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SCUTTLEBUTT 3054 - Tuesday, March 23, 2010Scuttlebutt 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: North Sails, Flexofold, and Henri Lloyd. HOW SHOULD PENALTIES BE ASSESSED? Scott Easom had a superb racing year in 2009. After overseeing the building and rigging of the King 40 SOOZAL, he joined the sailing team to win Key West, the Pineapple Cup, the Miami Grand Prix, the IRC Pacific Coast Championship, and the Big Boat Series. Notable among the boat's features was its electric winch package, which was criticized in some circles for giving the boat an unfair advantage. Here Scott provides his opinion on the situation: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Last year when we did the SOOZAL program we came up with a brand new winch system, new winch technology which we incorporated into the boat, and the only way to test what you've done is to go sail against the best guys in the world. So, when we were at Key West we were able to test new technology under world-class competition, and discovered it was way up to the test, so much so that the IRC committee has now pretty much penalized what we have done. That's always part of the risk of being cutting edge is having someone think that you've gone too far. That's something we only worry about after the fact. We install the technology, we use it, we win the event and if they want to deal with it after the fact, then that's just something we have to put up with. They (IRC rulemakers) came back to us after the year was over and said, ok, we've reviewed this and they adjusted the rating of the boat, setting a penalty basically for using this technology. It makes me a little upset in that when designers design a very good boat, they get accolades for doing that and then more customers come to them to get designs done. It's the same way with sailmakers where you design really fast sails which pretty much outdate last year's product, so you gotta step up and buy the newest stuff, yet the Rules Committee don't get upset about that. But when I do what I'm supposed to do, which is create a better, faster deck layout, then they assess penalties to us. I think it's grossly unfair but it's just the way it's set up right now. We did a lot of letter writing to them and said, "How much is the success of this boat is attributable to our technology vs. what the designer's has done. Are you sure you shouldn't be penalizing the designer and not the rigger?" We didn't make much headway with them. But we have won all our events, we had a super successful year - we were the most successful IRC boat in the world in 2009, then they came back in January and assessed the penalty. => Curmudgeon's Comment: This is an excerpt of an interview Michelle Slade did with Scott. The full interview will be included in Scuttlebutt 3055 DISMASTED: CLIPPER 09-10 ROUND THE WORLD YACHT RACE Whilst the Southern Ocean leg is the one that often has the most fearsome reputation, for the nine teams competing in Clipper 09-10 it pales into insignificance when compared to what the Pacific Ocean is currently throwing at them on the race from Qingdao, China to San Francisco, USA. The latest casualty is the dismasting of 'California'. "We received a call from Falmouth Coastguard at around 1600 GMT on Sunday to advise us that California's EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) had been activated," explains Race Director Joff Bailey. "At the time we made every attempt to contact the boat by all means available but were unfortunately unsuccessful." Given that the yacht had been sailing in more than 50 knots of wind with associated heavy seas, it was essential to establish why the EPIRB had been activated. Falmouth Coastguard handed over the incident to the US Coastguard who promptly sent a C130 aircraft towards the transmitting emergency beacon. The crew of the aircraft successfully located the yacht and communicated with skipper Pete Rollason using VHF radio. The 'California' skipper confirmed that the yacht has lost her mast at the first spreader but that her hull is undamaged and that they are currently motoring towards San Francisco. 'Jamaica Lightning Bolt' skipper Pete Stirling was able to talk to Pete Rollason via VHF radio and the Californian skipper explained how the yacht had come to lose her mast. At 15.45 GMT (on March 21st), the 68-foot racing boat was hit beam on by a very large sea coming from the port side. The impact caused the boat to roll to starboard through approximately 120 degrees and as the yacht righted herself (as she is designed to do), the mast was broken in two places. Because the winds were blowing in excess of 50 knots, 'California' was sailing under a very conservative sail plan with just the storm jib hoisted. During the roll, a large amount of water came through the main hatch and flooded the navigation station, cutting off the boat's communication systems. The EPIRB ensured that the relevant authorities would be quickly aware and that the incident could be communicated. Clipper Race Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston says, "Masts are not designed to go through water. It's a medium hundreds of times more dense than air. So when a mast goes into the water the chances are it will break. This appears to be what has happened to 'California'." Current race leader 'Cape Breton Island' is 1,756 nm from the finish. -- Race website: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com NEW COLORS FOR SPRING @ NORTH SAILS GEAR! Perfect for Spring, we have just added new flip flop colors and tote bags in North Sails Gear. With Easter quickly approaching, we have plenty of great gift items in all price ranges (think: hats, belts, coffee mugs, books, DVDs and more!) and we are offering free surface shipping on all orders over $50 (excluding tax & shipping) through Sunday, March 28th. Just mention 'SBUTT' in the comments box during check-out and your shipping charge will be deducted. When fashion counts, head North: http://www.northsailsgear.com * After 35 years at the helm of their Richmond-based North Sails loft outside Vancouver, British Columbia, well-known sailor and Olympic Medalist Dave Miller and his wife Marcia have retired, last week handing the reins of North Sails in Vancouver, BC to fellow Olympian and BC native Ross Macdonald. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ygf89py GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT ON USA AND BRASIL The Volvo Ocean Race will continue to introduce the new route for 2011-12 on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 March. If the Scuttlebutt estimate is correct that the race will have nine legs, then there are three more ports to announce. Look for the Tuesday announcement to be the South American port of Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brasil, while on Wednesday it is expected that Miami, Florida will be revealed as the North American stop. So here would be the route: Leg 1: Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa Leg 2: Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE Leg 3: Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China Leg 4: Sanya, China to ? Leg 5: ? to Itajai, Brasil Leg 6: Itajai, Brasil to Miami, USA Leg 7: Miami, USA to Lisbon, Portugal Leg 8: Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France Leg 9: Lorient, France to Galway, Ireland As for the third port (Leg 4 and 5), race analysis is pointing toward the Oceania region. The 2008-9 race went from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which at 41 days was the longest leg of the race (and race history). It was also a hard leg to maintain media interest, so look for a shorter route from China, and with limited options, an Australian or New Zealand stop seem likely. -- Forum, http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9487#9487 GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Long Beach, CA (March 22, 2010) - A fifth Crimson Blazer: that's Gavin Brady's goal in the 46th Congressional Cup running Tuesday through Saturday as the only Grade 1 Open match racing event in the United States. Johnie Berntsson, 37, from Sweden, is happy with the one he won last year. For now. Francesco Bruni was ready for a fitting last year, and Sally Barkow is looking for one with a feminine flair. The traditional prize, unique in sailing, also has been won four times by Rod Davis and Peter Holmberg, who aren't competing, while Brady is on a roll. Although an infrequent competitor on the world match racing circuit recently, he was skipper of Italy's Mascalzone Latino team that was runnerup to Emirates Team New Zealand in the prestigious Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta concluding in New Zealand last weekend. Brady was an unknown 21 when he won his first Congressional Cup in 1996. "The first one was a huge thing," he said. "I never even thought about winning any more." Francisco Bruni, a finalist against Berntsson here last year, a semifinalist in the Louis Vuitton and winner of an earlier LVT in France, also is here with the core of his Azzurra crew. Perry won the Crimson Blazer in 1983 and '84 and after a quarter-century hiatus has been rebuilding his match racing resume. At the time he won his blazers they were an American monopoly. Now the event has gone so international that the last five have been taken home abroad. But few have had to work as hard as Berntsson to win it. After starting 4-7 in the double round robin, Berntsson had to win 6 of the last 7 races to reach the semifinals---on a tiebreaker. Then he had to beat France's Mathieu Richard twice in the best-of-three semifinals. His first clinching win was tossed because he caused damage in a collision in that race, so he did it again in a second sailoff to advance to the finals, where he swept Bruni, 2-0. For Brady and Bruni, this time around has taken on the added dimension of a possible 2013 America's Cup campaign. "It fits into our program," Bruni said. "It keeps the program running." Brady, who plans to move back to his native New Zealand later this year after living in Annapolis, Md. for several years, said, "Everything's forming quite fast with the America's Cup. But the America's Cup comes and goes. This event comes every year." To follow the racing, there will be Twitter updates, live audio during the racing, and daily T2P.tv video produced each evening. Details at event website: http://www.lbyc.org/html/content.cfm?CID=1170 ONBOARD ACTION AND DRAMA The Louis Vuitton Trophy event in Auckland, New Zealand provided a proper opportunity to flush all the foul memories of the 33rd America's Cup, and offer eight professional teams the chance to get back on the water and show how riveting it can be to match race hugely powerful boats. At Scuttlebutt World Headquarters, we received over 300 images from four elite photographers in attendance. After editing the images for the event gallery, some observations were made about the America's Cup Class Version 5 boat that makes them visually appealing: * Grinders: Motors are boring. * Big headsails: Blade jibs are boring. * Spinnaker poles: Sprit poles are boring. * Crew limits: Too many crew doing not enough is boring. * Slab side hull, deep floor layout: Crew snug inside hull looks cool. The 34th America's Cup will introduce a new boat design, as the consensus among the stakeholders is that the 18 year old ACC rule is no longer relevant, and how a more modern boat with greater performance is needed for the event. Okay, but onboard action and drama are vital too. Look at the photos from Auckland and then consider what features next type of boat needs. Event photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0322 Post comments here: http://tinyurl.com/New-AC-Rule SAIL MORE, MOTOR LESS! Are you dragging a fixed prop around under your boat? If so, you might as well be dragging a bucket while you're sailing; it's nearly 100 pounds of drag! A low-drag Flexofold propeller will allow you to keep sailing more, increasing your boatspeed, particularly while the winds lighten. With only 5% of the drag of a fixed prop under sail, and equivalent or better performance under power, you can have the best of both worlds. When performance matters, the choice is clear. Flexofold Sailboat Propellers. To learn more and spec a prop for your boat, click now: http://www.flexofold.com/Spec_A_Prop.php REIGNING CHAMPION HAS FOOT IN THE AMERICA'S CUP DOOR Kiwi Adam Minoprio is into big machines - and reckons he'd be quite comfortable at the helm of an America's Cup yacht. "If I've got the right team around me, extremely confident. At the end of the day it's just another boat - you just have to get it around the course as fast as we can," says Minoprio. It's that unflappable nature that has earned him the call up from Grant Dalton to be Dean Barker's understudy in Team New Zealand's two-boat development programme for the next America's Cup. "For Adam it's how fast is he, because you can be able to match race, but on these boats Dean's instinctively fast, there's only a few that are fast," says Grant Dalton. "I'd like to think I'm fast enough. I've been sailing a long time, I'm always learning and I think I've got what it takes to make one of those Cup boats go fast," says Minoprio. At 24, Minoprio is the reigning world match racing champion, set to defend his title on the eight month long World Match Racing Tour circuit with his team Black Match Racing. First event is Match Race France in Marseille to be held in J/80s on April 6 - 11, 2010. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ylludsp PART ROAD-RALLY, PART PARTY/REUNION For the fifth year, Scuttlebutt has provided the Lighting class a home to share the vibe of their midwinter extravaganza. Part road-rally, part party/reunion, the International Lightning Class Association's Southern Circuit has been running continuously since 1964, with the travelling circus covering two states and knocking out three regattas in ten days. This wrap-up report in the Forum by Checkmate nicely sums up the 2010 tour: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lightning Circuit is over... Now time for the season Another circuit has come to an end and if you missed it you missed another great time, the people, the places, and even the sailing. YOU HAVE TO PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR for next year. 10 days, doing something you enjoy away from work, away from the issues around the house, a total distraction. SAVANNAH --- A great place to set up your boat for the first time. A place where everyone starts the race with an equal chance of winning for the new sails, expert crews, and slick new boats don't really make a difference.... the race course itself levels the playing field. And the food was great. The town itself is Savannah in every way, but they take Saint Patrick's day pretty seriously.... just ask those under 30 what they thought of the River Walk. MIAMI --- A paradise mean for those who sail. While it wasn't as warm and the wind wasn't as predictable the racing was great..... And the food was great.... Every time we go there has to be a dolphin experience, while this year they didn't hit my boat with their tail as they did last year during the last race.... but we did see them. You have to get a hotel within walking distance for everything is there, the food market, boat stores,..... it is all there. What a way to relax. ST PETERSBURG --- More racing, more food, and more sun.... If you didn't get to talk to people either leaning over their boats, or with a beer before you did there. More boats, more parties and a great dinner. Don't lie... we all enjoyed it. The racing.... well it is sailboat racing... we had every condition you could imagine from drifter to screamers. But, I promise you even those who went swimming in the breeze... they had a good time. So schedule it! You will have a good time. I have..... Forum thread: http://tinyurl.com/2010-LightningSouthernCircuit SAILING SHORTS * Melbourne, FL (March 21, 2010) - Former Olympian, Sunfish Midwinter and 6-time Women's North American Champion Nancy Haberland Heffernan, of Shady Side, MD, added the Sunfish Masters International Championship to her sailing resume this weekend, also winning the Apprentice Master group (age 40-49). The three-day regatta enjoyed warmer low-70's highs and medium to breezy conditions, through the courtesy of Melbourne Yacht Club. The win qualifies her for the 2011 Sunfish World Championship in Willemstad, Curacao. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9488 * Forty-two racing boats, with skippers hailing from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix, the Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands, and St. Maarten, sailed in six classes in the Puerto Rico Heineken International Regatta, formerly the Culebra Heineken International Regatta, held March 19 to 21, 2010. In addition, there were 38 sailors competing in the Puerto Rico International Dinghy Regatta aboard Optimists, Lasers and Hobie cats and 30 entries in the first time kite-boarding class. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9491 * The First California Invitational Blind Sailing Regatta will be held in the Alameda Estuary on the San Francisco Bay near Alameda, California over the weekend of May 14-16, 2010. The Notice of Race can be found at http://marinsailingschool.com/calinvite/ HENRI LLOYD SHADOW JACKET Gain a tactical edge with Henri Lloyd's new Shadow 2G Jacket. Ultra lightweight, breathable and waterproof, it features the DAME award-winning Optivision Hood System to deliver excellent peripheral vision in racing situations. Perfect for windward or leeward vision at pre-start or for rounding the marks and putting you in the lead. Learn more here: http://www.henrilloydonline.com/web/product.php?prodID=667 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 Ian Jenkins, Fremantle, Australia: Surely one of the sailing achievements of the year- around the world in less than seven weeks - congratulations to Franck Cammas and his team on Groupama 3. What other sporting speed record has been slashed by nearly 40% since 1994? (Bruno Peyron on Commodore Explorer 79 days in 1993-1994). Usain Bolt would need to run a 5.92 sec. 100 m to match that improvement. * From Eric Sorensen: The Catalina 37 article was a fun one to read (in Scuttlebutt 3053). They are excellent boats for class racing. There is a fleet of 12 of them in Puerto Vallarta that run against each other constantly. It was a very futuristic and fast looking boat when it came out and still looks fast! As a proud Catalina 42 owner, who tries to race and not be last, it is always great to hear about factory support in the race world as the support they give the cruising world is really world class. * From Peter Bowker: Can anyone explain why the America's Cup event in 1851 is referred to as a race for the "100 Guinea Cup"? The Notice of Race (or what apparently served as an NOR in those days) depicted in the J-Class attachment, listed "The RYS 100 Pound Cup Race". (http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0216) In the same issue the Royal Yacht Squadron refers to the 100 Sovereign Race. A sovereign is equal to a pound, but a guinea was one pound one shilling, and 100 guineas is 105 pounds. (There were 20 shillings to a pound). Just thought I'd ask! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION When a guy says, "Hey, I've got my reasons for what I'm doing," the translation is, "And I sure hope I think of some pretty soon." Special thanks to North Sails, Flexofold, and Henri Lloyd. 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