|
SCUTTLEBUTT 3477 - Monday, November 28, 2011Scuttlebutt 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: Kaenon Polarized and West Marine. WILLIAMS WINS MATCH RACING WORLDS Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (November 27, 2011) - Ian Williams has added the Monsoon Cup to his third ISAF Match Racing World Champion crown after the British sailor defeated Johnie Berntsson 3-1 in the final of the World Match Racing Tour's finale event in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Williams secured the Worlds crown after defeating Italian Francesco Bruni in the quarter-final of the Monsoon Cup, the final event on the World Match Racing Tour. The double is a feat Williams first achieved in 2007 and is the second consecutive year a British sailor has won both the Monsoon Cup and the World Championship after Ben Ainslie in 2010. Williams noted how the Foundation 36, which is used in the Monsoon Cup, proved to be an advantage for his team of Bill Hardesty, Gerard Mitchell, Malcolm Parker and Matt Cassidy. "We struggled a little (this season) in the four man boats, but when the whole team is together we perform really well. We won all three regattas on five man boats so I think that just shows the strength of the team." -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/WMRT-112711 Final Monsoon Cup Standings 1. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, 96,950.86 USD 2. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team, 67,240.11 USD 3. Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners, 48,475.38 USD 4. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, 43,784.22 USD 5. Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing, 39,093.04 USD 6. Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing, 34,401.88 USD 7. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team, 28,146.99 USD 8. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing, 26,583.27 USD 9. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat, 23,455.82 USD 10. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 20,328.38 USD 11. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 17,200.94 USD 12. Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan / KRT, 15,637.22 USD Note: Prize money was converted from the Malaysian Ringgit on Nov. 27, 2011 Final World Championship Standings 1. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar - 144pts 2. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing - 112pts 3. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team - 106.2pts 4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat - 105.8pts 5. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing - 102.8pts 6. Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners - 99.2pts 7. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team - 90pts 8. Phil Robertson (NZL) Team China powered by WAKA Racing - 74.4pts 9. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team - 74pts 10. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team - 72.6pts REAL TIME ASSISTANCE Borrowing from the motor sports world, where the driver is in constant contact with his crew via radio comms, real-time coaching has made its debut beginning in the Quarter-Finals of the Monsoon Cup. Rule 41 of the Racing Rules of Sailing which normally prohibits 'outside assistance' has been amended here, so that coaches have been allowed to give advice and insight to their team via radio. Positioned on the third-floor balcony of the Ri-Yaz Heritage pavilion adjacent to the race course area, the coaches have an elevated view of the current and the wind, and can provide, when prompted, their insight on which side of the course to favour in each match. Having been out on the water themselves and felt the pressure of having to read the course while under fire, the natural choices of coaches were from among skippers and crew who did not make the cut to the Quarter-Final round. When these choices were revealed on the evening prior to racing, it provided great entertainment, as erstwhile enemies now became allies in the fight that lie ahead. Williams Team GAC Pindar had previously signed up 49er Olympic Silver Medallist Ian Barker to help them read the course, an area strewn with tricky current eddies and wind shifts. Perhaps ironically, the teams with skippers as coaches did not fare so well: Mirsky's Bruni went down 1-3 to Williams, and Richard's Gilmour lost 1-3 to Johnnie Berntsson. But not having a coach had its perils as well: both Will Tiller and Phil Robertson eschewed their option to take on a coach, and both lost to their rivals by close scores of 2-3. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/WMRT-coaching-112711 THANK YOU For a decade of fun and success. For allowing us to serve you. For wearing the best sunglasses made - Kaenon Polarized. We also enjoy our work with the best. The best sailors, like Iker, Xabi and Anna. The best dealers like Team One Newport, APS, Point Loma Outfitters and Sailing Supply. The best Youth Sailing support organization, CISA. And the best customers - you! Kaenon Polarized is committed to creating the best sunglass and optical products possible, for people who enjoy the best life offers. Thank you, we're looking forward to another great 10! The Crew at Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. http://www.kaenon.com FROM ZERO TO HERO (November 27, 2011) - Team Telefonica, which announced only in April their intent to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, screamed into Cape Town in 40 knot winds as they clinched victory in the 6500nm Leg 1 on Saturday. Led by Iker Martinez, double Olympic medalist and 2011 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, the team's faultless performance during the three week leg atones for their last in the In-Port race in Alicante (Spain) last month. CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson (AUS) nursed his boat through heinous sea conditions overnight and into Table Bay to clinch second place on Sunday. "That's the roughest conditions I've been in a Volvo Open 70," the skipper said. "We were three reefs and a storm jib ... we were starting to run out of options other than to turn around and run with it. And that is the last option." Team Telefonica now leads the overall standings with CAMPER two points back in second. Groupama is expected to finish on Tuesday. The three boats forced to retire from Leg 1 will be shipped to Cape Town, but all are hopeful of making the start line for the second in-port race on December 10. Standings as of Monday, 28 November 2011, 1:01:56 UTC 1. Team Telefonica, Iker Martinez (ESP), Finished Nov. 26, 21:05:14:25 GMT 2. CAMPER, Chris Nicholson (AUS), Finished Nov. 27, 21:21:48:04 GMT 3. Groupama, Frank Cammas (FRA), 333.9 nm Distance to Finish Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Ian Walker (GBR) - Retired from Leg 1 PUMA Ocean Racing, Ken Read (USA) - Retired from Leg 1 Team Sanya, Mike Sanderson (NZL) - Retired from Leg 1 Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos UPDATE: PUMA Ocean Racing, which broke its mast on Nov. 21st while in second position trailing Team Telefonica by 31nm, arrived to Tristan da Cunha on Saturday. This volcanic island is seven miles wide and Cape Town, the nearest city, is over 1,750 miles away. The island population is 262. The crew is expected to spend around four days on the island waiting for a container ship from Durban to arrive, which will then transport the stricken Mar Mostro to Cape Town. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-112711 BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles of the world's most treacherous seas via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com TRADITION NOT EXPECTED TO ENDURE Team Telefonica's Leg 1 win would make them a shoo-in for overall victory in any other edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. This time? Don't be so sure. Since the Volvo Ocean Race became a single class event in 1997-98, following the success of the Volvo Ocean 60, the winner of Leg 1 in every edition has claimed the Volvo Ocean Race trophy eight months or so later. This edition was tipped before the start as likely to be the closest ever so no one, least of all Telefonica, will put too much trust in the longstanding trend continuing. Minutes after finishing in second position CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson said it was obvious that the overall race victory was anyone's, especially having watched three competitors ousted with breakage: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG and Team Sanya. "The fact that it has happened to them means that it could happen to anyone at anytime. If I was in their shoes, I would know that this race is still wide open." Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker agreed, saying that the fleet was certainly one of the most competitive ever and the tradition would not necessarily endure. "Leg 1 really gives a bit of everything, which is probably why the boat that's won this leg has always gone on to win the race,'' he said. "But if ever there was a race where that might not be the case this might well be it.'' -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-112711a SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SAILING SHORTS * The National Marine Manufacturers Association released findings from preliminary evaluations of isobutanol-gasoline blends supplied by Gevo, which the association said could be a "promising biofuel alternative to E15." The tests were conducted by the NMMA and the American Boat and Yacht Council as the recreational boating industry explores alternative biofuels in response to the U.S. introduction of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol. The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved E15 for model-year 2001 and newer cars and trucks. However, the marine industry has found that fuel containing more than 10 percent ethanol causes severe damage to boat engines. -- Trade Only Today, read on: http://tinyurl.com/TOT-112711 * Sailing World's College Rankings as of November 23, 2011 finds Roger Williams wrapping up the fall season at the top of the coed rankings with Dartmouth and Yale rounding out the top three. Yale has been the clear leader in the women's rankings throughout all six polls this season. This week, they're trailed by URI and Dartmouth. Full rankings here: http://tinyurl.com/SW-112711 * (November 27, 2011; 00:45:00 UTC) - The 131-foot maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V began on November 22nd their second attempt of the Jules Verne Trophy, emblematic of the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew. Led by Frenchman Loick Peyron, the team is ascending the Atlantic ocean toward Cape Town, and is currently 54.4nm ahead of the current record of 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds set by Franck Cammas on the 103-foot Groupama 3 in 2010. -- http://tinyurl.com/BP-112711 * The 34th America's Cup final environmental impact report will be published December 1 and go to the San Francisco Planning Commission on Dec. 15. Dozens of permit applications and special requests needed for the event and its related development projects can't move forward until the Planning Commission certifies that environmental review. Assuming the commission certifies that report, community members may appeal any such decision to the Board of Supervisors. If that body denies the appeal, opponents can take the issue to state court, which could take a while to resolve. Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://tinyurl.com/SFE-112711 * The America's Cup Event Authority has extended the role of Richard Worth to include Chief Executive Officer along with Chairman. In this expanded role, Richard will be responsible for the commercial interests of the 34th America's Cup, adding marketing and partnerships to his purview. Overall management of the events will move to America's Cup Race Management, led by CEO and Regatta Director Iain Murray, who will now lead both the on- and off-the-water components of the events, as well as serve as liaison to the teams. Craig Thompson, who had been CEO, has decided to leave the Event Authority. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12918 * On Episode 18 of 'America's Cup Uncovered', the show goes onsite at the America's Cup World Series is in San Diego for the third stop, of the first season, on the inaugural America's Cup world tour. Profiles include ORACLE Racing's new skipper Darren Bundock, China Team's boat blessing ceremony, and America's Cup Healthy Ocean Project day. Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/americascup#p/c/915CDC8233C7B14E * The Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR) postponed Sunday's Leg 2 start in Cape Town to Wellington, New Zealand due to a forecast of strong headwinds. The start was delayed until Tuesday, which was welcome news for Nico and Frans Budel who were repairing failed keel-head bolts on their three year-old, first generation Class40 Akilaria, Sec. Hayai. -- Full report: http://globaloceanrace.com/?page=news&news_id=573&lang=en WEST MARINE'S CYBER MONDAY DEAL On Cyber Monday (11/28 only), take 10% off sitewide plus free ground shipping. Plus, shop over 20 custom gift categories for your favorite boater including: Gifts for Sailors, Gifts for Men, Gifts for Women, Foul Weather Gear, Electronics and more! Be sure to check westmarine.com starting December 1 where we will be advertising a daily deal each day through December 12. -- http://bit.ly/WMCybMon 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 R. G. Newbury: Great idea in Scuttlebutt 3477: "So what if we used green and red? Could the lexicon of sailing be changed to colors?" I'm going to use it. Killing the mis-communications about which gate buoy is the one we want to round is reason enough! * From George Morris: Regarding the article in Scuttlebutt 3476 (Changing the Lexicon of Sailing) and the notion of using'Green' and 'red' sides for ease of commentary at the ACWS? - quite brilliant! Dumbing down with a purpose! But there are still pitfalls "How do you see it on the water, Geordie" " I'm liking the Red side right now but there's a big rightie coming down the course - Energy Team over on the red side have got it". Now is that good or bad for Energy Team? COMMENT: To be on the red side for a rightie would be....BAD! * From Frank Gazzano: Overall I would think the America's Cup race village, venue, and event were consistent with the goals of introducing the ACWS to a more broader audience. I parked my boat on the course one day and felt the stake boats did a good job of managing the small spectator fleet, but that was probably a unique view for those watching the event. The race village was the epicenter and for a $10 donation the access to the boats, crew, viewing areas, beer garden, video screen, bands, and ocean awareness display was a tremendous value and extremely well done. If you've ever been to a Formula One race you know how bad you can be fleeced at such international events. My only two complaints about where the organizers fell short are: Communications - there was a lack of information in advance on where you could view from the water, the race village attractions, and even on Friday before the event the information booth didn't have a clue as to what would be going on and said the organizers hadn't told them anything. Team Marketing - having not been fleeced with an exorbitant entry fee or $16 slice of pizza (only $4.50), I had cash in my wallet and was ready to buy memorabilia. There was a trailer with some America's Cup products like towels, coffee cups, etc. but the only team products were from Oracle and Artemis. At an international event, the organizer needs to insure the teams promote themselves to draw fans, create favorites, establish rivalries, and have someone to cheer for. You don't go to a sporting event and be indifferent about who wins or loses. And with some reluctance I say this...if you want to attract American fans the announcer shouldn't have a British accent. It felt more like down under than San Diego. * From Paul Warren, Redington Beach, FL: I agree completely with your readers Vince Casalaina and Mal Emerson, Scuttlebutt 3476, re the San Diego ACWS regatta. Like the other Scuttlebutt observers, I spent eight days in San Diego watching the event, both landside and on-the-water. The racing was exciting: there was lots of action - packed mark roundings, near collisions, and several substantial lead changes. But, it was understandable only if you were/are an experienced sailboat racer who understood all the intricacies of catamarans, wing sails, fleet racing, match racing, and race course layouts. Otherwise, the novice, I think, is left bewildered. "Stadium sailing" is all well and good if you were a knowledgeable viewer. For the neophyte, there was no real explanatory description of the action, no introduction to the art of sailing (windward/leeward, upwind/downwind, match racing tactics, etc.). I agree completely that the audio-visual component of the landside spectator experience needs to be UPGRADED! Site-specific commentators, describing the racing for each location, might be a good solution. Or, more simply, just install "jumbo-tron" style TVs with the live commentary feed at all the landside viewing locations. (Other events do this on a regular basis. Why not the AC?) Another observation: landside viewing was not optimized to make spectators comfortable and, thus, keep them on-the-scene for longer times. Spectators were forced to stand in crowds for the duration, unless they brought their own chairs and got front-row locations. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12917#12917 * From Lindsay Foster: Last year, right around this time, I wrote an article about how the America's Cup could actually succeed in engaging the Facebook generation - and judging from what I've seen, they are doing a great job. The boats are fast, the crashes spectacular. You can view the racing live on one of the most recognized video websites in the world, with easy accessibility to share links and feeds with friends via social media networks that increase the possibility of the content going viral. They even have a 'magazine/reality' show uncovering the America's Cup, and while the content is fairly mild when you consider the debaucheries that most major TV networks air to appeal to my generation, it's a good start. There are, however, still some things I take issue with - mainly the pervasive lack of confidence the organization exudes in an overall sense about the success of the new format and product. Whenever I go on the website and read new articles or press releases, or see the America's Cup asking for viewer input, I get the feeling they do not believe yet that they have created an event that is the best thing to happen to extreme sports since the snowboard was invented. They are constantly asking for opinions, advice, talking about test runs and trials, what worked, what didn't. No one actually seems 100% sure that they know what they are doing. The videos titled "What is the America's Cup?" and many of the other promotional videos give an aura of diffidence and completely lack assuredness. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12933 CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Redneck Dating Tip: Establish with her parents what time she is expected back. Some will say 10:00 PM; others might say "Monday." If the latter is the answer, it is the man's responsibility to get her to school on time. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Kaenon Polarized - West Marine - APS - North Sails North U - Melges Performance Sailboats - Ultimate Sailing LaserPerformance - Ullman Sails - Point Loma Outfitting J Boats - Doyle Sails - Quantum Sails Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
