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SCUTTLEBUTT 2206 - October 20, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt brought to you by UBS (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). FROM THE SHED (Beyond the glory of the on-the-water America’s Cup action, there are countless support members for each team. Here is an excerpt from an interview posted on the Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team website with Logan Jones, who is in his third America’s Cup tour handling the unglamorous tasks as team boatbuilder) ML:What’s the thing you like best about working for an Italian team? LJ:“Working with a lot of interesting people…it keeps me amused. The clash of cultures makes for some funny situations”. ML:Can you say something in Italian? LJ:“Yes, but nothing clean….the usual boatbuilder talk!” ML:What’s the hardest part about your job? LJ:“Uncertainty….each day when the boat goes out sailing, each night’s work remains a mystery until the boat returns….sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’ s bad.” ML:What’s the best part about your job? LJ:“The money….(laughs)” ML:What’s your favorite place to sail and why? LJ:“Bay of Islands, NZ….no cell phone coverage!” ML:When you’re not at the base, where are you and what are you most likely to be doing? LJ:”I’m either at the Estrella Damm or Loaded Hog-- drinking.” Complete interview: http://www.mascalzonelatino.it/home/dettaglio_news.jsp?ID=526 GROWING THE SPORT Students from Savannah Primary School are taking advantage of Government support for sailing tuition at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC). According to CISC, a generous grant from the Ministry of Education, Training, Employment, Youth, Sports and Culture is helping to finance the extensive training programme provided by their instructors and the associated National Sailing Centre. Currently, three groups of 20 children in years one and four at Savannah receive tuition during one-hour lessons as part of their school day. Savannah Primary year-four teacher Carol Gopaul says the training combines fun and education. "The sailing lessons reinforce social skills, such as listening. We have a literacy focus and one component of literacy is listening. The students also learn discipline. The fact that they learn social skills makes it a good fit with the curriculum." - Cayman Net News, full story: http://tinyurl.com/sl6y8 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar PAN AMERICAN GAMES COACHES NEEDED The Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) of US Sailing is looking for 2 volunteer coaches to support the athletes it will send to the 2007 Pan American Games, scheduled for July 13-29 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The coaches will work closely with the Team Leader and Team Administrator to plan and prepare the Team for the Games. The 2 assistant coach positions are volunteer positions, with travel and onsite accommodations covered. For more information, go to http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/panam/2007/assistantcoach.htm A NEW BOAT STORAGE FACILITY FOR LMI Loughborough Marine Interests Llc, in addition to its exclusive JP3 rudder bearing distributorship, and it’s boat building facility, has taken on an additional 30,000 sq ft at 1909 Alden Landing in Portsmouth, R.I. providing inside and outside storage for the boat owner looking for a more personalized storage solution. By offering a packaged storage and shrinkwrap option, we hope to alleviate some of the stress inherent in protecting your hard earned investment. For a more personalized approach to storing your boat, please call Joe @ 401-682-2006, or visit our web site for more info - http://www.lminewport.com US OLYMPIC PRE-TRIALS WEST They've tested the waters of Qingdao, China, and now they'll check in with their strongest rivals to represent America there in 2008 as the month of US Sailing Olympic Pre-Trials continues at three Southern California venues Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Stars will be hosted by California Yacht Club at Marina del Rey, the Finns by Newport Harbor YC off Newport Beach and the 49ers by Southwestern YC off San Diego. Those regattas are among eight classes grouped as US Olympic Trials West events that opened with last week's Tornado class pre-trials. Racing will start at noon each day, conditions permitting. The Pre-Trials spectacle will finish Oct. 26-29 with four days of racing for the men's and women's 470s at the US Sailing Center in Long Beach and the men's and women's RS:X---the new Olympic sailboard---just down the street at Alamitos Bay YC. – Rich Roberts, complete report, http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/36680/50 Event details at http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/pretrials/default.aspx US SAILOR OF THE WEEK (The US Sailing ‘Sailor of the Week’ recognition goes to Jennifer Lilly this week, who is making a career of blending her passions. Here is the report.) Jennifer Lilly has a dream job. She travels across the globe and earns a living doing weather forecasting for sailors. Recently, she traveled to Qingdao, China, to forecast the weather for the members of the US Sailing Team. Among her long list of regattas she’s been involved in is also the Volvo Ocean Race. For Jennifer, anything that has to do with sailing and maritime history has always been a passion. A sailor since she was two years old when she went cruising with her parents on their J/30, by the time she joined the sailing team at Connecticut College she already had a lot of sailing experience, including two Marion-Bermuda races. She continued that passion in college, working at Mystic Seaport every summer and completing the Williams-Mystic maritime studies semester. After college, she sailed on the Eagle through the Panama Canal, then packed her bags and moved to Canada to earn her Master's degree from McGill University's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science. Chris Bedford at Sailing Weather Services quickly recognized Jennifer’s passion and intelligence and she has now been working with Chris for over two years. - http://www.ussailing.org/News/sailoroftheweek/Default.aspx?recordID=41 STRANGE CRAFT In Issue 2205, there was a link for images of a bizarre kind, and readers were asked if they had any details. John Verdoia promptly provided details, which included that the craft was designed by Jim Antrim for Ugo Conti. Scuttlebutt spoke with Jim Antrim, but he remains tied to a confidentiality agreement he signed with Ugo Conti’s company, Marine Advanced Research. Upon contacting Marine Advanced Research, Isabella Conti replied that “the boat is not quite finished yet and I am not at liberty to disclose information at this time. There will be a press conference at some point and, if you are interested, we will send you an invitation and/or a press kit at that time.” Scuttlebutt is now on the press list, and we will provide any further information whenever Conti is ready to provide it. In the meantime, we have added some additional photos, plus the links to patents that have been filed. Link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1018 MOUNT GAY HAT CONTEST The rules are simple - he or she with the most red hats wins. There are already a couple of formidable entries submitted, but the contest does not end until Sunday night, so this weekend provides an opportunity to gather up all your hats, and all your friends hats to take a photo. As an added bonus, the first five entries submitted automatically earn a Scuttlebutt cap. Read all the details here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/mgr QUOTE / UNQUOTE Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who is among the entries in the Velux 5 Oceans solo round-the-world yacht race that begins this weekend, states, "You only get one life, so paint it in bright colours" -- Zephyr (Sail) blog: http://tinyurl.com/yxv8ae VIDEO OF THE WEEK This week's video is a collection of funny moments in sailing filmed by the Croatian sailing team during the past few years at practice and international Olympic regattas. At 6:05 minutes in length, it is slightly on the long side, but the uplifting soundtrack provides the drive to keep you watching to the end. Of course, if you like watching wipe-outs and capsizes, then you will enjoy every frame of the footage. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/06/1016 SAILING SHORTS * The International Laser Class Association-North America (ILCA-NA) domain name (laser.org) has been hijacked by someone outside of the North American region. As a result, the website can no longer be reached at that web address. The class is in the process of recovering the name through legal means, but it will take some time. Until then, the North American Laser class website can be reached at http://www.nalaser.org * Typical light winds in Annapolis, MD prevail for the 2006 Soling Worlds, which proved to be a good day for the Canadians. Peter Hall and Bill Abbott won the first and second race on Thursday respectively, with Hans Fogh’s team of Roger Cheer and Gordon Devries maintaining their overall lead in the series. Racing continues through Sunday. Complete results at: http://www.soling.com/results/ShowResults.asp?ID=295 * (October 19, 2006) In May 2005, Ardell Lien took off in a 27-foot sailboat on an around-the-world trip from a San Diego Bay dock. At about 10 a.m. today, 17½ months later, he is returning to San Diego Bay. To complete this grueling trip solo at age 71 is a marvel in itself. But Lien set sail only 2½ years after receiving a new heart and kidney in a transplant operation at Minnesota's Mayo Clinic. Thus, he's the first heart and kidney recipient known to accomplish such a feat. - Full story: http://tinyurl.com/yycrov * US Sailing, the national governing body of the sport in the US, has opened the online election period for its Board of Directors. US Sailing members have until Wednesday, November 8 (midnight Eastern) to vote for their favorite candidates to serve them and the organization as a member of US Sailing's Board of Directors. Online votes are accepted at http://www.ussailing.org/BOD/election * Formed in September this year, the US Superyacht Association (USSA) is the first trade association in the US to deal exclusively with companies involved in the superyacht sector. Membership is open to any US entity with a substantial portion of revenue derived from superyachts. - IBI Magazine, full story: http://tinyurl.com/yxbe6w * The cat is back! The WoodPussy Cat Boat, designed in 1945 by Philip Rhodes is now being manufactured by Long Island Boat Builders, Frank M. Weeks Yacht Yard, a third generation family owned boat building business that has been in operation for over one hundred years. Fiberglass WoodPussys were last built about 36 years ago and approximately 75 are still sailing today. - Full details with photo: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/wp IT’S BEST WHEN OUR CUSTOMERS DO THE TALKING Recently in the Med, the Discovery Channel filmed the world’s largest sloop, the 246-foot Mirabella V, and the world’s most innovative megayacht, the 285-foot Maltese Falcon, sailing side-by-side at 17 knots. What do the sails on Mirabella V’s 300-foot-tall rig and the 15 square sails of Maltese Falcon ’s freestanding, carbon-fiber rig have in common? All were engineered by Doyle Sailmakers. Whether you sail a superyacht or something a tad smaller, we’re ready to build fast, tough, beautiful sails for your boat. Call us at 800-94-DOYLE. Click here for lots more on the Mirabella V and Maltese Falcon dustup: http://www.doylesails.com/news.htm#mvfalcon EIGHT BELLS Ian McWIlliam, a long time B&G associate, and then later working with Raymarine, lost a short battle with cancer and passed away on October 15, 2006. Ian was a familiar face on boats in South America, Europe and the United States, where he recently relocated to New Hampshire from Southern California. He is survived by his wife and two teenaged daughters, for whom Raymarine has established a fund in Ian’s honor. Information may be found at http://tinyurl.com/sjbsa LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or space (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, there are no word or frequency limits on comments sent to the Scuttlebutt Forums. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Tim Dickson: (RE: Chip Johns' thoughtful assessment in Issue 2205) At the Annapolis boat show, our 10-year sailed in the Opti corral for demo-ing boats. He came out saying: "dad, can we can get one?" I replied he needed to show us he could take care of the boat on his own (I sail with our kids on big boats and on Penguins. As Chip observed, like most parents and A-type skippers, I don't take the time to give rigging and clean up assignments when I can just do it myself more quickly). He countered: "How can I show you unless we get the boat?" I said "We could start with your room. Do you think you could sail a boat in the same condition as your room?" That night and since: bed made, room spotless. Mr. Johns, I'm proud to say we're a new customer. We parents have precious few moments of leverage in life. * From Nevin Sayre: Many agree that the problem is the huge numbers who drop out of sailing at age 10-15 or when they finish high school/college sailing. The discussion has summarized many of the reasons: 1/ the focus on racing and results, 2/ the monotony (for some) of going around short courses in slow boats, 3/ cost once you graduate, 4/ time constraints, and 5/ not enough “free fun sailing” in Jr. Sailing Programs. Look at skate boarding, snow boarding, surfing, skim boarding and other “board sports” that many juniors prefer over sailing. Ninety percent of the participants never compete. They are fast, exciting, attractive to kids. It amazes me that US Sailing doesn’t promote the one “board sport” that already exists within sailing - windsurfing. Windsurfing is naturally part of Junior Sailing curriculums in other countries… it should also be in the U.S. With modern equipment, you can windsurf wherever you can sail Optis. It is the most inexpensive form of sailing, fast to rig, fits on a Mini Cooper. You want better sit down sailors? Teach them balance, weight placement, wind/ wave knowledge on a windsurfer. You want to keep your sailing program dynamic? Take your Opti/ 420 kids windsurfing 1-2 days a week. But above all, kids love it and a higher percentage will become life-long sailors. PS - And for those who care, if we ever want to medal in two (of the eleven) Olympic Classes again, we better start windsurfing in Junior Sailing. * From John Hoff: I could not agree with Derek Blancke's comment more (Letters, Scuttlebutt 2205). I have never understood why sailors on the one hand complain about the lack of growth in our sport, and on the other hand look down their noses at social members and social functions at sailing clubs. The social member who has chosen to join a yacht club is the single-most likely candidate to join the sailing ranks. At our club in New Jersey, over my 35 years of membership I have seen many sailors and social members attempting to drive a wedge between the two purposes. In truth, a close look at our membership finds that the split does not exist at all: many of our most loyal sailors began as social members, or (as in my case) children of social members who got involved in the junior sailing program. And many social members are shocked to find that their fellow social members have family members heavily involved in sailing. A strong club, with which a strong sailing program cannot exist, encourages sailors to attend the social functions, and encourages social members to hop on a boat for a Sunday race. Once they do, their Sundays are rarely the same! * From Derek Bouwer: (regarding James Malm letter in Issue 2205) No slight intended, but thanks for making my day with your "environmentally friendly bullets" comment. Bullets, whether made from ice, kevlar or carbon fiber, can make, anything that has the potential to take any life, environmentally friendly! Next the military will be telling us they've made an environmentally friendly thermonuclear device. Typical military intelligence! Unfortunately all countries with a coastline will have ocean dump sites for military hardware, disgusting as it may be. It is, however, great to hear that the Coast Guard has listened to the outcry and ceased the practice. Enjoy sailing the Great Lakes for we are all brothers in sailing. * From David Risch, Marion, MA: (regarding comments in Issue 2205 on the Hans Horrevoets fund) I too wonder whether other sailors who push themselves in our sport think about the ramifications of their actions off the water if something were to happen to them on the water... The tragedy of a sailor's loss affects those left behind not once but twice...the absence of a loved one...and the long and lingering financial ramifications to their families if they did not adequately insure themselves. Not a fun subject, but an important one for us all to think about before we once again go off-shore. Personal responsibility in sport occurs not only in planning for offshore disasters, but those onshore as well. * From Skip Allan: (regarding the STRANGE CRAFT, above and in Issue 2205) Jim Antrim has done it again. This remarkably innovative, freethinking, and environmentally conscious designer has come up with the world's first WTL. The WTL, a 100-foot catamaran with 50 foot beam, is a Whale Travel Lift that will cruise the coastal waters of California and temporarily haul California Gray Whales on their epic migrations. The whales, normally encrusted with barnacles, will be gently lifted one at a time between the soft hulls of Jim's WTL. In the short space of 15 minutes, a crew will chip the barnacles, wax, and polish the noble cetaceans as the vessel proceeds on a parallel course/speed to the main pod. The whales, lowered back into the Pacific with their freshly renewed streamlining, will be able to increase their migration SOG to Baja's lagoons by a good two knots, saving an average of five days for mating activities at their destinations. Jim, and WTL Operations VP's Peter Hogg and Nick Barron, have calculated the WTL should increase the number of baby whales each winter by 10%, thereby restoring the whale population from any negative effect they have recently suffered in collisions with hi-tech racing yachts. Curmudgeon’s Comment: Thanks to all the reader support on learning about this craft. While security remains tight on what the use of this craft will be, we presume Skip’s info is all tongue in cheek, as were the theories that it will be used in the movie ‘Water World II’, that Santa Claus commissioned it due to global warming, that it is a government-spec egg delivery system, etc. If you missed the photos, here is the link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1018 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” -- Ronald Reagan Special thanks to Loughborough Marine Interests Llc and Doyle Sails. America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt is brought to you by UBS. |
