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SCUTTLEBUTT 1617 - July 2, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. ISAF RANKINGS (Scuttlebutt has been known to poke fun at the ISAF rankings of the Olympic classes, but for some people this is a serious matter. US Sailing Team Coach Gary Bodie discusses this problem in a piece that we've posted on our website. Following are a couple of excerpts from Bodie's paper.) Most non-Europeans consider the ISAF Ranking System to be seriously flawed, but nobody cared very much since it did not count for anything. More sailors began to pay attention when ISAF decided to use the rankings for entry quotas into the 2003 combined World Championships. The organizers of Princess Sofia in Palma are now using the ISAF rankings to restrict the entry numbers in that event. The central inequality in the ISAF Ranking System is that it requires non European athletes to compete in Europe in four or five events every year during a four year Olympic quadrennium if they desire to maximize their ranking, while a European sailor would only have to venture outside of Europe once every four years. That works out to nineteen trips to Europe for a non European, and one trip outside of Europe for a European in a four year period. Question: How many Grade 1 events are there outside of Europe where the Q factor equals 1.5? Answer: Miami OCR in Star class. Bacardi Cup in Star class if it retains its Grade 1 status. There may be others, but I cannot find any. Question: What is the Q factor, and why does it matter? Answer: The Q factor ranges between 1.0 and 1.5 depending on the number of top thirty ranked sailors that compete in the regatta in question. Assuming Grade 1 status, a win in a Q=1.5 regatta is worth 675 points, and a win in a Q=1.0 regatta is worth 450 points. The Q factor for World Championships is automatically 1.5. The Q factor for Hyeres, Spa, Kiel and European Championships is almost always 1.5. Question: How many Grade 1 events are there in Europe where the Q factor equals 1.5? Answer: Usually four every year in almost every class; Hyeres, Spa, Kiel and the European Championships. Rober Scheidt, BRA, is ranked second (June 2004), but his ranking suffers severely because he has only competed in two events (Kiel 03 and Hyeres 04) in Europe during the past twelve months other than the World Championships. His 2004 win at the Laser Central and South American Continental Championships does not even make it onto his list of seven counting events since the Q factor only equals 1.13. Robert is "giving away" 500 ranking points. Question: What should ISAF do about the situation? The answer to that question and Gary's other comments may be found at: www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/isafrankings/ RACING RULES OF SAILING In advance of their worldwide date of implementation on January 1, 2005, the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing 2005-2008 and ISAF Equipment Rules of Sailing 2005-2008 have now been published online. The six month leadtime gives ISAF Member National Authorities due time to prepare their own versions of the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing 2005-2008 including the relevant national prescriptions. The ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing 2005-2008 are effective worldwide on 1 January 2005 BUILDING A GOOD TEAM Many people have wondered what it takes to put together a good team for sailboat racing, whether at the club level for weeknight racing, on the national or international level, or even at the America's Cup. Surprisingly, the answer is the same at all levels; it's organization and practice, and done correctly it results in a lot of fun for the entire team. There are as many different ways of approaching your sailing experience as there are boats to sail. On any boat that requires two or more sailors, the crew organizer, (which may or may not be the owner), will have to make decisions on how to put the team together. First, determine at what level you are going to play and what some of the goals for the team are, and make sure you and your crew are on the same page. At one end of the scale, for the casual racer it's just fine to start organizing on a Monday morning to go out for the following weekend's race if you have a goal of just getting on the water with some friends. At the other end of the scale; at the Olympics and America's Cup level, it's a seven-day a week job, and there are many different levels in between. Remember, if you don't have fun and you don't win, you lose twice. - Read the complete article by Olympian and America's Cup veteran Brian Ledbetter on the 48° North website: http://www.48north.com/feb_2004/team.htm SPERRY TOP-SIDER MAKES A SPLASH AT SEA WORLD Sperry Top-Sider, the conquistadors of the open seas have one more notch in their belt of accolades. The Shamu trainers at Sea World, a.k.a., "The Dream Team," have designated the Figawi Zip as their footwear extraordinaire. The Figawi Zip is the latest in performance wear that combines high-tech material with good old fashion ingenuity. Some of the custom features of the Figawi Zip are molded rubber mudguard with drainage ports, Aegis Microbial Shield kills bacteria that cause odor and Non-Marking Super-Tack Rubber Outsole™ and Quadro-Grip Wave-Siping™ provide superior wet or dry traction. - http://www.sperrytopsider.com/mens_performance.asp NEWS BRIEFS * With the Pacific High still sitting squarely in the path of most of the IBM Vic - Maui fleet, progress today was moderate for some, and just plain slow for the less-fortunate. Dan Sinclair's Andrews 70 Renegade posted the best mileage (201 miles). The rest of Division 1 reported runs around 150-170 miles. The leading yacht in Division 1 is Renegade, now less than 963 miles from Lahaina. Voodoo Child, Brian Duchin's J/130 leads Division 2 and the fleet on corrected time, while Steve Clark's Winds of Time leads Division 3, and is lying second overall. - www.vicmaui.org/2004/index.php * David Nottage's J-44 Kaimiloa, is credited with the overall lead in the 2070 mile West Marine Pacific Cup. A mixed bag of swift downwind Santa Cruz 50 and 52s along with a Wylie 43, Schumaker 50 and Bennet 56 left San Francisco in Thursday's segment of the staggered start series. They are expected to roar through the fleet within a couple of days. Friday is the final starting day, featuring the swiftest yachts race has to offer including the 140 foot super maxi, Mari Cha IV, considered to be the fastest monohull yacht on any ocean. - www.vicmaui.org/2004 * Kemah, Texas - With 119 sailors from 12 countries racing in the International Optimist Dinghy Association's NAs, it was Elijah Simmons who gained gold for Bermuda for their third year in succession. U.S.A. challenger Austen Anderson from Centerpoint Y.C. on Long Island NY took the silver from Stephanie Roble (Lake Beulah Y.C. WI) and reigning champion Sean Bouchard (BER). Among the girls Haruka Komiya (JPN) and reigning best girl Susannah Pyatt (NZL) took the minor open medals ahead of North American medallists Amanda Johnson (USA) and Eleanor Gardner (BER). - http://www.optiworld.org/ * After an intense period assembling FRA 69, Le Défi Challenge have finally had chance to retest its boat on the Valencian waters. In a newly repainted red livery, the former bright-yellow boat was back on the water for the first time since last year's campaign, sharing the Valencia's waters with Luna Rossa Challenge. For the last three weeks the shore crew have been preparing the boat for sailing and the French syndicate expected to be here by mid-July. - Cup in Europe, www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007LeDefiLN3.htm * Not only will the K-Challenge French America's Cup syndicate take part in the Louis Vuitton Acts 1, 2 & 3, - it has also scheduled a press conference to introduce its crew and its design team at the Société Nautique de Marseille on Wednesday, July 7th. * Few fund raising events can boast such a large crowd who sail so many miles on classic boats to reach the festivities as the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) summer gala and auction. The festivities on Friday, July 16 carries a theme of "Meet the Beetles" to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Beatles debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. But the "Beetles" of the party title are something more integral to this school: a fleet of 12-foot wooden Beetle Cat sailboats designed in 1921, which were restored by first-year students. - www.iyrs.org * Sea Scouts Trevor Gurley and Corey Kemp from Newport Beach, California, won the second annual William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup held at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy sailing center. Skipper Gurley, 17, of Newport Beach, and crewmate Kemp, 17, of Westminster, California defeated 28 other crews from around the world in winds from 7 to 15 knots. Second place went to Andy Gallagher, 16, and Thomas Davies, 14 from Christchurch, New Zealand while Eric Loss, 19, of Laguna Beach, California and Ryan Shweitzer, 17, of San Juan Capistrano, California finished third. - www.seascoutcup.org * Southern Spars has been selected to provide the rig packages for the BMW Oracle Racing team for the 2007 America's Cup challenge. Southern Spars will be involved in the development and manufacture of masts, booms and rigging packages for the team. This contract continues the relationship Southern Spars had with the Oracle team in the 2003 series in Auckland. * Good Reading - Sean McNeill has written an interesting profile of Peter Gilmour's Pizza-La Sailing Team on the Swedish Match Tour website. The story provides loads of insight as to why this team has done so well - why they won the 2003-2004 tour before the final events on the tour had even taken place. www.swedishmatchtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=12085 *With no breeze in the morning the sailors at the U.S. Junior Women's Double-handed Championship relaxed and ate an early lunch while waiting for the wind to fill in. Around 2:00 pm, the breeze filled in from the South. The winds blew consistently over 10 knots and trapezes were used for the first time. Standings after five races: 1. Roberta Steele/ Meredith Nordhem, 13; 2. Rebecca Dellenbaugh/ Keisha Pearson, 24; 3. Mandy Sackett/ Ryanne Gallagher, 31. www.ussailing.org/idalewis/2004/dailyupdate/index.asp TOP GALLERIES Our website traffic report for the month of June revealed what photo galleries proved to be most popular among the 'Buttheads. If you didn't have the chance before, you might want to take a look at last month's top three galleries: UBS Rhode Island: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/ubsri Transat: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/0601transat Having a bad day: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/badday INDEPENDENCE DAY The entire staff of Scuttlebutt plans to celebrate the Independence Day holiday so there will be no issue on Monday. Readers eager to start their holiday early should go to: http://www.njagyouth.org/liberty.htm. It's pretty amazing ... and rapid mouse clicks only add to the fun! DID YOU KNOW…? Bora is the name for the violent cold Northerly winds of the Adriatic? How about Mara'amu being the Southeasterly Tradewinds of French Polynesia? Did you also know they're the names of the best high performance sailing boots available? Handmade by Aigle from Caoutchouc, natural latex from Hevea plantations in Southeast Asia, their material's molecular structure makes them hardwearing, extremely tear resistant, extraordinarily comfortable as well as shock-absorbent and supple while always retaining their elasticity even in extreme cold. Check out the warm neoprene-lined Bora and the cool lace-up Maramu available at Annapolis Performance Sailing… http://www.apsltd.com/scuttlebutt LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Robert J. Moniz, Team Excalibur Yacht Racing (In response to Jervis Tilly's rules question about leeward gates in 'Butt 1915): The situation described and the proposed situation are really quite simple. Rule 18.1 states "Rule 18 applies when boats are about to round or pass a mark that they a required to leave on the same side..." The "left" boat wants to leave the "right" mark to starboard, the "right" boat wants to leave the "left" mark to port. Therefore, Rule 18 does not apply. Accordingly, Rule 11 applies and windward must keep clear. So, the original logic used was correct. If the boats were on opposite tacks, Rule 10 would then apply, and port tack would have to keep clear. * From Bruce Thompson (re leeward gates): I'd start with the basic principal of stand-on and give-way boats from IRPCAS (see Rule 16.1). The right of way boat makes the de facto choice of "the mark" for both by her choice of heading. For two port tack boats, it is the left mark. For two starboard tack or opposite tack boats, it is the right. The desires of either boat are immaterial, only their obligations count. If the right of way boat wants to change marks, she jibes away. If the give-way boat wants to change marks, she slows and passes astern. As to repositioning marks, the most common cause of out-of-place marks is being dragged by a competitor. The RC has full authority to re-position. By extension, they can square a gate. A competitor would be foolhardy to challenge the authority of the PRO, the designated executive of the organizing authority! And he would be hard pressed to demonstrate material prejudice. Just deal with it. Based on my experience, I'd caution against going before some judges. Their touchy feely decisions could start with the fact that a gate less than four boat lengths wide is too narrow. That constitutes a mistake by the RC, which materially prejudices all competitors. Therefore, the race should be abandoned and re-sailed under Rule 62.1(a) and 64.2. * From Bruce Miller (re John Wade \Ryan Hamm comments about good skippers): Back when I was racing Snipes on Lake Merritt (Oakland, CA) our fleet would hold a "trade boat"series. After the first race, the winning skipper would trade boats with the last place, 2nd. with next to last, etc. This exchange would go on for as many races as needed for each skipper to sail each boat once. This was a great benefit to the lower level skipper. They had a chance to sail a well setup boat and learn what they could do to their boat. At the end of the day, there was a lot of discussions among the all the crews. This was definitely more educational that cruising the parking lot checking out the competition. * From John J. Ford: After reading Ralph Taylor's article on the yacht-versus-ship debate, I was reminded of an old salt once telling me that a yacht can transported on a ship but a ship cannot be transported on a yacht. * From John T. Porter: According to the US Navy, which I was once a part of, a "surface" ship is a vessel in excess of 250 ft in length. Anything under that was referred to as a "boat." * From Matt Cohen: Even though they are trying to limit the number of competitors in the Olympics, Match racing and eventually Team Racing would be a great way to increase the spectator aspect of our sport. In the short course Team Race of the Wilson Trophy (UK) and the Worlds, there are numerous situations where you have a Smarty Jones, the favorite, leading down the homestretch, and then the underdog comes back for the win. * From John de Regt: I think sailboat racing is seen through the eyes of the beholder, and it changes as the years pass. When young and racing on someone else's boat, it is a gas, and we want more. We don't care about wet, cold, frustrated, since the thrills are great. When we get our first boat, we learn about getting good crew, scheduling, buying new sails and gear, and the thrill of driving and winning (sometimes). This point can be a fork in the road, as some people keep going and get bigger, faster, more complicated racing boats, and others go cruising. I think sailing is alive and well, it's just changing. * From Seth A. Radow: On boats, "Use Tax" is charged by California's taxing authority ... not "Sales Tax". These taxes are essentially identical but the Use Tax is charged when Sales Tax cannot. California's taxing authority has its own racket going with taxation of boat owners. California boat owners not only have to pay Use Tax on the purchase price of the boats they purchase (unless they qualify for the 90 day exclusion), but they also have to pay an annual Property Tax on those same boats. Even more egregious, California boat owners also have to pay Property Tax on the amount of the Use Tax whether or not they actually pay the Use Tax. California should determine whether or not boats are "real property". California boat owners would likely be comfortable paying one of the two taxes but certainly not both. If a boat is real property, like a home or condo, then Property Tax should apply. If the boat is simply property, like a car or truck then Use Tax should apply. To charge both taxes to boat owners is simply amiss and to charge Property Tax on the Use Tax may, in fact, be illegal. I'm not sure any boat owner feels bad for the State of California for its 90-day exclusion Use Tax. I understand that if legislation passes to eliminate the 90 day exclusion it is likely that the issue of both taxes could be contested in California courts. * From James Johnson Has anyone read the paramilitary SIs for Athens. Suggest you read SI 12.5 Any sailor who is recorded as OCS and doesn't return is scored DNF and No Drop, and No chance for Redress. So a sailor who accidentally mis-times his start or who is nudged over the line a split second early and doesn't realize it can be blown out of the race. That is equivalent to a second penalty under RRS 42 Pumping or to a serious DSQ with no drop for unfair sailing. What incompetent Race Management!! I thought isaf had a few decent Course Representatives there to ensure that OCS was fair. Well that is Not Fair. * From Don Goyette: Kudos and thanks to Outdoor Life Network and sponsor UBS for the terrific coverage of the match racing in Newport, RI. And to Gary, Peter, Dawn and Richard for their commentary. UBS will certainly gain customers through this sponsorship and I hope other advertisers will jump on. THE CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL Rather than call someone as an 'airhead,' consider using the phrase 'reality impaired.' |
