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SCUTTLEBUTT 2957 - Friday, October 23, 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 New England Ropes and PredictWind.com. HOW THE 1983 AMERICA'S CUP WAS NEARLY CANCELLED As the skipper of the American entry in the 1983 America's Cup, Dennis Conner comments on the legality of the Australia II design, and how close the New York Yacht Club came to cancelling the event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We had heard rumors two or three months before the 1983 America's Cup Match that the keel on Australia II was designed by the Dutch Naval Architect Peter van Oossanen. Now understand, for this Cup I was the skipper of Liberty, the defending boat, and my responsibilities were limited to the on-the-water activities only, and not the complete program. My position as skipper was managed by the NYYC America's Cup committee. They were my boss, but because of my position onboard the boat, I was informed of these rumors. But rumors are rumors until they are proven. So to determine the validity of these rumors, the NYYC sent representatives to the Netherlands to meet with van Oossanen, where I understood that he admitted to being the designer. However, he would not sign an affidavit to confirm this, which the NYYC felt would be needed if they chose to contest the boat, which in those days had to be designed by a national of the competing club's country. So nothing happens, and now it is two or three nights before the Match, and there was a skipper's meeting and reception, and Alan Bond and Warren Jones were there (note: Bond and Jones were the Australian team's owner and executive director, respectively). It was during this event that the challenger was to sign a document that declared they had complied by all the rules of the event. But Bond and Jones wouldn't sign the document. So now all this comes to a head only days before the Match when the Australians won't sign the agreement, and the NYYC America's Cup committee had to make a decision whether to contest the design of their boat. The club was really between a rock and hard spot. Everyone was in town for the event, no one would understand why the club would choose not race. But there was a hard core contingent on the committee that said rules are rules, and the Australians shouldn't be allowed to compete. It was a close vote, I think 5-4, with the prevailing group believing that the club had to race, that to do otherwise would be bad for yachting, and would be a hit on the club's reputation. Once the decision was made to race, the committee did not publicize their concerns with Australia II. The NYYC was not interested in looking like poor sports about this. Although I understood there may have been some issues with the legality of Australia II, my job was only to sail our boat, and I did the best job I could. I congratulated them on their victory then, and I do so now. I think back to the decision the NYYC made to race, and what would have occurred to the event and the sport if they chosen not to race. Then I think about what is going on now with the America's Cup, and how the heightening level of litigiousness has eroded interest in the event. While it was no fun to lose in 1983, I am still glad we raced. Additional comments from Dennis Conner: http://tinyurl.com/yhbnu33 Additional comments from Peter van Oossanen: http://www.oossanen.nl/a2/ 1983 AMERICA'S CUP - THE FINAL WORD By John Bertrand, Skipper, Australia 2 I hope this provides closure regarding the questions about Australia II and the '83 America's Cup design debate. I'm glad we fought it out on the water and not in the court room; that seems to be the status quo of today. John Longley, Project Manager of Australia 2, did some additional searching of the archival files of Australia 2 at the WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle, and found two documents (click on link below for documents) that are both self explanatory and revealing. It is very clear that Ben Lexcen categorically was the principle designer of Australia 2. The Dutch were a key part of the design team and played an important role. Ben used the Dutch tank testing facilities for 9 months. As to who said what to whom over those 9 months 27 years ago only Ben really knows. It is very sad that Ben is not here to refute any claims. But one thing is certain, Ben was our principle designer. He hired all the design team members, he and he alone had final say on all design direction and output. The documents are very clear on this. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/1022a/ => Curmudgeon's Comment: This thread is now closed. ENDURA BRAID DEBUT AT MELGES 24 WORLDS Chris Larson and his team will be partnering with New England Ropes at the upcoming 2009 Melges World Championships in Annapolis, Maryland. New England Ropes, the leading marine performance cordage manufacturer in North America, will have some hot new colors and designs for this campaign. Our broad selection of Endura Braid, V100 and Salsa and our complete dinghy range will give Larson's team an edge on sail control and performance. For more information, on our wide selection of racing products, visit our website: http://www.neropes.com. Others make rope. We make rope perform. WHICH WAY WILL THE WIND BLOW? The activity in Annapolis, MD surrounding the Melges Worlds is at full tilt, with 55 teams preparing to begin the racing on Monday. Since the weather conditions in the early fall season can provide for a wide range of options, the following forecast prepared by Sailing Weather Service provides some insight for what lies ahead of the fleet. Here are some excerpts: The latest forecast for the Melges 24 World Championship looks unsettled in the pre-race period but fine weather is likely to arrive in time for racing followed by possible wet conditions late next week. Winds look to mimic a similar pattern with light air the first few days of racing sandwiched between moderate to fresh winds this weekend and late in the race period. Temperatures will remain mostly in the low to high sixties. The race week starts on Monday with very nice fall weather courtesy of high pressure but this looks to present light winds backing to ESE/SE. A light and unstable 05-10 kt SE wind continues on Tuesday with a chance of some showers. Uncertainty naturally increases in the longer term and that is the case for the middle and end of the race week. On Wednesday models have low consensus for the proximity to Annapolis of a possible coastal low pressure center. Such a low could cause a light to moderate E/SE wind and precipitation. Thursday could also turn out somewhat unsettled with indications of a cold front approaching the area and S/SW winds filling to the low-mid teens. Despite the midweek uncertainty models show greater consensus for the race week ending on a drier note for Friday and Saturday. Such a high would initially drive a moderate NW wind that eases into the weekend. Complete forecast: http://tinyurl.com/yks94ec Melges 24 Worlds website: http://www.melges24worlds2009.com ROLEX OSPREY CUP St. Petersburg, FL (October 22, 2009) - The second day of the ISAF Grade 1 match racing Rolex Osprey Cup was nearly a repeat of the first in so many ways. It was another beautiful day with temperatures in the 80s, the winds cooperated at 6-14 knots, and American Anna Tunnicliffe remained undefeated in the ten team field. The first round robin series was completed in the morning, and then six flights were finished of the second round robin. The last three flights of the second round robin are scheduled to begin Friday at 0930 before the top teams advance to the knockout rounds. Racing continues to October 24th on Tampa Bay in Sonar class keelboats. Standings after two days (15 flights completed) Anna Tunnicliffe-USA, 15 wins Giulia Conti-ITA, 12 Karin Hagstrom-SWE, 11 Samantha Osborne-NZL, 10 Anne-Claire Le Berre-FRA, 10 Katy Lovell-USA, 5 Jo Ann Fisher-USA, 4 Jen Provan-CAN, 4 Lisa Ross-CAN, 1 Rachael Silverstein-USA, 0 Scoreboard: http://www.rolexwomensmatch.org/ROC/2009/Results2009.html HONORING MIKE CAMPBELL A new fall spectacle for big boat inshore racing in Southern California will debut this weekend when six West Coast 70s and 10 Farr 40s compete in the first Campbell Cup, hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club and sponsored by North Sails. The event is named in honor of longtime racing enthusiast Mike Campbell, who passed away mid-October last year. "I think this is a nice tribute to Mike," said Peter Tong, owner of the Santa Cruz 70, OEX. "He started this years ago [2006] with a bunch of guys that live to race and had been racing together for decades. To come together again and do this is great." Tong, owner and skipper of the fastest rated boat for this event and winner of the 2008 Long Beach to Cabo San Lucas Yacht Race, is looking forward to the regatta as a continuation of a tradition. The West Coast 70s will be racing under the Offshore Racing Rules (ORR) rating system which, depending on the wind, can be either good or bad for a boat's corrected time. "In the old days we were all rated equally," Tong said. "We were all a One Design fleet. Now it's not the same with changes that have been made to the boats over the years. My boat is designed to do offshore long-distance racing . but this race will be fun, sailing close together." The Farr 40s will start separately and race boat for boat, without handicap considerations. Ray Godwin, a local sailor who will be racing his Farr 40 Temptress, is impressed at the turnout. "You know," Godwin said, "there were only eight boats that showed up at the Farr 40 Nationals on the Great Lakes this year. Our fleet is growing faster than any other fleet in the area." -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8471 PREDICTWIND - NEW FORECAST SITE! PredictWind is fast becoming the marine forecast of experts. With unparalleled accuracy, champion sailors from around the world are using the PredictWind forecast system. Read for yourself at http://www.predictwind.com/Customer+Feedback.html With the launch of their new forecast site, it is now seamless to obtain a PredictWind forecast of your local area. Faster download speeds, a simple table format, rain maps and a new user interface - combined with the propriety wind prediction technology from PredictWind, to get the edge in your next yacht race. Check out these new features by signing up today for your FREE 1 month trial at http://www.PredictWind.com and experience a PredictWind forecast for yourself! SAILING SHORTS * Nassau, Bahamas (October 22, 2009) - After racing on Wednesday at the 2009 Sunfish World Championship was cancelled due to wind and sea conditions, the 72 boat fleet enjoyed great sailing today to now have completed 8 of their 10 race schedule. American David Loring continues to lead the event, holding a 1.4 point margin over Venezuelan Marx Chirinos in second, with Paul-Jon Patin (USA), David Mendelblatt (USA), and Peter Stanton (USVI) holding down the remaining top five positions. Racing concludes on Friday. -- Event website: http://sunfish2009.nassauyachtclub.org/index.html * In Sailing World's college rankings as of October 22nd, Yale tops both the coed and women's rankings, Yale maintains their coed position from the previous ranking period on October 7th, while the women move up from fifth position. Full rankings: http://tinyurl.com/yho8svb * Cuyler Morris, President of Morris Yachts in Bass Harbor, Maine, announced that Morris had won the contract to build four Leadership 44 training vessels. The new 44-foot David Pederick-designed vessels will replace the decades old Luders sailing craft. Morris will begin the construction by the end of this year. Morris was selected over Hinckley, Tartan, Goetz, and Pearson for the project. -- http://tinyurl.com/yglmfyc * Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford, Maryland, in conjunction with the Oxford RC Laser Fleet, will play host the weekend of October 24-25 to the Radio Controlled Laser North American Championship. Thirty four sailors from the UK, Bahamas, and United States will be competing on the Tred Avon River in quarter-scale Lasers that are true to Bruce Kirby's original design, save for the deep fin keel and bulb required to keep the boats upright in the absence of an on board skipper. The boats have three different rigs for light, medium, and heavy wind. -- http://sailrc.com/Regatta.html * US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) seeks nominations from the public for the 2009 Coach of the Year Awards in Sailing. The awards are a part of the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) Coach Recognition Program which highlights the accomplishments and contributions of coaches who train athletes at all levels of sailing. The OSC will nominate sailing coaches in five categories: National Coach of the Year, Developmental Coach of the Year, Volunteer Coach of the Year, Paralympic Coach of the Year and the "Doc" Counsilman Science Award. The OSC will accept nominations from the public until October 23, 2009. -- Details: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/2009_Coach_of_the_Year.htm * The brokerage sailboat market took an uptick in September when, for the first time this year, more sailboats were sold in a one-month period than in the same month a year earlier. Total valuation of all boats sold was still lower, but only by 10 percent. This was largely due to slower sales among boats larger than 46 feet. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/1022/ * Leading yacht hardware company Ronstan today confirmed arrangements to be a Race Partner with the Global Ocean Race 2011-12. Via their UK Big Boat distributors, SailTek, Ronstan will be providing all bona fide entries in the race with a substantial discount on their extensive product range. -- http://portimaorace.com/ * Twenty-seven teams have entered the 2009 J/80 North American Championship, to be hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX on October 23-25, 2009. Among the teams competing are the top two finishers from the 2008 event in Los Angeles, CA, winner Bruno Pasquinelli and runner-up Kerry Klinger. -- http://tinyurl.com/yhq8he5 * UPDATE: The broadcast time for the one-hour special on the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, held this September has been revised, and is now scheduled to air on Sunday, October 25 at 8:00 pm Eastern (5:00 pm Pacific) on ESPN2. Presented by Rolex, the program is produced by Emmy award-winning producer Gary Jobson and features highlights from racing among 19 teams from 14 nations as well as interviews with participants and side stories about Newport, Rhode Island, where the New York Yacht Club hosted the event in one-design NYYC Swan 42s. More information on the event can be found at http://www.nyyc.org/WorldInvitationalCup/ 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 Phil Smithies (edited to the 250-word limit): A lot of negative energy has been spent in the last year or so on national and governing bodies, recently ISAF and the America's Cup fiasco, US SAILING and its membership charges, etc., so I just wanted to let 'Butt readers know that there is a positive side to your national body. I have just returned from Athens, Greece where the disabled world championship had been held. I am an able bodied helper/slash coach for the Canadian SKUD18 team, and own a SKUD18 located in Europe for their use. After the Sail for Gold regatta in England, the boat was packed into a container along with the USA SKUD18 and sent on its way to Greece. Just prior to the Worlds, there was a port strike in Athens that threatened the timely arrival of the boat container. It didn't look good at all, but against all odds the boats arrived in time. I have since learned that US SAILING, along with a director of the shipping company (who happened to be a sailor), spent many hours and dozens of emails to get the boats to the site bypassing the strike. No easy feat given that the container had to be found in amongst 600 other containers on the ship, and then transportation arrangements secured on short notice. I would like to give big Kudos to US SAILING, especially Katie Kelly and Betsy Allison. Without their hard work and dedication we would have never sailed. * From John Yeigh: Regarding the youth thread, the issue with junior programs is the same issue with all youth activities - the top 15% of kids get 85% of the attention. This does not matter if it is sailing, soccer, orchestra, or tiddlywinks. Despite what coaches say, they invariably promote the highest achievers - every coach is seeking their own Anna Tunnicliffe, Michael Jordon, or David Beckham. Meanwhile, overzealous soccer moms or Opti Nazi parents are criticized for "pushing" their kids into the realm where they receive the attention. It is what it is. The mission of junior sailing programs ideally should be to make kids lifetime boaters, but that is not going to happen. In my program decades ago we also fished (hate it), water-skied (no good), canoed & surfed (still do), camped (mosquito hell), and built an overpowered land-sailor (wrecked). However, parents can supplement with broader experiences - I fully subscribe to the "messing about in boats" theory. My kids regularly experience the water on a wide variety of sail, engine, paddle, and leg powered craft. My kids may never win a major regatta, but I would bet anyone that they will still be on and in the water 50 years from now. I might not make the same bet of the latest Opti intergalactic champion. * From David Redfern: Don't forget that in 1983, de Savary's Victory '83 had a winged keel as well. It was not used, but a letter of confidentiality endorsing its legality was obtained, and after the win by Australia, de Savary's legalisation letter finalised the dispute between NYYC and Royal Perth as to whether the wing was legal. The Victory keel was designed and tested in England. * From Pablo Valencia (regarding the selection of RAK): Why, if they can designate "any location" for the 33rd America's Cup as they claim, they didn't choose Lake Geneva? Their legal team is going to have a hard time answering that question or just explaining that they feel bound by some provisions of the Deed (i.e. open seas), but not by others (no northern hemisphere Nov 1 - May 1). * From Jeroen van der Beek: You know we all need to remember that none of this America's Cup soap opera in the courts would have occurred if Alinghi had not attempted to hijack the 33rd America's Cup and have total control by setting up a patsy yacht club as Challenger of Record. It is also worth noting that Alinghi's patsy choice of Challenger of Record was deemed to not comply with the Dead of Gift by the New York Supreme Court, a decision Alinghi chose not to appeal! So in conclusion I think it's fair to conclude that had Alinghi accepted a challenge from an appropriate challenger, we would have already enjoyed the 33rd America's Cup and would now be dreaming about the 34th, probably back here in New Zealand. CURMUDGEON'S DICTIONARY From Dictionary.com: Scuttlebutt comes from scuttle, "a small opening" + butt, "a large cask" -- that is, a small hole cut into a cask or barrel to allow individual cups of water to be drawn out. The modern equivalent is the office water cooler, also a source of refreshment and gossip. (and of course, sailing news) Special thanks to New England Ropes and PredictWind.com. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
