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SCUTTLEBUTT 2846 - Monday, May 18, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are Kaenon Polarized and Mount Gay Rum Gear. FOG, COLD, AND LOBSTERS POTS (May 17, 2009, Day 2) For the Volvo Ocean Race fleet beginning their next 2,550 mile leg from Boston to Galway on Saturday, May 16th, the start included a windward-leeward lap of Boston's inner harbor, with fog soon shielding the turning mark at the eastern end of the start course. The sudden appearance of a massive oil tanker also hampered the progress of the fleet, with Delta Lloyd getting the worst of it. Said Green Dragon skipper Ian Walker (GBR), “It was quite bizarre losing sight of everything as visibility dropped to less than 100 metres. I suspect this will be a recurring theme of the next week as moist air from the South cools over the very cold water we will be sailing through and forms dense fog. It will mean 24 hour radar watch, (though) radar doesn't help much with lobster pots. “After zig zagging our way through we eventually hooked one on our leeward daggerboard. Five minutes later we had three of them entangling us. After backing down and clearing two of them we realised one line had sawn its way through the leading edge of the port daggerboard. We managed to raise the board and cut it free but we are left with a 250 cut in the laminate of our daggerboard. We cannot leave the board in this state or the laminate will peel away and the board will start to disintegrate. Right now the watch system is on hold and we have four teams of people working onboard.” Temperatures dropped quickly as the fleet got offshore, spending today headsail reaching in SSE winds in the low 20s, with the lead group positioned to the north of the fleet and 278 miles from the lone scoring gate of the leg. -- Excerpts from event website * Ian Walker's Green Dragon team announced a unique partnership with the Volvo Ocean Race Game for leg seven, where the game playing community on the Volvo Ocean Race Game will have the ability to interact with the Green Dragon afterguard as skipper Ian Walker and navigator Ian Moore make their weather routing decisions during the leg. -- Complete story: http://tinyurl.com/Gamer-5-17-09 * The decision for Puma bowman Jerry Kirby to miss the Boston to Galway leg was a result of Kirby needing to be home in Newport, R.I., with his wife, Kim, as she undergoes treatment for skin cancer. During the Boston stopover, they learned that the cancer was in Kim's lymph nodes and she would need surgery. "They don't think it's spread," said skipper Ken Read. "It appears that Kim's going to get through this with flying colors. The one thing the Kirby family has going for it is they're the most positive people on Earth." -- Providence Journal, full story: http://sportsblog.projo.com/2009/05/newport-sailor.html * An autographed Scuttlebutt t-shirt was signed by all the skippers competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/9 at the Boston stopover. This is a one-of-a-kind item, and 100% of the proceeds for this item will go to a sailing charity to be named later. Place your bid here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/auction * A huge photo gallery from the start is on the Scuttlebutt website, thanks to photographers Amory Ross, Sally Collison, Oskar Kihlborg, Leighton O'Connor, and Rick Tomlinson: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0516 * VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Began Oct. 4, 2008, crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Teams are now on the 2,550 nm transatlantic Leg 7 from Boston to Galway, Ireland that started May 16th and is expected to finish by May 23rd. Current positions (as of May 17, 22:15 GMT): 1. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 2,370 nm Distance to Finish 2. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 1 nm Distance to Leader 3. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 2 nm DTL 4. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 4 nm DTL 5. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 5 nm DTL 6. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 11 nm DTL 7. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 24 nm DTL Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, Did Not Start Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Leg 7 crew lists (updated): http://tinyurl.com/VOR-Leg-7-Crew-List-2 IS AMERICA’S CUP OUT OF THE COURTS AND ON THE WATER? With money dwindling and egos still the customary size, sports people keep arguing about the future. From the paddocks of Formula One to the tunnels of soccer to the New York courts charged with bringing order to the America’s Cup, the debates about what happens next have turned ugly. But the America’s Cup at last seems ready to leave behind the litigation and get back to navigation. Or are we still naïve to think that the lawyering will ever stop after nearly two years of affidavits, bad decisions and bad blood? “Never say never,” said Paco Latorre, a spokesman for Alinghi, the defender of the oldest major trophy in international sport. “But it does appear to be the end of the court part. We have clarity.” -- NY Times, read on: http://tinyurl.com/NY-Times-5-17-09 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Lately it seems like following the America’s Cup is akin to watching an ongoing television series. With all the plot changes, if you miss an episode or two, it is pretty easy to feel lost. If this is you, the article above might help. It is an easy read that does not bother with the hyper-technical legal tactics, but does nicely summarize the past 22 months from when the last match completed until now. MEET MATTE – THE NEW BLACK FROM KAENON POLARIZED Clean. Smooth. Understated. Light and comfortable when worn. And when matched with tonal, gloss black Kaenon icons on the popular Hard Kore, and stylie Calais – it’s stealth! Meet Matte - the new black from Kaenon Polarized, available in our most popular styles such as Rhino, Jetty, Kabin, Baton, UPD, Hard Kore and Calais. It’s so popular in the brand new Arlo - we can’t keep it in stock! Always featuring Kaenon’s patented SR-91 polarized lens, they’re available in prescription - Single Vision, or our Freestyle Progressive. Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. http://www.kaenon.com TIME TO HOLD, TIME TO FOLD Emirates Team New Zealand could quit the America's Cup and race in the Volvo Round The World yacht race instead if America's Cup court wrangling continues. They could, in theory, do both. That would probably need economic circumstances to change and more sponsorship on board. But the hiatus in the America's Cup has woken the possibility New Zealand's yachting team could turn back to the international race with which New Zealand has the longest ties - dating back to 1977 when Heath's Condor competed in what was then the Whitbread and those thrilling duels between Sir Peter Blake and Grant Dalton, now Team NZ boss. More vexing, however, is the possibility more court action under the Deed of Gift could nudge the America's Cup off line in its course towards the date most consider likely for a real, multi-challenger event in conventional monohulls - 2011. That is the date Team New Zealand's current funding runs out, pending re-negotiation. It is also the date of the start of the next Volvo yacht race. Dalton says: "We have to consider whether we are in the right event. We exist at this point as an America's Cup team, not a Volvo team. But we are a New Zealand team and a brand which is so strong that we can't allow it to fizzle out." -- NZ Herald, complete story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10572719 FINAL RACE DECIDES FIRST MEDCUP EVENT Alicante, Spain (May 17, 2009; Day 5) - A very modest trio of results across Saturday races proved a spur to skipper Guillermo Parada and the Matador (ARG) team to come out fighting today and score the best pair of scores in the TP52 fleet to win the City of Alicante Trophy today, the first of five events on the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit. But it came down to the final race for Matador to seize the win. It was Matador that seized the lead early on the first leg of the final race. However, Emirates Team New Zealand looked to have done enough to score a maiden regatta win with their new boat when they rounded fourth, less than a boat length behind Artemis and with a four boat cushion to Quantum Racing. But on the first downwind they chose to carry on to the right for a matter of minutes after Quantum Racing and Artemis had gybed away. They rounded sixth then compounded their troubles when they lost Quantum Racing on the finish line to end the regatta third overall behind Artemis. The top three finishers are the only new boats in the fleet, with the Judel Vrolijk designed boats taking 1-2-5 and the Botin/Carkeek designs finishing 3-4. Seven of the 12 entrants won races, with only Emirates Team New Zealand and Matador winning two apiece. -- Full story: http://2009.medcup.org/news/index.php?id=687 Final Standings ( top 5 of 12; 9 W/L races, no throwouts) 1. Matador (ARG), Guillermo Parada, 36 points 2. Artemis (SWE), Torbjorn Tornqvist, 37 3. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Dean Barker, 38 4. Quantum Racing (USA), Terry Hutchinson, 40 5. Bigamist 7 (POR), Afonso Domigos, 46 Complete results: http://2009.medcup.org/results2/venue.php?trophy=1 EURO PHOTOS GALLERIES * Franck Cammas and his crew on the 105-foot maxi trimaran Groupama 3 successfully established a new 458 mile Mediterranean crossing record (Marseilles, France to Carthage, Tunisia), beating the previous record set by Bruno Peyron aboard the catamaran Orange II on September 25, 2004 by over 48 minutes. Groupama 3 began their attempt on Friday, May 15th and set a time of 17 hours 08 minutes and 23 seconds (subject to approval from the World Sailing Speed Record Council). -- Details and Guilain Grenier photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0516a * Venice, Italy hosted the opening event of the 2009 iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series on May 15-17, where 10 world-class international teams competed in the first of the six event European circuit. After 17 races completed Gitana Extreme - Groupe LCF Rothschild (Yann Guichard) wins the iShares Cup Venice even, with BMW Oracle Racing (James Spithill) finishing second, and Renaissance (Loïck Peyron) third. Photographers Thierry Martinez and Ingrid Abery provide the images for this Scuttlebutt gallery: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0517 FOR ON AND OFF THE WATER………… Whether you are racing, cruising or at the bar after a day on the water, you need to be in the gear of sailors - the Mount Gay Rum line of apparel and gear offered by The Pirate’s Lair. You’ll find top quality moisture wicking t-shirts and polos, soft shell jackets, micro fleece vests, sailing shorts, accessories and newly added Mount Gay Rum burgee. With Father’s Day approaching, check the Mount Gay Rum gear line for that special gift. View the entire line at http://www.pirateslair.com/store/index.html - Also visit the new Mount Gay Rum website at http://www.mountgay.com SAILING SHORTS * Ninety four competitors came to Wrightsville Beach, NC for the 2009 Laser Masters North Americans, hosted by Carolina Yacht Club on May 15-17. After six races, Peter Vessella beat out Scott Young on a tie breaker to win the Masters division (45-54 years of age) and the overall title, with Marc Jacobi in third. Peter Hurley won the Apprentice division (35-44 yrs), Bill Symes won the Grand Master (55-64 yrs), and Peter Seidenberg won the Great Grand Master 65+ yrs). -- http://www.carolinayachtclub.org/LMNA.html * Fort Walton Beach, FL (May 15, 2009) - Mild to moderate conditions for the A-Cat North American Championships allowed reigning champion Las Guck to maintain his crown over the 42-boat field. Winning 8 of the 11 races, Guck built an 11 point lead over second place finisher Pete Melvin, with Matt Struble eighteen points back in third. Winning the Masters title was Bob Hodges and the Grand Masters champion was Woody Cope. -- Event website: http://www.fwyc.org/Regattas2009/acatna/index.html * (May 16, 2009; Day 6) - For the 24 teams of Formula 18s and Nacra 20 One Designs competing in the Tybee 500, the 540 mile event beginning on May 11th in Islamorada, FL and would endure six consecutive days of racing to work northward up the Atlantic side of Florida, reaching the final finish line in Tybee Island, GA on May 16th. Results are calculated as total elapsed time among the six legs, with corrections included to adjust for the faster Nacra 20s. The top four positions were Formula 18s, led by Mischa Heemskirk/Eduard Zanen of Team Whike. -- Event website: http://www.tybee500.com * Shortly after midnight GMT in the early hours of Sunday May 17th, Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme crossed the finish line of Leg 4 in the Portimão Global Ocean Race off Charleston, South Carolina, completing the 4800 mile route from Ilhabela, Brazil, on board Class 40 Beluga Racer (21:08:49:47). Early Saturday morning, Belgian solo sailor Michel Kleinjans was involved in a collision between his Open 40 Roaring Forty and a container ship approximately 210 miles east of Grand Bahama. Kleinjans is uninjured but his yacht has sustained damage, although the single-hander is convinced that he can reach Charleston. -- Race website: http://www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com * Even before the New York Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday which confirmed the date but not the venue of the next event, the decision was taken to suspend the multi-million pound British sailing campaign until the Deed of Gift match has been decided and the next multi-challenger event announced. “We will still exist but will not be as active as we were,”confirmed Team Origin spokesman Mike Sanderson, who has retained his position as Team Director. -- Telegraph, read on: http://tinyurl.com/Telegraph-5-17-09 OPTIMISM GROWS AS SUMMER APPROACHES As Memorial Day approaches - one of the most popular U.S. boating weekends of the year - the recreational boating industry trade group, National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), reports there were an estimated 70 million Americans who went boating in 2008, a five percent increase over 2007, despite the recession and higher gas prices. What’s more, DiscoverBoating.com, the boating industry’s online boating resource, has reported the results from a summer boating habits survey conducted in May of 25,000 members of the nation’s largest boat owners group, BoatU.S. The survey reveals that when compared to the 2008 boating season, 52 percent of respondents do not expect to change the way they use their boat this summer and an additional 39 percent predict they will actually go boating more if gas prices continue to remain lower than 2008. -- Read on: http://www.nmma.org/news/news.asp?id=17668&sid=3 EIGHT BELLS On Monday May 11, Adra Merrill Kober died in Long Beach, CA at the age of 85. Among her contributions to the sport were as Protocol Chairman of the Sailing Venue for the 1984 Olympics and as the Commodore of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in 1982 - the first woman to hold that position. Adra willingly opened her heart and house to friends and strangers alike. She and Chuck hosted dozens of visiting sailors and yachting judges over the years, a tradition Adra maintained even after Chuck’s death. She absolutely loved giving parties, and in true Adra spirit she left detailed instructions for one more gathering. A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, June 19th at 1:30 p.m. at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. In Adra’s memory, she suggests donations to the Charles Kober Endowment Fund, United States Sailing Center, 5489 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90803-4405; or to Meals on Wheels of Long Beach, Inc., 241 Cedar Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802. -- Complete obituary: http://tinyurl.com/Adra-Kober-5-17-09 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get 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 A. Christopher Bulger: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 2844) Actually sponsorship is a dirty word. I agree with you - the expenses to run a regatta have soared over the last ten years. The only costs that have risen faster are the costs to compete! Disposable carbon sails, pro’s on board, boat captains, coaches, hotel rooms, crew gear....the list goes on. Hell, the average 2008 Opti event had a larger payroll than the 1983 America’s Cup. It is understandable that everyone who is making money from sailing thinks that the answer is “more revenue.” Don’t hold your breath. There is a reason that J Class Boats and mansions fell out of fashion for 50 years after the Depression. Sailing sponsorship is not demeaning in the US, it’s just hard to justify on any significant scale. We’re not amateur on principal – it’s economics. This isn’t Europe – Americans buy power boats and think football is played with helmets on. It was hard for CEO’s to justify significant sponsorship of US sailing in the best of times and times have changed. The answer to the problem of regatta expenses is not to pray for revenue, but to cut costs. I know that this will be difficult for the coaches, sail makers, race management companies, gear makers, media folks that are trying to make living off the sport. But I’m pretty sure that your average Opti sailor will have more fun at a regatta without his/her personal coach, boat tuner and fitness coordinator. I’m also betting that a few older amateurs will find themselves having more fun. * From Michael Borga: (re, letter in Scuttlebutt 2845) In response to the letter to the editor from the individual who works for Barron's Weekly, as someone who feels used every time I open Barron's and see another advertisement in a publication I paid for, if I ran Barron's I would use photoshop to change every advertiser's logo to be unrecognizable, oh wait, guess I wouldn't have much in the way of advertising. Well, ok, then I wouldn't use any company's name in an article since that would undermine my advertising, oh wait, that wouldn't leave much to write about and my subscription base might get a little smaller. I have organized and run participant events for more than 25 years and have run into this kind of thinking many times, the "Why do I need to advertise the sponsor or have their advertising near where I am participating?" and the simple answer is, "You don't!" You can make the choice to participate or not but you do not get the choice of deciding how the event will be conducted. Sponsorship is just another name for advertising and for someone from Barron's to not see the business connection flabbergasts me. CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM Why do men forget everything and women remember everything? Special thanks to Kaenon Polarized and Mount Gay Rum Gear. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
