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SCUTTLEBUTT 1355 - June 20, 2003
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talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press
releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always
welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
INTERNATIONAL CATAMARAN CHALLENGE TROPHY
The Trustees for the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT)
announced that preparations for the 2003 ICCT are accelerating and the
entry deadline for potential defenders and challengers has been extended.
The event, known as "the Little America's Cup" and to be sailed for the
first time ever in one-design F-18HT catamarans, is set for September
28th-October 3 at the Sail Newport Sailing Center in Newport, R.I. There
are ten top-level accepted entries to date.
"The original entry deadline of June 1 was a result of boat
building/shipping logistics," said John Dawson, Chairman for the ICCT
Trustees. "The caliber of the current entries and the high level of
interest world-wide has convinced the F-18HT Class to extended the entry
window and enable teams that are in the process of forming their challenges
to compete."
"We have been contacted by many more teams that are in the process of
finalizing their challenges," said WF Oliver, North American F-18HT Class
President. "Since the event was only announced in March, many teams did not
have the Little America's Cup on their original sailing/sponsor schedule.
Although Sea Cliff has surpassed their minimum number of entries needed for
a successful event, we believe that our extending the entry window will
allow these additional top teams to join us in Newport."
The Trustees have made an agreement with the F-18HT Class that allows for
the remaining open slots to be assigned. Housing for the sailors will be
provided. Henry Menin, US Virgin Islands, has been named Chief Judge and
Umpire. - Media Pro Int'l, http://www.icct2003.org/
WOMEN'S MATCH RACING WORLDS
Sundsvall, Sweden - With 20 of 22 flights in the first round of the ISAF
Women's Match Racing World Championship completed, Betsy Alison and her
team mates Lee Icyda, Suzy Leech and Dini Hall lead the competition with a
8-1 record. Sweden's own Marie Bjorling and Malin Millbourn both sit at
7-2. With 2 flights remaining, these three are guaranteed places in the
quarterfinals scheduled to begin tomorrow. The remaining three places are
still up for grabs, as four teams vie for the final spots.
The conditions today were similar to yesterday SSE winds from 8-16 knots
with the fleet undergoing several headsail changes between matches. The
main difference was that rain graced the playing field along with cooler
temperatures, making both competitors and umpires uncomfortable as the day
wore on. Tomorrow is expected to still be rainy but a bit colder and
windier. A double round robin is scheduled for the quarterfinals, but may
be abbreviated due to weather and time constraints. - Report by Team
Challenge US
Event website: http://matchrace.gegga.com/articles/
DAIMLERCHRYSLER NORTH ATLANTIC CHALLENGE
The second group of entries in the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge
are set to depart Newport this coming Saturday, June 21 on the 3,600
nautical mile race to Cuxhaven, Germany. The first group started on June
14. The larger, faster boats will join them in this first-ever race across
the North Atlantic, around Fair Isles and into the river Elbe for the finish.
The five boats are Zephyrus V, a maxZ86; HSH Nordbank (formerly Morning
Glory); Team888 (formerly Kingfisher); UCA, a maxiracer; and Windrose, the
152-foot schooner. The race commemorates the 100th anniversary of the
Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt, a long-standing sailing club based in
Hamburg. As in the first start, the New York Yacht Club race committee will
set the starting line off historic Fort Adams. - Media Pro Int'l, www.dcnac.de
ROOM AVOIDANCE INSURANCE
Just when you thought you had everything you could possibly need to have a
successful regatta, what happens? You earn yourself a trip to the protest
room. Quickly, you realize the one thing you don't have is a rulebook. Not
unlike leaving your sunglasses home on a rainy day, if you don't have one,
you'll need it. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. Spiral-bound and
laminated, ours has references to ISAF cases as well. Annapolis Performance
Sailing reminds you this is one book you should never leave home without.
Get your room avoidance insurance at http://www.apsltd.com/depts/dept3234.asp
NATIONS CUP
Trieste, Italy - The fourth day of sailing, at the Nation's Cup ISAF Grade
2 match race regatta was characterized by poor weather conditions, with
wind speeds up to 4 knots. It was possible only to race one match - Victory
Challenge (Magnus Holmberg) beat the GBR Challenge (Andy Beadsworth) by 24
seconds, eliminating the British team from the semi-finals. Friday's
program will start earlier than planned - at 8 o'clock in the morning - so
that the semi-finals can begin on the same day. Saturday will be the last
day of racing. - Vittoria Trojer
Standings:
Alinghi (Jochen Schuemann) 4 pts
OneWorld (James Spithill) 3 pts
Mascalzone Latino (Vasco Vascotto) 2 pts
Victory Challenge (Magnus Holmberg) 2 pts
Oracle BMW Racing (Tommaso Chieffi) 1 pt
GBR Challenge (Andy Beadsworth) 1 pt
THE RULES OF THE BOAT
"There is no profanity, drinking or smoking. I believe that sailing is a
sport for young people all the way to seniors. When we're racing we're not
cursing or yelling because a quiet and composed boat is a fast boat. I
think that it's all common sense and, frankly, common courtesy." - Philippe
Kahn, speaking about his Reichel/Pugh 77, Pegasus. Read more about Kahn's
program for the Transpac Race in Rich Roberts' story posted on the Yacht
Racing website: http://www.yachtracing.com/regattas03/transpac/061903.htm
CORRECTION
Following the information from "onesport.nzoom.com" published in
Scuttlebutt # 1354 of 19 June 2003, I inform you of our request made to
this website to issue the following corrections.
"The 2000 and 2003 French Challenge Le Defi is currently working hard on
its new project for the America's Cup 2007. It is based on the assets and
knowledge acquired during its two consecutive participations, including the
2 generation 2003 ACC FRA 69 and FRA 79. The hulls and performances of
these two yachts are identical. This will be a substantial help for our
future technical development, one of the key factors for a successful
America's Cup campaign. Our logistic support (chase boat, weather forecast
equipment...) allows us to get a complete team out sailing in a very short
period of time, using our Lorient base (Brittany, France).
"Philippe Presti and Luc Pillot were both members of the afterguard in
2003. They are both highly competitive sailors with whom we have carried
out a very intense 2003 campaign. As all members of the team, they have
been fully dedicated to the success of the project. The issue for us is
not, as mentioned in your article, to select the afterguard but to build a
winning team and a winning project for the next Cup. Moreover, no
announcement has been made by myself or anyone from the team on that
subject, as opposed to what you wrote." - Xavier de Lesquen, Le Defi -
America's Cup General Manager
NEWS BRIEFS
* Marking the solstice and the slow, sultry slide into summer, 205 ocean
racing sailboats will arrive this weekend at Block Island for the Storm
Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex. The five-day
series which starts on Monday will be the 20th anniversary of the club's
renowned biennial race week. The fleet is only nine boats less than two
years ago. The all-time record for race week was set in the early '80s with
a 263-boat fleet. - http://www.blockislandraceweek.com/
* North Sails will provide detailed daily weather forecasts free of charge
for any sailors racing in Block Island Race Week from June 23-27.
Partnering with Sailing Weather Services and Chris Bedford, the daily
forecasts will be emailed directly to all subscribers and posted in a
password-protected area on the North Sails website at 7:30 AM daily. They
will include an overall synopsis for the racing area, a detailed wind
forecast with possible alternative scenarios and the next day's outlook.
Sailors can sign up for North's weather service by logging on to
http://na.northsails.com
* On Saturday, June 21, seven VO 60s will gather in Kiel, Germany, for
the start of the Volvo Baltic Race. For the first time these boats will be
racing on both long and short courses. This is a format we will see more of
in the next installment of the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in 2005.
Several different generations of boats will be competing in the regatta.
The top three teams will all be using boats from the most recent Volvo
Ocean Race, and there will also be four older generation 60s. -
http://www.volvobalticrace.org/
* If the future of the Blake memorial was in the hands of Auckland's
civic leaders, a very tight vote would see the Maritime Museum exhibition
remain intact, but with a slightly re-jigged look about it. An informal
poll of Auckland City Council members found 11 of the 20 council members
supported the current proposal for an exhibition on Blake's life at the
Maritime Museum, with NZL 32 proudly on display. Eight council members,
from City Vision, Labour and Team Auckland, favoured Kaikoura Island or
further discussion about alternatives. - NZ Herald, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
MICRONET SYSTEM HITS THE WATER FOR BLOCK ISLAND
On Thursday, Walt installed a complete Micronet system on Jim Johnstone's
new J105 for Block Island Race. The J was moored in Newport, RI with the
thru hull fittings installed before launch. All Walt had to do was go up in
a harness, attach the Wind Unit, install the Hull Transmitter, strap the
3-display mast bracket to the mast, and he was "off like a sheik." Jim
agreed to give the system a thorough working over. The first production run
is sold out. Check out the System Comments Log at
http://www.layline.com/llf/llpages/htmlp49/cl49.asp
PETER OWEN FLOOD 6/7/28 - 5/24/03
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of my dad.. He was
doing what he loved to do, racing his first Thistle, Saravee #1054. For a
heartfelt account of my dad's last sail and a short profile of his
Thistling life go to: www.reillytele.com/peteflood.
For those who would like to make a donation, we have set it up with US
Sailing for funds to be donated in the name of Peter O. Flood to the One
Design fund. Donors should make checks payable to US Sailing One-Design and
mailed to US Sailing, PO Box 1260, Portsmouth, RI 02871. - Matt Flood
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com)
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room or a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Elaine Dickinson, BoatU.S.: In our recent release celebrating Dawn
Riley's Leadership in Women's Sailing Award we inadvertently left out some
of the details. To clarify, Dawn was not 'the' leader but 'a' leader,
(watch captain, diver and engineer) of the first all-women's team in the
Whitbread Round the World Race. She went on to lead the next all-women's
team, American flagged Heineken (1993-94). In the 1992 America's Cup, Dawn
was not the first woman to sail on an America's Cup boat but the first
woman to try out for and win an active and regular position on an America's
Cup racing team. She was indeed the Team Captain of the all-women's team in
1995. As all editors do, we were trying to condense a very remarkable
career into a one-page space.
BoatU.S. and National Women's Sailing Association are working to get more
women involved in sailing with events, sponsorships and -- with this annual
award -- presenting role models for girls today. Let's hope that leadership
like Dawn's will help make women in the America's Cup and other top races
the norm rather than the exception 50 or 100 years from now.
* From Mark Zaranski (response to Craig Montrose letter, SB #1353): The
Chicago Tarten 10 fleet is accustomed to racing with professionals.
Sailmaker Rich Sterns campaigns his own T-10 (Zoe) and is a fixture at the
top of the fleet. Zoe finished 5th in the Chicago NOOD regatta, and the
crew included an additional pro-Bill Gladstone.
The fleet is large and represents a very wide range of abilities from pros
and very experienced racers to first year neophytes. Fleet entry costs can
be quite low for someone willing to rehab a project boat, and there are
always plenty of other T-10s to race against. Chris Larson's presence on
Voodoo meant nothing to the vast majority of the 48-boat fleet.
* From Scott Diamond (RE: Voodoo's win in the T-10 fleet at the NOOD):
First off they were completely with in the class rules. As a 10 + years
crew member in the Chicago T-10 fleet, and now skipper, I think a pro team
is healthy for the class. I would not want to see it become like the Farr
40 class, but one or two is OK. It raises the bar for the top of the fleet
and sets an example for everyone on the importance of the "team".
Personally it was one of my most memorable sailing moments to cross Voodoo
while we were on port, round the windward mark in first and hold them off
the entire downwind leg. So what if they passed us on the next leg, it was
a great feeling for me and my crew in our first regatta to be sailing so
close with a "pro team".
If I do have any criticism of the Voodoo team, it is that they have not
become a social part of the fleet yet. The success of the Chicago T-10
fleet is largely do to the social side of it. The top sailors have always
helped the new comers along. I am sure some of the bottom half of the fleet
would love to hear from Richard and his crew what they do, they don't win
strictly because they spend more money, they win because they sail better,
smatter, faster.
* From Ken Quant: Having raced a T10 for years, including the Chicago
NOODs, I can only say welcome to Voodoo for raising the level at the top of
this incredible healthy, successful and fun fleet. Over the past several
years the T10 fleet has been controlled by 6 or 7 "usual suspects" with
everyone else becoming an "also ran". For the majority of this fleet the
addition of Voodoo has done nothing more than add one point to their total
each race. Big deal, so now you take 18th instead of 17th.
The addition of such a well run "professional" program only helps validate
the competitive fun of this fleet while providing a new challenge for those
at the top. Yes - the checkbook is a tough instrument to beat, but just
think of the satisfaction for the boat that finally beats "the pros". Some
old dogs can learn new tricks and some can't. You should ask yourself;
which type of dog am I?
* From Danielle M. Richards: Now for the junior sailor's perspective on
the parents and coaches on the water. While I will admit it is nice to have
your own or a team coach on the water with his or her own boat, I hate the
congestion it creates. I am also a firm believer that parents should not be
allowed on coach boats or in their own personal boats on the water. It
creates problems for the coaches, adds more wakes problems and often
confuses the sailor. I seen many instances where a sailor has gone and
spoken to their coach and then their parents comes by and tells them to do
something totally opposite, confusing the kid.
However it is up to the regatta organizer to decide how the issue of
coach/spectator boats is to be handled. I especially like the policy that
the Scituate harbor yacht Club adopted two years ago when they hosted the
Ida Lewis Regatta. For the two clinic days you could talk to your own
coach, to your parents or the coaches that were provided but once the event
started you could not communicate with anyone other then the competitors,
regatta officials, and the official regatta coach. It eliminated most
spectator/coach boat wake problems, eliminated a lot of pressure, and made
it fairer for the girls who did not bring their own coach.
* From Ginny Lovell responding to Ken Voss's comments about parents and
coaches on the water with Opti sailing. I have had a lot of experience with
this, and it is absolutely necessary to have a lot of support from parents
and coaches, especially in the big regattas. At SYC, we have had storms and
high winds come up suddenly, and it is great to have all of the help for
safety and rescue assistance. I agree that coaches and parents (especially
parents) should be silent during the races. One time during a local regatta
years ago we had a parent shout out "tack dummy" and nearly the whole fleet
tacked at once.
* From Chris Upton: In the days of IOR (invest or retire) many complaints
centered around the cost of maintaining a competitive rating. However there
were boats on the starting line. IMS (invest more seriously) eliminated the
rating chasing and presumably the cost associated with it. Initially the
IMS rule outlawed exotics such as carbon fiber, titanium and pipe berths
throughout. The idea was a dual purpose boat that could be cruised too. We
call it PHRF.
IMS now is as or more expensive than IOR and it is very difficult to design
a boat that rates level with the competition. Many owners want the faster
boat. Instead of tweaking the boat they build new. We see that the costs
have escalated because the owners wanted the associated benefits.
In the '80s and '90s at Manhassett YC's Fall Series, there were many
one-tonners and two-tonners on the starting lines. Last year there was one
IMS 50 racing against a SC52. A good contest.
A public rating rule that can be designed to create level racing and more
fun for the owners will bring more people back to the starting line. The
current OODs create good around the can racing with windward leeward
courses. What about the Friday night distance race? What about Bermuda. Can
we use the IRC, IMS, Americap, etc. to publish a base that creates
seaworthy, fast boats that can be designed to a number? This will create
fun racing.
* From Brad Read, Executive Director, Sail Newport: The Carrolls have
meant a great deal to the marine industry in South Eastern New England.
They also have been instrumental in the creation of 2 special events. The
MOHOSA Regatta, dubbed the "Wednesday Night World's" and the annually held
Newport Gold Regatta would not have happened without the support of the
Carrolls.
Likewise, their ongoing support of our efforts to provide sailing
opportunities to the public do not go unrecognized. Without the years of
support from Carroll Marine, Sail Newport's ability to fulfill our mission
would have suffered. Although the entity Carroll Marine goes into the
history books, the book is not closed. The legacy that Janice and Barry
will leave on sailing has several chapters remaining.
CURMUDGEON'S DEFINITIONS
Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject
financially impotent for an indefinite period.
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