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SCUTTLEBUTT 2242 – December 13, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). MORE BOTTLES – MORE MESSAGES (In Issue 2240 we carried a story about how John Williams launched a message in a bottle into the ocean off Cape Horn and received a reply a decade later. Here’s another story, this one by Tom Priest, with his own ‘message in a bottle’ experience.) “Back in the late '80's, on a delivery home from Manzanillo, Mexico bound for California, we killed a bottle of wine with dinner one night just offshore of Soccorro Island. I put a dollar bill and a note in a bottle, with the note describing my lat & lon and encouragement to use the money for postage to reply if found. I re-corked the bottle, and then launched it.... NEVER giving it another thought. “Well...22 months later.... and long since forgotten about, I got a reply! It seems the bottle had washed ashore approx. 7000 miles later on an interior Philippine island. We corresponded a few times, and even exchanged photos. I finally got up the nerve to ask if they still had the original note from the bottle, and if they didn't mind, to return it for my memorabilia. What I still find rather amazing is that by my very loose calculations, that bottle on average had to travel 10+ miles a day to make that journey within that time span! A glass bottle that didn't break, didn't sink, and obviously had no propulsion, other than current and tradewinds pushing it along for well over 600 days at sea (...one might say that's nearly as quick as the U.S. Mail). Wow!” -- Tom Priest * Curmudgeon’s Comment: How many more stories like this are there? MAST BEND - HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? (The North Sails website has a story by Greg Fisher, where he discusses the often confusing references toward mast bend and mainsail luff wrinkles) It seems confusing we find our mainsails perform best when set up with a hint of wrinkles... But there are a couple important reasons that these speed/overbend wrinkles need to be apparent in our mainsails. These wrinkles serve as a great guide to ensure our mast is bending properly and enough. If the main is too full it will never allow the boat to "shift" into the next higher pointing and faster gear. Without enough bend in light winds the main would be too full and stall. In heavy winds the boat will simply be overpowered. It is one of those situations where we need to do whatever is necessary shim-wise to help encourage the mast to bend. In some cases different masts need more shims and maybe looser diamonds than others to achieve the same bend and wrinkles. -- Read on: http://www.northsailsod.com/class/thistle/thistle_mastbend.html SEARCHING FOR SANTANA 20s “I have a project for the Santana 20 Class association to try to locate all the S20 hulls ever built. We know there were about 830 or so built. We have found close to 270 boats so far. Could use some help as ya’ll spend time at the boat yards and barns this winter. If you see a tuna can you grab the number off the transom, boat name, location, and if possible owner info and head over to (the class website) where there is an web form to capture boat name, number, location, etc. Anyone out there that sails on Lake Valle de Bravo in Mexico? There was a fleet there at one time and we have lost touch. The current list is also posted (on the class website) showing the ones we know about. Any help on this gratefully appreciated.” -- Vibroman, full details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/s20 JUST LAUNCHED, THE E33 WINS AWARD In its December issue SAIL Magazine has awarded the new e33 the 2007 Best Boats Editors' Award for Excellence in Deck Design. The e33’s classic lines and overhangs, along with a big, comfortable cockpit and “weekender” cabin, enhance the thoroughly modern deck plan. Designed for no-hassle sailing and singlehanding, the e33 is set up so that the Doyle Stratis StackPack mainsail and Doyle Stratis jib can be easily raised and trimmed without winches. High performance and comfort - and pure sailing pleasure - are what the e33 is all about! For more information go to: http://www.esailingyachts.com THANKS TOM Back in the early days of Scuttlebutt, communication for the sport was accomplished primarily by print publications. Doesn’t that seem like a long time ago? The Internet has had a significant effect in our lives, and Scuttlebutt has been riding this wave as it has changed the means by which sailing news is delivered. The Scuttlebutt newsletter is approaching its tenth year, where Tom Leweck has largely been in charge of the 2200+ issues that have been published. So for the holidays, what do you give someone who has made this kind of commitment? How about a pat on the back? To honor this pending milestone, we are hoping for Scuttlebutt readers to take a moment and post a note of thanks to Tom on the Scuttlebutt Forum. Post your note here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/TL SNOWBIRDS HEAD SOUTH (Each winter, the Etchells fleet in Miami, FL plays host to countess out-of-towners who have come from their winterized areas to enjoy southern Florida's great sailing conditions, and to race amongst the big fleets competing for the Jaguar Cup - a series of four regattas held from December through March. Story by Lynn Fitzpatrick.) (December 12, 2006) For those of you who have lived in Manhattan, NY, you know what a great divide Central Park can be when you are trying to get together with friends. Your universe eventually becomes the Upper West or the Upper East Side and the area around your office. For sailors, many avoid the thought of hauling their boats and trailering them to regattas, even if the regatta venue is only a short drive away. Therefore, you can imagine my surprise when someone from the other side of the pond (Atlantic Ocean) suggested that we do a better job letting his fellow countrymen know what terrific sailing Miami has to offer not only Etchells sailors, but all one-design sailors during the winter. “Where else can you get a 65-boat Etchells fleet on the line at this time of year? The competition is fantastic and the club puts on a great show.” I thought that Andy Beadsworth, who had just collected his keeper trophy for winning the Piana Cup, was just preaching to the choir, but then he went on to say, “I can think of five or six other teams from England who should be here. It’s only 8 hours of travel time. They could fly in on Thursday or Friday and be back at work on Monday if they had to be.” At many of the Miami regattas that have been held already this season, such as the Snipe Western Hemispheres, the Star NA’s, the Mumm30 Worlds, and the upcoming Orange Bowl, Miami Olympic Classes Regatta and the Miami Accura Race Week, the number of international competitors rivals that of the US participants. Of the 65 boats competing in the Jaguar Series there are only four British boats and one Canadian boat registered. Local District 20 participation has increased as former Lightning sailors have realized how much fun it is to race in a big fleet on their own bay many times a year rather than have the Lightning Southern Circuit represent the only big draw for the year. The balance of the Jaguar fleet hails from Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, California, and Washington. -- Full story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1212 SAILING SHORTS * West Marine, Inc. (Nasdaq:WMAR), has reported that Thomas Moran is joining West Marine as Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President - Finance, and Assistant Secretary, effective January 8, 2007. Mr. Moran brings to West Marine 20 years of experience and a demonstrated ability in strategic and financial planning, reporting, compliance and financial management. He joins West Marine from ARAMARK Corporation, where he served as the Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of ARAMARK's WearGuard-Crest division, a direct marketer of work apparel and uniforms. -- BYM News, full story: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=1401 * (Rochester, NY) After more than 160 years, the twin masts of the Milan still stand erect - all the more remarkable because the commercial sailing ship sits in the dark depths of Lake Ontario. Shipwreck explorer Dan Scoville and fellow explorer Jim Kennard located the schooner in the summer of 2005 off the southern shore of the lake. They videotaped the 93-foot-long, square-stern vessel this year using an unmanned submersible built with the help of college students. The ship sits upright on the lake bed at a depth of more than 200 feet. Its masts extend 70 feet upward in the dark waters. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/yla7d4 * (Dec 11, 2006) VC Performance Rigging has merged with the Layline Group, and will relocate to Layline’s new 8,000 sq foot facility in Buford, Georgia. The rigging division will be headed by the present owner of VC Performance Rigging, David Van Cleef. -- http://www.layline.com * On the water, Richard Breeden is best known for his string of boats named Bright Star, the latest being a TP52. But it is unlikely that the high stakes sailing in that class compares to the battles Breeden faces in his day job. The following report comes from the NY Times: A hedge fund run by Richard C. Breeden, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said yesterday that it would nominate a slate of directors to oppose incumbents at its largest holding, the restaurant chain Applebee’s International. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/yzxnmo * Each month the 32nd America’s Cup event website hosts a photo contest, with each month having a specific theme for which the entering photos must resemble. For December, the theme is “32 and Duel.” To see the winners of the past months, and to enter for this month, go to http://www.americascup.com/en/fanfun/contest/monthly_pic.php * The Mobility Cup 2007 regatta is returning to North America's flagship for sailors with physical disabilities – Halifax, Nova Scotia – on Aug. 28 to Sept. 1. The event was first hosted in 1991 and has been growing ever since as it traveled across Canada - but this will be its first appearance in Atlantic Canada. Honourary chairman Paul Tingley of Sail Able Nova Scotia comments, “We have the highest percentage of disabled people in the country and we want to provide them with a new recreational activity not dependant on their disability.” -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1129 STILL "ONNE" QUEST FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS?? There is still time to get Onne van der Wal photography delivered for the holidays! Tons in stock - framed and unframed prints, posters, calendars, notecards, mini prints, gift certificates - all make the perfect gift for the sailors on your list -- 15% OFF for 'buttheads. http://www.vanderwal.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Ted Jones: Regarding the thread on the JOG activities (in Issue 2241), JOG founder, Patrick Ellam, is alive and well and living in Tucson, AZ. Those interested in how it all began can read Sopranino, by Patrick Ellam and Colin Mudie, which describes Pat's weekend dashes across the Channel six times during the summer of 1949 with his 20-foot, purpose-designed, decked canoe, Theta. The book, Sopranino, first published in 1952, and translated into several languages, is still in print. I find it astounding that almost 60 years later Patrick's premise, that it would be fun to make a brief dash across the Channel and back for a bottle of good French wine, is still viable. Who will be the first to do it with a Foiler Moth? -- Curmudgeon’s Comment: For those interested in learning more about Ellam’s book, it can be found on Amazon.com. Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/uzumk * From Ted Ritter, Fort Lauderdale: (re, story in Issue 2241 “WHERE OLYMPIC YACHTING IS HEADED”) How much do we really care is the question I have to ask. Does or would 10 days of artificially generated "exciting TV" coverage once every 4 years really boost the popularity and growth of sailing; well sailboat racing really? What might be exciting to us (Moth foilers) may not send goose bumps to land lubbers. By it's very nature, (small boat) sailboat racing is not a spectator sport and besides it's also slow, quiet - and while requiring some athleticism - it's equally a thinking/ tactical sport not easily grasped by the non-sailing TV viewer. Snowboarding, for example, generates TV excitement because it is fast, visually dramatic, requires amazing athletic skill, and has a cheering audience lining the course just yards away. Cameras can capture track & field, again a stadium event by being up close and replay in slo-mo, finely honed human vs. human. Stir in great audio...the crowd, the athletes and we now have captivating TV. The further away the cameras are from any sport, the less intense the viewing becomes. On-board cameras and coverage for all the classes is very expensive to produce wherein the ends don't justify the means. It's still little white boats zig-zagging all over the water in mysterious ways with complicated rules, terminology unto itself and tough to decipher scoring. We love it but can it ever appeal to the masses out in TV land? The final little discussed factor, light air racing, a yawner for TV, even for sailors. I vote to keep on doing what we do and not worry about re-inventing our sport "just" for the Olympics every 4 years. * From Tom Fischbeck: I would love to see Olympic Sailing phase into different racing formats like Skiing has with all the different events, like Giant Slalom, Jumping etc. When reading Curmudge Jr's note on this (in Issue 2241), the first thing that jumped out was the Laser Downwind Slalom racing they do in front of St Francis YC on San Francisco Bay. This event is a series of buoys, straight downwind where you jibe your way through the course in lots o' breeze. It is a hoot to witness! Lots of crashing, spilling, skippering, and most of all, laughing! * From Doug Pope: The USCG should have had those vessels built in Maine. * From Roger Jolly: (re Team Tsunami story in Issue 2241) Are you kidding me? Is it April 1st already? “Buying a J/105 so that local kids have a boat to sail,” is the most disgusting and misguided act of “charity” that I have ever read. There is a vast assortment of more reasonably priced boats out there. How about presenting the kids with a segment of the sport that most of them will be able to afford to buy into some day? Are we trying to get back to a time when the sport was only for the supper wealthy or are we trying to move forward towards mass appeal? Clearly there are too many people in Annapolis with more money than sense. * From Bill Sherman: Thanks for posting the Team Tsunami story in ‘butt 2241. Sailing for kids is all about being with their pals, yet keelboat sailing often means spending all day on the water with adults. The chance to get trained with other kids, under the watchful eyes of helpful parents and instructors, must be a dream come true. Plus they are competing against folks of all ages, and quite likely, earning their respect along the way. The TT game plan is complete too, with the intent to transition the kids into the local keelboat fleet. This is just the kind of exposure kids these days to improve the likelihood of them continuing with the sport beyond their schooling. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal Special thanks to Doyle Sailmakers and Onne van der Wal gallery. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
