|
SCUTTLEBUTT 3027 - Thursday, February 11, 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: Ullman Sails and Harken. IS THIS A DEED OF GIFT MATCH OR WHAT? By Cory E. Friedman, America’s Cup analyst (February 10, 2010) - This regatta is beginning to shape up as the America’s Cup ClusterSail of 2010. Nothing happened Wednesday in the AC in Valencia and ‘Buttheads are probably wondering why. Strong Mistral winds on Tuesday resulted in a forecast of lumpy seas Wednesday. Tuesday night the RC postponed the start from 10:06 to no earlier than 12:30. The start was further postponed and blown off early in the afternoon. Alinghi claimed the conditions were “heinous.” USA Skipper Jimmy Spithill supported PRO Harold Bennett’s call, but said USA would have been happy to sail and did not consider the conditions unsafe. Although there was only about 16 knots of breeze, the reason was “sea state” - supposedly boat-breaking left over swells of one to two meters. How did we get here? We got to Valencia because, after Justice Cahn’s original decision DSQing Société Nautique De Genève (SNG) came down, the parties wrangled over an order implementing that decision, which apparently left him believing (correctly or incorrectly - it makes no difference) that there was consent to a winter regatta in Valencia, even though it is in the Northern Hemisphere. When his resulting order was affirmed by the Court of Appeals, Société Nautique De Genève (SNG) was convinced that it could choose any venue it wanted, regardless of the hemisphere rule in the Deed, in addition to Valencia. It designed and built a boat for ultra light air and flat water, which Ernesto Bertarelli was familiar with from lake sailing multihulls, and chose Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) as the venue. Justice Kornreich upended RAK at Golden Gate Yacht Club’s (GGYC) request and, because the August 8, 2009 deadline set under Justice Cahn’s order had long since passed, the only option left without mutual consent was Valencia. The Appellate Division, First Department affirmed. Although attempts were made to mutually consent to southern hemisphere locations, such as the Northeastern coast of Australia, like all other attempts to reach consent in AC 33, they went nowhere and Valencia remained the default. No one has ever argued that Valencia is the ideal location for a February event. It is generally too cold for a sea breeze to develop and the wind is generally pretty variable, as it is front driven and frequently too extreme at either end of the scale to sail. Add to that the Deed’s schedule of alternate day racing and acceptable conditions can be hard to come by. Indeed, Harold Bennett, the PRO hired by SNG and approved by ISAF, said today that in three weeks there had been five or six acceptable race days. The real problem right now is that it is not clear what sort of event PRO Harold Bennett thinks this should be. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/#p58 * SCHEDULE: The Match is won by the yacht to first win two races. Race warning signal is normally at 10:00 am local time (CET), with race to start at 10:06 am. The race schedule will continue to attempt a race every other day, with the next race scheduled for Friday, February 12 (and then Sunday, Tuesday, etc.). * ONLINE VIEWING: Some of the North American options: http://bit.ly/a0j9iY * VALENCIA LOCAL TIME: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=325 * COURSE: The first and third races will be a course twenty nautical miles to windward and return; the second race, an equilateral triangular race of thirty-nine nautical miles, the first side of which shall be a beat to windward. Golden Gate Yacht Club won a pre-event coin toss, and chose for a starboard end start entry for the first and third races. * EVENT WEBSITE: Look to the 33rd America’s Cup website for event documents, jury decisions, and other event details: http://33rd.americascup.com/en/ * TEAM UPDATES: Here are the best links for team information: - Alinghi: http://www.alinghi.com/en/ - BMW Oracle Racing: http://bmworacleracingblog.blogspot.com/ NOT PUTTING OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD By Paul Cayard The sentiment around the media center is that the first race (for the 33rd America’s Cup) will be held on Sunday. Many feel the forecast for Friday is poor also. I would say that the weather is too variable to predict accurately and with the criteria for racing requiring both wind and wave accommodation, the acceptable window is quite small. With these delays, we are losing some media and fans I imagine. It is getting difficult to keep the energy up and to create content for television. There are only so many stories that can be written about the cool technology contained in these two boats. After a certain point, the people want to see a race. Eurosport (television, for whom Cayard is working for) will cover the race on Friday if there is one but today's cancelation means that we won’t be here to cover the final race, as the team is leaving for Vancouver on Saturday. I am heading to Dubai Friday night for the RC 44 event there. I am very frustrated by all this as I feel we are not putting our best foot forward as a sport. Obviously, February in Valencia is going to be tough with the weather criteria as tight as it is for these boats. Maybe Alinghi and BMW Oracle should agree to postpone racing until May. That would allow for better weather and therefore a higher likelihood of racing when scheduled, and more time for sponsors to organize their visits and hospitality. Considering that they haven't agreed on one thing yet, this is not likely to happen. -- http://www.cayardsailing.com/cs_Reports.cfm?evtID=115&csRpt=886 ULLMAN SAILS WELCOMES A NEW LOFT IN JAPAN Ullman Sails is excited to announce the addition of Kenji Igarashi and his loft in Kanagawa, Japan. South of Tokyo, Ullman Sails Japan is a full service loft located in the heart of Japanese sailing. Kenji has been a sailmaker for over 25 years, designing and building sails for both racing and cruising customers. Kenji has also competed in a range of one design classes and won the 1976 Q-ton National Championships. The Ullman group is proud to have Kenji onboard to continue a tradition of exceptional customer service and a high standard of sailmaking. Invest in your performance. http://www.ullmansails.com THE UMPIRE DIARIES To ensure fairness during the 33rd America’s Cup, the skilled positioning of the on-the-water umpires will be supremely tested during this high speed event. For the four person International Umpire Team officiating the 33rd America’s Cup - Bill Edgerton (Great Britain), Chief Umpire; Gerard Bosse (France); John Standley (Australia); and Roger Wood (New Zealand) - past lessons will help to determine where the Umpires should station themselves… and hopefully avoid getting too close. Dyer Jones, Regatta Director during the 32nd America's Cup, shares this story from the Umpire diaries: “John Standley and Gerard Bosse are the two Umpires that still hold the ‘Monkey’. The monkey is a stuffed animal (looks like Curious George), awarded to the Umpire(s) that pull(s) the biggest operator error during competition. They were umpiring together during one of the Acts leading up to the 32nd America’s Cup when LUNA ROSSA went around a leeward mark trailing a spinnaker sheet. Following closely in the Umpire Boat, they fouled the trailing sheet in their prop and pulled the spinnaker out of the yacht. Talk about a surprised foredeck crew and a ‘chase boat’ drop. “They've been trying to get the ‘monkey off their back’ for several years now. I mean literally - they had to carry it on the Umpire Boat when they umpired together, and had to bring it to all of the dinners we had for the race officials - always in hopes that someone else would have earned it.”According to Standley, he has taken full responsibility for the monkey. “Both Gerard and I were together, but it was my role to position the boat, and while we couldn’t see the trailing sheet, I have accepted the monkey as my own.” On anointing the next recipient of the monkey, Standley comments, “As the holder of the monkey, it is now for me to award it for an incident that I deem worthy.” Given the lack of opportunities thus far in the 33rd Match, Standley is looking wise in his decision to leave the monkey home in Perth. -- Scuttleblog, see photos here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2010/02/umpire-diaries.html FOR THE RECORD (Day 11 - February 10, 2010; 18:32 UTC) - It's been a difficult day with a tricky night in prospect after ten days at sea! While Groupama 3 is approaching 35 degrees South, the weather situation isn't really playing ball for the next 24 hours, with conditions forecast to be pretty unstable as regards the wind. As such Franck Cammas and his men are constantly having to adapt to the irregular breeze by zigzagging between the zones of high pressure. The clock is ticking and the miles are slipping by in a negative sense: the lead Groupama 3 had over the Jules Verne Trophy reference time has melted in the tropical sunshine, plummeting from over 600 miles to nearly 200 miles... And it's going to get worse before it gets better! Indeed, the Saint Helena High has split into several cells and Franck Cammas and his nine crew are having to deal with zones of high pressure, which are imploding on site, only to reform again a little further down the track. "Fortunately there were some good wind rotations to play with last night: we were able to cover a fair few miles towards the South until morning. We've been able to make headway with some fairly unstable local phenomena, which is allowing us to drop down nicely under gennaker. We've only had gybes to do, but no sail changing manoeuvres. We had to be on the look-out the whole night so as to get the very best out of the shifts. It's a race against the clock with a zone of high pressure that could well swallow us up," indicated skipper Franck Cammas. There are nearly 300 miles to go before they can open up the throttle in a very S'ly depression system, associated with around twenty knots of W'ly wind. Already Franck Cammas and his men know they're going to have their work cut out to round the Cape of Good Hope as fast as Bruno Peyron in 2005 (14d 08h 19'). -- Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/yglsb48 Current position as of February 10, 2010 (22:00:00 UTC): Ahead/behind record: +207.5 nm Speed (avg) over past 24 hours: 15.8 knots Distance over past 24 hours: 379.3 nm Data: http://cammas-groupama.geovoile.com/julesverne/positions.asp?lg=en Map: http://cammas-groupama.geovoile.com/julesverne/index.asp?lg=en * After their start on January 31, 2010, Franck Cammas and his nine crew on Groupama 3 must cross finish line off Ushant, France before March 23rd (06:14:57 UTC) to establish a new time for the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions. Current record holder is Bruno Peyron and crew, who in 2005 sailed Orange 2 to a time of 50 days, 16 hours, and 20 minutes at an average of 17.89 knots. OLD GUYS RULE By John Bertrand I had the pleasure of competing in the 2010 Laser Masters Midwinters at the Martin County US Sailing Center this past (three day) weekend. The racing for the 60-boat fleet was held on the Indian River Lagoon, which forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We saw the full spectrum of conditions from 30 knots and square waves the first day, 15-18 knots the second day, and 5-6 knots the final day. Regardless of the strength and direction of the wind, you could count on massive and unpredictable shifts and gusts (or puffs) which made the racing extremely challenging. I was eager to rejoin the Masters racing after spending the past couple of months sailing with the top Laser sailors and competing in the Rolex Miami OCR the week before. I knew the atmosphere would be more laid back but no less competitive, since the current Masters National Champion, Peter Vessella, would be attending, as was Brett Davis the 2009 Midwinter Champion. The Masters regattas have the feel of a party; friends coming back together not just to enjoy the racing, but also each other's company. It is a welcoming group whether you are a veteran returning to the class or a newbie who never sailed a Laser before. The celebration is also about doing something we love at an age when we're expected to be winding down. The first day, without hesitation, the committee ran three races in 20-30 knot winds and big waves that rivaled the fiercest San Francisco Bay conditions. Nobody complained, and even with a fair number of swimmers (myself included), everyone survived and had many war stories to relive at that night's dinner and no doubt at future regattas. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/yj8ru5v HARKEN SPORT END-OF-SEASON SALE - UP TO 45% OFF The new 2010 Harken Sport gear arrives soon and we need to make room! Visit our store for the best deals on Harken shoes, gloves, dry bags, gear bags, rashguards, and spraytops. Hurry, limited quantities available. -- http://www.harkensport.com/cat/SpecialOffers.html SAILING SHORTS * The Thistle Class held its annual Larry Klein Memorial Match Racing Championship at the Mission Bay Yacht Club on February 7th. The championship was won by Doug Hart, with crew Cesar Romero and Moni Lampe, who defeated the current Thistle Class President, Mike Gillum, with crew Mardi Gillum and Fred Nagel, in the final match race of the day. The Thistle Midwinters West preceded the match racing event, which was won by Craig Koschalk/ Lauren O'Hara/ Karl Felger. -- Complete report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9082 * Tampa, FL (February 10, 2010) - Thirty-three teams competed in the four day J/24 Midwinter Championship, hosted by Davis Island Yacht Club that concluded Wednesday. Only five points separated the top three by the end of the ten race series, with Charles Enright edging out John Mollicone / Tim Healy for the bullet, with Will Welles coming in third. -- Final results: http://tinyurl.com/ykuzabv * Sailing retailer Layline has been bought and is re-launching its brand with a new and improved online presence. The new owners, Travis and Devin Weisleder, are sailors and Internet retailers of well-known sites, modernnursery.com, pokkadots.com, wallstickershop.com, and 365modern.com. -- Full announcement: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9070 * (February 10, 2010) - Great Britain's Lucy MacGregor has finally toppled Claire Leroy (FRA) who has enjoyed a four and half year unbroken run at #1 in the Women's ISAF World Match Race Rankings. Adam Minoprio (NZL) maintains his position at the top of the Open Rankings. Top North American in either ranking is Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), who has moved up from 10th to 8th on the women’s list. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/31635.php HOW DOES YOUR EVENT REACH BEYOND THE USUAL SUSPECTS Is your event living in a vacuum, wondering how it can reach beyond the usual suspects? The Scuttlebutt Event Calendar is a free, self-serve tool that is powered by the most utilized database in the sport. More media use this calendar database than any other service. Used primarily for event marketing and communication, the crew list service is also widely accessed to help connect available people with skippers in need. To view all the events, or to post your own event, visit the calendar at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Mark Eustis, Annapolis, MD: Bloomberg (in Scuttlebutt 3025) is miffed the Americas Cup missed an opportunity to generate revenue. Oh, wah! So what? Where is it written there’s an inherent ‘responsibility’ to build a big splashy show around the AC? Larry and Ernie have spent hundreds of millions over the last couple years talking smack, building big weapons and marking each others’ shoes. I would say that saga and the technical spectacle we’re about to see are worth watching on their own. It’s the AC…stranger than fiction. You want to see sponsor dollars? Turn left at the Speedway. * From Guy Brierre: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3026) OK, the Racer’s Edge can read the wind strength and direction from 400 to 1000 meters ahead. In the average 5-6 knot boat that’s a tremendous advantage but I doubt the average 5-6 knot boat is worth $150K, much less would/could spend that much for the advantage. If I’m doing my math right, at 20 knots that’s about 40 to 100 seconds in advance. While BMWO can pull $150K out of spare change, I wonder how much of an advantage that is. * From Mark Osterman: Is it just me, or is anyone else thinking that maybe RAK wasn't such a bad idea? Warm weather, steady reliable breezes. Probably just enough infrastructure to make it work. Given that the races are so far offshore, everyone is watching via the Internet, so who cares about the ambience of Port America's Cup! If it had been in RAK, my bet is the whole thing would be over today and the next challenger of record would already be known! Keep up the reporting, and more from Cory! * From Keith W. Kenitzer: I have so lost interest in the AC. I had already become somewhat disillusioned with all the legal entanglements, but that's really nothing new in the tortured history of the Cup. Besides, I enjoyed reading Cory Freidman's analysis - kind of like an AC version of Law & Order. But now we have "heads-up" display glasses and back-pack computers, along with motorized winches, and other high tech gizmo's and gadgets, too numerous to mention. I know I am not the first person to share this opinion, but how far are we away from crewless boats being sailed by computer geeks with joysticks? If that's the road we are headed down, then why not scale everything down, save a gazillion dollars and let them battle with their RC boats in some farm pond somewhere? CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot. Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Harken. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
