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SCUTTLEBUTT 2859 - Friday, June 5, 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are PredictWind.com and Southern Spars/ Rig Pro. PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2009 HURRICANE SEASON While the start of summer mostly brings warm weather and sunny skies, it also marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins June 1 and lasts until November 30. (For the Pacific Ocean, hurricane season starts on May 15.) This year, NASA is using, as it has in the past, its orbiting satellites to study and research tropical cyclones, and it will provide the data that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Hurricane Center uses in advanced models and hurricane predictions. So far, the news is good. The satellites, which measure such things as storm and surface winds, sea-surface heights and temperatures, rainfall intensity, lightning, water vapor, humidity, cloud development, and atmospheric pressure, indicate that sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are below normal. Such lower-than-normal temperatures could "starve" developing hurricanes of their driving force--waters warmer than 80 °F--meaning fewer hurricanes. Despite the good news, peak hurricane season is not until late summer and early fall, and NASA's William Patzert says that oceanic and atmospheric conditions can change dramatically. "You can be clobbered no matter what the expert outlook is today," he says. “People need to remain prepared.” -- MIT Technology Review, http://beta.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/23600 * In its initial outlook for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November, NOAA’s National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center say there is a 70 percent chance of having nine to 14 named storms, of which four to seven could become hurricanes, including one to three major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5). -- Full report: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090521_atlantichurricane.html VOLUNTEERISM By Christopher Gill, WindCheck Editor I remember, as a junior sailor, being asked to give up my Sunday (as if weekdays or weekends really meant anything as a kid…summer was one long vacation to me) to serve on the Race Committee at Black Rock Yacht Club in Bridgeport, CT. According to my father, it was as if I’d been asked to donate a kidney. I recall thinking that my time was too valuable to give to those ‘old salts’ in their wooden Lightnings. Since I have yet to win an argument with my father, it is safe to assume that, yes, I did reluctantly arrive to the club, clad in proper R/C attire (complete with white shirt, tie, blazer and even white bucks….very fashionable for a kid of 12). Of course, to top it off, it was a balmy 82 degrees and sunny – perfect ‘cavorting around by the pool’ weather. I looked over my shoulder and saw several of my pals doing just that - hurling themselves off the diving board. And, had I looked over my other shoulder I would surely have seen my father watching me ‘walk the plank’ to the R/C boat, its engine rumbling, flags waving and chalkboard swaying. There I was met, among three other grey-haired elders, by Ralph Sperry – one of the club’s well-known members, and the day’s R/C Chairman. Ralph had been at the club since he too was a junior sailor. He was just a little too old for a day of squatting in a dinghy, so his time was now spent as a volunteer for Race Committee. Next to being in a Lightning, and fighting for position on the starting line, that was the best possible way to spend a day. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/WC-6-4-09 EXPERT WIND FORECASTS - FREE 1 MONTH TRIAL! Want a competitive edge in your next regatta? Use a forecast from PredictWind.com! We are the choice of champion sailors around the world...read about it at http://www.predictwind.com/Customer+Feedback.html Using proprietary technology we generate 2 independent forecasts twice daily. For Offshore Sailors we generate 7 day forecasts with truly global coverage. For Inshore Sailors we use an incredible 1km resolution model with local topography to generate a forecast of unparalleled accuracy for your sailing area. High resolution equals better accuracy. Get your FREE 1 month trial at http://www.PredictWind.com LIFE AS AN EMBEDDED JOURNALIST A new feature of the Volvo Ocean Race is the Media Crew Member (MCM), effectively an embedded journalist whose onboard duties are to provide images and video during the race. As part of the bid to promote the role, Inmarsat, the technology sponsor of the race, is putting up a cash prize for the best piece of footage coming off the boats on each leg. There is also an overall cash prize. After seven race legs, PUMA MCM Rick Deppe has edged a lead in the competition with three podium wins and recognition on each leg. As an experienced British sailor and acclaimed videographer, Deppe’s credits include ‘Deadliest Catch’ on Discovery Channel and as the onboard cameraman for the Disney film ‘Morning Light’ that was released in October 2008. Scuttlebutt checked in with Rick following his win on Leg 7 from Boston, MA to Galway, Ireland: * What do you think is setting your work apart? RICK DEPPE: “I think, going into the race, I had work experience on my side compared to the other guys. I have done this race twice before as sailor and been fortunate to have had a varied career in the TV industry as a cameraman, producer and editor. This has allowed my work to be consistent since the start, though I have learned a lot since I signed up with the PUMA program. I have to give credit to the other guys as well, because they have all been getting better with each leg, which makes me push even harder for my work to stand out.” -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0604a >>> Scuttlebutt has partnered with Inmarsat to help showcase the work of the MCM, and has been posting the award winning footage following each leg. View all the footage here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/News/08/Inmarsat * VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Began in Alicante, Spain on Oct. 4, 2008, crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Finish is in St Petersburg, Russia on June 27th. The next event is Leg 8 from Galway to Marstrand, Sweden (950 miles), which starts on Saturday, June 6th and is expected to finish by June 10th. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org/schedule/ * LIVE VIEWING: Watch the live online broadcast of the Skipper’s Press Conference on Friday, June 5th at 10:00 GMT/11:00 Local and the Leg 8 start on Saturday, June 6th at 13:45 GMT/14:45 Local. View here: http://www.volvooceanrace.tv Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 RULES QUIZ The Appeals Book for 2009-2012, which includes The ISAF Case Book for 2009-2012, is loaded with important and useful interpretations of the rules that will help sailors, race officers and judges make the best decisions according to the rules. The hard copy of the Book is available at the US SAILING Store and an online version is free for US SAILING members. Scuttlebutt will be posting four actual appeals to provide a first-hand look at what is in the Book. Here is the first one: Assumed Facts: Five seconds before the start of the race, S and P converged close to the starting line. P luffed and passed head to wind in front of S. Before P came to a close-hauled course, S luffed in order to avoid a collision and, by doing so, crossed the starting line to the course side of the line. At the starting signal, both boats were clearly on the course side of the starting line. S hailed “Protest” and displayed a red flag. P bore off around the starting mark, returned completely to the pre-start side of the starting line, and then crossed it. S sailed the course without returning to the pre-start side of the starting line. The race committee scored S OCS. After the race P retired in acknowledgement of her breach of rule 13. S protested P, claiming she had been forced over the starting line because of P’s breach of rule 13. The protest committee found that P broke rule 13, but did not penalize her because she had already taken a penalty. It then exonerated S under rule 64.1(c), deciding she had been compelled to break rule 28.1 because of P’s breach, and reinstated her in her finishing place. Rule 28.1, Sailing the Course Rule 64.1(c), Decisions: Penalties and Exoneration Question: Was S compelled to break rule 28.1 and therefore correctly exonerated under rule 64.1(c)? Answer here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0604 INDIVIDUAL HONORS ANNOUNCED The 2008-9 college race schedule, which is administered in the U.S. by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), began in September and concluded this week at the ICSA Spring National Championships in San Francisco, CA where the Womens, Team Race, and Coed Dinghy events were held. At the close of the season, it is also when the individual awards get announced. Here were the big winners this season: Sailor of the Year: Charlie Buckingham '11, Georgetown Quantum Women's Sailor of the Year: Jane Macky '09, Yale University Sportsman of the Year: Adam Roberts '09, Boston College A complete list for the Women's All-Americans, Women's Honorable Mentions, Coed All-Americans, Coed Honorable Mentions, Crew All-Americans, and finalists for the Quantum Women's Sailor of the Year and the Everett B. Morris Trophy - Sailor of the Year is posted here: http://www.collegesailing.org/news/2009allamerica.asp * Thanks to photographer Glennon Stratton, Scuttlebutt has published a comprehensive photo gallery from the Womens, Team Race, and Coed Dinghy Nationals… for the fifth year in a row: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/cn STANDING TALL IN THE MED It’s show time. The Mediterranean race season is here with crews well into their seasonal preparation. Should you require a pre-regatta mast check or tune to get your summer off to a good start, our Southern Spars and Rig Pro personnel will be onsite at all of this year’s superyacht regattas: the Dubois Cup & Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in Porto Cervo, as well as the Superyacht Cup in Palma. To make the most of your season, contact: mailto:rigpro@southernspars.com - Southern Spars is a proud sponsor of the 2009 Dubois Cup. -- http://www.southernspars.com SOMETIMES IT TAKES LOSING TO GET BETTER During their last three international regattas, Americans Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving have been steady contenders on the Olympic 470 women's scene: First at the 2008 Worlds, second at the 2009 Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, and last week they were third at the 2009 Delta Lloyd Regatta. However, it was at the U.S. Trials for the 2008 Olympics where they failed to advance. Scuttlebutt checked in with Erin for an update… here is the conclusion of our three part chat: * The strength within the U.S. Olympic program currently seems to be with the women sailors. Why do you think that is? ERIN MAXWELL: “Good question. I have often wondered the same thing. Some of it just might be cyclical with the sailors that are competing now. In other quads men have performed stronger than the women’s teams overall. The US also has built a strong system of Junior Women’s sailing competitions and clinics. And we have strong women’s college sailing that most other countries lack. Maybe it’s now paying dividends? For instance, many of our successful Laser Radial sailors in the US, attended the Leiter Cup (US Women’s National Junior Single-handed Championship), growing up as junior sailors. Then the Radial became an Olympic Class, which gave us a leg up as a country against other countries that didn’t already have this sort of event already established in the Radial. This is not to take anything away from Anna and Paige, who have been nothing short of outstanding over the last quad. They are just in another league and would succeed regardless. I was more speaking to the fact that we probably have 20 women in the US that can compete in the top 100 Radial sailors in the world versus some of the other Olympic Classes where we certainly don’t have this same kind of depth.” * How complicated will the next four years be for you and Isabelle? -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0602/#p3 CREAM RISING TO THE TOP Gyeonggi, Korea (June 4, 2009; Day 2) - For the third event of the World Match Racing Tour, Peter Gilmour had a glamour day at the Korea Match Cup, and at the end of day two his YANMAR Racing team looked set to be the only unbeaten team. With seven wins and no losses, all was looking good until the final flight when in a tight match that saw two lead changes in the dying breeze, he was finally beaten by Ben Ainslie and his Team Origin crew. Ainslie has now sailed all his races in the round robin finishing with eight wins in 11 matches. “We made mistakes,” said tactician and double Olympic Gold medallist, Iain Percy. “Things are getting better every day and slowly we are learning the game between us. We have done all our races so we don’t have to get up tomorrow morning!” Gilmour still has three tough matches tomorrow (Friday). When asked about the plan for day 3, PRO David Tallis said “We aim to finish the Round Robin and get the quarter finals underway.” -- Full story: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/98237 Results after day two Peter Gilmour, (AUS) YANMAR Racing, 7-1 Ben Ainslie, (GBR) Team Origin, 8-3 Torvar Mirsky, (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, 4-1 Ian Williams, (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar, 6-2 Mathieu Richard, (FRA) French Team, 4-4 Paolo Cian, (ITA) Team Shosholoza, 5-6 Adam Minoprio, (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, 3-2 Bjorn Hansen, (SWE) Team Onboard, 5-3 Laurie Jury, (NZL) SLAM NZ, 3-5 Philippe Presti, (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 2-6 Sebastien Col, (FRA) French Team/K-Challenge, 1-4 Byeong Ki Park, (KOR) Geogi, 0-11 Match results: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/kmc09results >>> Video reports by Sailing-TV are being posted on their player at the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/#media SAILING SHORTS * For the 31 entrants that began the OSTAR 2009 on May 25th, competing in the original single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, there continues 25 boats along the 2,800 mile route from Plymouth to Newport, RI. Currently being led by Jan Kees Lampe (NED) aboard the Open 40 La Promesse (1094 miles to go), those at the front of the fleet will see their reaching winds angle veer to the West, with decisions now being influenced by course to the finish, avoiding the opposing Gulf Stream current to the south and the threat of icebergs to the north. -- Race website: http://www.ostar2009.co.uk * (June 4, 2009) - As of noon on Wednesday (EDT), none of the boats competing in the seventh edition of the 777-mile Charleston to Bermuda Race had reached the designated cut-off point (67 degrees west longitude) and the race committee pronounced the contest concluded. At that time, Dave and Shelly Warters' Able Apogee 50 Cadence held the elapsed time lead, having logged 498 nautical miles toward Bermuda after 120 hours at sea. However, the corrected time winner was Jay Cook's Beneteau 432 Tohidu which had logged 462 miles. -- Race website: http://www.charlestontobermuda.com * The crew announcements are occurring for those individuals participating among the ten internationally sponsored 68-foot yachts in the Clipper 09-10 Race, which starts from the Humber on 13 September 2009. As the only event of its kind for non-professional sailors, the crews come from all walks of life, representing 33 nationalities and 225 professions ranging from train drivers to lawyers, vets to housewives. Pete Rollason will be the professional skipper of the California entry. -- Crew list: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/california/index.php/CrewProfiles/Crew PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include Moths and Medals; Match Racing in Germany, Korea, and New York; Precarious Work and Teamwork, and an innovative use of a historical America’s Cup document. 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/09/0605 * Photographer Sander van der Borch sent images from Medemblik, Holland, where he was shooting the 2009 Delta Lloyd Regatta, event five of the 2008-09 ISAF Sailing World Cup: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0604b/ VIDEO OF THE WEEK The International Moth class has fully landed in North America, and there may not be a better venue for the racing than at Cascade Locks, Oregon. As professional sailor and Mothist Morgan Larson described, the venue has "consistent wind, fresh water, beautiful scenery, great launching and a tactically challenging race track." The 2009 CST International Moth Worlds will be held at Cascade Locks on August 6-15, with the locals getting in some training last weekend at the Ronstan Moth Oregon State Championship. Here's a video from the event, posted by Pacific Fog: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/09/0605 * If you have a video you like, please send your suggestion for next week’s Video of the Week to mailto:craig@sailingscuttlebutt.com CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM Ever get the feeling your stuff strutted off without you? Special thanks to PredictWind.com and Southern Spars/ Rig Pro. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
