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SCUTTLEBUTT 2283 – February 16, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY The Scuttlebutt newsletter will not be published on Monday, February 19, as the United States celebrates their national holiday called President’s Day. The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington's birthday in 1796 (during the last full year of his presidency). While the holiday is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as "President's Day." This has made the third Monday in February a day for honoring Washington and all the other men who have served as president. Look for Scuttlebutt to return on Tuesday, February 20th. RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME Opportunities are often a matter of being in the right place at the right time. For Brad Webb, the right place was in the middle of the ocean on a ship bound for San Diego. After relentlessly nagging Chris Dickson for a job, persistence paid off for Webb in 1995 when Dickson offered him a position in his America's Cup syndicate, Tag Heuer. One of the youngest members of the team, Webb, then 19, was one of the first to volunteer when Dickson was looking for people to accompany the syndicate's race boat from Auckland to San Diego on a ship. "Chris didn't quite get the budget he was expecting and he had to lay off some of the young guys. But I was already halfway there on the ship, so it was cheaper for Chris to keep me there rather than to send me home. That was the start of my America's Cup career." Twelve years later, Webb has not forgotten that it was Dickson who gave him a shot. As one of Dickson's bowmen at BMW Oracle Racing, Webb will be doing all he can to make sure his boss bangs his boat over the start line at the gun during this year's America's Cup. -- New Zealand Herald, full story: http://tinyurl.com/3xqoqp TRIVIA QUESTION What weighs 1.3 million pounds, and requires nineteen 18-wheeler trucks to transport it? (Answer below) OVERNIGHT TRAINING RUN The fledgling Morning Light team needed to get a taste of what the Transpacific Yacht Race would be like this summer, and they got it with their first of two 138-nautical mile trips around the island of Molokai and back. Starting at 6:08 p.m. HST at dusk off Diamond Head on Oahu Tuesday and finishing at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, for the most part it was hard work in the dark with little time to rest, but the 15 young men and women might have had the times of their lives in the 16 ½ hours they spent sailing their Transpac 52. Jeremy Wilmot, 21, a watch captain and the lone Australian member of the team, said, 'It was great, 20 knots downwind with gusts to 25, jibing down the Molokai [Channel], some really good sail changes---it was fun!' Sailing manager Robbie Haines said, 'Almost everybody steered at some time. Jeremy was at the helm when we first put the kite up, and he was terrific. All of these kids were spectacular.' Haines, navigation coach Stan Honey and instructor Dave Tank were on board, 'but we were all down below most of the time, on purpose,' Haines said. 'We wanted the kids to do it all themselves. They'd ask questions, but they made all the calls about sail changes, when to jibe and when to tack, and they were right on in their decisions. I couldn't be happier.' -- Sail World, full story: http://www.sail-world.com/index_n.cfm?nid=31194 CROSSCURRENT 33 NOW AVAILABLE IN SAN DIEGO JK3 Nautical Enterprises, Inc and CrossCurrent Marine are pleased to announce the arrival to San Diego of its thirty-three foot modern luxury daysailer built by Maxi Dolphin. Successfully introduced in Europe over the past two years and now available in San Diego, CA, the CrossCurrent 33 is turning heads wherever she goes. Harnessing state-of-the-art materials, world-class Italian production, and the first Hall Spars carbon/honeycomb EZV Boom, she’s filled with clever and unique features, plus easy sail handling, stunning looks, and spirited performance. For information or to arrange a showing, contact Jeff Brown, JK3 Nautical Enterprises at 619.224.6200. To view race footage from Narragansett Bay: http://www.crosscurrentmarine.com/yachts.html INTERVIEW: ZACH RAILEY (North Sails One-Design rep David Hughes interviews top ranked US Finn sailor Zach Railey) David Hughes: Zach, you’re consistently the top American at major events and are climbing the World rankings. How are you preparing yourself to maintain that momentum through the US Olympic Trials? Zach Railey: I think that it is really important to make sure you don’t burn out too soon. I have set up my program so that my time on the water has really increased in the last few months. In March, I will start to focus on sailing a lot of events to get me into racing. I will use these regattas to learn what I need to work on and will have the chance to do so in these events. That will lead me into the trials in October so hopefully I will be at my peak on the race course when that comes. Hughes: The Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta and Finn Midwinters saw a variety of conditions. What conditions do you think play to your strengths the best? Railey: I like to think of myself as an all around sailor. I don’t really have a condition that I do really badly in, but I do like to sail when it is windy because it really shows who has been working hard on and off the water. Hughes: There’s a bit of a break now before the European circuit begins. What are some examples of your on-land training and out-of-competition training? Railey: I sail around 4-5 days per week with a core group of training partners from around the world. We are based in Clearwater, FL until March when we leave to go and compete in Europe. As far as off water training, I work 5-6 days per week in the gym to keep myself fit. That being said, there is no better physical training then spending time on the water. Complete interview: http://www.northsailsod.com/class/finn/finn_whatsnew.html#11 VIDEO OF THE WEEK Electronic technology continues to pervade the sport of sailing, providing more information than ever before. Navigation has advanced beyond knowing exactly where our boat is, to now knowing where everything else is too. Can't see the weather mark? No problem. Want to know when the bow of your boat is exactly on the start line? No problem. This week's video makes fun of the new electronics age, and shows how much trouble we can get into when being too reliant with the information (video length - 1:10 minutes). Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’ s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/0212 AWARDS SAIL’s annual Pittman Innovation Awards, now in their tenth year, honor the memory of former SAIL technical editor Freeman K. Pittman, who died in 1996 from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). For the 2007 awards, sixteen new, innovative sailing products are recognized, where editors Kimball Livingston (Racing Gear), Peter Nielsen (Cruising Gear), Ben Ellison (Electronics) and Jay Paris (Systems) each selected four products in their respective categories. * In the Racing Gear category the selections were Hall Spars’s QuikLock, a halyard lock that doesn’t require a trip line; Sydney Rigging Specialists’s Snap Feeder, a headsail pre-feeder that can be quickly opened if necessary; the Selden Adjustable-Spreader Dinghy Mast, and Southern Spars’s Element C6 Carbon-Fiber Rigging, continuous fiber carbon rigging for high-end race boats. * In the Cruising Gear category, the Harken Switch T-Track Battcar System, a means for achieving lower mainsail stackheight; the Lewmar One-Touch Winch Handle; Henderson, Inc.’s Sailclamps, a backup-attachment system for hank-on headsails, and Zarcor Companionway CloZures that allow for multiple hatch-board configurations were selected. * The constantly evolving Electronics category picks are the Maretron WSO 100 Ultrasonic Wind/Weather Station (NMEA 2000 compliant); Raymarine’s LifeTag System, a man-overboard alert system; Captn. Jack’s Garmin GPSMAP 76 Cx package, electronic charts and waypoints that are pre-loaded into a Garmin GPSMAP, and Poly-Planar’s Modular Marine Stereo, a high-end customizable marine-stereo system. * Systems innovations include long- and short-shaft electric outboards with removable battery packs that can be collapsed to fit into small waterproof travel packs from Torqeedo; the Edson marine pump-out nozzle with splash guard; Raven Technology’s 5KW Blackbird engine-mounted, belt-driven AC generator, and Mast Products’s Bay 15D LED navigation bulbs. Details on all these products can be found in SAIL’s February issue and after March 1, 2007, on http://wwwsailmagazine.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SAILING SHORTS * The DN Gold Cup World Championship begins Sunday, February 18, 2007 with the primary race site at Menominee, Michigan on Green Bay, Lake Michigan. The race hotline is 248-988-0851. The last race of the World Championship is on or before February 25th, wherein the North American Championship will start immediately following at the same location. -- Class website: http://www.idniyra.org * The annual JJ Giltinan Championship, generally regarded as the 18ft Skiff World Championship, begins Friday on Sydney Harbour, Australia. -- http://www.18footers.com.au/ * The 2007 Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race begins Friday, February 16. The biennial event, jointly hosted by the Storm Trysail Club and the Lauderdale and Montego Bay Yacht Clubs, runs 811 nautical miles to Montego Bay, Jamaica from Fort Lauderdale, FL. The largest of the 20 boats registered in two IRC classes and one PHRF class is Stephan Reith's Bon Bon, a Reichel/ Pugh 81. The smallest is another Reichel/ Pugh, Doug Mitchell's 30-foot The Cone of Silence. Also entered is Tom Hill's Titan 12, the 2005 course record holder (2 days 10 hrs, 24 min, 42secs). -- http://www.montegobayrace.com * The 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships are heading for the record books with 74 nations registered to compete after the first phase of entry (adding up to a total of 432 boats and 649 sailors). With eleven World Championship titles and Olympic Qualification at stake, from 28 June-13 July Cascais, Portugal is set to play host to the biggest ever event for the Olympic Classes. As the principal qualification regatta for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, with 75% of all national places to be decided, the 2007 ISAF Worlds is on course to be a record breaking Championships and a highlight of ISAF’s Centenary year. -- ISAF website, full report: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j17FnAp7?&format=popup * The Volvo Ocean Race might be one of the premier events in the world, but that doesn’t mean it is all fame, fortune, and fabulous sailing. The Mean Machine program has gotten a jump for the 2008/2009 race, but right now they are dealing with the management of the boat (the former Pirates of the Caribbean) during the winter. When the boat arrived last week in Rotterdam, Netherlands, winter meant cold and snowy. Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0215-mm * Sperry Top-Sider will be the title sponsor of the 2007 Sonar World Championship Regatta, held at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA from September 16-23, 2007. LEARNING IN PARADISE I should tell you all that you’ll learn, and how much your racing will improve with six days of coaching and racing. I could tout the hands-on instruction, the video review, the on-the-water training. But the clincher, the closer, is the fun. Come to Captiva Island, Florida for a Performance Race Week: April 22 to 29 or April 29 to May 6. Have a great time, and as a bonus, go home a better racer. Learn more (and have fun doing it) with North U: 888-454-5216 or http://www.offshore-sailing.com/racing.asp TRIVIA ANSWER Weighing in at 1.3 million pounds, the largest operating travel lift in the United States required nineteen 18-wheeler trucks to transport it from Wisconsin to California. With four pairs of 9-foot-tall wheels, this beast can accommodate loads up to 665 tons (yachts 220 feet long and 54 feet wide). See photos of its assembly here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0215 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 Jan O’Malley: Bob Merrick’s mark rounding sportsmanship story is correct (in Issue 2280), but it should be attributable to Carl Van Duyne in the Finn at the 1968 Olympics in Acapulco, Mexico. * From Rich du Moulin: It is gratifying reading the various stories of Peter Barrett and his sportsmanship. One great name has been left out of this thread - Carl Van Duyne. Carl was Peter's successor as America's best Finn sailor. Carl was only about 5'10 and 175 pounds, but he was focused, fit, and determined. Going into the 1968 Olympics, he was one of the favorites for a Gold Medal in Acapulco, but while rounding a mark, his boom touched the mark. This was unseen by the competitors, but Carl withdrew and sailed back to the dock. There was no 360 rule and no throwout. He never won a medal, but he never whined or even showed frustration. He went on with his life to become a coach and professor at the US Naval Academy where I was fortunate to spend 3 years with him. He married, had two kids, served in the White House, taught at Williams College, and tragically died of cancer at age 35. I believe it was the year following the 1968 Olympics when the mark rounding rule changed to re-rounding rather than retiring, and later evolved into the 360 to avoid unnecessary collisions as boats attempted to re-round. Many called the rule change the "Carl Van Duyne" Rule. Curmudgeon’s Comment: Hopefully we have this story all straightened out now. * From Capt. Scott Rhoads: (edited to the 250-word limit) It's a breath of fresh air to see that we still have over 70% of the sailors responding saying that they would play fair and drop out per the rules. I have been teaching sailing for almost 20 years with charitable foundations. During those years, I have been concerned to see the fabric of society coming apart at the edges. In most schools these days, cheating on tests is ok if you don't get caught, cheating on your wife or girlfriend is ok as long as it happens in Vegas, and telling lies to get out of trouble is getting to be more normal. I have seen the fingers of dishonesty and cheating reaching into local sailing too. Sailboat racing is a sport - a game. All games require some rules to make them work for everyone and keep it a game that anyone can win so that anyone can play. I understand that some of the rules in life don't make sense and we occasionally have to independently determine what is the "right thing to do" in a given situation. But to lie and cheat just for the ease of it is becoming too common. The glue that holds any sport together is our honest commitment to the rules of the game. I'm very happy to see that the vast majority of the people that I sail with are playing by the rules. It means that we still have a game worth playing out there on the water. * From John Priestley: I read with interest the initial story about Peter Barrett dropping out of the fifth race at the 1964 Olympics after committing a foul that no one else had seen (this story was subsequently corrected) and the Scuttlebutt poll asking others whether they, too, would drop out under similar circumstances. It is a sad refection on our sport that only about three-quarters of the sailors polled would have abided by the rules. Apparently, we compete in an arena where one out of four sailors are comfortable cheating. Hat's off to those who recognized and admired Mr. Barrett's sportsmanlike and gentlemanly behavior on the race course. * From Dick Katz: (regarding the poll question, comparing the incident of hitting a mark to that of minor contact with a competitor) I think if I had taken an early tack onto port to clear out and my shoulder brushed another boat's rudder and the other helmsman didn't notice it.... I’m still racing. Perhaps another vote? * From Steve Orosz: Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the Coast Guard’s idea of a nautical “Driver’s License” to protect us all from small boat terrorist threats doesn’t go far enough? The advances that have been made in recent years with GPS and microchip technology mean that we could do much better. All small boaters should have a GPS enabled tracking device implanted in their skulls so the Coast Guard can tell where we all are at all times. Sort of a “Lo Jack” for sailors. Maybe a bar code on our foreheads too. After all, it’s the least we can do – if we don’t, then the terrorists win. Right? And anyone wearing a tin-foil hat would be a terrorist for sure. It’s a good thing that in a democracy, we get the government we deserve. * From Scott Young: This topic (Best College Sailing Team) has triggered some excellent memories for me while sailing for the University of Texas in the late 70's and early 80's. While maybe not the greatest college sailing team of all time, I reflect fondly on my teammates in those days and all that they have gone on to accomplish in the sport. Guys like Kelson Elam, Kelly Gough, Paul Foerrester, Dave Chapin, Mark Hallman, Bill Draheim, Curt Oetking, Doug Kern, Gary Ross, Rob Johnston have collectively won more championships than I can even count. Perhaps worthy of further note was the friendly and not so friendly competition we enjoyed with our arch SEISA rivals from New Orleans. In those days, only one team could qualify for nationals out of SEISA. Inevitably, we would usually have to travel to Tulane to try and qualify. During my days in Texas, we had some of the most amazingly competitive events against the likes of Nevin Sayre, Glen Darden, Jens Hookensen, Ralph Kinder and many that I have probably forgotten....all truly gifted college sailors. Our SEISA qualifiers were battles to the death. One year, I remember driving into New Orleans on the main highway on our way from Austin and seeing banners hung on the overpasses telling us how much we were appreciated (not exactly in those words) and how much Tulane was looking forward to kicking our asses. Ahhhh… those were the days! College sailing is absolutely the best! – Forum thread at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/07/bestever CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM Do one-legged ducks swim in circles? Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises and North U. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
