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SCUTTLEBUTT 2918 - Friday, August 28, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are Atlantis WeatherGear and Holmatro. SCANDONE WINS NATIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD (August 27, 2009) - US SAILING, the national governing body for the sport, has announced the winner of its National Sportsmanship award, the W. Van Alan Clark Jr. Trophy, to the late Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, Calif.). Today, US SAILING’s Executive Director, Charlie Leighton, presented the national sportsmanship award to Nick Scandone’s wife, Mary Kate, following the awards ceremony for the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Regatta (a sanctioned event for disabled sailors) at Fort Adams in Newport, R.I. The 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist passed away January 2, 2009, after a long battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. An avid sailor since he was a child, Scandone reached his ultimate goal of winning a Paralympic gold medal this past summer in Qingdao, China with SKUD-18 teammate Maureen McKinnon-Tucker. Scandone beat the odds of his disease by not only being strong enough to compete at the 2008 Paralympic Games, but by winning the gold medal a day early, with two races left to go. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/maf8rp JOBSON TO TAKE REINS OF US SAILING Gary Jobson has filled a myriad of roles during his long and illustrious career in sailing - morphing from competitor to author to lecturer to television commentator. However, not even Jobson could have envisioned his next act: serving as president of US Sailing, national governing body of the sport. "If you had predicted this 20 years ago I would not have believed it," Jobson said with a chuckle. Jobson was nominated as US Sailing president during the organization's annual spring meeting in Denver. He will be formally elected by the Board of Directors at US Sailing's annual general meeting on Oct. 25 in Houston. While surprised to receive the nod from the Nominating and Governance Committee, he gladly accepted the position. "US Sailing is a vital component of our sport. At this time of my life, I look forward to serving the sport that has been so good to me for so many years," Jobson said. -- The Capital, read on: http://tinyurl.com/nn5dml 505 WORLDS San Francisco, CA (August 27, 2009; Day 5) - The scenario has shifted in the 2009 SAP 505 World Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Mike Holt and crew Carl Smit---formerly of the UK now living in nearby Santa Cruz---seized control from Mike Martin and crew Jeff Nelson from Newport Beach, Calif., who suffered a 12th place in the first of two races in uncommonly light wind fluctuating between 8 and 11 knots Thursday. Martin/Nelson, previously invincible through five races in breeze as strong as 25 knots except for the first day when their mast broke, rebounded with a second place, but by then Holt/Smit had scored a third and a fourth and now lead with 12 points to 18 for Martin/Nelson. That means that Holt/Smit, whose worst finish has been the fourth place, may not have to sail Saturday's last race if they can hold their lead through Friday's next-to-last eighth of nine races overall. There are two throwouts and they haven't needed any, although Martin/Nelson can drop their 12th after today, leaving the door open a bit. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8133#8133 Photos: http://www.rrrcommunications.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=18 Sailgroove video: http://tinyurl.com/Sailgroove-505-Worlds DISCOVER: THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR SAILING Here in the northeast, we're winding up the summer sailing season. We're sad to see it go, but the best sailing days are still ahead. Fall means cool breeze, warm(ish) water, and some of the best regattas of the year. If you love Fall sailing as much as we do, you're going to want the new Aegis line from Atlantis: innovative and great-looking gear designed by sailors to keep you totally dry and performing your best. Visit http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com for a list of Atlantis dealers, or call us at 877-333-SAIL(7245). Discover Your Atlantis A MESSAGE FROM SAIL MAGAZINE Never mind the economy -- it’s business as usual in the boating game. Well, not quite. Everyone in the marine trade is feeling the financial pinch these days, so it’s even more impressive that so many new boats have been developed and readied in time for the fall boat show season. What this year’s line-up of new models - everything from dinghies to multi-million-dollar world cruisers - tells me is that the sailboat trade is extremely resilient and, like all of us, looking forward to a better 2010. SAIL will be at the Newport and Annapolis boat shows in force, evaluating this latest crop of boats for our Best Boats awards. Our highly experienced team of sailors and editors will pore over each boat, looking for those creative and innovative touches that set it apart from the rest of a highly competitive field. Without further ado, here are our nominees for the Best Boats of 2010: http://tinyurl.com/n7u3xc AGE LIMIT TO SINGLE-HAND AN OCEAN The latest Scuttlebutt survey questioned whether there should be a limit on a person's age before they are permitted to sail alone across an ocean, with 50.59% in favor of an age limit and 49.41% opposed. Hardly a consensus. Here are two comments posted in the poll: * “A cynic might say that this exploitation of children -- and under the law and common sense, these people are children -- will end when one of them dies. Exploiters, however, are not famous for observing ethical niceties. These stunts will end when the press refuses to be taken in by them, and when we all acknowledge that to put one life in danger is to put many lives in danger. The argument that it’s solely an individual risk is fallacious in a world of potential rescuers who will risk their lives to save another. To be human is to respect the social contract that goes, ‘I shall do nothing that endangers the life of a shipmate or any other person.’” * “The real question is should age-related ‘records’ be recognised. The WSSRC diplomatically stopped short of condemning age records by saying it does not have the expertise to monitor any records relating to human condition. After the death of 7 year old pilot Jessica Dubroff in 1996 whilst trying to become the youngest pilot to cross the US, Guinness World Records said, “(We have) a standard policy that does not sanction, endorse, or encourage attempts by minors (people under the age of 16) on records which are dangerous or potentially life-threatening". It seems they have u-turned for Mike Perham. Personally I think this is inviting irresponsibility and at some point it will inevitably lead to a death of a minor, and Guinness will need to u-turn again.” Read all the comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0825/ YOUNGEST UPDATE * Seventeen year old Briton Mike Perham became the youngest person to sail round the globe single-handed (with stops) on Thursday, August 27, 2009 after nine months at sea. Perham crossed the start line for his round-the-world trip between Ushant, northern France, and Lizard Point, southern England, on November 18 last year as a 16-year-old and completed his 30,000 mile record-setting voyage two months inside the previous age record set by American teenager Zac Sutherland. Perham, who started sailing aged seven, was the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, aged 14, in 2007. -- http://www.covarimail.com/view.lasso?id1=415&id2=303466 * Britain detained Dutch solo-sailing 13 year old Laura Dekker in May when she crossed the North Sea from the Netherlands to England during a school vacation. When her father refused to come to Britain to pick her up, police placed her in a children's home. They also alerted youth welfare services in the Netherlands. The teenager wants to solo-sail around the world. Expected to leave the Netherlands on September 1, her voyage is to take two years, until 2011. On Friday, a Dutch civil youth court is to decide whether to suspend Laura's parents' custodial rights and appoint a legal custodian to stop her from setting sail. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/n7qelg HOLMATRO NETWORK EXPANDING IN THE US The dealer and service network of Holmatro is further growing in the US. Besides the current Holmatro dealers and service centres located in Maine, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, South Carolina and Florida, they are recruiting some of the best rigging shops and distributors on the west coast in the major sailing centres. Noted business manager Howard Seaver, “Hand someone our products that has minimal knowledge of our brand, then watch their enthusiasm grow as they realize its quality and the attention given to detail. They just need to hold and touch our products to see and feel that they are different.” -- http://www.holmatro.com SAILING SHORTS * San Diego, CA (August 27, 2009; Day 4) - Competitors were more than happy to leave the hot asphalt of San Diego Yacht Club behind as they headed out to the cool ocean breeze of 10-12 knots for the one planned race at the Snipe Jr. World Championship. Leading into the final two races on Friday, scores have tightened at the top, with defending champions Mario Tinoco and Matheus Gonçalves (BRA) holding a narrow one point lead over Norihiko Kiyama & Kenichi Inada (JPN) in second, with Raul Rios and Antonio Sifre from Puerto Rico moving up to third. -- Full report: http://www.snipeworlds2009.com/news/ * Copenhagen, Denmark (August 27, 2009; Day 5) - At the 470 Worlds, an oscillating wind gusting to 15 knots today challenged the 95 mens and 57 womens teams, with the Croatians taking over the mens lead while the Nederlands further secured their womens lead. With two more days of racing, the Top North Americans men struggled today, with Stu McNay/Graham Biehl (USA) rolling a 18-27 to drop to 18th, while defending world champs Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (USA) climbed to 12th after a 5-9. -- Event website: http://worlds470.kdy.dk/ * Kingston, ONT (August 27, 2009; Day 5) - Billy Gooderham and Ian Hogan (CAN) held on to their lead today (owing much to Mother Nature) to become 2009 Seiko 49er North American Champions. They narrowly beat out the rival Canadian team of Matt Dubreucq and Trevor Parekh. The eighteen teams from five countries waited anxiously for wind, but the conditions Thursday did not permit any racing with a 2:30 PM drop-dead time for a warning signal. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8131#8131 * Kingston, ONT (August 27, 2009) - Forty boats attended the 29er North Americans Championship, competing in a 16-race series that was won by Max Fraser and David Liebenberg (USA). -- Results: http://cork.org/results2009/29R.HTM * Newport, RI (August 27, 2009; Day 3) - When the competitors left the dock for the third and final day of racing at the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Regatta, they did so in a beautiful crisp 12 knot northerly that unfortunately died off over the course of the morning. While the total absence of breeze ultimately forced the last races to be abandoned for the SKUD-18 and J/22 classes, all the competing fleets (2.4 Metre, Sonar, SKUD-18 and J/22s) sailed a ten-race series, except for the J/22s who sailed 11, and the day ended with the standings unchanged as the fleet leaders prevailed to claim the top prizes. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8132#8132 * Kiel, Germany (August 27, 2009) - The 10 teams competing in the fourth stop of the six event 2009 iShares Cup are ready for three days of fiercely contested Extreme 40 racing, which kicks off tomorrow, August 28th. Just one point separates the top two boats on the overall leaderboard, with 100,000 spectators expected to attend. -- http://www.isharescup.com/en/ * The Third "Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge" was held in New York Harbor from August 19 to 22, 2009. Nineteen teams from 13 countries competed in this unique event which promotes international goodwill through friendly competition. Countries represented this August included: Bermuda, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, United Kingdom & United States. This regatta is organized by the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation and held at the Manhattan Sailing Club in Lower Manhattan. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8129 * North Sails and Sailing Weather Service have joined forces to provide a detailed weather forecast for the Leukemia Cup Regatta in Westbrook, CT this Saturday, August 29. This forecast, which will be issued via email by 0700 on Saturday, will be tailored to the waters off Westbrook, CT to assist Leukemia Cup participants in anticipation of Tropical Storm Danny, which is scheduled to hit northern New England on Saturday afternoon/early evening. To receive this special ‘storm’ forecast, log on to: http://na.northsails.com/tabid/7240/Default.aspx * CORRECTION: In Scuttlebutt 2916, it was noted that the 2009 Laser World Championship website did not list the members of the Jury. In fact, the website does list the members, who were Doug Elder NZL (Chair), Marianne Middelthon NOR, David Pelling CAN, Ron Yaffe ISR, Kathy Dyer CAN, Jean-Luc Michon FRA, Sandy Grosvenor USA, and Keld Stentoft DEN. -- http://tinyurl.com/m7t7vb GETTING READY FOR THE SHOW The site requirements needed to host the America’s Cup are immense. Here is an interview on the Valencia Sailing website with Dr Khater Massaad, an advisor to the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, (RAK) who played a pivotal role in establishing this virtually unknown emirate as the venue of the 33rd America's Cup. * Regarding the negotiations: “The whole process, from the first contact until the final signature of the contract took approximately 3 months.” * Regarding payment from RAK to Alinghi: “Nothing at all, we didn't pay any money. We only agreed that we would provide the necessary infrastructure. In addition, one of our companies decided to become a small sponsor of the event but that was after the signature of the agreement with Alinghi. As I told you, Ras Al Khaimah didn't pay any money for the right to have the 33rd America's Cup here.” * Regarding the infrastructure necessary for such an event: “The infrastructure is ready. We have a beautiful island of 220,000 square meters, a beautiful lagoon and everything is ready now. What we are doing is the beautification of the venue and the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. The Crown Prince is taking this event as an opportunity to make significant infrastructure investments for Ras Al Khaimah but the infrastructure for the event itself is ready. The island is ready but the government is spending around 100 million US dollars for general infrastructure in the emirate as a whole.” Complete interview: http://tinyurl.com/nm5jeo PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include 505 popping, Opti parading, Canting keel walking, Club winging, Sun carrying, Cruiser trapezing, FD gliding, and a Formula 18 catamaran showing how she likes to ride hard and put away her sailors wet. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0828/ VIDEO OF THE WEEK For the 98 boats competing this week in the 2009 505 World Championship in San Francisco, CA, they all knew the conditions would be extreme, with the big wind and waves showing little mercy on the fleet. This week's videos include onboard footage with top Americans Nick Adamson and Steve Bourdow while they train at 'The Gorge' in Oregon, and then several videos taken during the Worlds.. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/09/0828/ * If you have a video you like, please send your suggestion for next week’s Video of the Week to mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit 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 Richard Clark: This is awesome, I knew not this man named Tom Blackaller but the stories are legend and it's what keeps me coming back to Scuttlebutt even though I am now land locked (yes you can be land locked in Aotearoa, NZL). So much better than reading about the America's Cup F'arse which I am soooo over. Keep those memories coming. * From Chris Mitchell, NZL: Do we have to keep hearing in Scuttlebutt old/repeated news about young kids sailing around the world? I'm sure constant mention of this will only encourage more parents to allow their kids to become show ponies. Speaking of show ponies, and while I have the floor, there may be a hundred or even a thousand bad things about the latest America’s Cup round but those two boats are really cool, so at least two good things have come out of this cup cycle. * From Blake Middleton: Regarding Howie & Paul's sportsmanship example at the 505 Worlds, I sailed with Howie Hamlin and Jay Glaser at a 1986 Etchells regatta out of NHYC. We were on Port approaching the first mark looking for a lane to tack into. The three of us decided we could barely cross an approaching starboard boat. Just as we started across his bow, we suddenly realized there was a second boat hidden up on his hip and we were in big trouble. There was zero room to maneuver. We couldn't tack or bear off or do anything. As all three of us slid down off the windward rail to look under the boom, we heeled over, and the sleek bow of the other Etchells slid right over and across our deck, piercing our vang wire, and partly crushing our spinnaker pole. Jay and I both had our arms around the bow as it made it clear across our deck, pinning Jay between it's hull and our port shrouds. We both pushed the boat back off our deck, all while Howie was yelling out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Amazingly, other than the vang and pole, there was no real damage to either boat, other than some very light skuff marks. We never even considered taking the 720 penalty option. Howie steered straight back to the harbor, with the comment that no alternate penalty could compensate for such a stupid move on our part. All three of us were bummed, but it seemed like the obvious answer to our mistake was to withdraw. * From Udo Schroff: I am afraid that my experience of the venerable Senator Kennedy may not be all that laudatory (never mind him as the politician or his persona). We were competing in Narragansett Bay’s Twenty Hundred Club’s Cutty Hunk Race several years ago. Mr. Kennedy was less than Corinthian by taking issue as a cruising sail boat skipper of being overhauled by us. Yes he tried to take us up and in the lane of another competitor. A laud protest chorus by my crew caused him to finally back down. Also as a guest at Nantucket Yacht Club’s Pro-Am event also several years ago, Mr. Kennedy espoused his passion of blocking a wind-farm from a shoal located approximately half way between Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. I was taken aback by his larger than life contradiction. In searching for something good, I do respect his obvious love for sailing. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION In the Parent's Dictionary of Meanings, the TWO-MINUTE WARNING is when a baby's face turns red and then begins to make those familiar grunting noises. Special thanks to Atlantis WeatherGear and Holmatro. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
