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SCUTTLEBUTT 2889 - Monday, July 20, 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 Kaenon Polarized, Doyle Sails, and Aquidneck Custom Composites. GUILTY OF OVERSTATEMENT? The whole concept of a "record" implies that there is an official body doing the recording. There is one internationally recognized official body when it comes to sailing records, and that's the World Speed Sailing Record Council (WSSRC). It is the only organization recognized by the International Sailing Federation (the international governing body for the sport of sailing) in this regard. Recent claims that Zac Sunderland has become the youngest person to sail solo around the world don't make this an official world sailing record in the eyes of the WSSRC, no matter how often it's repeated in cyberspace or the so-called "mainstream" media. Said John Reed of the WSSRC, "Not only is the voyage not being monitored by the WSSRC but the route being followed does not comply with the definition of 'Around the World' and bears no comparison, for example, with the achievement of Jesse Martin." It couldn't be any clearer than that. The entire reason why the WSSRC exists is so that such claims can be scrutinized before, during and after the attempts, lest everyone and their sponsors claim their own records. -- Yacht Pals, read on: http://yachtpals.com/zac-sunderland-record-4178 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: There are a couple issues. One is that Zac apparently used his engine (sparingly), which is a no-no under the WSSRC rules. Also, no record is an official WSSRC record until the council ratifies it, and that service requires a fee. To achieve a record there must also be a category, and the only applicable WSSRC category was for the “Youngest non-stop, single-handed Round the World”, which was set by Jesse Martin (AUS) in 1999. However, this WSSRC youth category has since been discontinued. According to Zac's website, he will be applying for recognition by the Guinness World Records. Regardless of the record status, it remains one heck of an accomplishment to have completed at age 17 years, 229 days (born Nov. 29, 1991). Same goes for Mike Perham, who will be completing his circumnavigation (with stops) in mid-August at a slightly younger age than Zac, but will not have any ‘official’ record either. SAMBA FEELING TRANSLATES INTO TRANSPAC SWEEP John Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti, a modified TP 52, is the big winner of the 2,225-mile Transpacific Yacht Race. Kilroy’s Samba team racked up a clean sweep. The team was first to finish in Division I and won the coveted Barn Door for having the fastest elapsed time of all of human powered traditionally designed sailboats. The team also won the King Kalakaua Trophy, for the best corrected time in the entire fleet. Additionally the eight-man team won the Governor of Hawaii Trophy; the W.H. Steward Memorial Trophy; the Harry Uhler Memorial Trophy; and the trophy for the Shortest Elapsed Time Under 73 Feet. For navigating Samba Pa Ti to the First Corrected Time Overall and the Best Division I Corrected Time, navigator, Nick White, collected the Chuck Ullman perpetual Trophy. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/lwy3u2 PRESCRIPTION It’s what we wear. Kaenon Polarized prescription sunglasses. How does that sound? If you’re Peter Isler, you’re really happy! Pedro depends on them, frankly, can’t go sailing without them. He needs distance correction, but also has to read charts and small details, so he requires our Freestyle Progressive. A customized multifocal made exactly to his personal measurements. Now, how does that sound? Ask Brian Porter, Howie Hamlin, or Cam Lewis when you see’em. Kaenon Polarized SR-91 prescription lenses. The medical device for your eyes. Ask your doctor for a prescription. Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. http://www.kaenon.com SAILING’S MASTER NAVIGATOR Here's a quiz: 1. Who is the father of consumer on-screen navigation, including the automotive navigation systems used around the world? 2. Who invented the technology that displays the first-down line on your TV in American Football, the "glowing" hockey pucks and baseballs, and the real-time "player cards" in international football (soccer)? 3. Who is the most sought after navigator in professional sailing? The answer to all three questions is: Stan Honey. Just in from the Transpac (his 16th), where he plotted the record-breaking course for Alfa Romeo, Stan is now high-tailing it to New York to join Groupama 3 for their Transat record attempt. Last year, he was the navigator for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Money try at the Transat record, and of course, he was the navigator for PlayStation and Pyewacket, and his team won the '05-'06 Volvo Ocean Race. He's also the technical director for Team Origin, and... well we only have so much room. Suffice it to say that when it comes to modern navigation, Stan Honey is THE guy. -- YachtPals, read on: http://yachtpals.com/stan-honey-4177 VOLVO YOUTH SAILING ISAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Buzios, Brazil (July 17, 2009) - The seven Youth Worlds titles went to seven nations as Australia, France, Great Britain and Singapore join Brazil, Hong Kong and New Zealand as gold medal winners on the final day of the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship.One final race was held for each event on another bright and breezy day in Buzios and whilst seven different nations ended up winning medals, France was undoubtedly the star performer. The French ran out clear winners of the Volvo Trophy, the prize awarded for the top-performing nation, and picked up two silvers and two bronze to add to windsurfer Joseph Gueguen’s gold. Last year’s Volvo Trophy winners Great Britain came in second this time around, ahead of Italy, with Brazil scoring a best-ever result of fourth and New Zealand fifth. The top North Americans were fourth place Isabella Bertold (CAN) in the Laser Radial and fifth place Morgan Kiss and Laura McKenna (USA) in the 420 Girls. -- Race website: http://www.isafyouthworlds.com/editions/2009/index.php WALTER CRONKITE DIES AT 92 Legendary CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite may have been known as "the most trusted man in America," but Mike Ashford of Annapolis knew him as a friend. Every spring and fall, year after year, Cronkite came to Annapolis to sail; often, he stayed at Ashford's home in the city's Historic District. "For decades (we were) very, very, very good friends," Ashford said. "We were unquestionably best pals. One of the proudest things I can say I've done or that's happened to me is have him call me his best friend." Cronkite died of cerebral vascular disease last night (on July 17th) in his Manhattan home surrounded by family, according to Marlene Adler, his longtime chief of staff. He was 92. "I feel very empty right now," said Ashford, owner of McGarvey's Saloon and Oyster Bar in downtown Annapolis. "I knew Walter really as a combination big brother, father and pal. The newsman was kind of a secondary." -- The Capital, read on: http://tinyurl.com/ljsuad WHEN THE BOATS ARE IDENTICAL Winning sailors know that when the boats are identical, sails become the major opportunity to gain a performance advantage. Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube won a gold medal in the Star class at the 127th Kiel Week. Jud Smith and Luis Hornos dominated the 2009 Star Class 1st District Championship with 1st place finishes in all 5 races. Utilizing innovative 3D modeling and rigorous testing, the Doyle Design team is actively developing fast, smooth and durable sails for all conditions. When the one designs come down to one, it's Doyle. The big difference in one design. -- http://www.doylesails.com/onedesign WHEN BOATS DON’T CHECK IN... The Lake Ontario 300, which began Saturday with a sold out fleet of 170 entrants, is the longest annually held fresh water sailing race in the world. Racers circumnavigate the lake, but the event had a scare when one of its entrants was MIA. One of the requirements that are made of the competing boats is that they are to check in with the Coast Guard on a 6 hour schedule. When the C&C 30 Kvack failed to call in, the Canadian Coast Guard and the US Coast Guard spent several hours Sunday trying to reach the Kvack. When none of the competing boats had seen or heard from Kvack, the Coast Guard sent up a search and rescue helicopter. Good news … the boat finally called in late Sunday afternoon. -- http://www.lo300.org/news.php?news_year=2009&news_id=44 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SAILING SHORTS * Newport, RI (July 19, 2009; Day 4) - Phil Lotz's Arethusa has won the NYYC Swan 42 Nationals on the final day in the final two races. He passed Andy Fisher's Bandit that dominated this regatta since the first race. In third place was Alex Jackson’s Amelia. For Lotz consistency carried the day. He notched a second in the final race, his best finish, and four fourths. His worst placing was seventh. On the strength of this performance and in the NYYC's Annual Regatta, Lotz will also represent the club in the NYYC Invitational Cup on September 15-19. -- http://www.nyyc.org/swan42 * Great Lakes water levels are rebounding after a decade-long slump that hammered the maritime industry and even fed conspiracy theories about plots to drain the inland seas that make up nearly one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water. The three biggest lakes - Superior, Huron and Michigan - have risen steadily since fall 2007, when for a couple of months Superior's levels were the lowest on record and the others nearly so. Erie, shallowest of the lakes, actually exceeded its long-term average in June. So did Lake Ontario, although its level is determined more by artificial structures than nature. -- APP, read on: http://tinyurl.com/nkvqqr * Ninety-four boats completed five days of racing at Whidbey Island Race Week 2009, hosted by Oak Harbor Yacht Club in the Pacific Northwest. Among the closest class wins among the 10 divisions were Gary Morgan/Chris Yob in PHRF 3 with their Peterson 37 What? A Tripp and Jim Metteer’s in PHRF 6 with his 6 Meter Fokus. -- Complete results: http://www.whidbeyislandraceweek.com/results_2009.html * (July 19, 2009) - A windy three-day series for the Hobie 16 Youth and Women’s North American Championship concluded on Sunday in Kingston, Ontario. The Youth championship was won by Eric Raybon, a 2007 US Youth Worlds team member, sailing with his brother Mathew, from Shrewsbury, NJ. In the Women’s championship it was the mother /daughter team of Susan and Erika Korzeniewski from Liverpool, NY. Susan is a multiple winner of the Women’s Hobie 16 North Americans and an ISAF World Sailing Games medallist. Racing for the Open North American Championship begins on Monday, July 20th and continues through Friday. -- Details: http://www.hcana.hobieclass.com/?Page=8319 * West Marine, the nation's largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, is seeking entries for its "Green Product of the Year" contest. As part of West Marine's mission to improve and protect marine habitats and reduce its impact on the environment, it will award one prize of $10,000 to the designated Official Winner (void where prohibited by law) at the 2010 Miami International Boat Show. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7808 * Arundel, ME - The Landing School is providing tuition support for displaced workers who want to re-train for a career in the marine industry by enrolling in the 2009-2010 school-year, it reported in a recent statement. The Landing School offers five education and training programs designed to prepare students for careers in the marine industry. -- Boating Industry, full report: http://www.boating-industry.com/output.cfm?id=2226205 * The 12 Metre Class yachts are returning to Newport to compete for The Newport Trophy, July 24-26. This is the first event of the Golden Year of Racing which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of these classic racing yachts participating in the America’s Cup. More information at http:// www.goldenyear2009.com THE “SECRET AGREEMENT” The America’s Cup will be back in court on Tuesday, July 21st, and among the topics will be the rules and regulations for the 33rd America’s Cup (ie, the permissibility of stored power, moveable ballast, etc) and the disclosure of any agreements between the defense club, Société Nautique Genève (SNG), and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). To this later issue, challenging club Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) had said this last week: “An ISAF Executive Committee member has acknowledged that on June 5, 2009, SNG (or its racing team Alinghi) paid ISAF 150,000 euros pursuant to a secret agreement making certain arrangements concerning ISAF’s role in, and the ‘rules and sailing regulations’ for, the next Cup match. Neither ISAF nor SNG/Alinghi will disclose the secret agreement to GGYC. “ Curious about this ‘secret agreement’, Scuttlebutt contacted Jerome Pels at ISAF, who as Secretary General is the chief ranking officer among the hired hands. Said Pels, “ISAF has agreements with all kinds of major and professional events including the Olympic Games and these agreements cover all kinds of things, such as appointment of officials, remuneration of officials, use of the rules, media rights, anti doping programme, advertising on boats, eligibility of competitors, etc. Nothing different here and nothing different from what has happened in other America’s Cup editions.” On the last comment, we noted how Tom Ehman of BMW Oracle Racing (BOR) said that since the 1992 America’s Cup, the “defender and challenger of record have mutually consented to the terms of the agreement executed with ISAF related to certain aspects of the respective Cup event.” While it is not a shock that the defender would not want to include their bitter rival, Pels added, “Well, BOR was involved and at least two meetings were held and more conversations before ISAF met with SNG..... but as you say it is very difficult this time around.” On the topic of secrecy, Pels noted, “Do you think FIFA (world governing organization for football/soccer) publishes the agreement with the Organisers of the Football World Cup on the arrangements of media rights, the rent for the stadium, the salary for the umpires etc?” -- Scuttlebutt, http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/archived_Detail.asp?key=4226 * Here is the official ISAF statement: http://www.sailing.org/news/28952.php * Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America’s Cup, has acquired the services of renowned multihull champion Loïck Peyron. Said Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth, “We are looking forward to working with Loïck; he brings a lot of multihull experience – from both a design and sailing point of view – to a team that already has quite a bit of depth in this area of our sport. I think he will be an asset to this project and a good addition to the team.” -- Full report: http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200&idContent=19926 VISIT AQUIDNECK CUSTOM COMPOSITES’ NEW WEBSITE Aquidneck Custom Composites has recently launched their first website and would like to invite the readers of Scuttlebutt to check it out. ACC has been building custom boats for eight years now. Finally it has built a website. Check it out at http://www.aquidneckcustom.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit 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 Kimball Livingston: The death of Walter Cronkite will surely prompt an outpouring from those who well knew the man and his obsession with sailing. I knew him barely, but vividly. We first met in Fremantle, Australia. The year was 1987. Dennis Conner had yet to reclaim the America’s Cup. Walter and I talked journo talk, then he launched into a story about sailing in Maine, in fog, in search of a bell buoy that marked a harbor entrance. The story had an ebb and flow - sailor to sailor -and he told how they could hear the bell through the fog, but first it was coming from here, and then it was coming from there, and he was well into the telling and close to the payoff when a phalanx of phalanxers swept up, and the chief phalanxer announced, “Excuse me, Mr. Cronkite. They’re ready for you.” With a word of apology, he was gone. Oh well. Two days later I was walking down the street, and there was Walter walking the opposite way on the opposite side of the street. He saw me and crossed. He came up and said, “So anyway, we could hear the bell through the fog… “ * From Josh Adams, SAIL Publisher (raised in Newport, RI): Fantastic idea - decide America’s true sailing capital, Annapolis or Newport (with all due respect to our friends on San Francisco Bay), on the water. But to run this regatta properly, we need reliable summer winds. With that, I recommend Newport as the venue. * From Angus Phillips: As a fellow who signs all correspondence to people from Newport, "Cheers from sunny Annapolis, America's Sailing Capital," I was delighted with Chris Buydos's proposal (Butt 2888) to settle who's really No. 1 on the water. He wants a regatta organized by Sail Newport and its equivalent down here, "Sail Annapolis." In fact, there's no "Sail Annapolis," but a new nonprofit called Annapolis Community Boating serves the role. As a board member at ACB, without consulting my colleagues, I say bring it on! We'll match your Kenny Read with our Terry Hutchinson, your Herb McCormick with our Gary Jobson and your Carol Cronin with our JoAnn Fisher. Let the chips fall where they may. We're all over this. * From Justin Scott: Before we can initiate a Challenge Cup between Annapolis and Newport, first we need a Deed of Gift. We need some sufficiently ambiguous language about "having" a "capitol" on an "arm of the sea". Can I suggest that Cory Friedman drafts it? Then we can truly have a competition because, after all, what is a capitol without lawyers and lobbyists. I hardly think that a claim to be a sailing capitol can be settled solely on the water. Surely there have to be some court battles as well. * From Gail M. Turluck: Hear, hear to Mark (Baxter in Scuttlebutt 2888)! So many championships are now held "for convenience" rather than to have a progression, skill building, and a final outcome! Folks who know me are well acquainted with how I rail against these 1-1.25 mile courses for keelboats on the Great Lakes. At the Sunfish North Americans, Women's North Americans and World Championships, I can state for a fact that we sail courses that are equally as long… singlehanded! * From Robert Wilkes, former Secretary, International Optimist Dinghy Assn: I may be retired but cannot restrain myself from pointing out that of the Laser and 420 medallists at the recent ISAF World Youth Championship: 11 out of 12 were former Optimist sailors. 9 out of 12 had participated in Optimist World or continental championships. Two of them, Benjamin Grez and Griselda Khng, were former silver medallists at the Optimist Worlds. * From Lucia Nebel White, 86 year old Star boat sailor: Oracle and Alinghi - stop acting like little boys playing poker. Get on with it so everyone can ENJOY the America’s Cup again! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. Special thanks to Kaenon Polarized, Doyle Sails, and Aquidneck Custom Composites. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
