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SCUTTLEBUTT 2514 – January 18, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. THE AMERICAN OLYMPIC PLAN Dean Brenner took on the chairmanship of the US Olympic Sailing Committee for the 2008 quadrennial, and his term was recently renewed for the 2012 Olympics. The USOSC is responsible for the selection of the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams, the Pan American Games and World University Games Teams, and the annually designated US Sailing Teams. Here are a few excepts from a recent interview conducted with Brenner: * On the early selection of the team: BRENNER: “China is a different place, with specific conditions and a major culture change, and we wanted to make sure our winners had the time to get fully focused on being their best in China. And regardless of where the Olympics will be held, there is value in making the selection far enough in advance that the winner has time to come down off the high of winning the Trials and get re-centered on the true goal—success at the Games. Additionally, choosing our team in the Fall of 2007 allows us to focus a much larger percentage of our 2008 budget on our Trials winners. We can focus resources where they should be focused.” * On the members of the 2008 Olympic Team: BRENNER: “The new generation has really come on line all at the same time. Other than John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree (Tornado) who are on their fourth Olympics, and Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast (49er), every other member of the Olympic and Paralympic Teams are first-timers. This reality is both an opportunity and a situation that needs to be watched. I love this team’s enthusiasm and energy, but we also need to make sure they are ready to compete in their first Games. We bring the team together as often as we can, and they see each other at many of the Grade 1 events. And we have a number of initiatives in place to educate all of them on what their first Olympics will be like. They’ll be ready.” * On the selection process: BRENNER: “Every four years, the US Olympic Sailing Committee has a real in-depth conversation about what kind of selection trials make sense. The tried and true in the US is the domestic, one-regatta, winner-takes-all event. It is a process that has a lot of support here. But every possible solution has its positives and negatives. As Olympic sailing gets more refined and more professional, there are going to be fewer people who choose to make the considerable time commitment. The fleets get smaller. So we have to take a long and hard look at whether the US approach still makes sense. And we are looking at it.” Complete interview: http://www.harken.com/speedteam/DeanBrennerQandA.php OLYMPIC SAILING DOWN UNDER * Melbourne, Australia – Olympic racing in the 470, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, and Tornado continues through Saturday at the Sail Melbourne regatta, where Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving (USA) continue to lead the North American contingent by remaining on top in the Women’s 470 class. Also in the hunt is Bernard Luttmer (CAN), now sixth in Laser; Tania Elias Calles (MEX), now third in Laser Radial; and Zach Railey (USA), now fifth in Finn. Canadians remain strong in the Laser class with three in the top ten, while the American 470 women are holding two of the top five places. -- Update: http://www.sailing.org/21941.php -- Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/2p4zf3 * Takapuna, New Zealand – Racing in the Gold and Silver flights commenced on Thursday at the RS:X Men’s and Women’s Worlds, and will continue through Saturday. Barbara Kendall (NZL) continues to lead the women’s gold flight, with Nikola Girke (CAN) as the only North American in the Gold flight at 38th. In the men’s event, Tom Ashley (NZL) continues to lead the Gold flight as well, followed by Zac Plavsic (CAN) in 34th, David Mier y Teran (MEX) in 39th, and David Hayes (CAN) in 53rd as top the North Americans. The Worlds is the final event for those countries that have not yet qualified for the RS:X event at the 2008 Olympic Games. While the contending North American countries have qualified on the men’s side, the same can’t be said for the women. There are 28 available slots for the women’s class at the Games, of which the final seven places will be decided this week, with twelve nations fighting for qualification. None of those twelve nations made it through to the women’s gold fleet, so the battle will be fought in the silver fleet, and the current standings have Thailand (3rd), Mexico (10th), Hungary (14th), Argentina (20th), Russia (21st), Cyprus (22nd), and USA (23rd) among the top seven, with Armenia (25th), Turkey (30th), Estonia (28th), Uruguay (35th) and Croatia (36th) on the outside looking in. -- http://www.rsxclass.com/worlds2008.html NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR For this year's sailing season, or for all year around, get the latest in sailcloth travel and gear bags from True Wind. Individually handcrafted in the U.S.A., True Wind bags are made with new Dacron sailcloth from Hood Sailmakers, and feature solid brass hardware, authentic sailing accents and an original nautical design. From duffels to totes to ditty bags, True Wind bags come in a variety of sizes and colors and can be monogrammed with a name or initials. View the collection at http://www.truewindusa.com TOP 25 SAILBOATS FOR 2007 Following an evaluation of the boats that consistently finished at the top of their fleet over the 2007 season on the Puget Sound and surrounding waters of the Pacific Northwest, 48° North Sailing Magazine - in collaboration with Harken - have named the Top 25 Sailboats for 2007. For an amazing fifth consecutive year, top honors went to Brian Watkins and his crew, sailing "Declaration of Independence," an Express 37 out of the Seattle Yacht Club. Nearly 500 boats were tracked over the year to comprise the results. Completing the top five are: 2. Here and Now (J/29), Patrick Denney, Corinthian YC, Seattle 3. Mystique (J/30), David Maclean, Corinthian YC, Seattle 4. Shrek (1D35), John Hoag, Corinthian YC, Seattle 5. Time Warp (Beneteau First 375), Duane Allman, South Sound Sailing Society Complete list: http://www.48north.com/jan_2008/top25.htm BARCELONA WORLD RACE Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles) (Day 68 – January 17, 2008) The South Atlantic isn’t giving anything away to the two boats leading the Barcelona World Race fleet as they race towards the finishing line off Barcelona. Overnight, race leading Paprec-Virbac 2 nearly held its own and then this morning, it was able to grab back some miles from the chasing boat, Hugo Boss. But the tide has turned again and this afternoon Hugo Boss was the faster boat in pursuit. “We had a busy day yesterday, with pretty strong winds, averaging 30 knots, but gusting up to 50,” Hugo Boss co-skipper Andrew Cape said. “It’s going to be a bit slower going for us for the next 48 hours. Over five to six days, we hope we can cut their lead a bit more, but we’re in vastly different situations. Paprec-Virbac 2, I think, is ahead of the front that just passed us. If she manages to stay in front of that, she’ll have regular wind. We have a bunch of (weather) obstacles in our way, so we’ll just have to hope the situation plays out the way we hope.” -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com Positions at 18:00 GMT (+gain/-loss from leader since previous day) 1-Paprec-Virbac 2, Jean-Pierre Dick/ Damian Foxall, 4,959 nm DTF (+288) 2-Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson/ Andrew Cape, 597 nm DTL (-20) 3-Temenos II, Dominique Wavre/ Michéle Paret, 2,314 (+8) 4-Mutua Madrilena, Javier Sanso Windmann/ Pachi Rivero, 2,500 (+42) 5-Educación sin Fronteras, Servane Escoffier/ Albert Bargues, 3,447 (+6) Retired - PRB, Vincent Riou / Sébastien Josse (broken mast) Retired -Delta Dore, Jérémie Beyou/ Sidney Gavignet (broken mast) Retired - Estrella Damm, Guillermo Altadill/ Jonathan McKee, (rudder damage) Retired - Veolia Environnement, Roland Jourdain/Jean-Luc Nélias (broken mast) SINGLE-HANDED ROUND THE WORLD RECORD (Day 55 – January 17, 2008 - 18:02 UTC) Exactly as he planned yesterday, Francis Joyon is working hard today to find the best sailing conditions for the final few days of his round the world voyage. The SW’ly wind has allowed him to remain on the Great Circle route, taking him directly towards the finish at Brest, France. Caution is still very much the watchword, as he listens to his boat, worn out after 55 days of sailing and with more than 25,000 miles on the clock after the voyage around the world’s oceans. This evening, his maxi trimaran IDEC will start to experience some gales, generated by a low-pressure area circulating in the North Atlantic. On seas, where the swell is now in the right direction, he will be picking up speed again, but Joyon will continue to remain attentive right up until the end, in order to look after his equipment and avoid any breakages. Going through the Azores at lunchtime today gave the single-handed yachtsman a taste of home ... "IDEC will manage to obtain some more fine days, with 450 to 500 miles under her belt..." With 1100 miles to go to the finish, Joyon is now expected to arrive in Brest sometime on Saturday night. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0117 * In the past 24 hours, Joyon has clocked an average speed of 19.7 knots while covering 472 nm. With only 1,055 nm remaining to the finish at Brest, France, his advance over the 2005 record set by Ellen MacArthur (71d 14h 18m 33s) is at 3,388 nm. -- http://www.trimaran-idec.com 18 CITY TOUR Dave Perry, Dave Dellenbaugh, and Brad Dellenbaugh are teaching Rules and Tactics Seminars in 18 locations this winter. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two... From fundamental principles to nuances highlighting the difference between right-of-way and control, these rules gurus teach the rules and the tactics rules dictate. The case-based curriculum teaches situations, not rule numbers. Enrollment is limited. Sign up now (risk free) and receive Perry’s Rules Quiz book and Dellebaugh’s Rules DVDs with the course. Learn more at NorthU. Call 800 347-2457 or http://www.northu.com SAILING SHORTS * A new bi-annual distance race was announced that will start from Fort Lauderdale, FL on February 13, 2009 and finish in the exotic, 5-star Casa De Campo Resort, in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The 900-mile Casa de Campo Race will track east through Northwest Providence Channel, turning southeast at Eleuthera, skirting the Bahamas, by the Turks and Caicos Islands, to the eastern tip on the Dominican Republic where boats will turn the corner for the run to the finish. The International Farr 40 class recently announced that their Rolex World Championship will be at the Casa De Campo Resort in 2010. -- Full details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0117a * George Sass Jr. has been named as deputy editor of the American luxury marine magazine, Yachting. Sass will be responsible for boat tests, electronics, and seamanship coverage. After beginning his editorial career in 1999 as an associate editor for Yachting, Sass left the title as an executive editor in 2004. He went onto serve as an editor for Boat Digest and was most recently the chief operating officer of Center Console Angler. Yachting magazine is published by Bonnier Corp. and has a readership of more than 1.1 million. -- IBI Magazine, full story: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20080017155736ibinews.html * The World Match Racing Tour has announced its schedule of ten events for 2008 including a new Tour stage in Korea with over $320,000 in prize money. The total prize purse for the 2008 Tour season now stands at $1,720.000, the largest in the sport. The prize purse has increased by over 20% from 2007. The overall winner of the Tour will be crowned 2008 ISAF Match Racing World Champion. Teams will count their best five events plus the final stage, the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia. In 2007, no less than five teams had a shot at winning the World Championship going into the final event. -- http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=68487 * This week on the Volvo Sailing Podcast is the former Chief Executive of the Volvo Ocean Race Glenn Bourke on the reasons behind his decision to leave the job. British Olympic sailing team Leader Stephen Park assesses his team's chances at the Games this summer, and Andrew Pindar discusses his new sponsorship deal with the US Olympic sailing team. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org/podcast MADDIE’S – END OF AN ERA After 50 plus years of operation, the current owners of Maddie's in Marblehead, MA will be closing the doors as of last call on Friday night, January 18th. Maddie's, also known as the Sail Loft (although never called that), could be counted on for it's good cheer, convivial company and generous cocktails, and has been "home port" for sailors, both locals and visitors alike. Maddie's was the gathering place for regattas, storms and any other celebration... or no celebration at all. It was just Maddie's, a place where you knew you'd find a friendly face, a cold drink, and plenty entertainment. -- http://maddiessailloft.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include Rolex winners Jeff Linton and Sally Barkow, Laser sailing in the Dominican Republic, snow-capped mountains in Southern California, the new A-Sail on the E Scow, a day at the beach in China, and a big wave day in the Pacific Ocean. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/0118 => Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race: Forty-nine boats started on Wednesday, taking advantage of this tune-up prior to next week’s Acura Key West event. The fleet enjoyed winds in the mid-twenties, and has collected its share of casualties along the 160-mile track, including Sarah, an X-41 in IRC B, which lost her rudder just a mile or so from the Key West sea buoy. Line honors and IRC A victory went to Samba Pa Ti, John Kilroy’s TP 52, completing the course in an elapsed time of 10 hours 32 minutes and 25 seconds for an average speed of 15.2 kts, missing the overall monohull race record by 7 and a half minutes. -- Starting photos and event website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/0117 => Alinghi took the two Extreme 40 catamarans out for a shake down sail on Thursday in Valencia, with photos and video posted on their website. Onboard these light-weight, carbon fibre multi-hulled weapons were Alinghi designers and sailors: Pierre-Yves Jorand, Luc Dubois, Dirk Kramers, Kirst Feddersen, Mike Schreiber, Kurt Jordan, Aaron Perry, Murray Jones and Pieter van Nieuwenhuyzen. -- http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/features/index.php?idIndex=227&idContent=14837 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 Steven Davis, President, International Lightning Class Association: Congratulations to Jeff Linton for winning the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, and to his wife Amy who was nominated for the Yachtswoman of the Year award. What a sailing couple! I sailed with the Linton Team at the South American Championship in Tomine, Colombia (and chased them at the other Lightning events) and it was a pleasure. Jeff is always calm but has incredible boat speed. He certainly possesses a unique talent to manage a racecourse and get the most out of each puff and wave. He is a great competitor and ambassador for the sport. And you should see him with a fly rod chasing down a trout or a muskie or a redfish…he is scary! * From Doran Cushing, St. Petersburg, FL: After a few years, maybe decades, of meeting, talking to, and watching the best sailors in America, I can say with an unqualified yes that Jeff Linton is a deserving Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. He and his partner in sailing and in life, Amy Smith Linton, are two of the most down-to-earth, modest champions I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. A man of few words but great talent, Jeff should consider getting the Rolex downsized to fit Amy...the champion behind the champion. Hearty congrats to both Jeff and Amy, their crew, and the Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa..."the sailingest club in the South." * From Barr Batzer: I was delighted to hear that Jeff Linton won the Rolex yachtsman of the year award. I have sailed both with and against Jeff Linton in many different classes. Beyond his many great achievements in so many classes, I felt it is more important to know the character he exemplifies while doing so. In all the times I have raced with Jeff, I can’t ever remember him yelling or treating anybody with disrespect; a trait that seems to get lost with success among many others. Also, in all the races I have sailed against him, win or lose, he has always shown class, sportsmanship and a truly humble spirit. Guys like him make sailboat racing much more fun. I can’t think of anybody else I’d rather have my butt kicked by. Congrats Jeff! => Curmudgeon’s Comment: I had the chance to meet Jeff and Amy Linton at the US Sailing Championship of Champions last fall, and in regard to all the praise I have heard here and elsewhere, all I can say is… ditto! * From Chris Dowling, Greenport, NY: It is great that a few people are making the effort to curb the unlawful efforts of the Japanese fleets. Another group that is making an impact through a soon to be released film and other peaceful actions is the Ocean Preservation Society. Their efforts to expose and stop the "river killings" of thousands of dolphins each year are awesome! Check out their website at http://www.opsociety.org to see what they have been up to. One of their latest was getting professional surfers and actors including Hayden Panettiere of Heroes to paddle into the opening of the river to hold off the killing fleet. * From Brad Avery: Regarding the thread this week on the boom preventer, here is a system that has saved me from a few disasters. When offshore, a preventer should be rigged from the outer end of the boom all the way forward to the bow and back to the cockpit. The best way to do this is to keep a permanent pennant rigged from the end of the boom to about three feet from the gooseneck. Then set port and starboard preventer lines from just aft of the chain plates to the bow and back along the deck to the cockpit. When needed, tie the pennant to the lee preventer line and take up. Keeping some slack in the newly set up preventer will greatly reduce chafe. Gybing requires untying, re-securing the pennant to the boom, and then setting up the new side. Once you've done it a few times, it's quick. Beyond keeping the potential load at the end of the boom (greatly reducing the risk of breakage) the method also allows gybing and setting up the other preventer without going to the end of the boom (but you do have to take the pennant around the vang and mainsheet each gybe). Always secure the preventer in the cockpit so it can be released easily and keep a knife nearby. When not in use, make sure the pennant is secured tightly along the boom so it does not catch anyone during the gybe. * From Bill Tyler: My experiences with the gybe-broach (aka the "Chinese") while using a preventer is that you end up knocked down to weather with the mainsail held up in the breeze pinning the boat down - as the water comes in. If the preventer isn't set up to be eased, a FAST release (sometimes with knife) to get the boat back on her feet sometimes results in the boom breaking when it hits the water - or fetches up against the main sheet. Obviously, a setup that allows the boom to be eased down avoids this result. * From Justin Scott: In the master of understatement, Bill Biewenga’s letter (in Scuttlebutt 2513) describes the crew of Flyer repairing the broken boom mid-ocean in the 1981-82 Whitbread Round The World Race - when he wrote, " we were able to screw a sleeve to the boom and we soon "back in business". In this case, back in business meant going on to win the second consecutive Whitbread with line honours and a handicap victory. The team and the boat were heroes to this impressionable young man, put together by one of the last great private entrants, Conny van Rietschoten. I guess they were also "back in business" when Conny insisted they carry on racing despite Conny's heart attack on the second leg. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION A Mouse Potato is the online, wired generation's answer to the Couch Potato. Special thanks to True Wind and North U. A complete list of Scuttlebutt’s preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
