|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2256 – January 10, 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). PERCY'S PREDICAMENT (The Daily Sail subscription website spoke to Iain Percy about the ailing +39 America's Cup campaign and his plans in the Star. Here is an excerpt.) The last months have been difficult ones for Iain Percy as he has juggled his role as skipper of the cashed-strapped, Italian-run America's Cup campaign +39 alongside a Star campaign with Steve Mitchell. The going has proved tough on both fronts for the Sydney Finn Gold medallist. Of the 12 America's Cup teams lining up to do battle this spring and summer, +39 has been looking the most shakey for some months now. Luca Devoti's team have gone from one financial crisis to the next despite being one of the first teams to raise their head above the parapet with the announcement of their challenge back in March 1994. Italy may be one of the most America's Cup enraptured nations, but even so +39 is struggling being the third and weakest of three Italian campaigns setting their sights on this year's competition. On the one hand +39 were able to take delivery of their new Cup boat ITA 85 back in October, but on the other the crew don't appear to have been paid for several months and hence the new boat has only been sailed a couple of times. "We haven’t been sailing it because of our financial difficulties," admits Percy who says he is now taking a back seat in terms of trying to sort the team's cash crisis. "So hopefully the powers that be that are above me, they sort it out and we get on and do the event. We are going to be compromised hugely…” -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/yebfya ASKING FOR THE KIDS’ PERSPECTIVE (Due to the large size of the United States, the distance between sailing areas often leads to variances in many segments of the sport, not least of all is youth sailing development. John Hammel describes here that to determine what is best for kids, you first need to ask them.) Last month, a letter in Issue 2249 from Paul Zankel stated that there was “no need for a simpler "transition" boat between the Optimist and the Club 420.” He went on to say ask why should we make parents buy a boat that good sailors will outgrow quickly, that isn't used in the college racing format, and doesn't offer any more excitement than a 420?” Mr. Zankel has an adult, logical perspective. However, when you go to the kids, you get a different slant. Some kids just aren't having fun alone in an Opti. Maybe they're afraid; maybe they feel left out. Some kids get big early and have greater difficulty making an Opti go fast, which is discouraging. These kids drop out of sailing because they're not having fun. A double-handed trainer can work in parallel to Opti sailing, just as the 420 works in parallel to Laser sailing. On Long Island Sound, the majority of kids sailing Optis in Blue fleet (top age 12) do not continue to sail Optis at age 13. Bruce Kirby was inspired to design a boat around those kids that leave the Opti, but are too young and inexperienced to handle the club 420. We tested his new design, the Pixel, alongside the Feva, a reduced-sail 420, and a Blue Jay a couple years ago. We found the 420 was virtually impossible to right by two small kids after capsizing, wherein it turtles almost immediately. The kids also found it to be intimidating. We found the Feva to be too tippy and unstable for our target sailors, and the Blue Jay was deemed slow in light air and difficult to sail in heavy air. Ultimately, the sailors voted for the Pixel, as it moved well in light air, planed easily in heavy air, was very stable and easy to right after capsizing. So there you have it: the adult perspective of what makes the most sense, and the kids' perspective of what is fun and keeps them in the sport. -- John Hammel ORANGE BOWL ESSAY CONTEST Year after year, the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta in Miami, FL, held annually during the last week of December, is the largest junior event in North America. The 2006 event attracted 522 entries, and for those that have ever attended - either this year or in the past - there are likely some special stories to share. Therefore, Miami Regattas is sponsoring a contest. Tell us your favorite Orange Bowl Regatta story in 200 words or less. You can even include pictures. This contest is open to anyone who has ever participated in the regatta in anyway - juniors, coaches, parents, sisters, brothers, judges, regatta organizers from any year or any country. Winning story(s) will be published in Scuttlebutt, with prizes including a 2-night stay at a Grove Hotel, VIP tickets to Miami area attractions and more! Submit entries by January 20, 2007 to: mailto:Essays@MiamiRegattas.com HARKEN TECH TEAM THERE FOR YOU - KEY WEST RACE WEEK Winches need a tune-up? Looking for replacement ball bearings? Just want to visit with the Harken boys? Our full-service mobile workshop is powered with drill press, grinder, hand tools, corkscrew, and a massive amount of spare parts including Carbo Racing Foils. Find us at the West Marine parking lot on the corner of William and Caroline Street, and on-the-water with our Tech Team RIB. For contact information: http://www.harken.com/sailing/keywest_techteam2007.php KEY WEST COUNTDOWN 2007 racing gets a jump-start in Key West on Monday, January 15. A twenty-year milestone will be celebrated with an extraordinary international field boasting entries from a record matching 20 different nations and over 30 US states. Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica will feature exciting new designs and an abundance of world-class talent. The afterguard rosters read like an America’s Cup and Volvo Race all star team with the likes of Butterworth, Bekking, Coutts, Pepper, Read, Celon, Whidden, Brun, de Ridder and Beashel, to name but a few. TV and Internet Productions will bring the racing excitement right into homes and offices around the world. Acura is sponsoring a special daily Internet production, which will be available nightly on the official event web site and ESPN.com. Additionally a special Jobson Sailing production will be aired on ESPN 2, Sunday March 11 at 1:30 PM EST. -- http://www.premiere-racing.com/keywest07/pages/KW07_index.htm * Curmudgeon’s Comment: If you plan on being there, Scuttlebutt is seeking your Key West party pictures to show off the on-land portion of the event. Bring your camera and help us assemble a photo gallery with your tent photos, your Duval Street photos, your blender party photos, your late night, where the heck am I photos. Our mantra this year will be “It’s not whether you win or lose… it’s whether you get your photo in Scuttlebutt.” Photos should be sent to mailto:craig@sailingscuttlebutt.com IT HAPPENED LAST WEEKEND (Scuttlebutt received the following race report from Janet Laffitte, who describes how even ideal San Diego sailing conditions in January can have some room for error.) My husband, Fred and I live in Seattle and enjoy our monthly sojurns to San Diego to race our Etchells with the local fleet. Our longtime crew, Emmanuel Renoir ("Manu") lives in Point Loma. We left the stormy northwest and found the weekend in San Diego sunny and warm with a nice 10 knots of breeze. Emmanuel has gotten rather large - 250 pounds to be exact. Fred was beating up on him all weekend because with that much weight, he moves very slowly (I think some of the fat is in his brain too because he had selective hearing). Anyway, the last race, Fred produced a perfect start right next to the committee boat, launched with speed and not over early to the dismay of the boat to leeward. We were about 100 yards from the weather mark, in 1st or 2nd and the wind is picking up. Fred tells Manu to hike harder. Manu replied, "If I hike any farther out, I'll be swimming. Anyway, I need a line." Fred tells him to then swim and figure it out, but just get your #*$% out. Manu thinks he's so smart; he's taken the mainsheet fine tune and cleated it on the tweeker block, just under where he sits on deck. He's so proud he has to show me! He moves into position, hiking out farther, ready for battle. The first wave comes sending him up off the deck, uncleating the line, and the next thing I see is the soles of his boots before they follow his hefty-sized body splash. Fred goes into action: "Manu, I'm going to sail back to you, stay put...oh you still have the line, good hang on." At which point, we come to a complete stop due to our newly deployed drogue. Fred hands me the tiller and Manu gets his hands on the top of the aft deck. Fred says,” Okay, get on board" but Manu only grunts. This banter goes on for a couple tries until finally, Fred pulls Manu onboard, giving him the most colossal wedgie. Of course by now, the whole fleet has passed us. Fred was upset, but eventually saw the humor. We fought our way back to 5th place and had a good laugh at the bar. -- Janet Laffitte, event race results: http://www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/results07/odwJan_res.htm SAILING SHORTS * US Sailing reported to Scuttlebutt that a summary of the decision on the Brodie Cobb Rule 69 case would be posted within the next week. In the meantime, there are some outstanding posts in the Scuttlebutt Forum by a Senior US Sailing Judge that provides additional clarity to the protesting process when gross misconduct occurs: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3967#3967 * American Mark Strube, 38, will be taking a break from his Olympic Star campaigning to join the Victory Challenge team as they enter the final stage of their preparation for the 32nd America’s Cup. Strube, who had been crewing for Mark Mendelblatt before he joined the New Zealand cup team, was most recently listed with American skipper George Szabo as the fourth ranked Star boat team in the ISAF rankings. Strube, who’ll be a grinder for the Swiss team, played American football at Northern Michigan University, and took part in his first America’s Cup with Abracadabra in 1999-2000 and continued with OneWorld Challenge in 2002-2003. * Dee Caffari won the prestigious title of Raymarine/YJA Yachtsman of the Year - making it a double for the ladies, following Katie Miller taking the title of Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year. British round the world sailing heroine, Dee Caffari was presented with the coveted award, Raymarine/YJA Yachtsman of the Year, for the world record she set as the first woman to sail single-handed, non-stop around the world against prevailing winds and currents. Raymarine/YJA Yachtsman of the Year and Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year awards recognise British sporting excellence in power or sail and acknowledge achievement. * Toni Tio, a partner in the Quantum Sail Design Group as well as the founder and manager of its loft in Barcelona Spain, has been tapped to officially head up Quantum’s European operations. Toni will be responsible for management and day-to-day operations and will oversee and provide direction for all of Quantum’s European lofts. * Atlantic Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of media storage products, has announced its latest cutting-edge consumer electronic accessory innovation – the EGO Waterproof Sound Case for iPod that expands the way consumers use their iPods. As the first fully controllable waterproof iPod music player system that floats in water, the EGO Waterproof Sound Case was awarded the 2007 CES Innovations Award for Excellence in Engineering and Design and features at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Jan. 8-11, 2007. -- BYM News, full report: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=2275 * (New Plymouth, New Zealand - Jan 10, 2007) A yachtsman was airlifted to safety after a collision with a humpback whale that left his 10m trimaran with a gaping hole in its main hull. Lindsay Wright, 52, was sailing Loose Goose home to New Plymouth and was about 150km from Port Waikato at midday yesterday when the whale crashed into his vessel. Mr Wright said he wondered whether the whale had been sleeping on the surface and the boat had ran into it, frightening it and causing it to slam his tail into the hull. -- NZ Herald, full story: http://tinyurl.com/yajeqe GOING SOUTH?? If you’re one of the lucky ones traveling South in the next few weeks for racing or cruising, make sure you're prepared. Team One Newport has all the cool new gear. Check out the Optimum watches, make sure your boots are in good shape, and take a look at the great Henri-Lloyd Shadow jackets and the Gill Soft Shell jacket. Remember your layers from Slam and Patagonia. There’ s still some Musto Race gear on sale. Team One is famous for their crew uniforms. Look your best; ask for the Embroidery department. Catalogs are available too. 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) or http://www.team1newport.com EIGHT BELLS John L. Merrill Jr., 79 passed away last Sunday. Jack served on the Bermuda Race Committee and was a past Commodore of the Cruising Club of America. He was also a member of the Little Cranberry Yacht Club. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1945 and served in the Pacific aboard the P.C. 1144 and later aboard the survey vessel U.S.S. Bowditch, revising the charts of Bikini Atoll. He witnessed the first atomic bomb test. He has been President of Sea Education Association (SEA) of Woods Hole, Mass. A lifelong sailor, he skippered and navigated his own boats in 7 Newport-Bermuda Races and crewed in 14 others. Counting a trans-Atlantic race and cruises in other parts of the world, he logged over 80,000 miles. Jack was recognized as an extraordinarily capable seaman and navigator. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 336 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME at 12 p.m. Post your comments here: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3981#3981 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 Chris Ericksen: As an Etchells owner, I wish I could agree with G.E. Kriese when he says, "the International Etchells should be at the top of the list of reasonably priced boats that regular people can afford to own and race against the best" ('Butt 2255). A change in keel measurement made nearly every boat built before 1990 effectively obsolete for international-level competition (unless the owner wants to go through the expensive and contentious project of redoing the keel), and there are essentially no sail limitations anymore (a sailor can buy six sails a year--pretty good for a boat that uses three sails while racing). And professionals so dominate the top end of the fleet at major events that a new perpetual trophy has been established for the top non-professional team at the North American Championship: the guys that won it took fifth place. The Etchells is far from the boat that could be owned and raced at the top levels by a "man of modest means," to borrow a phrase that was widely proclaimed in class-association literature when I fell in love with the boat more than 20 years ago. And I fear that it is going the way of the 5.5 Metre and Dragon. But, God help me, I love them still. The Etchells remains the best three-person keelboat I've ever sailed or even heard about. I'll own an Etchells as long as I can drag my old bones around my local racecourse--but I will never again compete at the international level. * From the Forum: At least one Scuttlebutt letter-writer (Lou in Issue 2255) correctly ascribes ESPN's failure to rank the skills demands of sailing to their "experts'" lack of understanding. After looking at the individudal scores -- IMHO -- they don't adequately understand some of the sports they did rank. For example, they didn't give high enough scores in agility & speed to track & field's weight events. (Muscle alone doesn't get a 16-pound shot out 70 feet.) Anyone who rates alpine skiing low in endurance hasn't raced a downhill course or a long, tight slalom. Unless they're talking about the kind of lactic acid buildup that marathoners experience -- in which case boxing, with its 3-minute rounds, should rank low. Of course, skiing ranks low in "hand-eye coordination"; that's too narrow a skill for any non-ball sport. Your hands should be minimally involved; what matters in many sports is "foot-leg-body-eye-feel coordination". The sailing counterpart would be "sensory-body coordination", to include hiking, sheeting, steering to counteract heel. We could also critique the simplistic addition of skill scores to make up the rankings. Is that realistic? Aren't some skills rarer or more challenging than others? Maybe, we should be thankful sailing isn't on their list. They might have ranked it below checkers. -- Comments here: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3978#3978 * From Dennis Palmer: I found it interesting that five of the top 10 boats overall in the recent Sydney Hobart race were built in the 1970s or earlier. Just goes to show, it is hard to beat a well-sailed boat on handicap. There has been much said in Scuttlebutt bout how to increase participation in our sport of sailing. How about getting out there in a bunch of inexpensive, well-preparred old boats with a decent crew and knocking the socks off a bunch of expensive, high tech boats? * From Tom Whitmore: (In regards to the thread on better TV ratings for the sport of sailing and the comparison to NASCAR…which I believe we've seen here before) Regardless of one's personal feeling about NASCAR, it is a qualified success in terms of spectator appeal. When analyzing NASCAR's success, it is often pointed out that one of the rules that help to foster it's appeal is that while there are very few similarities under the shell, the car's bodies must within certain parameters resemble American production cars. Our being able to identify with the vehicles is supposed to boost our interest. Perhaps we should consider adapting this approach for sailing. Now there's an image; carbon-fiber Beetlecats on foils! ;-) CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “All those who want to expunge all risk from the world share one characteristic: a lack of courage.” - Stirling Moss Special thanks to Harken Yacht Equipment and Team One Newport. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
