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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 630 - August 22, 2000AMERICA'S CUP(In Sunday's New York Times, sailing columnist Herb McCormick took an insightful look at Larry Ellison's AC syndicate. Here's a brief excerpt.) To bolster the core group of Sayonara sailors with other experienced cup players, Ellison hired Cayard, the skipper who headed the America One challenge in the last cup, as well as several of that program's key personnel, including the operations manager, Bob Billingham. Ellison also purchased all of America One's assets, which became available when Cayard decided that the billionaires had essentially priced him out of the competition. "The cap on our old fund-raising model for America One, which was based on corporate sponsorship and raising money from private donations, seems be around 30 or 40 million dollars," Cayard said. "That's less than half of what you're going to need to be competitive now." But money is not an issue for Ellison, who also purchased the two Aloha Racing cup boats sailed by John Kolius's Hawaii-based challenge earlier this year. Ellison also owns two mega-powerboats, the 192-foot Izanami and the 244-foot Katana. It is difficult to conjure a scenario in which Ellison will be outspent, but it is also hard to lay odds on the success of a Dickson-Cayard collaboration. Both are known for being fiercely competitive, and neither suffers from a lack of self-esteem. But Cayard is coming off a fresh, tough cup challenge, while Dickson sat out the last event. Cayard said that he planned to be aboard Ellison's cup racer, but in what position remains uncertain. "Dickson has a long relationship with Larry as Sayonara's skipper, so he's the incumbent skipper," Cayard said. "I think we just have to wait and see how things go. In two-and-a-half years, anything's possible." Even though Cayard is known as a team player, it will be interesting to see how comfortable he will be if not unequivocally in command. And if Cayard finds himself unhappy in a limited role in a Dickson afterguard, Ellison may find himself with a quarterback controversy not seen in the Bay area since Joe Montana and Steve Young were both wearing the uniform of Cayard's beloved 49ers. How close Ellison will be to the day-to-day operation remains to be seen. In the Hobart race, between bouts of nausea, Ellison took a regular turn at the wheel, and he is said to be a good helmsman. "Larry would like to be involved as much as his schedule allows," (syndicate chief operating officer, Bill) Erkelens said. "But he doesn't want to be on board unless he has spent enough time training to participate at the level required." - Herb McCormick, NY Times Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/library/sports/outdoors/082000boat-notebook.html FOR THE RECORD Record setting American yachtsman Steve Fossett and his 11 man crew aboard the 105-foot maxi-catamaran PlayStati on plan to depart New York on Wednesday morning (23 August) - their target is the 10-year old TransAtlantic NY-UK sailing record. "This is a really tough record - 20 attempts have been made on this record over the past 10 years but we have been waiting 6 weeks for weather and we think this pattern is good enough," Fossett said. The current record of six days, 13 hours, three minutes and 32 seconds is held by Frenchman Serge Madec (Jet Services 5 - 1990). The original 1905 record of 12 days, by the schooner Atlantic, stood for 75 years. Between 1980 and 1990 it was broken seven times. - http://www.fossettchallenge.com SOLUTIONS FROM SAILCLOTH.COM Wish your spinnaker would dry off after dunking, hold its shape after a few heavy air days of sailing, and resist tearing during complicated maneuvers? Next time, ask your sailmaker to use AIRX, a revolutionary new spinnaker fabric from Bainbridge International. AIRX is stronger, lower in stretch and has an ultra water repellent finish. With zero porosity and less tearing, it has a wide range of use for both racing a cruising sailors. AIRX is exclusively from Bainbridge International, where power and performance are cut from the same cloth. For more information, visit http://www.sailcloth.com BUDDY MELGES (Buddy Melges recently discussed his background and many sailing victories in an hour-long chat with sailors and sailing fans on the Quokka Sports website. Here's an except from the transcript.) QUESTION: So, would you say most sailors see abiding by these rules as a help or hindrance? BuddyMelges: Oh, I think the rules are a help, and there are a lot of alternative penalties. In 1962, if you hit a mark, you were off the course and out of the race. Now, if you hit a mark, you do a 360 (penalty turn) and sail on; it's not a severe penalty. We originated a percentage penalty situation years ago in one race. The rules are more adhered to now. They give you an "out" with the alternative penalties. The people racing today are more accomplished sailors, who can thread a needle with their boats. The more the boats are one-design, the closer the race is, and the need to know where your bow plate is, and to know the position your boats are in. The sport has lost some of its gentlemanly kindness out there, and when you make a foul now, you can't exonerate yourself on the racecourse. So maybe that's why it's gotten more decisive out there. QUESTION: In your philosophy of racing, are the rules meant to be a shield or a sword? BuddyMelges: I think in some parts of the country they're a sword. The higher up the ladder in confidence of the helmsman, the more they see on up the racecourse. Say there's a port and starboard meeting of two boats. The port-tack may say "tack and cross." Maybe the starboard-tacker would have waved them through. The starboard-tacker may want to carry on, and the port-tacker may come into a leeward position, and he may force the starboard-tacker out of there. It can be done in a gentlemanly way. But some younger sailors may not have this view of the entire racecourse, and get forced into letting another boat to tack on top of him. He may have to tack out because he wasn't vocal enough to give the other guy the chance to pass. QUESTION: I know that it may be too soon to tell, but will you stay with America True for the next AC? BuddyMelges: I was working with America True only as a coach. It's difficult to say what will happen. I'm not pleased now at the possibility that an Australian and a New Zealander could win the cup for the United States. The friendly competition between nations is evaporating. I was pleased to see the Kiwi team of '95 come here, take the cup, and now defend it. But now it seems they have gone - well, not dismantling the team, but the designer is going to Seattle, and the sailors to Seattle and Switzerland. It's changing the Cup dramatically. Now it's now more a game for the billionaires, to raise $15 million and get corporate America behind this, to see the value they get from it. ESPN has done a great job on TV with exposure of the sport, yet that venue is what makes it or breaks it. Certainly Australia was a great venue, and developed a lot of sailors because of that. The "Big Boat" catamaran challenge was a disgusting thing, though. And I have little interest in rock stars sailing out there. - Quokka Sports Full transcript: http://www.quokkasailing.com/stories/08/SLQ__0815_s_melges_chat_WFC.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Merritt Palm - Signaled by the Sears, Bemis, Smyth regatta, the end of another summer of junior sailing approaches. Before you put away the Sabots, Optis, 420s and FJs and head back to school, think about taking a minute to thank the parents/adults who VOLUNTEERED their time to keep all those programs running. I have great memories of being a junior sailor and a sailing coach. Also, I am sure many of the pros that sail today started in a junior sailing program. Nice job!...to those who encouraged us to compete in one of the coolest sports on the planet! OLYMPICS - What's in a name? The sport was known before this Olympics as yachting. The (Olympic) organizers believed the word yachting was too quaint, old-fashioned and weighed down with preconceptions of class. So now we have sailing, though it is only the name that has changed. - BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/olympics2000/ MATCH RACING Organizers of the 2000 Ficker Cup Match Racing Championship, scheduled for October 28-29, are seeking qualified match racers to participate in the regatta at Long Beach Yacht Club. Up to ten skippers will be invited to the round-robin tournament on Long Beach's Outer Harbor, near the Belmont Pier. The winner of the Ficker Cup is annually awarded an invitation to the following year's Congressional Cup Regatta. Interested skippers should forward their recent sailing resume's, with an emphasis on match racing accomplishments. There is no age limit, nor are sailors required to have professional-level match racing experience. Skippers will be invited after a review of the information provided by interested skippers; in mid-September. The winners of US Sailing's Prince of Wales Championship and the Frank Butler Match Race Series are guaranteed invitations. The other spots will be chosen by resume'. The regatta is sailed in the Long Beach Sailing Foundation's fleet of match Catalina 37s, the same boats used in Congressional Cup. There is no entry fee for Ficker invitees; however, they do charter a Catalina 37 for the weekend. Sailors should contact: (562) 498-5990 (fax) or clevaul@earthlink.net (E-Mail) to apply for an invitation, or for further information about Ficker Cup. GENDER SPECIFIC MATCH RACING Five Americans will skipper boats in Rolex Thompson Cup August 24-27 match racing competition on Long Island: - Dru Slattery,Marblehead, MA - top-ranked U.S. woman (9th) - Cory Sertl, Rochester, NY (13th) - Hannah Swett, Jamestown, RI (25th) - Liz Baylis, San Rafael, CA (30th) extended an invitation when Dawn Riley, (San Francisco, CA, (23rd) withdrew to crew for Swett. International entrants include: - Cordelia Eglin, Great Britain (4th) - Paula Lewin, Bermuda's (6th) - Christine Briand, Franc (8th) - Nadine Stegenwalner, Germany's (14th) - Sharon Ferris, New Zealand (17th) - Lotte Melgaard Pedersen, Denmark (21st) - Sabrina Gurioli, Italy's (22nd). A grade one event, the Rolex Thompson Cup will be held in 23-foot Sonars supplied by host Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (Oyster Bay, N.Y.). - Barby MacGowan, www.thompsoncup.org SIMPLY THE BEST Gill have been the market leaders in boating boots for many years. 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The top two teams would earn the right to represent the US at the 2001 Worlds in Uruguay, and a little rain wasn't going to keep them away. Fortunately the forecasters were quite wrong and we ended up with a gloriously sunny weekend. But how about the breeze, you ask? Well, there is a wise saying in New England: never trust a northerly... Saturday reinforced that wisdom. After we all struggled against wind and tide to get to the starting line just north of the Newport Bridge, there was still just enough northeast pressure to start a race but not enough to make the time limit. After the abandonment (with cheering) and a short wait, the famous Narragansett Bay seabreeze materialized, which allowed two races to be completed in more civilized conditions. The breeze quickly built to 14 knots and seemed to favor the left side. dinner, and Newport night life. Fall arrived on Sunday, clear, cool... and windy, from the northwest. 3 races were completed in a funky breeze and building ebb current, so it got harder and harder to be consistent (or just get across the starting line) as the day went on Two teams (Augie Diaz/Tracy Nan Hayley and Kevin Funsch/Watt Duffy) now join the list of qualifiers for the 2001 Worlds in Uruguay; the final two spots will be filled at the Pacific Coast Championships in September. - Carol Cronin Final results (39 boats): 1. Augie Diaz/Tracy Nan Hayley Coconut Grove, FL 17.5 2. Hal Gilreath/Ned Jones Annapolis MD 19 3. Kevin Funsch/Watt Duffy Houston, TX 19.75 4. Lee Griffith/Lisa Griffith Surf City, NJ 22.75 5. Carol Cronin/Theresa Colantuano Newport, RI 26 Complete results: http://www.snipe.org/results/ THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS The Two Most Common Elements in the Universe Are Hydrogen and Stupidity. |
