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SCUTTLEBUTT 3154 - Thursday, August 12, 2010Scuttlebutt 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: Ullman Sails and Lewmar. A LIFESTYLE, NOT A BOAT By Kimball Livingston, yachting journalist (August 11, 2010) - Our topic today is a peculiar phenomenon, rather like a wildflower that grows only on the mid-altitudes of the southeastern slopes of steep hills in chalky soil in some exotic region yonder. It's also an example of how good a sailing class can be. I'll try to explain the Knarr by telling you that it's not about buying a boat, it's about buying into a way of life. Not because the boats are fast. They're not. Much less comfortable. Or even because they're pretty, which they are. No, they are loved. If this fleet could bottle and sell the secret sauce that binds and inspires its people, every fleet everywhere would pony up to buy some. We're talking loyalty. The Knarr - I hear most of you asking, Knarr? Knarr? WTF? The 42nd International Knarr Championship continues tomorrow (Thursday) on San Francisco Bay - is actively raced in only three places: Norway, Denmark and San Francisco Bay. But when I say actively, the accent is on active. Some high-level, professional-level talents race these boats, but not to improve their careers. More than one hotdog has dropped in, expecting to make a killing, and discovered that it just is not easy. The irony, and the beauty, is that if you get to the top of the Knarr fleet, the world couldn't care less. But, if you sail Knarrs (in the Oslofjorden they pronounce the 'K' you are family, and it is just possible that in these times, family has value that trumps celebrity. The International Knarr Championship rotates among the three Knarr homes. You qualify out of your local fleet, and when you arrive at the regatta you are a guest at your own party, hosted, housed and feted. When the IKC comes to your town, you return the favor. Boats are provided out of the local fleet, by draw. The rule applies to locals, too, and nobody gets to sail a boat they own. It is quite the way to make friends in faraway harbors and really experience a place. But why is it so successful? I've been watching this fleet for decades, and participating on occasion, and I don't know the answer to that any more than I could tell you why one production of A Midsummer Night's Dream is pure magic and another falls flat. As ever, it's about the people. Longtime competitor Knud Wibroe tells me, "The Knarr is a lifestyle that involves the whole family. There's a support group who don't own boats, but they participate ashore. We have a wealth of volunteers. On that measure, we are the envy of all the classes on San Francisco Bay." -- Read on: http://kimballlivingston.com/?p=4194 SKANDIA SAIL FOR GOLD Weymouth, England (August 11, 2010) - The damp cold weather from Tuesday was replaced today by sunny skies as the fleets completed the qualifying rounds of Skandia Sail for Gold 2010. The Gold fleets will be separated out tonight, and Thursday will get down to the business end of the regatta. The current standings amid the Olympic events find the contingent from North America mostly nipping at the podium, but with only a few teams making a strong case to land a medal finish. Leading the cause are the Americans from their 2008 Olympic Team, with Zach Railey pulling a 4-1 today to hold down 4th overall in the Finn, and skippers Anna Tunnicliffe and Sally Barkow advancing to the gold round in Women's Match Racing after strong results in the early elimination series. Racing concludes on Saturday August 14th. Event website: http://www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk/ U.S. team update: http://tinyurl.com/2crllzl Canada team update: http://tinyurl.com/28aerk9 Follow US sailors on their blogs/websites: Team Tunnicliffe: www.teamtunnicliffe.com Zach Railey: http://www.zach2012.com/ Erik Storck/Trevor Moore: http://storckmooresailing.com/ Peet Must/Carl Horrocks: http://www.barnegatbay49er.com/ Rob Crane: http://robcraneracing.com/Blog/Blog.html Clay Johnson: http://www.claysails.com/ Andrew Campbell/Brad Nichol: http://campbellnichol2012.blogspot.com/ Stu McNay/Graham Biehl: http://www.teammb.org/ Amanda Clark/Sarah Chin: http://www.teamgosail.org/ Maxwell/Kinsolving Farrar: http://www.470teamusa.com/wordpresstesting/ Doerr/Kendell/Freund: http://teamusa674.com/ Ben Barger: http://www.benbarger.com/ Farrah Hall: http://www.farrahhall.com/ * BACKGROUND: Skandia Sail for Gold is the final ISAF Sailing World Cup event of the 2009-2010 series. Held at the venue of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Regattas in the towns of Weymouth and Portland, England, Sail for Gold has attracted more than 975 sailors from 57 countries. A FULL PODIUM AT GYA LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP Ullman Sails customers swept the podium last weekend at the 73rd Annual Commodore Bernard L. Knost Ladies Championship, sailing Flying Scots in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Congratulations to the Buccaneer YC team who took first place with full Ullman inventory! Pass Christian YC finished in second place (main & jib), followed by Pontchartrain YC in third with full inventory. The two-day regatta consisted of three races with a different skipper for each race. Ullman Sails held the top three spots through the entire regatta! Other top customers included Gulfport YC in 5th place and Long Beach YC in 7th place. -- http://www.ullmansails.com LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY SERIES TO END IN 2010 by Stuart Streuli, Sailing World Have we seen the end of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Series? Of the World Sailing Teams Association? Last week's press release from the WSTA announces that preparations for a January 2011 LVT stop in Hong Kong have ceased. The Dubai event, slated for November, is still on, but is ominously called the "last regatta." Buried in the release is the mention of "multiple America's Cup Championship regattas." which will lead up to the 34th America's Cup. These ACC events (now that's not too confusing, the soon-to-be-replaced America's Cup Class and the soon-to-be-announced America's Cup Championship regatta series sharing the same acronym) appear to be the updated version of the ACTS that preceded the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia (you know, the one with multiple challengers). What is conspicuously absent from the release is any mention of the role Louis Vuitton and the WSTA will play in the ACC regattas or the America's Cup in general. From the BMW Oracle Racing team's perspective, this is a fairly straightforward baton pass from the WSTA to BMW Oracle Racing. The organization served its purpose and now the defender is going to take over responsibilities for all America's Cup-related racing. Whether this is a bully move (it's our sand box and we're going to control it) or simply the most efficient way to transition into the 34th America's Cup is anyone's guess. This probably means the end of the WSTA, it's hard to think what purpose it would serve without this series. But we've been surprised before. As for Louis Vuitton's relationship with BMW Oracle Racing, that is still strong and the two are actively talking about LV's roll in the lead up to the 34th America's Cup and the match itself. There will be America's Cup Championship racing in 2011, where is yet to be determined. The Version 5 boats will be used for these regattas with the new design phasing into the competition in the winter of 2011-'12. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/2c57934 THE "POPE" OF SAILING By Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt My first encounter with Paul Henderson was at the 1986 U.S. Snipe Nationals on Lake Chautauqua in NY, where he roared up and down the course in a small aluminum boat to educate the fleet on the kinetics, a section of the rule book for which he holds strong opinions. Having an on-the-water judge was a new feature back then, but as Paul recalls, "I have been told it was the fairest Snipe regatta ever run as I disqualified no one. I was in the boat by myself roaring up and down the course visible to all and they were all so paranoid they played the game by the rules which they all knew." Little did I know at the time that this forceful bald man was THE Paul Henderson, who had blazed a trail from his early days on Toronto Island in Canada through three decades of Olympic sailing competition, and would ultimately become the president of the sport's highest administrative body - International Sailing Federation - from 1994 to 2004. His hand in the development of Toronto sailing, and his influence amid the International Olympic Committee, are stuff of legend. Now at the tender age of 75 years, Paul provides the stories of his life in a book titled 'The "Pope" of Sailing'. Paul has lived his life far from the constraints of the politically correct world, and his strong opinions provide enlightened reading. This book is truly a behind-the-scenes tour, and Paul is as likely to salute people's intelligence and generosity as he is to flame others for their self-serving tactics that short changed the sport. The depth of his stories is remarkable, and Paul pulls no punches in telling them. From start to finish, this is a tale full of life and love. At nearly 400 pages, I was curious about Paul's motivation to air out the past. "I speak at many clubs in the Toronto area," noted Paul. "Several times people asked me to write the stories down so I did." He admits to having an 'elephant's memory', but with so many situations detailed in the book, some dating back quite a few years, I wondered if anyone had questioned his recollection of a situation. "When anyone questions the facts according to the 'Pope', I cavalierly respond: "When you write your book you can correct them." -- Scuttlebutt Forum, post comments here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10267 THE "BIG INLANDS" When the humidity in the Midwest is hovering at a solid 70% dewpoint, the VFW's and Lion's clubs are having their annual corn-roasts, and Lake Minnetonka is about as warm as a Jacuzzi, it must mean it is the middle of August and that the annual Inland Lake Yachting Association (ILYA) "Big Inland" Championships are just around the corner. Although this event does not draw the big numbers it used to when my old man was racing C-Scows, it still draws the top talent in each class as sailors in the midwest are still eager to etch their names on class trophies which date back to the early 1900's. This week is special for many as it culminates a summer of hard work and provides a chance to race against the best scow sailors in the country. A unique aspect of the Big ILYA is it allows a competitor to compete in several class championships with the E and MC Scows kicking the week off with racing on August 12-14, then the A Scows take over on the 15th-17th, followed by the C Scows on the 18-21st. Lake Geneva always draws a big fleet in each class as it is close for many of the Wisconsin teams who shy away from the event when it is close to the Minnesota border...maybe this has something to do with it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ys7MMWkqgY), or this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgxSzxIxPrY) ... regardless, it is always fun to race in Lake Geneva with its scow history, proximity to Melges headquarters and the big draw of the event. -- Read on: http://42marine.com/up-next-e-scow-ilya-champs/ INTRODUCING LEWMAR'S NEW EVO WINCH If you'd like to take a peek at Lewmar's new Evo winch range, look no further. Offshore yachtswoman Lia Ditton explains some of the Evo's neat features in a short informative video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRuoklkHD24 Click on the link to find out why everyone from leading boat builders to round-the-world racers choose to install quality winches from Lewmar. Now with a 7-year warranty, isn't it time to find out more about Lewmar's Evo winch? SPORTSMANSHIP PREVAILS AT NORTH AMERICAN CHALLENGE CUP Chicago, IL (August 11, 2010) - In sailing we often hear the term 'Corinthian spirit' used, although anyone who has faced the protest room knows that isn't always the reality. But at the 2010 North American Challenge Cup, good old fashion sportsmanship was the theme to the end of Chicago Yacht Club's annual regatta for disabled sailors. Just before the awards were to be handed out, and after press release was issued announcing the winners, Kristi Walker, the pronounced winner in the 2.4mR class discovered a scoring error and pointed it out to her competitor Nigist Sewnnet, which ultimately bumped Walker to second place. The event had attracted 36 competitors who represented twelve U.S. states as well as international sailors from Canada and Antigua. Three classes competed in this regatta: 2.4mR, the Sonar and the Freedom 20. While the other NACC competitors were enjoying the cocktail hour leading up to the evening's awards ceremony, Walker and Sewnnett approached the Race Committee and requested the rescoring of the races in question. "The competitors in the 2.4mR class identified scoring errors in the finishes for three of the four races held on Monday. Races #6, #7, and #8 were found to be in error, according to the testimony of four of the five competitors," explained Race Committee member Ann Rundle. "It was pretty powerful that the woman who was scored initially as winning, came up to the real winner, Nigist, to inform her there was a mistake and it needed to be corrected. That's what makes this such a great regatta." After revisions to scoring, Walker and Sewnnet ended in a tie. Given Sewnnet's higher number of 1st place finishes, the Canadian Paralympic hopeful was ultimately cast as the winner. -- Revised results: http://tinyurl.com/247zb97 SAILING SHORTS * Tallin, Estonia (August 11, 2010) - The penultimate day of the 2010 Marinepool Melges 24 World Championship saw eight to twelve knot breezes which enabled the Race Committee to run three excellent races and in the process, catch up with the original programme. Turning in a seven, five, one scoreline, Italian Lorenzo Bressani on Uka Uka Racing with Jonathan Mc Kee (USA) onboard now takes a thirty-two-point lead into the final day. Norway's Oyvind Peder Jahre on Storm Capital Sail Racing Team holds a five point lead in the Corinthian Division. -- Full story: http://www.melges24.com/?p=news/&id=2356 * In June, for the eighth month in a row, the U.S. brokerage sailboat market made gains both in unit sales and sales valuation compared to the same month a year earlier. The increases in June, as in May, were smaller than they were in the first four months of the year, but according to sales reported by yacht brokerage members of YachtWorld.com, unit sales for the first half of 2010 were cumulatively up 21 percent to 2,974 boats and total valuation of sales was up 32 percent to $225 million. -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0811/ * The sailinganarchy.com sailing website and associated individuals are named on a libel and slander lawsuit filed August 4, 2010 in state court in San Diego by sailor and First Marblehead Chief Executive Daniel M. Meyers. The complaint details a baseless and mean-spirited smear campaign toward Myers by the defendants. Myers is represented by Barry Langberg with Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck of Los Angeles. -- Details: http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/08/09/Sailing.pdf CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: Aug 13-15 - Laser Masters North Americans - Long Beach, CA, Aug 13-15 - Mercury Class Championship - San Pedro, CA, USA Aug 13-14 - The Flip Flop Regatta - Boston, MA, USA Aug 14-20 - U.S. Snipe Nationals - Annapolis, MD, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS AND FORUM Please email 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 Keith W. Kenitzer: After reading "2010 12 METRE ERA REUNION BECKONS SAILING'S ELITE" and "LATEST THOUGHTS ON AC34" I am struck by how tradition and history are so often tossed out the window in the name of progress. Clearly the 12 Metre Era was a special time in the America's Cup. Yes the boats were "sleds" and maybe not very technologically advanced, especially as compared to current and future cup boats, but the racing was close and exciting to watch. It would be hard to beat the spectacle that was 1987 in Australia in the 12's. Then the new ACC boats were introduced, the design matured and we had another fantastic group of races in Spain a few years ago. Now, talk of more new boats. Why? It seems to me the action is best when the design is mature, everyone has access to the same technology, and the racing is close. In my opinion, although the techno-geeks are interested in pushing the design envelope even further, most fans are simply interested in close racing. "Ol' Skool" is a common term these days for those who seem to like the classics - I guess I am in the "ol' skool" camp when it comes to the AC. Then again, I also prefer vintage car racing over Formula One and Sinatra over Lady Gaga, or any other "flavor of the month". * From Alex Arnold: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3152) I don't think the problem with Sen. Kerry's tax move is the move itself. I think it's the hypocrisy of the senator who has repeatedly attacked U. S. corporations who legally shelter earnings offshore. Of course most of us would do it. It's also not a lot of $$$ for him, since he's using the late Sen. Heinz widow's inheritance. That's it; he's trying to save his wife's money. * From Jeffry Matzdorff: While 99.9% of us 'would do/have done' exactly the same thing as Senator Kerry, 99.9 % of us are not running for, nor holding a political office voted into that office by taxpaying citizens. * From Dennis Cherone: I myself joined the "Ensenada 91 Day Yacht Club" when we bought our new Beneteau 411 LE in 2003. We went and stayed on the boat at Hotel Coral every other weekend. We had a great time in Ensenada. We saved around 15K in sales tax. It was worth the effort. I'm just an average sailor not rich John Kerry. The rich always have ways (Lawyers) to beat the system. In SoCal average, rich, and really wealthy people all take advantage of the 91 day yacht club. * From Matt Ciesicki: The John Kerry tax-skipping issue has been settled, I believe. Pretty sure I read that he agreed to pay both the Mass sales and use taxes. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Famous Last Words: "The odds of that happening have to be a million to one!" Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Lewmar. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
