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SCUTTLEBUTT 3416 - Tuesday, August 30, 2011Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: North Sails, Melges Performance Sailing, and US Sailing. BEHIND THE SCENES - HOSTING A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP If your plans for 2012 include championship sailing, either as an organizer or competitor, then this debrief from the 2011 Etchells World Championship by Bill Pascoe is a must read: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2011 Etchells World Championship had many factors that contributed to its success. As a starting point, San Diego is a great venue, and additionally, the weather cooperated nicely for the 83 competing teams. Put another way, it would be difficult to have a poor event in San Diego. Aside from the weather and the venue, there are several lessons that we learned from managing the San Diego Worlds, which was begun and headed by Chuck Driscoll in late May/early June, 2010. I had served as Fleet Captain for the 18 months prior to the regatta and also helped to fill in the blanks. Here are some thoughts as to what worked. One - The competitors come first. The event is for the benefit of the competitors, who are guests of the Fleet and the yacht club. As hosts, our mission was to provide the best possible on the water experience (Race Management) and to make the regatta fun for all competitors. Having initially built Etchells in the early days, Chuck Driscoll is still in touch with and follows the class. I have attended several Worlds and so have a genuine understanding for knowing what the average competitor wants to experience. Also, from the Race Committee to the SDYC staff, the shared mission statement was to create a first class event from the competitors' standpoint. Two - Less is more. Develop a small management organisation with a trusted team. With only a year to prepare, we were required to focus on the big picture. As a result, Chairman Chuck Driscoll's management style was minimal with a small team of people, whose help was assured. After several large meetings with a myriad of opinions, the administrative tasks were assigned to smaller teams with weekly or bi-weekly meetings. Registration, Marketing, Social, Merchandising, Financial, Trophies and Measurement were all smaller committees that met quite frequently but with shorter agendas and more focus. In addition, as in any volunteer organisation, accountability is a challenge. As a result, we were required to re-delegate tasks if things were not being accomplished. Three - Be flexible. With a management team consisting of a shipyard manager and a lawyer, it was apparent that we were inexperienced at running a multi-faceted event with so many moving parts. Making a wrong decision in various areas was inevitable. Recognising those errors and correcting them were important skills in keeping the preparation moving forward. There are five more bullet points... read on: http://tinyurl.com/Etchells-082911 HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE SAILING Raising kids empowers you to do things you never imagined. During this time, double Olympic medalist JJ Fetter Isler added High School Coach to her list of achievements. And just like all parents, she wanted to see her stable of sailors succeed. Through her observations, she wrote a guide, 'Getting the most out of High School sailing', to provide advice for sailors who want to maximize their high school sailing experience. And for those sailors that take their game to collegiate competition, Brooke Thompson sought to help them make the transition. While competing on the St. Mary's College of Maryland sailing team, Thompson had one of those "if I only knew then what I know now" moments, and decided to write a manual, 'High School to College Crewing Guide', to help crews make the transition to college sailing. Said Thompson: "In my opinion, high school sailing teaches crews most of the skills they need to know, but college sailing fine-tunes and expands on those things. College crews come from a huge range of experience levels and backgrounds, but what they have in common is that everyone makes changes along the way to adapt. This guide is an attempt to pinpoint some of the bigger reasons that contribute to this transition and list all the little details that go a long with it." With the fall season to commence for High School and College sailing, these two guides may prove invaluable: High School guide: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0928/ College guide: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/crew_guide/ BLUE IS GREEN! ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT TO SAVE ON A NEW NORTH SAIL Recycle your old sail and SAVE. From July 1st to September 3rd, 2011, you can save 20% on a new North Sail. Register on our Web site to return your old sail and download our 'Blue is Green' trade-in voucher*. Present this voucher to your sails representative by September 3rd to receive savings. Once your old sail is received, we will also send you a free recycled sail cloth tote bag from Sea Bags, Inc. If you're looking to elevate your sailing, now is the time to buy a new North sail and save 20%! http://www.na.northsails.com/tabid/14313/Default.aspx *Some restrictions apply. PHOTO GALLERIES * Esteemed yachting photographer Bob Grieser stopped by Scuttlebutt HQ with a folder full of AC45 images from his assignment in Cascais during the inaugural America's Cup World Series event. If you are wondering what the action will look like when the ACWS circus comes to San Diego November 12-20, it will look something like this: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/0814/index3.asp * We don't care what event they're shooting, Carlo Borlenghi and his studio photographers Stefano Gattini and Gudio Trombetta make it look hot. And when you give these guys a fleet of TP52s, the photos sizzle. Here is their work from Spain... love the underwater opener: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/0828/ * When the multihull event was removed from the Olympics, the Tornado class was left scrambling to find its new identity. It is not a cheap boat, and it is too refined to endure the rigors of beach launchings. But it does remain one of the nicest sailing catamarans afloat, and the class attraced 35 boats at its recent World Championship at Lake Biel, Switzerland: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/0829/ WARNING: LIFE MAY BE HAZARDOUS FOR YOUR HEALTH Remember the guy who sued McDonalds because his coffee was too hot? Well the litigious nature of California seems to have hit the surfing community with a Los Angeles surfer suing his board maker because his too sharp fin cut him. Here is an excerpt from the LA Times... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Surfboard manufacturers have a number of concerns -- heavy competition, expensive shipping and employees who occasionally like to slip out early when there's a good break. Product-liability lawsuits typically aren't one of their worries. That's what makes a lawsuit that recreational surfer Tom Gregg filed against Channel Islands Surfboards a little unusual. Gregg contends that a fin on his Channel Islands board cut a "deep gash" on his right leg when he wiped out off the coast of France in 2009. He said the fin severed muscles in his leg and caused injuries so severe that he will never regain full muscle strength in the injured leg. "The surfboard, fins and their component parts were unsafe for their intended use," Gregg said in the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. -- Waterhound, read on: http://tinyurl.com/Waterhound-082911 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Can we sue the cordage companies when we get a rope burn? Or the spar companies when we hit our head on the boom? Makes you wonder about the liability forms the America's Cup teams must be having their crew sign as a condition of employment. Here we see defender Oracle Racing capsizing its AC45 on San Francisco Bay, pitching CEO Russell Coutts for a head first dive threw the wing sail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KNql99zT6s 5 YACHT CLUBS TELL THEIR TOP 5 SPONSORSHIP TIPS During the 5th Commodores' Forum of the International Council of Yacht Clubs (ICOYC) held last year at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Perth, the attendees discussed sponsorship from the point of view of Yacht Clubs as event organisers. The following is taken from the ICOYC newsletter published in July: 'Five lessons learned' when dealing with sponsors. John McNeill, Staff Commodore of the St Francis Yacht Club - Understanding that sponsors want eyeballs, reaching people through our activities to sell their products or services. - Work to the sponsors schedule and their marketing goals. - Set up a press room with a view of the starting line. - Help fulfill their goals without compromising the culture of your own club. - Sell the long term - your best sponsors should become your good friends. YachtRacing.biz, full report: http://www.yachtracing.biz/blog/2011/08/icoyc-sponsorship-tips/ MELGES FALL SAVINGS Melges Fall Savings is in full swing. Big savings on all new boats and Melges Gear. Check out melges.com for updates, saving options and new boat pricing. Get geared up for the Audi Melges 20, Melges 24 or Melges 32 Winter Series. New boats can be organized for participation still and at a great big savings! New scows are on sale. Check out http://www.melges.com HURRICANE HANGOVER Rochester, NY (August 29, 2011) - An almost total lack of breeze today prevented the 36 teams who traveled to Rochester Yacht Club for the 14th biennial edition of US SAILING's Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC) from starting their assault on the championship title. In stark contrast to Sunday's conditions which forced the cancellation of the practice race due to too much wind, the usual thermal breeze needed for racing was impeded because the water temperature matched the air temperature. The wait for the elusive breeze on Lake Ontario was utilized by the Race Committee who ran several practice starts to make the time productive. Ultimately, however, the decision was made to bring the competitors ashore for the day. Of the 36 teams competing here this week, at least three include crew fresh from the Next Step to Rolex program which attracted 26 participants from eight states, including Hawaii. The two-day clinic precedes the championship and was held at the same venue, Rochester Yacht Club, on August 25-25. It focused on advanced keelboat racing skills and techniques using the same J/22s that are being sailed in the championship races. Since being established in 1997 as an outreach program of the Rolex IWKC, the Next Step to Rolex program has exposed junior women sailors, ages 13 to 17, to successful women sailors who have gone on to sail at the college level or pursue Olympic dreams. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/RegattaNews-082911 ZERO TOLERANCE This is an installment by International Umpire/Judge Jos M. Spijkerman (NED) in a series of blogposts about the ISAF Call book 2009-2012 with amendments for 2010. All calls are official interpretations by the ISAF committees on how the Racing Rules of Sailing should be used or interpreted. The calls are copied from the Call book; only the comments are written by Jos: Case 47 (Rule 2, Fair Sailing) A boat that deliberately hails 'Starboard' when she knows she is on port tack has not acted fairly, and has broken rule 2. Assumed Facts: An experienced helmsman of a port-tack boat hails 'Starboard' to a beginner who, although on starboard tack, not being sure of himself and probably being scared of having his boat holed, tacks to port to avoid a collision. No protest is lodged. One school of thought argues that it is fair game, because if a helmsman does not know the rules, that is his own hard luck. The other school rejects this argument, on the grounds that it is quite contrary to the spirit of the rules to deceive a competitor in that way. It is known that such a trick is often played, particularly when novices are involved. Question: In such a case, has the port-tack boat broken rule 2? Answer: A boat that deliberately hails 'Starboard' when she knows she is on port tack has not acted fairly and has broken rule 2. The protest committee might also consider taking action under rule 69. -- Read on: http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2011/08/pillowcase-of-week-3511-47.html COMMENT: Here is the exact phrasing of Rule 2: "A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and fair play. A boat may be penalized under this rule only if it is clearly established that these principles have been violated. A disqualification under this rule shall not be excluded from the boat's series score." -- http://tinyurl.com/ISAF-082911 SAILING SHORTS * Conditions for the 2011 Canadian Optimist Championships (Aug. 21-26) challenged the 85 sailors that came to compete in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia from across Canada, the US and Bermuda. Twelve races were completed, ranging from 20-25 knots on Monday to a peaceful 6-10 knots on Friday. The overall winner was Justin Vittecoq (Blue Fleet - 11 and 12 year olds) from Hudson Yacht Club/RCYC with consistent top ten finishes to finish twp points ahead of Jared Collinson (Red Fleet - 13, 14 and 15) from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12510 * Michael George from the hosting California YC in Marina del Rey, California staged a dramatic come from behind victory to win the 22-boat 2011 Martin 242 North American Championship (Aug. 26-28). George was trailing Paul Zambriski's Pau Hana by six points going into the final race. However, that final race was sailed in white caps and a building breeze, which obviously suited George and his crew. They won that race decisively while Zambriski finished 10th - his only double digit finish of the eight-race, three-day regatta - which gave George's All In a two point victory. Trolley Car sailed by Peter Stazicker and Bill Petersen finished the eight race event in third place. -- http://www.calyachtclub.com/files/11_M242_S1-8.htm * With Hurricane Irene forcing the cancellation of the 30-boat Audi Melges 20 U.S. National Championship, originally scheduled for August 26-28 in Newport, RI, the 2011 championship has been rescheduled for November 11-13 in Miami, FL. Details at http://www.melges20.com/?p=news/&id=1258 GET INVOLVED IN YOUR SPORT WITH US SAILING The US SAILING Annual Meeting, One-Design Symposium and National Sailing Programs Symposium present opportunities for every type of sailor. Join us for one or all three upcoming events! For more information and registration details: - Annual Meeting: http://bit.ly/ussagm - One-Design Symposium: http://bit.ly/ussodss - National Sailing Programs Symposium: http://bit.ly/ussnsps FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are recent For Sale ads: * Deerfoot 62 "Moonshadow" * Farr 40 'Heartbreaker' - Hull #92 * Laser #181855 - Maroon Topsides * RS400, RS500 XL, RS800 * 50' Nelson/Marek "Goblin" (ex Idler) - Price reduced View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads BRING IT TO TONY The success of the sport, particularly one design classes, relies on energetic volunteers and supportive industry partners. In Southern California, when a one design dinghy needs some work, the chorus sings 'Bring it to Tony'. That's what parents and coaches have been telling young sailors for more than 30 years. Tony Burica repairs Naples sabots, the popular eight-foot boats that can be seen skimming across the water in places like Newport Harbor. As the summer racing season winds up, Burica, 83, begins another year of patching, sanding and painting. And this may be his last. As soon as he can find someone to take over his Victoria Street shop, which Burica built, he plans to retire to spend more time with his wife, Tereza. But local sailors suggest that nobody can replace him. "He's like an Old World craftsman, and that's very difficult to find these days," said 54-year-old Mark Gaudio, a competitive sailor who brought his sabot to Burica when he was young and whose son now does the same. Burica immigrated to the U.S. in a five-year odyssey from Croatia, his homeland. Burica said he and a friend eventually sailed across the Atlantic in an 18-foot wooden boat they built. It was those skills that made Burica so valuable to William "Bill" Shock, a noted boat builder who operated out of Newport Beach's Cannery Village for decades. After soaking up enough knowledge of fiberglass repair from Shock, Burica set out on his own. In 1979, he opened Tony's Boat Shop in a building near the Santa Ana River in Costa Mesa. -- LA Times, read on: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/23/local/la-me-tony-20110823 CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION A child's greatest period of growth is the month after you've purchased new school uniforms. SPONSORS THIS WEEK JK3 Nautical Enterprises - Interlux North Sails - Melges Performance Sailboats US Sailing - Team One Newport - LaserPerformance SailFast - Ullman Sails - Camet - West Marine - Doyle Sails Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
