|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1970 -- November 18, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.GUEST EDITORIAL For the past four years I have been on the Optimist circuit with my son who is very active in the racing. I have watched this class grow and change very much. Not change in a good way. It seems as though when we started we would show up at a regatta local or national and my son would rig his boat, put his life jacket on, kiss me goodbye and go off racing for the day. I thought it was safe to assume that the people setting these regattas up would have sufficient people on the water if for some reason there was a problem of any sort. I would say 90% of these kids that show up at a regatta today have a coach. So now they are in a group before, during and after the races with the same kids speaking with the same person. Good and bad. Good: some of the kids are getting very good from this. Bad: from a social aspect these kids do not mingle and just hang with all kids. They stay very separate with their group only. They also wait for their coaches to tell them which way to go as to the coach truly coaching them. It is obvious. The last time I was at a small local regatta I saw an entire group of eight kids all go the same way in every race. Must have been what the coach said to do. The kids who show up without a coach, to just go racing, have a hard time. Last spring we showed up at a regatta and at the gate they were checking people. The man asked me "Who are you with?" I said, I am here with my son. He was totally confused and didn't know what to say so he repeated himself. I repeated myself and asked him to tell me what he really wanted to know. He really wanted to know what "Team" we were with. It all made sense. They had designated separate space for each team to be set up in for the entire week. This really does not promote interaction between kids. So, I pleasantly told the man we would take care of ourselves as we were not with a team and proceeded to drive away. It is the big picture I am concerned about and the new kids coming in. I have heard the old people who have been around a while actually say to the new ones," You should get a coach and a team right away before you go any further". They are missing the point. These kids are kids between the ages of 8-15. Let them go and sail and learn on their own and develop to be who they will be. Don't tell them who they need to be next to and sit with. That will happen all by itself. -- Susie Sailor ANOTHER OPTION An esteemed Scuttlebutt reader (who shall remain nameless to preserve his professional sailing career) has submitted the following concept for Olympic competition, which may just be the ticket to gain better ratings than the boring sport we all know and love: "Each country selects an Olympic sailor based on their looks and sex appeal. These sailors are put on a deserted tropical island where various sailboat parts have been hidden. Each week the sailors search for the parts and compete in challenges to win tools they can use to assemble boats from the parts. One sailor each week is voted off the island. Once ten boats have been assembled, the 10 remaining sailors race across shark-infested waters where the rules allow collisions, piracy and throwing people to the sharks. The winner gets a gold medal, a million dollars, and the chance to have all the free cosmetic surgery they desire, or a job with Donald Trump, a date with Johnny Depp or a chance to edit Scuttlebutt for a day. Perhaps you could also include some preliminary racing called "Acts" before the big race to boost interest in the event. In these Acts, the previous gold medalist could race in his fully tuned Gold-medal-winning boat and pummel everyone, but chances are the US TV market wouldn't care. Another idea is to double the points for the final race based on who completed their boat first, but that might seem too confusing." Additional format suggestions can be posted here: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=987#987 CONTEST: BEST EVENT Last week we started a contest on the Scuttlebutt Forums from a thread that was looking for low-key fun events that helped to grow the sport in a healthy direction. The following top three event submissions were chosen: * Seattle Duck Dodge: Tuesday night racing all summer long, held in the middle of Seattle, WA. Only rules seemed to be avoiding ducks and having fun. - http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Rapids/1114 * The Good Old Boat Regatta: Held each October in Annapolis, MD for boats "of a certain maturity." Originally started in response to the arms-race conditions of "serious" racing, it rapidly became a social event. - http://www.goodoldboat.com/regatta_2004.html *Youngstown Level Regatta: Held each July in Youngstown, NY with 200 plus boats, all rafted off the break wall in the Niagra River, often as many as 10 out. Three huge parties with really good racing in between. - http://www.yyc.org/levelregatta/level_home.html Events can still be posted at: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=826#826 JUST ANOTHER DAY OF SAIL TESTING There's nothing like 45 knots on the nose to test the engineering of your sails! That's what Joe Harris and Josh Hall on the Open 50 Gryphon Solo blasted through in the 4,340-mile Transat Jacques Vabre (France to Brazil) race. Gryphon Solo and Artforms, both powered by Doyle inventories, are now leading their class. Call us for your suit of fast, better-engineered sails. 1-800-94-DOYLE; http://www.doylesails.com PAY BACK DAY Faith and determination were rewarded yesterday as Mike Sanderson swept into the lead, in ABN Amro 1, of the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. He had played the western side of the track south to 260 miles west of the Cape Verde islands and his patience was rewarded with a 35-mile jump over the previous leader, now second-placed Brasil 1, skippered by five-times Olympic medallist Torben Grael. Stuart Alexander, The Independent, complete story: http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article327708.ece ABN Amro One skipper Mike Sanderson said, "Today has been pay back day for our pre race plan of setting ourselves up to the West of the fleet, ever since we started working on this Leg in March with Mike Quilter and Ken Campbell, Mike has been drilling Stan (Honey, navigator - USA) and I about "The Road" - the place where he wanted us to go out too before we gybed to head down the Atlantic. Of course this hasn't been looking good on the scheds that are based on the gate mark at Fernando, because at times we have been sailing as far off course as 80 degrees, but over the past five or six scheds, now that were on the road, we have made some awesome gains and now hold a 30 mile lead over Brazil One. "Stan is the Man though … cool as a cucumber, he is working very long hours analyzing weather and also working on analysis of not only our boats performance but also the guys around us, so far our 10 months working together has been an absolute pleasure, and I am very much looking forward to the months of racing ahead." Neal McDonald yesterday recounted, "Getting warmer has also allowed the peeling off of a few layers and the chance to compare some of the battle wounds from the first night. Man, have some of the boys collected some whopper bruises - mainly from being washed down the deck into something more solid than the human body. Guillermo (Altadill) has damaged two little fingers and Tommy (Braidwood) his forearm in just this way. Neither complains and both get on with their jobs with little more than the odd wince - but they keep smiling - you have to be crazy to do this race- and certainly you need a good sense of humour." Position Reports -- Thursday, 2200 GMT 1. ABN Amro One, 4502 miles to finish 2. Brasil 1, +49 miles 3. ABN Amro Two, +52 miles 4. Ericsson Racing Team, +60 miles 5. Sunergy and Friends, +741 miles 6. Movistar, +1655 miles 7. Pirates of the Caribbean, +1711 miles Event website: www.volvooceanrace.com QUOTE / UNQUOTE * "These new Volvo 70s are wilder than anything else I have experienced. Sometimes they run away a little too fast and at times we have had to reduce the speed in order to keep the boat and ourselves alive." Magnus Woxén, Ericsson Racing Team A-LIST FINALE The reigning two-time ISAF women's world match-racing champion, a bevy of America's Cup sailors and a pair of A-list film stars highlight the inaugural Monsoon Cup, the 50th anniversary event of the Swedish Match Tour, Nov. 29-Dec. 4 in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Women's world champion Sally Barkow, who is also the reigning world champion of the Yngling class, joins a fleet that includes match-racing luminaries such as New Zealanders Dean Barker, Russell Coutts and Chris Dickson, Peter Gilmour of Australia and Sweden's Magnus Holmberg, all current or past America's Cup Class skippers and helmsmen. The field also includes Thierry Peponnet of France, skipper and helmsman of the K-Challenge for the America's Cup. Australia's Cameron Dunn is expected to compete for Italy's Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia syndicate for the America's Cup. Sweden's long-time match-racer Bjorn Hansen has also accepted an invitation, as well as England's up-and-comer Ian Williams. Two widely popular Asian film stars, Hong Kong's Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh of Malaysia, have said they'll make appearances at the event. The Monsoon Cup is the final event for Tour title sponsor Swedish Match. The seven-year sponsor of the Tour has said it will conclude its partnership at the end of the year due to a new Swedish law that prohibits tobacco companies from sponsoring sports events. -- www.SwedishMatchTour.com TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE Ellen MacArthur and Roland Jourdain are steeling themselves for the final 400 miles of the Transat Jacques Vabre, hoping that Sill can yet overhaul the 25-mile lead of Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron's Virbac for victory in the Open 60 monhulls. There is a tradition in this race where front-runners are difficult to dislodge from the lead, but MacArthur and Jourdain must try to break that as they near the finish in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The slightly larger sail plan of Virbac has served it well, with MacArthur and Jourdain given few tactical chances. "We have a tough fight ahead," said MacArthur. "But we are making the best of it with the boat and the conditions that we have." -- Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, complete story: http://tinyurl.com/b4h8h Class leaders at 1844 GMT Thursday: Banque Populaire 1422 nm to finish DTF (IMOCA 60), Virbac-Paprec 384 nm (ORMA 60), Gryphon Solo 1748 nm (Open 50 Monohull), Crepes Whaou ! 393 nm (Open 50 Multihull) -- http://www.jacques-vabre.com/pages_uk/accueil_uk2005.htm NEWS BRIEFS * Olivier de Kersauson and his Franco American crew on the 110' trimaran Geronimo have the final 24 hours of the Los Angeles Honolulu Challenge record attempt in their sights. After four days, three hours and 15 minutes of racing the final stage of this record attempt is going to be the most testing. Skipper de Kersauson describes the palpable atmosphere onboard as the crew give it everything they've got to break the current record of five days, nine hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds for this 2225 mile transpacific passage. -- www.superyachting.com * US Sailing and Vanguard Sailboats have extended and expanded their partnership. Under the new agreement, Vanguard will provide new boats, boat insurance and on-site service at six U.S. Championships and the 2007 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. An Official Sponsor of the US Sailing Team, Vanguard provides continued support of developing the growth of youth sailing at all levels by helping to provide for coaching, by continuing its presenting sponsorship of US Sailing's National Sailing Programs Symposium and support of the US Laser Radial Youth World Team. -- http://www.teamvanguard.com/ * The latest video on the Scuttlebutt website has nothing to do with sailing, unless you consider a few birds in a pet store talking about beer being part of the sport. Click here to view: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/budbirds TUNE UP NOW - BIG TIME RACING JUST AROUND THE CORNER! Key West Race Week is not too far off and it's time to check your running rigging. Get down to your rig shop or retailer and pick up some new Samson halyards, sheets or control lines. Look for familiar names like XLS Extra, WarpSpeed, Validator II and Validator SKB. Apex, AmSteel and AmSteel Blue are our high performance single braids. If you've been having trouble with your polyester covers melting on the drum ask for Samson ICE or Black Ice to cool down your problems. http://www.samsonrope.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Mark Gaudio, 'Sailing Mentor': It appears that the single largest concern with 'private' junior sailing is that it leads to youths being 'burned out' and leaving the sport prematurely. This is a concern-but it is not due to private coaching at all. The pressure to bring home the big pickle dish (trophy) that is planted into the youth's mindset by the average 'superpower' Yacht Club may clearly be at fault. There are many days of practice involved that take up countless hours of both the kids and parents time. Many of these practice sessions I am told are merely large 'babysitting sessions' with a sailing spin. In smaller groups, Private Sessions can accomplish much more in less time if the coach is motivated. There are talented youths that go unnoticed because they have not found a coach at the YC level with the passion to unleash their sailing prowess within. This is NOT because the YC Program is defunct. Sometimes a new voice with a different spin is all it takes to excite the youth. This equates to more sailors enjoying the sport. Can we let the kids decide where their having the most fun!!! Isn't this our primary concern? Some Yacht Clubs are more competitive than others-Some coaches more passionate-some parents more excitable. Fine! but let's don't let our 'adult baggage' trickle down to our kids. This will not grow our sport in the Corinthian manner that the writer of this piece hopes for. * From Donna Wotton: I think we've lost sight of everyone's goals in this negotiation. Do they really think that skewing the scoring of sailing will make it more exciting for TV coverage? Let's face it. Sailing is like golf. If you don't know the game, it's like watching grass grow. But there are millions of people out there glued to the TV on Sunday afternoon watching media heroes like Tiger fight their way back to the top of the field after a bad start, and fights to the finish on the last putt on the 18th hole. They didn't need to change the scoring to make it interesting or understandable. I taped almost every hour of coverage of the last Olympiad. I remember about 2 minutes of sailing coverage. No race coverage, not one interview, start or rounding. If the issue is about making sailing exciting for TV, how about on-board cameras, microphones, interviews, athlete profiles, and editing? Real coverage. Don't dumb it down and gloss it over. Get to the heart of it. What is the commitment from the broadcasters for sailing coverage in 2006? Is it worth sacrificing the integrity of the international scoring system and the medals going to the very best sailors for a total of five minutes of airtime? Or even necessary? If the broadcasters really have any intention of airing sailing, they should concentrate on their jobs of providing great coverage. Changing the scoring won't affect their viewership one way or the other. * From John Drayton: Good to see the progressive thinking on Olympic Scoring. After all, where would our sport be without the excellent TV coverage here in the US? Just my humble opinion, but the Olympic Committee and Television organizers really haven't gone far enough. We should make sure we give the TV viewers what they want. Take a page from our friends in NASCAR and eliminate rules about contact; Olympic sailing should actually encourage crashes and bumps. Maybe we could sail Team Races in the old demolition derby format, with a figure eight course that requires boats to cross each other at high speeds. Last team still floating wins. Think how much the media would love it! After all, without any TV coverage (and even the Olympics?), I'm guessing I'm just stuck with going out racing against my friends and family. And maybe that's not such a bad place. * From Christian Jensen (Regarding David Greening's letter): If you as a naval architect decide to design an ocean race boat knowing that the rule and your design will result in an un-seaworthy vessel with grand danger of breaking during the race you are simply acting in a very irresponsible way not fit for a professional. The analogy would be an architect/engineer team constructing a house that will collapse in the prevailing weather conditions for the locale where the house is going to be built. If this were to happen you can be assured that these characters would end up in court when the house falls down - with good reason. If a naval architect does the same, with full knowledge that the vessel is unsafe, he certainly should be held responsible too. If you even think that you are not responsible - please stop designing boats as you may put people in harms way. * From Gregory Scott: The Volvo 70's are off and running and so are the opinions. Once again it didn't take long before an opinion was expressed related to the health and safety of the crews but more pointedly claiming a disregard for safety coming from owners and designers. This type of comment has become part of our daily lives. Regardless of the fact that most people who make these comments likely survived school yard play structures and the hundreds of other now hopelessly dangerous elements of our past lives, they seem determined to want to save us all. I would have some sympathy for the words spoken if the Volvo 70 was a true one design manufactured and supplied by the event. But it isn't. The willingness of the author to subscribe to a theory that the designers and owners have a reckless disregard for the crews lives is ignorant of the facts. These people are all pros. The crews, designers, owners and builders. They are members of a club many of us wish we could join. At no time would they consider what is proposed. They all knew from day one that the play structure may have some risk. And yes it is a play structure. A venue for very serious play - but play none the less. Stepping off in new directions often has a risk. To suggest that risk is unmeasured and reckless demonstrates a disregard for those in the business. And once again tries to impart on all of us a simple no risk solution to life. It's close to Christmas .. so bah humbug on that thinking. * From Stan Hinman: The Volvo Ocean Race taunts itself as a "round the world race". Over the past several days it has come to the possibility that one, maybe two boats may end up getting shipped to Capetown. Rightfully so, the boat is not scored for completing the leg. But wouldn't it be ironic if a boat that won the round the world race didn't actually sail around the world? Its early in the game, a long way to go, a lot of time to tell. CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM If four out of five people 'suffer' from diarrhea...does that mean that one enjoys it? |
