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SCUTTLEBUTT 2275 – February 6, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). FRESH BLOOD FIRES TEAM SPIRIT When captain Salvatore Sarno was growing up in southern Italy, he spent hours sitting at the top of a hill near his home in Salerno trying to catch a glimpse of the sea 20km away. The young Sarno dreamed of sailing, of one day becoming the captain of a ship. Now, as chairman of the Durban branch of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the diminutive Sarno looks at Durban Harbour through his office window and dreams of winning the America's Cup. Sarno, who arrived in Durban 20 years ago on a ship delivering granite, is the man behind South Africa's maiden cup challenge Shosholoza. A team who initially just wanted to bring a piece of Africa to the cup have now set their sights on a place in the semifinals when the challenger series starts on April 16. Shosholoza's renewed spirit comes after they put aside their pledge to remain solely South African and brought experienced Italian sailors Paolo Cian and Tommaso Chieffi into the afterguard. They have also given their sleek, rainbow-coloured yacht RSA83 a make-over. Sarno said the move away from a totally South African crew was a team decision. "I called a meeting with the crew and asked them whether they preferred to be 100 per cent South African and continue to sit at the bottom of the table or be 80 per cent local and win races. "Unanimously they decided that I could even go to 70 per cent. They were tired of losing after mistakes made by the afterguard. -- by Julie Ash, New Zealand Herald, full story: http://tinyurl.com/ype5y2 AMERICA’S OLYMPIC CONTENDERS The 2007 US Sailing Team will be comprised of the top three in each class, which is a change from previous years, wherein the top five had received the recognition that the team status provides, and the benefits that are afforded team members. Selection for the team is based on performance in designated events, and with the Olympics next year, the 2007 group will be the final US Team before the trials are held this fall. Scuttlebutt provides here a class-by-class look at the current crop of America’s Olympic contenders: 470 Men This class will be a two-horse race through to the trials, with the top ranked team of Mikee Anderson-Mitterling/ David Hughes consistently holding a small edge over the second ranked team of Stu McNay/ Graham Biehl. Interestingly, it was Anderson-Mitterling and Biehl who teamed up for a 2004 campaign, and gave eventual gold medallists Paul Foerster/ Kevin Burnham a scare in the trials. The third ranked Justin Law/ Michael Miller are a new team, and while they should not be a significant threat at these trials, they will hopefully continue working toward 2012. * 2004 Olympic rep: Paul Foerster/ Kevin Burnham (Gold medal) 470 Women This class was one of the few where the US had two teams in the medal race at the Miami OCR. The third ranked team of Molly Carapiet/ Molly O'Bryan has yet to threaten Amanda Clark/ Sarah Mergenthaler and Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving, first and second respectively, and it will be likely be a very close contest at the trials between these top two teams. Amanda and Sarah were second in the 2004 trials, with Amanda also having campaigned a Europe for 2000. Isabelle Kinsolving, who crewed for Katie McDowell in the 2004 games, joins Erin’s second effort, where she had teamed with Jen Morgan for third in the 2004 trials. * 2004 Olympic rep: Katie McDowell/ Isabelle Kinsolving (5th place) RS:X Men and Women It has been a long time since the US has been a threat in the boardsailing classes (anybody remember Scott Steele, Mike Gebhardt, Annie Gardner Nelson, Lanee Butler), and the 2008 Olympics isn’t going to be any different. If top ranked Ben Barger maintains his form, he will be advancing to the Games past teammates Bob Willis and Mark Powell. As for the women’s field, the US rep could be anyone of the top three: Nancy Rios, Karen Marriott, or Farrah Hall. * 2004 Olympic reps: Peter Wells (28th) and Lanee Butler Beashal (16th) Look for tomorrow’s report to include the Star and Yngling classes. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0205/ BOSTON AND TORONTO... ...this weekend and 21 other cities between now and April are host to North U TRIM and Tactics Seminars featuring Gary Jobson and other top instructors. Or try Performance Software and Instruments webinars live, on-line; an On-The-Water Race Week in Captiva Island, FL; or Coaching aboard your boat. It’s your choice: You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better racer, or you can accelerate the process with North U. Call 800-347-2457 or visit http://www.NorthU.com EXPERIENCE SEALS THE DEAL IN MIAMI (Sailing World magazine’s Stuart Streuli calls up Yngling champion Sally Barkow after her team’s win at the Miami OCR, and gets the latest word from one of America’s top medal contenders.) Three years running, Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi, and Carrie Howe have won the Yngling class at the Rolex Miami OCR. But each victory has been vastly different. The first, in 2005, was over a small field of eight boats, a number of which were sailed by veteran female sailors taking a Yngling campaign out for a test drive. In 2006, Barkow and company demolished a much larger and more competitive field, accumulating less than a third of the points of the second-placed boat. This year, though the number of U.S. teams has dropped from four in the previous two years to just two, the field was again larger and deeper. It was a hotly contested regatta, with a number of teams taking the lead at various points in the six-day event. In the end though, the result was the same, Barkow, Capozzi, and Howe standing on the top step of the podium to receive the top prize. Olympic-class sailors seem to be perpetually surrounded by the sounds of an Olympic campaign--sails, boats, people--but when Sally Barkow answered my telephone call on Monday morning, two days after her victory, I didn't hear any background noise. Barkow laughed when I pointed out the absence. It's a day off, she said. Then added that she and her teammates planned on spending it inside for a change. -- Read on for complete interview: http://tinyurl.com/2sgc7f PHOTO GALLERIES * Photographer Onne van der Wal recently returned from his annual trip to the Grenada Sailing Festival in St. Georges, Grenada, West Indies. While the event has classes of all sorts, it is the workboats that we find most fascinating. We hope you do to: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/gsf * During the Laser Radial Women’s North Americans and Finn Midwinters in Ft Lauderdale, FL, amateur photographer John Payne was on the course and sent Scuttlebutt a load of images from both classes. They have been compiled into a 1:13 minute video now showing on the Scuttlebutt website, with some easy background tunes to enjoy: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0205 * Not everyone was watching the Super Bowl last Sunday, as thousands came out to watch the Queen Mary 2 sail into San Francisco bay. At 1,150 feet long, she is the largest ship ever to sail into the bay, and cleared the Golden Gate Bridge by only 30-feet. Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0204 NEW-FOUND FREEDOM (Northern CA) For 18 years, Rob Moore was a yachting journalist, one of the most recognized names in the sport of sailing. Suddenly, over a year ago, his monthly articles in the locally produced "Latitude 38" magazine stopped. Everybody wondered ... where's Rob? I wondered too. I tracked Moore down last week in South Florida for Key West Race Week. "Just say that I am loose on the world after 18 years of being chained to a monthly deadline," Moore said. "I'm traveling to new places, and sailing a lot with my friends." When Moore was pounding the keyboard every day and cramming down sandwiches at his desk, he made a lot of friends in the sailing community. Now they are all asking him to join them on the water. "When I was working with Latitude I wasn't able to do as much sailing because of our deadlines," Moore said. "I'm making up for some lost time now, and really enjoying my new-found freedom." -- by Jan Pehrson, Marin Independent Journal, full story: http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_5080245 * Here’s a YouTube video from one of Rob’s adventures, the 2004 Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Hawaii, set appropriately to the song, “Some guys have all the luck.” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4beBQPo8iJA THE MELGES 32 - ANOTHER GREAT SHOWING At the Strictly Sail Show in Chicago this past weekend, three new Melges 32’s were sold, with the amount of foot traffic coming to see this new one-design confirming that the boat is taking a firm hold in the sailing community. The Melges 32 has features much like its little brother, the Melges 24, such as being easy to trailer, ramp launch, and rig, makes traveling to regattas a breeze. The big, wide-open cockpit is user friendly and inviting to people of all ages. Next stop, the St. Petersburg NOOD regatta and then the Miami Race Week. Details at http://www.melges32.com SAILING SHORTS * Registration is open for the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, which will be held March 29 - April 1, 2007 at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA. Details at US Sailing website: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/multihull * The World Speed Sailing Record Council announces ratification of a new world record for the Kitesail nautical mile. On October 30, 2006, British sailor Rob Munro set a speed of 35.65 knots at Walvis Bay, Namibia, using a "Cape Doctor Custom" board with a 10m Naish Raven kite. The previous record was 35.44 kts by Dirk Hanel, GER at Walvis Bay, Namibia in Oct 2005 -- John Reed, Secretary to the WSSR Council * (Jan 5, Dubai) America’s Cup contender Victory Challenge ended their winter training in Dubai on Sunday, where they enjoyed 25 days of two-boat racing from the 4th of January to the 4th of February. This compares with the two and a half months it took in Valencia last autumn to achieve the same number of hours on the water. “I have never sailed in a place with such persistent good wind conditions throughout a whole month,” says Magnus Holmberg, skipper and helmsman. The team began dismantling their temporary base on Monday. * The Challenger Commission for the 32nd America's Cup met last week to resolve a list of issues that included the unveiling agreement, the Louis Vuitton race schedule, the notice of race, the use of masthead sails and television gear on the boats, and most importantly, the issue of the China Team’s roof-top bar/café at their base. Complete report at http://tinyurl.com/297hol * An announcement by Paul Cayard and Russell Coutts is expected this Friday in Lisbon, Portugal regarding their plans for a new international sailing event. EIGHT BELLS Mitchell C. Gibbons-Neff passed away Sunday, February 4, 2007 due to complications from lung cancer. Born on May 4, 1941, Mitch grew up on the family farm in Maryland and was introduced to sailing by his parents. He received a Bachelors Degree in Geology from Franklin & Marshall College and joined the U.S. Navy in 1963. He was an Engineering Officer aboard the U.S.S. SALUTE, a minesweeper, and the Officer in Charge of a Swift boat in Vietnam. When he returned home, Mitch went to Harvard Business School for an M.B.A. He then spent two years working in the Pacific Northwest as a project engineer for a heavy construction firm. In 1971, Mitch went to work for Palmer Johnson as a salesman and in 1973 he co-founded Nautor, USA. In 1977, Mitch showed up at Sparkman & Stephens for an interview. As Mitch told the story, after meeting with the company's managing broker, Mitch was told the company would get back to him - Mitch asked if an empty desk outside the manager's office was being used by anyone and when told "no", said he would be there the next day to start. In 1985, Mitch became President of Sparkman & Stephens. Mitch was a member of the New York Yacht Club and served on the Club's Model Committee. He was also a member of the Noroton Yacht Club, the Cruising Club of America, and the Storm Trysail Club. Mitch was an active supporter of the Mystic Seaport Museum and the SEA Education Association. Mitch is survived by his two sons, TM and Paul, his father Morton, his brothers Morton, Peter and Henry and his many nephews and nieces. Mitch will be laid to rest at a private family service. A memorial service for friends is being organized and details will follow. Memorial contributions may be made to the SEA Education Association, http://www.sea.edu/supportsea Mitch also used to say "Don't worry about me, the good guys go first." Mitch, you were a "good guy". We will miss you. -- Full story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0204 BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Whether you're frostbiting in harsh winter temperatures or lucky enough to be sailing in warmer climates, Magic Marine offers a range of technical dinghy gear to enhance your performance and comfort on the water. Find a dealer and view the entire Magic Marine line at http://www.magicmarinegear.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Steve Moore (edited to our 250-word limit): I can sympathize with your wish that racing would get back to a simpler time without today’s sophisticated electronics. But, you have got to meet the future! The genie is long since out of the bottle. The days of a compass, a windex, a sextant and a chip log are gone. Racing has always been “a money dominated event.” Racers will always go for gear that will give them an advantage. It’s an equipment sport. This “magic box” technology has been widely available for many years with integrated instrument systems like Ockam, which have been on boats racing to Cabo, Hawaii, Bermuda, around the world, and in the America’s Cup where they were first developed years ago. Ironically, your challenge to the cup sailors could be met easily, because by the time the crews get to the actual cup races, they have been learning the boats with the instruments for so long that they know the polars backwards and forwards. They don’t really need the instruments very much any more. However, for someone who is new to racing or has not been racing for years, instruments are a great equalizer in a large part, because they make their learning curve much steeper. Given the Scuttlebutt thread of shrinking participation in racing, wouldn’t you agree that getting these new racers up to speed so that they are competitive is an important goal? Or, do you want them to get discouraged and drop out? Maybe we do need the Nintendo. * From Craig Fletcher: I will take a great seat of the pants sailor over a great "technical" sailor any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. * From Spencer Ogden, Univ of Texas Sailing Team ’03: (Re: UT calendar) The girls down at UT have been a very strong part of the UT sailing team for a long time now. To call this calendar degrading is taking things to seriously. If I know these girls, and I do, the idea was entirely theirs and they had a great time putting it together. If you have a problem with the calendar, then how about a small donation to keep these poor girls dressed and in their boats. Checks can be made out to "The UT Sailing Team" and sent to: UT Sailing Team 3305 Tom Greene, Apt. A Austin, TX 78705 (or $100 gets a nice clean non-offensive polo shirt) * From Peter Hinrichsen: It is sad to see Paige Railey, a perfect sailing ambassador, exploring the line between legal and illegal kinetics. RRS 42.1 states "a boat shall compete by using ONLY the wind and water to increase, maintain or decrease her speed. Her crew may adjust the trim of sails and hull, and perform other acts of seamanship, BUT SHALL NOT OTHERWISE MOVE THEIR BODIES TO PROPEL THE BOAT". Any body movement which is made with the intention of augmenting the boatspeed contravenes RRS 42.1, and experimenting in order to find where the judges draw the line contravenes RRS 2. The judge’s guidelines only illustrate the type of movements that can be clearly proved in a protest. Yes, only judges that have sailed the boat should make the calls, but where do you find them? We have to decide if we want the sport of “sailing”, or that of "air rowing" as demonstrated by the board sailors in Athens. Yes there is a place for athletes to do their thing and a class can decide what level of kinetics it wants. Any sailor can then choose the class they want. However, I am sad that the fine art of sailing, not propelling, in light airs, will be lost if kinetics rule the day. There is a place for both, but not in the same race. Olympic sailors have to investigate every permissible advantage, so I can understand Paige's conduct, but it is the apologists who justify her conduct that I cannot comprehend. * From Joe Cazana: In your opening gambit of Feb 5 (‘butt 2274) - for the sake of argument - you have juxtaposed your various kinetics with crossing rules and compared whether pushing the limits of kinetic movement entitles one to push the limits of interactions between two boats. Absolutely not would be the correct answer. Crossing rules between boats are soundly based upon collision avoidance and international rules for collision avoidance at sea. Obviously, kinetic movements are not life threatening. * From Michael Craddock: I support Brian Angel's comments made in #2272 regarding Port/Starboard crossings. In my own limited experience, I've seen an increasing tendency for Port tack boats to brazen out across a Starboard tacker in hopes of claiming a last minute change of course by the starboard boat. I would like to see a return to rule that allowed Starboard to "hunt" in these situations. Perhaps, this would keep the port tack boats more honest. * From Chris Ericksen: Like Frank Lawson ('Butt 2274), I, too, remember the 1987 America's Cup Race in which Stars and Stripes' genoa blew up. What I remember most is the behavior of helmsman Dennis Connor and tactician Tom Whidden during the event: they never stopped racing to "coach" the crew that was fixing the problem--they concentrated on boatspeed, pointing and their performance against the competition. I wish every racing helmsman could watch the video of that event to see how a helmsman should leave it to his (or her) crew to get the job done rather than letting their own performance suffer as they holler at the crew doing what they already know needs to be done from behind the traveller. It was the very epitome of a skipper's confidence in his crew; I wish every crew could sail with a helmsman who had that much confidence in them. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.” -- Groucho Marx Special thanks to North U, Melges Performance Sailboats, and Vanguard Sailboats. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
