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SCUTTLEBUTT 3294 - Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Scuttlebutt 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.
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Today's sponsors: Quantum Sails, Gowrie Group, and LaserPerformance.
NORWEGIANS MAINTAIN LEAD AT BACARDI CUP
Miami, FL (March 8, 2011) - Stronger breeze today allowed for the completion
of another race at the BACARDI Cup, the headline event of the 2011 BACARDI
Miami Sailing Week presented by EFG Bank, bringing the 89 Star teams another
step closer to the title which will ultimately be determined on Saturday,
March 12.
The second day of racing saw the California team of skipper Peter Vessella
(Burlingame) and Rodney Hagebols (San Francisco) take an early lead on the
first leg of the race, only to be overtaken at the windward mark. Sweden’s
Fredrik Loof and Max Salmiren, who claimed the silver medal in January at
the Rolex Miami OCR, were initially fighting for fifth place when they were
able to break away from the group and pull into the lead at the leeward
mark.
"We had quite a conservative start,” said Loof. “We worked our way up the
left side of the course on the first upwind, and were looking really good,
but then, the right came in with quite a decent wind. At that point, we went
to the right side when a lot of the other boats went left and we were able
to get a big gain. Peter [Vessella] was leading initially, but we were able
to get out in front and pull away from him and the others in the second
downwind."
Loof and Salmiren went on to win the race, with Irish Olympian Peter O'Leary
and crew David Burones finishing second. 2007 BACARDI Cup winner Hamish
Pepper and crew Craig Monk (both New Zealand) placed third, followed by
Vessella and Hagerbols in fourth. Racing for the BACARDI Cup resumes
Tuesday, March 8, and continues through Saturday, March 12. -- Event
website: http://www.miamisailingweek.com
WHAT THE OLYMPIC GAMES IS ALL ABOUT
By Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt editor
Since the catamaran was eliminated from the 2012 Olympics, there has been
more discussion than I can ever recall as to what types of events should be
in the Olympics. I have endorsed the five discipline position, wherein the
events should represent singlehanded and doublehanded dinghies, multihulls,
keelboats, and boards. These are the main roads in our sport, and this
approach provides the most talented sailors with the ultimate goal to seek.
Sailing is allowed 10 Olympic events, and the choice of which boats are to
be used in each event is a harder choice - a choice that will be made in May
for the 2016 Olympics. However, my contention is that whatever the choice,
the ability to sail the boat must be hard too. Excellence in the Olympics
must require extreme commitment, maturity, and skill. These tools take time
to earn, and it is during this time when the audience gets to meet the
sailors. If the sport is eager to broaden its audience, it must first allow
the audience to meet and respect the competitors.
In January I was afforded the opportunity to observe nearly 800 sailors from
53 countries prepare for the Rolex Miami OCR, the elite Olympic and
Paralympic event in the United States. During my limited time I came away
with three distinct impressions:
THE STAR: Walking through the trailer park where the Star teams prepared is
not unlike attending the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, or any other
prestigious event in sailing. So many of the people working on their boats
were some of the best known sailors in the sport. Pardon the pun, but this
class has ‘star appeal’, more so than any of the current events. What is the
attraction? The best attracts the best, partly because the boat is hard to
sail.
THE FINN: This class gets more criticism than the rest. The design is old,
and it looks it. But until you watch these singlehanded sailors in action,
people should hold their comments. This boat is sailed by men... strong men.
The athleticism to duck the boom and the power to push the boat is not for
the timid. The boat is technical. And now that the class permits prohibited
propulsion (pumping, rocking, etc) in 10 knots, the endurance required is
epic. The offwind technique is borderline violent.
THE 470: This class has seemingly been the gateway for many of the top North
American sailors... assuming they are the right size. And it is similar to
what is commonly sailed as a doublehanded dinghy, except that it is an
exceedingly technical boat. In fact, it is a huge step beyond what most
young people in this continent are used to sailing. The ability needed to
excel in this class is demonstrated by sailors such as Dave Ullman, Steve
Benjamin, Morgan Reeser, Kevin Burnham, Paul Foerster, and Charlie McKee who
all made their mark in this event, and continue to be leaders in the sport.
These three classes are the most senior of the Olympics events, and are the
most commonly criticized in today’s effort to stimulate audience interest in
the Olympics. I don’t disagree that the novelty of the foiling International
Moth and the dynamism of the Kite event will provide stunning visuals. But I
want substance too.
For me, I want the Olympics to be hard. I would prefer not to see teenagers
on the podium, but rather seasoned athletes who have paid dearly for the
privilege to wear the medal, to see their flag flown, and to have their
country applaud them. That to me is what the Olympic Games is all about. --
http://tinyurl.com/Scuttleblog-030811
RIGHT SAIL HELPS MAXIMIZE BENEFITS OF IN-BOOM FURLING SYSTEM
Construction of a sail to fit an in-boom furling system demands special
engineering. Almost every detail must be adapted to the individual furling
system including batten pocket angles, corner patch assembly, luff tape,
headboard, tack and clew fittings and batten pockets. Not only is it
critical that the sail's geometry is perfect, it is also essential that
nothing moves, which is why membrane construction with its lower rate of
stretch is often used. We can help you maximize the benefits of your in-boom
furling system with the right sail. Learn more at
http://tinyurl.com/4haevbt.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
(March 8, 2011) - Following the successful debut and trials of the AC45
class prototype, three America’s Cup teams have taken delivery of their
identical one-design catamarans, which they are busy assembling in
preparation for the July start of racing in the America’s Cup World Series.
Among them are Swedish-flagged Artemis Racing, which has assigned two groups
the task of finishing and assembling the hulls and the hard wing sail. At a
boatyard in Silverdale, north of Auckland, Phil Jamieson and David Brooke
were preparing to assemble the hulls once the painting team had completed
the complex graphics.
“The hulls arrived here last week,” said Jameson. “The first task was to
finish fairing them and preparing them for painting.”
The Global Yacht Finishers painters arrived on Monday morning and spent the
day masking up the livery, which comprises the Greek goddess from whom the
team derives its name with hair swirling down the hull.
Then, a marathon task for the painters led by Jason Hamilton as they worked
non-stop for 30 hours to lay down the seven colours plus finishing
clear-coats. After each application of colour, the graphics had to be
remasked for the next colour, a process that could take up to two hours a
time. A table littered with chocolate bars, high-energy drink cans and pizza
boxes gave evidence of how they sustained themselves through the long night.
-- Full story: http://www.americascup.com/blog
US TEAM HOLDS 3RD OVERALL AT 18FT SKIFF CHAMPIONSHIP
Sydney, Australia (March 8, 2011) - Race 3 of the Winning Appliances JJ
Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today produced a
brilliant spectacle of racing action and opened up the series with the third
different winner so far. In the 18-20 knot north east wind and ‘run out’
tide against the wind, the racing produced great racing from the world’s
best skiff teams and action aplenty as the skiffs raced downwind at a great
speed.
UK’s Andy Budgen and his Hyde Sails team of Dan Wilsdon and Matt Wark, had
to come from behind to take their victory by 19s from the consistent Red
Claw Wines (Matthew Searle, Archie Massey and Mike McKenzie), with Thurlow
Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas) a further 20s
back in third place.
Defending champion Seve Jarvin and Gotta Love It 7 team Sam Newton and Scott
Babbage had a day they would prefer to forget. The pre championship
favourites capsized twice yet still managed to finish fifth and share the
championship with Thurlow Fisher Lawyers on 8 points.
US champion Howie Hamlin and his CST Composites team Fritz Lanzinger and
Paul Allen finished fourth today and hold third place overall on 13 points.
Former Giltinan champion John Winning, Andrew Hay and Dave Gibson were sixth
today and are placed fourth on 16 points. Rounding out the top six overall
are today’s winner and second placegetter Hyde Sails and Red Claw Wines on
17 points. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/4u4aync
MIXED EXPERIENCES FOR SAILORS AT THE HORN
(March 8, 2011: Day 68) - With the news Monday night that Kito de Pavant and
Seb Audigane’s Groupe Bel have a problem with their keel which will need
proper assessment, none of the fifth to seventh placed boats will climb the
Atlantic for home at truly maximum capacity. Currently in 5th place, the duo
plan to pass Cape Horn before seeking shelter to assess their problem, and
were 30 miles from the lonely rock at 1700hrs this afternoon, sailing in
strict conservation mode making nine knots.
Their fate contrasts slightly with that of Ryan Breymaier and Boris Herrmann
on Neutrogena who were visibly delighted to pass Cape Horn today. But they
also have their own keel ram problem which has compromised them for the last
five days and which will handicap them progressively until the finish.
Dominique Wavre, expected to make his ninth passage of Cape Horn around
Wednesday morning, confirmed today that he remains very much in solo mode on
Mirabaud. The health of his partner and co-skipper Michèle Paret remains
relatively stable but she is resting in the bunk most of the time. -- Full
story: http://tinyurl.com/4tx2e3x
Race Tracker: http://tracking.barcelonaworldrace.org
Standings (top 5 of 14 as of 1400 hours)
1. Virbac-Paprec 3, Jean Pierre Dick/Loick Peyron (FRA/FRA), 5316 nm DTF
2. Mapfre, Iker Martinez/Xabi Fernandez (ESP/ESP), 170 nm DTL
3. Renault, Pachi Rivero/Antonio Piris (ESP/ESP), 1324 nm DTL
4. Neutrogena, Boris Herrmann/Ryan Breymaier (GER/USA), 1548 nm DTL
5. Groupe Bel, Kito De Pavant/Sebastien Audigane (FRA) 1620 nm DTL
Full rankings: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/ranking/
BACKGROUND: This is the second edition of the non-stop Barcelona World Race,
the only double-handed race around the world. Fourteen teams are competing
on Open 60s which started December 31st and is expected to finish by late
March. The 25,000 nautical mile course is from Barcelona to Barcelona via
three capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn, Cook Strait, putting Antarctica to
starboard. Race website: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org
GOWRIE GROUP SPEAKS BOAT
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CAPE HORN IS A GIFT FROM ABOVE
It’s not gone unnoticed that in the past few days at least five
international racing boats have rounded the famous Cape Horn, further, in
some instances in sight of one another. Early Tuesday morning at 1124 GMT,
French solo skipper Thomas Colville on Sodebo announced live via mid audio
link-up that he was passing the longitude of Cape Horn.
“It’s incredible. I’m rounding the Horn with you. I’m with Neutrogena
(Barcelona World Race) which is just 50 metres from me! It’s the first time
I’ve passed so close to the Horn. I’m 200 metres away”.
Just a few hours prior, the solo sailor was tackling a storm; a real squall
with 6 to 8 metre waves and wind gusting to 50 knots: “At times like that,”
admitted Tom, “You feel very small I can tell you.” It was night and using
his instinct alone, he put a third reef in the mainsail. “Nothing was
forcing me to do it,” he explained. -- Full story:
http://tinyurl.com/6kx7973
* Check out the video clip from Colville taken as he approached Cape Horn
Tuesday morning, side by side with Neutrogena (racing in the Barcelona World
Race): -- http://www.sodebo-voile.com/carnet-medias/videos.html
* Colville is attempting to beat the solo singlehanded round the world
record of 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 06 seconds, set by Francis Joyon
(FRA) in 2008 on the 97-foot trimaran IDEC. -- http://www.sodebo-voile.com/
NEW VESTAS SAILROCKET 2 AIMS FOR SPEED SAILING RECORD
(March 8, 2011) - Today, the Sailrocket team launched its second-generation
speed sailing boat - the Vestas Sailrocket 2 - from the Isle of Wight.
Vestas Sailrocket 2 is designed to be significantly faster than its
predecessor, with the ultimate aim of breaking the ‘Outright World Speed
Sailing Record’.
During the last 15 months, the Sailrocket team has been focused on building
a better, safer and - above all - faster boat at the Vestas Technology R&D’s
facilities on the Isle of Wight.
“Since we started pursuing the Outright World Speed Sailing Record nine
years ago, the record has been raised by exactly nine knots. The current
record holders, the kite surfers, have taken it out of the reach of all the
previous contenders and it is going to take a very special boat to get it
back. Vestas Sailrocket 2 is a boat that aims high. The only satisfactory
outcome for us is the outright record,” says Paul Larsen, pilot and project
leader of the Sailrocket 2 team. “I’m confident that Sailrocket 2 has the
potential to take the record to new levels.” -- Full story:
http://www.vestas.com/en/media/news/news-display.aspx?action=3&NewsID=2600
INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATES
The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum encourages companies to
post their personnel, product and service updates. Scuttlebutt editors
randomly select Industry News updates each week to include in the Thursday
edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to post Industry
News updates: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news
CORRECTION
The link to the Etchells Worlds Qualifers published in Scuttlebutt 3293 had
the wrong results. Here are the correct results:
http://www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/results11/etchells_wqs_res.htm
SAILING SHORTS
* On April 14-17, Strictly Sail Pacific, the largest sailboat only show on
the West Coast, will return to Jack London Square in Oakland, California.
This year's show centers around hands-on events and on-the-water
demonstrations, with exhibits set up in the spacious and newly-expanded
Pavilion and on-water, match racing basics and free seminars. -- Details at:
http://www.strictlysailpacific.com
* (March 8, 2011) - People who want to volunteer at the 2012 Olympic sailing
events in Dorset are being interviewed by organisers. Volunteer - or "Games
Maker" - roles will range from welcoming spectators to distributing
athletes' kit. About 170 people a day will be interviewed by the London
Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the next few
weeks, with interviews taking place at the Weymouth and Portland National
Sailing Academy at Osprey Quay, the first site for the 2012 Games to be
completed. A total of 100,000 volunteers will be interviewed over the next
13 months at nine selection events across the UK. -- Full story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-12679892
* (March 7, 2011) - In support of its ongoing efforts to improve and protect
the marine environment, West Marine is launching their annual Marine
Conservation Grants program. Grants will be awarded to groups that offer
conservation projects that are beneficial to recreational fishing and
sustainable commercial fishing, while preserving marine resources. There
will be five to ten grants awarded in amounts ranging from $500 -$5000 per
recipient. Applications are available online with the closing date for
entries set for May 1, 2011. -- Official rules and application information
can be found at http://www.westmarine.com/grants
THE ULTIMATE LASERPERFORMANCE DAY SAILOR
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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 may be 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 Ian Cook, President New Zealand Marine Industry:
The New Zealand marine industry is deeply grateful for the generosity,
sympathy and support they have received from around the world since the
Christchurch earthquake of 22 February 2011. The earthquake was confined to
Christchurch and Lyttelton, and many businesses there are already back up
and running. New Zealand remains open for business and tourism, and
appreciates the support of our international and domestic partners in their
continued support with ongoing trading relationships.
At an industry level, the tight-knit New Zealand marine industry is
providing practical support to its Christchurch members, following this
tragic event. Christchurch’s boatbuilding industry comprises trailerable
powerboats and trailer yachts, and powerboats and yachts up to 15 metres,
including new builds and refits. Most marine industry members in
Christchurch suffered extensive or total loss to their homes and, in some
cases, their factories. There are no superyacht builders in the South
Island.
Eighty per cent of New Zealand’s marine industry is based in Auckland and
the North Island, which was not directly affected by the quake, however it
will serve as a major source of support to its colleagues in Christchurch.
Peter Busfield, executive director of NZ Marine Industry, has been charged
with setting up a committee dedicated to providing practical support. This
will include coordination of marine companies around New Zealand sharing
building facilities with Christchurch builders and offering positions to
apprentices who have lost their jobs in Christchurch. -- Read on at
Scuttlebutt Forum: http://tinyurl.com/4cnpzdl
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
Crime wouldn't pay if the government ran it.
SPONSORS THIS WEEK
West Marine - Gowrie Group - Camet
North Sails - North U - Quantum Sails - APS
LaserPerformance- Ullman Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - IYRS
Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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