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SCUTTLEBUTT 1654 - August 25, 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. OLYMPIC SAILING America's Cup star Paul Cayard kept himself in medal contention on Tuesday, rallying yet again to finish sixth in the lone Star class race on the lively Saronic Gulf. The 49er skiffs flew across the waves in the higher breeze, but Americans Tim Wadlow and Pete Spaulding appeared to have sailed themselves out of medal contention with finishes of 10th and 11th before leading the whole way to win the day's third race. Pending protests, Wadlow and Spaulding won't be able to catch the crews from Spain, Ukraine and Great Britain, which appear to have locked up the medals. The final race is Thursday. Cayard, in his first Olympics at 45, is tied for third place with Denmark's Niklas Holm with 26 points after six of 11 races. Canada's Ross MacDonald also had 26 points after finishing last, but was given redress because his boat was struck and damaged by Bermuda's Peter Bromby. MacDonald, unable to raise his jib after the collision, moved into second with 20.2 points. Brazil's Torben Grael, who won the first of his four Olympic medals 20 years ago in Los Angeles, continued to dominate by placing fifth. He has yet to be finish out of the top 5, and leads with 13 points. Three skippers are within three points of Cayard and Holm. The northerly Meltemi returned to the gulf, bringing a steady 17 knots of wind, kicking up whitecaps and clearing the smog out of the Athens basin, making the Parthenon visible in the distance as the Stars sailed upwind. Cayard, of Kentfield, Calif., and crew Phil Trinter of Lorain, Ohio, have made a habit of getting deep in the 17-boat Star fleet and then coming back. Cayard and Trinter were 13th at the first mark. They'd improved to 10th by the time they turned onto the downwind run to the finish, where they passed four boats. - Bernie Wilson, AP, as posted on the SF Chronicle website: http://tinyurl.com/5el4c Star - 17 boats (6 of 11 races with one discard) 1. BRA, Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, 13 2. CAN, Ross MacDonald/Mike Wolfs, 20.2 3. USA, Paul Cayard/Phil Trinter, 26 4. DEN, Nicklas Holm/ Claus Olesen, 26 15. BER, Peter Bromby/Lee White, 57 49er - 19 boats (15 of 16 races with two discards) 1. ESP, Iker Martinez/Xavier Fernaandez, 60 2. UKR, Rodion Luka/George Leonchuk, 69 3. GBR, Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks, 71 4. USA, Tim Wadlow/Pete Spaulding, 82 Complete scores: http://www.sailing.org/olympics2004 Updated Olympic photo gallery: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/olympics STAR CLASS QUOTES * "It was very shifty today. It's good for the championship to have different conditions in every race." - Torben Grael (BRA) - http://tinyurl.com/4q9rm * "It was nice to race in the breeze. We waited for this meltemi to come in and we had a good race." - Fredrik Loof (SWE) - http://tinyurl.com/4q9rm "Over the last four years we have been one of the teams to beat. At this level you pay for small mistakes." - Peter Bromby (BER) - http://tinyurl.com/5tpef * "There are still five races to go. Nothing is done yet." - Xavier Rohart (FRA) - http://tinyurl.com/4q9rm * "Torben will be hard to reel in. I wish the whole group was closer to him, because the pack that's close together will eventually start thinking silver or bronze and will start beating up on each other and he'll get farther ahead. I just hope tomorrow we can get him back farther in the fleet so there will be a chunk of guys fighting for gold in the end." - Paul Cayard (USA) - www.ussailing.org TRIVIA QUESTION When competing for the Olympics, making it to the podium is the ultimate goal. But would you know where to stand? We know that the Gold medalist stands in the center, but how about Silver and Bronze? (Answer below) STANDARD IS NOT AN OPTION At Hall Spars & Rigging, you don't have to order a custom mast to experience excellent performance properties combined with cool features like spreader lights, a QuikVang 2000, or custom masthead electronics. Every Hall production spar has an options list - including the new J/100, J/133, J/65, Morris 36, Hinckley SW 42, Sabre 386, Swan 45 and Swan 601 masts. Each item complements the boat and makes your sailing experience special. If you're buying or replacing a production mast, talk with Hall's experts first. We'll ensure you receive a production mast that's anything but standard. http://www.hallspars.com INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY The "must stop" for Intracoastal Waterway cruisers headed south this fall could very well be a new Internet message board. That's because the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA), in cooperation with Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has created a way for boaters to share local knowledge regarding facilities, experiences and most of all, channel conditions, along the 1,200-mile route threading the southeast coast. Created in 1938 and with an authorized depth of 12 feet, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway provides a protected inland passage for commercial and military vessels and has become increasingly popular with recreational boaters. However, today the waterway is as shallow as four feet or less at low tide in some areas as declining federal budgets over the past decade have led to cutbacks in maintenance dredging. Commercial vessels and larger recreational craft are being forced to run offshore in the open ocean or risk grounding and potentially expensive repairs. The free message board at http://www.Atlintracoastal.org includes individual sections covering the waterway's route from Norfolk, VA, to Miami, FL. Also included are sections where cruisers or local boaters can note "Problem Spots," a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers news area, and a "Trips" page for question-and-answer exchanges as well as comments from cruisers en route. - Boat US, full story: http://www.boatus.com/news/releases.asp INTERNATIONAL CATAMARAN CHALLENGE TROPHY Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree will defend their 2003 International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT), win against a field of Olympic Tornado sailors and top catamaran sailors from around the world on Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans on October 18th through October 23rd, 2004. Sailors competing for the right to defend the ICCT for the United States include Mark Murray, Bob Hodges and WF Oliver. Competing for the right to challenge will be at least three 2004 Olympic Tornado teams including; Mitch Booth and Herbie Dercksen (NED), Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez (PUR), and William Howden (GBR). Italy will be sending two teams to compete including Daniele Saragoni and Teo di Battista. Daniele and Teo were the ICCT 2003 runners up, losing to Johnny and Charlie in the last race by less than about 5 seconds. Two other 2004 Olympic teams have expressed interest and are currently evaluating the possibility of competing in New Orleans. The International Catamaran Challenge Trophy was created by a deed of gift given by Seacliff Yacht Club in 1961, as an international match-racing trophy for catamarans. The ICCT has been contested 22 times since 1961. The 2004 ICCT will be raced using the 18HT's and the boats will be governed by the 18HT development class rules. www.southernyachtclub.org/regattas/2004/icct.htm FOR THE RECORD To beat PlayStation's Transatlantic record, Bruno Peyron's Maxi-catamaran Orange II must finish before 17:12:44 CET on Wednesday afternoon, so the adrenaline is pumping. To break the record, they have to cover 605 miles in the final 24 hours. Doable? Of course. But difficult because the seas are up, and the weather system for the final stretch is not promising. www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ MAIN MAN Canadian Paul Henderson's term of office as the president of the ISAF is about to end. Who will take his place? There are three candidates listed the website of the European Sailing Federation, along with their platforms. Take a look: http://www.eurosaf.org/ VINEYARD RACE WEATHER WORKSHOP! Study the trends & options to Buzzard's Bay and back with Bill Biewenga, Commanders' Weather and OPC meteorologists. Bring many thousands of miles of racing to your online strategy session. Archived sessions are convenient to your schedule. Aug 30/31 Vineyard workshop info & signup at http://www.weather4sailors.com/seminars.htm BITTERSWEET The U.S. 49er team of Tim Wadlow and Pete Spaulding sailed their best race of the regatta today on the Saronic Gulf, winning the third heat of the day by 19 seconds. Not long after they crossed the line, however, they had to come to grips with the fact they would not realize their dream of winning an Olympic medal in Athens. "It's sort of bittersweet," said Wadlow, his subdued tone indicating it was more of the former and less of the latter. "We won the last race, but we knew that the guys we needed to be ahead of were all close behind. We had a pretty good idea that we were out of the medals even though we were winning the race. You see all the helicopters, the onboard cameras, you know it's going to be a great race. But it's also sort of the end of a dream." - Excerpts from a story by Stuart Streuli on the Sailing World website; full story: www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=34340&typeID=400&catID=587 NEWS BRIEFS * There are just three days left for to nominate representatives to US Sailing's Sailor Athlete Council. All registered Sailor Athletes are eligible to nominate candidates, but only registered A and B level athletes may be nominated and elected to the Council. The US Sailing website has the list of the present nominees as well those eligible for nomination. http://tinyurl.com/5y8td * Finally! After winning line honors in twenty-seven consecutive races, Grant Wharington's Skandia has been beaten. Stewart Thwaites' 98-foot Kiwi super maxi Konica Minolta registered the win against Skandia at the 21st Hahn Premium Race week at Hamilton Island. And things could get even tougher for Skandia - Konica Minolta will soon be adding a new canting keel and canard. The arms war escalates. - From material by Rob Kothe posted on the Sail-World website, full story: www.sail-world.com/ * The Melges 24 Gold Cup, a national points regatta for the class, was held in Charleston, SC last weekend. Competitors from as far as California, Louisiana, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey and Maryland gathered in the historic city for a very competitive weekend of sailing. Some big talent was on hand and the shifty conditions combined with strong current really challenged these teams to sail their best. "Grins" team of Shawn Burke, Steve Burke, David Chapin and Skip Canfield"USA-526" won the championship. - Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/4d6hg * Here are the leaders after five races with one throwout at the 44-boat Marks Star North American Championships: John A MacCausland/ Brian Fatih, 10 pts; 2. Hyde Perce/ Chuck Nevel, 14; 3. Karl Anderson/ Magnus Liljedahl, 14; 4. Ben Cesare/ Doug Brophy, 16; 5.Peter Cusick/ Serge Leonidov, 25; 6. Bill Buchan/ Greg Newhall, 33. www.cpyc.org/star/na/index.shtml * All winners of US National or North American One Design Championships are eligible for the US Sailing/ Rolex Championship of Champions regatta to be sailed in JY 15s at the Raritan YC, Perth Amboy, NJ on September 29 - October. 2. The entry deadline is quickly approaching but qualified skippers can apply on-line: www.ussailing.org/championships/CofC/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE "It makes my heart feel good when sailors finish races earning bronze medals and showing absolute jubilation. The standard victory celebration here is to jump in the water immediately after crossing the finish line. The smiles are genuine. In many sports a bronze medal is considered a disappointment, but I haven't seen that in sailing. "In most sailing world championships big fleets of 80-100 boats are normal. But here in Athens the fleets range in size from 17-42 boats. The tactics are different in smaller fleets. Several sailors are finding it difficult to excel." - Gary Jobson, www.nbcolympics.com/sailing/5049697/detail.html TRIVIA ANSWER The positioning of the medalist on the podium is as follows: Gold is in the center, Silver is to the right of Gold, and Bronze is to the left of Gold. HAPPY CREW…PRICELESS Looking to prepare for your end of summer/fall race schedule? Quality team gear isn't expensive. It's priceless. Musto, Gill, Dubarry, Maui-Jim, Reyn-Spooner, Dryshirt ™, and Spinlock are just a few of brands carried at the Sailing Pro Shop. This superior selection makes it easy to service the most successful boat programs that require on-time delivery at competitive prices, with customized graphics and embroidery when needed. For a limited time you will receive a free $80 Mylar Pro-Race bag when you place a qualifying order through our online store or by calling toll free: 1(800) 354-7245 or http://www.sailingproshop.com/scuttlebutt3.htm LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (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 Skip Doyle: Is it mandatory that the Olympic boats have on board cameras? If so, who mandates it? If I were an Olympic sailor I would not want the camera on board. It's the source of potential problems as Lovell and Ogletree found out. Curmudgeon's Comment: We've forwarded the question to US Sailing's Olympic Director, and this is his response: "There is a "race of the day" selected by AOB every day (Athens Olympic Broadcasting). Cameras are "required" on the boards able to use them. (Yngling, Star, 49er, Tornado). Top 4 boats in current standings get "live cameras" while rest of fleet gets "equal weight dummy cameras" positioned in exactly the identical spot on all boats. Basically answer is yes, you must have a live or dummy camera on board, no choice." * From Aaron Housten: I'm sure that every reader of Scuttlebutt will point this out but, unfortunately Stevan Johnson's 'Whomper' set up (www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/whidbey/1.jpg) is not legal under RRS: "50.1 Changing Sails - When headsails or spinnakers are being changed, a replacing sail may be fully set and trimmed before the replaced sail is lowered. However, only one mainsail and, except when changing, only one spinnaker shall be carried set at a time." * From Steve Gregory: Hats off to Philippe Kahn for stepping up to the plate to help US Olympic yachting, but time will tell what classes he supports. Kahn has had tremendous success with his training programs, but they all have been in classes that either Philippe and/or his son Shark also sail. Looking at the 2004 Olympic results, can Pegasus Racing do something about the boardsailing, a class that I suspect neither Kahn is interested in getting into? * From Alexander Fredrichs: I've carefully read the story posted on the Scuttlebutt website about Philippe Kahn's training initiative, (www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/pegasus/) but it's not clear to me if Kahn's goal is more medals for the US Olympic team or stronger training partners for the Pegasus Racing team. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them. |
