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SCUTTLEBUTT 3095 - Wednesday, May 19, 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.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt Today’s sponsors: Flexofold, Doyle Sails, and Henri Lloyd. COMPETITIVE IMBALANCE When qualifications for the 2010 College National Dinghy Championship were completed, the dominance of the Mid-Atlantic and New England districts was clearly evident. Among the seven districts that comprise the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the MAISA and the NEISA held 15 of the 18 available entry slots. This is the second year of a new qualifying system that guarantees each ICSA district with berths to the Semi-Final Championship, but then only the top 18 from the Semi-Finals advance to the Finals on June 1-3. Here is some commentary on this imbalance: ---------------------------- * From John Glynn: With the new qualification ladder for the ICSA National Dinghy Championship, the end result is that three of seven districts are not represented at the championship. I find this unfortunate. Yes, I understand that sometimes the fifth best team in NEISA or MAISA might be better than the second best team in the Midwest district. But it appears that this year the Nationals will be pretty much an all New England vs Mid-Atlantic affair. It used to be that each district had a certain number of qualifiers to the Nationals, based on strength of region. This worked well for years. To have three districts not even represented seems odd. As a Midwest college sailor who did “ok” (and had a great/ fun experience) at the Nationals way back in the stone ages, I am a little disappointed not to see any representation. One thing for sure, the new qualifying system will shift the balance of power in sailing even further toward the Eastern schools, recruiting-wise. The top three schools at the High School Dinghy Nationals this year were all from California, yet where are those kids going to go to college? No longer might a high school kid with aspirations to college sailing and a good education look at a Midwest or West Coast or Southern school as a backup if they don’t get into Brown, Harvard, Yale (or similar). Advantage Roger Williams, Salve Regina, UVM, and the like. Also, funny that the district that’s hosting Nationals does not have a qualifier. ---------------------------- * From Mitch Brindley, ICSA President: Yes it is a clear observation that the only one non-East coast team made it to the final round of the ICSA National Dinghy Championships. It is important to remember that the Semi-Final events in Seattle and Charleston were the first round of the ICSA National Dinghy Championships. When a team qualifies for the ICSA National Championship Semifinals, that team has qualified for the ICSA Championship. And every team has the opportunity to sail their way into the Finals. This is very similar to other collegiate sports. I think everyone would agree that it would be best if the Semi-Finals could take place immediately before the Finals at the venue, like we do for the Team Race and now Women's. However it is not functionally possible given the field of teams and the limited time frame of the hosts and most importantly, the students (some schools are still in session). Starting in 2011, the Semi-Finals are being consolidated at one venue or two venues in close proximity. This should help raise the stature of the event. Last year in Boston we had both fleets of 18 teams together and it was great. The more important question is what can ICSA do to further develop the competitive depth of the districts in the Northwest, Pacific Coast, Southeast, and Midwest? Clearly great juniors are coming from these locales, but that is nothing new. CURMUDGEON’S COMMENT: This final point by Mitch seems huge, as there are no guarantees that when a kid goes east for college sailing that they will come back home. If so, it cannot be good for the sport in the Northwest, Pacific Coast, Southeast, and Midwest to continue to lose their talented youth sailors. Comments? -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://tinyurl.com/29ck5h7 PHOTOS: Speaking of New England, here are photos from a team race event in Newport, RI last week: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0514b/ PERFORMANCE MATTERS Under sail or under power; daysailing, cruising or racing - performance matters. The single most important thing you can do to improve the performance of your boat is to change to a low-drag, high-thrust Flexofold propeller. The attention to design and manufacturing details is apparent at first look. Relentlessly refined for maximum efficiency under power and lowest drag under sail -Sail faster & further, motor at lower RPM with a Flexofold sailboat propeller. Click the link for more information: http://tinyurl.com/FlexoFold-scuttlebutt TOUGH TALK The Laser is among the strictest one design classes regarding equipment rules, which might be why the game is pushed hard by the people who play it. To manage both of these elements, here are two strong statements in the beginning of the Laser class rules: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EQUIPMENT RULES: One of the attractions of the Laser for most owners is that the class rules are very strict and that the boat is one design. The Laser philosophy incorporated in the rules is that we want to go sailing, not waste time fiddling with boats. We want to win races on the water using our skill, not by trying to find a way round the rules that will give us an advantage. The Class Rules are written to prevent any changes from the standard boat that might affect performance, so that on the water each boat is the same. The few changes to the standard boat that are allowed are minor and only to allow for a few options that make racing the Laser more comfortable and enjoyable. Over the years the class has refused to make changes to the rules that allow more expensive or complicated equipment or which makes older boats redundant. If you feel you want to change something on a Laser - STOP. Ask yourself why you want to do it? If the answer is “to make me go faster” there is a very good chance the modification or addition is illegal! If you race a Laser that has a change or addition not allowed by the class rules you will be disqualified from the race. Ignorance of the rules is no defense. CHEATING: In our sport in every club and class there is the odd person who needs to cheat to win. Cheating is doing something that you know is illegal. Whether you gain an advantage or not is irrelevant. Our class is strong and popular because we believe in a strict one design and our sailors want to know that they are racing on equal terms. The ILCA (International Laser Class Association) takes a very strong line with Laser sailors who do not sail according to the rules. There have been cases in the past where sailors who have sailed with illegal boats have been banned from sailing a Laser. Such a ban can be for life. If action is also taken under the racing rules, the ban can cover racing in any boat. Our class is much bigger than the odd person who wants to gain advantage by illegally changing the Laser or its equipment. They can sail in other classes where the rules allow changes to a boat to get an advantage. We do not want them with us. Class rules: http://tinyurl.com/Laser-class-rules BONUS: Would you like the chance to talk directly to Current Olympic, World and European Laser Champion Paul Goodison? The British sailing star will be live online on Thursday May 20th at 18:30-19:30 BST to discuss your sailing dilemmas and questions about preparation, training and racing. Click here for details: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=115656431784368&topic=180 DESIGNERS FOCUS ON NEW AMERICA’S CUP CLASS (May 18, 2010) - A significant step was taken towards creating the next America’s Cup boat when 19 designers met today in Valencia, Spain. Central to the deliberations was whether to develop a monohull or a multihull for the 34th America’s Cup. The conference was held at the home base of BMW Oracle Racing during its successful 33rd America’s Cup campaign. “The teams want a new boat; the fans deserve one too,” commented Russell Coutts, four time winner of the America’s Cup. “It will not be a ‘defender’s boat’. It will be the product of genuine discussion and dialogue,” Coutts added. The Valencia meetings were chaired by BMW Oracle Racing’s design coordinator, Ian Burns. Around the table was a ‘who’s who’ of yacht design: 10 nationalities were represented, with winning records in every level rating class from Quarter Tonners to TP52s as well as the Volvo Ocean Race, Jules Verne Trophy, classic races such as the Fastnet and Sydney-Hobart and, the America’s Cup. Structural and performance experts also attended as did those with experience of creating rules for the ACC, Whitbread 60 and Volvo 70 classes. One monohull (up to 27m LOA) was discussed as was two different multihulls (20m and 25m LOA trimarans). The new concepts were conceived by eminent designers Bruce Nelson and Morelli/Melvin respectively, creators of previous America’s Cup winning yachts. Besides their expertise, Nelson and Morelli/Melvin were chosen because they are unaligned with either BMW Oracle Racing or the Challenger of Record, Club Nautico di Roma/Mascalzone Latino. High performance is fundamental to all three concepts. The monohull proposal will give significantly faster speeds upwind and downwind compared to boats used in 2007. “The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of our sport, so the boats should be physically demanding to race well and produce fast, competitive racing to engage new fans,” said Burns. Requirements for all three concepts are: - Fast, dynamic and close racing - High levels of athleticism required to race the boats to their optimum - Advanced, efficient and cost-effective technologies - Logistical efficiency to facilitate transport to a regular series of regattas - Distinctive to the America’s Cup - Versatility, enabling racing in any venue in winds from 5-35 knots Versatility is seen as essential to minimise disruption to racing. “Delays and postponements kill interest,” commented Coutts. “America’s Cup boats shouldn’t be the last to start racing and the first to quit whilst other classes are still racing. They also need to be designed from the outset to unleash the full potential of television.” Television specialists will provide expertise and advice before the rule is written so that media requirements are incorporated at the outset. The World Sailing Teams Association has been asked if it would manage the rule drafting. Non-aligned experts will be used to ensure fairness to all teams. The rule-writers will report back to all teams equally and frequently. And teams will have the chance to review the new rule before it is finalized. Publication of the new class rule will be no later than 30th September. Source: http://tinyurl.com/238lmpn Source: http://tinyurl.com/Valencia-Sailing-5-18-10 SANDERSON SACKED: (May 18, 2010) - The surprise sacking of team director Mike Sanderson by Britain's Team Origin challenge for the America's Cup was announced tonight. The team said the decision was part of a restructuring exercise which is expected to include other departures. It appears that Sanderson has paid the price for disappointing results at the Louis Vuitton regatta in Auckland in March and last week in its brand new TP52 at the Audi MedCup regatta in Lisbon. Sanderson said he was feeling "a bit beaten up" and that "it came as a bit of a surprise.” -- Stuart Alexander, The Independent, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2ubulcu NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER? Make your sailing easier and more enjoyable without breaking the bank. Convert to a Doyle StackPack. StackPacks can be added to any main - doesn't have to be new, doesn't have to be Doyle. To upgrade to the original, patented Doyle StackPack contact your local Doyle Loft or for more information visit: http://www.doylesails.com/stackpack TRAINING KICKS OFF IN LA MADDALENA Sardinia, Italy (May 18, 2010) - Ten Louis Vuitton Trophy teams took to the waters off La Maddalena on Tuesday for the first official training session of the regatta. After several days of very strong winds due to mistral conditions in the area, the winds moderated for most of the morning and into the early afternoon allowing three of the four scheduled sessions to take place. But by mid-afternoon, with winds approaching 20 knots again, the final slot was cancelled to ensure the boats remain undamaged. BMW Oracle Racing was among the teams to sail in the morning session. The America’s Cup defender is returning to the Louis Vuitton Trophy after missing the Auckland regatta due to its Cup commitments. With new navigator Ian Moore on board, the team had a good training session with Azzurra. “The sessions are quite short - 75 minutes - so you don't want to waste time,” Moore explained. “You get the crew on board, trim on to make sure everything is ok, and then get straight into practice starts with your training partner. With Moore moving to BMW Oracle Racing from TeamOrigin, the British team has called upon veteran navigator Peter Isler. “These regattas are the best,” observed Isler. “I can't imagine anything better from a sailor's perspective. There's a lot of good racing, and I think we all have a lot of friends out there. In these events you spend time not just with your team, but also with your competitors, when you’re transferring boats or on shore. So you feel like you’re at a regatta and not just isolated with a single team. And above all, the racing is at a very high level. So I think everyone looks forward to it.” Training resumes on Wednesday, with the opening press conference on Friday and the first races of the Round Robin on Saturday, May 22. Racing concludes on June 6. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/2antqpl The 10 teams competing represent eight countries: Aleph, FRA, skipper Bertrand Pacé All4One, FRA/GER, skipper Jochen Schümann Artemis, SWE, skipper Paul Cayard Azzurra, ITA, skipper Francesco Bruni BMW Oracle Racing, USA, skipper James Spithill Emirates Team New Zealand, NZL, skipper Dean Barker Luna Rossa, ITA, skipper Ed Baird Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, ITA, skipper Gavin Brady Synergy, RUS, skipper Karol Jablonski TeamOrigin, GBR, skipper Ben Ainslie DEFENDER: Here is the crew list for the America’s Cup defender BMW Oracle Racing: http://tinyurl.com/29pxzuk BACKGROUND: The Louis Vuitton Trophy series is designed to be a cost-effective format for match racing competition in Version 5 America's Cup Class boats. For the La Maddalena event, teams will take turns racing on four equalised America’s Cup Class boats: two have been provided by BMW Oracle Racing (USA 87 and USA 98) and two by Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA 90 and ITA 99). After La Maddalena, the 2010 series continues on to Dubai (Nov. 13-28). PHOTO GALLERY * Laser Master's sailing is for "seasoned" sailors - only those that have reached their 35th birthday by the start of a regatta. Masters events recognize that while your mind is still young your body might not still be there anymore with the twenty-somethings. Nearly 90 "seasoned" sailors traveled to Charleston, SC last weekend for the 2010 Masters' US Championship. Photos by Priscilla Parker: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0518/ * The IRC, J/120, and J/105 fleets were on San Francisco Bay last weekend for the Stone Cup Invitational. So was photographer Erik Simonson who provides these image: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0518a/ SAILING SHORTS * (May 18, 2010) - After a fast and furious race up through the Caribbean from Panama to Jamaica, the wind died away for the Clipper 09-10 fleet as they rounded the island’s most easterly point, with the last 25-mile stretch of the race taking almost six hours for the leading boats to complete. Line honours were claimed by Spirit of Australia, finishing just three minutes and 50 seconds ahead of Hull & Humber, who score their first podium finish of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race campaign. The next race begins May 24 from Jamaica to New York (ETA June 2). -- http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com * New York City artist, adventurer and sailor Reid Stowe, on his 70-ft. gaff-rigged schooner Anne, has less than one month left on his epic 1000+ Days non-stop and non-resupplied sea voyage. However, since Day 1,000 (January 16, 2010) of Stowe's challenging voyage would have scheduled his return to New York Harbor in the middle of winter when the storms of the North Atlantic were at their peak, Stowe decided to sail with the variable winds and currents of the Atlantic doldrums, postponing his return until Thursday, June 17, 2010, after logging 1,152 days at sea. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/25fcjkv * (May 18, 2010) - Alinghi's America's Cup sails are to be shipped to Haiti for use as tents by the victims of January's earthquake. The shipment, which also includes 65 boxes of Alinghi team clothing, leaves today from Madrid airport as part of a wider Messengers of Peace charity arrangement. The sails will be re-cut and made in to tents at the camps through an on-site work programme. With hundreds of thousands still living in the island's temporary camps, the resulting 1,000 shelters will be shared as widely and equally as possible among survivors. -- http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200&idContent=22608 SHOP FOR THE BEST … FROM THE BEST Upgrading your gear? If you’re looking for the newest and most extensive offering of Henri Lloyd technical clothing and Gore products, look no further than your closest HL Elite Dealer for a full range of styles, sizes and colors. Click here to locate an HL Elite Dealer near you: http://www.henrilloydonline.com/web/categories2.php?cat=dealer_styles 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 Scott Truesdell: (Re, recent comments in Scuttlebutt) ISAF Secretary General Jerome Pels said, “Doping is fundamentally contrary to the spirit of sport.” Robert Keefe said, "...how important alcohol and drinking is to yacht club life, and the sports of yachting and yacht racing." Me: "no comment." * From Leland Smith: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3093) So Chris Rast thinks that reasoning by analogy rules. I learned that it is a poor substitute for logic. I was worried that logic may have changed along with other old standbys, but no, Google says there are still some things you can rely on. Here's an example I found: “Thus, we used reasoning by analogy as an AID to developing premise statements that were similar; these statements were then used to construct our logical syllogism argument. Despite the usefulness of reasoning by analogy, it must be observed that analogical reasoning, by itself, is NEVER a proper substitute for syllogistic argument. It is merely one of many tools that may aid in the development of such an argument.” Well maybe Business School dances to their own drummer, but after all the trouble their graduates have caused lately I'll stay with my drummer. * From Bill Kellner (re, Don Finkle’s PHRF article in Scuttlebutt 3088) Don wants PHRF to be national and to rate sailors. It might sound like a good idea, but as a former member of the National PHRF Committee with 22 years of handicapping experience, I think it is a spectacularly bad idea. For pure administrative reasons alone it would be a nightmare. Remember, there are anywhere from 10 to 15,000 boats racing PHRF in the US. Contrast that to about 600 with current IRC certificates. So how would a national committee rate a sailor in Petoskey, Michigan racing on Wednesday nights? If rating the sailor is done locally, it couldn’t be anything but political. Don’s point is that if you buy a new boat with a cruise-oriented set of options then you will have a tough time winning in PHRF. I agree. It is a dilemma for the manufacturers and dealers like Don because the bulk of boats being sold today have a lot of creature comfort options. The manufacturers are no dummies; they are marketing to momma who holds the purse strings. Look at the size of boats being sold. At 40 feet, the graying target market sailor needs the roller furling headsails, roller furling main (with requisite electric winch), shoal keel, dodger, bimini, fern in a planter and a three bladed prop to keep momma happy. The problem arises when the buyer gets tired of sipping wine at the dock and wants to go out and race. He gathers up a couple of buddies and ventures into the local regatta world. There he encounters some guy in a 25 year old 33 foot boat with a good Aramid inventory and seven experienced crew. Bottom line, he gets embarrassed boat for boat by the 33 footer. Who does he complain to? He goes to Don the boat salesman, who just sold him a $250,000 pleasure palace with the performance characteristics of a gold plated brick. It makes it tougher for Don to sell him the next boat. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that the guy with the well-prepared older boat spent years getting it that way and probably got toasted on the racecourse for years himself. -- Scuttlebutt forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9894#9894 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Shirts get dirty. Underwear get dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever. Special thanks to Flexofold, Doyle Sails, and Henri Lloyd. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
