SCUTTLEBUTT No. 889 - August 28, 2001
Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
JUBILEE REFLECTIONS
They say that when you're sailing on the Solent and you can see the shore,
it means it's about to rain. If you can't see the shore, it's already
raining. It wasn't lost on anyone, therefore, that sailing with sunshine
and fair winds for most of the America's Cup Jubilee was a bonus.
While sometimes it seems to only have been about America's Cup vessels, the
Jubilee also was about modern yachts, of which there were 74 entered. They
joined 60 more vintage and "spirit of tradition" boats to help create the
spectacle and enjoy an otherwise straightforward regatta on the Solent.
When I joined a Swan 51 team mid-week, I learned, however, that racing here
is anything but straightforward, especially since the typically 2-3 knot
currents and eight-foot tides were being stretched to new outer limits not
seen for 100 years. At one point, on the mainland side of the Solent, we
had to weave our way between the land and several racing boats that were
grounded on shoals for 20 or more minutes until the rising tide allowed
them off. Earlier in the regatta, I had watched as the 12-metre Valiant
abruptly stopped racing when she became firmly stuck in the muck closer to
Cowes. Her stint on the bottom was longer. It was rumored that the crew
stayed with the boat and ordered out for pizza as dinnertime came and
darkness fell.
With a main street that can be walked in minutes, the small town of Cowes,
for seven days, seemed bigger than the world. Here is where the who's who
of yachting and the which is what of vessels performed on the stage of the
Solent. Meanwhile, a woodstock-style appreciation, for what all of us--in
whatever way we have connected ourselves with sailboat racing--have turned
into, took shape on the shore. Yachting is a fantastic sport, it does pay
personally, if not in large salaries then in freedom, friendships and
opportunity. - Barby MacGowan, Scuttlebutt's official Jubilee correspondent
in Cowes.
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
(Dan Dickison reviewed the events of the America's Cup Jubilee and asked
some cogent questions. Here is an excerpt from his story on the SailNet
website.)
Despite all the glitz and glamour, it's hard to avoid one lingering
question: What's the lasting value that will be taken away from all of this
pomp and circumstance? Certainly many of the sport's leading photographers
captured the occasion on film and digitally for posterity; that definitely
counts. And we now know for sure that most of the more recent America's Cup
boats are faster than their predecessors, which will no doubt make the
designers and syndicate heads happy. And we learned that the British-based
America's Cup syndicate has the potential to be a serious contender when
the Cup matches take place in 2003. But what impact did the Jubilee
actually have on the sport in general, and how, if at all, did these
proceedings serve the rank and file sailor?
Did the movers and shakers in the sport-the powers that be who were on hand
to commemorate the occasion in Cowes-make any headway on the myriad
problems that face sailing? Did they use this rare opportunity to engender
better ideas regarding how to make sailboat racing grow worldwide? Did they
foster novel approaches to simplifying the complexity of our sport's rules
or it's measurement systems, or come to terms with the many criticisms that
our more extreme events regularly elicit?
I ask these questions because I think they're pertinent. I can't answer
them because I wasn't there, but I can only hope that between the cocktails
and the cockpits, amid the hob-nobbing on shore and the bobbing on the
Solent, some progressive interaction took place. I'd like to think that the
answer is affirmative, but if I were to judge by the press releases that I
received and the general tenor of the reports that I've read and heard, I'd
say the event ran the risk of coming off as a slightly garish
representation of the sport, making sailing seem somewhat exclusionary and
its participants self-serving. I hope that I'm wrong, but interpreted
through the media coverage we've seen so far, it seems that the only thing
missing at the Jamboree, excuse me, Jubilee, was ongoing commentary by
Robin Leach.
The celebration in Cowes last week was obviously a smashing success with
great glitz and glitter, but what the 500 or so credentialed members of the
media didn't convey in their ample output was what the Jubilee experience
meant to Joe Winchgrinder and Bobby Bowman. We know how Gary Jobson felt
about the occasion because we sampled streaming video of him pontificating
from the dais during the gala, but we don't know how it all went down for
anybody aside from the touted members of the afterguard.
And that's the point. Sailing's populace and its future participants
aren't, by and large, millionaires and rock stars, they're just regular
folks. The Jubilee may have been a grand occasion for them as well, but if
so it was left unsaid. Don't blame the organizers, they're efforts were
well intentioned; 150 years of sporting competition deserves a little fete,
even on a grand scale. And don't blame the participants, they just wanted
to sail and have a good time; it's summer in the northern hemisphere after
all. Blame me and my colleagues in the media. Maybe those who were on hand
were just too engaged in the celebration to spell out the enduring value of
this occasion for the rest of us. Either way, it's only fair to suspend
full judgement on the issue until all of the print publications have had a
chance to deliver their take. With any luck, they'll help the sailing
community find meaning behind the grandeur. - Dan Dickison, SailNet website
Full story:
http://www.sailnet.com/collections/racing/index.cfm?articleid=ddcksn0463&tfr=fp
HAWAIIAN STYLE
You all have enjoyed the Camet Padded shorts in a variety of colors, now is
the time to get your new shorts, before the summer is over in the new Navy
with Hawaiian stripes. Just imagine yourself, walking down the docks, in
your new shorts and carrying the rest of your gear in one of the sharp
looking Camet bags. http://www.camet.com
MAKO ETCHELLS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
August 27th 2001, Lymington, England-Barry Dunning with James Rock and
Harald Orneberg won the opening race of the Mako Etchells World
Championship, leading all the way and extending that lead in the second
half of the race to win by two minutes and 37 seconds. Dunning, from the
host club - the Royal Lymington YC, lives within sight of the course in
Christchurch Bay, showed the other 60 competitors the way to deal with the
shifting north-easterly breeze. The shifts were big and frequent, but the
gradient breeze remained although it dropped from 14-16 knots at the start
to 5-7 knots at the finish. - Bob Fisher
STANDINGS:
1. GBR, Irrational Exuberance, B Dunning
2. GBR, Bedrock, S Childerley
3. NZL, Love Shack, K Gager
4. HKG, Wanchai Belle, J McWilliam
5. GBR Maverick, R Wickens
6. USA, No Time At All, Robbie Doyle
12. USA, Lionheart, S Girling
21. USA Wild Horses, M Goldfarb
37. USA, Avior, J Nye
47. USA Menace, D Conner
48. USA Suicide Raid, J McConnell.
http://www.rlymyc.org.uk/Sailing/Etchells/etchos.html
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
leweck@earthlink.net
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room or a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Chris Ericksen (edited to our 250-word limit): The report in 'Butt
888 that US Sailing plans to implement a strategic plan for fundraising
with an emphasis on Olympic sailing comes as great news: I hope it is the
shape of things to come regarding some separation of Olympic sailing from
the day-to-day concerns of rank-and-file sailors.
I am proud to support Olympic sailing athletes and do so both directly with
contributions and indirectly through organizations to which I belong. But I
am increasingly disturbed that a large part of the attention, publicity and
finances of US Sailing gets dedicated every four years for 18 to 24 months
to support the efforts of a couple dozen sailors. Were US Sailing able to
keep eyes on both Olympic sailors and the rank-and-file sailor at the same
time, I would not be so concerned; sadly, it seems US Sailing can do one or
the other but not both.
I hope this might be the first step to divide US Sailing, either
functionally or actually, into two sections: one dedicated to Olympic
sailing and one to the rank-and-file sailor. Whether this takes the form of
a functional division, where Olympic sailing is separately funded, staffed
and supported, or an actual division into two separate and distinct
organizations, I have no preference. Either way, both groups could continue
to interact and support each other, but neither would suffer from what I
see as a periodic lack of attention from US Sailing.
* From Sean Dwyer: While it's true that I wouldn't subject my yellow lab to
the living conditions aboard a Whitbread (Volvo?) 60, I also don't think
it's my/our place to tell those racing at the pinnacle of our sport how to
do so, as long as they race within the rules. If we start this, why stop
there--
I'd suggest requiring air conditioning, tilt steering wheels, and power
windows in Formula 1 cars; heaters and shock absorbers in olympic bobsleds,
and more comfortable uniforms on the Sumo circuit.
These guys & gals are extraordinarily experienced and certainly have their
own personal "reasonableness" tests to which they put the prospective
program and boat design prior to signing up. They also have the ability to
resign, if in their judgment, something is not right. Let's not impose our
will on professional athletes competing within the rules.
* From Norris McNamara: I couldn't agree more with the ever-sagacious
Roger Vaughn on the Volvo 60 crew living conditions. Sounds to me like
testosterone-driven Spartanism, creating 21st century galley slaves. And to
what end? Creating manly men? Maybe OSHA will investigate at a US port of call.
* From Brian Hancock: My, how things have changed. When I did my first
Whitbread back in the early 80's I remember complaining about the size of
my cabin!
* From Marc Herrmann: It would appear that the general consensus to
implement a degree of comfort and proper nutritional needs on a VO 60 to be
left in the hands of the competitors. Why not organize a VO 60 campaign
with all the "necessary" so called comforts of home and include a proper
nutritional balanced diet plan? This would prove to everyone once and for
all the true comfort value of long distance competition.
* From Mark Johnson (re ooching, rocking & pumping in the Opti classes):
Back in the early '80's as a member of Apalachee Bay Yacht Club, I was the
Judge for a trials/tune-up regatta held for Florida Opti sailors in Shell
Point, FL (coast south of Tallahassee). There were 60-75+ kids from all
over the state sailing in the event. The site was selected to simulate wind
and tide conditions that were expected for the nationals later that year.
What Mike O'Sullivan witnessed in Ottawa was exactly the same as I
experienced in this regatta. No doubt, with light wind and medium current,
virtually every Opti skipper was highly skilled in art & craft of moving
the boat by means other than wind against sails.
After several morning races, we held a meeting with the regatta organizers
and suggested that as "Judge" we would not allow any additional sculling,
ooching, pumping! The parents and folks who came with their kids raised a
single voice which basically said: "It's expected, they do it world wide,
it's the nature of the class!" We SUGGESTED that any further HIGHLY OBVIOUS
infractions would result in disqualification. The parents & coaches advised
the kids. The problem was significantly reduced in future races.
The rest of the story... The best were selected to go on, the ooching and
pumping continued at the national event, and ABYC was never asked to hold a
significant event as this again. I suppose it's nice to see some things
don't change.
* From Ken Redler: Sailors who cheat with kinetics do it to get an edge
over the rest of the fleet, that's obvious. What's not so obvious is that
many sailors would rather not cheat, but feel they have to in order to
remain competitive. It's not just with kinetics that sailors are cheating,
but also in weighing in of crews (dropping weight to make the prerace
weigh-in but then putting it back on for the regatta), altering boats after
measurements, and assorted other rule violations that are impossible to
monitor. Trying to scale back cheating by increasing enforcement is fine at
championship regattas, but it just isn't possible for weekend club races.
Cheating is a mentality. Eliminating cheating, whether it is in the form of
kinetics, weight violations or whatever else, is going to take a grassroots
movement with the top sailors leading by example. I believe it was Paul
Elvstrom who once said, "If in winning you have lost the respect of your
competitors, then you haven't won anything." This ideal we need to not only
teach to new sailors, but also follow ourselves.
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
" I would like that the Cup takes place on the Lake Geneva. Contrary that
people think, it is not the size of the lake or the quantity of wind that
could put problem, but the land cost. Furthermore, there is no available
place around the lake to build a marina and to welcome the bases of the
teams. It would be so in Europe, but I ignore where." - Ernesto Bertarelli,
Alinghi Syndicate
Full story: http://www.chez.com/hauraki/LatestNews/SwissTeam-LN2.htm
CARBON SAILCLOTH
Bainbridge International have recently introduced a new range of CARBON
Fiber laminates. DIAX-OS-HMC utilizes High Modulus Carbon and Twaron Fiber
to make some of the strongest and lowest stretch laminates Bainbridge have
ever made. The mix of fibers in the cloth results in a fabric that benefits
from the best properties of both Carbon, for ultimate low stretch, and
Twaron for durability and shock load resistance. On the water testing has
already proven the incredible performance of DIAX-OS-HMC. For more
information, contact your sailmaker or go to http://www.sailcloth.com
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
* August 31: 67th annual Vineyard Race, Stamford Yacht Club.
http://www.stamfordyc.com
* September 3-8: One Ton Cup, IC 45s, Pwllheli, Wales. : http://www.onetoncup.com
* September 7-9: Larchmont Sailing World NOOD Regatta, Larchmont YC. 15
one-design classes, 140 boats, 700 racers. http://www.sailingworld.com.
* September 9: Stamford Denmark Friendship Regatta, Stamford Yacht Club.
http://www.stamfordyc.com
* October 27: Suddenly Alone Seminar, US Naval Academy, Annapolis,
Cruising Club of America. http://www.cruisingclub.org
* November 3-10: Annual Meeting of the Scuttlebutt Sailing Club, held
concurrently with the Pro-Am regatta at the Bitter End YC on Virgin Gorda
in the BVI. SSC members will race for the SSC Club Championship, plus have
the opportunity to crew for Robbie Haines, Russell Coutts, Ed Baird, Peter
& J.J. Isler, Keith Musto, Butch Ulmer, Rod Johnstone, Lowell North and/ or
the curmudgeon. - http://www.beyc.com
INDUSTRY NEWS
Paul "Flipper" Westlake has joined the Cloth division of North Sails and
will take over as president of North Cloth next spring when Peter Mahr
retires. Westlake, a native of Sydney, Australia, was president of
Bainbridge International for the past 2 years.
SCHOCK 35 NATIONALS
Dana Point YC - Final Results:
1. Whistler, Pete Johnstone / Claudia Waner, 16;
2. Outlier, Dick Schmidt, 33
3. Mischief, Carolyn Hardy / Dave Blackman, 40
4. Ripple, Jeff Janov, 42
5. Wings, Sharon & Dennis Case, 51.
PHRF OF NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP
The Appleton Rum PHRF of New England Championship was held at Marblehead on
24-26 August under great sailing conditions. There were 105 registered
boats. The class winners included: Class 1: Danger Zone, Taylor 32, Tom
McManus; Class 2: Loonatic, Aerodyne 38, Wilcox/ Drechsler; Class 3:
Claddagh, N/M 40, Leo Fallon, Class 4; Sojourn, Tripp 33, Joe Fallon
The West Marine Performance Trophy, given to the winner of the class with
the closest racing in the top 4 places, was won by Loonatic.
Complete results: http://www.phrfne.org/01leadin.htm
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
|