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SCUTTLEBUTT 1613 - June 28, 2004Powered 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 focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. UBS TROPHY RHODE ISLAND 26th June, 2004 - A heavy fog enveloped Newport for the second consecutive day on Saturday morning, but by noon, the fog had lifted, although there was very little wind. The Race Committee postponed racing until 14:00, when a light, five to seven knot Southerly filled in over East Passage. Previously, a Jury decision on Friday night had set the stage for a spectacular Saturday of racing at the UBS Trophy - Saturday would see one race in each of the Pro-Driver and Owner-Driver series, with the winner in each match, winning the overall series title. The Pro-Drivers were underway first, and Oracle Racing helmsman Gavin Brady and his team were again dominant in the pre-start, setting the table for a strong race. Team Alinghi never really threatened after the start in this race, and Oracle Racing won its seventh match of the Pro series, to earn the UBS Trophy. When the Owner-Drivers took the helm, the wind was up to 10 to 12 knots, although fog was hovering and receding throughout the contest. Alinghi started the race strongly, but BMW Oracle Racing held a powerful advantage on the right side of the race course, and Larry Ellison went on to win the Owner-Driver series in the UBS Trophy. Quote of the Day- Peter Holmberg, Team Alinghi, relating the lessons learned by Alinghi this week: "A reminder, a nice one, of the value and importance of the time training. I think you saw BMW Oracle come in here with their campaign fully up and running for probably close to a year and it's a good reminder for us, nice that it happened this far out, that the other teams are strong and powerful and they've made gains." Final Races Friday: Pro-Driver Series - Race 10 of 12 Alinghi beats BMW Oracle Racing - Delta 00:27 Friday: Owner-Driver Series - Race Three Alinghi beats BMW Oracle Racing - Delta 00:11 Saturday: Pro-Driver Series - Race 11 of 11 BMW Oracle Racing beats Alinghi - Delta 01:04 BMW Oracle Racing wins the Pro-Driver Series 16 points to 6 (7 races to 4) Saturday: Owner-Driver Series - Race Four Alinghi beats BMW Oracle Racing - Delta 00:29 BMW Oracle Racing wins the Owner-Driver Series 4 points to 2 (3 races to 1) Event website: http://www.ubstrophy.com Thanks to Thierry Martinez for providing these great daily photo galleries: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/ubsri DAVIS-COUTTS-CAYARD What do Rod Davis, Russell Coutts, and Paul Cayard have in common - besides the obvious? Among world-class sailors they share a deeper bond, which they discussed during a brief reunion this month when they sailed as tacticians aboard rival boats in the Farr 40 North Americans in Los Angeles. Rewind two decades. It's 1984 and the Olympic sailing is winding down at Long Beach. Until now, these guys were nobodies, especially the young and nervous Kiwi who has just finished first in the Finn class but now faces disqualification from the last race because his weight jacket is too heavy. Recounts Coutts, "(Fortunately) on the third weigh-in, it weighed in under. It was really close." A day earlier Davis had secured his as a member of Robbie Haines' Soling crew, along with Ed Trevelyan. Then he was introduced as skipper of the 12-Meter Eagle, the Newport Harbor YC's challenger in the 1986-87 America's Cup at Fremantle. Cayard was hanging around anonymously, absorbing the Olympic grandeur as an alternate on the U.S. team. His first medal shot would come in 2004 at Athens, long after his immortality in the sport had been assured. All benefited from and appreciate the transition from a time when sailors were lucky to find room and board to when their sport was a true profession, with paychecks. Davis and Cayard had been friends for years, through the days of unpaid America's Cups at Newport, R.I. when an ambitious young sailor would sell his car, as Cayard did, or empty his savings, as Davis did, just for a chance to crew on a boat that might not even make it to the final match. Now (Coutts and Cayard) are partners in a mysterious venture. Just after Cayard, with crew Phil Trinter, won the U.S. Olympic Trials in the Star class, he flew with Coutts to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Coutts said, "Right now it's just ideas. We've seen some things in the sport over the years that we think, with our experience, we can capitalize on." Speaking separately, Cayard said, "Yeah, we've got a little scheme going on." That scheme may be an alternative to the America's Cup, which has become a rich man's playground. - Rich Roberts, The Log, full story: http://www.thelog.com/columnists/sectionview.asp?s=91 4TH OF JULY $$$$SALE! Sailing Angles Padded Sailing Shorts + UV Sunblocker Sailing Shirts, any color, any size for $99.95 ($119.95 value). Or buy any two items on-line, pay list price for the first item (the more expensive of the two) and get 40% off the second item (equal or less expensive). Must mention this ad in the 'comment' section of the online order form. Sale expires July 5. Find us at http://www.sailingangles.com and have a very independent weekend! APPROVED A good wind is filling the sails of Olympian Kevin Hall, who has been cleared to compete in Athens by the International Olympic Committee and the international organization that governs his sport. Hall, 34, is a survivor of testicular cancer who requires monthly injections of the hormone testosterone to replace what his body can no longer produce. But those shots put him at odds with anti-doping policies and require a waiver called a Therapeutic Use Exemption. On the surface, securing that waiver would seem to be "a matter of the right person lifting the right rubber stamp at the right time," as Hall himself said back in April. But the process dragged out until this month as three different agencies debated which one should handle Hall's case. Finally, the IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency stepped aside to let the medical board of the International Sailing Federation conduct the review. "We're dealing with international individuals - volunteers - in different time zones responding by e-mail," said Jonathan Harley, the executive director of US Sailing. Once the protocol was settled, getting the waiver was easy. - Candus Thomson, Baltimore Sun, full story: http://tinyurl.com/3hcl2 TV GUIDE The recent letters about sailing and television got us to thinking about creating a single listing where all scheduled sailing programming could be found. Now, on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar, you can click on the TV icon to find the shows have been listed so far. If you get OLN, you may be interested in this week's schedule, which includes three shows on the UBS Trophy Rhode Island. - http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar FOR THE RECORD 26 June, 1400GMT (Day 6): What is hoped to be the final gybe, Ellen MacArthur is now on starboard and again aiming for the finish in her bid to set a new west-east solo transatlantic record. Currently 56 miles/3hr 15min behind the record, it won't be for lack of trying if the75-foot trimaran B&Q falls short. As of last Thursday, Ellen had trailed the record pace by approximately twenty-four hours. The deficit has largely been due to challenging wind patterns that have rarely allowed her to sail toward the target, forcing her to sail nearly 20% further distance than Laurent Bourgnon's record run track. Now with the wind forecast due to increase up to 35 knots Sunday night, the big question may be if Ellen has enough energy to complete this comeback. Said Ellen, "I feel really tired. Last night was terrible. Pretty hard to get rest when you've got the gennaker up." Average speed now required to break the record is 18.5 knots down the direct route. Tough if the wind dies or forces her to gybe. Tough if any equipment fails after 5 full-on days of pressure. Tough if skipper hits the fatigue wall that she is very close to. But doable. B&Q will have to cross the finish line by 00:44:42 GMT on Tuesday 29th June 2004 to set a new record. - Team Kingfisher, http://www.teamkingfisher.com Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/0418em FOOT-WHERE??? Looking for the ultimate sea boot? One constructed of fine, waterproof Pittards leather? One with an Outlast climate-controlled inner lining and an exclusive bi-component outersole? A boot that hugs the deck thanks to a two-way, slip-resistant heel? Looking for a boot that's extremely breathable, extremely durable, and extremely comfortable? Look no farther than http://www.henrilloydonline.com/extremedeckboot.asp where you'll find a comprehensive list of dealers who carry the incomparable Henri-Lloyd Extreme Deck Boot as well as a complete collection of fine performance footwear. ATHENA At a length of 90 meters (295 feet), weighing in at an incredible 982 tons displacement and having a sail area of 2,474 square metres, Athena represents by all accounts the largest privately commissioned sailing yacht to have been built, certainly the largest one to be built in aluminum. Combining the volume and luxury of a large motor yacht with the exhilaration of sailing, Athena's hull speed under power or sail of over 19 knots will match any of the world's fast cruising superyachts. For complete story and photo gallery, go to http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/athena NEWS BRIEFS * America's Cup syndicate Team New Zealand officially lodged their challenge Friday with the ACM in Geneva, Switzerland on behalf of Auckland's Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The Team New Zealand 2007 is the fourth challenger after the South African America's Cup Challenge and the Italian Circolo Vela Gargnano Yacht Club's Clan des Team sailing team to join the Golden Gate Yacht Club's Oracle BMW Racing team in challenging for the 32nd America's Cup. TNZ plan to take part in the first America's Cup pre-regatta in Marseille in September but have yet to officially enter. - Cup in Europe: http://www.cupineurope.com * Toronto, Canada - Competing in the first-ever international stop of Sailing World's Rogers Wireless National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta, local sailors proved they knew the waters and winds of Lake Ontario the best. Toronto sailors won seven of the 22 classes, as the prestigious sailing tour wrapped up its three-day stop Sunday. Overall, Canadians won 16 divisions. This first-ever NOOD stop outside the United States drew the most number of sailors of any sailing event in the city of Toronto in 20 years. More than 200 sailboats carrying 800-plus sailors took part. Event website: http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_nood.jsp?typeID=403&catID=621 * Porto Cervo, Italy: The Sardinia Rolex Cup 2004, hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, culminated Saturday with the final 13 mile, decisive windward/leeward race to determine the title of ISAF Offshore Team World Champion between Spain and the US. Both teams dropped back in the fleet for a game of "cat and mouse", but in the end it was the Spanish who claimed the title with 55 points. The United States team takes second with 58 points and Italy Blue comes in third with 67 points. - http://www.regattanews.com/ArticleList.asp?EventID=62&Language=1 Great photo gallery by Carlo Borlenghi: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/sardinia * Kiel, Germany: Over 5,000 sailors from 50 countries attended Kieler Woche, sailing in 27 classes. A small contingent of Olympic sailors from North America competed last week, many using the event as a final build-up for the Olympic Games. Final results: 470 Men- 15. USA, Paul Foerster/ Kevin Burnham; 470 Women- 7. USA, Katie McDowell/ Isabelle Kinsolving, 11. CAN, Jennifer Provan/ Nikola Girke; Laser- 33. CAN, Michael Leigh; 11. USA, Benjamin Barger; Star- 1. BER, Peter Bromby/ Lee White, 4. CAN, Ross Macdonald/ Mike Wolfs; 7. USA, Mark Reynolds/ Rick Peters; Tornado- 7. CAN, Oskar Johansson/ John Curtis - http://www.kielerwoche.de/eng/segelsport/startregattas_eng.htm * One hundred and seventeen boats competed in eleven classes last weekend at the 20th anniversary of North Sails Race Week, held in the waters off of Long Beach, CA. Boat of the Week honors went to Ed Cummins/Jack Franco's J/105 Bold Forbes, winner of the largest class. Event reports and final results at http://tinyurl.com/3ago2 Scuttlebutt photos by Jack Hardaway: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/nsrw/ NOW AVAILABLE IN THE USA When everything is on the line…you knew there had to be a better rope available. Now it's here. The preferred choice of leading sailors worldwide is finally available in the USA. Ask your rigger to upgrade your boat and experience the performance that Southern Ocean Ropes consistently delivers. http://www.southernoceanropes.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 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 Bruce Parsons, Institute for Ocean Technology, National Research Council of Canada: (re Jay Handfield's on Russell Coutts and his speaking style - edited to our 250 word limit) Russell came here to Newfoundland when we first started to do the model testing for Alinghi at the beginning of the last round. I prevailed upon him to speak to the undergraduate naval architects, but word got out in our small sailing community and the lecture hall was packed. Russell came with what appeared to be almost no preparation, slides or any audio-visual support. He spoke for three quarters of an hour, and you could feel the warmth in the room in response to his talk, the affection for him. He went through some history of the America's Cup, had some good anecdotes, and spoke of his management style. I think that alone was what made the biggest impression on everyone there - how to make it possible for everyone on a team to have personal goals that meshed with the team goal. Coutts was a gentleman throughout - fielding questions from a disgruntled New Zealander, accommodating the numerous requests to have his picture taken, taking time to talk with some naval arch students - remember - Coutts is an engineer. It was overall a truly impressive performance and he made a lasting impression on everyone there - perhaps more so on those with no previous understanding that this was the Gretzky, the Tiger, the MJ of sailing. * From John Sutherland: I was lucky enough to get some time off and watch Thursday's races at Newport. This is the way to get people interested in sailboat racing! A classical venue with a narrow and short course, easily visible to spectators on land. The smart way to go is to have bikes on the back of your car. Park (for free) in Fort Adams, and bike up and down the course so that you can catch every piece of the action. If there is something happening out on the course, the WADK team provide excellent commentary; they had Andy Green on the water, Dawn Riley on land, and input, when needed from the umpires. The only way to make it better would be to be out there on one of the boats! Well, dreaming doesn't hurt! * From Edward Matus: I was a volunteer for the markset boats in the last two A-cups in San Diego. First for the challengers and the second time for the defenders. I remember wandering around in awe trying to get a glimpse of the boats at the various compounds and feeling like an interloper and a spy whenever I would see the boats out of the water. This approach in Newport sounds like fun and an event that everyone can identify with. I'm always dismayed at the way much of sailing promotes the appearance of being exclusive. Most of the people I sail with own boats that cost less than their cars and sail on a shoe string budget. We have a great time and I don't think that the extra thousands spent at the more exclusive clubs offers any more enjoyment. So I hope there are a lot more open events like what is going on in Newport, right on!!! * From Art Ahrens: Regarding dinghy venues on the Ocean, you missed one. Every February, the Palm Beach Sailing Club and the Royal Turkey Yacht Club sponsor the Laser Masters regatta in the Atlantic Ocean off of the Palm Beach Inlet. The ocean can get pretty hairy in the winter, but the Masters insist on racing out there!! * From David Hartman: (Your Panel of Experts) overlooked Palm Beach for dinghy ocean racing. There is a great Laser Masters Regatta sailed there every February which attracts the wisened old men from afar (even CA!!) to bask in the Florida sunshine and sail in the crystal blue waters warmed by the near by Gulfstream. From time to time, we locals will venture out from there to enjoy great afternoons of sailing. * From David Redfern, Bristol, England: Andy Colloton is right, the demographic of a sailing programme has little wastage in viewers. A few years ago, Channel 4 here in England broadcast a sailing series. The audience was only 400,000, but that was justified by Ch 4 in that just about everyone watching was in the perfect demographic for selling adverts to BMW, etc. An audience of 400,000 doesn't seem much for television, The ad rates of course reflect this in being cheaper, but where will an advertiser to this group of people find a sailing magazine with 400,000 subscribers? On a cost per viewer ratio, the advertisers obviously did their sums and found it satisfactory. CORRECTION In Scuttlebutt 1612, there was an error in the website address for Southern Ocean Ropes. Their ad is listed above, or you can learn more by going to http://www.southernoceanropes.com THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Considering all the lint you get in your dryer, if you kept drying your clothes would they eventually disappear? |
