it all end? * From Marc Skipwith: When they wear helmets playing tennis you will find me wearing a helmet sailing. * Laurence Mead: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't open up a thread about the mandatory wearing of safety helmets. Jack Boye has clearly got a missionary zeal in his words far above the level necessary to address this issue (it's not an issue!) CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: I hear you Laurence, and while I know you're right, this is really too much fun to kill off instantly. We'll give it one more day before we declare the thread officially dead. However, I don't want any more letters on the subject. We already have tooooo many. * From Hugo Schmidt: Commenting only from the perspective of a participant quite a while ago (1975, 76, 77) the lack of All-American status for Bruce Mahoney is puzzling. Not only are the past winners of the ICSA Singlehanded Nationals some of the world's best, as Matthew Sessions pointed out, but a listing of the other past collegiate competitors would be just as impressive. Bruce may not have gotten the formal honor he deserved, but hopefully the bragging rights that go with the Championship. Job well done and congratulations! * From Chris Ericksen: It's always nice when a question raised in Scuttlebutt is answered in the same issue, and that happened in 'Butt 843. Collegiate All-American Morgan Larson wondered if, in collegiate Sailing, "they use a different system now or single-handed Sailing doesn't have the same weight" as it did when he won the single-handed championship and was named an All-American. And Blake Middleton answered it: apparently they do use a different system now, and apparently single-handed Sailing does not have the same weight. Times do change; too bad the change happened to Bruce Mahoney. * From Richard Brown, New Zealand: Antony Barran bemoans the lack of sponsorship of sailors and rightly blames this on the lack of familiarity of sailors to the general public. Sailing is a very picturesque sport but it is difficult to readily identify the participants. Sailing needs to develop a part of the sport which can be described as a 'test match', a match between two countries. Once nationalistic interest is involved then TV viewers will be interested in the sport and the people involved. Sailing should develop a format similar to the Davis Cup for tennis where countries play each other in a zone elimination series with the best countries coming together for the grand finals. Test matches involving the Olympic classes would also enhance the sponsorship chances of Olympic sailors. Come on America get the ball rolling with an interstate competition and then take it to the World. New Zealand will be your first International competitors. * From William Rothschild: Dean Barker has been on television again this week, this time complaining about his small budget for his defence of the America's Cup. In 2000 Team New Zealand won with a budget of 40 million dollars. This time Barker has a budget of more than 80 million dollars to play with and he has been given all the boats and technology from 2000 to kick start his 2003 campaign. The last defence was a five year program yet the 2003 campaign runs for only three years. Something doesn't add up. Has the cost of boats and equipment doubled? I doubt it! The reality is that it is the salaries that have most likely more than trebled The New Zealand people have a right to see a detailed budget and discover how much Dean Barker, Tom Schnackenberg and others are really earning, especially since the government is partly funding Team New Zealand with taxpayer dollars. Let's see if Barker and Schnackenberg are really doing this for New Zealand! * From Richard Hazelton: Wearable computers. Of course it will come to pass. I suppose then if your tactician "crashes" you can always have a backup in a helmsman until your tactician reboots. * From Ralph Taylor: American sailors don't understand the distinction between US Sailing (our national governing body) and ISAF (the international governing body.) During the recent flaps, (like Terry Harper says) many have criticized US Sailing for problems that weren't of its making. Whether it's eligibility, starting systems, or advertising, I've come across the confusion as I try to explain to my fellow sailors the seemingly radical changes in the rules. CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Ralph, you were doing fine until you mentioned advertising, as you'll see from today's lead story.
JUNIOR WOMEN Junior women sailors, 13 to 19 years old, should write, in 100 words or less, what they enjoy about sailing, their sailing experiences, and what they think they will gain from spending a weekend at the opening of the Rolex IWKC. Entries should include a letter of recommendation from a sailing coach and be submitted to Sue Mikulski at SuMikulski@aol.com by August 1, 2001. Attach the essay and reference letter as Word documents and put "Rolex IWKC Outreach Committee" in the subject line. Entries also can be mailed to Annapolis Yacht Club, 2 Compromise Street, Annapolis, MD 21404. - www.ussailing.org/riwkc
CARBON SAILCLOTH
BT GLOBAL CHALLENGE
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
QUOTE / UNQUOTE - R.D. (Pete) Culler
SUNFISH MASTERS Age Group Winners: Apprentice Masters (40-49): Chris Houston (Ambler, PA); Masters (50-59): Dave Kaighin (Nokomis, FL); Grand Masters (60-69): Courtney Young, Jr. (Monroe, NY); Supreme Grand Masters (70+): Dick Heinl (Manhasset, NY). Complete scores: www.sunfishclass.org/results/2001USMasters.htm
TRANSPAC In Aloha Division B, Peter and Patricia Anderson's Stardust is leading, but still is 2,115 from Diamond Head (110 miles in 20 hours - 5.5 knot average). Racing divisions III and IV will start Saturday, June 30, followed Sunday, July 1, by the larger Division I and II boats, all at 1 p.m. In all, 33 boats will be challenging the 2,225 nautical miles. - Rich Roberts, www.transpacificyc.org.
MORE JUNIOR NEWS Over 400 competitors representing 46 countries competed at the 2000 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Sydney, Australia. Organizers are anticipating an even higher turnout for this year's event in France. Additional information: www.ussailing.org/Olympics/YouthWorld/
BLOCK ISLAND Conditions for the second day of the five day regatta were similar to the opening day but with a slightly steadier breeze. Tactical choices varied but winners all emphasized the importance of boat speed and the need to maintain clear lanes of wind while avoiding adverse current. - Keith Taylor After three races, the class leaders include: Farr 40: Jim Richardson, Barking Mad; IMS-1: Robert Towse, Blue Yankee; IMS-2: Carl Olsson, Morning Glory; J/44: 1 Jimmie Sundstrom, Stampede; J/105: Bob Leaver; Express 37: Matt & Randy Baldwin, Cabady; J/35: Bos Powell, Baboon. Complete results: www.blockislandraceweek.com
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
