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SCUTTLEBUTT 2805 - Friday, March 20, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsors are North U and JK3 Nautical Enterprises. GROWING THE SPORT Joe Youcha, heavily involved in the Alexandria Seaport foundation, wanted to create a kit sailboat that would be fun for families to build at large festival-like events. With Carl Cramer, publisher of Wooden Boat Magazine, he brainstormed about creating a community boatbuilding event, where the participants would go home with a sturdy, utilitarian boat that could be painted and finished at home. Youcha developed a kit boat which he called the Bevin’s Skiff, and created a family event that would attract families or groups from all walks of life to work together over a period of two or three days to build skiffs or dinghies. The big finish would be the launching and maiden voyage during which the families reaped the rewards of their cooperative teamwork. They theorized it would be a means to encourage families to get out and enjoy the water together. That was in 1998, and this year will mark the seventh running of the event. The kit boat is now the International Optimist Racing Dinghy, with all the building materials, sails, floating bags and all sailing hardware supplied for the participants. Families that cannot afford the $1,650 kit fee can apply for a grant from the City of Annapolis. In 2008, four grants were awarded to economically-challenged families. During the four days of the Annapolis Family BoatBuilding event, the public is invited to stop by, view the numerous boat builds-in-progress and cheer on the teams of family members. -- Full details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0312a/ SUNSCREEN: WHAT DO THE PROS USE? What is the best sunscreen for sailing? Scuttlebutt asked some of the people who are regularly on the water, and here is some of the feedback we received: * Terry Hutchinson, 2008 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year: “I have found that for everybody it is different. I use a brand that is made in Australia called Sunsense 30. Interestingly enough it is not sold in the U.S. Because it contains too much titanium dioxide and is not approved by the FDA. I also use zinc oxide on the nose and lips. Others on board the boats I sail like the Coppertone sport 30 or the Neutrogena 50. The other thing that I have learned through the years that is quite important is applying in the morning before I go out and have not started sweating. I find the sunscreen works a lot better if you actually follow the instructions. For arms, I run the Gill long sleeve capilene shirts. They are light and provide 50 SPF.” * Kenny Read, Volvo Ocean Race skipper: “On PUMA'S il mostro, we have been running a brand new sunblock called Z Blok. A company recently formed in Rhode Island, but has been doing research for 10 years. They came to me with an idea: If they could eliminate eye stinging from sunblock and upgrade the UV protection as well as do it odour free, would we be interested in trying it out? I thought, can the stuff also drive fast in a big breeze? “So we tried it on Rambler last year in the Buenos Aires to Rio race and low and behold the stuff did what they said it would. It is key for boats like this to have the non stinging part because we are almost always wet on deck. The UV protection is nothing short of fantastic. And we don't smell like perfume. All good. So thank you Z blok. You have certainly made our lives a lot more bearable as we cross the equator four times in this race. “As far as I know they have started selling this at local stores like Team One in Newport, but they are beginning to ramp up for mass production soon if not now. I think they have a web site Zbloksun.com for more info if people are interested. Pretty psyched we made this choice for such a key item.” * All the advice is getting posted on the Scuttlebutt Forum, which includes tips from Russell Coutts, Anna Tunnicliffe, Greg Fisher, Paige Railey, Zach Railey, Bill Hardesty, Morgan Larson, and Morgan Reeser. Next week we have some advice on sunscreen application from a couple people who are hoping their guidance will help people avoid the damaging skin problems they have faced. Do you have any sunscreen advice? Post it here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7198 LEARN MORE FASTER You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better racer, or you can accelerate the process at the 9th Annual North U / Offshore Sailing Performance Race Week. Enjoy six days of racing with an on-board coach, video review and unmatched curriculum. Come to Florida April 26 – May 2 for the fun, and as a bonus, go home a winning racer. If you want to learn more, call 800-221-4326 or visit: http://www.northu.com or http://www.offshore-sailing.com/racing.asp WEATHER WOES COULD SHUFFLE FLEET (Mar. 19, 2009; Day 34) - The Volvo Ocean Race fleet is enduring upwind port tack angles as they sail north along the South American continent toward Rio. With winds in the mid to high teens, Magnus Olsson and Ericsson 3 have managed to position themselves in a covering position over the chasing pack, however, the weather is complex and gains and losses are expected in the next two days as the fleet negotiates the patches of high pressure with varying degrees of success. Says Ericsson 3 navigator Aksel Magdahl, “My biggest concern is the high we will have to negotiate in two or three days’ time. It can easily be a parking spot.” Telefonica Blue finally rounded Cape Horn today, passing the scoring waypoint at the Atlantic-Pacific intersection at 13:39 GMT. Telefonica’s tale of woe on this 12,300-mile marathon is well-documented. The self-inflicted wound of a three-point penalty due to a rudder change, leaving Qingdao 19 hours behind the scheduled starters after hitting a rock, mainsail delamination and a broken forestay were all low blows. -- Excepts from event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Leg Five from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janiero, Brazil is 12,300 nm, with the finish estimated on March 24th. Current positions (as of Mar. 19, 10:15 pm GMT): 1. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 1,498 nm Distance to Finish 2. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 58 nm Distance to Leader 3. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 144 nm DTL 4. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 241 nm DTL 5. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 675 nm DTL Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, Did Not Start Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, DNS Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, DNS Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com CAPE HORN TALES by Mark Chisnell I didn't want to tempt fate previously, but now the Volvo Ocean Race fleet are as good as round Cape Horn, I thought I might tell my favourite Cape Horn story. It dates back to the first Jules Verne season in 1993. Both ENZA (Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston) and Charal (Olivier de Kersauson) had hit Unidentified Floating Objects south of Cape Town, and returned to South Africa manning the pumps. And that left Commodore Explorer – the old Jet Services V, a 23 metre catamaran - the last man standing in the Southern Ocean. Skippered by Bruno Peyron and assisted by, amongst others, Cam Lewis. I first came across Lewis’ account of their circumnavigation in a Seahorse article written shortly after they got back. He later published a book about it, Around the World in 79 Days, which I read way back in the day, and dug out again recently to get myself in the mood for the Volvo Ocean Race. Back in 1993, Cameron Carruthers Lewis was the kind of character I wouldn’t have dared to make up for a novel. He was a blue-blooded WASP with a Ford agency model for a girlfriend. The ancestral line included Revolutionary War generals; the explorer, Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd; and good ol’ great-uncle Leverett Saltonstall, the Governor of Massachusetts during the Second World War. -- Read on: http://markchisnell.blogspot.com/2009/03/cape-horn-tales.html DEAR ABBY WEIGHS IN ON SAILING CONTROVERSY Dear Abby: “My husband, ‘Mike,’ and I have been married for 18 years, but for the last few we have been growing apart. Mike has recently expressed a desire to quit work and sail around the world. He bought an expensive sailboat, took lessons, and is teaching our kids to sail. I tried it, but I'm afraid of the water. I have, however, been supportive of my husband's dream. “I knew Mike was looking for a "crew" for the boat because he couldn't sail with just the kids. Today he told me he has found someone. This crew consists of a married woman and her two kids. Mike invited her to crew after she first asked her husband. He did not ask ME first. He simply announced he had found a competent sailor. “I expressed vehemently that I am against this. I have never met the woman or her kids, and I'm hurt that I wasn't consulted. Mike says he is hurt because I "don't trust him." By the way, the sailboat is only 37 feet long, and they're planning their first two-week trip this fall. What do you think?” - Landlocked In Northern California Here is Abby’s advice: -- http://linkbee.com/J2C9 DELPHIA OPEN HOUSE JK3 Nautical Enterprises, Inc is hosting a Delphia Open House & sale on Saturday, March 21st from 10am-2pm in San Diego at the JK3 San Diego docks. Delphia delivers unashamedly on its promise of high quality that is priced surprisingly low. Come take notice of the name brand hardware and skilled craftsmanship throughout the yacht. This one-day event allows you to see and experience the Delphia 40 GT. Demo's can be arranged by speaking with Jeff Brown or Roy Bream in San Diego. RSVP to Yvonne at 619.224.6200 or email her at mailto:yvonne@jk3yachts.com - view the Delphia line at http://www.jk3yachts.com SAILING SHORTS * Frequent Scuttlebutt contributing photographers Peter Lyons and Erik Simonson and videographer Vince Casalaina are among a group in Northern California that have formed Marine Media Alliance to provide a full communication solution for individuals and organizations hosting maritime events in San Francisco Bay and greater California. -- Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7213 * (Mar. 19, 2009) - At 0050 GMT, Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz sailed into the history books on Desafio Cabo de Hornos when the Chilean duo rounded Cape Horn earlier today. Instantaneously, their offshore sailing CV has quadrupled in size. The first yacht in the Portimão Global Ocean Race to pass the cape; the first Chilean team to round Cape Horn in a race; the first modern, 40ft yacht to race around the bottom of the globe and the first Class 40 to take on the Southern Ocean and reach 56-degrees S. -- Read on: http://www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com/?page=news&news_id=233&lang=en * North Sails and Sailing Weather Services have partnered to deliver weather forecasts for this weekend's Sperry Top-Sider San Diego NOOD Regatta. Simply sign up online and you will receive forecasts via email from Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22nd. http://www.na.northsails.com/tabid/7240/Default.aspx WHAT IT TOOK TO WIN Last Friday, March 13, this Queensland based team of Jason Muir, Matt Chew, Paul Wyatt & Bucky Smith clinched the Etchells Worlds with one race to spare. Eighty-five boats, with crews of highly decorated sailors, competed in the worlds hosted this year in Melbourne, Austrailia by the Royal Brighton Yacht Club. When the last day was cancelled due to weather conditions, Jason Muir’s team had won the Worlds by twenty points over second place Damien King, and twenty-two points over legendary skipper John Bertrand. This team of generation X and Y’ers (perhaps the reason for the boat name… Racer XY), may be young in years, but they are wise in experience. Muir’s team sat down this week with Paige Brooks, NA Etchells Class Correspondent to answer a few questions about their regatta win, and what it took to get there. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0320/ SPRING CELEBRATIONS The vernal equinox (March 20th) marks the beginning of spring; here are some of the celebrations being held: * The Annapolis Maritime Museum will host its seventh annual Sock Burning ceremony to herald the first day of spring on Friday, March 20 at 5 p.m. -- http://www.amaritime.org/socks2009.html * Bring your bare feet to the Apres Sock Burning Party at the Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis,MD from 7pm until… http://www.boatyardbarandgrill.com * From Scott Kraft: The Stonington Harbor Yacht Club in Stonington, CT will burn their socks to celebrate the coming of spring. The pyre will be lit at 6:30 pm on the terrace. * From Larry Meed: On Friday, March 20th, beginning at approximately 1800 hours, a group of boaters from Port Credit Harbour Marina (Port Credit, Ontario) will herald in the Spring with an official “Burning of the Socks” ritual, followed by a pot luck BBQ and libations. * From Kevin Barrett: Beverly Yacht Club’s 1st annual End of Winter Sock Burning Celebration on Friday March 20th at 6:30 PM at the clubhouse in Marion, MA. * From Paul Hays: On April 18th, the Buffalo/ Niagara region of Western NY “end of winter” is celebrated at an event called “BoomDays”. This event held at several waterfront venues from Buffalo to Youngstown, NY along the Niagara River. Boomdays marks the annual removal the Niagara River Ice Boom. Proceeds benefit the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. -- http://www.boomdays.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK Despite March 20th being the first day of spring, we suspect that for those areas where winter means winter, that it still means winter. While this week's video isn't going to do much to erase the memory of the past five months, it will demonstrate how a sailing enthusiast was able to pitch and produce a 2:26 minute clip on iceboating that was shown on ABC News in the U.S. earlier this month. While some people wonder how the sport can be marketed to the broader populace, here is an exciting and educational example of what is possible. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/09/0320 * If you have a video you like, please send your suggestion for next week’s Video of the Week to mailto:craig@sailingscuttlebutt.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include St Patrick’s Day decorations, new trophy ideas, new boat ideas, new spinnaker ideas, and an “in your face” collection of Caribbean images. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0320 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get 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 William Tuthill, Newport, RI: OMG…puke! I HATE the end of winter! Put a sock on it! Socks are great. Wear them on your feet inside of ski boots. Click into skis and hold onto a wing or a kite. Sail faster on snow or ice than you will EVER go in hot smelly water. I DREAD the onset of hot, crowded, and polluted summer. YUK! Sock burning? Give it up. That is a tradition that I will never embrace. Pray for cold! That is my solicited opinion. Summer sucks! * From Clark Chapin: I read Gary Jobson's commentary featured in Scuttlebutt #2804 with a keen interest. I too have followed the America's cup for many years, mostly from my vantage point as a pond sailor in the Midwest. My family purchased books about the defenses of Constellation, Courageous, and Intrepid, not to mention Stars and Stripes. Heck, I've even watched "Wind" appreciating the sailing scenes while grinding my teeth at the inaccuracies. I vividly remember driving during a vacation on US-101 in 1983 as I heard the news reports of the Australian victory in Newport. What could be more obvious than Gary's plea? To put the structure of the world's most famous sailing event into a form where it can't be hijacked by egotistic billionaires and can again become the flagship event of our sport rather than an exercise between attorneys. Formula 1 auto racing may hold the key. There are certainly enough egotistical billionaires in that sport to match sailing's total, but a strong central authority (perhaps headed by a ruthless czar-like figure) is making great efforts to lead that event through these shoal-ridden economic times. Maybe somebody else has already invented the wheel, or at least an octagon instead of a square block. * From Paul Tara: The Curmudgeon comment in ‘Butt 2803 regarding youth boats as temporary options, and the need to connect youth sailors to more long term sailing solutions, were very astute. (It's always later than you think, but you can't expect all these young whippersnappers to realize it.) I also agree with Rick Hatch's analogy in 'Butt 2804 of the "very skinny, tall pyramid of sailing talent" - steep sided, and very, very slippery. A structure, unfortunately, that has been fostered by U.S. Sailing, with its top down support of a few anointed classes, creation of a "National Team", and thirst for Olympic medals. If the present picture of youth sailing in the United States is so rosy, why: 1. Is sailing's popularity declining in the U.S.? 2. Is there an increasing disregard for the rules, especially at the Scholastic level? 3. Is the art of seamanship so low among young sailors? If we're turning out all these great young sailors, where's the disconnect? Perhaps we should focus less on winning medals, and more on the values we are imparting? I submit that it does no good to have a kid finish 70th out of 400, when two years later he's off surfing. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: I am not convinced that the structure of youth sailing in the U.S. is much different than the other sporting options available (baseball, soccer, etc.). In fact, I am beginning to wonder if that might be the problem. In active sailing centers, youth sailing has become highly refined with boats, events, and coaching. Things are scheduled, kids show up when told to, enjoy the time together, and then disperse. I am officially coining the term, “the Soccerization of Sailing." The attrition we see in sailing among younger people is not unlike the attrition seen in other sports. This spring there were a new crop of 5 and 6 year olds that signed up to play baseball. However, as this group ages, attrition will begin. By the time they are 13 years old, easily half will have quit. If they hang in there and succeed in getting on their freshman high school baseball team, there is no lock that they will make it to their senior year. Sitting on the bench gets as old as doing poorly in sailboat races. Other sports have youth leagues and adult leagues, and sailing has been pulled into this thinking at the youth level. However, unlike other sports, sailing does not use the same “type of ball” at the adult level as it does at the youth level. The sooner a kid gets introduced to the type of balls used beyond youth sailing, the better the chance they might transition into sailing's adult league. I am eager to hear from others on this subject. Please post your comments here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7214 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.” - Andy Rooney Special thanks to North U and JK3 Nautical Enterprises. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
