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SCUTTLEBUTT 2455 – October 17, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. DIAZ FAVORED TO BE KING When racing starts at the U.S. Championship of Champions this Thursday, October 18 at Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego, Calif., the starting line will be packed with familiar names from across the country's one-design sailing community. This should be no surprise, the event - which wraps up on Saturday, October 20 - is known as one of the toughest one-design competitions since it brings together the country's top 19 one-design sailors of all ages who have won major events in their respective one-design classes in the last year. The Championship, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard, is held in a different one-design boat every year in a different part of the country. This year's event is sailed in Snipes, which could make Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.), the 2003 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year who has countless Snipe titles to his name, the odds-on favorite. But a win by Diaz is by no means guaranteed because he will be joined on the starting line by sailors such as 19-year-old Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, Pa.) who won the Laser Radial Youth World Championship and the U.S. Singlehanded Championship this year, 70-year-old seasoned Sunfish sailor Dick Tillman (Syracuse, Ind.) who is the oldest of fleet, US Sailing Team member and Olympic hopeful Carrie Howe (Grosse Point, Mich.) representing the Formula 18 class at this event, and several others. And perhaps the upset could come from local favorite Jake La Dow (San Diego, Calif.), who at age 14 is the youngest of the fleet and qualified after winning the Naples Sabot Junior National Championship last year. * For a complete list of entrants, as well as daily reports and photos as the event is happening, visit the event website at http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC * Past winner and Scuttlebutt publisher Craig Leweck will be onsite to provide US Sailing with their daily reports from the event. If you have any inside information on any of the entrants, send it to mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com IN THE DEFENSE OF THE CANADA’S CUP Following the Canada’s Cup this past weekend, which pitted Canadian defender Honour against the American challenger Heartbreaker, Scuttlebutt editor’s received the following letter from reader John McLeod of Toronto: “Sailing was cancelled on Saturday because the wind was over 22 knots - conditions most of us around here regard as pretty normal, especially at this time of year. Does somebody need to show these superstars how to put in a reef, or are they worried the breeze will blow their skirts up?” Team Heartbreaker Press Officer Alan Block provides some insight into what led to the cancellation of racing on Saturday: “On Friday night, Alec Krstajic, owner of Honour, asked his diver to take a look at the rudder in the morning. I heard him say, "It feels a bit sticky." Saturday morning, the diver went down and reported to Alec that the rudder bearing had apparently dropped a little. Alec went to the Jury and asked for a delay so that they could haul and repair the bearing. Given the forecast for strong winds, Alec's claim was that it was a safety issue. Pursuant to the rules of the match, the jury can give time to a competitor for this type of issue. “Team Honour went through with the repair, and said that the epoxy/4200 would be hard by around 2 p.m., so the Jury set a new warning time of 4:00pm. However, by that time, the wind had held true to forecast and increased to 25 knots sustained with frequent puffs to 30. The rules stipulate racing is not allowed with a one-minute average over 22 knots, so the PRO appropriately abandoned all racing for the day. “There were complaints that the repair was a slick bit of gamesmanship, as Heartbreaker is acknowledged as one of the better heavy-weather Farr 40's out there, having won Key West and Miami a few times. The wind would have easily allowed two races in the morning when the conditions were measured at 15-20 knots of breeze. If Honour had defended the Cup successfully, there would be a lot of yelling going on about this, but given the result, it's water under the bridge. However, for a few hours, it felt like Valencia, or the New York Supreme Court.” * On the future of the Canada’s Cup, winning skipper Robert L. Hughes replies, “We have some good changes planned to build on the Cup and to capitalize on the momentum and rich history of the event...having it at Macatawa Bay YC on Lake Michigan will be really cool and there is a chance to get a lot more teams involved. We can’t yet announce anything until we work out the detail with the Club, but I can tell you it will be a big and better event! Great Lakes sailing needs this.... heck the sport needs it. This Cup has so much history and is the best kept secret, but we are going to change that, and make it something that kids growing up will dream about winning some day.” -- http://www.mbyc.com DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN In 1983, Ben and Nan Hall built and raced an Evelyn 32. Fast-forward to 2008 and you’ll find them on the starting line in Key West racing an Evelyn 32 of the same vintage. What hardware and rigging did they choose to bring the boat into the new millennium? How much have rigging systems and materials changed over the years? Which hardware has made sailing easier? Visit our website and find inspiration in the details of their summer-long refit. Included is a list of their deck hardware and running rigging. http://www.hallspars.com WHAT ERNESTO DID, AND DIDN'T DO Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) had big ideas for America's Cup 33. A seasoned competitor, he personally experienced the trials and torments of two America's Cup campaigns, and he triumphed, twice. As he looked at AC33, he saw a different competition, but to achieve it, he would definitively break with tradition to created it. At the very least, it should be something to consider. Whatever the motivation, it's a different way of looking at America's Cup; maybe it's even an improvement, one that's right for this century. Anyway, that's what Ernesto did. What he didn't do was sell it. Ernesto's radical new concept was wrapped in the argot of the legal document known as the Protocol for the 33rd Edition of the America's Cup. It was casually, officiously and arrogantly thrown in the face of the America's Cup community at yet another pompous, one-sided Valencia press conference, without any kind of pre-amble, pre-sell, discussion, presentation, articulation, introduction, explanation, elucidation or celebration of what, in fact, might actually be a reasonable, although controversial, concept. Ernesto didn't articulate anything, and perhaps couldn't. His lawyers only did lawyerly things. Brad Butterworth, a good lad from the Waikato, did his best, but he didn't explain the grand design either. Nobody did. As a result, everyone in the America's Cup community became confused, frustrated, angry, fearful, worried, and majorly concerned in a major way. And when the dust settles, and everyone reads and finally digests the protocol, they go bats**t. Some more than others. The tragedy isn't that Ernesto came up with a new concept…. he just didn't explain it. * Curmudgeon’s Comment: Scuttlebutt has had numerous off the record conversations, and it continually comes up that if the Protocol was better presented, everything would have been different. Ernesto Bertarelli’s recent US tour appeared to be an attempt to amend this, but as many at the US Boat Show commented, it is too little, too late. The story above is an edited excerpt from the America’s Cup View blog; for the full story, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2lgysd A HUGE WIN IN NEWPORT US 2008 Olympic Laser rep Andrew Campbell reflects on the completion of his Trials in Newport, RI: “This past week was exceedingly exhausting mentally, physically, and emotionally. The regatta was sailed in very trying conditions. Temperatures never reached 65 after the first day of the regatta, and all but one of the 16 races were sailed in more than 12 knots of breeze. The wind was simply relentless and the daily grind of beach launch, combined with cold, windy conditions ashore and on the water made the event a miserable existence for many of the weekend warriors that showed up to sail the event. Massive waves, as much as 8 feet, and steady 18-22 knot breezes created conditions that were deemed unsafe by the race committee one day… not because the Lasers could not handle it, but because there were not enough safety boats according to the next morning’s briefing. “That said, Sail Newport did one heck of a job with the racing. The committee work and jury were top notch and the circus tent that held us all week kept us out of the rain. When you hear sailors complain about a facility it is usually a reflection of bad sailing conditions. I want to set the record straight that there might not be a better venue for sailboat racing in October in the United States (than Third Beach in Newport, RI). We had 8 days (over the course of nine on the calendar) of 8-25 knots of breeze, hardly ever too shifty to sail and never too light. Access to the ocean was extremely easy, and outside boat traffic was minimal (although we may have screwed up some lobsterman’s routes through the week). I think I speak for most of the sailors when I say that this venue wore us out. However, when Dave Wright (my Canadian training partner) and I were packing up our boats in the dark empty parking lot Monday evening, we laughed about how few places there really are where after 6 weeks of sailing we would just as soon stay and keep training. It was relatively cheap, the restaurants are good, the people speak English, and the wind is relentless.” -- Complete report: http://campbellsailing.com/index.php/2007/10/16/a-huge-win-in-newport/ WIND AND BATTERIES REQUIRED The International One Metre (IOM) R/C World Championship is occurring this week in Marseille, France. Seventy-six boats are competing in this semi-annual event, of which four Americans were permitted based on country allotments. Sanctioned in the U.S. in 1998, the IOM is the fastest growing R/C Model Yacht class in the world. The rules in this class are identical to those used throughout the globe, which maintains that the IOM has a minimum weight of 8.8 lb, a required removable keel at 5.5 lb, and a required bumper included in its 1 meter (39.4 inch) length. Three closely controlled suits of sails are allowed, the largest at over 800 sq. in. area. The dimensions of the IOM allow it to be transported fully rigged in vehicles that have fold down rear seats. The close control of weight and sail rigs make this class sail much closer to being one design sailing than open class competition. This boat requires 18 inches of water to sail, and because of its long, deep keel, it is relatively sensitive to weedy water. With a selection of three sets of sails and its stable 8.8 lb weight, this boat has a wind performance envelope of 0 to 20+ kts. As in other open design classes, the hull can be scratch-built or obtained as molded fiberglass hulls from multiple manufacturers around the world. Investment, with a two (max) channel radio, starts at $400 for scratch-built versions with two suits of sails. Most manufactured fiberglass hulls start above $500. Lots of races for this class, all over the world. Next big event in California will be the Governors Cup in San Diego at Mission Bay Park, November 3-4, which will attract competitiors from as far north as San Francisco. -- Jim Atkinson. Some photos of last year’s Governors Cup 06: http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x294/IOM272/Governors%20Cup%202006/ * IOM Worlds site: http://robor.assoc.orange.fr/world_1m/index.htm THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU... Team One Newport has the perfect ‘Thank You’ gift for your skipper. Get the crew together to say Happy Holidays or just Thanks for a wonderful sailing season to the person who made it all happen for your team. Give a Chelsea Clock or Barometer with a base, and we can even engrave a plaque for you. Chelsea has beautiful clocks, thermometers, or compass chart weights available. Remember when you're making your list and checking it twice, to always visit the Team One Newport website or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) for all your sailor's needs. -- http://www.team1newport.com SAILING SHORTS * When the US Sailing One-Design Sailing Symposium (ODSS) kicks off on Friday evening, November 16, in Columbus, Ohio, sailors better be ready for a weekend filled with numerous educational sessions led by such sailing legends as one-design and racing rules expert Dave Perry, multiple one-design champion Greg Fisher, and sailing author Stuart Walker, to name a few. The Symposium, which runs through Sunday, November 18 - and is sponsored by Gowrie, Barden & Brett - is geared towards one-design sailors who are interested in keeping the one-design sector of the sport healthy and thriving and in improving their own sailing skills. -- Complete details: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2007/odss2.asp * Sjoukje Bredenkamp, 19, from Langebaan, South Africa has broken the outright women's speed sailing record in Luederitz, Namibia, setting a pace of 42.35 knots over the 500-meter course. Sjoukje has been the female kite-boarding world record holder since October 2006, when she broke the record in Walvis Bay with a speed of 37.24 knots. Sjoukje was riding a 5-metre Helix kite, a new model in the Naish Sigma range, a revolutionary new shape in the kite-boarding world, and a specially designed speed board from Cape Doctor kite-boards in Table View (record not yet ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council). -- Full story: http://allafrica.com/stories/200710160500.html * Greenwich, CT -- Indian Harbor Yacht Club graciously hosted a terrific, if testing Etchells Long Island Sound Championship last weekend that was the curtain call for the Northeast circuit as the Etchells fleet now heads south to Annapolis, Oriental, and then Miami for the Jaguar Cup series. Hank Lammens, Dirk Kneulman and Steve Girling didn't feel like Champions after a torrid time on Long Island Sound Saturday followed by another shift fest on Sunday, but when the scores were tallied, they had 5 of 6 results in the top 5 and that was good enough to lift the Bill and Gay Lynn Trophy. -- Results: http://www.indianharboryc.com/sailing/pdf/etchellschamps07.pdf LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Bob Steel: Cheers to Courtenay. SORC was a great series… how about another? St Pete/Clearwater, St Pete/Ft Lauderdale, Miami/Lauderdale, Miami/Nassau, Governors Cup. A true test of boats & crews & a whole lot of fun. * From Patrick Dietz: Could you PLEASE post a warning or disclaimer if there is going to be inappropriate content on a linked article such as that in the Grass Is Always Greener article (Issue 2454) on the GB 49er team. I, along with MANY people I know, receive this distribution at highly regulated banks or financial companies. Links such as that found in the article can be grounds for severe reprimand never mind termination. While the article was fine for reporting purposes, (pornographic) pictures such as that should not be a surprise when they pop up on a monitor. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: You are right… we will be more careful in the future. * From By Baldridge: The feel good story of the Olympic trials has to be John Dane. Forty years after his first attempt at the Olympic team (in Dragons), John has finally achieved Olympic status. He has been the bridesmaid more times (five by my count), in more classes (Dragon, Soling, Finn, and Star), than anyone. John is one of the two best natural sailors I have had the privilege of sailing with in my career. Hats off to John, a true Corinthian. * From Bill Munster: I think one of the most remarkable results from the Olympic Trials was the “Old Man From The South”…John Dane beating all those young “whipper snappers”. I remember racing with and against John going back to the late 60’s…he is now trying to follow his idol..G. Shelby “Buddy” Freidrichs to win a gold medal. John has always been one of the most competitive and fair sailors on the course…a little loud of course, but that’ s OK…Go for the GOLD…”Old Guys Rule!” * From Jeff Hutchins: The Russian choice of British designer Rob Humphreys to design their Volvo Ocean Race entrant seems to scream budgetary deficiencies. I can’t help but think that with the race’s new course, and with the tight design and ramp up period, that the computational muscle and experience of Bruce Farr and Juan K would smoke any newcomer. When Humphreys himself says that the schedule “has placed a strong emphasis on intuition through the design process,” I would be kind of worried sitting with someone whose last entry was 14 years ago in the VOR 60 class. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Women who seek to be equal to men lack ambition. Special thanks to Hall Spars & Rigging and Team One Newport. |
