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SCUTTLEBUTT 3130 - Friday, July 9, 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: APS and Samson Rope. SAN FRANCISCO TO LEAD USA EFFORT (July 8, 2010) - San Francisco has put forward a strong, well-rounded venue proposal, and is now the only city in the USA under consideration to host the 34th America’s Cup match. The city is home to the Golden Gate Yacht Club, whose team BMW ORACLE Racing, won the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain on 14 February. The 34th America’s Cup is scheduled for 2013 or 2014, the year to be determined by infrastructure development lead-times. “Our team has said from the outset that San Francisco and the Bay Area have the potential to provide a superb stage on which to host a memorable America’s Cup,” commented Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing. “Our team owner, Larry Ellison, has called the Bay ‘a fantastic natural amphitheatre’.” In being granted status as the sole venue candidate in the USA, San Francisco can forge ahead with plans to provide the necessary facilities for the America’s Cup along the City’s waterfront, south of the Bay Bridge. It also now allows San Francisco to “nationalize” their efforts and to seek support from the State of California and the federal government in Washington, D.C. Strong expressions of interest from four European countries are also being studied by the American Defender. GGYC/BOR will announce a final decision on the venue, along with the date and other details of the next America’s Cup by the end of this year. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/25kn6r9 BRILLIANT: As bitter a pill this is to swallow for venue hopefuls San Diego (CA) and Newport (RI), BMW Oracle Racing did the USA a big favor by eliminating them. Hosting the 33rd America’s Cup will certainly require assistance from the state, likely entail the support from the country, and perhaps even call for the backing of a continent. With San Francisco as the strongest U.S. candidate, this was no time for divisiveness amongst other American cities. Building an audience, acquiring sponsors, gaining media support, and providing the facilities for the multiple pre-regattas expected will stretch the scope of the next Match well beyond the city lines of the eventual host. For a city to be the venue confirmed by December 31st, it is time to think big. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR Marstrand, Sweden (July 8, 2010) - The wind spun round to the South today at Stena Match Cup Sweden altering the game plan for the final flights of the round robin segment of the event. For some of the smug skippers of the World Match Racing Tour, Marstrand is their home of old and they therefore take clear advantage in the race course knowledge stakes. Observed Peter Gilmour (AUS) in the morning, “There are some major secrets to this wind direction with good geographic shifts, different things happen and there is quite a set pattern but it takes a while to work it out.” For Gilmour, the secrets were too much to overcome. Sweden’s tortuous round robin series slaughtered the bookies’ favourites with Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/Black Match Racing, winner of this year’s Match Race Germany and Gilmour’s YANMAR Racing team, who claimed victory only 10 days ago at Portimão Portugal Match Cup, now eliminated. Minoprio and Gilmour hold the 2nd and 4th positions respectively in the overall 2010 tour standings, and with six of the eight teams advancing to the Quarter Finals also amid the top eight of the 2010 tour standings, a tour shakeup is likely to occur following the Stena Match Cup Sweden. -- Full report: http://www.wmrt.com/news/103-match-cup-sweden/11228-smcs2010-8july.html Round Robin Standings - Top four from each group advance to Quarter Finals Group A Jesper Radich (DEN) Rudy Project Sailing Team 6-1 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 5-2 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 5-2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 4-3 ------------------------------ Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team 4-3 Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 3-4 Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team 1-6 Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team 0-7 Group B Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 6-1 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 6-1 Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 5-2 Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Sigma Racing Team 4-3 ------------------------------ Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 3-4 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 2-5 Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing 2-5 Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 0-7 Quarter Final Pairings: Jesper Radich (DEN) vs. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Ian Williams (GBR) vs. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Torvar Mirsky (AUS) vs. Damien Iehl (FRA) Ben Ainslie (GBR) vs. Mathieu Richard (FRA) Pairings and Results: http://tinyurl.com/SMCS-P-R-2010 Video player: http://www.wmrt.com/multimedia/video-gallery.html BACKGROUND: The Stena Match Cup Sweden is the fifth stage of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), the leading professional sailing series featuring 10 World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). FREE MATCH RACING DVD: North U. is set to release a new match racing DVD called Welcome To Match Racing and will give away the first 1,000 copies free of charge. Hosted by three-time U.S. Match Racing Champion Dave Perry, who is the author of Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing and the coach of the U.S. Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Women’s Match Race Team, this DVD takes viewers through the basics of match racing from start to finish. To get a free copy (in the USA or Canada), sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/26gm2ft HOLY SHIRTS BATMAN. It's hot outside! But, the air on the East coast isn't the only thing that's hot. APS, "The World Leader in Outfitting Performance Sailors," has a hot deal on custom decorated wicking crew polos to keep you cool. Whether you need shirts now or for an upcoming event the APS Crugear division is at the ready with our Crugear Tech Polos. What are you waiting for? Get your art in gear and come watch a short video where Kyle will give you the straight scoop on the hot deal to keep you and your crew feeling and looking cool! http://bit.ly/APSCrugear EASIER THAN FINDING A GOLDEN TICKET The Congressional Cup in Long Beach, CA is one of the oldest and most prestigious match race events in the world. Before the World Match Racing Tour professionalized this segment of the sport, the Congressional Cup was the home to all the elite sailors. It is the birthplace of on-the-water umpiring, and it remains the only Open Grade 1 event in the United States. Traditionally, getting an invitation to the Congressional Cup has been about as easy as finding one of candy maker Willy Wonka’s hidden Golden Tickets amongst his Wonka Bars. However, for the North American match racer, the door for entrance just opened a bit wider: * Officials from the Knickerbocker Cup, the Chicago Match Cup and the Toyota International Match Race for the Detroit Cup announced that the overall winner of their three Grade 2 match racing regattas will automatically be invited to the 2011 Congressional Cup, hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club. The three Grade 2 regattas, together known as the East Coast Trifecta, are also each qualifying regattas for different events on the World Match Racing Tour. The decision to invite the overall winner to the Congressional Cup was made to promote the launch of a new North American Match Race Series that will link the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast events. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10129 * The Ficker Cup, which provides the winner with an invitation to the Congressional Cup, has changed its schedule from a June event to instead coincide with the Congressional Cup. Only one day will now separate the final day of Ficker Cup, March 17-20, and the first day of Congressional Cup, March 21-26. The Ficker Cup hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club has also been upgraded from an ISAF Grade 3 event to a Grade 2 in 2011. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10130 IMPROVING YOUR RULES KNOWLEDGE Scuttlebutt is asked to review a lot of products, and when the request is for a product that we may have some interest in, occasionally we will actually do it. Here is a review by Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck for a new iPhone application: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Clinical tests have shown that one of the best treatments for insomnia is simply reading the Racing Rules of Sailing - they are so boring that most people go right to sleep. Worse yet, they are confusing and it’s not easy to figure out how the words on the page relate to situations on the water. However, if you want to race sailboats, you simply must understand the rules, and more importantly - how they apply on the racecourse. You-Tack Pro, The Racing Sailor's Illustrated Guide is a new iPhone/iPod app that truly helps to make the rules understandable, and to make the learning process fun. It has 42 illustrated situations that will open your eyes about things that happen regularly on the race course. When I say illustrated, I mean with both diagrams and video. Plus, there’s a quiz about each of those situations that quickly (and sometimes painfully) lets you know if you really understand what’s going on. And when you get the quiz answers, there is always a convenient link to the applicable rules. Nice. The app also includes the complete rule book including all of the appendices, definitions and signals. At $19.95 it is not cheap, but it is a very easy and fun way to improve your rules knowledge … and to quickly get into your comfort zone as you prepare to go into “the room.” - http://appshopper.com/sports/you-tack-pro MORE: A collection of sailing iPhone apps are posted on the Scuttlebutt Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9220 FIRST TIME IN CLASS HISTORY As a veteran professional sailor, Allan Terhune is quite proficient in any one-design boat he skippers. The Annapolis (MD) resident has competed successfully in the Lightning, Etchells and J/22 classes. However, Terhune is most comfortable at the helm of a Flying Scot - a 19-foot centerboard dinghy designed in 1957 by Gordon Douglass. "That's the boat I grew up racing. I've got an awful lot of hours in a Flying Scot," he said. As a boy residing in the dinghy sailing mecca of Toms River, Terhune crewed for his father in a Flying Scot. At age 14, Terhune got his own boat so he could compete on the southern New Jersey circuit. An All-American career at the Merchant Marine Academy and a professional career with North Sails-Chesapeake has led Terhune into all sorts of other one-designs, but he always finds time each year to do a Flying Scot regatta or two. Apparently those lessons learned as a youngster have never been forgotten as Terhune has now captured three consecutive Flying Scot North American championships. Katie Terhune once again crewed for her husband as the couple secured the 2010 crown last week at Bay-Waveland Yacht Club in Mississippi. "It's the first time in the history of the Flying Scot class that's happened so that is pretty cool," Terhune admitted. "It was one of the most competitive fleets I've seen in a long while so that made it even more special." Indeed, among the competitors was former Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jeff Linton, Star class Olympic representative John Dane and three-time Mallory Cup champion Zak Fanberg, who grew up sailing out of Bay-Waveland Yacht Club. Competition was held on Bay St. Louis and there was concern going into the regatta about possible affects of the BP oil spill. Fortunately, the spill has not found its way into the bay just yet and the North Americans went off as scheduled. Terhune still loves sailing the Flying Scot, which has been in constant production since 1957 and has hit 5,300 hulls. "The boats are all the same and the class rules are such that no one can out-spend anyone so it's all about sailing. There a lot of family teams involved so it's a nice crowd," he said. Complete story: http://tinyurl.com/2br45sf Event results: http://tinyurl.com/22n9ayd MLX GETS YOU THERE, DEEPSIX KEEPS YOU THERE To enjoy great summer sailing, upgrade your running rigging and anchor line now! Always wanted to try the high-tech running rigging but didn’t want to break the bank? Consider upgrading to Samson’s latest innovation: MLX, a high modulus polypropylene (HMPP) and Dyneema (high modulus polyethylene, HMPE) blend. It gives you high-tech performance on a low-tech budget. If you are looking for a comfortable, reliable anchor rode, DeepSix will get the job done with the firmness of a 3 strand and the flaking ability of an 8 strand. For more information, visit http://www.samsonrope.com SAILING SHORTS * This weekend Sail Newport (RI) will host the Coastal Living Newport Regatta, marking 27 years of the annual multi-class regatta in Newport. The entry list is stacking up for 19 classes of boats including: Swan 42, J/105, J/80, Etchells, Shields, J/24, Melges 24, Six Metre, S Boats, RSK6, F 18, A Cat, Laser II, Laser, Laser Radial, Club 420, SKUD, Viper and Vanguard 15s. -- Full story: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10131 * The latest release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings finds Spain, Great Britain, and France as the leading nations with the number of top three ranked sailors. Top ranked North American sailors include Canadian Michael Leigh (Laser, 5th) and Americans Zach Railey (Finn, 3rd), Paige Railey (Laser Radial, 4th), and Mark Mendelblatt (Star, 4th). The next release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will be on 18 August 2010 up to and including Skandia Sail for Gold in Britain, Laser Radial Women World Championship in Great Britain and the 470 World Championship in Netherlands. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/news/33052.php * BP plans to hire more local boat owners in the Gulf of Mexico in response to complaints that the oil conglomerate does not have enough private boats involved laying boom, skimming oil and moving wildlife to rescue centers. With about a third of the Gulf closed to fishing, local charter fishermen are looking for work, but the company said it plans to focus its efforts on making sure that the boats and personnel are suitably qualified for the job. -- IBI Magazine, full story: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20100608154321ibinews.html PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include boats getting launched, boats getting beached, boats getting baked, boaters getting honored, fashion getting regressed, sunlight staying longer, and starters getting sagged. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0709/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK For the inaugural Youth Olympic Games to be held this August in Singapore, the Techno 293 windsurfer and the Byte CII dinghy will be used for the boys and girls events. If you have never before seen the Byte CII singlehanded dinghy, here is great footage from their European Championship held at the ultra great Lake Garda in Italy. Plus what’s not to like about a video that opens up with music from Aerosmith (‘Rag Doll’) and AC/DC (‘Back in Black’)? Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/10/0709/ SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com 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 Jeff Borland: (re, update in Scuttlebutt 3129) Well, US Sailing's press release on the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship (USWMRC) certainly left out a lot. Contrary to their tone, there are actually eight teams sailing, not just the two Olympic Sailing Committee hopefuls. The event is being held for its 9th time, and as always, it brings in teams from all walks of life. In addition to the two professionals touted by the Team AlphaGraphics press corps, we have a mother, a teacher, a number of top Women's college sailors, a high school senior and a number of other women who are doing this for a chance at the National title, and for the love of the match race discipline. The USWMRC has been encouraging women to match race for its entire history, and has done a fabulous job of it. Past competitors include fleet race Olympians, America's Cup veterans, Rolex yacthswomen and most importantly women sailors from all walks of life. The event was the brainchild of Susan Epstein and Deb Schoenherr, and if it were not for their foresight and tireless effort, the US Women's match race scene would not be as progressed as it is. Luckily, the US Sailing website does provide the names of the other competitors - the full list is: Sally Barkow, Evan Brown, Liz Hjorth, Adreinne Patterson, Katy Lovell, Stephanie Roble, Maegan Ruhlman, and Genny Tulloch: http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USWMRC.htm * From John Rousmaniere: A statement has been made on the NBC "Today" show that a boat was lost during the recent Newport Bermuda Race. The speaker, Laurence Sunderland, could have been referring to a report in On Scene, the U.S. Coast Guard's Search and Rescue website, that "a participant in the Newport to Bermuda Race" was dismasted and abandoned on June 15 at a position in the Atlantic 1,050 miles east of Nantucket That report is at http://tinyurl.com/2g2zy6f A boat was dismasted at that location, and, happily, its solo sailor was rescued using the Cospas-Sarsat System. But this boat was not entered in the Newport Bermuda Race. After this inaccurate report became public on June 23, On Scene was twice notified by the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee that the Newport Bermuda Race was not started until June 18, over 1,000 miles from the scene of the accident. The report had not been changed as of July 7. The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee is continuing its efforts to have the report corrected. The transcript of the comments on the "Today" show is at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37999379/ns/today-today_people/ * From Neroli Bell: In answer to John J. Ford (letter in Scuttlebutt 3129), I am one of those casual observers that he has failed to note. No, I do not have a boat; no, I have not crewed on a boat, but I have a brother-in-law who has both owned and crewed; yes, I have sailed on a sailboat and I regret that I did not have the opportunities he has apparently had. Does that diminish my interest in sailing? Not a bit. I have attended two America’s Cups in Auckland, and followed assiduously the website 2007ac.com (and previous incarnations) and subscribed to Scuttlebutt for many years. Does that make my interest any less valuable than Mr. Ford's? Does the fact that I have never played rugby diminish my interest in following the All Blacks? Does the fact that I had to abandon tennis at age 29 because of injury diminish my interest in Wimbledon? Wake up, Mr. Ford; there is a much larger audience out there that you have failed to note. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION The most contagious spirit.................Enthusiasm Special thanks to APS and Samson Rope. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
