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SCUTTLEBUTT 3081 - Thursday, April 29, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today's sponsors: Summit Yachts and Ullman Sails. ERIN RAISED FROM BOTTOM OF BERMUDA'S GREAT SOUND The forecasted winds for Tuesday, the third day of the Bermuda International Invitational Race Week, were for gusts to 35-40 knots. Perfect forecast, one might say, to precede the scheduled layday on Wednesday. Race hard and then rest. But for skipper Tim Lynch and his crew aboard their J/24 Erin, their layday lacked the moped rides, Snooker games and Dark 'n Stormys that the island is known for. Their boat was sitting on the bottom of Bermuda's Great Sound, and they had some retrieving to do. Erin had been on the last leg of the last race on Tuesday. She was flying her spinnaker in a building 30-knot breeze. As the boat rounded up in a massive broach, she put her mast in the water and flooded the cockpit and cabin. The boat didn't right herself and just sank to the bottom, sails and all. No one was injured. Chase boats on the course picked up Lynch and his crew of Barry Surbuchen, Steven Musicant, Natalie Luthi, Tiffany Wardman as they floated near the mast of the sunken boat. Several racing boats diverted to render assistance as well. A diver retrieved sails and personal items and the motor shortly after the sinking. About two feet of the mast was sticking above the water and Erin was standing straight up with her keel resting on the sandy bottom. She was marked with a buoy overnight. On Wednesday morning, Patton and crew took two work barges to the site. It was quite windy and the Great Sound had a two-foot chop, so after attaching a chain to the boat's hoist ring they lifted the boat just off the bottom. Moving at about a half-knot, they took Erin into the lee of Long Island to get out of the wind and waves. They couldn't just lift the boat out of the water because the weight of all the water inside would have broken the boat in half. A diver positioned two straps under the boat, one in front of the Keel and one behind it. The winches on the two barges lifted Erin so her deck and cockpit companionway were just above the water. They lowered a high capacity pump into the cabin. As the water was pumped out, the boat rose out of the water. Erin was back at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club marina by 2:00PM Wednesday afternoon. When racing in Bermuda International Invitational Race Week resumes on Thursday, Erin will race again. A low North of Bermuda is bringing a series of troughs over the area Wednesday. Winds will be strong to near gale force with gusts to gale force, especially in showers. High pressure builds in on Thursday easing winds and seas. The Forecast for Thursday is WNW 18-22kts and Friday WNW 15-20kts. Racing concludes Friday. -- Scuttlebutt Forum, http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9733#9733 FARR 30 - NEW THINGS HAPPENING WITH THE CLASS The nine event Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regatta circuit scheduled throughout the U.S. has already visited warm weather cities St. Petersburg, FL and San Diego, CA, and is ready to greet spring sailing in Annapolis, MD this weekend (April 30-May 2). With more than 200 boats competing in 16 classes, here is a report from the Farr 30 fleet by Brad Kauffman: "There are a lot of new things happening with the class. We are under new management, run by the owners, and are seeing numbers on the increase for regattas. We have 11 registered for the NOOD this year, when we could only muster 5 last year. New this year is a perpetual trophy funded by the owners to be awarded annually to the winner of the Annapolis NOOD. We have boats here from as far away as Chicago. Also, the 2010 NAs are going to be held in Annapolis at CBYRA Race Week over Labor Day weekend. "We expect some competitive racing this year at the NOODs. Turbo Duck is the boat to beat, as they were the winner last year at the CBYRA Race Week (NAs), where we had 12 boats. Also Adrenalin and Snooker are very competitive and could easily take the top spot. Our fleet is making a transition from the Grand Prix to mostly Corinthian. We expect changes in the class rules this year to attract new owners. We did not have a class at Key West Race Week but are expecting one next January." -- Sailing World event website, http://tinyurl.com/2anmfcc WHITE HEAT IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Summit 40 "White Heat" had a spectacular win in Racing Class C at the BVI Spring Regatta last week. Despite being the smallest boat in its class, it won by 6 points with two bullets on the last day. According to Mike Williamson, owner of the Mark Mills designed IRC rocket, "White Heat's performance both upwind and down was awesome, and enabled her to hold her own even on island racing courses." Check out the New Summit 40 and Summit 35 at http://www.summit-yachts.com ANOTHER DAY OF RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT Hyeres, France (April 28, 2010) - To race or not to race? That was the question for race officials today, once again, at Semaine Olympique Francaise. Sailors spent the day waiting for wind, on and off the water, until late afternoon when the wind consistently filled in from the southwest. Then it was go time. Some classes banged out three races before the sun set, with it close to 9 pm before the 49ers came back to shore. USA saw several top ten performances today: USSTAG's Amanda Clark and Sarah Chin scored a three and nine in two of their races, positioning them in 10th place going into tomorrow. USSTAG's Zach Railey and Bryan Boyd posted three solid scores today, and they now sit in ninth and 11th, respectively, in the Finn class. The Canadian team highlight was Michael Leigh's bullet in the 47-boat Laser Gold fleet. Thursday is the last day of the qualifying series before Friday's top-ten, double-point Medal Races. At the Women's Match Racing event, the repechage round was finished to complete the quarterfinal group. While American Genny Tulloch was eliminated, teammate Anna Tunnicliffe will be the top ranked entrant among the eight teams that will now sail the knock-out series seeking to advance to the semi- and final match. Event website: http://sof.ffvoile.net USSTAG website (reports, photos, videos): http://tinyurl.com/US-SOF-2010 BACKGROUND: Semaine Olympique Francaise is one of the major regattas in the international Olympic sailing circuit and the fourth of seven events in the 2009-10 ISAF Sailing World Cup series. ENTER NOW: While guys like Russell Coutts, Torben Grael, and Hans Fogh got their share of medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, the US Olympic Sailing Team did pretty well too, medaling in all seven events of the Los Angeles Games. Do you remember who was on that team? (Hint: Paul Cayard was an alternate). Check out the team photo and enter to win the Atlantis WeatherGear Microburst Jacket that will be raffled on May 3rd. -- Link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/10/awg QUOTE / UNQUOTE "When I was about 15, I started off, like most kids, writing what seemed like thousands of letters to people asking for sponsorship expecting the offers to come flooding in! I quickly realised in reality it doesn't work like that and, particularly when you're starting out, nothing beats working on the contacts you have like family and friends and pinpointing specific targets. The personal touch is everything and making people feel properly involved and valued makes all the difference." - Ben Ainslie (GBR), 4-time Olympic medalist, http://www.benainslie.com/container.asp?id=23033&social=1 SAILING SHORTS * English Harbour, Antigua (April 28, 2010) - On the fourth day of Antigua Sailing Week, Peter Harrison's 115ft Farr superyacht Sojana has broken her own record in today's 80-mile Round Redonda Race by 45 minutes, with a time of 7 hours, 9 minutes and 58 seconds. With America's Cup legend Peter Holmberg on the helm, and a crew made up of highly respected professionals including Frazer Brown, Marc Fitzgerald, Jac Vincent, and guest star for the day, British record breaking yachtsman Brian Thompson, the stage was set for a good performance in this, the final part of the three-act Antigua Ocean Series. -- Full story: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9734#9734 * What might be the closest finish ever in the Hawaii Lipton Cup took place off Waikiki April 25 and 26, 2010. The Lipton Cup first sailed for in Hawaii in 1930 represents the annual friendly competition between Hawaii Yacht Clubs. The Waikiki Yacht Club represented by Fins won the Cup in 2009 from the Hawaii Yacht Club and successfully defended it against three challengers in five races for 2010. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9723 * (April 28, 2010; Day 9) - The Clipper 09-10 Round The World Yacht southerly route toward Panama is finding lighter winds and warmer temperatures as the nine boat fleet approaches Zihuatanejo. Spirit of Australia continues to maintain her lead, with 1537 nm to the finish. -- Event website: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/ * In Sailing World's College Rankings as of April 28, 2010, the Eagles soar once again as Boston College takes the top spots in both the coed and women's rankings, though the later position is quite tenuous with four women's teams getting a significant number of first-place votes. -- Complete rankings: http://tinyurl.com/2cwdxne * In a sweeping bill that could affect 96% of the state's registered boats, the Illinois General Assembly is set to pass a new mandatory life jacket law that would require solo boaters to wear a life jacket year-round. Senate Bill 3060, which would amend the state's Boat Registration and Safety Act to include this new provision, targets boaters who are the "sole occupant" of a vessel less than 26 feet. -- BoatUS, full report: http://www.boatus.com/pressroom/release.asp?id=502 * Eastport Yacht Club and BoatUS will host a slate of the world-class female match racers on June 2-5 in Annapolis, Maryland, at the 2010 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup. The roster is comprised of many of the top-ranked international skippers, including three teams representing France, four teams from the USA, two Brazilian entries and a Canadian team. Racing will be held in J/22s. -- Full report: http://www.boatus.com/pressroom/release.asp?id=503 * US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee will organize and run an open training camp in Annapolis, Md., for US Sailing Development Team members and youth sailors with Olympic aspirations in the Laser, Laser Radial, I420 and Techno classes. The three-day, intensive training camp will include on-the-water drills and racing, as well as chalk talks and seminars about rules and technique. Olympic and elite level coaches will teach young athletes about the tools they need to take their sailing to a new, elite level and achieve top, international results. Hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club, the camp runs from May 29-31. -- Details: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Releases/Annapolis_Training_Camp.htm TAXI DANCER CLAIMS TWO PRESIDENTIAL TROPHIES IN ENSENADA Ullman Sails customer "Taxi Dancer" excelled in last weekend's light conditions to take home two presidential trophies from the 2010 Newport Beach to Ensenada International Yacht Race. The yellow Reichel-Pugh sled, owned by Dick Compton, Jim Yabsley and Tom Parker, won the Maxi division, earning the President of Mexico trophy. The team also claimed first overall in PHRF corrected time and were awarded the President of USA trophy. Fully powered by Ullman Sails, "Taxi Dancer" finished the 125.5nm race in just over 14 hours, finishing 4th on line in the 200-boat fleet. Ullman Sails - Invest in your performance. http://www.ullmansails.com. EIGHT BELLS I am sad to report that Gene Ambo passed away on April 10 in Chicago. He had several bouts with pneumonia and his wife of eleven years, Milenka was by his side. I first met Gene when he was a successful photographer in Chicago, and I was an Assistant Account Executive in New York. My boss traveled the country with Gene, while I talked with him by phone. With his basso profundo voice, I was expecting a guy 6'5". Was I surprised when we finally met in person. He was lucky to be 5'4" with lifters in his shoes. In his forties, Gene decided to give up photography and be a professional sailor. He was a founding member of the definitely non PC IBNA and created the ball. To make it socially correct, the name was changed to the cotillion and is still held in Annapolis. He was also a founder of Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis and was its first Social Chair. Talk about typecasting. Gene had many friends and shipmates, and perhaps as many nicknames, ranging from Geno to Mellow Yellow. Of Japanese descent. Gene and his family spent some time in internment camps after the fall of Pearl Harbor. You can imagine how surprised Jack King was when he took Gene to a regatta in Japan to sail with him on Merrythought and serve as his interpreter, only to learn that Geno did not speak a word of Japanese. When I called Jack to tell him of Gene's passing, he said, "I always told people that if I had to sail through a storm in shark infested waters and could have only one shipmate, it would be Eugene." Gene asked to be cremated and have half his ashes spread over Lake Michigan and the other over the Chesapeake. I imagine the Ambo stories will flood in after this appears, and they will all be true. Gene's last wish was in his words: "Tell everyone that Ambo croaked and to have a drink for me." Irreverent to the end. The sport has lost one its real characters and great sailors. -- Bill Sandberg, Scuttlebutt Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9722 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: April 30-May 1 - The Leukemia Cup Regatta - Dallas, TX, USA April 30-May 2 - Yachting Cup - San Diego, CA, USA May 1-2 - 111th Great Vallejo Race - Vallejo, CA, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS AND FORUM Please email 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 Rick Demolina, Wilmington, NC: Nicholas Hayes (#3078) makes some interesting observations about the aging demographic of yacht clubs using representative anecdotal data. I would like to provide some representative, anecdotal evidence of my own. As a third generation sailor who hopes the tradition lives on with my children, what keeps my family from participating in the sport is finances - pure and simple. In my area, water access means either competing at the public dock with hundreds of fisherman or coming up with $20K plus to join a local yacht club. The first option is too dangerous; I have no desire to see my child trying to dock a Sabot on the same dock as a half inebriated fisherman at the controls of a 300 HP Grady White. The second option is too expensive; with retirement, college tuition and weddings on the horizon, coming up with that kind of cash, not to mention the monthly expense, is not an option. Perhaps if clubs created a more affordable tier of membership which might limit privileges to such amenities as a dinghy dock, lift, dry storage and clubhouse, more families would join. As children and household incomes grow, those memberships could be converted to a full privilege, full cost membership. Currently, the only discount memberships that I am aware of are legacy memberships, and unless somebody would like to adopt a husband and father of two, that is not an option either. * From Bryan Sarber: I too read the Nicholas Hayes segment with great interest and my wife and I have both read his book ('Saving Sailing'). As a 42 Y/O balancing my young family (2 boys, 6 & 3), work, house chores, and "other" leisure activities we have made it a family priority to actively participate in our local sailing club for all the reasons Mr. Hayes provides in his book. I do not come from a racing or even boating background, but cannot imagine my life absent the many friends and stories we've made since stumbling into the Indianapolis Sailing Club open house in 2002. When we first joined, a half-dozen children showed-up to the Easter party. This year there were 40. My wife runs the summer camp. I'm a board member and the finance chairman. My older son beamed with self-confidence as he began taking his friends for pram rides last summer. Last evening, my younger son asked me when I was going to take him camping on the "big boat" (a Precision 23). And I can almost hold my own on the race course, thanks to my many mentors within the club and Interlake class. This evening I'll be enjoying a burger and beer on the club deck watching the PHRF fleet float around on a windless lake and my sons playing with their sailing club friends. There is no "magic". If you already buy-in to what sailing has to offer, then make it a family priority, find a club, get involved, and make it your own! * From Bruce Thompson: (re, advertisement in Scuttlebutt 3080) As the son of the Valedictorian of the Webb Institute Class of 1932, I would like to congratulate Samantha Griswold on her choice of a college. Given that she has expressed an interest in naval ship design, perhaps his story will serve her as an inspiration to her. He spent his career in the Machinery Design Department of Gibbs & Cox. While they designed a vast array of naval and merchant vessels, they were best known for designing the fastest ships of their day, the destroyers. Whether rushing to battle off Cape St. George, saving the Army Rangers at Pointe Du Hoc on D-Day, turning back Admiral Kurita's battleships off Samar, or fighting off the kamikazes attacking Okinawa, the heroic men of the United States Navy went into harm's way at speed!!! The crowning achievement of his career was the design of the Blue Riband Winner, S S United States, a ship so fast she has never been run wide open. On behalf of my late father, Bon Voyage Sam!! (Watch video of Sam here: http://tinyurl.com/Samantha-Griswold) * From Bill Gibbs, Afterburner: (re, letter in Scuttlebutt 3080) We had a front row seat watching Loe Real's speed (impressive) in the Newport-Ensenada race, as we chased them around the course. They got pretty small in the distance before they beat us into Ensenada by 1:25 (Luckily they owed us a few more minutes than that). If you can't afford an ORMA 60, a 27 year old Kiwi cat (like Afterburner) will do just fine at getting around the course quickly. Big multi's are the best way to finish on Friday in the NP-Ens race. Just need some wind. Not only was the race great, but Ensenada went out of their way to make the next few days hospitable as well. The cute female cops on Segways were new to me. My younger crew partied all Saturday night. No worries, good times. Even our transit back to Ventura was mellow. NP-Ens is still a great race. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill. Special thanks to Summit Yachts and Ullman Sails. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
