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SCUTTLEBUTT 3002 - Thursday, January 7, 2010Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today's sponsors are Harken Yacht Equipment and Ullman Sails. 2009 ROLEX YACHTSMAN AND YACHTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR Americans Bora Gulari and Anna Tunnicliffe were named US SAILING's 2009 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. A shortlist of 10 male and five female sailors - determined from nominations submitted by members of US SAILING - was evaluated by a panel of sailing journalists who selected these two sailors for the noteworthy distinction. Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize the outstanding on-the-water competitive achievement of an individual man and woman in the calendar year just concluded. Rolex Yachtsman of the Year - Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) Gulari earned the coveted award with his very first appearance on the shortlist of nominees. Gulari had tough competition for the honor: all but one of the 10 male nominees, Gulari included, had won a world championship title. Ultimately, 10 of the 14 panel members gave Gulari their first-place vote, acknowledging his growth from square one in the Moth class two years ago to winner of the CST Composites International Moth World Championship in 2009 as nothing short of remarkable. "I just do this because I love it, and I think this year was the start of great things to come for dinghy sailing in the U.S.," said Gulari. "With the addition of the foils, the Moths became easier to sail and a lot more rewarding. . . generating a level of excitement for sailing in some of the top sailors in the country that I have not seen before. I don't think it will take people away from traditional dinghy classes, but the Moth is so fun that it's attracting people that have never had any interest in dinghies, and its bringing people back to dinghies who thought they were done getting wet." Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year - Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) Tunnicliffe was nominated to the award's shortlist for the fifth consecutive year, and, having won the award in 2008 as well, becomes the first woman in 27 years to win the award in back-to-back years, a feat previously accomplished by only four women in the award's 48 year history: Jan O'Malley in 1969/70, Jane Pegel in 1971/72, Sally Lindsay Honey in 1973/74, and Betsy Alison in 1981/82. "It's truly amazing to win this award again," said an ecstatic Tunnicliffe. "I could not have done half of my season without the help of my crew: Molly Vandemoer, Debbie Capozzi, Liz Bower and Alice Manard. I feel honored, lucky and fortunate to win. Being nominated is an achievement; winning is amazing!" Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/yep3zef => Curmudgeon's Comment: Gotta love the USA border policy that brought in Bora (born in Turkey) and Anna (born in England). These two are keepers! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SPEEDBOAT? When the new Juan Kouyoumdjian designed 100-foot maxi Speedboat was launched on April 14, 2008 in Auckland, New Zealand's Viaduct Basin, all heads turned to look at the product of Cookson Boatbuilders and Southern Spars. Commissioned by American Alex Jackson, this supermaxi represented the latest in sailing technology and innovation, and would soon be coming to the USA. Using the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta in mid June as a tune up, Speedboat's offshore legs would see its first test later in the month, where she took line honors and the "First to Finish Prize" for the 2008 Newport-Bermuda race. But Speedboat had its sights on bigger goals, specifically setting a new transatlantic monohull record, which had been held by MariCha IV since 2003. Interestingly, the skipper of that record run, Mike Sanderson (GBR), was now in a similar role for Jackson to set a new standard. In what must have been a busy month, Sanderson and his team onboard Speedboat began their attempt on June 29th to beat the Mari Cha IV record of 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds. The effort would not last long, as by June 30th they were forced to drop out after one of their daggerboards broke. The team returned to Newport, RI for repair and evaluation, with plans to try again. And then things got complicated. In late August 2008, Jackson inked a deal with Richard Branson and Virgin Money to sponsor their sailing program. Also joined by many British America's Cup Team Origin members, the boat and team became exceedingly branded with the Virgin Money logo as they went on standby in Newport, RI for another attempt at the transatlantic record run. On October 22nd, the monohull maxi-yacht now named Virgin Money set sail for the transatlantic record attempt, with the crew also including Branson, his two kids, another rich buddy, and a camera man. The conditions were rough, the Branson contingent was uncomfortable, and two days later the effort was abandoned with purported claims of gear damage. The truth of what really happened has been a closely guarded secret as Branson controlled all the media, but with the weather window closed for further attempts for the season, the boat was able to head south for Florida where it could be "repaired" and live out the remaining time of the Virgin Money contract. Fast forward to now, the boat appears ready for a return, and with the absence of any new builds during the economic downturn, Speedboat remains atop the fleet. She is in West Palm, FL getting fitted out for a spring return to Newport, RI, where the cycle will begin again to compete in the Newport-Bermuda Race, and then give the transatlantic record another try. -- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt View photos, video and post comments here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8832 KWRW SERVICE/NEW HARKEN PRODUCTS Want to break down the new Radial winches or check out Harken's Grand Prix hydraulics? Need to replace that handle you sent over the rail? The full-service Harken Tech Trailer has a drill press, grinder, outlets for US and European electronics chargers, corkscrew, and loads of spare parts. If we're not at the Tech Trailer at Caroline and Williams, hail us on Channel 68 or try the local establishments where we'll be cycle-testing the taps! http://www.harken.it/grandprixregattas/grandprixregattas.html WARY OF WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS Money and resource do not always win the day. Victory in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race will also rely on those with the experience and vision to make the correct choices in the heat of the moment. This time, the decisions on a team's sail wardrobe will be even more critical and rely on a strategy developed many months beforehand. The new limitations and large reduction in the number of sails, outlined in the Volvo Open 70 Rule for the next event, intended to cap campaign costs without undermining the standard of racing and the performance of the boats. This time teams can only build 15 pre-race sails per boat, (a modest reduction from 17 in the last race), and build a further 15 for the entire race, a much bigger cut from the 24 sails that were previously allowed. Clearly, such a reduction will mean that broader crossovers are required between various sails in order to span a greater range of conditions, while longevity will also become a more significant factor. But how easy will this be to achieve on highly refined machines that have, on both previous occasions, demonstrated record-breaking pace? Asking a Formula One design team to run a 1,000bhp race car and deliver the same results on nearly 40 per cent fewer tires would surely be a big ask. "Planning how to use the team's budget will be more critical this time around," explained North Sails' Simon Fry. "In particular it will be the research that goes into the limited sails that will be most important. Measure twice, make once, as we like to say. With tight restrictions on the number of sails that can be built and carried aboard, a boat's sail inventory will have a big influence on the angles it can sail. So, while life may become simpler in the number of sails that are built and shipped around the world, the development that is behind them will mean that teams will have to have done their homework." -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/yc4m9ll WINCHES AND THE AMERICA'S CUP By R. C. Keefe, Barient past president From 1960 to 1975 our Barient Winch Company was a major player in supplying equipment for worldwide America's Cup efforts. The question often came up concerning whether offshore challenges could be in compliance with the terms of the Deed of Gift, and purchase our equipment to use in actual Cup competition. Almost all of this centered around the use of our double cross connected pedestal winch. In the early 1960's, we built one for "American Eagle". We also built one for the new "Kialoa ll", our own "Baruna", "Audacious" and "Chubasco". By their own interpretations of the Deed, arguments were made that our pedestals were indeed shelf stock, and should be available to the world over. It also became apparent to us that some teams were willing to expend a lot of money to build their own winches to our basic designs. The French commissioned Brit Chance to design a state of the art 12 meter "Chance-Eager" to be built in Switzerland. We received an order for a complete winch inventory for her; at the time, the biggest order we had yet received. There was no question that "Chance-Eager" was ever intended to be an America's Cup contestant. As part of the contract, we sent our Chief Engineer to Switzerland to help with the installation of the big winch. Upon returning, he reported that by the time he got there they had already disassembled the winch, and made careful drawings of the principal parts. He was somewhat surprised about this as a complete spare parts inventory, also as a part of the order, went along with the shipment (air freight). All her secondary winches were our No. 28's, but very special; they were titanium, and weighed about half of a regular No. 28, and cost about twice as much. Word about this got out around the waterfronts of the world, and very quickly we got another order for a double cross connected pedestal winch from Abeking & Rasmussen in Hamburg. It was rumored that the Germans were going to build a 12 meter with America's Cup intentions. Again, our Chief Engineer flew off to Europe only to find out nothing of their intentions. Only that the winch was to be installed on a new yacht they were building. We were getting constant inquiries from the Australians concerning equipment for Cup yachts, but no order ever came forth. At the time the Australians were also complaining that they didn't have proper sail fabric available in Australia, and wanted to be able to purchase fabric in the United States. They would make the sails, but they wanted to buy fabric from Hood and Kenny Watts. The Watts Sail Making Company in Los Angeles was weaving their own fabric known as Texlon. Along with the argument that the Australians were making about not having state of the art sail fabric, they also made known that they did not have titanium to machine, and wanted to be able to buy our Barient titanium winches or that the American efforts not to be able to use them. -- Scuttlebutt Forum, read on and post comments here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8826#8826 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: Jan 9-10 - Jaguar Cup Series - Sid Doren Memorial Regatta - Miami, FL, USA Jan 13 - Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race - Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA Jan 15-17 - Caribbean Laser Midwinter Regatta - Cabarete, Puerto Plata, DR Jan 16-17 - O'pen BIC Midwinter Un-Regatta - Miami, FL, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar ULLMAN SAILS TIE THE TOP OF THE NORTHWEST Congratulations to Derek Campbell's Melges 32 "Banshee" and Mike Schiltz' J/105 "Money Shot" for taking the top two spots in 48 North Magazine and Harken's annual Pacific Northwest Top 25 Sailboats of 2009. Both boats tied for first after dominating on the race course all year. During 2009, ten major events were tracked and the Top 25 list includes boats that sailed in at least four of those events. "Banshee" and "Money Shot" each won four events and had equal number of class starts for an unbreakable tie! Both boats are powered by 100% inventory, including Ullman FiberPath technology. -- http://www.ullmansails.com SAILING SHORTS * Sydney, Australia (January 6, 2010) - British sailors took first place in both the final Qualifying Races in Day 5 of the CST Composites International 14 World Championship. The Qualifying Series is now complete and Mark Krstic/Andrew Wilson (AUS) finished on top of the points table with defending world champs Archie Massey/ Dan Wilsdon (AUS) in second. The top 60% advanced from the qualifying series to the Gold Fleet, where their rank will be used as a non-discardable race score for the Finals Series scheduled January 7-11. -- Complete story: http://tinyurl.com/y8bxqdv * Freeport, Grand Bahama (January 6, 2010) - On the third day of the 2010 Seiko 49er and 29er World Championship, the 62 49ers have completed their qualifying series, with Iker Martinez De Lizarduy/ Xabier Fernandez (ESP) leading the top 25 teams that now advance to the final series January 7-9. Oscar Haumann/ Taus Holtug (DEN) continue to lead the 29er fleet, where the 35 teams will continue to sail together through January 9th. -- Results: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8831#8831 * A group is working with the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum to produce an exhibit about American Nick Scandone's 2008 Paralympic Games victory and his life. The exhibit will open as early as May 2010. Financial contributions are needed, and the group is encouraging people to submit articles and photos about their experiences with Nick and how his great competitive spirit influenced the way they look at sailing competitively, and life! Information should be sent to Mary Kate Scandone at mailto:nscandone@socal.rr.com, or mailed to Balboa Yacht Club, attn: Gracie at 1801 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar, CA. 92625. * The United States has announced their plan for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore from August 14 to 26, 2010, where four sailing will have four events: boys and girls singlehanded dinghy, and boys and girls windsurfing. US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) has determined they will send only one male and one female windsurfer to compete, but the spots are contingent upon the country qualifying at one of the designated events. Athletes must have been born between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 1995 to be eligible. -- Complete details: http://tinyurl.com/y8ahcqg LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Bob Johnstone, J Boats: (re, trivial question in Scuttlebutt 3001) In June 1929, just before the Stock Market Crash, college sailing was between Harvard, Yale and Princeton. On this particular weekend the event was to be held in Herreshoff S-Boats out of Seawanhaka Corinthian YC in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Briggs Cunningham was one Yale's skippers. My dad, Rob Johnstone was a freshman crewing for Rufus G."Bud" Smith of Houston on one Princeton boat. "Ozzie" Willauer helmed the other. Harvard was a "no show". To make a race of it, the decision was made to expand college sailing beyond H-Y-P for the first time by inviting Cornell. The New York Times reported that there was great concern about such a move diluting the quality of the competition. This is very amusing, because one of the Cornell skippers was Rod Stephens (S&S). * From Frederic Berg: As an anecdote to Intercollegiate sailing origins, the first NCAA intercollegiate regatta was held at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas between Lamar University and the University of Hawaii in the spring of 1981. My only recollection of the regatta is that Lamar had TWO teams. The first team graciously hosted the University of Hawaii team at a barbeque and beverages well into the night and morning. Crawling out of our various drinking holes with few, if any hours of sleep to make the regatta, the University of Hawaii team members were greeted by an entirely new Lamar University team, fresh and ready to sail. This team was equally gracious and allowed the University of Hawaii a clean sweep of the event. * From Howard Bentley: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3001) NO! SO far, still BAD......very, very, bad!! JESSICA COLLIDED WITH A TANKER before she got to the start! Who has to die before we realize how moronic this contest is. The parents should be ashamed of their selfish egotistical behavior and be held fully responsible for any and all rescue costs that might arise. Next up the 13 year old?? Idiots! * From Andy Vare: In Scuttlebutt 3001 I gleefully collected this gem from a certain Bennett Greenwald: "Punch the Swiss some more - they have it coming." When I was a kid there were full-size clown inflatables that one could punch at will with no real consequence (i.e you still probably didn't play well with others). Leads me to believe there may be a swift trade in Valencia for such inflatables done in the images of either feudal sailing lord. I'm just sayin... * From Tom Arthur, New Zealand: I have been following the America's Cup with great interest ever since New Zealand's KZ 7 entered the regatta. Although the current AC issues of litigation are a different proposition, never the less I have still found them of great interest. Many past letters to Scuttlebutt on these current issues were of the tone that it was two millionaires' egos at stake, or why can't they just get sailing and sort it out on the water, which I thought were unrealistic. Now it seems to me, thankfully, the mood is changing, many letters reflect that people are seeing the reality of the situation which is, SNG is trying to manipulate the rules in their favour and BOR is saying no in a way that should protect the Deed of Gift for any future attempts to do the same. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem.... Special thanks to Harken Yacht Equipment and Ullman Sails. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
