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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 820 - May 22, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
AMERICA'S CUP JUBILEE Although obviously not under competition, the most famous of sailing's silverware, the America's Cup, will also be present at the Jubilee. The current holders, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will be bringing the Cup to Cowes where it will be on display at the New Zealand Pavilion in the Jubilee Village. The 12-Metres will be the biggest single class at the Jubilee with 35 confirmed entries for the Prada 12-Metre World Championship. Many of the most famous 12-Metres will be present including the two best known, Intrepid and Australia II. The latter won the America's Cup in 1983 when the Australians wrestled the Cup away from the clutches of the New York Yacht Club after that club had held it for 132 years. The boat has been especially re-commissioned for the Jubilee and most of her legendary crew will be back onboard again for the event. The format of the Prada 12-Metre World Championship is for windward-leeward courses in the Solent, as many as two on some days, along with the Jubilee Race around the Isle of Wight. But it isn't just America's Cup veterans that will be sailing in this class as some of the older boats from the pre-war period will also be competing. The 12- Metres had a vibrant history for several decades before they were ever used for the America's Cup. The Notice of Race for the modern America's Cup Class boats is currently being distributed to syndicates and owners. Up to ten of these boats are expected to sail on a similar America's Cup windward-leeward course configuration to the East of the Isle of Wight. Weather permitting, the class will also take part in the Jubilee Race around the island. In the early part of the week the boats will take part in fleet racing, with the top four boats going through to a match-racing semi-final and final. Amongst the boats that will be on the water racing are America3, Il Moro di Venezia V, Team New Zealand's NZL-32, Luna Rossa and of course the most recent Japanese boats now being used by the all new GBR Challenge, Britain's first America's Cup challenge for 16 years. Event website: www.americascupjubilee.com
FOR THE RECORD
NO WIND After meeting today at Race HQ in Southampton, the Race Committee issued a statement saying: "Due to the unusual weather conditions experienced by the yachts for the first seven days of Leg 6, the BT Global Challenge Race Committee has today decided that the yachts can no longer meet the previously publicised arrival dates for La Rochelle, and the homecoming into Southampton." Race organisers now expect that the first yacht will cross the line at La Rochelle, France on June 21st and depart for Southampton on the final sprint leg across The Channel on June 26th. - www.btchallenge.com
DOUGLAS GILL $50 "BREATHE EASY" REBATE
VOLVO OCEAN RACE "The boat feels great and is performing well right out of the box," Kostecki said. "While there is still work to do to make our new boat race-ready, we are exactly where we wanted to be four months away from the start of the Volvo Ocean Race. We will continue to optimize the new boat here in Charleston, tuning her up with our two training boats until we realize the full potential of our next generation Volvo 60." - Jane Eagleson, www.illbruck-pinta.com/start_e.html
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Peter Godfrey: I have a few questions for US Sailing about how it decided that protest filing fees are "an unhealthy development for our sport". Did US Sailing ask RCs and event organizers why they charge protest filing fees? About the fee range and purpose? Did fees serve their purpose? Did competitors complain? Were US Sailing members' views solicited, especially member organizations [YRAs and clubs]? Was there any open debate of this "issue" among the members at large? Occasionally an organizer needs to discourage filing protests for legitimate reasons, such as friendly and informal match racing [no umps], with limited time available. Competitors need to admit their errors quickly. To encourage taking ones lumps, one useful device is to require each party to select one protest committee member from among the other competitors, with a third to be agreed upon jointly. The selected members must agree to serve. It's pretty hard to get a committee together unless the protest has merit. The result has been as intended: few protests, and those that do get heard, either formally or informally, are usually based in legitimate debate about what a particular rule really means. Frivolous protests never make it. And everyone's sense of humor seems to survive quite nicely. So just what is wrong with asking for a filing fee, especially if a winning protestor gets it back? Same approach works pretty well in the UK civil courts. Why not in sailing? * From Tom Priest: Charging a protest filing fee was simply intended to discourage the protests that lacked real merit. If, as a participant I felt truly wronged, you can bet your bottom dollar I would pay my fee and have my 15 seconds of fame in the "room". The fee is not the determining factor if the protest isn't frivolous! Handing out trophies within a reasonable timeframe at the end of a regatta probably just went out the door! Maybe now, entry fees will have to be adjusted upwards to cover the cost of postage to mail the trophies to the proper recipients. Looks like another catastrophic improvement to me. Do we really NEED to keep fixing what ain't broke?
AMERICA'S CUP St. Francis (YC) had its chance. (Larry) Ellison, needing a club to submit his challenge, talked to that elite outfit first. But Ellison, with a few dozen millions invested and the world's top sailing prize at stake, demanded more control-such as three syndicate reps on the StFYC board of directors-than StFYC was willing to give. Ellison also talked to the private owners of California YC in Marina del Rey, with similar results, then turned to Golden Gate. The later felt it could live with three Ellison stooges on its board for three or four years, considering that they'd still have eight votes on their side. The legal departments of both sides were satisfied and the deal was done. Golden Gate then submitted the $300,000 challenge fee to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, which was routinely accepted. It would have been half before the first entry deadline passed a couple of months earlier, but it didn't matter to the Golden Gate folks because it wasn't their money, anyway. Good old Larry signed the check. That's a big part of how the arrangement came about. Golden Gate was close to broke. It leases its land from the City of San Francisco, and it was public knowledge around San Francisco that the club had gotten into such deep financial difficulty rebuilding its second floor that it was having trouble meeting its lease payments. "They were in such straits that they weren't sure their doors were going to stay open all year," (Lynda) Myers (executive director of the Bay area's Yacht Racing Association) said. Who knows when the city would have sent the sheriff around, but something wonderful happened first. Along came Larry Ellison. I don't know what price Ellison is paying for the use of the Golden Gate burgee-I've heard $1 million-but it's a bargain for him and a godsend for the club. "I think their financial troubles are over," Myers said. - Rich Roberts, The Log Full story: www.thelognewspaper.com/columnists/richroberts.htm
QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Bill Koch
IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMER TIME
WAAS The Coast Guard points out that the Maritime Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) Service remains fully operational and continues to notify users within six seconds of any GPS satellite or DGPS corrections that are out of tolerance. This service has been adopted as a maritime standard in over 36 countries. As always, the Coast Guard strongly encourages mariners to use all available means of navigation and not rely on any single system. Once WAAS also becomes fully operational, the combination of Coast Guard and FAA systems are expected to provide a robust, complementary service to all modes of transportation. Information: www.navcen.uscg.mil
OLYMPICS 2001 US Sailing Team member and ICSA All-American Krysia Pohl (Alameda, Calif.) and Susannah Carr (San Francisco, Calif.) in the Europe class. Greg Skidmore (Riverside, Conn.) in the Finn class. ICSA All-American Kevin Teborek (Winnetka, Ill.) and Talbott Ingram (Fair Haven, N.J.), both 2001 US Sailing Team members, in the 470 Men's event. Brothers Sean and Brendan Couvreux (both Petaluma, Calif.), both 2001 US Sailing Team members, in the 49er class. 2001 US Sailing Team member Andrew Scrivan (Greenwich, Conn.) and Ben Richardson (Gloucester, Mass.) in the Laser class. ICSA All-American Peter Wells (La Canada, Calif.); Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Steve Bodner (Toledo, Ohio/San Francisco, Calif.), all members of the 2001 US Sailing Team, will compete in the Mistral men's event.
WORRELL WRAP UP This year's fleet came to the Worrell 1000 for a variety of reasons. Some were here to race, some just to try to finish, and some to witness the beauty of a sail up the barrier beaches of the South Atlantic coast. Others came for the chance to challenge themselves and learn more about how they react to extremely trying conditions. Race founder Mike Worrell has his own view. "To me it's the personal challenge of doing something that puts yourself in danger where only your wits and ability to deal with your surroundings can assure your safety. Then overlay top competition and you've got an extreme sporting event similar to the Volvo Ocean Race. I don't know why these people do it, but that's why I started it." Mike Worrell is already working on next year's race. This year he added a helicopter for media and photographers, next year he plans to do a TV program and to introduce a cash prize. Since the event was brought out of mothballs in 1997, the fleets have grown larger and the attention of the sailing world has begun to focus more closely on this unique event. "I couldn't feel better about the future for this race; we are truly on the launching pad," said a beaming Worrell at the finish. And if this year's event serves as an indicator, he could be right. - Zack Leonard, SailNet website Full story: www.sailnet.com
SAD ENDING Full story: www.madforsailing.com
INTERNATIONAL ONE METER WORLDS
HAWAII LIPTON CUP
CORRECTION
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
