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SCUTTLEBUTT 2864 - Friday, June 12, 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 Doyle Sails and Mount Gay Rum gear. MAKE IT FUN. MAKE IT FUN. MAKE IT FUN. By Bill Sandberg, WindCheck I’ve written variations of this subject several times, but I figure it can never be overdone. Junior sailors are a special group, and they need proper care and feeding for them to flourish. Do the wrong thing, and we are only creating new golfers and tennis players. Let’s start with the real beginners - 8 and 9-year old Optimist sailors. Why must they sail in their own boat, all alone, from day one? They want to laugh and giggle and talk. Who cares if they have two in the boat? If that is more fun, then let them do it. When they are ready to singlehand, they’ll let you know. Make it fun. Then we move along to Opti racing. It’s not for everyone. If a child does not want to race, don’t force the issue. This applies to instructors and parents alike. Perhaps have them come to a regatta and get them out on a spectator boat. When they see their friends enjoying themselves they may want to join in the fun at the next regatta. If not, so what? Make it fun. At this point, racing Optis tend to divide up — those that can’t get enough racing, those that are happy with what they have and those who think it is too much. For those who want more, seek teams like LISOT(Long Island Sound Optimist Team/ Training ) or PGJSA (Peconic Gardiners Junior Sailing Association). These are great programs and build lifelong friendships. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/WC-6-11-09 AMAZINGLY CLOSE FINISH AFTER 950 MILES (June 11, 2009; Day 6) - In one of the closest finishes in the Volvo Ocean Race to date, Ericsson 4 held off the recently resurgent PUMA and Green Dragon teams to win Leg 8, and claim their third consecutive leg win and fifth in the race so far. The victory puts Ericsson 4 in an all but unassailable position on the leaderboard. "We're very close to winning the race," admitted Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael. "But we're not there yet." His team now holds a 15-point lead with just three scoring opportunities left (for a maximum 20 points) before the finish in St. Petersburg. This may have been one of the shorter legs of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, but the intense sprint from Galway to Marstrand was no less testing for its short duration. The leg threw a bit of everything at the crews, who were exhausted beyond all sensibility by the time they reached the finish off the small island of Marstrand. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-6-11-09 Enjoying a huge comeback during the final 24 hours was PUMA, with skipper Kenny Read sharing the details: “I don't know where to start. Many people have asked if I could write a book about this Around the World adventure and the truth is, I could write a book about this leg only! It has been an amazing ride, and to think it has only 4 1/2 days! “Without getting into the gory details of the entire leg, let me re-start from yesterday (June 10th) when I wrote one of the most depressing blogs of my Volvo career. Trying to sound upbeat was hard. We were dark. We were wondering how we got into the mess we were in. We had to split from the fleet, certainly not something we wished to do, but we also had a plan B and we were going to execute it come hell or high water. Capey (Andrew Cape) was on his game and we had a plan.” -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/PUMA-6-11-09 * VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Began in Alicante, Spain on Oct. 4, 2008, crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Finish is in St Petersburg, Russia on June 27th. Leg 9 from Marstrand, Sweden to Stockholm, Sweden (525 nm) will start on Sunday, June 14th with live audio and video to begin at 10:45 GMT/ 12:45 Local. The fleet is expected to finish by June 16th. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.tv/page/Home Leg 8 finishing order: 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, Finished June 11, 02:57:19 GMT 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, Finished June 11, 03:04:46 GMT 3. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, Finished June 11, 03:05:40 GMT 4. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, Finished June 11, 03:24:21 GMT 5. Delta Lloyd (NED), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, Finished June 11, 03:38:12 GMT 6. Telefonica Black (ESP),Fernando Echavarri/ESP, Finished June 11,03:38:31 GMT 7. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, Finished June 11, 04:16:52 GMT Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, Did Not Start Finish photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0611/ Race standings after Leg 8: 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 102.0 points 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 87.0 3. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 86.0 4. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 64.5 5. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 59.0 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 42.0 7. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 35.0 8. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 WINS ACROSS AMERICA Across the country, Doyle sails are powering one designs to victory. In Annapolis, Jud Smith won the Star Class Lippincott Memorial Trophy. At the Detroit NOOD, Doyle customers captured the top 3 spots in 4 classes (Catalina 27, J/120, NA 40 and Ulimate 20) in addition to winning the S2 7.9, Level 123 and C&C 35 Mark I classes. Meanwhile in San Diego, Bruce Golison won Etchells's Fleet 13's ORCA Bowl Regatta. For more information on how Doyle can power your boat to victory, contact your local Doyle loft, 800-94-DOYLE, http://www.doylesails.com CAN A SAILBOAT OUTRUN ANGST? By Bill Schanen, Sailing I saw an ad in the New York Times placed by the motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson and it made me think of one of the worst weeks of my business life and one of the best weeks of my sailing life. The ad was a two-page spread featuring bold capital letters on the blue and red stripes of a stylized American flag. It was Harley’s response to a Times business story that reported motorcycle sales were slumping because in the fraught economy “few are in a mood to shell out up to $20,000 or more for what is essentially a big toy.” The ad’s defiant message started with, “You can file our obit where the sun don’t shine,” and ended with what is now Harley’s corporate motto: “Screw it. Let’s ride.” It got me thinking about the times I’ve said, “Screw it. Let’s sail.” -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/Sailing-6-11-09 KIWI TEAM CONTINUE THEIR ROMP IN MARSEILLE Marseille, FRA (June 11, 2009; Day 2) - The conditions at the Marseille Trophy for the TP52 Audi MedCup Circuit fleet freshened today to 20 knots, but Emirates Team New Zealand continued their consistency as top scorers again across the three windward-leeward races. “There was no particular rhyme or reason to the day, boats did well on both sides,” concluded Emirates Team Zealand’s skipper-helm Dean Barker (NZL). “I think the secret of success today as much as anything was sailing good runs. Also if you were in touch at the top mark then you could pick a few boats off. It will be a bit of a change for us tomorrow, we have not done a coastal race for a while. It’ll be interesting and a time to learn with the team.” -- Full report: http://2009.medcup.org/news/index.php?id=786 Results after six races: 1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Dean Barker (NZL), 1-3-1-2-1-2, 10 points 2. Matador (ARG), Guillermo Parada (ARG), 2-6-4-1-2-5, 20 3. Quantum Racing (USA), Terry Hutchinson (USA), 8-5-2-6-3-1, 25 4. Artemis (SWE), Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE), 7-2-8-5-5-3, 30 5. Bigamist (POR), Afonso Domigos (POR), 5-4-6-3-10-4, 32 Complete results: http://2009.medcup.org/results2/venue.php?trophy=2 FINDING SUCCESS ON THE WATER Five students of a local sailing program for youths with learning disabilities recently hit the water and the beach to hone their skills as sailors and instructors. Members of the Brendan Sail Training Program for Youths with Learning Differences not only trained to become junior instructors and US Sailing instructors, but also built their self-confidence and gained further independence. The students participated in sailing exercises on land and in the water last month at the Severn River Sailing Association. The training program mentors and teaches children beginning at about age 11 to build confidence through sailing, said Joel Bays, a former student and current lead instructor at the camp. "The majority of the time at school, they're sitting in the classroom and not feeling like they're succeeding," Bays said. "When you put them in a boat and see the success they're making on the water, they are standing so much taller. It's just a place in their life they can find success and it makes them more independent." -- The Capital, read on: http://tinyurl.com/Capital-6-11-09 “LOOK FOR IT! WAIT FOR IT! SEE IT! IT IS COMING!” And it is now here - the new Mount Gay Rum burgee. The burgee offered by Pirate’s Lair, is double-walled with the Mount Gay Rum logo on both sides and measures 18x24. Don’t miss out on this limited edition burgee. A great Father’s Day gift! Pirate’s Lair offers the exclusive line of Mount Gay Rum apparel, gear, and accessories. Mount Gay Rum gear will be available at STC Block Island Race Week on Thursday. To place an order go to http://www.pirateslair.com/store/index.html Visit the new Mount Gay Rum website at http://www.mountgay.com SAILING SHORTS * Discover Boating added a Social Room on DiscoverBoating.com to provide greater interaction and dialogue between boating experts, insiders and consumers interested in the boating lifestyle. The Social Room houses Discover Boating's Facebook, Twitter and Boat TV applications, as well as a new Boating Blog to further illustrate how easy, affordable and enjoyable it is to become a boat owner. The Social Room also allows for visitor feedback and offers a FAQ and advice page to help visitors communicate, share information and interact on a more personalized level with boating experts. -- Trade Only, read on: http://tinyurl.com/oxxu57 * (June 11, 2009) - Newport, RI is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the OSTAR fleet, which left Plymouth on May 25th for the 2,800 nm singlehanded route. At the 1200UT tracker report this morning, Dutchman JanKes Lampe on La Promesse, had 201 miles left to reach the finish line and was steaming along at 8.6 Knots for a Thursday afternoon ETA. Providing there are no hitches for La Promesse, JanKes threatens to score a number of notable records: first Dutchman to win OSTAR, set new record for the 40ft class, and be the first mono hull to win since Eric Tabarly’s famous victory in 1976. -- http://www.ostar2009.com * The Division breaks and start dates are now published for the Transpac race, with the first start to be on Monday June 29th for Divisions 6 and 7, which includes the smallest boat in the fleet, the Hobie 33, Bloodhound, and the only Tall Ship in the race, America’s Privateer Lynx. Divisions 3, 4 and 5 are scheduled to set off for Hawaii on Thursday, July 2nd. These divisions include the 2007 overall winner, Reinrag2. Divisions 1 and 2 roar out of Long Beach on Sunday, July 5th. -- http://www.transpacrace.com/docs/2009racedocs/TP2009DivAssignments.pdf * (June 11, 2009) - Britain’s triple Olympic gold medallist sailor Ben Ainslie received a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) today from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, for services to sport at an ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Additionally, Andrew Pindar, Chairman of international printing and visual communications company, Pindar and leading independent sailing team, ‘Bahrain Team Pindar’ was also honored, receiving an OBE, (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in recognition of his services to business and to community in the United Kingdom. WHERE WILL THE AMERICA’S CUP BE HELD? Justice Cahn's Order of 12 May 2008 states: "the location of the match shall be Valencia or any other location selected by Société Nautique Genève (SNG), provided SNG notify in writing not less than six months in advance of the date set for the first challenge match of the location it has selected for the challenge match races." (with a match date of Feb 2010, the venue should be disclosed by Aug 2009) So this brings us back to the crucial point of whether the order of the courts takes precedence over the Deed of Gift or vica versa, something which Justice Kornreich failed to clarify in her decision, just as Justice Cahn also failed to a year earlier. ‘Valencia or any other location’ doesn’t stipulate whether or not the 'other location' must be Deed-compliant. Challenger of Record BMW Oracle Racing team CEO Russell Coutts explains his team’s position. “The way I explain it is: ‘anywhere in the world?’ Could you have it on Lake Geneva? And the answer is ‘no’. Why not? Because it needs to be in open water/Deed-compliant. So it can be anywhere in the world, that is Deed-compliant, but they made a specific exception for Valencia. So you can’t have it on dry land, you can’t have it on the ice or an inland lake - because none of those things would be Deed-compliant. So you still have got to comply with the Deed: that means anywhere in the Southern hemisphere or Valencia if you want to have it in the northern hemisphere.” -- The Daily Sail (subscription website), excerpt from full story: http://tinyurl.com/DailySail-6-11-09 VIDEO OF THE WEEK The 20-foot sportboat niche is hard to pin down. Are they dinghies or keelboats? They have attributes of both, but what they mostly are is an exciting AND growing segment of the sport. To help market this genre, there will be a Chicago Sportboat Demo event this weekend with all the popular choices, and next week's Chicago NOOD has opened up a sportboat class to insure that everyone can participate regardless of their individual class numbers. This week's video provides a tease of the Viper 640, which was filmed this winter on the windy and warm waters of Biscayne Bay, Miami earlier this year. The only thing missing from this arousing segment are the Hooters waitresses. Which of these new sportboats will be the first to cross-market themselves with Hooters? Now that would be brilliant marketing! For now, enjoy the footage: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/09/0612/ * If you have a video you like, please send your suggestion for next week’s Video of the Week to mailto:craig@sailingscuttlebutt.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include Etchells Canadians, ‘Roided singlehander, ‘Roided keelboat, ‘Roidless beer canners, the address formerly known as North Sails, ditch digging, match racing, stealth sailing, and ‘champaign and cavier’ cavorting. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0612 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 Steve Brown: Reading Suzy Pegel’s letter (in Scuttlebutt 2862) reminded me of Star sailing. I sailed up to one of the hot shots, Eric Doyle, and asked him what side of the course looked good. It was a light and shifty, and his reply was, “How should I know, I’m just going to follow Suzy.” => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Blogger Tillerman posted a nice tribute to Suzy Pegel where he recalled her winning the 1980 Laser North Americans, with the top five including Russell Coutts, Andy Pimental, Svend Neilson, and Andy Roy. Read post here: http://tinyurl.com/PC-6-11-09 * From Eric Rochard: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 2861) I am surprised by Bradley disrespect for his competition. I have spent half of my time on the water at Team Trials and I did not see any evidence of Bradley's allegations. I am even more surprised about all the comments mostly from "anonymous" writers whining about coaches, cost of an Optimist campaign, and level of preparation required. I am a migrant from Brittany (France) where sailing is the number 2 sport just behind soccer by the number of registered participants. The top Optimist sailors have the opportunity to join a public boarding middle/high school in Brest where they will sail 3 days during the week (Monday / Wednesday / Friday), they will have full athletic and academic support to succeed both in Sailing and at School. They do not have one coach but multiple coaches, one for physical training (including nutrition and yoga), one for weather analysis, one for material preparation (including sail design and customization) and many on the water coaches. Those coaches are dedicated PE educators provided by the school system and they follow their athletes for the week-end regattas. -- Scuttleblog, read on: http://tinyurl.com/nh8pn2 * From the Forum: Calling all BIMBO's (Brotherhood of International Mark Boat Operators)! I have been doing inventory of the race marks that my club has available. I am looking for some help in identifying a manufacturer of the valves that are on many of the marks that we have. I desperately need to get more caps for the valves that we do have. In addition, we have race marks that need complete new valves. The holes for the valves are 1.5" in diameter. Does anyone recognize this type of valve from the picture? Any source for new caps? Any suggestions for a complete valve assembly for the ones that need it (1.5" diameter hole)? Any help greatly appreciated. -- See photos and reply here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7652 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." - Vince Lombardi Special thanks to Doyle Sails and Mount Gay Rum gear. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
