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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 540 - April 3, 2000BREAKING NEWSThe United States District Court, District of Connecticut, issued a decision late Friday, March 31 in the Sobstad Corporation v. North Sails Group, Inc patent case. It ruled that North Sails' 3DL product infringes existing Sobstad patents, often referred to as Airframe technology. The court has required North to pay Sobstad royalties for all sails sold to date and has provided Sobstad with injunctive relief. North Sails is naturally disappointed by the decision. North feels that the decision is an incorrect one and will continue to vigorously pursue it's position through an appeal. It will also immediately seek a stay of injunction in order to honor it's contractual commitments to it's many customers during the busiest period of the sailing business year. It should be pointed out that North Sails and J.P. Baudet, another instrumental party in bringing the 3DL process to its current state, were awarded a patent on aspects of the 3DL product and process. The decision is also inconsistent with two legal opinions procured by North early in development of the 3DL process to determine whether or not North infringed any patents. Most importantly, no matter what the final outcome, North will remain viable and will do everything in it's power to put its customers best interests in the forefront. There are many options that we are exploring today since we continue to believe that 3DL is an innovative sailmaking process to which North remains committed. -- Tom Whidden, President, North Sails Group, Inc. Curmudgeon's comments: We will obviously stay on top of this story and bring you more details as they become available. TORNADO OLYMPIC TRIALS With the conclusion of racing at the Olympic Team Trials - Yachting, comes the reward for a veteran team of sailors -- the lone Tornado slot on the U.S.A.'s 2000 Olympic Team. Skipper John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and crew Charlie Ogletree (Newport Beach, Calif./Columbia, N.C.), will travel to Sydney, Australia, for the 2000 Olympic Games scheduled for September 16-October 1. '96 Olympians, Lovell and Ogletree hope to improve on their 8th place finish at Savannah's Olympic Regatta. Light winds postponed the start on the final day of racing (April 2), and set the scene for a one-race showdown that demanded Guck/Schaffer finish ahead of Lovell/Ogletree to win the regatta. With less than an hour before the time limit was to expire for starting a race, the final race began in eight to nine knots of wind. At the finish line, Guck/Schaffer were fourth for 22 points overall, to Lovell/Ogletree's third for 20 points. The regatta concluded with history repeating itself for both teams -- Guck/Schaffer had finished second to Lovell/Ogletree at the '96 Trials. 2000 Olympic Team - Yachting Lovell/Ogletree join the first members of the USA's 2000 Olympic Team - Yachting determined last October: Mistral boardsailors Lanee Butler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and Mike Gebhardt (Ft. Pierce, Fla.); the 470 Men's team of Paul Foerster (Garland, Texas) with Bob Merrick (Portsmouth, R.I.); the 470 Women's team of JJ Isler (La Jolla, Calif.) with Pease Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.); and brothers Jonathan and Charlie McKee (both Seattle, Wash.) in the 49er. Remaining Olympic Trials California's San Francisco Bay will be the location of the Europe, Finn, Laser and Star Trials from April 6-16, 2000, as well as the Soling Trials from June 1-11, 2000. Richmond Yacht Club (Pt. Richmond) will host the Finn class; St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco) will host the Soling and Star classes; and San Francisco Yacht Club (Belvedere) will host the Europe and Laser classes. -- Jan Harley Full results: http://www.ussailing.org/Olympics/OlympicTrials/ (Special report from Charlie Ogletree and John Lovell) - WE WON!!!!!!!! Today was another tough battle with Lars and PJ. We will send a full report tomorrow. Tonight we are celebrating our victory. Now we can think about winning a Gold medal in Sydney. FINAL RESULTS: 1. Lovell/Ogletree (20 pts) 2. Guck/Schaffer (22) 3. Feeny/Farrar (45) 4. Sweeney/Sweeney (51) 5. Daniel/Rodriguez (56). SWEDISH MATCH TOUR. Australian skipper Peter Gilmour, and his Japanese Pizza LA team struggled back from 2 - 0 down to win the Sun Microsystems Australia Cup on Sunday, giving him a record fourth win in the regatta. Dean Barker and his Team New Zealand crew had held a 1 - 0 lead overnight, having taken the first heat of the first-to-win-three-race final, late on Saturday afternoon. The Kiwis came out fighting on Sunday morning, and in the light and fickle winds won the second heat, to go 2 - 0 up, and put Gilmour's back against the wall. However as the fabled "Fremantle Doctor" seabreeze steadied up, the Pizza-LA team found their feet, and started the long hard road back towards overall victory. Gilmour was particularly good in the pre-start jousting, an area of the game for which Barker is renowned, and took the game to the Team New Zealand crew. Having levelled the score at 2 - 2, Gilmour made no mistake in the fifth and deciding match, getting the better of the start, and controlling the race throughout to take the gun and the trophy. The fight was equally close for third place, with Frenchman Bertrand Pace and Le Defi Francais team, battling it out with Sebastien Destremau's Sportscom Team. Le Defi team took the first race, but Destremau, a Frenchman who lives in Perth, came back to take the next two races, and third place in the regatta. However fourth place here, when added to their victory in Auckland, was good enough to keep Bertrand Pace and his team on top of the Swedish Match Tour championship ladder. Dean Barker slips into second place, while Gilmour's victory lifts him from eighth to third, and should also improve his world rankings sufficiently to qualify the Pizza-LA team for the world championships. The ACI Cup/ISAF World Championships are the next event on the Swedish Match Tour, and will be staged in Split, Croatia, from 22nd to 30th May. -- John Roberson Sun Microsystems Australia Cup results: 1. Peter Gilmour (Japan) 2. Dean Barker (New Zealand) 3. Sebastien Destremau (Australia) 4. Bertrand Pace (France) 5. Peter Holmberg (US Virgin Islands) 6. Jes Gram-Hansen (Denmark) 7. Luc Pillot (France) 8. James Spithill (Australia) 9. Gordon Lucas (Australia) 10. Magnus Holmberg (Sweden) 11. Bjorn Hansen (Sweden) 12. Andy Green (Britain) Swedish Match Tour - championship points after two events: 1. Bertrand Pace (France) 37pts, 2. Dean Barker (New Zealand) 35, 3. Peter Gilmour (Japan) 29, 4. Cameron Appleton (New Zealand) 20, 5. Peter Holmberg (US Virgin Islands) 16, 6. Sebastien Destremau (Australia) 15, 7. Gavin Brady (New Zealand) 12, 8. Chris Dickson (New Zealand) 10. Event website: http://www.rpyc.com.au LASER WORLD MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS The last day of the Cancun Laser World Masters Championship saw easy wins in three divisions and exciting battles in two others. It was another glorious day at Cancun on the Caribbean coast of Mexico with ideal sailing conditions in what must be one of the best sailing waters in the world. Mark Bethwaite from Australia won the toughest division in the Championship with a second and a first in the last two races. However he did not have it as easy as the results read. In 15-knot winds Doug Peckover (USA) had worked out a comfortable lead by the first mark in the first race of the day. At the leeward mark it was all action. The knot at the end of Peckover's mainsheet came undone and he capsized allowing Bethwaite through although he nearly tipped in himself. Peckover said "I didn't know what happened it was like that feeling of momentary suspension you get when you miss the toestraps. Still it was a great regatta and Mark sailed really well." If that was not enough third placed Alberto Larrea (ARG) also capsized at the same rounding allowing Bethwaites closest rival, Rob Coutts, through. Larrea recovered to push Bethwaite hard which gave Jack Schlachter the chance to slip through to take the gun. In the second race Bethwaite made sure of his victory by covering Coutts. A very pleased Bethwaite said "It has been superb sailing and I'm very pleased. I've found muscles and aches that I never knew I had." -- Eric Mehlbaum Schagen FINAL RESULTS: Masters: 1. AUS Mark Bethwaite 20 pts; 2. NZL Rob Coutts 29; 3. USA Doug Peckover 46; 6. USA Fred Schroth 70; 7. USA Ian Lineberger , 75; 11. USA Ted Moor, 117. Grand Masters: 1. GBR Keith Wilkins 9 pts; 2. USA Dick Tillman, 31; 3. CAN Joe Van Rossem, 33; 6. USA Donald Law, 73. Great Grand Masters: 1. USA Henry De Wolf Jr, 14 pts; 2. SUI Kurt Zueger, 22; 3. CAN Heinz Gebauer, 24; 5. USA Robert Saltmarsh, 48; 9. USA Robert Spillman, 80. Complete results: http://www.laserinternational.org 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 Guy Gurney -- Funny to see the letter from Tami Shelton inviting Fisher to "the Granddaddy of Beach Cat Party Regattas," especially as he could be called the Granddady of cat sailors: among other things The Fish was a member of the crew of the C-class cat Lady Helmsman (I think) that won the little America's Cup about 100 years ago... -- From Bruce Gresham -- Tami Shelton should realize that Bob Fisher wrote the book on Catamaran Sailing. -- From Bob Fisher -- You can tell Tami Shelton ('Butt 539) that I have had multihulls in the past, plenty of them (including Lady Helmsman back in 1967), and while they have speed a'plenty, they lack the time to devote to the tactical skills that we over-30s need to triumph. "Old age and guile will beat youth and skill any day." I'm sure Olin Stephens will agree with that. -- From John Rousmaniere -- Even if the quote attributed to Olin Stephens comparing the calm of a cabin with the chaos of the cockpit was embellished by Norrie Hoyt, that hardly means that Olin is not capable of good writing. In his wonderful autobiography "All This and Sailing, Too," which Mystic Seaport Museum published in January, he describes a dialogue between the skipper in his bunk (Olin) and the crew (his father) concerning whether the spinnaker should be struck in a rising gale as Dorade ran home in the Fastnet Race. The skipper, eyeing the speedometer, favored carrying on under chute. The crew, eying the building sea, did not, and encouraged Olin to take a look. He writes: "Putting on foul-weather gear I squeezed through the almost-closed companionway and perched on the after end of the cabin when another sea almost swept me into the cockpit and I yielded, 'Yes, get it off.'" His autobiography is far more than a collection of sea stories. It's an insider's frankly written history of yacht design, ocean racing, the America's Cup, and rating rules since the 1920's. Olin may be the only person who both sailed the 1928 Bermuda Race (with John Alden) and watched the Cup boats compete in Auckland. The author's healthy point of view on life is indicated by his opening words: "I was lucky; I had a goal. As far back as I can remember I wanted to design fast boats." ('All This and Sailing, Too' is available from the Mystic Seaport Museum Store: http://store.mysticseaport.org) WESTERN HEMISPHERE CHAMPIONSHIPS Sky Boss made up for his cruel April Fool's Day conditions with a sparkling day and perfect breeze for the final race of the 2000 Star Spring Western Hemisphere Championship. 1999 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Eric Doyle would sit this one out, having wrapped up his first Silver Star (to pair nicely with his 1999 Gold Star) the day before. While the fleet was relatively small by Star standards (23 boats), there can be no question as to its pedigree. 8 Star World Champions, 7 Olympic medallists and Olympic hopefuls from 6 other countries came to compete and check out their performance in advance of the 2000 US Olympic Team Selection Trials, April 8 - 16. The St. Francis Yacht Club hosted the event; Treasure Island Sailing Center was the venue. -- John Craig Final results: 1. ERIC DOYLE (18 pts) 2. MARK REYNOLDS (22 pts) 3. ROSS MCDONALD (22) 4. IAN WALKER (27) 5. JOHN MCCAUSLAND 6 (29) 6. GAVIN (33) 7. COLIN BEASHEL (34) 8. PETER VESSELLA (37) 9. Vince Brun (37) 10. JEREMY DAVIDSON (55) 11. MARK MANSFIELD (55) 12. PAUL CAYARD (57) 13. JOHN VIRTUE (62) 14. BILL BUCHAN (62). Full results: http://38.245.193.195/race-office/2000race/MarchRace.htm DOWN UNDER Team New Zealand's new leadership have reached agreement that will keep the major sponsors on board and clear away $5 million in debt the syndicate took on last year to stay afloat. After a tense and bitter week of negotiations, a relieved Brad Butterworth reported that a deal had been done with the "family of five" sponsors - TVNZ, Toyota, Steinlager, Lotto and Telecom. He said that at one stage he considered walking away. "Some things you've just got to ask yourself, do you need it?" Skipper Russell Coutts revealed this week that the dispute over how the Team NZ leadership would change following the America's Cup victory had been a source of tension for several years. When the Herald reported the dispute, shortly before racing began in the Cup finals, the paper was severely criticised from many quarters for being unfair or unpatriotic. Syndicate leader Sir Peter Blake tried to downplay the row as no more than a family squabble. Events this week have shown how serious the falling-out was. Coutts said there was anger that the existing management had chosen to sell NZL38 from the successful 1995 campaign. That was regarded as giving away technological know-how to competitors, and the reported price-tag - about $1 million - was regarded as too low. Team members yesterday expressed frustration that they had won national adulation but did not know whether they had jobs or where their next pay cheque was coming from. Later in the day there was relief to learn that a deal was being done. Bowman Dean Phipps said there had been serious approaches from Italy to several of the crew. Some had been disappointed when their contracts ended yesterday to find there was no bonus for winning. Butterworth, who spoke just before joining many of his team-mates at the wedding of bowman Joey Allen in Auckland, said he and his partners in the new leadership, Russell Coutts and Tom Schnackenberg, hoped to keep the team intact. The issue over whether the new leadership should pay the current Team NZ trustees - Richard Green, Jim Hoare, Sir Tom Clark, Roger France and John Lusk - was still to be resolved, he said. "The sponsors are behind us so I think the trust side of it will sort itself out." What had not been previously revealed is that Toyota, Steinlager, Telecom and Lotto, which had already put up $3 million each in sponsorship, together advanced a further $5.25 million to Team NZ with agreement that the money would be repaid should they not continue as sponsors. TVNZ had a different arrangement, tied up with its host broadcaster status and coverage rights. -- James Gardiner, NZ Herald Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ US YACHT CLUB CHALLENGE After three days of racing, in 5-25 knots of breeze, the California YC and the host Newport Harbor YC tied for the title of 'Best in the US.' Because the neither Deed of Gift, nor the Notice of Race, nor the Sailing Instructions contained any provisions for breaking ties, a sub-set of the Judges was convened to determine the winner. Using the scoring guidelines for fleet races in the Racing Rules of Sailing, that panel awarded the top prize to the Newport Harbor YC. Catalina 37 (60 %) - California YC (Bob Little) 15 pts; 2. Annapolis YC (Scott Nixon) 19 pts; 3. Newport Harbor YC (John Drayton) 22 pts. CFJ (20%) - Newport Harbor YC (Scott Hogan) 11 pts; 2. San Diego (Frank Tabor) 15 pts; 3.California YC (Marin Diskant) 20 pts. Laser (20%) - San Diego YC (Andrew Campbell) 6 pts; 2. St. Petersburg YC (Michel Hall) 15 pts; 3. Newport Harbor (Tyler Haskell) 19 pts. FINAL RESULTS: 1. Newport Harbor YC, 13 pts; 2. California YC, 13 pts 3. Annapolis YC, 19 pts 4. Bayview YC, 21 pts; 5. Rochester YC, 27 pts. (Note - The California YC challenged the findings of the jury with a request for redress, which had not been heard at press time.) Complete results: http://www.nhyc.org/usycc4100.htm EXTREME SAILING (Last week we reported the breakup of the 120-foot catamaran Team Philips as information became available. Herb McCormick thoughtfully summarized that tragedy in Sunday's NY Times. Here's an excerpt from his story.) For the British adventure sailor Pete Goss, the month of March will be remembered for highs and lows of kingly proportions. Just over two weeks ago, Goss's radical new 120-foot catamaran, Team Philips -- a craft embodying Brittania's fervent wish to once again rule the waves -- was christened and blessed by Queen Elizabeth II in an emotional ceremony in the heart of London. But last Wednesday, in a cold, gray North Atlantic seaway, Goss's worst nightmares were realized when a 45-foot section of the spindly port bow cracked off like an icicle dangling from a sill, on the third day of the boat's maiden trials. Suddenly, Goss had a royal problem on his hands. "There was a very loud bang," the 38-year-old former marine said in a telephone interview from St. Mary's in the Scilly Isles, the port to which he, his five-man crew and his crippled sailboat had been towed after the incident. In typical understatement, he added, "We found that the port bow had a major structural problem and was starting to work itself off." This, of course, was not supposed to happen to a boat that was scheduled to undertake not one but two round-the-world voyages over the next several months. First, Goss had planned an imminent assault on the so-called Jules Verne record for the fastest circumnavigation, which is currently just over 71 days. But that trip was viewed as a mere warm-up for Goss's entry in The Race, the fully crewed, nonstop, around-the-world competition waged with no limits on the size of boat or crew. That race will begin from Barcelona, Spain, on Dec. 31. The record attempt is now out of the question. But Goss vows that he will be on the starting line for The Race. "We didn't hit anything," Goss said. "It's something to do with the structure or the manufacture. We need to distill it down to that kernel of truth as to what happened. I feel confident we can resolve it." -- Herb McCormick, NY Times Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/library/sports/outdoors/040200boat-goss.html Team Philips website: http://www.teamphilips.com/index.cfm?articleid=35 PFD Thanks to a huge number of 'Buttheads to provided guidance, we've identified the route to provide feedback about the proposed PFD regulations: Start by going to: http://dms.dot.gov/search/document.asp?qdocumentid=65457&qdocketid=6219 That site will ultimately lead you to: http://dmses.dot.gov/submit/BlankDSS.asp PROFESSIONAL SAILING The Cassis Cup, first series of 2000 Corel 45 Circuit has come to an end today by sailing the last two races on windward-leeward course. Once again the weather condition, a southwesterly wind building up to 25/30 knots, proved to be very demanding for the fleet racing on the sail area of Cassis, South of France. It's "Faster K-Yote II", the winner of One Ton Cup last year the winner of the series scoring today a four place and retiring (together with most part of the fleet) in the second race. British "Babbalaas" owned by David Mc Lean (American Chris Larson at the helm, Italian Tommaso Chieffi calling tactics) won both races finishing in the third place in the overall results and following the other British team of "Indulgence" owned by Graham Walker. Next series for the Corel 45s will be held in Spain on 12/14 May on the occasion of Trofeo Zegna in Barcelona. -- Laura Jelmini Final Results: 1. Faster K-Yote II (Kandler/fedensieu), 13 points; 2. Indulgence (Walker), 20 points; 3. Babbalaas, McLean/Larson, 24 points; 4. Faster K-Yote I, Bertarelli/Peponnet, 33 points; 5. Bounder, Little/Robinson, 33 points; 6. Magician, Bureau/Pailloux, 45 points; 7. La Casera, 48 points. THE CURMUDGEON'S COUNCIL If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before. |
