|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2960 - Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Scuttlebutt 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.
Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt
Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook
Today's sponsors are North Sails and USSTAG.
GUEST COMMENTARY
By Henry L. Menin, Chairman, ISAF Match Racing Committee
I am excited that Jake Doyle (in Scuttlebutt 2959), and presumably a number of
other college sailors, would like to see match racing in the College Sloop
Nationals. That is great news. I am guessing that Taylor Canfield, winning
Skipper of this year’s event, will be one of them since he spent this past
summer doing 5 or 6 (maybe more) ISAF graded match racing events. The timing
of Jake’s letter is impeccable because the development of college match racing
is a work in progress in North America.
But I just want to clear up a few points Jake made about umpires and wings at
match races.
If you have 10 boats, you can run 5 matches in a flight. That requires 10
umpires (2 per match) and possibly a couple of umpires in a single wing
boat…not one for every match. That only happens in the America’s Cup.
We often umpire without a dedicated wing boat, so that would reduce the number
of umpires by 2. What we do is have the second umpire team doing the “wing”
for the first match, 3rd umpire team “wings for the 2nd match, etc. The 5th
match does not get a pre-start umpire, but the first umpire team is often
finished its match as the 5th match goes into the pre-start, so they end up
“winging” for that last match.
But 10 boats is a lot. Many events only use 8 boats. Then you just need 8
umpires for the 4 matches. If you have a wing boat, that is great. If not, you
just do what was described above.
Wings are valuable to be sure, but not critical to an event. Umpires are used
to doing their jobs without wings if the budget does not allow for them. So
you can do an 8, 10, 12 or 16 team event with 8 competing boats, 4 umpire
boats and 8 umpires. Of course there will be boat swapping, but that is
normal.
By the way, The US Sailing Center at Sail Sheboyan just hosted the first
Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association Invitational match racing clinic and
regatta on October 16. Seven teams participated. Look for more of the same
from Sail Sheboygan…and look for much more college match racing in the USA in
the near future.
And, a little informal survey by me this summer shows that match racing is
exploding in the USA. There were somewhere around 35-40 ISAF graded match
racing events in North America this year. What’s more, there were about
125-150 additional ungraded match racing events. Those were mostly informal
weekday evening or weekend series held in San Francisco Bay, Chicago, Toronto
and Detroit during just about every week from May through September (I
apologize to any area that I left out…as I said, this was a very informal
survey).
If the ISAF Match Racing Committee can help get college match racing rolling
in North America, just let us know.
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: It is always a hot button to change a historical
event. The Sloop Championship was inaugurated in 1972 with the first
championship held at the University of California at Irvine in Shields class
sloops, and was won by the University of Michigan team of Bruce Nelson, Irine
Dabanian, Tom Ehman. Additional comments are on the Forum, where I encourage
you to share yours if desired:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8497#8497
MELGES 24 WORLDS
Annapolis, MD (October 27, 2009) - Despite the decidedly damp and cold
conditions which prevailed on day two of the Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis 2009
Melges 24 World Championship, the quality of racing for the international
fleet was nonetheless characteristically red hot. Overnight leader Chris
Larson aboard 'West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes' turned in a solidly
consistent 6,4, scoreline for the day, which sees him extend his margin at the
top of the leaderboard tonight to eleven points.
Surprisingly perhaps Larson believed that the Annapolis conditions today had
been more predictable than normal. “The wind didn't really move about that
much today, so much so in fact that in both races we were actually able to
one-tack both first beats by simply hitting the left hand layline. This
afternoon though the wind did begin to get a little spotty, with more pressure
in some places than others.” Whilst obviously delighted to still be leading at
this stage, Larson also recognised that there was still a long way to go in
this Championship. “We are four races in to a twelve race series and so far
I've been successful with doing my job on the boat, which is to get us off the
line cleanly. Richard Clarke has been doing a great job on tactics and the
whole crew has been solid. I think if we can maintain this approach then we
will be in good shape.”
Today also saw a return to more familiar form for two of the Melges 24 fleet's
most well known teams, as Italians Lorenzo Bressani on 'Uka Uka Racing' and
Gabrio Zandona on 'Joe Fly' respectively, each took a gun in today's two
races. Bressani followed up his win in the first race with a second place in
race two, after a prolonged battle with Zandona at the front of the fleet.
'Uka Uka Racing's' 1, 2 score today earned them boat of the day; an
achievement made all the more impressive given that Meredith Adams was a late
replacement for their regular bow-girl Francesca Prina who had suffered a
severe ankle injury.
A drop race is scored after six races are completed. Racing continues through
Saturday. Complete daily report at http://www.melges24.com/?p=news/&id=1721
Standings after Day 2 (top 10 of 51)
1. Chris Larson (USA), West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes, 5-2-6-4, 17 pts
2. Gabrio Zandonà (ITA), Joe Fly, 6-18-3-1, 28
3. Bill Hardesty (USA), Event’s Clothing/Atlantis, 19-3-2-7, 31
4. Brian Porter (USA), Full Throttle, 2-12-5-12, 31
5. Carlo Fracassoli (ITA), Gullisara, 9-1-10-13, 33
6. Eivind Melleby (NOR), Full Medal Jacket, 8-4-4-22, 38
7. Lorenzo Bressani (ITA), UKA UKA racing, 26-10-1-2, 39
8. Flavio Favini (SUI), Blu Moon, 3-6-9-21, 39
9. Alan Field (USA), WTF, 4-7-11-18, 40
10. Jamie Lea (GBR), Team Barbarians, 10-15-16-8, 49
Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/yh3ra64
Event website: http://www.melges24worlds2009.com
Weather forecast: http://tinyurl.com/yks94ec
LIVE UPDATES: Here are some of the sites posting videos, photos, and text
updates during (and after) the races:
* Melges 24 class blog: http://www.melges24worlds2009.com/IMCABlog.asp
* Sail22: http://sailingupdates.com/?page_id=3
* SailGroove: http://tinyurl.com/yjw2qe6
** In addition to the above sites, T2P.tv is posting a highly produced daily
video show by 9pm EST: http://tinyurl.com/T2P-tv
FREE NORTH SAILS HAT
Order any outerwear item from North Sails Gear through Sunday, November 1st
and we will send you a FREE North Sails hat. We have a great selection of full
zip and pullover hoodies, lightweight jackets, windproof fleece jackets, vests
& more! Mention the word ‘SBUTT’ in comments box to redeem this offer. With
Fall in the air, now is a great time to buy a new piece of outerwear and get
yourself a free hat! http://www.northsailsgear.com/store/?c=16
* A rare opportunity to see the North Sails 3DL factory in Minden, NV will
occur on October 30th when The Science Channel show ‘How It’s Made’ features
the facility. The program airs at 9 p.m. EST. --
http://science.discovery.com/tv-schedules/daily.html?date=20091030.303
ADIOS, PERSIAN GULF
(October 27, 2009) - The America’s Cup was back in NY Court today, where
Justice Kornreich was asked to address the dispute over the venue location and
other assorted details. Scuttlebutt legal analyst Cory Friedman was an
observer to the event, and was clearly unimpressed by all the parties
involved. Here is his latest report:
----------------------------------------------------------------
The America’s Cup will be sailed during the first week of February 2010. It
will not be sailed in Ras al-Khaimah (RAK). However, it may not actually be
decided then, because it is entirely possible that somebody’s lawyers lost the
Cup today. February may only reveal who those lawyers are. Today’s candidates
for keelhauling are (drum roll): 1) Whoever advised Société Nautique De Genève
(SNG) that it could get away with holding the Cup in RAK with enough
confidence that it designed its boat specifically for RAK like conditions; and
2) Whoever at Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) fell for attorney David Boies’
extra virgin snake oil and hired him to come into court today totally
unprepared for anything other than a PR walk through - and certainly not for
real legal work.
RAK is out ostensibly because Justice Kornreich harmonized Justice Cahn’s
ruling with the Deed of Gift and concluded that the February Match could only
be held in the northern hemisphere on consent. If SNG does not want to hold it
in Valencia, Spain on consent, it will have to be sailed in the southern
hemisphere.
Justice Kornreich explicitly stated that security had nothing to do with her
ruling and she was not considering those arguments. In a coda, she stated that
her court was in New York and the United States and no venue would be
acceptable if spectators from any nation or religion would be discriminated
against or prevented from attending. Bingo. It is common knowledge that anyone
holding an Israeli passport or any other country’s passport with Israeli
stamps on it (which is pretty common in NY and among Evangelicals nationally)
is not likely to be admitted to the UAE. In the case of competitors, that is
“for their own safety.” Moreover, Larry Ellison’s ethnicity is no secret. In
short, there was no way a judge elected in New York is sending an event to the
UAE - oh, and by the way, the Deed prohibits it. She also ruled she would so
order the transcript so that SNG immediately can appeal to the Appellate
Division, First Department, if it wants to. Good luck, the Appellate Division
is elected as well. -- Read on:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/NEWS/07/CF/#p48
SNG statement: http://tinyurl.com/yzq8cnc
GGYC statement: http://tinyurl.com/yzt4727
THE SAILING LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF JOHN CASEY
In Scuttlebutt 2958, it was reported that the US SAILING’s 2009 U.S. Multihull
Championship for the Hobie Alter Cup, held in Clearwater, Fl on October 18-22,
was won by John Casey (Longwood, Fla.) and crew John Williams (Long Beach,
Calif.), who had also won the event in 2007. Here is Casey’s story from the
event:
--------------------------------------------------------------
There are two kinds of regattas that I don’t like to write about, the ones
that I fully suck in (because it’s embarrassing) and the ones that I win
(because it seems arrogant). Here goes anyway…..
After takeoff from Amsterdam, I peered out the window. The silouette of the
plane flew over the red clay tile roofs and green and brown flower fields of
the off season. The shadow suddenly passed over the breaking waves of the
North Sea, and I knew a new adventure was to begin. The Alter Cup was right
around the corner.
Twelve hours and a few Bloody Marys later, I was at my house for a short rest
before leaving to pick up the motorhome from Brian Karr the next day. I
arrived in Clearwater to get my crew, John Williams, and we shot over to the
Clearwater Community Sailing Center, where the F16 Vipers were being put
together by Greg Goodall, Robby Daniel of Red Gear Racing, their crew and
various sailors.
John and I were lucky enough to have a permit to park the RV on the beach
right next to the boats, so we drove around the sandy dunes to our perfect
spot overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, where the RV stayed the whole week,
literally feet away from the Vipers, which were tied down to the beach at
night.
Early Sunday morning, on the first day of racing, I awoke to the motorhome
rocking in the breeze. When I stepped outside, sand blew in my face and the
door was snatched out of my hand and slammed into the siding of the camper.
There was also a pretty big swell running. After quite a bit of deliberation,
the Event Organizer decided we were to stay off the water. It is never an easy
decision to make, especially when it’s perfectly sunny and warm, but the wind
is whipping up a froth. -- Read on: http://www.johncaseyworldwide.com/?p=1015
SAILING SHORTS
* US SAILING is seeking nominations for their annual One-Design awards which
recognize outstanding individuals and organizations in one-design sailing. The
categories are: Service, Leadership, Club, Regatta, and Creativity. These
awards highlight role models of creative leadership in one-design sailing.
Nominations are due by October 31. -- Details: http://tinyurl.com/yj9yv6y
* Marseille, France (October 27, 2009) - Information is scarce regarding the
third day at the Student Yachting World Cup, though the scoreline for the lone
North American team, University of Rhode Island, shows that they had slipped
to fifth overall. The CUS Milano selected to represent Italy was in the lead,
with racing to conclude on Friday. -- http://www.sywoc.org/
* The 2010 Bayview Mackinac Race, hosted by Bayview Yacht Club, has announced
the courses and division format for next year’s race. -- Details:
http://tinyurl.com/ylms92h
* Paul Larsen and the VESTAS Sailrocket team will conclude their latest
attempt on Wednesday to break the world speed sailing record in Walvis Bay,
Namibia. Larsen estimates that out of nine runs during this session, there had
been five runs with extended peaks over 50 knots that had beaten their own
personal best (and 'B' class world record) three times. --
http://www.sailrocket.com
ALPHAGRAPHICS SALUTES WHITMAN-DORSETT
AlphaGraphics, title sponsor of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics,
congratulates the American SKUD-18 team of Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett for
taking silver medals at the IFDS World Championships in Athens, Greece. This
team continues to dominate as they recently won gold at the 2009 Sail for Gold
Regatta in Weymouth, England, sailing site of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. The team also finished first in class in the inaugural ISAF Sailing
World Cup. AlphaGraphics and their franchisees are proud to support the entire
sailing team and remind you that US SAILING members get 15% off printing and
marketing services. -- http://www.alphagraphics.com
EIGHT BELLS
David Trigueiro, 44, of Monterey, California has died following a brief
illness. David worked at West Marine for the past 10 years, most recently as
Senior Marketing Manager. A native of northern California, Mr. Trigueiro was
born in Modesto and grew up in San Jose. He graduated San Jose State in 1990
with a degree in Graphic Design. He enjoyed visits to Northern Italy and Napa
Valley, black & white photography, cooking, entertaining and delighted in
meeting and knowing people. He is predeceased by his father, Joseph W.
Trigueiro and survived by his mother, Ruth J. Trigueiro of Sunnyvale, CA,
sister Carolyn S. Trigueiro of Gold Beach, Oregon and countless friends who
shall miss him dearly. A private service will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions can be made to Ruth Trigueiro, 1085 Tasman Dr., Apt.
#768 Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
SOCIAL MEDIA
* To insure the ‘buttheads have the latest sailing information, Scuttlebutt is
using Twitter to post news updates and other items of interest in addition to
the newsletter. Twitter updates can be read at the top of the Scuttlebutt
website or here http://twitter.com/scuttbutt
* The Scuttlebutt fan page on Facebook hosts news updates during the day, and
is a place where the ‘buttheads can share their photos, videos, and
commentary. Scuttlebutt fans will also be the first to learn of special
offers. Become a fan here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook
LETTERS AND FORUM
Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’).
Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words
(letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject,
and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a
more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum.
-- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
-- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From Hugh Elliot:
This Saturday is Halloween and I am trying to decide whether to wear a Larry
Ellison or an Ernesto Bertarelli costume. Either should be sufficiently
frightening to scare.
* From Manfred Schreiber:
Said Ed Baird in Butt 2959, "But when you get out on the water and start
sailing, having the motor is fantastic. You can turn the winch just when you
need to without worrying about grinders being ready and at station.”
Too much dope or what? Haven´t heard anything more silly than that from a well
oiled America’s Cup crew. Sounds like they are sailing bareboat in Antigua
Sailing Week with some tourists. Get real mate! Also kudos to Ken Guyer in
Butt 2959 for putting the "other" interview into the right context. Though it
is amusing to read these statements from the two teams, they should come with
a warning label like: Purely PR Stuff. Wishful thinking. Reality is elsewhere.
* From Jeroen van der Beek
In the Monday newsletter we get a letter from Brad Butterworth defending
Alinghi and SNG and explaining how bad BOR is, then in the Tuesday newsletter
Ed Baird continues the theme. Are we now going to receive a letter everyday
from a different member of Alinghi’s crew as part of an ill-conceived
publicity campaign? Ernesto I’m not buying it, but then again I haven’t
received my cheque yet.
* From Pete Hoffmann:
Regarding the justification in Butt 2959 (from Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird)
regarding engines on the boats: “The Emperor has no clothes.” It seems to me
that idea goes completely against everything the sport is about. Leave the
mast, sails and winches on the dock and hook the motor to a propeller shaft
and the thing will go to weather better also. Do it if you want but please do
not try to justify it.
* From Giuseppe:
I think it's great to see how ancient cultures, like this one in the Persian
Gulf or like many others around the Mediterranean for instance, still pay
tribute to their heritage and promote their classic sailing boats among the
youngsters so future generations can still appreciate what their ancestors
achieved thousands of years ago.
It's actually very interesting to see the similarities between those rigs and
the ones in the Latin sail regattas that you can see in places like northern
Africa, Italy or the east coast of Spain to mention just a few. A very nice
way to learn history and understand how all these cultures were linked by the
sea traffic centuries ago.
Unfortunately, Scuttlebutt 2958 tried to be ironic and offensive about it,
when made the point that this classic regatta was the local pinnacle of
technology on sailing. I have a huge respect for the USA but sometimes it
exports too many examples of narrow minded, history ignorants, un-intellectual
and arrogant individuals. --
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/10/uae-yachting.html
* From Philip Crebbin:
To follow up David Redfern's comments (in Scuttlebutt 2957) about Victory 83's
winged keel in the 1983 America's Cup challenger races, I would like to add
some clarification. What Victory 83 had were some detachable, neutral buoyancy
winglets designed by Ian Howlett, the designer of Victory 83. These could be
put on without any change to the boat's flotation and so there was no need for
any re-measurement.
They were used in one race in the challenger trials. It was a race against
Advance Australia that was deliberately chosen as Advance was unfortunately
proving to be the "dog" of the challenger fleet (to the extent that the top of
its bow was painted black in a small circle to give the boat a dog's nose!).
It proved to be very fortunate that Victory chose Advance to race against in
this configuration as we were behind nearly all the race and only just managed
to scrape past before the finish. Our view on the boat was as per that classic
phrase - "We couldn't get out of our own way." It was discovered afterwards
that the winglets had been mounted at slightly the wrong angle, and that made
all the difference. The experience was enough to prevent their being used
again in what was proving to be very close racing against several of the
challengers. But I am sure they would have been good at the right angle if
there had been the chance to test them properly! -- Read on:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8482#8482
CURMUDGEON’S HALLOWEEN OBSERVATION
Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?
No, they eat the fingers separately.
Special thanks to North Sails and USSTAG.
Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
|
| |