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SCUTTLEBUTT 3203 - Thursday, October 21, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: Ullman Sails and Lewmar. 'SAILING SHOULD BE A NATIONAL SPORT' Is it time for sailing to be adopted as a national sport? Tim Patton, president of the Bermuda Sailing Association, thinks so. He was encouraged by the comments made by Premier Dr. Ewart Brown favouring national sports status for sailing during his round table discussion with the local media on Monday night. Dr. Brown was talking about the lack of success by Bermuda’s national sports football and cricket after being given millions of dollars during his administration. Dr. Brown said: “But if at the end of that period we see no development from the youth up then I would say it’s time to question. I think the time is now to have more than those two national sports. I think it’s time to add some sports. I think sailing ought to be considered a national sport and I think that it should be adequately funded. Patton said: "We have been talking about this for a long time and think that this recognition is long overdue. Sailing consistently has produced some of the best sporting results Bermuda has seen including Olympic finishes just shy of the Olympic podium." Bermuda has had three near misses at the Olympics starting with Kirk Cooper's fifth place in Tokyo in 1960, Alan Burland's fifth place in Los Angeles in 1984 and Peter Bromby's fourth in Sydney in 2000. At the first ever Youth Olympics in Singapore this summer, Owen Siese finished in sixth place. Patton added: "There is so much raw talent coming out of WaterWise and the club youth programmes that all we need is some decent funding to provide facilities, equipment, management, support and a clear path from youth to adult elite status. “We are in the process of re-developing our Strategic Plan we presented to Government some years ago and hopefully we will gain some support. Historically we have relied mostly on funding by the sailors personally, donations from the private sector and Elite Athlete and Solidarity funding via the Bermuda Olympic Association to compete on the world stage." -- Bermuda Sun, http://bermudasun.bm/main.asp?SectionID=8&subsectionID=203&articleID=48595 IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES: THE HOBIE WAY OF LIFE By Jeremy Leonard, Surf City Racing The most common thread that keeps Hobie 16 sailing at the top of the ‘largest one-design’ list is the camaraderie. This is exemplified by both Greg Thomas and John Williams, whose placement in the Hobie 16 North American Championships held at Lake Mohave, NV last week qualifies them to represent the U.S. in the Pan Am Games that will be held in Guadalajara Mexico next year. Thomas and JDub are both known for sailing F18s. Dub is a multiple time Alter Cup winner and Thomas has his name on the plaque too, but something drove them to sail the relatively simple H16. They’re not alone either; there were several Olympic level sailors at the H16 NAs, including Thomas who campaigned to represent the U.S. in the 2000 Olympics in the Tornado class. What is this magic formula that keeps some of the worlds top catamaran sailors coming back to a boat with only 3 strings to pull? If you talk to a typical sailor at virtually every yacht club about Hobie Cats, chances are they’ve sailed one before. Oftentimes, other sailors within earshot will pipe up and interject something like, “I used to race those things in the 80s.” It’s pretty amazing how many people have actually sailed a 16; they’re the Volkswagen Bug of the sailing world. Hobie had a vision back in the ‘60s, and it brought sailing to the masses. The boats are fast, affordable, and the quality of racing is second to none; these are just a few factors that make Hobie Cat sailing what it is, a fun, family oriented way to hit the water and have a good time. The fleet will oftentimes campout together, share meals, share stories and just have a good time and some of them have been doing it for over 30 years…in essence, ‘The Hobie Way of Life’. I was trying to search for a way to describe the cliché and Thomas answered, “It’s family.” Jdub followed up, “It definitely is family. You want to do well, you want to take your skills and exhibit them, but you don’t want to win by everyone else doing poorly. The rising tide lifts all boats.” It’s more than just a hobby; it really is a way of life. JDub expanded, “That’s what drew me to my first serious event in 1993. I was sailing this old yellow Hobie 16 and we were on the beach, clearly out of our depth, and these two dudes walk up and start helping us rig. As they were walking away I asked someone who they were and it turned out to be the guys that won the event. They saw a couple of people struggling; they stopped to help us out. The parties were great, and here we are how many years later, the same exact thing is going on. I think people leave with that warmth.” -- Pressure Drop, read on: http://tinyurl.com/PressureDrop-102010 ULLMAN SAILS GZ NAMED FIRST ISAF-IHC ITALIAN SAILMAKER Ullman Sails is excited to announce its Ullman Sails GZ loft near Lake Iseo is the first Italian sailmaker to be licensed by the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) to produce sails under the approved ISAF In-House Certification scheme. Owned by Pablo Soldano, the loft can now measure and certify 420, Melges 24, Tornado and Yngling class sails in-house, and deliver race-ready sails to customers. The FIV officially approved and granted the in-house license on September 29, a week after inspecting the Ullman Sails quality control system and the three in-house measurers. Dedicated to your performance for over 40 years. http://www.ullmansails.com MORE: Additional information on this achievement by Ullman Sails is at the ISAF website: http://www.sailing.org/34582.php LUDERITZ SPEED CHALLENGE 2010 The Luderitz Speed Challenge 2010 is being held October 4 to 31 in Luderitz, Namibia, just over 1100 miles north of Cape Town, SA along the western African continent. This is the 4th edition of the event, which is held under the scrutiny of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). A custom trench has been dug along the shoreline to create a smooth water surface. The trench is roughly 10m wide and 50-100cm deep, with the challenge to see who will set the fastest average speed over a 500-meter distance. Here is the latest update: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (October 20, 2010) - Wind conditions in Luderitz continue to be below race standards, so competitors are using the time to heal wounds and tune their equipment. Here are some notes from American Rob Douglas’ North American Speed Sailing Project website: “Sailing in close proximity to sand, over shallow waters at high speeds takes some getting used to, but with time things start to make sense as bodies and minds readjust to the surroundings. The flat section of the top of the course, the entry, is just below a reach - rounding the corner, sailors bear off to 140 degrees off of the wind for the entire 500m towards the finish. This deep reaching angle requires sailors to adopt a special stance and feeling for the kite. You can only train for Luderitz in Luderitz. “Early this week the video recording equipment used to track rider’s speeds down the speed trench was malfunctioning. Mysteriously, the video cable which spans the 500m of the trench had been cut. A real who done it! Decent winds (25-35knots) are forecast for this week which should allow for ideal training days. World record winds (40-50+knots)…the big winds of Luderitz are slated to return for the weekend. Stay tuned.” Here is a video of Rob Douglas’s run on October 19th when he set a time of 52.58 knots, which was a new American record and currently the second fastest time in the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwd-PK17X4I Luderitz Speed Challenge: http://www.luderitz-speed.com World Sailing Speed Record Council: http://www.sailspeedrecords.com Rob Douglas/NASSP: http://nassp.net/nassp/ BREAKDOWN OF THE PRIZE MONEY The world's top tennis and golf players can earn millions of dollars in prize money. For example, the 2010 US Open featured the richest purse in tennis history. This year's US Open purse topped US$ 22.6 million, an increase of US$ 1 million over last year's record purse. Across the Atlantic, the Wimbledon tennis championship awarded this year a record GBP 13.7 million and for the first time ever the prize for the singles champion reached GBP 1 million. In sailing, the only professional circuit that awards prize money is the World Match Racing Tour. This year it consists of nine events and will award over US$ 1.5 million in prize money. In addition, there is a US$ 250,000 overall prize pool for the top nine teams with a US$50,000 bonus for the outright winner. The WMRT made public the breakdown of the prize money for the 2010 and 2009 season. The figures are in US dollars and are approximate since the prizes are mostly given in the local currency of each event. Adam Minoprio, the reigning ISAF World Match Racing Champion, made a cool 220,000 dollars in 2009, although I suppose this amount has to be split among his team. Second placed Torvar Mirsky earned exactly half of what his kiwi opponent did while third placed Ben Ainslie pocketed close to 175,000 dollars. -- Valencia Sailing, full report/earnings breakdown: http://tinyurl.com/VS-102010 VELUX 5 OCEANS (October 20, 2010; Day 4) - Out in front of the Velux 5 Oceans fleet is American ocean racer Brad Van Liew, who has been struggling with a cold and lack of sleep since starting the race on Sunday. “I'm still a bit under the weather, haven't been able to get any sleep just yet,” said Van Liew. “The weather's very tricky, plenty of big holes in the breeze, and lots of work; reefing and unreefing and changing the big front sails. “It is definitely a bit strange, getting back in the groove after so long away from solo racing, but lots of work aboard keeps my mind off shore side life, and things will settle in soon. Ironically, one of my super eco-friendly hydrogenerators - the tools that will allow me to sail around the world without burning fossil fuels - caught a plastic trash bag and needed some repairs to the system that holds it down. But we're good for the moment with a temp fix.” Lack of sleep is taking its toll on Canadian Derek Hatfield, currently in fourth place. “All is well aboard though I am frustrated with my position as you might expect,” he said. “I have been unable to sleep since the start and it has affected my sailing and decision making. The light air is more frustrating than any other because you have to concentrate so much more.” -- Race website: http://www.velux5oceans.com SCOREBOARD: Brad Van Liew (USA) is holding a 51 nm lead over Zbigniew Gutkowski since the October 17th start of the first leg from La Rochelle, France to Cape Town, South Africa (7500 nm). Race viewer here: http://raceviewer.velux5oceans.com/app/index.html?sprint=1 BACKGROUND: The Velux 5 Oceans is the longest running solo round the world race, and has 28 years of rich heritage as the BOC Challenge and then the Around Alone. This edition covers 30,000 miles and features five ocean sprints over nine months. After setting off on October 17 from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the U.S. before returning back across the Atlantic to France. -- http://www.velux5oceans.com/ Brad Van Liew (USA): http://www.oceanracing.org Derek Hatfield (CAN): http://spiritofcanada.net LEWMAR CHOSEN FOR NEW-GENERATION J-CLASS YACHT Lewmar has announced the signing of the latest of the new-generation J-Class yachts, Yankee. She will feature a full set of Lewmar aluminum high performance racing winches, and a compliment of satin-blast stainless deck hardware. Designed by Dykstra & Partners Naval Architects, Yankee will be built at Holland Jachtbouw alongside the fully Lewmar-equipped J-Class, Rainbow. The Lewmar team has a long association with the J- Class, and Yankee will benefit from the breadth of custom design experience. With previous projects including Velsheda, Shamrock, Endeavour, Hanuman, Lionheart and Rainbow, Lewmar has worked with both designers and skippers to develop a series of cutting edge solutions for the demanding performance requirements of a modern J-Class racing yacht. For more information about Lewmar custom equipment, including the Custom Project Portfolio: +31 (0)38 427 34 90 or http://www.lewmar.com SAILING SHORTS * A working committee was convened by the National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame recently to begin a process of collecting for display the rich array of stories of American Women in Sailing. The committee is chaired by Linda Lindquist-Bishop and members to date include Betsy Alison, Liz Baylis, Mary Brigden, Louise Burke, Posie Constable, Susan Daly, Jane Eagleson, Mimi Edmunds, Sydney Ferguson, Liz Filter, Natalie James, Elaine Lembo, Maria Museler, Susan Nahmias, Annie Nelson, Dawn Riley, Susan Dierdorff Taylor, Lee Tawney and Dan Walker. For more information contact Susan Nahmias at susan.nahmias@nshof.org * The 2011 Kiteboard Racing World Championship will be held on the well known German island of Sylt on June 28- July 3, 2011. This will be the third year for the Kiteboard Racing World Championship which got its start in San Francisco, CA in 2009 and then held in 2010 at Corpus Christi, TX. Excellent wind statistics as well as great access for the spectators and the media are anticipated for the first Racing World Championship outside of the U.S. Also freestyle action will be added to this event as second discipline. Details here: http://tinyurl.com/IKA-102010 * The Mackinac Island City Council is considering a proposal that would put Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry, which has served the island since 1945, out of business. Shepler’s is a longtime sponsor of the Bayview Mackinac Race, and race organizers are of the belief that if Shepler's is not allowed to operate, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for Bayview Yacht Club to hold the Bayview Mackinac Race. A petition is being circulated to voice concerns. Details here: http://tinyurl.com/PETITION-102010 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: Oct 21-24 - Beneteau First 36.7 N.A. Championship - Annapolis, MD, USA Oct 22-24 - College MacMillan Cup - Annapolis, MD, USA Oct 23-31 - Farr 30 World Championship - Hyeres, France Oct 23-30 - Rolex Middle Sea Race - Valletta, Gzira, Malta View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATES The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum provides an opportunity for companies to announce new products and services. Here are some of recent postings: * Sailors Night Vision Cap * New Boater Education DVD Box Set * EP2000 Rated Excellent By Practical Sailor * New Warwick 82’ Just Launched View and/or post Industry News updates here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/INDUSTRY_NEWS_C15/ GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter are limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Richard Jepsen, CEO, OCSC Sailing: Your comment on getting juniors into keelboat sailing was spot on (in Scuttlebutt 3201). There is lots of evidence to suggest that making the transition from a club 420 or similar boat to keelboat sailing is key for preventing older teens from dropping out of sailing. The boats use more crew (more social), are often more complicated (more interesting), and the structured team work serves well to feed their budding drives to be a part of a team at least as well as they can find in scholastic team sports. * From Richard M. Viggiano, Pro-Tech Marine: Though Elaine Bunting is spot on with most of her comments about the current Velux 5 Oceans Race (in Scuttlebutt 3202), she is totally off base about the original BOC race being “setup” by Philippe Jeantot. Jeantot was a competitor, and subsequently won the first race, but he had nothing to do with creating it. I would suggest Elaine procure a copy of “Out There” by George Day and Herb McCormick, and then check page IX of the introduction, paragraph two: “The race was conceived by American David White as the ultimate challenge for men or women who sail alone across oceans”. I know this for fact since I was in attendance that night in the venerable Goat Island Pub (with many of the just completed Bermuda 1-2 competitors knocking a few back) when the discussion of “what next” took place. David conceived the race and first approached BOC, though he was only interested in them sponsoring him and his boat. Instead, he and partner Jim Rouse sold the rights to the race in exchange for BOC sponsoring the whole race to get the event off the ground. So even though the French have dominated Open 60 racing for a long time it was an American that “setup” the longest running solo round the world race! * From Larry Landrigan The article on Classic Challenge Racing in the Pacific Northwest in Sailing Scuttlebutt #3202 on October 20, 2010 is a refreshing take on the 100 year history of match racing between Canada and the United States that expanded on last week’s Alexandra Cup match race. It is interesting to note that the Seattle, Washington built Sprint designed by Ted Geary that was used in the Alexandra Cup in 1907, and the Ted Geary designed Pirate raced in the 2010 Alexandra Cup challenge, have a distant connection here in Florida. A the Lake Baldwin, Florida Community Sailing Program, we use a Ted Geary 1930’s design for an 18 foot keel boat we have updated and use for our match racing keel boats here in Orlando, Florida. These boats are sailed three times a week in the Rollins College physical education classes and on weekends for the Orange County Florida Special Olympics adaptive sailing program. The boats were used in the US Match Racing Quarter Finals Qualifier events in 2010 and six of the boats will be used in the Orlando Youth Match Race on December 28-30, 2010 and in the Coed Collegiate Match Race on January 15-17, 2011. The 18 foot Ted Geary designed keel boats that we use in our program have proven to be a very capable match racing, sail training and adaptive use boats. Website: http://www.ussailing.net/LBCS CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Lewmar. 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