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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 567 - May 11, 2000PRADAThe four International America's Cup Class yachts of team Prada - Luna Rossa ITA 45/ITA 48 and Young America USA 53/58 (the latter bought in New Zealand at the end of the XXX America's Cup) - arrived in Piombino, on the Thyrrenian coast of Italy. Within a few days the boats will be transported to the operations base of team Prada in Punta Ala. The team will start an intense programme of training sessions and tests starting by mid June. At the end of the Louis Vuitton Cup the Yacht Club Punta Ala announced its participation to the next America's Cup as "Challenger of Record". In this capacity the Yacht Club Punta Ala will represent the challengers and will organise the Challenger Selection Series - Louis Vuitton Cup - which will start at the beginning of October 2002. - Alessandra Ghezzi, http://www.Prada-americascup.com WORRELL 1000 Gerard Loos and Mischa Heemskerk were not to be stopped to day. After a stellar start launched them 500 yards ahead of the fleet, the Dutch Duo extended their lead incrementally through patches of calm and a late filling sea-breeze to win Leg 3 by almost 18 minutes. The Dutch Duo have taken the overall lead from Smyth and are sailing with confidence and lot's of boat speed. "Gerard is going really well", said Brett Dryland of Team Rudee's, "He's the benchmark now." The fleet is slowly starting to break into a pecking order and several groups are becoming well formed. Smyth, The Aussie team of Dryland and Waterhouse, Loos and Heemskerk, Lohmeyer and Pierce, and Lambert and Livingston seem to enjoy a speed advantage over the second pack, but the racing has been fierce within the second pack as well. The wind was fickle for much of the race today, starting Southwest, going West/Northwest, and finally filling in from the Southeast when the seabreeze asserted itself. Tactics and positioning were important today. Loos was well ahead from the start and made it around the point at Canaveral before a huge hole becalmed most of the fleet. Brian Lambert was stuck in the lull, "Jamie [Livingston] called it, he said 'I see love bugs', that means sea-breeze." The lovebugs are small, black flies that buzz around sailors in the calm before the sea-breeze fills. As the fleet approached the tip of Canaveral the current was running strong and the wind was stronger close to the shore, so the lead pack tacked up the shore. When the sea-breeze finally filled, many who had been leaders watched helplessly as the boats farther off shore sailed past with spinnakers flying. - Zack Leonard Leonard's full story and results: http://www.worrell1000.com/ EDITORIAL COMMENT The news that the IMS 50s' Admiral's Cup slot is up for review is inevitable but regrettable. For many people these thoroughbred grand prix designs offer one of the few avenues for the world's best custom boatbuilders to demonstrate their art. If, as seems likely, the switch is made to a triple one-design format for the next event, in 2003, let's hope that somewhere out of the current IRM/IMS turbulence a promising new development class emerges. One that makes the current 'all-monotype' era a temporary, albeit necessary interlude. - Andrew Hurst, Seahorse magazine Full editorial: http://www.seahorse.co.uk/editorial.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) and to exclude personal attacks or irresponsible statements. This is not a chat room. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Jessica Lord - PHOOEY! James Nichols thoughts about one-design keelboat class that can be raced competitively by a crew of women takes sailing back to the stone ages. Though you may need a few more women on the Melges to get up to the weight, remember what mother always said: "many hands make lighter work". As for Star sailing ... I might just give it a try thanks to some gentle prodding from Vince Brun. The BIG man I have drooping over the side can yank in the mainsheet for me! -- From Mark Skipwith - Mr James Nichols, in Santa Monica Bay the Star has seen several women crew. One was Dennise Luiso with boyfriend Mike George and they won the overall Series of 19 evenings in various conditions in the Starlight Series in 1999. (20 + boats in the total Series) Rick Peters (US Olympic Sailing Team Star) finished fifth having a lady crew. And then there was Mary who won the Star Worlds with her Husband in 1951 on Chesapeake bay. Susie Pegel is a 2 time Star District 4 Champion weighting maximum 135 lbs -- From Rick Myers - In response to James Nichols question as to a one -design keelboat that can be successfully raced by a crew of women. Try the Sonar. www.sonar.org I know of several women that race this boat VERY competitively. Standard crew is four but often women sail with five. -- From George Clyde, America True - According to some comments, "Il Moro di Venezia V", now renamed "Spirit of Seattle" will be used by the new Seattle America's Cup syndicate for publicity and sponsorship purposes. Unfortunately, there are some archaic federal laws that prohibit giving rides on a foreign-built boat to press, photographers, etc. for PR purposes or to thank donors or sponsors. It is even illegal to offer a ride on the boat as a prize for another charity. These restrictions apply to voyages that start and end in the U.S. and do not extend beyond the 3-mile limit. The laws are separate from the Coast Guard manning and inspection requirements, which could also be a problem if a boat is used for business purposes. America True decided against acquiring a foreign-built boat for fundraising and PR purposes after researching the matter and obtaining a ruling from the United States Customs Service (HQ Ruling 114343, June 18, 1998). Both the Coast Guard and the Customs Service enforce these laws, and violations can result in civil fines and criminal proceeding. -- From Chris Coffin, America True - I can't agree more with Bill Cook's comment about all this speculation about the cup. When some cash changes hand, or a contract gets signed, then we have something to talk about. Guessing who the backer is behind the Seattle syndicate, or any other mysterious programs, is getting a little old. Those who have a chance at bringing the Cup home are already working on it, in real terms! -- From Larry Law (re the Curmudgeon's comment in Butt 565 regarding our need to pay attention to the media banter surrounding the acquisition of TNZ from some "angel".) - Of course it is easy to ignore the comments of the non-sailing media regarding future AC Cup sponsors, acquisitions and related campaigns - they're journalists for god's sake. As usual, content or accuracy are hardly matters to be considered when some sensational item might sell a paper, magazine or grab the attention of the sheep we commonly refer to as "the public" in getting one's picture and article in the media. Ignore them we must lest we become mindless blobs of matter from depending on their banter as a basis for any kind of knowledge. Give the AC speculation thread a rest until something other than "Jerry Springer Journalism" is available from credible sources. CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: OK, OK - I'm beginning to get the message. -- From Katie Pettibone - I am writing in regards to all this nonsense going about the hiring of other "nationals", buying teams and about friendly competition. There are too many sports who at the top levels hire "foreigners" such as the NBA, NFL, Rugby World league and Soccer among others to even count! And then what about all those nuclear scientists and physicists that we stole from the Soviet, Germany, Poland, ect ect during the wars? The America's Cup stopped being a friendly competition when budgets got bigger than most of us will ever earn in our LIVES! I have got news for everyone- it may be friendly on land but it is war on the water. And as a competitor- if you aren't going to war when you cross that starting line then you shouldn't be out there. -- Bruce Van Deventer - When the "Seattle Syndicate" gets their boat, there will be enough IACC boats in the US to put together a regional race series, based on the West Coast. There are some big advantages to doing this. It would give sponsors an immediate return that's much better than just having their logo on some practice sails, it would give more opportunities to develop sailing talent, it would encourage organizations to put together the infrastructure needed to mobilize and demobilize their operations, it would give yacht clubs and race officers more experience in managing this type of event, and it would encourage the development of shoreside support facilities capable of accomodating these yachts. A format that I think would work would be an annual series that rotates each year between the major west coast cities until the year of the challenger series, when teams would probably wish to concentrate on development of their "final" boat. Naysayers will claim that racing between potential challengers is prohibited under article 15 ("reconnaissance") of the protocol. The wording of this protocol emphasizes information gathering between challengers not wishing to share information. Article 15 does not prohibit voluntary sharing of information. Participation in a regional series not intended to select a challenger should be considered voluntary disclosure of information. MOTHERS DAY At 1:30 PM Pacific Time on Sunday (4:30 PM EDT) you and your mother can watch Gary Jobson's Ultimate Sailing show on ESPN2 about the recent Congressional Cup match-racing regatta in Long Beach. You'll see Dean Barker's surge to 11 consecutive wins and a climactic victory over Denmark's Sten Mohr. The young New Zealander, who a month earlier had sailed the last race that clinched a successful defense of the America's Cup for the Kiwis, won out over a fleet of nine world-class competitors from seven countries. But as always, check your local listings or http://www.jobsonsailing.com/ NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE The Newport Bermuda Race is shaping up as the largest in history with organizers from the Cruising club of America and royal Bermuda Yacht club predicting from 190 to 200+ boats will hit the starting line in Newport, RI June 16th. The 2000 event will be sailed by qualifying IMS Racers, IMS Cruise/Racers, and AmericapR non-spinnaker and double handed classes. New for 2000 is a "Classic Yacht" Division which organizers hope will become a Newport Bermuda tradition. May 12th is the deadline for entry 'without penalty' in the ocean race.. After May 12th the entry fee goes up $200. Then, after 1200 hrs June 8th, no entries will be accepted without an additional administrative fee of $200. The five-race Onion Patch Series, which in 2000 will also be sailed for the North American IMS Championship. All yachts entered in the IMS Racing and Cruiser/Racer divisions of the Newport Bermuda Race are invited to enter as individual entries or form three-boat teams to compete. The Onion Patch Series/ North American IMS Championship includes the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta sailed June 10th and 11th in Newport, The Newport Bermuda Race, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta on Bermuda's Great Sound. June 2, 2000 is the Onion Patch entry deadline. - Talbot Wilson For Bermuda Race entry documents and information on the Onion Patch Series: http://www.bermudarace.com THE REST OF THE STORY In 'Butt 565 we announced that Andy Rose and Lew Beery have purchased and will be campaigning the second 1D48 in Southern California. However we failed to mention that Robert Sullivan is already successfully racing "Tribe," 1D48 #6, in San Diego. Apparently, when the NSL (National Sailing League) failed to get off the ground, the DeVos' decided to liquidate their armada of 48s. The boats have all been cleaned up and we've heard they're selling in the quarter of a million-dollar range. INDUSTRY NEWS LG Electronics, one of the world's largest consumer electronics companies, will sponsor a yacht in the BT Global Challenge yacht race. The yacht will be called 'LG FLATRON' and skippered by professional yachtsman Conrad Humphreys. - Emily Caroe AMERICA'S CUP NEWS America's Cup billionaires take note - two famous Kiwi cup veterans are making a comeback and putting themselves up for hire. One is NZL20, New Zealand's boat from the 1992 Cup - salvaged from the graveyard to sail for a Cup team again. The other is her old helmsman, David Barnes, rebuilding the red boat and happy to go with her to a new home. Barnes reckons NZL20 holds a technological breakthrough that a challenging syndicate would be wise to develop. The red boat was infamous for its bowsprit, but under the water had a revolutionary tandem keel which Barnes believes could be a key to success in 2003. Barnes is working with America True sailor John Sweeney, who bought NZL20 and her sister NZL14, from Sir Michael Fay's New Zealand Challenge last year. Although NZL20 won't be race fit any more, Barnes and Sweeney hope an America's Cup team will charter the yacht to use for research and development for the next Cup. "I believe there are huge possibilities with this keel. A few people have tried versions of it, but honestly they missed the point completely," Barnes says. "The only reason it wasn't expanded was that it's been cost prohibitive. "But if people put in the time and effort with another tandem keel, it would certainly be a force to be reckoned with." He believes the keel will suit the long, narrow boats built for Auckland's changeable conditions. Aucklander Barnes, who now also has American residency, is also putting himself in the package with the boat. "I was the one person who knew the tandem keel concept better than anybody," he says. - Suzanne McFadden, NZ Herald Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ ONE LAST RUMOR (Before we kill the AC rumor thread, I have to share a very brief excerpt from a story posted Wednesday on the Quokka website - written by one of the credible yachting journalist I know.) Now it appears that Craig O. McCaw, a billionaire businessman from Bellevue, Wash., is the mystery money man behind the as-yet-unnamed Pacific Northwest-based challenge for the 2003 America's Cup. According to sources familiar with the negotiations, McCaw, the 50-year-old founder of satellite communications company Teledesic, is planning to fund a challenge for the next America's Cup, expected to be held between February and March, 2003. "McCaw is hot to go," said one source. McCaw has been linked with New Zealander Sean Reeves, who served as a lawyer and rules advisor for the Kiwis during their successful defense this past March. More recently, the 37-year-old Reeves, on behalf of McCaw, has acted as a negotiator, offering lucrative contracts to some Team New Zealand personnel. Reeves also was with Team New Zealand when it won the Cup off San Diego in 1995, but apparently won't return to the syndicate for its next defense. Messages left for McCaw at Teledesic headquarters in Bellevue, and Reeves at his law firm in Auckland weren't returned. - Sean McNeill, Quokka Sports Full story: http://sailing.quokka.com/stories/05/QCMa4sail_s_gates_WFC.html THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Raising teenagers is a bit like nailing Jell-O to a tree |
