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SCUTTLEBUTT 3754 - Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,
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and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
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Today's sponsors: North Sails, North U, and KO Sailing.
US SAILING'S ROLEX YACHTSMAN & YACHTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Portsmouth, RI (January 14, 2013) - Johnny Heineken (Larkspur, CA), the
2012 Kiteboarding Course Racing World Champion, and Jennifer French (St.
Petersburg, FL), the 2012 Paralympic Silver Medalist in the SKUD-18 class,
today were named US Sailing's 2012 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the
Year.
A shortlist of eight male and six female sailors - determined from
nominations submitted by members of US Sailing - was evaluated by a panel
of sailing journalists who selected these two sailors for the noteworthy
distinction. The winners will be honored on February 26, 2013, during a
luncheon at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, when they will be
presented with specially-engraved Rolex timepieces.
2012 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year:
Johnny Heineken (Larkspur, CA), age 24, has been named the 2012 Rolex
Yachtsman of the Year for his dominating performances in competitive
kiteboarding, including the Kiteboarding Course Racing World Championship
in Cagliari, Italy, where he topped 148 competitors to claim the world
title for a second consecutive year.
"To even be mentioned in connection with this award is an honor; so many of
my role models are on the list of recipients," said Heineken, who was on
the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year shortlist in 2011 as well. "But it's also
exciting that kiting has been accepted into the world of yachting. It's
pretty amazing how far the class has come in the last five years and
exciting for me to be involved in the development of that."
2012 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year:
Jennifer French (St. Petersburg, FL), age 41, has been named the 2012 Rolex
Yachtswoman of the Year for her silver-medal performance at the Paralympic
Games in Weymouth and Portland, England. Sailing in the SKUD-18 (two-person
keelboat) class, with crew JP Creignou, French secured her team's
second-place finish in a fleet of 11 international teams.
"I'm extremely humbled and overwhelmed by the honor of being placed in the
company of so many fantastic sailors who have had such an influence on me,"
said French. "This is also a huge step for disabled sailing and for the
recognition of all those who have worked so hard over the years to make
disabled sailing possible. Paralympic sailing has come so far; Nick
Scandone (the Paralympic Gold Medalist who was named US Sailing's Rolex
Yachtsman of the Year in 2008) was really the first person who broke ground
for this, and JP and I are honored to follow in his footsteps."
Full report:
http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/2013/Y_of_Y_2012_Winners.htm
NORTH CLIENT SERVICES AT KEY WEST!
North Sails will have 29 representatives at Key West providing North
Client Services all week long. Look for Andreas Josenhans and Chuck Allen
on the water taking photos of sail trim, rig setup & boat setup starting on
Thursday, Jan 17th in the Melges 32 practice area. They will also cover:
TP52s, J/70s, Swan 42s, Farr 40s, Melges 24s, J/111s and more! If you'd like
to meet with our team to analyze photos of your set up compared to the rest of
your fleet, contact contact Andreas, 902-521-9999 or Chuck, 401-418-1909.
North also has overnight sail care & free weather forecasts during KWRW!
http://na.northsails.com
FORECAST: North is working with Sailing Weather Service to provide weather
information at Key West. The (very) long range weather outlook is available
here: http://tinyurl.com/SWS-011413
FUN RULES OF SAILING
By Glenn McCarthy, Commodore, LMSRF
ISAF is focused on one thing in the Racing Rules of Sailing and one thing
only. It is a 300-person, 14-day regatta that is held once every
four-years. The Racing Rules of Sailing cater to this group and this group
only, those we call Olympians. People who go to the Olympics are not going
for the pursuit of recreation and fun.
So for the people who are seeking a more relaxed, yet competitive sailing
experience, there are the Fun Rules of Sailing. Here are the first 12 rules
of the 22 Fun Rules of Sailing:
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Rule #1: Any time you publish anything about a race or event, the Social
Activities are to be published first ahead of all other racing information
such as the Notice of Race (NOR) or Sailing Instructions (SI). Repeat as
often as possible.
Rule #2: When two vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal
courses so as to involve risk of collision with both attempting to avoid
each other, each shall alter her course to starboard so that each shall
pass on the port side of the other.
Rule #3: Racing Rule of Sailing 5 is deleted (title: Anti-Doping).
Rule #4: Part 2 RRS are suspended from Sun Down to Sun Up, where
IRPCAS/COLREG right-of-way rules apply.
Rule #5: Unsportsmanlike Conduct hearing and penalty (Racing Rule of
Sailing 69) shall apply only after a guilty finding in a court of law.
Rule #6: The Racing Rules of Sailing Mark-Room rule (Rule 18) shall be
changed every 4 years at ISAF.
Rule #7: Outside help involving performance, tactics, or coaching requested
or given to help any boat during a race is not a violation, it is
encouraged.
Rule #8: When aground a boat racing may use propulsion to get free as long
as it does not provide a gain of significant advantage in the race. This
propulsion must be redressed to the Protest Committee who shall conduct a
hearing to exonerate this use of propulsion.
Rule #9: Cat in the Hat - Each spring before the racing season starts there
shall be an elaborate ceremony to burn the Postponement Flag ashore and
never be allowed to have one placed on the race committee boat.
Rule #10: Avoiding Contact - Any contact causes immediate withdrawal of
both vessels involved. A third party may protest both boats who had contact
that did not immediately retire. In a series, if a competitor's combined
race position is improved by contact with another competitor, that boat's
score will be removed for the series. The requirement for the hail of
"Protest" and the raising of a Protest Flag is waived for any contact. All
that is needed is to file a protest within the time limit.
Rule #11: Penalties - When the protest committee decides that a boat has
broken a rule, the skipper of said vessel shall jump into the harbor naked,
or have to drink a gallon of beer, or buy the other boat a round of drinks.
Rule #12: Sail Materials - If your fleet is using Dacron and Nylon (maybe
Mylar included) sails now, make it a local rule that those are the only
sail materials allowed.
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Courtesy of the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation. Rules 13-22 coming
soon. Full description of Rules 1-12 here:
http://www.lmsrf.org/lmsrf/index.php/fun-rules-of-sailing
HEADING SOUTH FOR THE RACING
Key West, FL (January 14, 2013) - When Quantum Key West 2013 begins next
week (Jan 21-25), among the intriguing plotlines to watch will be the new
J/70, professional-laden IRC/TP 52 and rapidly developing HPR.
Many of the world's top sailors will duke it out in the 52-foot class with
Key West serving as opening stop on an ambitious 2013 series. Organizers of
the recently introduced High Performance Rule are eager to showcase version
4 of the rating system at the renowned winter regatta held off the
southernmost tip of Florida. The J/70 class will make its Key West debut in
dramatic fashion as it is the regatta's largest with an impressive 39
boats.
"Key West has always been a tremendous showcase for any new design and we
are looking forward to launching the J/70 to a wider audience with great
competition at one of the world's most renowned regattas," Rod Johnstone,
the founder of J/Boats said.
A strong fleet of six boats - three from Europe, three from the U.S. - will
do battle as the curtain rises on the new 2013 "52 Super Series." Defending
series champion Azzurra (Italy) and past MedCup champion Quantum Racing
(USA) headline the fleet of exciting speed machines.
"Overall, we are pretty happy with the entries. Given the reputation and
popularity of Key West we can be sure that we are looking forward to a good
week of racing," said Rob Weiland, class manager for the IRC/TP 52 and
co-organizer of the Super Series. "It will be interesting to see how the
American boats fare against the Mediterranean boats. My feeling is that it
might be quite even." -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/KWRW-011413
Race Week coverage: http://premiere-racing.com/QKW2013_event.html
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
"We're in the final stretch now. It's all about time on the water and
gluing the team together. The design is done. We've made our choices. There
is fine-tuning here and there but now it's about getting the sailing team
working to make the best of what we have. I think for me, we are thinking
long term in building this team. It's been two or three years now and
whatever happens, we have a great team and good base to continue. It will
be up to the next defender to decide the rules so it's not entirely in our
control whether we participate or not, but yes, we do it see it long term."
-- Torbjorn Tornqvist, owner of Artemis Racing, America's Cup Challenger of
Record, http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-011413
RULES QUIZ
The US Sailing edition of the Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016 has 91
rules and 184 pages. How many Right of Way Rules are there? (See answer
below)
FOLLOWING THE CLASSIC ROUTE
Southampton and the Solent, on England's South Coast, famous as the start
for some of the greatest ocean races of the past fifty years, has been
chosen to host the start of the revamped Global Ocean Race 2014-2015.
The event's race village will be part of the PSP Southampton Boat Show
prior to the race start on September 21, 2014, enabling tens of thousands
of visitors to get a close up view of the remarkable Class40 yachts.
Race organizer Josh Hall also confirmed that the 31,000-mile race will
again follow the classic Southern Ocean route around the world. It is
planned that the GOR sailors will also complete their circumnavigation in
the Solent and finishing the race in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, in June
2015 is under consideration.
The third edition of the GOR will make its first stop in Cape Town before
heading to New Zealand and/or Australia, with stops in South America and
Charleston, USA, before finishing back in The Solent. The Australasian and
South American stopovers are currently in negotiation.
"Ocean Racing is the pinnacle of our sailing sport," declared Hall. "It is
exciting, challenging and an enormous adventure, but in recent years it has
been diluted because of the need to attract wealthy sponsorship from
countries not on the classic routes. With three new classes (fully-crewed,
two-handed and single-handed), we expect to attract a substantial fleet.
Entering this race is affordable for many who could not afford to enter
some of the other existing events and we also believe the GOR returns ocean
racing to the days when amateurs could take on the professionals." -- Full
report: http://globaloceanrace.com/index.php?page=news&news_id=733&lang=en
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you missed the subtle jab, Hall noted how the
commercialization of the Volvo Ocean Race has led it to abandon the classic
Southern Ocean route in search of Asian wealth.
RULES QUIZ ANSWER
There are four right of way rules (All on Pg 8), four limiting rules (Pg
9), plus rules governing mark-room and obstructions (Pgs 10-11). NorthU
Rules & Tactics Seminars and Webinars take the myth and mystery out of the
rules so you'll understand your rights (and obligations) in any situation.
The seminars cover all the rules - new and old - with a new Racing Rules &
Tactics Workbook created by Dave Perry. US Sailing Memberships and
Discounts! Full details and registration: 800-347-2457,
http://www.northu.com
NEARING THE EQUATOR
(January 14, 2013; Day 66) - As the road to the finish shortens, the
opportunities to strike back at the leader Francois Gabart (Macif) decline.
He continues to set the rhythm with Armel Le Cleac'h (Banque Populaire)
following in his path. Heading north with beam reaching angles, Francois is
now just over 200 nm from the equator. Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3)
and Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) have clearly been dropped off the bus,
bleeding 350 nm and 580 nm respectively during the past three days.
Tracking: http://tracking2012.vendeeglobe.org/en/
Top 5 of 20 - Rankings as of Monday, January 14, 2013, 20h00 (FR)
1. Francois Gabart (FRA), Macif: 3425.8 nm Distance to Finish
2. Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA), Banque Populaire: 269.1 nm Distance to Lead
3. Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Virbac Paprec 3: 706.8 nm DTL
4. Alex Thomson (GBR), Hugo Boss: 882.8 nm DTL
5. Jean Le Cam (FRA), SynerCiel: 1934.8 nm DTL
Full rankings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html
BACKGROUND: Twenty skippers began the 24,000-nm Vendee Globe, a solo,
non-stop around the world race in the IMOCA Open 60 class. Starting in Les
Sables d'Olonne, France on November 10, the west to east course passes the
three major capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn before returning to
Les Sables d'Olonne. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) set the course record of 84
days in the 2008-9 edition. -- http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/
SAILING SHORTS
* The 2013 Leukemia Cup Regatta schedule includes 40 events throughout the
U.S. and Canada. By raising $10,000 or more by November 1, 2013,
individuals will be invited to the Fantasy Sail on December 6-8, 2013 at
South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, Florida. Details here:
http://www.leukemiacup.org/
* The Alpari World Match Racing Tour, which kicks off in May at Match Race
Germany, is determining the Tour Card Holders for the 2013 season. The Tour
Card Holders are the collective face of the global series and the final
list provides the best indication of who the main contenders will be for
the Tour title each season. The top three from the 2012 season - Ian
Williams (GBR), Bjorn Hansen (SWE) and Phil Robertson (NZL) - are each
guaranteed Tour Cards with 20 additional teams contending for the remaining
five slots. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/WMRT-011413
* CLARIFICATION: It was stated in Scuttlebutt 3753 that Cliff McKay was the
founder of the Optimist pram. The background is that Clifford McKay, Sr.
proposed the idea of the little pram as a youth trainer to the Optimist
International Club in Clearwater, Florida. The club liked the idea, so
McKay worked with Clark Mills who designed and built the first boat in two
weeks. It was launched on August 27, 1947, and turned over to Clifford
McKay, Jr. who is known as the first boy to sail the Optimist.
EIGHT BELLS
On January 7, the Southern California yachting community lost a thoughtful
voice, an inspirational leader and a good friend when Charles F. Hathaway
succumbed to pneumonia and related complications. He was 86.
A prominent figure in the Los Angeles business community for many decades,
his proudest achievement was leading the re-founding of the California
Yacht Club in 1961. After CYC was shuttered by the U.S. Coast Guard during
WWII, Hathaway, along with a small handful of other businessmen, took a
risk by sub-leasing some space on the then dusty flats of Marina del Rey,
and led its development into the world-class yacht club that it is today.
In the early 1960s, Hathaway also helped spearhead the creation of the
Association of Santa Monica Bay Yacht Clubs, and served as its commodore in
1964. In 1987 his own beloved California Yacht Club named him their
Honorary Commodore in perpetuity.
Hathaway was an able and courageous seaman, winner of many important yacht
races and regattas, and explored many of the world's oceans on a wide array
of sail and power boats. In 1976, for his 50th birthday, Charles pioneered
endurance rowing in Southern California by completing the first known solo
crossing from Catalina Island to Marina del Rey in his beloved fixed-seat
ocean dory, Fritz. Five years later he repeated the same row, laced up his
shoes and ran to Riviera Country Club, then rode his bicycle downtown to
the Los Angeles Athletic Club, to complete the first triathlon of that type
in Southern California. In 1984, at age 58, he rowed Fritz from Santa
Barbara to Marina del Rey, an astounding open ocean distance of 72 nautical
miles.
Hathaway is survived by his siblings Frank Hathaway, Barbara Wolff, and
Sylvia Eisenberg, and a large and loving family, including his wife
Patricia, their five children Steven Hathaway, Rebecca Halladay, Thomas
Hathaway, Sally Miller, and Robin Luley, their spouses and 13
grandchildren. A memorial service is pending. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made in his honor to the Catalina Island Conservancy. --
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=15066
KO THE COMPETITION!
The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami is just around the corner (January
27-February 2), and KO Sailing has Laser and RIB charters, gear and
everything else you need to stay ahead of the game. Learn more at KO
Sailing.com: http://www.kosailing.com/charters/laser-charters.html
GUEST COMMENTARY
Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community.
Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted
comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250
words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should
save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From Paul Henderson:
Glen McCarthy falls into the usual morass of blaming those at the top at
ISAF instead of looking in the mirror and seeing who is taking the fun out
of Sailing (re, Scuttlebutt 3753). It is the sailors themselves.
ISAF has a set of rules which, yes, must ensure the sport is fair at the
top level because of the myriad of coaches and rules advisors. ISAF also
produced, thanks to Bill Bentsen, a one page set of very simple rules which
US Sailing and Sail Canada also has circulated.
Royal Canadian Yacht Club (Toronto), thanks to Peter Alberti, has a simple
arbitration system where sailors can sit down without a formal hearing and
decide who caused the collision. But I am sure at every club there is one
or two "sea lawyers" who want to debate endlessly at "no appeals" costly
juries or even appeal to some senior body rather than retiring to the bar.
They are the ones taking the fun out of our beloved sport.
The best day any sailor can have is to have two good races, retire to the
bar and fall in love. That is what the sport is about. The rules are there
to prevent collisions not to be used as offensive weapons to win trophies.
* From Scott Truesdell:
Regarding the report in Scuttlebutt 3753 concerning ArCzar's failed
litigation with Navico, some background is in order. ArCzar does not own
ANY intellectual property. What they do is sue. That's it.
ArCzar looks for what they hope will be an easy target, then file a suit
and hope for a quick cash settlement. They have also sued Sony, Chrysler,
Hasbro, Nintendo, IKEA, ZipRealty, Yelp.com and more. There is no pattern
to who they will sue next.
I am very pleased that they got shot down.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
The Scuttlebutt website provides a marketplace for private parties to buy
and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. For free. As a bonus,
each week the Scuttlebutt newsletter includes some of the recent ad
postings. Have an ad? Post it in the Classified Ad section of the Forum.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.
SPONSORS THIS WEEK
New York Yacht Club - Harken - North Sails - North U
KO Sailing - Doyle Sailmakers - US Sailing
UsedBoatEquipment.com - Block Island Race Week
Ullman Sails - Hall Spars & Rigging - Mount Gay Rum
Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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