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SCUTTLEBUTT 3220 - Monday, November 15, 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: Ultimate Sailing and Interlux. CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES (November 14, 2010) - The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) concluded their annual meeting in Athens, Greece today. Here are some of the decisions made by the Council, the final decision-making body of the ISAF: * Council voted in favour of the submission to allow outside assistance to recover a crew member from the water and to return the crew member to the boat before the boat continues in the race. The ruling now needs to go through the Racing Rules Committee. * Council approved the Equipment Committee recommendations to grant ISAF Class status to the Formula 16, International Maxi Association, Hobie Wildcat, Viper and Class 40 classes subject to them signing the ISAF Class agreement. Council deferred the decision on the 29erXX class. The Council also supports the Committee's recommendation to remove the ISAF Class status of the 11 metre and X-99 classes, as they no longer meet ISAF Class requirements. * Council voted in favour of the Events Committee's provisional events slate for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition of: One person board or kite board men - equipment to be determined One person dinghy men - Laser Standard One person dinghy men - Finn Two person dinghy (skiff) men - 49er One person board or kite board women - equipment to be determined One person dinghy women - Laser Radial Two person dinghy (skiff) women - equipment to be determined Three person keelboat women - Elliott 6m (match or fleet race not decided) Two person mixed multihull - equipment to be determined Two person mixed dinghy with spinnaker - 470 This is a provisional list of events and subject to final confirmation at the ISAF May 2011 mid-year meeting. Comparing this list to the current slate of 2012 Olympic events, the men�s keelboat (Star) is removed and the two person mixed multihull is added. Other changes include a two person dinghy (skiff) for women rather than the 470, and revising the 470 for men and women to be a mixed class. ISAF Meetings: http://www.sailing.org/meetings/ IMBALANCE SWING FROM MEN TO WOMEN The International Sailing Federation's Events Committee have effectively skewed the gender balance in Olympic sailing, with its choices of Events for the 2016 Olympic Regatta. The reason for the imbalance is the selection of two Mixed classes (one male and one female sailor), when previously this type of Event has not been used in the Olympic Regatta. The physics of sailing is that in a mixed gender boat it is more likely that a female, being lighter and smaller in stature will be on the helm, to keep weight out of the ends of the boat, and the male being taller and heavier will crew - keeping weight in the middle of the boat. Using this rationale the disposition of sailors and helms in the 2016 Olympic Event card shows that of the 16 sailors engaged in a full card of events for a national team, nine of that team will be female and seven will be male. Using the assumed normal helm and crewing roles, there will be six helming positions for women and four for male sailors. Compare that to the current class mix, where there are no Mixed Events, and of a total again of 16 places in a full national team, there are seven places for women sailors and nine for male sailors. Of the helming position split, there are four positions available for women sailors and six for males. -- Sail-World, full report: http://tinyurl.com/Sail-World-111410a FITS YOU TO A �T�� New Ultimate Sailing � zip performance T for men and women. Exceptional style and comfort in active apparel. Looks good on the water or apres sailing. Moisture wicking DRY-TECH technology. The Ultimate Sailing website offers you a fantastic selection of gift ideas for the sailor on your list: 2011 calendar, t-shirts, caps, and custom prints. http://www.ultimatesailing.com NOT SO SMOOTH SAILING There is a growing development of yacht racing in the Middle East with the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta, the RC44 circuit and the Moth Worlds, all taking place in the warm azure blue waters around the desert city of Dubai. But with the real threat of piracy in the adjacent Arabian Sea, the threat of just about anything in neighboring Iran, and the occasional concerning news within the United Arab Emirates (recently considered banning Blackberry mobile phones because they were unable to monitor communications), smooth sailing remains a challenge in the Gulf region. * November 2009: Five British yachtsmen and their Volvo 60 yacht �The Kingdom of Bahrain� were held by Iran's Revolutionary Guard for a week after they drifted into Iranian waters mistakenly while sailing from Bahrain to Dubai to take part in the 360-nautical mile Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race. Muscat is the capital and largest city of Oman. * November 2010: Last week the Sultanate, which sponsors two Extreme 40s and the 105-foot triamaran recently damaged in the Route du Rhum, banned competitors in the 2010 Dubai to Muscat Race from sailing through Omani waters. The race course was to be revised with a finish outside of Oman. * February 2011: The first Extreme 40 regatta of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series, which is expected to attract a number of high profile teams using the series to train for the America�s Cup, is expected to be in Oman in February. * January 2012: The second leg of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race will take the fleet from Cape Town, South Africa, north through the Indian Ocean, past the threat of piracy that extends off of Somalia and the Gulf of Arden, along the Omani coast, and turning the corner into the Persian Gulf to Abu Dhabi, UAE. Scuttleblog: http://sailingscuttlebutt.blogspot.com/2010/11/not-so-smooth-sailing.html U.S. YOUTH PIPELINE TEAM Portsmouth, R.I. (November 12, 2010) - Fifty-five talented athletes have been named to the 2011 US Sailing Development Team (USSDT), the youth pipeline team supported by US SAILING�s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC). The USSDT was created in 2009 to help young athletes, who have been identified as future Olympic prospects, acquire the skills necessary to launch successful campaigns and compete at the Olympic level. �In 2010 our athletes medaled in every non-Olympic development class, and members of the 2010 USSDT also had some great results in the Olympic classes,� said High Performance Director/Head Coach Kenneth Andreasen (Tampa, Fla.), who oversees the national coaching and development program. �That success came from a lot of hard work and specialized training.� In addition to receiving elite-level coaching, guidance and mentoring, the USSDT members benefit from joint training with US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) members and other top young sailors from across the United States. The OSC will also support these athletes with shipping and logistical assistance and advice, as well as access to the OSC�s Performance Enhancement Team of physical therapists, trainers and nutritionists. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/USSA-111410 GEOGRAPHY: There are thirteen states represented on the new USSDT, but California and Florida account for over half the team. Here is the breakdown: California - 17 Florida - 12 New York - 7 Maryland - 3 Michigan - 3 Texas - 3 Connecticut - 2 Illinois - 2 New Jersey - 2 Kentucky - 1 Massachusetts - 1 Pennsylvania - 1 Washington - 1 UNVEILING OF THE FACTS New Zealand once again seems to be the centre of the America�s Cup universe, and will be so for the next few months as the first of the new AC 45 class of catamarans are built and commissioned ahead of the America�s Cup World Series (ACWS) due to get underway in June 2011, from a European venue. Here are some excerpts from a recent Sail-World article: * The AC45�s are being onsold to the America�s Cup teams at 600,000 Euros each - some will have one, others two - for two boat testing as well as competing in the ACWS. This is the first time a junior boat has been used in the America�s Cup. The reason being to give crews a chance to learn about wingsail technology and catamaran sailing before stepping up to the much larger and more powerful AC72�s. * �I would like to get the wing sails down at night, particularly on the 45s,� said Iain Murray, Regatta Director for the ACWS and America�s Cup events. �We are trying to make it so we can lower the wing sail while in the water. What we all have to do is learn the ways of managing the boats from the AC45s. Whether they are on the water or off the water, we have to get on top of things with managing the wings. They are clearly aerodynamically efficient, and they are fragile. The last thing we want to do is to be banging them up and repairing them, just because they are difficult to handle.� * �The courses going forward are going to be under an hour in duration,� said Murray. �They are going to be tight, fast courses. The windward leeward thing for the cats is probably not the best option, as we don�t want a situation where there is one tack or gybe to the mark. One of the most difficult parts with cat sailing is the beam reaching because they get so overpowered - so we will tailor the courses a little - they won�t be just straight up and down courses. We want to make the courses challenging.� Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/Sail-World-111410 FIND THE RIGHT PAINT AT THE NEW YACHTPAINT.COM The new Interlux web site makes it easier than ever to choose the right Interlux paint for your boat, get technical information and support for any paint project. "Paint Your Boat" to see how different paint colors look on your hull. Ask questions and share paint info with other sailors. "Ask The Expert" to access the extensive knowledge base and experience of the Interlux Technical Service staff. Learn more here: http://www.yachtpaint.com HOST CITY AGREEMENT = 19,136 WORDS By Kimball Livingston, yachting journalist (November 11, 2010) - Today I made it to the bottom of the Host City Agreement, the one signed on Tuesday between the America�s Cup Event Authority and the office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. I reckon I may have skimmed a few parts of the 19,136 word document, but it�s a fascinating read if only for revealing how complicated this negotiation really was. Next we go to a November 30 meeting of the Port Commission and then to a final vote of the Board of Supervisors on either December 1 or December 8. I�m not big on arithmetic, but with 6 of 11 Supes signed on as co-authors, I�m thinking this shapes up pretty well. Considering all the back-room wisdom that has circulated regarding the tax advantages to sailors of racing in Europe rather than in the USA (�Psst, that�s why Russell�s going to take this thing to Italy as soon as the San Francisco charade plays out�) I�d say this passage is worth the read: http://kimballlivingston.com/?p=5299 DETAILS: Katie Worth of the San Francisco Examiner breaks down the obligations of each party in the America�s Cup Host City Agreement between San Francisco and the Golden Gate Yacht Club team: http://tinyurl.com/SFE-111410 LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY DUBAI BEGINS WITH A BANG Dubai, UAE (November 14, 2010) - James Spithill, winner of the 33rd America's Cup and defender of the 34th America's Cup, topped the standings on the opening day of racing in the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai. The young Australian skipper steered BMW Oracle Racing to a 2-0 record over the French/German boat All4One while the other four boats in the contest posted 1-1 records. There were two collisions, one serious, when Dean Barker�s Emirates Team New Zealand speared its spinnaker pole through the side of Mascalzone Latino Audi steered by Gavin Brady. No one was hurt but Brady was penalized twice in the incident and race officials asked Brady to withdraw to avoid further damage to the Kiwi boat. Ray Davies, tactician on ETNZ said: �It was pretty dramatic. Obviously not what anyone wants. A lot of damage, a broken spinnaker pole and a big hole in a boat. It�s not a good way to start but the guys are working on repairs and it should be OK for tomorrow (Monday).� Following a jury hearing into the collision, Mascalzone Latino Audi was docked one point while ETNZ lost half a point. Before racing started, race officials had warned sailors about actions that might render boats incapable of racing. Dubai skies were clear, hot and sunny skies as racing got under way after a short delay. The sea breeze came in at 6-8 knots and built to 14 to 15 knots as the afternoon wore on. Boats raced twice around a windward-leeward course with a mid course start finish line that also served as a gate for all legs. Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/LVT-111410 Day One Races (Team, Country, Helm, Tactician) 1. BMW Oracle Racing (USA), James Spithill/ John Kostecki, 2-0, 2 pts 2. Artemis (SWE), Cameron Appleton/ Iain Percy, 1-1, 1 pt 2. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS), Francesco Bruni/ Rod Dawson, 1-1, 1 pt 4. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Dean Barker/ Ray Davies, 1-1, 0.5 pts * 5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA), Gavin Brady/ Morgan Larson, 1-1, 0 pts * 6. ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), Sebastien Col/ John Cutler, 0-2, 0 pts BACKGROUND: The Louis Vuitton Trophy series was designed to be a cost-effective format for match racing competition in Version 5 America's Cup Class boats. Racing will continue to the November 27th. There will be live streaming coverage with VirtualEye for the entire regatta, with video highlights after racing. Look for enhanced live coverage of the final days of racing. Event website: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/home/ ONE DOWN - FOUR TO GO (November 14, 2010; Day 29) - American ocean racer Brad Van Liew today sailed into Cape Town to claim victory in the first of five ocean sprints of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Under clear blue skies and with a fresh south easterly breeze, the 42-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, blasted across the finish line in Table Bay at 5.51 pm local time (3.51 pm UTC) doing 10-12 knots in a 15-knot wind. It was a frustrating day for Brad, who was battered by 45-knot winds just early this morning before becoming becalmed just ten nautical miles from the finish line. Finally the wind filled in and Brad crossed the finish line before berthing at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront to the cheers of the watching crowds. During the 7500 nm ocean sprint one that began in La Rochelle, France, Brad sailed 8,003 nm at an average speed of 11.9 knots, completing the leg in 28 days, 1 hour, 41 minutes. For his win Brad is awarded the maximum score of 12 points. He also takes home the first place prize of 24,000 euros. Next to finish should be Zbigniew Gutkowski (POL) at 628 nm from Cape Town. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/V5O-111410 SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SAILING SHORTS * St. Petersburg, FL (November 12, 2010) - Winds again stayed in the sub ten knot range forthe final day of the Snipe Women�s World Championship, but getting in three more races allowed for the full schedule of nine races to be completed. Getting the job done on the final day was Anna Tunnicliffe/ Molly Vandemoer (USA), who took the title after rolling a 2-4-1. Trixy Agusti/ Yuyu Agusti (ARG) was six points back in second with Kathleen Tocke/ Kate Sheahan (USA) two points further back in third. Twenty-four teams representing 9 countries participated in the five day event. -- Daily reports/results: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10465 * Thirty-four sailors were tested during the three day Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) PWC Bermuda Open and National Championship. Over 15 races with winds ranging from 4 knots to 18 knots, sixteen overseas sailors from Germany, Switzerland, USA and Canada joined the local fleet for the event hosted by the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC) on Nov 12-14. Thirteen year old German female Gesa Bornrmann took the Open title as well as the Top Female prize, with 2009 Bermuda National Champion Sam Stan earning third in the Open and repeating as National Champion. - Complete report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10805 * (November 14, 2010; Day 15) - The familiar megawatt smile lit up the darkness on a still Caribbean night as Roland Jourdain and his IMOCA Open 60 class Veolia Environnement finally ghosted to a halt in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe as the charismatic skipper wrote himself further into the history of the 3542 nm Route du Rhum (France to West Indies) as the first sailor to win the monoholl division twice in consecutive editions. -- Event website: http://www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php * Portsmouth, R.I. (November 12, 2010) - US SAILING�s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) has chosen two exemplary sailing coaches for the 2010 Coaches of the Year Awards. Based on nominations from the public, the OSC has named Greg Wilkinson (Rockport, Mass.) the National Coach of the Year and Jay Kehoe (Annapolis, Md.) the Developmental Coach of the Year. The OSC has also nominated these winners to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) for consideration for the 2010 Coaches of the Year Awards across all Olympic and Paralympic sports. -- Full report: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/2010/2010_Coach_of_the_Year.htm * The Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) kicked off its offshore racing season in South Florida with the 176 nm Miami to Nassau Race on Thursday, November 11. Fifteen entrants, ranging from 32� to 60�, started off of Government Cut in Miami, beated to Great Isaacs, then headed east for Great Stirrup and the finish in Nassau Harbor. At just before 3:00am on Friday, Stephen Murray�s TP52 Decision took line honors in Nassau, which soon became IRC corrected time honors too. In the PHRF division, Frank Atkinson�s Cape Bay Fast 40 Different Drummer finished just before 8:00 am, also taking top honors on elapsed and corrected time. -- http://www.nassaucuprace.org EIGHT BELLS Rodney Nicholson passed away November 7th in Blue Hill, Maine, USA. Rodney and his family were responsible for starting Nicholson yacht charters, known as "the original charter company," which has been in the business of chartering yachts for over 50 years, and is the world's oldest and largest agent offering clearing house services for luxury crewed yachts chartering in the Caribbean and Worldwide. CURMUDGEON�S OBSERVATION A Swiss Army Knife is like a man, because even though it appears useful for a wide variety of work, it spends most of its time just opening bottles. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Ultimate Sailing - Interlux - Summit Yachts - North Sails Ocean Racing - Doyle Sails - Atlantis WeatherGear - Lewmar Ullman Sails - Harken - The Pirates Lair - Team One Newport Need stuff? 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