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SCUTTLEBUTT 2954 - Tuesday, October 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 North Sails and Southern Spars. FORECASTING THE WEATHER During the 2008 Melges 24 North Americans in Annapolis, MD last November, the weather was deemed too cold for comfort. The problem was the class was coming back in a year for their World Championship - same time, same channel. To appease the naysayers and to encourage attendance, the class sought out alternative venues that might provide both good sailing conditions and tolerable temperatures. When no suitors stepped forward, the class and host Eastport Yacht Club made the best adjustment they could: they moved the event one week earlier to October 26-31. While the winds tend to be better in the fall for Annapolis, the temperature swings can be dramatic. Last weekend, the pendulum swung hard toward winter. Said Rob Beach of Annapolis Performance Sailing, "I worked the store this weekend and we literally sold every pair of 'warm' gloves we had in stock. We're making rush orders to stock back up." Brian Janney, who will be hiking for Terry Hutchinson next week, described the conditions as "COLD! It started to snow as we put the boat in." Moth World Champion Bora Gulari, who is tactician for Simon Strauss, commented how he was "Standing in a cloud blowing 20 (and) can't see end of boat." Good news for the 55 boat Worlds fleet . the sun came out on Monday, warming up to the 50's, with the forecast this week looking to get better. During the Worlds, North Sails and Sailing Weather Service will be providing free daily weather forecasts starting Monday, October 26th with a 5-day preview forecast on Sunday, October 25th. Prior to the start of the regatta, Sailing Weather Service will send out two long-range forecasts that will include: 1) A look at the climatology of Annapolis and the types of weather systems typically experienced during this time of year. This will include a "Wind Rose" graphic that details the wind climatology for late October. 2) A review of weather conditions experienced this season with a focus on the preceding weeks. The assessment will give a view of the current weather pattern so competitors gain an understanding of the conditions they may encounter during the event. 3) A general outlook forecast of the wind, weather, and any pronounced or unusual conditions seen to occur during the event. To sign up, visit North Sails' online weather center: http://www.na.northsails.com/tabid/7240/Default.aspx RAK MAKES THE GRADE By Stuart Streuli, Sailing World During Alinghi's first official press function in Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) on Saturday, Oct. 19, syndicate CEO head Ernesto Bertarelli hammered home how bringing the America's Cup to the little known emirate was motivated largely by his desire to expose the sport to a whole new legion of potential fans. "I don't think we need to promote the sport of sailing in Newport," he said, sounding downright televangelical. "I don't think we need to promote the sport of sailing in Valencia." That may have been among his motivations. But I'm confident it ranked behind the financial benefits of hosting the event in RAK and the competitive advantage of picking a site all but guaranteed to deliver the light, steady breezes and flat sea conditions perfectly matched to the capabilities of the team's monster catamaran. The sport's premiere event deserves better than to be used like some giant carrot to lure in the uninitiated. The Cup deserves the crowds of spectator boats seen in Auckland in 2003 and Valencia in 2007. The Cup deserves a knowledgeable fan base that can appreciate the majesty of the two most technologically advanced sailing craft ever built. The NFL doesn't use the Superbowl to whet the appetite of a franchise-less city. That's what exhibition games are for. A concept, ironically enough, that Bertarelli and company grasped so triumphantly a few years back with a stunning series of America's Cup Class exhibition events (aka, Acts) in Malmo, Sweden; Marseille, France; San Francisco; Newport, R.I.; and Trapani, Italy. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/pzadrw => Curmudgeon's Comment: After seeing the America's Cup venue, Stuart thinks it will work, disagreeing with BMW Oracle's concerns about inadequate wind, infrastructure, and security. Said Stu, "The time has come for the American challenger to put down its quill, put its lawyers out to pasture, crane its monster trimaran onto a ship, and put this unfortunate chapter in America's Cup history in the rearview mirror." 10 DAYS LEFT!!! North Sails is offering 10% SAVINGS plus FREE SHIPPING for one-design sails ordered by November 1st, 2009. Don't miss this opportunity to fly the world's fastest one-design sails at your next regatta (and save BIG at the same time!) Restrictions may apply, so call (619) 226-1415 and get connected with your nearest North Sails One-Design expert. This offer valid in North America only. http://www.onedesign.com WILL TWICE AS MUCH BE TOO MUCH? Last winter there were three round the world races occurring simultaneously: Volvo Ocean Race (crewed VO 70's), Vendee Globe (solo Open 60's), and the inaugural Portimao Global Ocean Race. This last one was a newbie on the circuit, designed to fill a niche in the realm of offshore ocean racing, where the opportunities for non-professional sailors to participate in these kinds of events was practically non-existent. There were two divisions available: Class40 doublehanded and Open 40 solo. Josh Hall and Brian Hancock were the initiators of the Portimao Global Ocean Race, but something went sideways between them, and now they both have created their own races for the second edition. Josh is behind the Global Ocean Race, while Brian is promoting the Portugal Ocean Race. Both races will be for Class40's only, which are designed around a box rule that is based primarily on a minimum displacement, maximum length, draft, beam, and sail area. Both races begin and end in Europe, both will begin in the fall of 2011, and both have endorsed the concept of having additional team members to allow for crew changes at leg stopovers if desired. The two races have some minor differences, so given that both Hall and Hancock claim there to be 90 active Class40's, maybe there is something for everybody. Here are the two races: Global Ocean Race - September 2011 to May 2012 - Officially endorsed by Class40 Association - Course has five legs with stops in South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil, and USA. - Two divisions: Solo (one person only), Doublehanded (up to six people, two on board) - Event website: http://www.globaloceanrace.com Portugal Ocean Race - October 2011 to May 2012. - Course has four legs with stops in South Africa, New Zealand and Brazil. - Three divisions: Solo (up to two people, one on board), Doublehanded (up to four people, two on board), and Fully crewed (up to six people, four on board). - Event website: http://www.portugaloceanrace.com Time will tell if both races survive, as neither race yet has the start/finish port that is typically a major source of funding. Will bad blood between Hall and Hancock sink their ships? Will there be enough Class40 interest to support both races? Stay tuned. LYING TO US THEN, OR LYING TO US NOW? When the America's Cup left American soil in 1983, it left a lot of things in its wake. Twenty-six years later, the controversy over who designed Australia II (and its famous winged keel) has returned, spewing lava and poisonous gases from its volcanic summit. Given that the rules required competing boats at that time to be designed by a national of the competing country, it was Ben Lexcen listed as the principle designer. However, Dutch naval architect Peter van Oossanen now states, "The fact is that AII's keel, aft-body, bustle and rudder were conceived and originally drawn by myself." Clearly, the question has become, 'Were you lying to us then, or are you lying to us now?' Mr. van Oossanen has presented his case that he was lying to us then. "The documentation supplied should be reflected on when people come forward who state that I told them that Ben had designed the keel, in meetings or in interviews during the months after September 1983," said van Oossanen. "There was no way in which I could reveal the truth. I have kept my promise made to Warren Jones on 19th March 1983 for 25 years and it is only now, after various people in the AII team itself have come out to say we had nothing to do with the design of Australia II, that I needed to speak out." Here is van Oossanen's documentation: http://www.oossanen.nl/a2/a2_patent.html IN DISPUTE OF VAN OOSSANEN'S CLAIMS John Longley is a veteran of five Australian campaigns for the America's Cup, including four straight Cup Matches, winning the Cup in 1983 onboard Australia II. In 2009 Longley was inducted in the America's Cup Hall of Fame, and is currently serving as the Event Director for the ISAF Sailing World Championships to be held in Fremantle in 2011. Here he provides his perspective on the Australia II design debate: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ After having watched the Australian media recently awash with stories on this thread, I thought I should say something on Scuttlebutt. I was Australia II's Project Manager and worked closely with Warren Jones (the Syndicates Executive Director) and Ben Lexcen in the early days of the Challenge when the design work was being done. Together with John Bertrand, who had already been appointed Skipper, that was it - the four of us. John lived in Melbourne so in the Perth office during that amazing time, there was only Warren and me. Both Warren and Ben are now dead, so that leaves me to tell what was going on in June 1981 when the breakthrough design was created. To help my memory of the facts I went down to the West Australian Maritime Museum (WAMM) and dove into the seven filing cabinets of documents that we donated to the WAMM when the Bond syndicate was wound up in 1990. It is all there waiting for some PHD student to sieve through and come up with the definitive story (although I think John Rousmaniere's article published four years ago in the American magazine Sailing World titled 'Who Designed Australia II?' just about does it). I only had half an hour, as I still work for a living, so I went straight to the file labeled Designer. Almost immediately I found documents that contradict some of Peter van Oossanen's claims (that he designed the winged keel). -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/1019/ COLLEGE SINGLEHANDED NATIONALS Qualifications have been completed for the 2009-2010 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association/ LaserPerformance Men's and Women's Singlehanded Nationals, hosted by Corpus Christi YC (TX) on November 6-8. Competing in Lasers and Laser Radials respectively, here are the participants scheduled to attend from the seven ICSA regional conferences: Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA): MEN: Charlie Buckingham, Georgetown University; Evert McLaughlin, Queen's University; Jesse Kirkland, St. Mary's College/MD; Chris Barnard, Georgetown University WOMEN: Mimi Roller, St. Mary's College/MD; Katrina Williams, Old Dominion University; Sara Morgan Watters, St. Mary's College/MD; Morgan Willson, Old Dominion University Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association (MCSA): MEN: Matthew Thompson, University of Minnesota; Charlie Igo, St. Thomas University; Andrew Fox, University of Wisconsin WOMEN: Christine Porter, University of Wisconsin; Lauren Knoles, Michigan State University New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA): MEN: Thomas Barrows, Yale University; Fred Strammer, Brown University; Cy Thompson, Roger Williams University; Luke Lawrence, Roger Williams University WOMEN: Anne Haeger, Boston College; Sarah Lihan, Yale University; Emily Billing, Yale University; Claire Dennis, Yale University Elizabeth Barry, Brown University Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NWICSA): MEN: Elliot Drake, University of Oregon WOMEN: Hannah Darrin, University of Washington Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference (PCCSC): MEN: Sean Kelly, Cal Maritime; Harrison Hatton, Stanford University WOMEN: Eliza Richartz, Stanford University; Kelsey Rupp, USC South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA): MEN: Juan Maegli, College of Charleston; Mitchell Hall, University of South Florida WOMEN: Allison Blecher, College of Charleston; Emilie Mademann, Eckerd College; Corey Hall, College of Charleston Southeastern Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SEISA): MEN: Jonathan Atwood, Texas A&M Galveston; Ben Robbins, Texas A&M Galveston WOMEN: Rebekka Urbina, Texas A&M Galveston ICSA website: http://www.collegesailing.org/ RIGGED FOR CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE The epitome of high performance one design class racing will be showcased at the Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis Melges 24 World Championships starting this week in Annapolis, USA. Due to the highly competitive nature of Melges 24 racing, this will definitely be a regatta that will truly test the abilities of the 55 teams entered. As the official supplier of the Melges 24 one design masts, Southern Spars wishes all teams a successful regatta and unforgettable sailing. Visit http://www.southernspars.com for more information on our high performance OD products such as carbon spinnaker poles, sprits, sail battens, composite stanchions and tubing. SAILING SHORTS * Clearwater, FL (October 19, 2009) - Following the first day of racing which was cancelled at the US SAILING's 2009 U.S. Multihull Championship (USMC), the 16 teams started to chip away at the race schedule today that uses a heat format to group racers based on their performance. With three more days of racing to go, 2007 winner John Casey (Longwood, Fla.) and crew John Williams (Long Beach, Calif.) are currently in the lead. -- http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USMHChampionship.htm * Valletta, Malta (October 19, 2009) - ICAP Leopard (GBR) was first home at the 606-nm 2009 Rolex Middle Sea Race to take line honours. Mike Slade's 100-foot Farr designed supermaxi was just over half an hour outside the mark set by George David and Ken Read two years ago. Of the 69 starters on Oct. 17th, 23 yachts have now retired, mostly due to damage resulting from the vicious squalls that persisted until midday today. With seven boats finished, the current overall leader is the Mark Mills designed 21-metre mini-maxi ALEGRE owned by Andy Soriano. -- Photos and details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/1019/ * Nassau, Bahamas (October 17, 2009) - In only its second year as an event, the 2009 International Junior Sunfish Championship attracted 25 competitors from 10 countries. The event was won by Ecuador's Jonathan Martinetti, who has also won the Junior North Americans and the North Americans this year. He is from Ecuador. -- Results: http://sunfish2009.nassauyachtclub.org/results-sunfish-worlds/SFjunior.htm * US SAILING announced the appointment, re-appointment and upgrade of Certified Race Officers, Judges and Umpires for September 2009. New Club Race Officers are John Devlin, Oxford, MD; Eric Feigel, Millburn, NJ; Jerry Moulton, Costa Mesa, CA; Ellen Reago, Brick, NJ; Kevin Reeds, Annapolis, MD; and John (Tony) Quinn, Keyport, NJ. Renewals were Ed Michels, Edgewater, MD. -- http://www.ussailing.org/raceadmin/announcements.asp * The RORC Rating Office announced that 2009 IRC certificates issued after 30th September 2009 will be charged at only 50% of the standard rate. This discount will apply to both new applications and to revalidated certificates from previous years, but only to certificates which will expire on 31st December 2009. This offer is timed to coincide with the start of major Autumn Series in the Northern hemisphere. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/ygcmv9t * There is still time to enter West Marine's "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, West Marine will award one prize of $10,000 to the designated Official Winner. Entry deadline is November 1st. -- http://www.westmarine.com/green 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 Eric Robbins: (Regarding the 1912 Richardson Cup being the second oldest sailing trophy in US history), I know of at least one older trophy. The Cedar Point Challenge Cup, another beautiful silver cup, is engraved with the first winner "The Swallow", Joseph Seaberg, 1911, plus two other winners from that era. Although the Cup was lost for decades, it was recovered in 1995 and has been contested most years since on the waters of Long Island Sound. => Curmudgeon's Comment: Here is a Forum thread that listed many of the old trophies in sailing history: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8068 * From Scott Boye, Friday Harbor: Regarding Roger Wilcox's interest in youth games, I've found that spontaneity is crucial along with a certain disregard for the standard sailing school rules. The advantage to playing games is that it lets kids be kids. Beginning sailors enjoy having a game to play, it encourages them to use the skills taught in class and can be an instructors sanity saver on light air days. I've always tried to tailor the games to the sailing skills of the group and not try to make it into too much of a competition. They're already getting a lot of that from the racing coach. Games that I like to play include sponge tag, pirate attack and ultimate Frisbee. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8452#8452 * From Jo Mogle: In response to getting kids involved -- and keeping them involved -- in sailing, US SAILING has a great little book, "Teaching Sailing the Fun Way" ($18, http://store.ussailing.org) that is chock full of tried and true fun games and activities for sailing kids of all ages. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time too. Special thanks to North Sails and Southern Spars. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
