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SCUTTLEBUTT 2108 - June 5, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.CASTING CALL Crew applications for Roy Disney's “Morning Light” project are now available online. "Morning Light," a real-life adventure feature film recorded as it happens, whatever happens, will be part of next year's 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii in a project led by race veteran Roy E. Disney. Based on the premise of "the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac," the film will chronicle the recruitment, training and performance of sailors as young as 18 through the next race in July of 2007. On their own, they will sail a Transpac 52 called Morning Light. Once the crew is selected the young sailors will undergo months of intense training on Morning Light in Hawaii. "Those sessions in Hawaii will not just be for filming," said Robbie Haines will oversee sailing operations. "We'll send them off around Molokai a coupe of times." The Molokai Channel leading into the finish at Diamond Head is one of the wildest parts of the race. The film, to be shot in High Definition theatrical quality, will be distributed by the Walt Disney Co. and is tentatively scheduled for release in theaters in 2008. Deadline for filing an application is June 19: http://www.pacifichighproductions.com GILMOUR CLINCHES THIRD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP Peter Gilmour today clinched his third consecutive World Match Racing Tour Championship and fourth ISAF Match Racing World Championship by advancing to the final round of Match Race Germany, which is the seventh of eight events in the 2005-’06 season. Gilmour leads the Tour standings with 63 points, which could increase to 88 or 83 points depending on whether he finishes first or second in tomorrow’s championship against Jesper Bank, which will a rematch of last year’s final, won by Gilmour 3-2. There’s one stage still remaining on the Tour, the Toscana Elba Cup (July 11-19), so he has the chance to surpass 100 points for the third straight year. In winning the world championship, Gilmour, the 46-year-old from Perth, Western Australia, won a BMW X3 3.0i, from Tour partner BMW AG, and a $30,000 bonus from the World Tour. The World Tour and ISAF recently joined forces to award the match-racing world championship together with the Tour championship. Besides winning the past two Tour championships, Gilmour previously won the ISAF Worlds in 1990, ’97 and ’98. Gilmour won the 2003-’ 04 World Tour championship (then the Swedish Match Tour) going away. He set records for most cumulative points, most total points and margin of victory, among others. He followed it up last year with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory. Down 23 points halfway through the season, Gilmour won three of the last four stages and sealed the championship in the Quarterfinal Round of the final stage. - http://www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com IT'S NEVER USUALLY LIKE THIS (Sunday, June 04) Almost three days out and the Volvo Ocean Race fleet has covered only a little more than 200 nautical miles under light fluky winds. Looking ahead, conditions are not expected to change much as the fleet heads northwest past Fastnet Rock under the influence of a large area of high pressure. So far this leg (leg 8 of 9 legs, from Portsmouth to Rotterdam), the conditions have been very different from those experienced on the trip across the Atlantic. While there has been none of the crashing upwind or physical challenges of the heavy air sailing, the relatively calm seas, strong currents, light air, and sun, are by no means a walk in the park. If heavy air sailing is scary because things break, then light air sailing is frustrating because without wind you are powerless. Looking ahead, lighter winds are expected to continue for the next 36 hours. The large area of high pressure is drifting slowly east and the fleet is eagerly awaiting the stronger south-southwesterly winds on the western periphery of the high. - http://www.volvooceanrace.org Volvo Ocean Race Positions at 22:00 on 04-06-2006: 1. Brasil 1, Torben Grael, 1149 miles to finish 2. Ericsson Racing Team, Neal McDonald, +3 miles 3. Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard, +5 miles 4. ABN Amro One, Mike Sanderson, + 7 miles 5. ABN Amro Two, Sebastien Josse, +7 miles 6. Brunel, Matt Humphries, + 10 miles 7. movistar, Bouwe Bekking, DNS SPINLOCK SPRING SAILING TIP Replaced lines or sails? Halyards slipping? Service your clutch instead of replacing it. Replacement cams, bases, and handles are available for all Spinlock clutches, as well as updated designs with the same hole spacing for ease of installation. Everything you need to service, repair, or upgrade your existing Spinlock hardware including replacement sides, wedge kits, sidemount kits, and even handle labels. Call toll free 877-SPINLOC for technical support and a catalog, or visit online for a list of stocking dealers. Spinlock: The Experts in Ropeholding. http://www.spinlock.co.uk QUOTE / UNQUOTE * “The troops who started this campaign probably didn't imagine that they were building a boat to have success when it was light and weird. Well, so far in this race we are doing just that. Our specialty: Light and weird.” - Ken Read, Ericsson Racing * “The ABN boats have very good light air sails (Code 0 and masthead tight-reaching spinnaker), as light air is their weakness. Right now they are hanging with us in a condition that they should not, because of their sails. Our light air sails are not particularly good, as we have slanted our designs and sizing for more wind. We saw this a bit on Leg 5, from Rio, too.” - Paul Cayard, Pirates of the Caribbean skipper COLLEGIATE NATIONALS Charleston, South Carolina (June 4, 2006) - While they say lightning rarely strikes twice, it did this past week on the Cooper River at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championships where the top college sailors in the nation – representing 25 colleges who had qualified for entry – were racing for their place in the record books. College of Charleston, hosts for the national championships, started off the 10-day marathon by winning their first-ever ICSA National Women's Dinghy Championship. The Cougars, who had not qualified for the second event, then watched as Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) won the ICSA/Layline National Team Race Championship, before returning to the water for the ICSA/Gill National Coed Dinghy Championship. On the final day, the Cougars knew the championship was well within their grasp. With the “kindest” tide of the series according to College of Charleston Sailing Coach George Wood, the last four races of the series were sailed in 22 knots from the southwest and saw Georgetown and Charleston break away from Harvard. The championship was decided on the last beat of the final race for B-Division with Charleston posting a fourth, and Georgetown a 12. The final scores were 198 for Charleston, 204 for Georgetown and 245 for Harvard - http://collegesailing.org/nas/spring06/ Photo gallery: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/icsa-d Final Results: 1. Charleston (116-82) 198 2. Georgetown (83-121) 204 3. Harvard (98-147) 245 4. Tufts (119 -131) 250 5. Dartmouth (100-164) 264 Winning team: Jamie Kimball '06, Britney Haas '09, Russ O'Reilly '07, Megan Riddle '08, Susan Lintern '06. Everett B Morris Trophy (Sailor of the Year) Andrew Campbell, Georgetown Coed All-American: Chris Behm, Georgetown Andrew Campbell. Georgetown Clay Johnson, Harvard Justin Law, St. Mary's Trevor Moore, Hobart/WmSmith Russell O'Reilly, Charleston Vincent Porter, Harvard Kevin Reali, South Florida Adam Roberts, Boston College Dave Siegal, Tufts Erik Storck, Dartmouth Frank Tybor, UC/Irvine See link for Coed Honorable Mention and All-American Crew lists: http://www.collegesailing.org/news/2006allamerica.asp A one-hour program – the 2006 ICSA/Gill National Championship – with the action documented by Emmy-award winning sailing journalist Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.) will air on ESPNU, the network devoted entirely to college sports. The show is set to air June 10, 11, 19, 22 and 29. Visit http://www.jobsonsailing.com for local airtimes. LANDS' END DETROIT NOOD 181-boats in 16 classes enjoyed bluebird sailing on the final day of the Lands' End Detroit NOOD. What does it take to win a Lands' End NOOD Regatta on Detroit's Lake St. Clair? According to Frank Tenkel, skipper of Bravo, which won the 9-boat C&C 35 Class this year, it's simple: "Go right." Well, maybe it's not that simple. No skipper would be able to win an event without competent crew like sewerman Mike Cowan, who sailed on Robert Amsler's Merlin, which won the 7-boat J/120 class. "We had a great tactician, Wally Cross, sailing with us," said Cowan, "and whatever maneuver the back of the boat wanted to do, we did. Top boat in the 16-boat Beneteau First 36.7 class was Chuck Bayer's Grizzly. Bayer has sailed in 10 NOODs, the past three years with his 36.7, and won the Lands' End Annapolis NOOD earlier this year. After a collision during Friday's racing, Grizzly was effectively out of the regatta. "All the Beneteau owners helped get my boat back together," said Bayer. "If it wasn't for them, and the camaraderie in the class, we wouldn't have been able to sail Saturday, and we wouldn't have been able to win.” Taking the overall prize at the Lands' End NOOD was Dale Marshall and his crew on the Cal 25 Clytie. Marshall, who has owned his boat for 28 years, is no stranger to the podium in Detroit, he won in 2002, 2003, and 2004. "The trick is to have patience and a good crew," said Marshall, who sails with his wife, Jennifer, son Nathan, who calls tactics, Fred Marshall, and David Dewitt. "They've all sailed with me for a while. My wife's been sailing with me since we got married 32 years ago. It's a family affair" By winning the Detroit NOOD overall, the Clytie crew have won a spot at the Lands' End NOOD Championship, which will be held in the British Virgin Islands, and sailed on Oceanis 393s from Sunsail's charter base in Tortola. - Full results, http://tinyurl.com/0 KEEP YOUR CREW HAPPY AND SAVE $20 Did you know you can get custom crew gear from the US SAILING Authentic Collection? We’ve got great brands like Gill and Nautica, and ordering is as easy as 1-2-3! Simply pick your color and quantity, then type in your boat name and sail number. It’s that simple. What’s more, Scuttlebutt readers can save $20 off any crew gear order of $150 or more. Use code US0508 at checkout. Sale ends June 15th. Shop now at http://www.ussailinggear.com SANTA MARIA CUP Annapolis, Maryland -- Australia’s Katie Spithill claimed the ISAF Grade 1 BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup, defeating Giulia Conti (ITA) in a dramatic final. The semi-finals and finals of the women’s match racing series were run in breezes from 16 -20 steady with gusts up to 25 knots plus. The semis were shortened to first to two points. The fact that it took only two races for two teams to move forward belied the action that occurred. Both semi-final matches were close affairs, with lots of action, protest flags, and close finishes. In the end, Giulia Conti (ITA) and Katie Spithill (AUS) advance to the finals, with Liz Baylis (USA) and Christelle Philippe (FRA) in the petit-finals. Baylis won the first, and Philippe the second, and then in the deciding race, Baylis was behind by a couple of boat lengths at the top mark. With flawless crew work, and using all her tactical advantage, Baylis slide by Philippe at the finish by less than a meter to take third place in the event. After two very close races in the finals, Spithill had taken a 2-0 lead that seemed insurmountable, but Conti fought back, and over the next two races drew even with Spithill using superior boat speed to her advantage. In the final race Spithill picked up a late penalty, but was able to hold Conti off at the weather mark to the point that she was able to take her turn, and still stay ahead at the last weather mark. The two teams were so wary of each other, that spinnakers were left in the bag for the first third of the leg, to keep up maneuverability, and stay as flexible as possible. Spithill managed to stay just in front of Conti, to become just the 4th non-American to win the event. -- http://www.santamairacup.org SAILING SHORTS * Cal Race Week, the third event of the Ullman Sails Inshore Championship, saw 124-boats competing off Marina del Rey, CA this past weekend in light and shifty winds. Clear skies on Saturday gave way to thick fog for Sunday, causing postponements until the race committee could see the start line. The J/105 ‘Wings,’ sailed by Dennis & Sharon Case, were winners of the largest class. Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/0 * Between 550 and 600 boats are expected on Lake Léman on June 17-18 for the 68th Bol d'Or Rolex, organized by the Société Nautique de Genève -- perhaps the greatest European sailing competition on inland waters. The grouped start promises to be a spectacular event for both spectators and competitors alike, with all the boats massed together on a single start line spanning the entire width of the lake. This year, you can follow this 80nm race in real time on the internet. -- http://www.regattanews.com/event.asp?id=141 * Effective 1st September, Ronstan will take on the exclusive distribution of the FSE Robline range of yachting ropes for North America, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region. FSE Robline is one of Europe’s top brands in yachting ropes and is manufactured by the Teufelberger Company, based in Austria. Ronstan International also announced the hiring of Alan McGlashan as their Northeast Sales Manager. An 18-year industry professional, McGlashan brings a strong professional background that includes time as a boat builder, professional sailor, project manager and sail-maker. Additionally, the Ronstan website has some fresh newchanges and more powerful search engine: http://www.ronstan.com * Perry R. Bass, the patriarch of a family that came to symbolize wealth and oil in Texas, died Thursday at the age of 91. A passionate conservationist and outdoorsman, Mr. Bass was also an expert sailor. He was navigator for Ted Turner's American Eagle when it won the World's Ocean Racing Championship in 1972. -- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/02/business/02bass.html BREEZE THROUGH YOUR FATHER'S DAY SHOPPING Onne van der Wal's online gallery has boatloads of perfect gifts for Dad. Order Dad a sweet shot of his favorite harbor, regatta, or step it up with an artsy sailing shot on canvas. Onne's got it all and his prints are discounted 20% off June 9-18th. http://www.vanderwal.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 thought at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From John Longley - Chair of America’s Cup Challenger's Committee 1988 - 89: Here we go again. When we all met in Southampton in the late 1980s to develop a new class for the Americas Cup to replace the 1905 developed 12 meter class, a contingent from the multihulls turned up suggesting that the Americas Cup should be raced in multihulls. They were thanked and sent packing then as they should be today. The Americas Cup is a match racing event, not a thrills and spills event. We can go and watch big truck racing at the local showground if that is what we are into. The Cup has survived over the past 154 years because of its interesting mix of subtle speed variations with the skill and athleticism of the crews that compete. At times pure speed is enough, at other times the fastest boat does not win. I suggest Bill Lee's call is simply the multi hull fraternity looking jealously at the most successful yachting event on the planet and trying to take it for themselves. * From Scott MacLeod: I have to respectfully disagree with Bill Lee on changing the America's Cup to multihulls or for the matter any other leading technology (canting keels). Having just returned back from Valencia and having watched some of the closest and most exciting races, I believe the America's Cup is doing just fine. The Version Five boats are even closer in speeds, which will make for even closer racing and with more lead changes. Who said the America's Cup has to be the leading technology in the sport? It doesn't and "leading technology" just drives up the cost making the sport even more prohibitive for the general public and sponsors. I am aware that the designers and industry don’t want to hear this but the general public could care less if you go 2 knots or even 10 knots faster. NASCAR has proved that you don't need technology or faster cars to sell a sport to the public. We should focus our attention and media coverage on the "game" and the competition between the teams. The "game" being played on the water is a fascinating and complicated chess match played by compelling personalities. This will make the sport more interesting for the public. Curmudgeon’s Comments: Whether you support Bill Lee’s comment or not, you’re likly to enjoy the video of the Volvo Extreme 40 catamarans racing in Portsmouth. Particularly of the wipeouts on Day Two: http://tinyurl.com/ockg6. And then there is that great series of photos on the Pacific Fog website of a big cat pitch-poling in this year’s Swiftsure Race: http://www.pacificfog.net/Temp/CatSass.swf * From Barry Ault: Wondering why the America's Cup is sailed in lead mines is like wondering why most Americans still play football with their hands. Some things are almost impossible to change and others are even harder. * From Christopher A. Palabrica: I loved Bill Lee's comments and couldn't agree more. We should change the way we race in general. Several years ago, we set up a training day and held 4-5 "short" races. None lasted more than an hour. It was one of the greatest sailing workouts you could ever get. The racing was close, the competition fierce and the scoring was like keeping track of a hockey game. There are lots of variations that could bring excitement back into not only the America's Cup by club racing as well. * From Richard Johnson: "If cats would be so great for the America's Cup, why is the 'Little America's Cup' (which is raced in multihulls) so god-awful boring every time?" * From Chris Ericksen (edited to our 250-word limit): With all due respect, I disagree with Jay Sacco when he suggests ('Butt 2107) that the practice of avoiding general recalls leads sailors to "crowd the line to push over boats above them as they know that they can get away with a 'cheater' start if they stay hidden under those boats that are also early." I have served as a PRO for over 20 years and have never seen this behavior -- because, with very few exceptions, regatta organizers do not announce in advance that there will be no general recalls. The only three of which I knowledge are the Acura Key West Race Week, Acura Miami Race Week and Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week; in no other cases have I seen any evidence that the sailors will know that a race committee plans to avoid making a general recall. I can speak with some authority when I say that regattas where good lines are laid, good race-management techniques (including radio communications) are practiced and OCS boats are caught tend to have fewer problems on starting lines that lead to general recalls. Furthermore, it has been my pleasure to serve with the very race officer whose statements on this matter led to this string, including being the fellow at the other end of the well-laid starting line with whom he has communicated in an effort to avoid general recalls. I invite Mr. Sacco to come to one of these three regattas and see this in action in person. * From Tom Jarecki: Is it just me, or does anyone else notice that in the photos of the ICSA coed sailing regattas that it is always the male at the helm and the female as the crew? Is this a regulation? I have never sailed in the ICSA so I am not aware of the rules. It does seem very strange to me that the top college sailors and coaches in the US don't feel that women are good enough to helm. Why aren't the women upset by this? I would think that the greater righting moment and weight positioning would put the heavier and taller person in the crew position, and in any case I can't imagine that there aren't some college women who would do better as skippers than as crew. What's the story? CURMUDGEON’S COUNSEL Women should not ask men what they’re thinking about unless they are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball or sailing. Special thanks to Spinlock, US Sailing, and the Onne van der Wal gallery. |
