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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 564 - May 8, 2000PICK YOUR BILLIONAIRERespected media outlets around the world do not seem to agree about the identity of the new players in the current America's Cup bidding wars. Here are some excerpts from two of the latest reports: * Excerpts from Tim Jeffery's story in UK's Daily Telegraph: Craig McCaw, the Seattle-based communications billionaire, is the secretive figure behind attempts to buy the pick of Team New Zealand's America's Cup-winning sailors and designers as part of a US bid to win the 2003 event. According to a source close the negotiations, Kiwi middleman Sean Reeves will return to New Zealand this weekend after a visit to the United States and news of key signings is promised soon. McCaw's fortune is based on selling the family cellular telephone business to AT & T. Other business ventures include collaborations with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and investment in the failed Iridium satellite phone system. A keen yachtsmen, both he and his brother John have 100-metre motor yachts under construction in Germany. At pains to avoid publicity, McCaw has been a discreet patron of the America's Cup in the past, staying as Bill Koch's house guest in San Diego during the 1995 event, helping Paul Cayard get AmericaOne off the ground in 1996 and, according to another source, making a $1 million donation in the closing stages of Team New Zealand's 2000 campaign. Money, power, politics and the America's Cup have been bedfellows since 1851 but the apparent keeness for newcomers to buy in at the top could cause a bidding war. Ernesto Bertarelli, the Swiss-based Italian pharmaceutical billionaire, is said to have made an $8 million offer to Coutts to head a new Swiss syndicate for three years. Italy's Prada team, meanwhile, are close to finalising the sale of their training boats Mighty Mary and Kanza to the Benetton family, L75 million the richer after selling their Formula One team to Renault. It might affect only a handful of sailors, managers and technicians, but they are likely to become extremely rich if Prada, McCaw, Bertarelli and Benetton compete for their services. - Tim Jeffery, Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001648423620749&rtmo=lnbwuwkt&atmo=99999999 &pg=/et/00/5/6/soyots06.html * Excerpts from Monday's New Zealand Herald: The world's most famous rich man, Bill Gates, has been identified as the mystery backer of the multimillion-dollar raid on Team New Zealand's champion America's Cup crew. Britain's Observer newspaper says the Microsoft president is bankrolling the United States challenge, which has offered at least 20 New Zealand sailors and designers new jobs with huge pay cheques. Gates does not have a sailing background. But he made a secret visit to Auckland during the America's Cup in March to watch Team NZ's victory. His new syndicate has a budget of $US35 million ($71.4 million) to lure the cream of the New Zealand crew before the Cup's nationality deadline next March. It is believed veteran Laurie Davidson, who designed the black boat hulls, has been offered $US1.5 million to jump ship. Former Team NZ legal adviser Sean Reeves has been working as the go-between for the syndicate. Gates' new-found interest in yachting could have been sparked by his software competitors. Russell Coutts, one of Team NZ's new leaders, said he did not know whose money was behind the Seattle team. He also thought Gates' involvement in the Cup had been merely a rumour. Coutts is not surprised that money men such as Gates would target his team. "Clearly, Team New Zealand is now a world-class organisation with property that is being sought after by many overseas entities," he said. "But bringing on younger sailors for the 2000 Cup has meant that all our crew positions are well covered now, and a few losses wouldn't be catastrophic." Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=136594 SNIPE NAs George Szabo and Carol Newman Cronin are repeat winners of the NA's. The final 2 races on the Great Sound in Bermuda were sailed in awesome 8-12 knots of breeze under sunny skies, shifty enough to make it extremely interesting and tough sailing. Szabo/Cronin won the first race and protected against Henry Filter/Lori Stout in the second to clinch the win. Filter/Stout managed only a 10 and 11 today, and wound up second overall. Third place overall went to Hal Gilreath/Ned Jones, as they finished off the week with 2 solid races, winning the last race. - Alex Pline Complete results: http://www.snipe.org/regattas/results/2000/na2000.html SOLING OLYMPIC TEAM QUALIFYING EVENT Platinum Point Yacht Club, Punta Gorda, Fla. - Eight teams have qualified to go to the Soling match racing finals starting June 1 to select the US Soling representatives for the Olympic Team: 1. Baird/ Brenner/ Burnham (20 points) 2. Horton/ Herlihy/ Buttner (24) 3. Madrigali/ Healy/ Jordan (29) 4. Mendelblatt/ Anderson/ Richardson (34) 5. Brown/ Guthrie/ Thorpe (41) 6. Galloway/ Mauk/ Chard (49) 7. Gladchun/ Norris/ Smith (50) 8. Gochberg/ Culver/ DeLisser (64) Complete results: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/olympictrials/puntagorda.htm YACHTING CUP - Report by Rich Roberts SAN DIEGO, Calif. - "Call me Alex," says the winner of the tough Farr 40 class at the San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup, but if everyone did the sailing world would be even more amazed to learn the identity of this new force in the sport. Alexandra Geremia is a petite 56-year-old woman who raises zebras and African Watusi cattle on her Santa Barbara ranch, races pigeons and has been sailing for only a year. Yet her Crocodile Rock, with Scott Harris at the helm, showed its transom to nine rivals with world-class talent aboard to post a two-day series of 2-1-4-1-5 finishes in the 10-12-knot breezes and rolling swells of Coronado Roads. Geremia, a petite 5-3, hardly fits the crew image for the physically demanding Farr 40. Normally, an owner is required to drive most of the time but, she said, "I bought the boat before they changed the rule." Meanwhile, she tends to pit duties of sorting out lines and halyards. She'll lose the exemption after this year but is on a steep learning curve with Robbie Haines, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and offshore veteran, as her mentor. Other boats carried such talent as America's Cup veterans John Cutler and Peter Holmberg and Olympic medalist Jeff Madrigali. Geremia didn't even collect an all-star crew, just guys from her club, plus Robbie Haines and bowman Chris Gillum, the only two professional sailors although the class permits four pros among the nine hands on board. Geremia's team also was honored as winner of the most competitive class among a dozen winners in the leadoff event of the second annual Volvo Inshore Championships series. The Triple Crown of Southern California sailing will continue with Cal Race Week at Marina del Rey May 27-28 and climax with its crown jewel, Boatscape.com/North sails Race Week, at Long Beach June 23-25. In the competitive Schock 35s, where Willem van Waay drove Fred Kirschner's Kathmandu to five consecutive wins. Kathmandu's performance on the inside South Bay course appeared to come from tactics and boat handling more than any speed advantage. Dennis and Sharon Case, whose San Diego boat Wings is a perennial Schock 35 class leader, gave full credit. "We're in awe," Sharon Case said. "I've never known any boat to pull in five aces in a regatta - not in this class." Dennis Case said van Waay is "a great starter [and] very tough to deal with, but it's not just him, it's the whole program." Other winners included: -- Kara Zylstra's Wild Thing, San Diego YC, driven by Brian Camet, which edged John and Stephanie Wylie's Tabasco by one point with a 2-2-1-3-3 string in the 1D35s; -- Dennis Conner's already sold Stars & Stripes, SDYC, which was 1-2-2-5-3 and held off second-day charges by David Janes' J Bird and Scott Birnberg's Indigo by one point in the 10-boat J/120class; -- Richard and Mary Compton's maroon Dencho 70 Alchemy, Santa Barbara, which swapped wins with Brack Duker's Evolution all weekend for another one-point win in the ULDB 70 sleds. Complete results: http://www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/ycindex.htm LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But only one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Mark Michaelsen - The name of the CUP, the boats, design changes to various classes, the sailors and even the rules have changed numerous times since the event began. As I see it the challenge for the CUP at the outset was to pit one nation's technology and assets against another nation's same qualities or lack there of. As the stakes grew higher and the all mighty dollar (yen, pound, lyra etc) became an increasingly important part of the game rules were bent and in fact the spirit of the rules as I read them were broken. Not to pick on Chris Dickson but he bares very little resemblance to his fellow Japanese team mates. This is of course not by accident, as Chris became a Japanese citizen to qualify for the CUP team that paid him to lead them and lend his expertise to their challenge. There are rules and then there is the "spirit of the rules". The spirit of the rules that were set down to govern the CUP are only partially being enforced these days. We need to ask ourselves whether we have improved the event and "raised the bar" by allowing the sharing/buying of talent from exterior national sources or have we marred the wishes of those who so generously donated the TIN CUP. I submit that the rules as they are written no longer meet the wishes of the person who deeded it. --From Rick Bernstein - Question...you mean to tell me a country 200 times the size of NZL can't find racing talent equal to the 14 guys that just sailed for NZL? Are we so talent poor that we have to use big corporate dollars and buy away a couple of foreigners to try and win the Auld Mug back? As a successful sailboat racer from the US, one who follows the national and international successes of scores of US racers, it floors me and I'm embarrased for our great country that we're so desperate to win we have to hire the competition. Something is getting in the way here...is it egos? is it desperation? Someone tell me please.... -- From Helen Johnstone Falk - Money IS "the root of all evil". Money may "talk", but it sure DOES NOT "walk". Those big "movers and shakers" who are involved in the "investment" of some of the NZ Team, if it is true, are ONLY fooling themselves; because, ONCE AGAIN, New Zealand will maintain its' low profile, play along with all of this "soap opera" stuff, for media purposes, and "pull a cat out of the bag" at the next America's Cup. New Zealander's are very shrewd, cunning and sharp, and should not be "played" with - they are honest and ethical, but if you play with them, they will be happy to play back HARD. -- From Trenter Ellis - One thing that our cousins in the US and New Zealand need to remember is that there is only one place where that Americas Cup really belongs, and this is in the trophy room in the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes. Sadly, as a 'pom' I think it will be some time (if ever) before we see it there! -- From Brent Ruhne - If the RNZYS won't allow a single 'super challenge', why can't there be more than one'super defence' from New Zealand? I agree with Morgan Larson, the rumors about the American buyout are from NZ. -- From Andy Colloton - Hats off to whomever started this rumor that an American syndicate is trying to 'buy TNZ and the Cup'. The timing is all too perfect to read this as true. At a time when TNZ is trying to change its guard and gear up for another peerless defense of the Cup, this sound to me to be a phenomenal vehicle to get their sponsors behind them early and with some muscle (read $$$). With the turmoil in this country over super challenges, new challenges, continuing challenges, and a seemingly limited sponsor pool-this rumor serves to muddy the waters and once again position TNZ in the driver's seat. As much as I hate to say it, it seems that the boys from the land of 70,000,000 sheep are beating us at a game we invented once again. With the talent pool we have of designers, sailors, and builders in the US, if all of our efforts were backed by a national pride instead of a desire to sooth the many egos involved it would seem to me that the Cup would be on a plane back to the States after a phenomenal sailing match. If this rumor can spark so much interest in the Cup, lets show the potential US sponsors that there would be a great return on their investment if they line up early and get serious. Spending more time on the water and less time in the boardrooms getting sponsors would lead to the result we want-getting the Cup back. -- From Gene Hinkel International Foundation Disabled Sailors / Technical Advisor - Hugh Elliot points out (in # 561) a problem we continue to have in regard to disabled sailors. It is bad enough when they are ignored in normal sailing but when the USOC and United airlines will not belly up to send the Paralympic team to Sydney while helping the Olympic teams, what message does this send? Ignored in hype was the Sonar Disabled Midwinter's the week before the US Paralympic Trials. This regatta had 18 Teams (making this the second largest Disabled regatta held in Sonars) and eight countries racing in St. Petersburg. Noel Robins AUS (remember him in Newport, America's Cup with " Australia" winning over the Swedes in '77) won over Udo Hessels NED, Dave Williams CAN, Andy Cassel GBR ( '96 Paralympic Gold Medal), Paul Callahan USA ( won the trials the next week), Daniellian ARM, Efferi Arnon ISR, John Kostanecki ( Hugh Elliot part of team ), John Twomey IRL, John Robertson GBR in the top ten. SPYC has held ten Disabled Regattas in four years with 14 countries attending at different events so is at the forefront of Disabled Sailing. This is also the base of Sailing Alternatives with President, Serge Jorgensen who along with Betsy Allison are the US Coaches for Paralympic Sailing The Sonar Class has embraced the Disabled Sailors into open events and will have CAN-ARM-IRL at the Tappen Zee Regatta in Nyack, NJ May 19-20. THE WORRELL 1000 Awash in the nautical lexicon are a sea of oxymorons - small gale, light anchor, jumbo shrimp - that at first take seem like contradictions, but which upon further review are marvels of concise description. But tomorrow, off Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a race begins that is centered on a waterborne concept - offshore beach catamarans - that many find impossible to grasp. "You're right, you hear people talking about offshore beach cats and you wonder what doesn't belong in there," said the 45-year-old multihull whiz Randy Smyth, laughing. "Probably the people." Speaking by phone from Florida, Smyth, the five-time winner and defending champion of the Worrell 1000, should know. For when the 20-odd two-person crews launch through the morning surf in Fort Lauderdale to start the first of 11 legs en route to Virginia Beach, Smyth will be the odds-on favorite. When asked how many times he has competed in the Worrell, his answer is short: "Enough to know better." For the uninitiated, the 1,000-mile race is the frenzied dream child of the Virginia restaurateur Michael Worrell, who has seen the event evolve from a four-team, nonstop torture test among like-minded maniacs, in 1974, to a highly-organized affair that includes dedicated shoreside crews that follow the sailors up the coast; an international fleet of top-flight competitors; and copious safety rules and precautions. "But there are still a lot of great sailors who look at this event and say it's not their cup of tea," Worrell said. "But for a certain cadre of hard-core sailors, this is their thing." One must be hard-core to even contemplate a Worrell, because as the fleet hopscotches its way up the Atlantic seaboard - each leg averages about 100 miles, and two of them are overnight runs - the air and water temperatures plummet while the odds of being ambushed by a weather front thundering off the coast shorten. - Herb McCormick, NY Times. Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/library/sports/outdoors/050700boat-catamaran.html Event website: http://www.worrell1000.com/index.html THE RACE Today, after a year's construction and some 60,000 man-hours work, the 33.5 m (110 foot) catamaran Club Med will be unveiled and then launched, before her co-skipper Grant Dalton climbs aboard and presents his crew. Launching and first outing for this new giant for The Race will take place in front of the Multiplast yard in Vannes. After a phase of trials and tuning, the first official sailing of the boat is planned for Friday may 19th in La Trinite-sur-Mer, the boat's training and preparation base until her departure at the beginning of June for Cadiz. The Race website: http://www.therace.org/english/ ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK Race 5 for Division B brought bizarre weather with constant squalls while Division A sailed in brilliant Caribbean sunshine. Class winners: Racing - Sayonara; Racer/Cruiser - Temptress: Racer/Cruiser Non Spin - Hugo; Cruising - Budget Nautique; Bareboat - Naradella III. Event website: http://www.sailingweek.com/ CODE YELLOW New York, New York - A message was received from Skipper Steve Fossett after consulting with Project Meteorologist Chris Bedford Friday 5 May. The weather pattern emerging in the Atlantic means that a TransAt record attempt departure next week is still a possibility (about a 50% chance to leave between 11th and 15th May according to a conversation with Steve from Mission Control) - with the earliest anticipated opportunity to leave NYC Thursday 11th May. "This is a good pattern but there remain concerns about a good exit from NYC and sufficient wind early and late on the course. We should continue our preparations to be ready for a Thursday departure. - Steve " Website: http://www.fossettchallenge.com THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Making a living is not the same thing as making a life. |
