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SCUTTLEBUTT 2468 – November 5, 2007
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features
and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published
each weekday with the support of its sponsors.
COATES REPEATS AS J/105 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION
Annapolis, MD (November 4, 2007) - Shifting northwesterly air in the 8- to
12-knot range added to the challenge of a highly competitive fleet as the
seventh and final race of the 17th annual J/105 North American Championship
came to a close on the Chesapeake Bay off Annapolis this afternoon. Making
the most of the shifts, reigning North American champion Tom Coates and his
Masquerade team out of San Francisco’s St. Francis Yacht Club were able to
repeat their 2006 victory, moving up from a third-place spot on the
leaderboard at the end of Saturday’s racing to win again this year.
Coates laid credit for the win at the feet of tactician Chris Perkins. “I
just drive the boat,” Coates said. “And I drive it where he tells me to.”
After winning last year’s regatta in Southern California, Coates said he was
impressed with this East Coast experience, too. “It was a tough fleet,” he
said. “The way they split it up, it didn’t feel as difficult as it would have
if it had all been one big fleet, but we were five points out of first going
into today’s race, so that should tell you that the top competitors were
pretty tough.” Sailing with a solid team that has been working together for
several years, Coates said, “We like the big breeze. We have absolutely no
issues on crew work and boat handling.” -- Read daily reports from each of
the four race days: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1101b
Gold (Championship) Fleet (36 boats):
1. Masquerade, Thomas Coates, St. Francis YC, 5-3-1-2-13-7-2 = 33
2. Mirage, Cedric Lewis/Fredrik Salvesen, Annapolis YC, 7-1-7-3-2-6-12 = 38
3. Convexity, Donald Wilson, Chicago YC, 20-2-1-4-11-2-9 = 49
4. Eclipse, Damian Emery, Mount Sinai SA, 9-6-28-5-5-3-1 = 57
5. Le Renard, Steve Phillips, Annapolis YC, 1-8-2-3-1-16-28 = 59
Silver Fleet (33 boats):
1. C-JEM, CJ Ruffing, Bayview YC, 12-27-11-17-1-1-6 = 75
2. J’Makin’ Waves, Steve Olinger, TITYC, 8-26-20-12-10-2-6-5 = 89
3. Ja2, Joseph Colling, Edgewater YC, 22-25-12-10-2-6-24 = 101
4. Santas Reign Dear, Donald Santa, Annapolis YC, 22-12-21-30-10-2-7 = 104
5. Maccabee, Richard Levitt, Ocean County YC, 8-27-23-15-21-5-8 = 107
Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/2wepze
KILROY WINS IRC EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIP
Annapolis, MD (Nov. 4, 2007) -- Anticipation ran high in Annapolis this
weekend at the Storm Trysail Club's three-day IRC East Coast Championship.
Not only was there an important title at stake but also defending champion
Dan Meyers (Boston, Mass./Newport, R.I.) showed up with a longer, better
version of his champion racing yacht Numbers, now a new Judel-Vrolijk design
purpose-built for the IRC rule. After seven races, however, it was a west
coaster, John Kilroy (Los Angeles, Calif.), who stood taller in IRC stature
with his "Box-Rule" Transpac 52 Samba Pa Ti. Kilroy and his team, which
included multiple world and national champions as well as America's Cup
talent, including Annapolis resident and Emirates New Zealand tactician Terry
Hutchinson, won IRC Class 1 and became the overall IRC East Coast Champions
when the Race Committee deemed them to have the best cumulative average
corrected time for the regatta. The event hosted a total of 45 boats, divided
into five classes, and was the final event in the 2007 IRC Gulf Stream
Series. -- Complete report and results:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1104a
Final Standings
IRC 1 (6 Boats)
1. Samba Pa Ti, Transpac 52, John Kilroy, Jr., Los Angeles, CA, USA – 12 pts
2. Numbers, Judel-Vrolijk 66.5', Daniel Meyers, Boston, MA, USA - 15.5
3. Sjambok, RP 45, Michael Brennan, Potomac, MD, USA - 27.5
IRC 2 (8 Boats)
1. Tsunami, NYYC Swan 42, Ostberg/Aras/Dailey, Rockville, MD - 15.5 pts
2. Amelia, NYYC Swan 42, Alexander Jackson, New York, NY - 18.5
3. Bandit, NYYC Swan 42, Andrew Fisher, Greenwich, CT - 24
IRC 3 (13 Boats)
1. Sarah, X-41, Greg Manning, Warwick, RI - 14.5
2. Teamwork, J 122, Robin Team, Lexington, NC - 19
3. Dame Blanche,Beneteau First 40.7,Othmar Blumencron,Great Falls,VA- 24.5
IRC 4 (9 Boats)
1. Rush, J 109, Bill Sweetser, Annapolis, MD - 9.5
2. Saykadoo, J 109, Stephen McManus, Severna Park, MD - 22
3. Equilibrium, IMX-38 38, Robert Dunsky, Washington, DC - 31.5
Beneteau 36.7 (10 Boats)
1. KA'IO, Beneteau First 36.7, Art Silcox, West River, MD - 19.5
2. Volition, Beneteau First 36.7, Curt Schwab, Washington, DC - 23.75
3. Foxtrot Corpen, Beneteau First 36.7, James Keen, Solomons - 29
SAILORS DELIGHT IN THE 2008 ULTIMATE SAILING CALENDAR
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of competitive sailing. $18.95 each, two or more just $16.95. Visit the
website for Ultimate Sailing calendars, t-shirts, caps, book, note-cards and
custom prints or call 800 827 3186 to order. – http://www.ultimatesailing.com
READ, MUSTO AND BAIRD TRIUMPH
Virgin Gorda, BVI (November 3, 2007) - Ken Read never surrendered the lead he
acquired on Day One of the Bitter End Yacht Club’s Pro-Am Regatta, as he won
overall honors over Peter Holmberg by seven points, with Ed Baird just three
points further back. During the 16- race regatta last week, each of the ten
skippers at the event sailed four different IC 24s, with constantly rotating
crews comprised of people who had come to the Bitter End YC to be a part of
the Pro-Am. Of the five ‘Masters’ racing in the 10-boat fleet, Keith Musto
was the dominate force, finishing fourth overall, and winning the Masters
Division by 24 points over Charles ‘Butch’ Ulmer.
Prior to the start of the event, the BEYC had teamed each ‘master’ skipper
with one of the ‘junior’ skippers. In that aspect of the competition, the
combined scores of Musto and his ‘junior’ teammate Ed Baird gave them a
30-point edge over the Peter Holmberg/ Rod Johnstone team, who finished
second.
The Musto-sponsored Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship Regatta ran
concurrently with the Pro-Am. For that event, the pros became spectators as
the BEYC guests raced the IC 24s on the same windward-leeward course used for
the Pro-Am. Going into the final race, only a single point separated the top
three skippers. Marina de Rey Martin 242 sailor Jim Durden won that race,
moving him into a tie with Chris Boulter from Boston Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA.
Durden won the tie-breaker, pushing Boulter into second place just ahead of
the defending champion, E Scow skipper Chris Fretz from Pennsylvania. --
Event website:
http://www.beyc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=181
Overall Pro Am Standings
1. Ken Read, 42 pts
2. Peter Holmberg, 49 pts
3. Ed Baird, 52 pts
4. Keith Musto, 74 pts
5. Ben Ainslie, 86 pts
6. Dawn Riley, 102 pts
7. Butch Ulmer, 103 pts
8. Rod Johnstone, 107 pts
9. Bruce Kirby, 126 pts
10. Lowell North (with Tom Leweck occasionally steering), 134 pts
TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE
(November 4, 2007) The Transat Jacques Vabre, a 4,300-mile doublehanded ocean
race from Le Harve, France to Salvador, Brazil, got started last weekend,
with the Open 60 and Class 40 monohulls starting Saturday, and the ORMA 60
and Class 50 trimarans beginning on Sunday. The rankings are changing quickly
and should not be taken for granted over the next few days as tactics to
cross the Channel focus on speed. Monohulls and multihulls currently are
trying to find their way amid challenging weather conditions in the Channel.
The crews have to deal cautiously with a high-pressure system in the Bay of
Seine and beyond to avoid losing ground. The pinpoints on the map charting
the race show that several options were taken overnight by the monohull
skippers to get out of this trap: head northwards around the system, stay on
a direct course through it, or head South in an effort to pass beneath it. --
Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/2q4tyb
Current Standings - Monohulls
* Open 60: Foncia, Michel Desjoyeaux/Emmanuel Le Borgne
* Class 40: Vecteur Plus - Groupe Moniteur, Bruno Jourdren/Nicolas Pichelin
Current Standings - Multihulls
* ORMA 60: Groupama, Franck Cammas/Steve Ravussin
* Class 50: Open Crèpes Whaou!, Franck Yves Escoffier/Karine Fauconnier
Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/2jvkt4
Aerial startline photos by Thierry Martinez and Gilles Martin-Raget:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/1103/
* From Elaine Bunting, Yachting World: “For the first time ever, the Open 60
fleet is taking centre stage in the Transat Jacques Vabre race, eclipsing the
moribund ORMA 60 trimarans. The irony is that this it will be a short-lived
glory. In two years' time, the Open 60 class is deserting this great race,
and its future as a classic - if it has one - will take an unexpected twist.
Huge changes are afoot in short-handed ocean racing. The Open 60s have become
the premier league by virtue of a massive growth spurt. This has encouraged
the IMOCA class association to flex its muscles.” -- Read on:
http://www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/20071003200913blog_elaine_bunting.html
EVOLUTION OF THE OPEN 60
"How did we get from there to here?" asks Merfyn Owen, the British designer,
surveying the Open 60 monohulls in the Le Havre ahead of the start last
Saturday of the 4,350 mile two-handed Transatlantic Jacques Vabre race to
Brazil. This class of boat developed for trans-ocean solo racing and for
nearly 20 years spawned some of the most innovate monohulls afloat. Yet in
the last two years, the explosion of interest, budgets and sophistication in
the class has been cataclysmic.
As Owen points out, old boats which were seemingly ageless now look redundant
beside the latest in the class such as Michel Desjoyeaux's Foncia or Mike
Golding's Ecover, the latter designed by Owen and Allen Clarke. You can see
the rate of progress in deck and sail systems, hull shapes and a staggering
diversity of mast styles, ranging from fully rotating wings supported by
great struts projecting from the hull to ruggedised versions of the normal.
Sensing the Open 60 class might be approaching its apogee, chief measurer
Rene Boulaire has asked designers to come up with ideas to rein-in the new
boats' power. The trouble is that limiting certain design features inevitably
increases the costs as designers claw back performance losses. Golding, one
of the race favourites, can plot the progress of the class. The first of his
three Open 60s he had over the last 10 years is now Dee Caffari's Aviva. His
newest Ecover has a mast three metres taller and, though only 500kg lighter,
has an even higher proportion of the boat's weight in the ballast keel. -- by
Tim Jeffery, Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/36dz7q
IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START THINKING ABOUT SUMMER!
Book your Summer Charter from Morris Charters! This summer explore some of
the world’s finest cruising grounds - the waters of Maine - in one of the
many exceptional yachts available from Morris Charters. This year’s fleet
includes two Morris Justine 36s, one Hinckley Pilot 35, and one J/44 plus
many other exceptional yachts. Situated in Northeast Harbor, Morris Charter
puts you right in the heart of the magic that is Maine. Discover the charm
and beauty of Maine’s coastal islands, rugged shoreline, and snug harbors.
Your unforgettable summer is only a Morris charter away. --
http://www.morrisyachts.com/charter
YOUNG DESIGNER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Boat International, Camper and Nicholsons International and the Royal
Institution of Naval Architects have brought together a panel of some of the
world’s leading superyacht designers and industry members to judge the
inaugural Young Designer of the Year Award at the World Superyacht Awards in
Venice, April 2008. The competition for the award is open to anyone who is
studying for a degree or vocational qualification in a subject related to
yacht or small craft design, or anyone who has already graduated within three
years of the closing date for entries (or at the discretion of RINA). The
closing date for submissions is January 31st 2008. -- Complete details:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1102/
COLLEGE SINGLEHANDED CHAMPIONSHIP
This past weekend, the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Men's and
Women's Singlehanded Championship were sailed out of Shilshole Bay Marina in
Seattle, WA, hosted by the University of Washington and NWICSA. With Lasers
(Men) and Laser Radials (Women) provided by Vanguard, entrants sat through a
day of no wind on Friday, but benefited from chilly 50 degree winds that
topped fifteen knots on Saturday and Sunday to complete the series.
Mens (top 5 of 18; 18 races completed)
1. Thomas Barrows (Yale '10), 66 pts
2. Reed Johnson (Boston College '08), 75
3. Mitch Hall (South Florida '10), 85
4. Kyle Kovacs (Harvard '08), 96
5. Chris Wenner (UC/Berkeley '09), 97
Womens (top 5 of 17; 17 races completed)
1. Krysta Rohde (Coast Guard '11). 53
2. Jane Macky (Yale '09), 61
3. Katrina Williams (Old Dominion '10), 71
4. Stephanie Roble (Old Dominion '11), 96
5. Alison Blecher (Charleston '10), 112
Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/2vthpy
Glennon Stratton photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/1104
SAILING SHORTS
* Estoril, Portugal (November 3, 2007) -- At the ISAF Annual Conference, it
was announced that Perth, Australia would be the host venue for the next ISAF
Sailing World Championship, provisionally scheduled for December 2011. The
championship will be used for all ten Olympic classes be the principle
qualification regatta for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. Initially
eight cities bid to host the event, with six going through to make a
presentation to the evaluation panel. The 2011 ISAF Sailing World
Championships will be the third edition of the event. Cadiz, Spain hosted the
inaugural championships in 2003, with Cascais, Portugal hosting the second
event last July. -- Complete report: http://www.sailing.org/21189.php
* The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has announced that 90 yachts have been
nominated for the 63rd Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2007, Australia’s
premier bluewater event to start Wednesday, December 26. One of the standout
features of this year’s line-up is the number of international entries, which
includes entries from the USA, UK, New Zealand, and Mexico as well as every
Australian state and the ACT. For the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart, a fleet of 87
yachts applied to enter, 78 made it to the start line on Boxing Day and 69
completed the 628 nautical mile course. List of yachts:
http://rolexsydneyhobart.com//yachts.asp?key=526
* Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has called for the screening
and inspection of small boats for bombs as a new anti-terrorism initiative.
He said that the Department of Homeland Security intends to launch its small
boats initiative with a pilot program in San Diego. -- Complete story:
http://tinyurl.com/3duznz
* (November 4, 2007) Ruahatú, a Division I Concordia 47 which started the
Long Beach to Cabo San Lucas International Yacht Race Friday, dropped out
Saturday evening, as five larger boats that started Saturday continued to
struggle in light winds. The five remaining boats in the second division were
also having challenges with the wind Saturday evening but picked up a little
more breeze Sunday morning and were averaging speeds of 5-8 knots. Currently
in first place on corrected time was Mike Campbell and Dale Williams’ Kernan
68, Peligroso, averaging 6.6 knots with a projected finish time of Thursday
in the very early morning hours. -- Event site: http://tinyurl.com/2n9ymg
RACE FASTER AND SMARTER
If you want to improve your racing results, you should read Speed & Smarts.
This bi-monthly newsletter, written by winning America's Cup tactician Dave
Dellenbaugh, is full of race-winning tips on boatspeed, tactics, strategy,
rules and more! To see a sample issue or get a subscription, visit
http://www.SpeedandSmarts.com
ETHANOL: AVOIDING WINTER FUEL PROBLEMS
Last year recreational boaters in most parts of the country were introduced
to gasoline containing higher concentrations of ethanol, a corn-based
additive that replaced a known carcinogen, MTBE. The new fuel, dubbed “E-10”
for its 10% ethanol content, unfortunately has the ability to attract greater
amounts of water and “phase separate,” or form two separate solutions in the
gas tank, usually over a long period of time. Once this happens, the engine
may not run and internal damage can occur. With the lengthy winter lay up
period again upon us, many boaters are asking how they can avoid winter fuel
problems. BoatUS has these recommendations, some of which were gleaned from
midwestern marina owners where E-10 has been in use for over a decade:
http://www.boatus.com/news/releases/2007/october/e10.asp
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine)
Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
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 Fietje Judel: (regarding the withdrawal of the IRM rule) Interesting
to note how the RORC always does manage it to convert a negative message into
a positive statement. When they now withdraw IRM because they do not get
enough support from the sailors this is either a sign that the rule was a
misdevelopment or that the sailors do not want that kind of rule. I think the
latter is the case and RORC does confirm this with their statement that the
success of IRC killed IRM. We notice in handicap racing that more and more
owners of high-tec yachts are calling for low-tec rules, while interestingly
owners of low tec yachts are usually quite happy with high tec rules. What is
the reason for this strange development? Is it that when you have a high tec
yacht you don’t like it to be beaten by a low-tec boat? Or is it that the low
tec rule allows easier exploiting of loopholes.
* From Pete Luvitz: What a shock that the top Olympic regattas don’t want to
be corralled by ISAF, thus leading to the demise of the World Cup concept. No
benefit to the regattas, and who knows, they might even be asked by ISAF for
a fee to be included. This seems like the balancing act that is the World
Match Racing Tour, that has become an umbrella organization for existing
events.
* From Cody Miller: Maybe I am tiring of the legal battle between the Swiss
and the Americans regarding the next America’s Cup event. With Alinghi
releasing the rule, I think it is time to let bygones be bygones. There is no
way in Hades that the Swiss are going to show the Americans the first draft
of the rule, so the Americans desire to make sure that the AC90 rule is
sufficiently different from the first draft is a dream. Judge Cahn’s hope for
a settlement is another dream. He is going to have to deal with this one.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATIONS
Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.
Special thanks to Ultimate Sailing, Morris Yachts, and Speed and Smarts.
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