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SCUTTLEBUTT 1694 - October 21, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. SPORTSMANSHIP Most of us can come up with broad outlines of what defines "doing the right thing" or, in other words, good sportsmanship. I think most of us don't want to win at any cost. We wouldn't cheat even if we knew we wouldn't get caught. We don't want to win just because our competitor broke down or was OCS. We would rather win the race fair and square with our competitors sailing at their best. We want the respect of our competitors. I think being a good sport means doing your utmost to win under the rules and not hurting anyone else's chances to sail their personal best. This doesn't mean you won't tack on anyone; it just means that you will treat them on and off the racecourse in the same way you'd expect to be treated. The Racing Rules of Sailing acknowledge the importance of sportsmanship right up front in Rule 2: Fair Sailing by saying that we "shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and fair play." Under Section C, Gross Misconduct, the penalties for committing "a gross breach of a rule or of good manners or sportsmanship" are very serious. Paul Elvström made the ethics of sailboat racing sound so black and white when he said "You haven't won the race if, in winning the race, you've lost the respect of your competitors." And I've met and had the chance to sail with numerous people whose moral compasses never waver from doing the right thing, people like Dave Perry, Pease Glaser, and Dave Ullman to name a few. But for the rest of us, sportsmanship gets murky, and it's hard to know what the right thing to do is, especially in the heat of the moment. - Excerpts from an insightful story by one of our favorite people, JJ Isler, posted on the Sailing World magazine website, full story: www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=34630&typeID=419&catID=592 VENDEE GLOBE PREVIEW - The Daily Sail While the likes of Mike Golding, Roland Jourdain and Jean le Cam might be top favourites list for winning this year's Vendee Globe singlehanded non-stop around the world race, we estimate that there are around ten boats in total in with a chance of a podium position. Among this group is the promising form of Gosport's finest, Alex Thomson. Since the moment Hugo Boss came on board, Thomson's boat has been undergoing a massive refit at JMV Industries in Cherbourg managed by former Vendee competitor and Thomson's solo sailing mentor, Josh Hall. Hugo Boss, is Roland Jourdain's old Sill, a Marc Lombard design complete with canting keel and rotating wingmast with deck spreaders, that finished third in the last Vendee and subsequently won a majority of events in Jourdain's hands in the intervening years. Until the new generation of boats were launched last year, Sill was considered the fastest in the Open 60 fleet. "The main thing was to not to change too much but to replace absolutely everything with new stuff," describes Thomson cryptically of the refit. "We've chucked everything off it and just used the structure. The million dollar question is - following the refit will Hugo Boss be competitive against the new boats? "Upwind I would be very surprised if she isn't," says Thomson in his precise, but matter-of-fact sounding way. "Sill and Bonduelle carry the same rig as me, with very similar rig tension and I'll have slightly bigger boards than them. My upwind performance should be on a par as soon as I'm powered up. And off the wind nobody can fault the boat for speed. - Excerpts from a major story The Daily Sail website, full story: www.thedailysail.com/ SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Hamilton Bermuda - The first day of the Championship Round at the King Edward VII Gold Cup, the third stage of the Swedish Match Tour 2004-'05, is one of the hardest days of match-racing at any regatta in the world. Eight seeded skippers, who begin racing with minimal practice, are paired against eight qualifiers, who have had up to three days of practice in the tricky International One-Design sloops. The lack of practice for the seeds, among the best sailors in the world, sets the stage for upsets, and today was no exception. Klaartje Zuiderbaan of the Netherlands, winner of the Cicada International Women's Match Racing Championship last weekend, pulled off an inconceivable upset with a 3-1 defeat American Dennis Conner, the No. 8 seed and the four-time America's Cup winner. Anthony Kotoun of the U.S. Virgin Islands, who advanced to the championship round with a 5-2 record, almost pulled off an equally stunning upset against reigning Swedish Match Tour champion and event defending champion Peter Gilmour of Australia. Kotoun stretched to a 2-0 lead before succumbing to Gilmour, the No. 3 seed, 3-2. Another qualifier, Scott Dickson of Long Beach, Calif., defeated Björn Hansen of Sweden. Today's tricky wind conditions were the key factor in giving the qualifiers a chance for victory, if not the upset. The breeze blew generally from the southwest, but oscillated through a huge arc. When asked if it was a 50-degree range, Charlie McKee, tactician for James Spithill, said, "At least!" The wind was also light, in the 4- to 7-knot range. - Sean McNeill Round 1 Results (Wednesday, Oct. 20) Ed Baird (USA) d. Chris Larson (USA), 3-0 Klaartje Zuiderbaan (NED) d. Dennis Conner (USA), 3-1 Staffan Lindberg (FIN) d. Brian Angel (USA), 3-0 James Spithill (AUS) d. Cameron Appleton (NZL), 3-0 Peter Gilmour (AUS) d. Anthony Kotoun (USA), 3-2 Scott Dickson (NZL) d Björn Hansen (SWE), 3-1 Russell Coutts (NZL) d. Jenny Axhede (SWE) 3-0 Mathieu Richard (FRA) d. Cameron Dunn (NZL), 3-0 www.SwedishMatchTour.com / www.kingedwardviigoldcup.com STYLE AND SUBSTANCE Every mast from Hall Spars & Rigging is designed to perform with style. Just ask Don Finkle of RCR Yachts, who recently set up a new J/100. "The Hall carbon mast is a thing of beauty! The workmanship and finish are absolutely top-shelf. I sailed the first time in 25 knots with higher gusts; I was concerned that the out-of-the-box tune would be way off. To my delight the mast was straight on both tacks." Thanks for the feedback, Don! Whether production or custom, Hall strives to make every mast a winner. See more stylish performers at http://www.hallspars.com MULTIHULL MATCH RACING Light air Wednesday on Lake Pontchartrain yielded only three flights in the quest for the 2004 International Catamaran Challenge Trophy. After a three hour postponement, a light northerly breeze finally filled to determine the winner of the Defender Series. New Orleans-based skipper John Lovell and crew Charlie Ogletree bested Bob Hodges and crew W.F. Oliver in one match to win the right to defend the title they earned last year in Newport, RI. In the Challenger Series. Meanwhile, the Challenger Series remains undecided, as Mitch Booth with Herbert Dercksen from The Netherlands and Enrique Figueroa with Jorge Hernandez from Puerto Rico stand tied on three wins apiece in the first-to-four points series. While the Defenders can relax on their lay day tomorrow and prepare for their next scheduled racing on Friday, competition will resume tomorrow morning to determine who will meet Lovell and Ogletree in the Trophy Series. -Media Pro Int'l, www.southernyachtclub.org WOMEN'S MATCH RACING Sailed in Sonar class keelboats with crews of four, next week's Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF grade 1 women's match racing regatta will take place on Tampa Bay within viewing range of the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier. Hosted by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, the event has attracted a mix of Olympians, Volvo Ocean Race veterans and Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year. Confirmed skippers for the October 28-31 event are: - Liz Baylis, San Francisco, Calif., (ISAF rank: #12) - Christine Briand, La Rochelle, France, (#14) - Giulia Conti, Lake Garda, Italy (#24) - Sandy Hayes, Scituate, Mass. (#18) - Elizabeth Kratzig, Houston, Texas/Miami, Fla. (#15) - Claire Leroy, St. Quentin, France (#3) - Christelle Philippe Saint, Nazaire, France (#4) - Lisa Ross, Toronto, Canada (Not Ranked) - Rachael Silverstein, St. Petersburg, Fla. (#44) - Klaartje Zuiderbaan, Netherlands (#25) Event website: www.rolexwomensmatch.org GLOBAL CHALLENGE Samsung has powered back into first place Wednesday afternoon and pulled ahead by 6nm, which may not sound like a lot, but after this morning's remarkable dead heat, the leader will welcome any clear water. After sailing so close to Samsung this morning, Barclays Adventurer has made a move west and lost their 2nd place spot to SAIC La Jolla. At present the fleet stretches approximately 175nm from east to west as they line up for their approach to the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone, also known as the doldrums) but are still coming together. Sudden storms and squalls can hit one team as another fights just to keep the yacht moving, so there will still be opportunities for potentially heavy gains and losses despite their proximity to one another. Interestingly, Global Challenge 2004/5 still has a few crew spots open on three legs. Due to the fact that they need to fill these spaces at very short notice, they are dealing on the price. Prices will be quoted on a case by case basis, dependant on previous sailing experience etc. The legs with limited availability: - Leg 2 Buenos Aires to Wellington (28th November 2004 - approx 6th January 2005) for those who want to round Cape Horn, as well as spend Christmas and New Years at sea. - Leg 4: Sydney to Cape Town (27th February 2005 - approx 6th April 2005) - Leg 5: Cross the Atlantic from Cape Town to Boston (1st May 2005 - approx 6th June 2005) Event website: www.globalchallenge2004.com NEWS BRIEFS * The announcement of a new Cruising Division for the 60th Anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Race is ideal for a group of Western Australian sailors who are serious about enjoying their cruising but also want to experience the challenge of the blue water classic for the first time. Currently, Cruising Division boats are allowed to carry a minimum of four crew, rather than six as required by the racing boats, and have the option to seek dispensation if not carrying an HF radio. An information sheet addressing those issues will be issued shortly and made available via the race website www.rolexsydneyhobart.com *Alfa Romeo, the 90 Australian-built and crewed super maxi yacht that has dominated maxi racing for two years since winning the 2002 Rolex Sydney to Hobart, has taken its 72nd line honours win with victory in the first race the Rolex Middle of the Sea Regatta, the final major event in the northern summer season. The race is the first of two warm-ups prior to Saturday's Rolex Middle Sea Race proper, a 670 mile race around the Italian island of Sicily. * B&G, a Simrad company, has acquired the rights to Sailmath technology and products. This state-of-the art technology line features the Wave Technology Processor (WTP) and Deckman for Windows (DfW) tactical software. The Sailmath WTP offers data rates up to 10 times faster than other instrument processors. Its core design function is to increase accuracy of information in even the most sophisticated systems. As such, WTP can generally be found integrated with B&G systems on the majority of Americas Cup yachts, Volvo Round The World boats and winning Grand Prix race boats. www.bandg.com/news.htm#sailmath * An attempt is being made to develop a sport boat racing circuit in Southern California in 2005 comprised of Melges, Cheetahs, Martin 243, Magic 25, Vipers, Antrim/Ultimates, ex-Ultimate 30s, and similar boats. For more information: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/socalsportboats RESCUE AT SEA Canadian and U.S. rescue forces co-operated 360 kilometres off Canada's west coast Tuesday to pluck two sailors from their boat as it foundered in rough seas. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was able to hoist the two sailors to safety. "There was no indication why they activated their emergency equipment in the first place. Probably because the weather was pretty crappy . . . and they were concerned the boat was going to sink. At no time did they say they were taking on water other than they'd had some hull damage," Canadian Coast Guard officer Matt Thirkell said. "I guess their engine had failed." The two men had set sail to Victoria from Hawaii when their 17-metre boat became overwhelmed by gusty winds and high waves. Yahoo News, full story: http://tinyurl.com/6d2q3 FAST SAILS DEMAND FAST CLOTH! Why are Ullman Sails the 'Fastest Sails on the Planet?' Simple… fast designs demand fast cloth! At Ullman Sails we choose only the best sail cloth from Contender, Dimension /Polyant and Bainbridge International. What good is a fast sail design if the cloth won't hold the shape! Our fast designs combined with superior sail cloth continue collecting trophies for our customers across the country. If you and your crew are ready, let Ullman Sails bring our speed technology to your sails. Visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (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 nor 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 Boome: I ran across this interesting federal tax law change that was just signed into law this week ... if someone is thinking about donating a boat, better to do it in 2004! Under current law, donors generally can deduct fair market value for donating items such as cars, boats and planes. But under the new legislation, if the donated item is sold by the charity, the donor's deduction generally will be limited to the gross proceeds from that sale. Taxpayers also will have to get a "contemporaneous" written acknowledgment from the charity. The new provision, effective for donations made after the end of the year, applies when the claimed value exceeds $500. - www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/pub4303.pdf * From John Glynn: Here's an idealistic idea for those of us wanting to watch sailing on TV (and the sponsors who bemoan the lack of coverage). Rather than pour $100 million into the boat/team end of an America's Cup campaign, put $50 million into the boat/team, and earmark the other $50 million for TV ad spot buying (call it the "sponsor satisfaction" part of the budget). Then watch the networks line up to cover sailing. But the people controlling the cup these days have the ball, and they want to play with it. It's all about the purity of the racing. And we as sailors are always tempted by new sails, new masts, a second hull, more carbon fiber, you name it. Would you as a sponsor be willing to let a billionaire go play with your money for limited return? * From Bob Hofmann (re Mark Michaelsen comment in 'Butt 1693 comparing the AC to F1): I don't know how many sailors are interested in auto racing, but since Mark brought it up, his point about costs is well taken, however there are only 10 teams in F1 not 36, and they field two cars per team plus one backup car for each race. (If both cars happened to not be running at the start, the team would have to decide which driver gets the spare car) I don't remember the exact figures, but it costs in the multi-millions just for each race and there are 18 races per year. Add in the salaries of the teams which may go as high as 250 people with the top drivers in the 8 figure range annually, shop facilities, R&D, wind tunnel work, etc. and you truly do have a high cost sport. It will be interesting to see how the teams with tobacco advertising will fare when it is banned for all races and not just in some countries as it is now. Unfortunately for the sport, Ford is pulling their F1 Jaguar team out and the other teams using Ford Cosworth engines are now trying to figure out how to continue when Ford stops production. Maybe the cost is finally getting to F1 and we may see some radical changes in the administration of the sport to keep it alive. Perhaps the AC community should take note. * From Bruce Thompson: I think Mark Michaelsen has it wrong about Formula 1. He seems to have missed Ford's announcement that it is dropping its Jaguar brand F1 operation. (www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=100869) When Ford can't afford it, who can? And the fans are getting bored with Ferrari always winning. There certainly are other ways for a nation to demonstrate its "total resources". How about developing a generation of literate, healthy & happy children (i.e. Junior Fleet)? * From Don Becker (Re: Charlie McLaughlin ('Butt 1692) desire for a regatta "about the sailors" - edited to our 250-word limit): There is such a regatta. It has been sailed for for 109 years and is said to be the second oldest trophy in sports after the America's Cup. It is the Seawanhaka International Cup and it was just held at it's original home the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, New York. The deed and conditions of this match race event require that the entry be a yacht club entry with skipper and crew all members and either nationals of their representative country of residents for at least two years. The winner of the trophy must accept a challenge within three years, and the challenge must be open to all nations. There is a list of boats that may be used so as to discourage a defense in a boat that is not widely available. These include, Dragon, Etchells, IOD, and Sonar among others. The entries must be at least 50% from countries other than that of the holder of the trophy. In the recently completed regatta at Seawanhaka there were five challenges to Seawhanaka Y.C.. Southern Y.C. and Larchmont Y.C. from the US. The Royal Thames Y.C. from England, the Royal St. Lawrence Y.C. and the Royal Nova Scotia Y.S. from Canada. The event was sailed in Sonars over three days. The next Seawanhaka International Cup will be held at Southern Y.C. within three years. * From Iain Smith: Positive vibes and good thoughts are required for Anthony Rice, Kookaburra Crew 1987. Anthony has just been diagnosed with a relapse of Hodgkinsons Lymphoma which he had beaten in 1991 and held at bay until just recently. Ricey was a grinder on board Kookaburra III in the 87 Americas Cup and was classed as the strongest of all grinders at that Regatta, which must still rate as the most difficult and physical America's Cup series ever. Ricey is a huge man and if anyone can beat it he can. At the America Cup regatta in Cowes a few years ago Anthony again won the best grinder comp on the Lewmar machine with an awesome performance. To all members of the grinders and fore deck union, all that know him and have raced against him please spare a thought. If you get a moment drop him a line sometime. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to merge and become Poupon Pants. |
