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SCUTTLEBUTT 1281 - March 7, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, 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. RUMBLINGS OVER HANDOUT FOR CUP A taxpayer handout to Team New Zealand has critics accusing the Government of snubbing poor sports while backing an elite group of professional yachtsmen. Political parties and other sporting groups yesterday questioned why millions of dollars of public money had been awarded to the America's Cup team when other sports were struggling for money. Team NZ, with a campaign budget of about $85 million, have yet to decide if they will challenge for the America's Cup, which they lost to Alinghi last weekend. The Swiss team, peppered with former Team NZ crew who defected after the first defence in 2000, leave for Geneva with the Auld Mug today. Team NZ yesterday picked up their first commercial sponsor if a new campaign is launched; their second-biggest funder, the Line 7 clothing company, is promising to back the syndicate again. The team are guaranteed at least $5.6 million of public money, and possibly more, after America's Cup Minister Trevor Mallard said the Government believed the Team New Zealand brand, like the All Blacks brand, was a powerful trade and tourism tool overseas that should be preserved. - Helen Tunnah, NZ Herald, full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/ COMMENTARY - Rich Roberts (Months before the racing started for the America's Cup) Team New Zealand had an opportunity to disavow the vitriolic campaign directed at Coutts & Co. by the BlackHeart radicals. Instead, they embraced it and pursued the "Loyal" crusade based on hate. Even when it was over and the gaudy silver ewer was changing hands, they were not the most gracious losers. Bill Endean, commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, continued to twist the screws when he said, "Special thanks and recognition to the boys in black who made sacrifices and turned down what might have been more attractive offers to stay with their team, stay with their club and stay with their country." Interesting. If Clay Oliver had stayed with his country, the USA, somebody else would have had to design the TNZ boat, "hula" and all. If Roger (Clouds) Badham had stayed with his country, Australia, someone else would have had to direct TNZ's weather forecasting program. Finally, if Bertrand Pacé had stayed with his country, France, somebody else would have had to drive the TNZ trial boat and maybe replace a loyal Kiwi, Hamish Pepper, as tactician for the final race. TNZ boss Tom Schnackenberg's congratulatory words to Coutts and the Alinghi team also were troublesome, on face value. "We trust you will get a warm welcome in Switzerland," he said. "You have done Switzerland proud." Sarcasm? Hypocrisy? Hatred? I hope I misread the remarks and the behavior, because it wasn't at all typical of the New Zealanders I knew through other AC campaigns dating to 1986. Actually, the Swiss six did New Zealand proud. - Rich Roberts, The Log, Full story: www.thelognewspaper.com/news/newsview.asp?c=32997 JULES VERNE TROPHY - DAY 55 The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric crew crossed the 0° parallel 4 hours and 48 minutes behind Orange, on almost equal footing with Bruno Peyron and his crew, the current holders of the Jules Verne Trophy. But Geronimo is still becalmed in the Doldrums, sailing close-hauled in very weak northerly breezes of between 4 and 8 knots. "It's down to what happens between now and tomorrow," said skipper Olivier de Kersauson. "If we can get out of here by that time, we'll be in a position to really fight it out, whatever the result may be. If we haven't begun to pick up the north-easterlies within the next 48 hours, we'll have to throw in the towel. The air is very unfavorable at the moment. Distance traveled in the last 24 hours: 235 nm - www.grandsrecords.com 2003 LAYLINE CATALOG HITS THE STREETS New products, technical advice, and stories! While the rest of you enjoyed holiday breaks in sunny Florida or on the ski slopes, Walt chained us to our desks with keyboards and calculators close by. The result: our new, 96-page catalog is available earlier than ever, and we're still at our desks, looking forward to helping you get your boat ready for spring! If you ordered from us during 2002, your catalog is already on its way. Haven't received yours yet? Call us at (800) 542-5463, or visit our website to request your copy. http://www.layline.com BACARDI CUP Coral Reef YC - Standings after five races with one throwout (112 Star boats): 1. Ian Percy / Steve Mitchell, UK, 9; 2. Augie Diaz / Mark Strude, USA, 20; 3. Peter Bromby / Martin Seise, BER, 22; 4. Fredrik Loof / Andes Ekstrom, SWE, 24; 5. Andy Lovell / Eric Oetgen, USA, 37; 6. George Szabo / Chrisian Finnsgard, USA, 41; 7. Mark Reynolds / Magnus Liljedahl, USA, 41; 8. John Kostecki / Austin Sperry, USA, 42. - http://www.coralreefyachtclub.org/starclassevents.htm LITTLE AMERICA'S CUP - Steve Clark As many of you know Cogito won the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy or Little America's Cup as it is often called in 1996 in McCray, Australia, defeating the Yellow Pages Syndicate 4-0 in a dramatic series. It had been our hope that with the return of the Trophy to the Northern Hemisphere, the great European catamaran designers and sailors would assemble challenges to try to knock Cogito off of the podium. But none came forward. During the entire period, we have been willing to show our boat and wing to any interested party, and have published significant information that would help a potential challenger be competitive. The International Catamaran Challenge Trophy is managed by a Board of Trustees under the conditions of a Deed of Gift. Included in this Deed is language to the following effect: "If the Trophy is not competed for in more than four years, the Trophy reverts to Sea Cliff, who will determine how best to proceed." In 2000 Cogito returned the Trophy. Time passed and nothing was done about what happens next until December of 2002. A challenge was submitted by an Australian syndicate from Perth. The Trustees told them to go away! We have learned that the Trustees propose to replace the regatta which showcased the most efficient sailing machines on the planet with a round robin regatta in production beach cats. Talk about lowered standards! Talk about dumbing it down! In spite of the decision of the Sea Cliff Trustees, we have met with the Australians and believe they are a viable team. We anticipate proceeding with an event in the fall of 2004 to again determine who has the fastest course racing sailboat in the world. - Steve Clark THE REST OF THE STORY The International Catamaran Challenge Trophy trustees have chosen the F-18HT Class as the boat for this year's competition. It is sailed internationally and is readily accessible to crews. The great news is that we will have brand new Bimare F-18HT's in Newport for the challengers and defenders. In essence, once the challengers and defenders have satisfied the requirements, all they will have to do is show up. Fully equipped boats and sails will be waiting for them". The Deadline for Entries is June 1, 2003. The ICCT is very much like the America's Cup in that the winner will bring the Trophy to their country and yacht club and host the following year's event. Bimare F-18HT's will also be provided for the 2004 ICCT to ensure the event's continued success and consistency from year to year. The Trustees expect more entries than the available 10 Challenger (non-US) and 10 Defender (US) spots; therefore a critical factor for the entrants will be their sponsoring club's ability to host the next defense should they win. There is an all inclusive entry fee of $6,000 per team that provides for the boat & sails for the event as well as access to the boats for the week preceding the event. - Sea Cliff YC Ltd., www.littleamericascup2003.org SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Life after the America's Cup for a handful of the world's best sailors starts with the 39th Congressional Cup April 8-12. With the recent cancellation of the Steinlager Line 7 Cup at Auckland New Zealand, the Congressional Cup is the first major match-racing event on Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 subsequent to the America's Cup. The Long Beach Yacht Club's Congressional Cup also is the only remaining U.S. stop on the nine-event circuit. A skipper's best seven finishes count toward the overall Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 prize purse of US$200,000. The Congressional Cup is offering a $25,000 purse with $6,000 to the winner This year's field includes two-time winner and 2002 runner-up Gavin Brady, who sailed with Italy's Prada at Auckland; Ken Read of Team Dennis Conner; Magnus Holmberg of Sweden's Victory Challenge, Luc Pillot of France's Le Defí, Australian James Spithill of Seattle's OneWorld and Paolo Cian of Italy's Mascalzone Latino. Others who didn't sail in the America's Cup are Denmark's Jesper Radich and Jes Gram-Hansen, currently ranked Nos. 2 and 3 by the International Sailing Federation; 1994 winner Chris Law of the UK and Long Beach resident Scott Dickson, who expects to have older brother Chris as tactician in his seventh Congressional Cup as a skipper. Scott Dickson qualified by winning last fall's Ficker Cup. - Rich Roberts, www.lbyc.org BEHOLD, THE POWER OF TEFLON Teflon coating your hull may be one way to increase boat speed, but it's not the only way. To put the real slip on your competition, you need to use Teflon rigging tape. Introducing Dynaglide MT Teflon rigging tape, a pressure sensitive tape using a skived & tensilized Teflon film backed with a silicone adhesive. The uses are endless. Apply to anything from head foils to batten pockets to help prevent sail and line hang-ups. Let Annapolis Performance Sailing and Dynaglide MT help you take that extra step to slide by your competition. Check out... http://www.apsltd.com/scuttlebutt.asp SAILING SHORTS * Gavin O'Hare has been named the Naval Academy's intercollegiate sailing dinghy coach. O'Hare is a 1992 graduate of the Naval Academy and was a four-year member of the intercollegiate sailing team. He has been the team racing coach at the University of Washington (2000) and the head sailing coach at San Diego State (1992), as well as the head racing coach of the Severn Sailing Association (1996). He is the author of "Contemporary Team Racing," a 1995 US Sailing training publication. * Ellen MacArthur's dismasted Kingfisher2, sailing under a jury-rig, is now less than 400 from Fremantle, Australian. Shore based weather router, Meeno Schrader is hoping conditions will allow the maxi-catamaran to reach Fremantle in the early hours (GMT) of Saturday morning. - www.kingfisherchallenges.com/ * Stamford Yacht club is sponsoring the 42nd Northern Ocean Racing Trophy (NORT) for the IMS yacht with the best overall score for racing in the series of regattas on the Eastern Coast - Montego Bay Pineapple Race, Hemingway Race, Block Island Race, Annapolis-Newport Race, Marblehead-Halifax Race, Around Long Island Race and the Vineyard Race. - www.stamfordyc.com * UK Sailmakers has just started a new rules quiz series on their website specifically designed for kids. The first lesson is now posted: www.uksailmakers.com/rulesquiz/junior/ * (TNZ) Syndicate head Tom Schnackdhenberg said an internal review of the failings of Team New Zealand's America's Cup boat will not be made public. He said the team was an ongoing concern, so the findings of any review needed to be kept confidential from rivals. He said Team New Zealand felt it would be up against a very formidable challenge so had pushed the design process hard. There had been no problems with workmanship on the boat, either within the team or with any of the contractors and bodybuilder used. - Hellen Tunnah, NZ Herald, full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Dean Barker "This loss has only made us hungrier to succeed. The unconditional support we've had since Race 5 has shown me just how much unfinished business we've got with this Cup." - www.nytimes.com/2003/03/06/sports/othersports/06BOAT.html 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 Andrew Yeager: Seeing first hand how the weather hurt interest in sailing-frenzied New Zealand (my fourth trip there), I think the new protocol does address some fundamental elements of this past Cup and attempt to make them better. I agree 100% that 4 1/2 years is entirely too long to wait for the 32nd Cup finals. If Alinghi & Co. really want to create more interest in the event and our sport, don't kill it with "dead air time." The selection of venue is going to be incredibly important. Steady air, truly affordable slip and accomodations plus a good on-shore viewing area should be at the top of the list. Get this venue settled quickly and work to get the past teams involved while we bask in the limelight of AC changes - this is the age of the Internet people! - Marketers move quickly. * From Sam Wakeman: One simple point which seems to be overlooked in Alinghi's victory. The intense competition of the LVC series created an environment in which Alinghi could grow and improve on a continual basis. This was lacking from the Team New Zealand program. No amount of sailing in a non competitive environment can make up for the experience gained in competition. This applies to tactics, design (does not flood), adequate equipment (does not break), crew work (becomes flawless). CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: This argument loses a bit of its punch when you realize that in the 2000 America's Cup TNZ did not benefit from the 'intense competition of the LVC,' but still beat Prada 5-0. * From Bill Doyle: "Alinghi was proud to have no ads on its sails." Sorry, but I clearly saw UBS and Infonet logos on Alinghi's sails? Anybody thinking that Alinghi relied on less sponsorship money than other syndicates needs to take one walk through their compound to see they hit up corporations as much as anyone else did. They were just fortunate enough to also get $$ from E.B. to put them at a higher level. Kudos for them for doing fine job balancing it all out. Why is it that the same people who have a problem with sponsors names all over the boats are the same ones who insist that zillion dollar carbon-kryptonite-plutonium boats make for a better America's Cup? You want clean boats and more teams competing? Easy. 12 meters. Aluminum Rigs. One boat per team. Done. You want big bucks racing, then somebody's got to pay for it. Think it is going to get cheaper / cleaner next time around? No way. Not when you've got these two big-money players (L.E. & E.B.) making the plans. Expect more sponsors and more logos than ever in 2007. * From George Jackson, Kingston, Ontario: Having various nationalities onboard give folks from those countries a team and persons to root for and follow. As a Canadian without a boat in the Cup, my allegiances tended towards Alinghi given their Canadian content with Kai Bjorn and Curtis Blewitt. I felt quite connected to the Cup all the way through. The relaxing of the nationality restriction may very well broaden the interest of the America's Cup around the world not lessen it. * From Peter Brown: Who's going to cheer for Oracle or Prada? If they represent a country, many people will. But as a stand alone entity, will people care about the teams? Supporters of the no-nationality clause talk about teams that have multi-nationality members, but make no mistake, if the Detroit Red Wings were just the Red Wings and were just around for, say one cup campaign, and the competition was held in a location no where near Detroit I don't think we're going to see people painting their faces and cheering. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but the professional sailors have a large stake in loosening up the nationality requirements, somewhat akin to free agency in baseball. I'm also sure that Mr. Bertarelli and Mr. Ellison and their like, want to put together the best possible teams and realize that the nationality requirements stand in their way. The argument about corporations like Ferrari in F1 and the loyalty that they generate. But Ferrari has been around for decades, is closely linked to Italy, and you know that they will be around in the future. It takes time to create fans. If the America's Cup loses the identification of a "contest between nations" in might just generate the interest of something like the "Maxi Worlds" and be a step backwards. Please Mr. Bertarelli, Mr. Coutts and Mr. Ross, be careful. * From Reynald Neron: In reply to the message from Big Mike Howard describing how Hawaii could be the best place for an America Cup, I would like to point out that at numerous occasions, Alinghi members said it would be in Europe, as Switzerland is on the "old continent". And for the TV rights, 1.15pm in Hawai is ... huh... lets see..... well... bloody late at night in Europe, where they obviously want to market the cup. * From Russell Burke: Further to Ian Farquharson's comments about the attractiveness of televised "xtreme" sailing: It seems like ice boating would be pretty exciting to watch on television as well - speed in excess of 60 mph (more in some of the big Skeeter classes) approaching the weather mark! It's sailing, meets light aviation, meets sports car racing. Live coverage might be a problem because ice boating is more weather dependent than wet sailing, but then again Speedvision often presents condensed taped coverage of world rallye and other motorsport events. Surely the old "Wide World of Sports" must've covered ice boating at some point. I watched the Nite NA's at Lake Geneva a few weeks ago and the weather mark roundings were pretty spectacular. Good link: www.iceboat.org/action_photos.htm THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere. |
