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SCUTTLEBUTT 2328 - April 23, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). WEATHER STILL THE STORY Valencia, 22 April, 2007 - Sufficient winds on Friday finally allowed for the first 2 of the eleven flights in Round Robin 1 to be completed for the Louis Vuitton challenger series, which had suffered 4 consecutive days of postponement due to light and unstable winds. The prognosticators had been warning of upsets early and often among the challenger trials, and the truth in their words played out in the very first match between Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team (ITA) and Emirates Team New Zealand, where the former held advantage around the course for a narrow but sufficient 15 second win. The remaining matches on Friday played out as most expected, however, conditions on Saturday proved too light, so flights 3 and 4 were carried over to Sunday. The light continued on Sunday but the gradient breeze proved just strong and stable enough to complete flight 3 only. Most matches within flight 3 concluded as expected, though BMW Oracle Racing and Luna Rossa did find themselves needing to dig into their war chest for some ammo to gain the edge and the win in their respective races. As for surprises on Sunday, that award went to the Areva Challenge’s win over Desafío Español. The French underdogs led off the line, but were later overtaken until disaster struck on the Spanish boat, which lost the lead on the first run after breaking their spinnaker pole during a gybe. Although helmsman Karol Jablonski and his Spanish team caught up on the second beat, they were crippled by their broken pole on the run to the finish and Sebastien Col and has French team went on to secure an important win. Matches scheduled for Monday Flight 4 1. Areva Challenge vs. Emirates Team New Zealand 2. Desafío Español 2007 vs. Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team 4. United Internet Team Germany vs. China Team 5. Team Shosholoza vs. Luna Rossa Challenge 6. Victory Challenge vs. BMW Oracle Racing Flight 5 1. +39 Challenge vs. Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team 2. Emirates Team New Zealand vs. Desafío Español 2007 4. Victory Challenge vs. United Internet Team Germany 5. Luna Rossa Challenge vs. BMW Oracle Racing 6. China Team vs. Team Shosholoza Provisional Leaders (Bonus Pts - Matches Sailed - Matches Won - Total Pts) 1. BMW ORACLE Racing (USA 98) 3-3-3- 9 1. Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA 94) 3-3-3-9 3. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia (ITA 99) 2-2-2-6 3. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL 92) 4-2-1-6 3. Victory Challenge (SWE 96) 2-3-2-6 6. Desafío Español 2007 (ESP 97) 3-2-1-5 6. Areva Challenge (FRA 93) 1-3-2-5 8. Team Shosholoza (RSA 83) 2-3-1-4 9. +39 Challenge (ITA 85) 2-2-0-2 10. United Internet Team Germany (GER 89) 1-2-0-1 10. China Team (CHN 95) 1-2-0-1 Note: 2 points are awarded for each match won. * To help the ‘buttheads keep track of all the information, the Scuttlebutt website has a bunch of handy links now in one place on the ‘Latest Issue’ page (on the left side under the navigation). There you will find updating headlines, free written and radio on-the-water commentary, free daily videos, and most important of all, a link that contains the schedule and results, plus loads more. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com * Scuttlebutt and her sister title Scuttlebutt Europe have been given exclusive access to 20,000 free digital preview copies of ‘There is no Second’ - the Seahorse guide to the America’s Cup. Among the writers are Paul Cayard, Russell Coutts, Dennis Conner, Chris Dickson, Tim Jeffery, and Tom Schnackenberg. Move fast if you want to get a free copy to download, as access will be cut off when the meter hits 20K. -- http://www.seahorse.co.uk/americas/us * +39 Challenge completed the repair of their broken Version 5 mast, and were able to step it into the boat on Saturday. The repair added some 15 kilos in carbon skin layers needed to “weld” together the three pieces. * With a lack of wind forcing organisers to postpone the first four days of racing at the Louis Vuitton Cup, the Regatta Director and the Challenger Commission agreed to revise the format for the eleven flights of Round Robin One. They will now be raced in order, and completed, before the beginning of Round Robin Two. The order of racing will always be sequential, meaning that Flight 2 will not be sailed until the completion of Flight 1, and so on (note: the previous rules stated that any missed flights would be held in the first available opening, which after four canceled days, created a very confusing schedule). The changes mean that there will be no 'off day' between Round Robin One and Round Robin Two. There are two reserve days (May 8 and May 9) at the end of Round Robin Two that are available if needed (note: after Round Robin Two, 7 of the eleven challengers will be eliminated). The date of the start of the Semi Finals is unchanged, with racing scheduled to begin on May 14. * One area where the 32nd America’s Cup is right up to pace is anti-doping, helping ISAF keep sailing a dope-free sport. Every team has been subject to In Competition Testing (ICT) and Out-Of-Competition Testing (OOCT), with approximately 375 sailors forming the testing pool. -- ISAF website, full story: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6lFnA,`?&format=popup * Paul Cayard has been in Valencia providing commentary for Italian television, and in his Sunday email update he reports that “the forecast for Monday is a bit less wind than Sunday, and for Tuesday is less wind than that. In fact, the forecast for the rest of the week is not that great.” Nice! MAN VS. MACHINE -- WHO WINS? When you buy a sail, you buy technology. But you also make an investment in people -- that's why you need real sailmakers, not boat-hopping salesmen. Every Doyle loft is staffed by sailmakers with more skill and sailmaking knowledge than other brands (Doyle loft managers have been at it, on average, for 35 years). Technology alone won't make you win -- if your sailmaker won't invest the time to get to know you, your boat, and local conditions, you lose. Ready for a real sailmaker? Call us at 1-800-94-DOYLE; http://www.doylesails.com JACKSONVILLE DELIVERS Jacksonville, FL (April 21, 2007) - After 9 races and 3 days of racing on the St. Johns River, Connecticut sailors Waldek and Chris Zaleski easily won the 2007 J/24 U.S. National Championship, twenty points ahead of Maryland's Mark Hillman. "For 20 years of traveling for regattas, we thought of Jacksonville as a dreaded necessity to pass through on I-95. Overall, not a positive perspective," said Waldek Zaleski. "This weekend we discovered likely the best kept secret in sailing, a beautiful club, a 5 minute commute from the harbor to the race course and ideal conditions." Final results (top 10 of thirty-four boats) 1. Zaleski/Zaleski, CT, Twins - 37 points 2. Mark Hillman, MD, WIP - 57 3. Doug Clark, CT, Flying Squirrel - 60 4. Peter Bream, FL, Team Tarheel - 67 5. Daniel Vilardebo /Nate Borrer, FL, Jesus Lizard - 72 6. Mike Ingham, NY, Brain Cramp 76.5 7. Robby Brown, FL, Preperation J 87 8. Robert Milev/Rossi Gibbs, FL, Orange Blossom - 87 9. John Wilsey, NJ, Red Dawn - 87 10. Bill Felis /Ken Fastiggi, VT, Beauty - 91 Complete results: http://www.j24fleet55.com/elibrary/documents/ASummary_final.htm 1000 DAYS AT SEA Hoboken, N.J. - Last Saturday, 55-year-old Reid Stowe and his 23-year-old girlfriend, Soanya Ahmad, embarked on a sea voyage that is to last 1,000 days and nights -- nonstop. Stowe and his seamate set sail aboard their 70-foot yacht, the Schooner Anne, at 3 p.m. from the Shipyard Marina in North Hoboken. The pair aim to live away from land entirely, they say, surpassing the trip of 657 days taken by Australian Jon Sanders, who circumnavigated the globe three times from 1986 to 1988. "This will be my first time sailing ever -- except for up and down the Hudson River," said Ahmad, the Queens-raised daughter of immigrants from Guyana. "I haven't gotten seasick -- so far," she said with a grin. -- FoxNews, full story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267656,00.html CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar FRENCH SAILING OLYMPIC WEEK (April 22, 2007) Light and shifty conditions provided tactical racing for the first day of the 39th edition of the French Sailing Olympic Week in Hyeres, France. This Grade 1 World Ranking event is also one the events on the new World Sailing Tour; 920 boats from 58 countries are in attendance, with the highest participation coming from France (106 boats), Great Britain (62), and China (50). The difficult conditions on Sunday created some surprises in some classes where the usual favourites didn’t perform as expected. The Star fleet is not represented at this event, where after a 2-hour postponement to wait for sufficient winds, the Laser and 49er fleets were the only groups not to complete 2 races. The highlights for the North American contingent was seeing the Canadian Tornado team of Oskar Johansson/ Kevin Stittle win the final race of the day, and to see American Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey post a 4th and 5th in her first European event of the season. Unfortunately, the top placing North American Laser sailor in the Olympic event two weeks ago in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Andrew Campbell (USA), suffered a sprained wrist and broken thumb during a training incident, and has been forced to return to the US for treatment. The weather forecast for Monday is suggesting light conditions again. -- http://sof.ffvoile.net Results of Top North Americans (position / total entrants): Laser Radial - Paige Railey (USA, 6/105) Tornado - Oskar Johansson/ Kevin Stittle (CAN, 6/43) Yngling - Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Capozzi (USA, 6/29) 470 Women - Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving (USA, 9/60) Laser - Brad Funk (USA, 17/188) 470 Men - Mikee Anderson-Mitterling / Dave Hughes (USA, 23/113) Finn - Geoffrey Ewenson (USA, 24/68) RS:X Women - Dominique Vallee (CAN, 48/71) RS:X Men - Zac Plavsic (CAN, 60/108) 49er - Flights not completed for valid overall scores HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE RULES? If you would like to feel more confident about racing near other boats, you should get Learn The Racing Rules! This new two-part DVD, written and narrated by David Dellenbaugh, uses live sailing action and computerized animation to explain all the important right-of-way rules in the 2005-2008 rulebook. Part 1 covers the essential rules that apply whenever boats meet. Part 2 explains the often-confusing rules about marks and obstructions. Each is an hour long and includes the text of all rules discussed. Produced by SEA-TV, it makes a great gift! To learn more or to place an order, go to http://www.SpeedandSmarts.com SETTING THE STANDARD Annapolis has been setting trends in introducing their youth sailors to keelboats. In 2006, they initiated the Team Tsunami program (see Issue 2241), which has been expanded for this season. Now the area is the site for a new event that intends to create additional opportunities for teens interested in sailing on a larger platform. The 1st annual Charles Schwab Junior Sailing Cup (CSJSC) begins May 10 on the Chesapeake Bay, and runs through the end of August. Yacht club teams will be competing in J/80’s, with groups from Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC), Eastport Yacht Club (EYC) and the Severn Sailing Association (SSA) having made commitments for the first season. Points will be awarded for first, second and third place finishes in pre-existing weekly races, with boats, instructors, race committee, judging, and scoring to be overseen by J World Annapolis. Additionally, Charles Schwab will have access to a fourth “spectator” boat that will follow each race and provides the participants’ parents with “on the water” access to the race and a special opportunity to watch their children compete. -- Complete release: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0420 SAILING SHORTS * The midweek “beercan” racing season got started last week in several west coast harbors, and it's fair to say that the big breeze proved to be a bit much for a couple of boats in Santa Barbara, CA. In a word, this collision was “messy.” -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0420 * 22nd April 2007 - Palma de Mallorca, Spain - Dutchman Peter de Ridder’s Mean Machine-Valle Romano TP52 team, which won the 2006 Medcup Circuit, got off to a quick start in 2007 by winning the Hublot Palmavela regatta with an 8 point lead ahead of second place Cristabella, and 11 points on third place Anonimo Q8. This event was the first meeting of this season for the Transpac 52 fleet. 9 TP52’s were present in Palma de Mallorca, among them a recently launched addition to the fleet, American boat Glory, owned by John Buchan, which finished seventh. Results and story at http://www.mean-machine.nl/news/6581 * At 12:20 local time (16:20 GMT) on Sunday April 22, Graham Dalton had not arrived in Norfolk. By not arriving in Norfolk within this timeframe he is theoretically unable to start leg three and at the same time respect the rules of the Velux 5 Oceans. The race rules state that he must start leg three within seven days of the official start but that he must also spend 72 hours in the host port. Dalton was on track to arrive in Norfolk in time, but when he found it necessary to stop in Bermuda to make repairs, his chances significantly diminished. -- http://www.velux5oceans.com * An air and sea search for three Western Australian men has been called off as mystery continues to surround their disappearance from a yacht found abandoned off north Queensland. The yacht was found unmanned and adrift this past Wednesday about 160km off Townsville after leaving Shute Harbour at Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays the previous Sunday morning. The men had intended to sail the catamaran back to Western Australia. When it was boarded, its engine was still running, a laptop computer was found switched on and navigational equipment and plotting gear laid out. -- Full story: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21599828-2,00.html * (April 22, 2007) Donna Lange, 45, and her storm-damaged 28-foot sloop, 'Inspired Insanity,' were towed into St George, Bermuda, last night after a gruelling 36 hour stint at the tiller without sleep. She was en route from the British Virgin Islands to Bristol, R.I. to receive a number of awards and honors for completing a 31,000 circumnavigation in her Bristol-built boat. The storm that re-routed her to Bermuda, reached monstrous proportions, ravaging much of the mid west and eastern seaboard of the US. -- http://www.sail-world.com/nz/index.cfm?nid=32859&rid=6 SEE IT ON THE BIG SCREEN Promote your business or enjoy your boating experience with state of the art HD Video. With 20 years of experience shooting video in the marine environment, we have the knowledge to help you look your best. Visit our site for more information: http://www.whitecapvideo.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (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, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Pat Healy: (Regarding Valencia weather) Why my meteorology professors never articulated the obvious, the best way to change the climate is to schedule a regatta, I've always attributed to their narrow focus and not getting outside enough. But, maybe this is the answer to reversing the global warming trend. If ISAF schedules one mega regatta, worldwide ... Slow news days are great. * From Alex Watters: The fact there has been no yachting in Valencia has been caused by the whiney, cry-baby, poor sport challenger syndicates who voted to not allow +39 to use the German Version 5 mast. It's payback time by the wind (or lack there of) gods. +39 is now a fan favorite and the others are reduced to losers, regardless of the outcome. They have certainly made their sponsors proud! Bad move boys, +39 have had time to fix their rig whilst you all sat around on your fancy yachts doing nothing. Three cheers for +39, go get 'em guys...with your Version 5 rig! * From Bill Dixon: (regarding Elaine Bunting’s thread that began last week) Several years ago we brought our Out Island 41 down the river system from Chicago, IL to Mobile, AL. Wanting to be visible at night, I attached two (2) radar reflectors to the 4 x 4 posts supporting the masts and booms. The reflectors were about 5' above deck level, about 10 feet of the water. I received many radio inquiries daily as to what the %$#@ we were, as we showed up as a bright flash on their radar bigger than any pleasure craft, but not as big as a barge. I used the cheap foam and gold foil reflectors from Davis as they were larger diameter than the more costly sheet aluminum. If you really care about being visible, remember, you are not limited to one reflector. * From Tom Anderson: I have wondered why no one makes a GPS and DSC enabled waterproof Hand Held VHF walkie-talkie. The cost of many portable radios is low enough that it could be provided (or I'll buy my own) to each crew member on deck and would provide position information and "talk you in" capability to a man overboard. Certainly the person in the water has a better view of the boat than the boat has of the person overboard. GPS is included in virtually every cell phone, why not in VHF handhelds? Granted, one might be unconscious if knocked overboard, but I suspect that is not the case in many MOB situations. Perhaps the readers have some input on this idea… * From Stuart Hebb: Having run a trial certificate for my Aerodyne 38, I noticed that the rule does not like big kites or bow sprit boats. One thing the IRC rule could do to level the playing field a bit for us heavy displacement bow sprit boats is to throw in a gybe mark and let our boats at least sail on the angles that we are being penalized for. It's also fun to go on a fast point of sail. Having grown up in large Laser fleet racing, the reach legs were not a parade at all which is the excuse I have heard as to why they no longer exist. There were windward and leeward circles with a lot of opportunity at the gybe mark to pass boats. I know this topic has been beaten to death, but can we at least find out who and when the extinction of the gybe mark was ordered? Maybe IRC can be a hero and make it a mandatory part of short course racing. CURMUDGEON’S GLOSSARY Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early. Special thanks to Doyle Sails and Speed & Smarts, and to Scuttlebutt’s newest sponsor: WhiteCap Video. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
