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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 565 - May 9, 2000
AC RUMORS
LONDON - Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates is part of a "secretive" American
syndicate that has approached New Zealand's championship America's Cup team
to race for the United States, the Observer newspaper reported. The
syndicate wants the New Zealanders to sail under the Stars and Stripes for
the next America's Cup in 2003.
Team New Zealand's star helmsman Dean Barker said in Wellington, New
Zealand, that he was offered a huge paycheck to jump ship to a Seattle
syndicate, but turned down the offer. Barker said many of the 80-strong
Team New Zealand squad of sailing crew, designers, shore support and
sailmakers had also received lucrative offers, but most would not be
tempted into switching national allegiances. "I won't consider it, no. I
owe a lot to Team New Zealand, and it's the same for everyone else,"
Barker, 26, told Reuters. "I have been approached, but I definitely haven't
spoken to Bill or anyone from his office," he said.
The Observer said 20 of the team's 30 sailors have been offered a total of
$200,000 with the promise of American citizenship if they switch sides, and
that a total of about $35 million is available to lure the backbone of Team
New Zealand.
The Observer said Team New Zealand had been approached by Sean Reeves, a
lawyer and former team adviser, offering $60,000 signing-on fees and
$150,000 annual salaries, guaranteed for six years. The move is being made
now so the crew could meet the two-year residency qualification for
competing in 2003. - Seattle Post-Intelligencer News Service
Full story: http://www.seattle-pi.com/sports/acup08.shtml
CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: There are growing indications that many of these
stories have homed in on the right town but the wrong billionaire.
ISAF MID YEAR MEETING REPORT
(Magnus Gravare sent the curmudgeon the following report written by the
49er Class Executive Secretary John Reed about the happenings at the ISAF
mid-year meeting in Cyprus. We had hoped to learn something directly from
the ISAF, but so far this is all we have.)
Olympic spinnakers: Julian arrived with the redesigned national flag
spinnakers, which now have SOCOG approval. These were well received and
hopefully production will start by mid May.
Our submission that there should be 2 national spinnakers for each
competitor has been rejected by the Olympic Advisory Group, which I believe
is a combined ISAF/SOCOG group. I understand the reason for this rejection
is that, in having to make it a condition that competitors be required to
purchase the second spinnaker, creates an entry fee, which is not
permitted. Not making them mandatory would give an unfair advantage to
those nations who can afford to purchase a second spinnaker. Both Julian
and I tried to get this revisited but to no avail.
The proposed procedure is that each competitor will be issued with his
spinnaker in Sydney. There will be 5 nondescript spare spinnakers which
will be afloat on the measurers boat. A competitor who damages a spinnaker
can get permission for a replacement as a temporary measure, the damaged
spinnaker having to be repaired and the replacement handed back in.
The issue of "monopoly classes" and the Olympic Games. There was a detailed
report by the Cliff Norbury Working Party which had been thoroughly
researched and carefully reasoned. Suffice to say is that the primary
conclusion was as follows:
".... the commercial arrangements for the building and supply of boats or
sails should not be a consideration in the selection of classes used in the
Olympic Regatta or other ISAF events like the World Youth Championships. We
believe that there is no technical, cost or sporting interest reason to do
so, with the exception of ISAF being satisfied with the continued security
of supply of the boat and any monopoly item".
The Working Party went on so recommend that the 2 decisions from Sydney
(not to permit "monopoly classes" in the Oympic Games Regatta) should be
rescinded. And, after a good natured debate, the Council did so with a very
large majority.
This was a credit to good sense and a tribute to Cliff and his Working Party.
The new advertising code was adopted. Cat C allows the front 25% on each
side of the hull for event advertising. Otherwise advertising on the boat
is at the discretion of the competitor. So for events where the sponsor
requires some advertising space on the sail, for example, this will have to
be assigned by each competitor. There was a strong proposal for such a
permanent assignment to be able to be administered by the Class Rules, but
this was defeated.
There is a provision in the rule for a MNA to introduce a licensing system
for competitors under their jurisdiction to permit Cat C status. This will
obviously vary from country to country, but needs taking into account as
Cat C is mandatory for Olympic Classes.
There was a view that the new advertising code was not perfect but it is a
good step forward in removing the ISAF fee requirement. There is now no
reason for event organisers to add Cat C fees to the entry fees for
competitors. We can see how it works and then come back with submissions if
improvements are desired.
Selection of Olympic equipment. The Events Committee recommended that the
decisions from Sydney be reconsidered. In particular they believe that the
criteria for selection have not been observed by the nomination of 3
keelboat events, as this automatically means that one dinghy event has to
be deleted.
1. If the Finn is deleted, there is no dinghy event for heavy male
athletes. 2. If the Laser is deleted, the most popular dinghy class in the
World will be eliminated 3. If the 470 is deleted there will be no dinghy
event for light and Asian men. 4. If the 49er is deleted, the only modern
dinghy event will be lost.
Their proposal is therefore that there should be two keelboat events,
Keelboat Match racing for women and keelboat fleet racing for men, with the
dinghy slate as present.
Because this was an un-agendered item, Council could take no decision. So,
it will be considered and voted upon at the very first meeting at the
Edinburgh November Conference to enable the selection of the Classes to
proceed later in the schedule.
I will be pleased to try and enlarge on any of these items if you want
further information.
Concerning our Class Rule proposals, these are being considered under the
"emergency rule change" procedures by being put before a small working
party. From our observations, there appear to be no obstructions to their
adoption. But we can't say for certain that they are through at the present
time. We should know soon however. - John Reed
TORNADO EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
(Special report from the lone American entry - Charlie Ogletree and John
Lovell)
Alassio, Italy - Today was day two of the Tornado European Championships.
Today was just as crazy as the first day. We started the day in 12th place
overall, hoping to move up in the standings.
Race one was started in 8-11 knots. We had a great start to round the first
mark in 8th. We stayed that way throughout the race and on the final beat
the wind completely died and shifted 60 degrees. After some moments of high
stress, the race committee abandoned the race. The fleet sailed to the
beach where we had pasta while we waited for the wind to settle. After an
hour we went out again for a race. This time we started in about 6-8 knots
and a relatively steady direction. This would quickly change and the race
became as crazy as the others with big shifts and velocity changes. We had
another great start and sailed a conservative race to finish 12th. This
finish moved us up four places in the standings to place us at 8th overall.
The conditions appear to be the same for the remainder of the regatta.
Everyone has inconsistent finishes except for the top three. Solid
conservative sailing should continue to work.
RESULTS (60 boats): 1. Andreas Hagara/Moser-Austria, 2-2-2, 6 points; 2.
Bundock/Forbes-Australia, 4-6-3, 13 points; 3. Roman Hagara/Hans Peter
Steiacher (Austria), 12-1-1, 14 points; 4. Gaebler/Schwall-Germania,
1-14-5, 20 points; 5. Leon/Ballester-Spain, 3-5-19, 27 points; 6.
Styles/May-Great Britain, 8-19-6, 33 points; 7. Sach/sach-Germany,
10-10-20, 40 points; 8. Lovell/Ogletree (USA), 14-15-12, 41 points.
Complete standings: http://www.alassio.it/cnam
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 or irresponsible statements. This
is not a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your
best shot and don't whine if people disagree.
-- From David Munge - Trenter Ellis says the Cup should be returned to the
RYS in Cowes, also as a POM, I have to say the right place is with who won
it. The UK can not even fund a single International Match Race. The Royal
Lymington have just cancelled the last grade one in the UK due to the lack
of sponsors. All we have now is the Chernikeef sponsored Nation Match
Racing, which encourages a continuos stream of good sailors, with no other
domestic events at the end of the pipeline. We therefore have to rely on
other countruies indulgence.
-- From Peter Huston - Allan Johnston seems to think that America is
obsessed with the America's Cup. Obviously, given the pathetic TV ratings
on ESPN, we are not. It's just a sailboat race, and a boring one at that.
As for all this talk that the America's Cup is a display of technical
supremacy by one country over others - when New Zealand and their 70
million sheep put a man on the moon, then I'll be impressed with their
technology.
-- From Brian Trotta - As a journalist myself, the most astounding thing
about the Observer's report that Bill Gates is trying to buy TNZ is that
nowhere in the story does reporter Bob Fisher say where he got this
information. He just states it as fact that Gates is the guy. There's no
confirmation or even non-denial denials from anyone anywhere in the story,
particularly Gates.
It appears, though it's hard to tell, that Fisher spoke to Brad
Butterworth, but he doesn't attribute the main premise of his story to the
TNZ tactician. Fisher also has Laurie Davidson and Sean Reeves getting big
offers, but doesn't tell the reader how he knows this, even on a "sources
familiar with the negotiations said'' basis.
-- From Skip Coggin - I was interested, and distressed, to read what I
assume at this point are unsubstantiated rumors about wealthy people like
Craig McGaw and Bill Gates "buying" key components of the NZ America's Cup
team to bring back the Cup to the U.S.
Tim Jeffery of the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph characterized Craig McGaw as a
"keen yachtsman." I wonder what Mr. Jeffrey's definition is of a
yachtsman? Is Craig actually going to helm his hundred metre yacht? Has he
ever raced in dinghies? My definition of a keen yachtsman is someone who
has done it a lot, in a variety of different classes, and loves the sport
and its traditions. And Bill Gates was described as someone with no sailing
background.
If the administrators of the Deed of the Cup are going to allow people in
any country to "buy" the America's Cup, then as one writer to your column
suggested, they ought to award the Cup to the person who shows up at the
starting line with the most money. Call it the "Financial Cup" and many of
us "keen sailors" will transfer our interests to another sport.
-- From Bill Cook - Aren't we all getting a little silly with all this
speculation about the cup? Presumably there will be an announcement
sometime - maybe we could wait until then to get too excited about it.
CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: It would sure be difficult to simply ignore what
major worldwide non-yachting media considers a significant story.
WORRELL 1000
The racers have left the beach at the 18th running of the Worrell 1000.
The breaze is southeast at 10 knots and the fleet reached easily through
the short chop by the shore. Surf was not an issue at the start. Small
manageable waves made for a fast start as shore crews pushed their teams
off the beach and watched the 20 foot beach cats reach away doing twelve
knots with skippers and crews fully powered on the trapeze. The breeze
appeared to be far enough south that spinnakers would be an option once the
fleet had reached out clear of the shore.
The start at the Worrell 1000 is like no other sailboat race. The beach is
sectioned off into 20 foot gates. Each boat is assigned a gate based on a
drawing at the skippers meeting. The gates to the North are advantaged as
they are closer to the eventual finish. In the subsequent days of racing
the gates will be reassigned based on the finishing positions from the
previous day. The winners will be assigned the advantaged northernmost
gates as a bonus for their performance. The start is a cross between a
horse race, a stock car race, and a bob-sled race. The gates are
reminiscent of horse races where the gates fly open at the start and the
horses rush out looking to establish a lead by the first turn. The
advantage seeded to the northern gates is like pole position in a stock car
race. The fastest qualifier gets the cat-bird seat and the other
competitors have to knock off the leader to gain the advantage.
Today history repeated itself - at high speeds - as 5 time Worrell 1000
Champion Randy Smyth and crew Matt Struble, sailing for Blockade Runner
Beach Resort, won the first leg of the Worrell 1000 by 42 seconds over the
Dutch team of Gerard Loos and Mischa Heemskerk. It appears that Smyth's
elapsed time of 4 hours 39 minutes and 5 seconds will be a new record for
the 80.7 mile leg. Loos squeezed ahead of Brett Dryland and Rod Waterhouse
of Australia (representing team Rudee's Restaurand) by calling a perfect
layline to the finish. The first leg saw a small squall rip through the
fleet, causing capsizes, some equipment damage and injuries to several
competitors.
The fleet reached out of Fort Lauderdale at 10 AM and diverged quickly with
some boats heading offshore for the current boost offered by the Gulf
Stream. Smyth stayed in closer to shore while Paul Van Dyke went farthest
off shore. The inshore path seemed to work for Smyth until the squall hit
the fleet. Smyth experienced problems with a twisted mainsheet system as
the breeze built to 30 knots and went over as Struble attempted to untangle
the mess. The two spent several minutes in the water, but then got the
boat upright and regained the lead sailing in close to shore all the way to
the finish. The Dutch and Australians were nip and tuck into the finish
when Loos made an excellent layline call to the finish line from almost a
mile off the beach to surf into the finish full speed under spinnaker.
To the uninitiated the finish was awesome. Two Orange flags were held up
50 feet apart in the surf line. As the cats approached the beach the crews
kept the chutes flying while they pulled up both centerboards. The
skippers stayed out on the wire and drove the boats up the beach at 12
knots while the rudders kicked up with impact on the sand. The best crews
tripped the halyard just as the boat came to rest 30 feet up the beach.
Then the skippers unhooked from the trapeze and ran around to the leeward
side of the boat where they helped the shore crew gather the huge
assymetrical spinnaker without letting a thread hit the sand!
Seven minutes after the lead pack finished Steve Lohmayer and Kenny Pierce
of Team Tybee crossed the line, followed four minutes later by Alexander's
on the Bay, sailed by Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston. Another tight
pack of four boats finished 7 minutes later. The English team of William
Sunnucks and Will Self pulled into sixth with an excellent layline call,
edging out Kevin Smith and Glenn Holmes of First Response, Jeff Sonnenklar
and Lou Adiano of Mobil and the husband/wife team of Scott and Dior Hubel
representing Premier Shutters.
Tomorrow the Worrell 1000 will restart as leg two kicks off at 10 AM.
We'll have a report on the start then jump in the car to meet the racers at
the finish in Cocoa Beach, FL. Race officials, support teams and
spectators are going to have to drive a little faster if tomorrow's race is
as fast as today's leg. Many of the pit crews arrived at the finish
red-faced and ashamed as their teams sipped cold beers on the beach and
ribbed them about having to unrig themselves. - Zack Leonard
Read Leonard's full story: http://www.worrell1000.com/
MORE CATAMARAN STUFF
Bikini-clad women will guide Grant Dalton's new monster catamaran through
the Southern Ocean on his latest round-the-world venture. The multihull was
launched in France revealing a sexy paint job meant to bring good luck to
the crew, who set off in the non-stop The Race on December 31.
Fitting with the boat's name sponsor, Club Med, the images of a scantily
clothed blonde woman grace the two bows of the boat in the tradition of
olden day figureheads supposed to bring ocean travellers good fortune. When
the boat is under sail, she springs up again - 18m high on the jib.
"I've got no idea who she is - she hasn't even got a face," Dalton said.
"But it's appropriate. The figurehead is part of our nautical past."
The boat alone is an attention-seizer. At 33.5m long (110 feet) and 17.5m
wide (58 feet) , it would squeeze inside the fence around an average tennis
court. There are very few home comforts, even though the 13-man crew will
be on board for around 70 days. "Just because it's big, it doesn't mean you
get any luxuries," said Dalton, who is used to spartan boats from his long
Whitbread career. The walls inside the hulls are devoid of paint, the
shower is a cold-water hose connected to the head (toilet).
But most important, the boat has been built to have a better chance of
survival if catastrophe strikes.
If one of the hulls is holed, or breaks off, the other has been set up
identically to hold the crew until help arrives. "Each hull is its own
cell, with its own galley, water-maker, electrics and communication
system," Dalton said. If the hull flips upside down, aerials will poke up
through a hatch on the bottom to let rescuers know where they are. -
Suzanne McFadden, NZ Herald
Full story:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=136686&thesection=sport&t
hesubsection=general
INDUSTRY NEWS
* PORTSMOUTH, R.I. - To meet a growing demand for small sailboats,
Vanguard Sailboats Inc., manufacturer of the industry-leading Sunfish and
Laser sailboats, has begun production on the first series of U.S.-made
Picos. The Pico, which was previously imported from the United Kingdom,
combines the design of a high-performance sailboat with a rotomolded
thermo-plastic hull to create a responsive, durable craft ideal for the
recreational sailor. The Pico's hulls will be manufactured by Hardigg
Industries, the nation's top rotomolding manufacturer, based in South
Deerfield, Mass.
Sailing is enjoying a recent resurgence in popularity. According to a 1999
North American Sailing Industry Study, national production of sailboats
under 11 feet rose 62 percent last year, and the number of sailboats under
20 feet rose 18 percent. The study, which surveyed 162 sailboat
manufacturers, predicts a 34 percent increase in production for 2000. -
Andy Sauer
* Commodore Hugo van Kretschmar announced today that three times world
Laser Champion and SOGOG Sailing Event Manager Glenn Bourke will join the
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia as Chief Executive Officer, immediately
after the Olympics. - Peter Campbell
* Sailing Billboards, which owns several America's Cup yachts, announced
that it is completely refurbishing NZL 20 and will offer it for charter
November 1st in New Zealand. NZL 20 is the red race yacht for the New
Zealand Challenge in 1992 with the revolutionary Tandem Keel. The charterer
will be able to use the time in NZ as a familiarity exercise for sailing
and racing in Auckland conditions. - John Sweeney, info@sailingbillboards.com
* SailNet.com, an Internet start-up company located in Charleston, S.C.,
will sponsor the 2000 U.S. Olympic Men's 470 sailing campaign of Paul
Foerster and Robert 'Bob' Merrick. Foerster and Merrick will compete in the
470 Class in Sydney, Australia, this summer.
CODE RED
New York, NY - PlayStation and her crew are back on standby for a
TransAtlantic record attempt. Favourable wind conditions at both ends of
the attempt have not appeared, preventing any departure in the next 7 days.
The crew are continuing their ocean testing runs out of New York and are
hoping for more departure opportunities to develop soon after this week.
Website: http://www.fossettchallenge.com/
SAILING NEWS
Another good source of sailing news just popped up on the web. Sail
magazine has taken an aggressive approach to sailing news and is posting
regular news updates on their slick new website. There are lots of other
neat things there too: http://www.sailmag.com/html/Briefing.html
COMING SOON
A second 1D48 is coming to Southern California. Andy Rose and Lew Beery
have become partners on hull #5, to be called "It's OK." The boat will get
to SoCal in plenty of time for big June regattas.
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS
You will never hear a father say on his deathbed, "I wish I had spent more
time at the office."
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