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SCUTTLEBUTT 2986 - Monday, December 7, 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today’s sponsors are Harken, MyBoatsGear.com, and J/Boats. WORLD CHAMP MINOPRIO TAKES TOUR FINALE Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, (December 6, 2009) - On Saturday, Adam Minoprio and his ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing crew of Tom Powrie, David Swete, Nick Blackman and Dan McLean had earned sufficient points to lock up the ISAF World Match Racing Championship title on their way to the Monsoon Cup finals, where on Sunday they swept 3-0 the legendary Ben Ainslie, 32 year old British sailor, three-time Olympic gold medallist and ISAF World Sailor of the Year in 1998, 2002 and 2008. The drama started even before the pre-start when the New Zealand skipper Minoprio sailed out of the sailing area and ran aground. Crew member Dave Swete stripped to his shorts and went into the water to check the keel for damage and to clean off any of the river mud that may have stuck. But once the racing began, Ainslie, who during the week either won easily or lost narrowly - was in for, as he says, “A pretty disappointing day.” In the first match of the final, Ainslie was over early and was penalized for failing to keep clear. In the second match, Minoprio timed his start perfectly, leaving Ainslie staggering. And just seconds before the third race start, Minoprio saw pressure coming in from the right and did not contest the previously favoured left hand side. Ainslie hit the current on the left but it was not enough, Minoprio was around the mark two lengths ahead and never looked back. Commenting on their win, Minoprio said, “Ben and his team don't generally get caught up in trying to tangle people up in the pre-start. He's very focussed on getting to the line fast. He doesn't smash the other guy at the start; he just has a little bit more speed. He's a fast sailor and it’s tricky to counter that and that's how he got us in Bermuda, so today we concentrated on trying to tie him up at the start and that worked for us.” -- Full report: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/101513 Final Results 1. Adam Minoprio (NZL), ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 2. Ben Ainslie (GBR), Team Origin 3. Peter Gilmour (AUS), YANMAR Racing 4. Sebastien Col (FRA), French Match Racing Team/ALL4ONE 5. Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team 6. Phil Robertson (NZL), Team New Zealand WAKA Racing 7. Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing 8. Damien Iehl (FRA), French Match Racing Team 9. Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Victory Challenge 10. Francesco Bruni (ITA), Team Azzura 11. Ian Williams (GBR), Team Pindar 12. Hazwan Hazim Dermanwan (MAS), Taring Pelangi TESA Match results: http://tinyurl.com/yhch4fq AMERICA'S CUP JURY ANNOUNCED The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) announced the ISAF approval for the appointment of the International Jury for the 33rd America's Cup. The 33rd America's Cup Match is scheduled to be held in Valencia, Spain in February 2010 between the Société Nautique Genève of Switzerland and the Golden Gate Yacht Club of the United States of America. The five-person International Jury will be: David Tillett (Australia) Chairman: A lawyer in Australia, David has been an International Judge for 20 years and is the current Chairman of the ISAF Racing Rules Committee. He has been a juror at the 31st and 32nd America's Cup's as well as an Umpire at the 28th and 29th America's Cups. He has also been a Jury Member at four Olympic Games, and Chairman in 2004 and 2008. John Doerr (Great Britain): An Arbitrator specialising in the engineering field. John has been an International Judge since 1987 and an International Umpire since 1980. A past Chairman of the ISAF Race Officials Committee. He was a Jury member and Chief Umpire for the 29th America's Cup and a Jury Member and Chief Umpire at the last four Olympic Games. Josje Hofland (The Netherlands): Josje has a Doctorate in English Literature and Linguistics. An International Judge since 1992 and an International Umpire between 1992 and 2000. A past Chairman of various ISAF Race Officials Committees and a member of the Racing Rules Committee between 1995 and 2008. She was a Jury member in the 29th America's Cup and filled the role of Chief Umpire in the Challenger Finals and Deputy Chief Umpire in the America's Cup match. Josje has also been a member of the Jury in three Olympic Games. Graham McKenzie (New Zealand): A distinguished Barrister at Law and a solicitor in New Zealand. Graham is a competing sailor in keelboats. A member of the ISAF Constitution Committee. He was a Jury member for the 32nd America's Cup. Bryan Willis (Great Britain): An Arbitration specialist and a Magistrate in the lower criminal court in Great Britain. Bryan has been an International judge since 1976 and an International Umpire between 1980 and 2004. He was an integral member of the ISAF Racing Rules Committee for 20 years between 1980 and 2000. Bryan was a Jury member and Chief Umpire in the 28th America's Cup, Chairman of the Jury and Chief Umpire in the 30th and 31st America's Cup and Chairman of the Jury and Arbitration Panel for the 32nd America's Cup. Jury Chairman of the 2000 Olympic Games and Jury Chairman for the last three Volvo Ocean Races. Source: http://www.sailing.org/30889.php => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Did this ISAF story really begin by saying that ISAF announced the ISAF approval for the Jury? Glad that a thorough audit was conducted by…ISAF. GIFT GUIDE FOR SERIOUS SAILORS If you read Scuttlebutt, you or someone you know hopes to unwrap some Harken gear this year-so head over to HarkenSport.com for special holiday deals. Our 2009 Gift Guide features sunglasses, gloves, spraytops, and dry bags. You'll also find great stocking stuffers like the digital RigTune Pro gauge, Harken Hoister garage organizers, travel mugs, and wallets. Check out all our holiday specials at http://harkensport.com/gifts COMMITTED TO THE WING At a press conference in Valencia last Friday, Tom Ehman, the spokesman for BMW Oracle Racing and designer Manolo Ruiz de Elvira, revealed that they have chosen to use their hard wing sail to use in the next round of the Americas Cup. Despite certain logistical problems over its size, the wing has proven to have distinct advantages over a traditional sail. Mr Ruiz de Elvira stated that the wing - measuring 58 metres high, weighing 3,500 kilos with a total surface area of two square kilometres - represents a great difference with a normal sail, and since it is motor driven, it also means that there will be less crew members. Mr. Ehman added that after a few small modifications, the catamaran will be ready for shipping to Valencia towards the middle of December on a special craft - the Ocean Lady - and will take three weeks to get to Valencia from San Diego. He also stated that this coming Thursday there will be a meeting in Valencia with Alinghi lawyer Lucien Masmejean, himself, and Cristobal Grau the Sports Councillor in Valencia Town Hall. Mr Ehman also revealed that the first and best option considered by BMW Oracle Racing was that the 34th edition of the Americas Cup take place in Valencia as soon as possible using conventional craft - probably in 2012. -- The Valencia Life Network, mailto:publisher@valencialife.net * (December 6, 2009) - Commenting on the America’s Cup jury, Tom Ehman said, “We welcome the news that the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has appointed the International Jury for the 33rd America’s Cup. The panel is highly qualified. We are pleased that it includes the members of the Expert Panel to which Justice Kornreich referred the five technical questions. The Panel’s recommendations were confirmed by Justice Kornreich in her recent decision. With the Jury’s appointment we expect that the remaining rules issues, including revision of the Société Nautique de Geneve (SNG)-ISAF agreement and the draft Notice of Race, will be quickly resolved consistent with the Court’s decisions and orders, and in accordance with normal - and fair - yacht racing rules and procedures.” -- http://www.ggyc.com/6%20Dec%2009%20GGYC%20Statement%20FINAL.pdf * The Alinghi sailing team said they would push for Ras al Khaimah to host the 34th staging of the America’s Cup if they defend their title next year. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ykuxj7l VESSELLA TAKES TOP SLOT IN ETCHELLS SERIES (December 6, 2009) - The Jaguar Series is the premiere winter event for the Etchells class in North America, attracting big fleets and world championship caliber competition. Hosted by Etchells Fleet 20 in Miami, Florida, the racing takes place on Biscayne Bay, arguably among the finest racing venues during the winter months. Day one results on Saturday turned out to be the final results in the Piana Cup - the first of four winter regattas in the Etchells Jaguar Series. Peter Vessella and his San Francisco based team of Tracy Usher and John Calllahan took the day and weekend with a 3, 2, 3 over the 45 boat fleet. Second place finisher Marvin Beckman, who won the first race, said they know they “missed something” on the second race and ended the day with a 1, 8, 2. San Diego’s Bill Hardesty tied for second with a 2, 3, 6. The teams wishing for at least one more race today (Sunday) waited for two and a half hours while the race committee toiled away trying to find good breeze. The wind kept hinting it would pick up, but never filled in more than 4 knots, but even then not for long enough to set a course. Finally, PRO Dave Brennan blew the abandonment horn and arranged tows for the competitors. -- Paige Brooks, Etchells NA Correspondent, full story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/jaguar/#1 ON A ROLL During the winter season a twenty-three boat regatta in Florida does not necessarily turn heads. This is the time of year for racing in the southeast, with countless one design classes hosting events for huge fleets seeking relief from the cold. But the Melges 32 class is pretty happy with their Gold Cup event they hosted this past weekend Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Said Stephen Pugh, North American Fleet President, “We are thrilled with the turn out for this year's Gold Cup. This class is a shining example of what one design racing should be. It is a very level playing field, but a tough one at that. A challenging one. To see new owners here is an indication that 2010 will be another great year in North America for the Melges 32 as we work our way toward Nationals in July, then Worlds in September on the West Coast." The entry list was clearly a 'who's who' of the sailing world - Dave Ullman, Gavin Brady, Harry Melges, Mike Beasley, Allan Terhune, Jamie Lea, Johnny Lovell, John Bowden, Anthony Kotoun, Brad Boston, Jud Smith, Dave Lenz, Jeremy Elliott, Michele Paoletti, Mark Ivey, Scott Nixon, Andy Horton, Terry Hutchinson, Seadon Wijsen, Charlie Smythe, Tom Burnham, Steve Hunt, Wally Cross, George Peet, Stu McNay and Charlie Enright just to name a few. Rod Jabin of Annapolis, MD on Ramrod won… here’s how it played out: Day 1 - Lovell Takes The Lead: http://www.melges32.com/?p=news&id=517 Day 2 - Meadows Overtakes Lovell: http://www.melges32.com/?p=news&id=518 Day 3 - Jabin Fills His Gold Cup With Victory: http://tinyurl.com/ygmq9yn REVIEWS OF THE BEST BOATING GEAR/EQUIPMENT With social networking becoming increasingly popular, MyBoatsGear.com is joining the craze. Now you can get all the latest product reviews by becoming a fan of the MyBoatsGear.com Facebook page. If you already have a Facebook account, MyBoatsGear fans will see all the latest reviews and all the additional news on gear and special offers from our friends. Click here to become a fan: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MyBoatsGear/174283588066 SAILING SHORTS * Less than six months after the end of the Volvo Ocean Race, Ireland’s Damian Foxall has been signed-up by French skipper Franck Cammas for the 2011-12 edition of the round the world contest. Foxall’s commitment to Cammas means defending his victory with Jean-Pierre Dick in the two-handed Barcelona World Race in December 2010 won’t be possible. -- Full story: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/1204/1224260042109.html * (December 4, 2009) - After a course distance of 2,700 miles and almost twelve days at sea just 16 minutes and 5 seconds separated the first two yachts to cross the finish line in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. For the Volvo 60 Big One and the Wally 80 Bagheera, the final 24 hours saw a downwind gybing duel where the Big One took advantage of the wind shift they experienced as they closed Martinique and then St.Lucia, and took the lead into the finish. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/ylxwt69 * The Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Cup 2009, organized by the International Maxi Association, saw five boats from five different countries participating, with the Farr designed IRC80 Beau Geste, owned by Mr. Karl C. Kwok (CHN), as the overall winner in elapsed time and IRC corrected time, and is also now the new race elapsed time record holder. -- Full story: http://www.internationalmaxiassociation.com/anteprima_news.php?newsID=174 * The 2009 Annual Wirth M. Munroe Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach Yacht Race, hosted by The Sailfish Club of Florida and the Cruising Club of America in memory of Florida yacht designer Wirth Munroe, was won by Act One, hull #1 Summit 35, owned by Charlie Milligan and Tom Roche. Full results: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=275 PHOTO GALLERIES * Photographer Erik Simonson reevisits the 2009 sailing season on San Francisco Bay with images from the largest ever Three Bridge Fiasco, South Tower Demons smack downs at the Crewed Lightship, the 1st ever Kiteboard Worlds, some mighty mites in Optis, the excitement of the 505 Worlds and the glamour of the Big Boat Series to the spirits of the Great Pumpkin and everything in between! Enjoy: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/1204A * What are the odds of a photographer being on a cruise ship, and then that cruise ship being diverted to rescue the sailor aboard the yacht who had broken his rudder in a storm two days earlier? That is what happened to Maureen C. Koeppel while vacationing on the Tasman Sea. Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/1204c/ EIGHT BELLS G. Gordon Group sadly passed away on Nov. 24th. Mr. Group was an avid sailor, a respected member of Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland for 56 years, and a fine gentleman. Gordon founded Great Lakes Marine Surveying Company Inc. in Mentor Ohio in 1969 and it is through this work we have come to know him. While not necessarily a household name, he is a legend and savior in our home. During his rounds in about 1975, he was called upon to complete a "final rights" survey on an abandoned boat, being prepped for her destruction. At that moment, he did exactly what he had been professing others to avoid for years. He saw something in her that others failed to recognize, and became personally involved in this one particular boat in order to give her one last chance at life. Over the next three years he went to great lengths, expense, and trouble to haul, store, restore, and find someone, some way, to save this one boat from the chainsaw. He succeeded and by 1980, the then 75 year old Herreshoff NY-30, Amorita, was restored to her former glory and she went on to become one of the country's most decorated classic yachts. Without his foresight and dedication, a grand piece of yachting history would have been lost. For this we will be eternally grateful to Mr. Group. Thank you. With condolences to his wife Marguerite and the entire Group family. -- Jed Pearsall & Bill Doyle, Amorita owners (For those following Amorita's more recent struggles, with legal issues behind us, her restoration is now underway with a 2011 re-launch date). -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8693 J/SAILING CALENDAR- THE ULTIMATE GIFT FOR SAILORS The beautiful 2010 J/Sailing Calendar is for sailors who love the joys of sailing in the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world. The stunning photos will transport you to fantastic sailing experiences in far away places. For those who love the sailing lifestyle, it's the perfect gift for family and friends. http://www.jboats.com/sailing-calendar LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). 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 Bruce Matlack: I still find it interesting how Mr. Pryde had won the contest to produce the 2008 Olympic boardsailing equipment with his light and lively RS:X board over the already, popularly produced Mistral Prodigy hybrid sailboard. However, following his Olympic "win", it became evident that he could not produce a board to last more than a few regattas, and the board was "beefed up" quickly to save face. I recall many frowns from the racing skippers that were then forced to handle and sail the increased weight of the revised RS:X. After all these years, so he now thinks he can build a lighter RS:X like the one that won him the coveted Olympic spot way back in the beginning? I respect Neil as a shrewd business man, but I believe - as many others on the inside track believe - that it was dirty politics that crossed out the Mistral and the Prodigy hybrid in favor of the RS:X. I am aware of the testing on all that, but like many others, I'll never believe that it was not politics and lobbying that put the RS:X into the Olympics. I feel this particular equipment selection event following the 2004 Olympics hurt the U.S. sailors where the light, rugged Prodigy was well on its way to becoming a one design class. (Bruce Matlack, was the first Windsurfer World Champ in 1973, and is the current Exocet-Kona sailboard class measurer; the Kona recently received conditional ISAF One Design Class approval). * From Brian Todd, Halifax (edited to the 250-word limit): It is interesting to read all the distress and distain with regards to the Iranian patrol picking up the British sailors that had strayed into their water. We seem to forget that not long ago (well maybe over 20 years), going to a regatta in a city like Travemunde, Germany, you put yourself at considerable risk is you strayed across a line of marks in the water and floated into East Germany. The point is, this did not stop the regatta, just the warning that if you stray across that line of bouys in the harbor, you take your fate in your own hands. Everyone had a contingency plan if they broke down and were drifting toward that line! People lived with this situation for many years at locations along the border; events still went on and sailing was enjoyed and maybe it added a little extra excitement. We should not be surprised that a country would protect their own borders or territories, especially as they are in the spotlight on the international stage - all the sailors and navigators have to do is pay attention to where they are as they get close to the borderline. That should not be too difficult with all the electronics available today! Using this as an excuse to not participate in the controlled environment of an America’s Cup race seems like a bit of a stretch to me. * From John Rumsey: As I recall sailing close to Cuba in a Miami-Jamaica race in the 70s, one of the boats was taken into port by a Cuban patrol and detained. After the navigator of the boat had Fidel call Ted Turner in Atlanta to confirm that the crew were friendlies, the boat was on its way the next morning. * From Roger McBride: (In Scuttlebutt 2985) Mr Habib asks us to imagine what would happen in the case of an American yacht straying into Cuban waters. I suspect this scenario happens rather frequently. But, I know American yachts sail through Cuban waters every two years during the Pineapple Cup race from Ft. Lauderdale to Montego Bay. Of course, the commodore of the Montego Bay Yacht Club sends a letter to Castro before each race asking for his cooperation. During the first Pineapple Cup I did, we saw a gunboat steaming towards us from Cuba. Turns out it was the US Coast Guard, which just took a look at us without stopping us, not the Cuban navy. * From Mark Isabell, DN#5014 - US: Seeing how you started it…here is another iceboat video. This one is much better representation of real iceboat sailing…not some steel framed, welded up farm tractor mess. This is the modern DN Iceboat. Carbon mast, wood hull, long runners, powerful bendy rig. I simply cannot wait for the ice any longer! Take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1hea5S1p9M CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away? Special thanks to Harken, MyBoatsGear.com, and J/Boats. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
