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SCUTTLEBUTT 2511 – January 15, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. ALPHAGRAPHICS SIGNS AS US SAILING TEAM TITLE SPONSOR US Sailing announced that it has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with AlphaGraphics - a leading print, graphics, and marketing communications network - to be the first-ever title sponsor of the US Sailing Team. The new partnership takes immediate effect and runs through 2012. The US Sailing Team, which annually recognizes the top three athletes in the classes selected for the next Olympic and Paralympic Games, will now be known as "US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics." The sponsorship agreement includes direct financial support for the Team as well as visual communications and marketing support for individual Team members from U.S. AlphaGraphics locations. The partnership also envisions leveraging the power of the AlphaGraphics franchise network to raise additional funds for the Team. AlphaGraphics, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a visual communications franchisor. The company is owned by Pindar Group, a leading print and electronic media company, which over the years has become known for its support of sailing through its sponsorship of several world-class sailors and sailing teams. -- Complete announcement: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/ag_partnership.asp * (January 14, 2008) With many of the Olympic classes set to begin their World Championships within the next couple months in either Australia or New Zealand, many of the top contenders are competing this week in the Sail Melbourne event. After the first day of qualifying on Monday, the top performance from the North American contingent was turned in by Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving (USA), leading the Women’s 470 class. Also turning in good efforts was Abe Torchinsky (CAN), third in Laser, and Tania Elias Calles, fourth in Laser Radial. -- Complete results: http://www.yachting.org.au/site/yachting/event/6997/default.html MAKING THE CASE FOR BOOM PREVENTERS by CCA Fleet Surgeon The incidence of injury from accidental or premature jibes is unknown but the problem is not insignificant. I became aware of the immediacy and seriousness of such accidents during the 1989 Marion Bermuda Race when a pediatrician at the helm of a fellow neurosurgeon’s boat had a fatal head injury during an accidental jibe at night. He was struck by the mainsheet as it whipped across the cockpit. The binnacle was also badly damaged by the mainsheet. Subsequently I assembled an incomplete list of 18 fatal head and/or neck injuries that occurred on “offshore” yachts during accidental jibes. A surprising number occurred in various racing venues, as follows. Racing Venues with Well Documented Fatal Jibe Head Injuries 1979 SORC boom injury 1981 Practice - USCG Academy Sailing Team boom injury 1989 Marion Bermuda Race mainsheet injury 1992 Cowe’s Week mainsheet injury 1996 Antigua Race Week mainsheet injury 1998 Ft. Lauderdale-Key West Race boom injury 2007 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) boom or mainsheet injury In addition, in 1990 a midshipman at the US Naval Academy was in coma after a head injury during an accidental jibe and his recovery was not good enough to return to school. -- Cruising Club of America website, complete report: http://www.cruisingclub.org/pdfs/dl.asp?fn=surgeon_preventer_2007_2.pdf RUSSIAN CHALLENGE – FROM NOWHERE TO NOW IN TWO YEARS Remember Victor Kiam? The American entrepreneur of the 70s liked Remington shavers so much he bought the company. He then went on to make a career as a talking head in Remington TV commercials extolling the virtues of his acquisition. For Victor Kiam read Oleg Zherebtsov. The St Petersburg businessman liked the Volvo Ocean Race so much he bought his own boat and intends to sail on it. This despite never having contested a serious offshore race before this year’s Fastnet. Zherebtsov, the founder of the Russian hypermarket chain Lenta, is bankrolling the Russian Challenge campaign and will be a fully paid up member of the crew, warts and all. Thirty-nine-year-old Zherebtsov stepped on a yacht for the first time in his life two years ago. In business and in life it is fair to say he likes a challenge. "I like adventure and I love sailing,” he says. As for free-dried food, sleep deprivation, mountainous seas and close shaves with icebergs, time will tell. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/yoo882 HEADING TO KEY WEST? North Sails Gear has a great selection of sailing gear perfect for Key West conditions! Try our Poly-Dri sport shirt in short sleeve ($23) or long sleeve ($29) which makes a great base layer and will keep you cool and comfortable. We've got great sandals for both men and women ($34) and our popular Bluewater Wide Brim hat ($26) is great for protection from the sun. Don't delay, Acura Key West Race Week begins in just six days! Don't forget to check our clearance section for great deals! http://www.northsailsgear.com BARCELONA WORLD RACE Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles) (Day 65 – January 14, 2008) The fastest boat in the Barcelona World Race over the last 24 hours has been Temenos II, who have taken advantage of stronger conditions to rack up 358 miles over the last 24 hours. Conditions are significantly softer at the front of the fleet as race leader Paprec-Virbac 2 has dropped 66 miles to Hugo Boss in the past day. Comments co-skipper Damian Foxall on Paprec-Virbac 2, “We’ve just found our little high pressure ridge which is slowing us down and giving us nice, gentle sailing conditions – just what we need,” Damian said. “We’re sailing into and around a high pressure ridge. We’ve got a day or two of pain coming up and they’ll be in nice reaching conditions straight at the mark. And the routing I ran this morning put Hugo Boss just 200 miles back by the time we get to the tip of Brazil. It ’s going to keep us on our toes.” The leader is currently sailing upwind angles along the South American continent in the South Atlantic, roughly abeam of Uruguay at the 39-degree South latitude. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com Positions at 18:00 GMT (+gain/-loss from leader since previous day) 1-Paprec-Virbac 2, Jean-Pierre Dick/ Damian Foxall, 5,622 nm DTF (+240) 2-Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson/ Andrew Cape, 765 nm DTL (+91) 3-Temenos II, Dominique Wavre/ Michéle Paret, 2,554 (+102) 4-Mutua Madrilena, Javier Sanso Windmann/ Pachi Rivero, 2,754 (+32) 5-Educación sin Fronteras, Servane Escoffier/ Albert Bargues, 3,582 (+13) Retired - PRB, Vincent Riou / Sébastien Josse (broken mast) Retired -Delta Dore, Jérémie Beyou/ Sidney Gavignet (broken mast) Retired - Estrella Damm, Guillermo Altadill/ Jonathan McKee, (rudder damage) Retired - Veolia Environnement, Roland Jourdain/Jean-Luc Nélias (broken mast) SINGLE-HANDED ROUND THE WORLD RECORD (Day 52 – January 14, 2008 - 18:58 UTC) "It’s a bit hard going," was how Francis Joyon described the situation in a few short words without any emotional overtone. This little sentence takes on a different meaning for those, who know Joyon, as you can read a lot into what lies behind the words and the modesty, about the violence and difficulties he went through during the night. In a trade wind, which was far removed from the typical chocolate box cover representation, IDEC was well and truly shaken around in some very rough seas in a series of squalls. The route is taking its toll on his 98ft trimaran, and beyond the concern that the starboard shroud is in danger of parting at the top of the mast, most recently the staysail stay broke, damaging the furling drum, and a broken block caused a hole in the deck In spite of the damage which is handicapping the maxi-trimaran IDEC in her climb back up the North Atlantic, and if the technical problems do not worsen, Francis Joyon should complete his extraordinary record-breaking single-handed round the world voyage after sixty days of sailing. The ETA in Brest, France at the moment is calculated to be between Sunday and Monday, January 20th and 21st. In the past 24 hours, he clocked an average speed of 17.6 knots while covering 422.1 nm. With only 2,130 nm remaining to the finish at Brest, France, his advance over the 2005 record set by Ellen MacArthur (71d 14h 18m 33s) is at 2,816 nm. -- Complete translated report: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5702 LOSING FIVE POUNDS BY THIS WEEKEND If you need to lose some weight for your team to stay under the limit at the weigh-in, either at Key West or some time down the road, there is definitely a right way and wrong way to manage this short term need. Jennifer Langille provides a few tips on how to properly lose the pounds: * LOTS of water - sipping water all day will keep hunger at bay! * Avoid sugars (fruit, candy, juices and soft drinks, sports drinks, yogurts and cereals with lots of sugar, etc) * Avoid high sodium foods (they retain water and make you feel bloated ~ terrible for the mental game) * DO eat mini meals with a smart complex-carbohydrate and lean protein (whole grain toast with low fat cottage cheese; low fat cheese with whole grain cracker or rice cakes; dark green salad with tuna on top) ~ this will curb appetite * Avoid late day meals * Avoid alcohol till after weigh-in * DO find creative ways to add in physical activity (wake up and do 10min of jumping jacks before getting into the shower; take the stairs and park much further away from work and walk). * Drink your AM cup of coffee as black as you can...maybe a little milk but cut back on the sugar added Remember, pay attention to how you feel physically and look to your health first. If you have any pre-existing medical concerns, always seek medical advise before extreme dieting. -- The Dock Box, http://thedockbox.blogspot.com/2008/01/have-5lbs-to-lose-by-this-weekend.html 18 CITY TOUR Dave Perry, Dave Dellenbaugh, and Brad Dellenbaugh are teaching Rules and Tactics Seminars in 18 locations this winter. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two... From fundamental principles to nuances highlighting the difference between right-of-way and control, these rules gurus teach the rules and the tactics rules dictate. The case-based curriculum teaches situations, not rule numbers. Enrollment is limited. Sign up now (risk free) and receive Perry’s Rules Quiz book and Dellebaugh’s Rules DVDs with the course. Learn more at NorthU. Call 800 347-2457 or http://www.northu.com ALINGHI HAS ITS FINGER ON THE APPEAL BUTTON The latest round of legal maneuvers took place on January 14th between Société Nautique Genève (SNG), Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), and Justice Cahn of the New York Supreme Court. Here is Scuttlebutt legal analyst Cory Friedman’s report – the thirteenth in a series of articles spanning the entire legal process: “Who won today before Justice Cahn? Nobody. Everybody. SNG got a 9 day reprieve, but not 9 days more to prepare for the match. The date of the match will be determined – if the parties do not take the Court’s repeated suggestions that they agree – at a hearing before Justice Cahn on January 23, 2008 at 2:00 pm. The reason for the delay is straightforward. “First of all, I have to point out that no ‘on the record’ hearing was held. Instead, as the appearance was scheduled as a conference, rather than argument, the Court convened an 18th century type scrum at the bench, just like the very first appearance, which allows Justice Cahn a degree of informality to explore the issues which would not be possible on the record. For that reason, even though I could hear much of the conference, it would not be appropriate to quote Justice Cahn. What is clear is that he wants to get an order entered which will finish this stage of the litigation. “As SNG has stated, it will appeal whatever the order provides, so it does not make a lot of sense to beat the order to death. That is the Appellate Division’s problem. Ordinarily, the order settled by the motion winner is signed, with any valid points from the order counter-settled by the motion loser added. That makes sense, because the motion winner will have to defend the order on appeal to the Appellate Division. If the winner asks for more than he or she is entitled to, it increases the chances of reversal, but the motion winner bears that risk. Indeed, a motion loser might be better off with an overreaching order to appeal, rather than one more carefully drawn. It is a fatter target.” – Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf * Curmudgeon’s Comment: With each passing day of litigation, the fun factor dives exponentially. However, what remains a giggle are the differing opinions expressed by each team’s press releases following the day’s events. After reading Cory’s analysis, which team do you believe to be expressing a more accurate account? > SNG release: http://tinyurl.com/ytum5c > GGYC release: http://tinyurl.com/2bh3mc * The Valencia Sailing website reports that the Alinghi team has acquired two Extreme 40 catamarans and that they arrived in Valencia on January 14th. Apparently Alinghi has rented the former China Team base to use as a training base, and it is there where the catamarans are now being assembled. But training for what (wink, wink)? -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2cqyqw SAILING SHORTS * Following the retirement of Arve Sundheim (NOR), who retired after almost 12 years in the role of ISAF Secretary General, Jerome Pels (NED) took over in the position on January 1, 2008. Since joining the ISAF Secretariat in 1997, Pels has most recently been in the role of Deputy Secretary General and was responsible for the overall running of the sailing competition at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympic Games. -- Read on for interview: http://www.sailing.org/21917.php?PHPSESSID=8e191ffc866c186b6d23155e63d308a0 * The Hall Spars & Rigging factory in Breskens, Holland has planned a 3000m2 expansion that will more than double the current 2500m2 they constructed five years ago. The working space of the carbon shop will be lengthened to 63 meters and a new, 60-meter paint booth will be installed. Ground breaking is scheduled for early this year with completion expected by the fall of 2008. -- Complete report: http://www.nautica.it/service/notizie.htm?2008-01-139 * Cabarete, Dominican Republic -- The 6th Caribbean Laser Midwinter Regatta featured a light wind day, a strong wind day with big waves, and a third day with moderate winds, along with a brief interruption by a humpback whale during the second race start. The competition included current North American Champion Thomas Barrows (USVI) and several Canadian Olympic team sailors, and was won by Raul Aguayo (DOM), with Canadians Lee Parkhill and Antoine Boueilh following. First place Masters with Handicap was Ari Barshi (DOM), followed by 10 times world champion Keith Wilkins (GBR), and Tim Landt (USA). Complete results: http://www.caribwind.com/ltc/results/6th_%20Midwinter_Results.html * Peter Wykeham-Martin and John Grandy of GWM Racing Limited have been appointed to run the on-water aspects of The Superyacht Cup events planned for 2008. The calendar includes The Superyacht Cup Transatlantic Challenge starting in Antigua in April, The Superyacht Cup Palma in June, and The Superyacht Cup Antigua in December. GWM Racing specialises in the preparation and execution of international yachting events and will advise and assist on all aspects of on-water management of the regattas, including the format of the racing, notice of race, sailing instructions, ratings and handicapping, tracking and associated website systems, and race management and results. -- Read on: http://www.thesuperyachtcup.com/newsletter/htdocs/Default/View/id/18 * Milan, Italy -- The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) has announced the immediate availability of its new Velocity Prediction Program (VPP), the computational core the new ORC International and ORC Club rating systems. This Designer’s Version of the rule can be downloaded directly from the ORC website, and will enable sailors and designers to process data through the VPP to analyze the effects of design changes to ratings. Already 50 designers representing 18 countries from around the world have taken advantage of the opportunity to download, test, and comment on the beta version of the Windows-based software. -- http://www.orc.org * Strictly Sail Chicago, the largest indoor sailboat show in the country, will be held January 31 – February 3, 2008 at Navy Pier. Scuttlebutt has discount tickets to help attend the four-day event to see the latest sailboats and sailing accessories on the market. -- Details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/01/butthead-benefit.html * Former America's Cup yachting skipper Chris Dickson is to join a new attempt to set a world record Cook Strait crossing by an amphibious vehicle. Sealegs, which owns the amphibious inflatable boat (a RIB with wheels that can be lowered and driven on land), abandoned a previous attempt last year due to weather conditions. Now Dickson, a new Sealegs board member, will join chief executive officer of Sealegs, David McKee Wright in a new attempt on January 23rd. -- Complete story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4357284a10.html MORRIS YACHTS - ON TO MIAMI STRICTLY SAIL FEB 14-18 After participating in Boot Dusseldorf January 19-27 and Seattle Boats Afloat January 24- February 2, Team Morris will be headed to sunny and warm Miami’s Strictly Sail Show Miamarina at Bayside. A M36 and M42 will be on view. Grab your sunglasses and sunscreen and come see us. Details: 207-244-5509 or mailto:sales1@morrisyachts.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Benjamin Barger, 2008 US Olympic RS:X representative: (regarding letter in Issue 2510) What Steve Bodner brings up is exactly why the windsurfing sport is in shambles. There is no strategy or vision for the sport, just bouncing from one wave to another, always thinking everything is greener on the other side. Steve should know from competing for decades on the Olympic gear, before quitting this quad, that the new equipment is more modern and reflective of the times. Unfortunately, however, it keeps on getting tougher as there are development programs across the world except in the US. But things are changing...although my funding from US sailing is less than my competitors outside the US, it is 12 times greater than our last Olympic contender Peter Wells received in 2004. I, along with others, were skeptical about US sailing, personally giving hell to US Olympic Chairman Dean Brenner as well. But as my performance rose this quad, so did their support, and when you work with them they work back for you. I am no world champ yet, but they do support those not getting last place. The sport in the US I believe is finally changing for the better, with more youth involved than before, and the stupidity of the trials soon to be in the rear-view mirror of what not to do at your Olympic selection. I hope to energize youth and show them that this is a great outlet to test themselves and compete in a clean sport. Let kids choose to be like Kevin Pritchard or a Gold Medalist, but don't dissuade them from the latter because you got your butt kicked by Olympic Windsurfers and would rather go wave sailing. I wavesail on vacation and I train for the Olympics as a my true challenge of strengths and capabilities, more than 30 hours a week for around 10 years with it always costing me more money than I raise. Why do I do it? I'll be there this summer. * From George Carmany: Congratulations to Gordon Ingate, known around the world as a relentless competitor, who two months short of his 82nd birthday won the Australian Dragon championship against a strong fleet in Hobart, which included FD world champion Ian McCrossin. Gordon becomes the oldest person to win a major Australian championship, perhaps one of the oldest anywhere. And he'll be racing his 5.5 in Europe next summer after stopping on the way to race in the NYYC Cruise for something like the 26th time. * From R. Alemeet: Seems to me if they are going to debate the definition of "keel yacht" as pertains to a 90' x 90' vessel then maybe Kenneth Starr and Bill Clinton might need to be on retainer as well, to assist in the debate, since they've already been through years of haggling over the definition of "the" or "that woman". I can see OJ and maybe F. Lee Bailey adding value as well, and maybe Cato Kalin... Has the National Enquirer set up an office in Valencia? CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION If you want to be a leader with a large following, just obey the speed limit on a winding, two-lane road. Special thanks to North Sails, North U, and Morris Yachts. A complete list of Scuttlebutt’s preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
