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SCUTTLEBUTT 2623 - Monday, June 23, 2008Scuttlebutt 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. BERMUDA RACE: WIND GODS LIKING SMALLER BOATS Alex Jackson's 99ft super maxi Speedboat set the early pace last Friday as the 198-boat Newport Bermuda fleet began a second century of racing to the Onion Patch. Under sparkling sunshine on a brilliant Newport afternoon, multiple boats were over the line early in the first 6 out of 16 classes at the start of this 46th Newport Bermuda Race. An ebb tide pushing against a nice 12 kt sea breeze forced the eager starters over the line in bunches. Taking a couple of tacks, the yachts passed out of the East Passage, into the Rhode Island Sound and headed south southeast to Bermuda. Before the start, Stan Honey, Speedboat's navigator predicted their finish time in Bermuda would either be on Sunday afternoon, or much later if they find themselves becalmed under a lurking high system. His worst fears have been realized as light air beating will keep the elapsed record safe for another two years. Ken Campbell’s forecast calls for light winds from to S to SSE in the vicinity of Bermuda Sunday night, with winds increasing the further up the course you go, and veering back into the SSW at 20-25 knots north of 35N on Monday. This could bring the smaller boats home in a big rush, making for another small-boat corrected time year. Well up the race course, the smallest boats in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division are licking their chops at the potential opportunity to stick it to the big boys on corrected time for two races in a row. Race website: http://www.bermudarace.com Boat tracking: http://xrl.us/tracking Commentary and video: http://xrl.us/t2ptv * Thanks to photographers Cory Silken and Amory Ross who have provided images from on the water and by the air: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/0622 FOGGY START FOR POLYNESIAN ADVENTURE Los Angeles, CA (June 22, 2008) - Never mind Tahiti, which way’s Catalina? Good question to ask when four boats started the Transpacific Yacht Club’s 13th Tahiti Race Sunday in a dense offshore fog off the Point Fermin bluffs. To further disorient observers, the onshore breeze was only 3-6 knots and the Los Angeles Yacht Club’s race committee boat was pointing downwind toward land into a favorable current, not toward Santa Catalina Island, 22 miles out and the first mark of the 3,571-nautical mile course. The elapsed time record for the race, first run in 1925, is 14 days 21 hours 15 minutes 26 seconds set by the late Fred Kirschner’s Santa Cruz 70, Kathmandu, in the most recent race in 1994. Magnitude 80 is projected to break it by two or three days and, in good conditions, all four boats could eclipse it. But there could be a snag in the plan, as the trickiest part of the course is crossing the light air zone of the equator --- the “Doldrums”--- which have, according to Magnitude 80 navigator, Ernie Richau, “in the past week … expanded from 80 [nautical] miles to 320 miles.” – Complete story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0622 NOT SO ANNUAL ANYMORE When the Swiss Alinghi team, winner of the 32nd America’s Cup last summer, announced the terms of the next event, they did so in partnership with the Spanish Desafío Español team, who was accepted as their challenger of record. Without reliving all the details that have transpired since last July, the Spanish team was found to not fulfill the requirements as defined by the Deed of Gift, with the primary focus being on the requirement that the challenging club have an annual regatta. At the time of their challenge, the Club Nautico Español de Vela (CNEV) had just been formed, so they naturally had not yet held their annual regatta. There was debate as to whether the Deed required an annual regatta to already have been held, or for one just to be planned. While the issue was under review, the CNEV quickly scheduled an event, then another, then yet a third, all deemed to be their annual event, and all held later in 2007. A posting over the weekend by the Valencia Sailing website points out a fact that even the “best lawyers” would be challenged to argue. The term “annual” is used to describe something that happens once a year. Guess what the CNEV does not appear to be hosting in 2008? Their annual regattas! -- Complete story: http://xrl.us/annual A PLB THAT SENDS A VHF MAYDAY Coming in September is a new twist on the PLB. VPIRB sends a mayday automatically to CH 16 & 70 (DSC channel) when the wearer hits water. We will be doing further evaluations when the first units are available but for now you can see our initial report on VPIRB here: http://myboatsgear.com/mbg/product.asp?prodID=1307. MyBoatsGear.com will help you find the best gear, by reviewing hundreds of boating products and bringing the best ones to you. MyBoatsGear.com stores product information for access anytime, anywhere, and organizes them into 200 plus easily-accessible categories. -- http://myboatsgear.com/mbg/index.asp AMERICA’S CUP - BITS AND PIECES * (June 21, 2008) A fire destroyed millions of dollars worth of boats at a factory owned by Rayglass, New Zealand's largest boat builder. Last night the whole place went up in flames, along with about 14 other boats, worth at least $2 million in total. Firefighters managed to salvage some of the half-built boats and boat moulds before the steel frame holding up the ceiling collapsed. Among the boats lost was Ernesto Bertarelli's new 12m craft that was three-quarters complete. Rayglass exports its fibreglass runabouts to 17 countries. Its Protector and Legend boats are used for on-water patrol and umpiring vessels in America's Cup regattas. * (June 22, 2008) The ongoing court case that is the America's Cup took a new legal twist yesterday with the first action in the Team New Zealand-inspired lawsuit against Alinghi, claiming up to US$50 million ($65.5m). In a separate US action to that involving Alinghi and BMW Oracle, Team New Zealand are arguing that Alinghi's decision not to compromise with Oracle meant Alinghi could not live up to assurances of staging the 33rd America's Cup in 2009. Emirates Team New Zealand had been preparing for a 2009 "all-challengers" regatta based on those assurances from Alinghi. They are seeking US$37m if the regatta is delayed until 2010 and US$50m if delayed until 2011. Team New Zealand's opening moves in the US Federal Court were really just the opening shots across the bows, attempting to nail down where the ETNZ case would be heard and on what basis. The next steps in the ETNZ action will be taken in late July and then early September. -- NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10517704 OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN: 47 DAYS TO GO * Brit Sarah Webb, gold medalist in Athens and reigning Yngling world champion, injured her head whilst training at the Olympic sailing venue of Qingdao, China. The accident occurred last Tuesday as Webb was transferring from between the 20ft Olympic keelboat and the coach's boat when she slid, falling heavily into a stainless steel towing post. Within minutes, a tennis-ball sized swelling had grown on Webb's forehead. She was rushed ashore and was taken care of by British team doctor David Gorrod. Four days after the accident, and after a severe regime of pain-relief, the swelling has reduced though Webb has an angry black eye. -- Telegraph, complete story: http://xrl.us/yngling * A recent report by Andrew Campbell (USA) from Qingdao: “It’s been three to six knots with rarely a puff that would make us wish we had our hiking pads on. It’s actually quite an interesting mix between San Diego’s morning light air, swell and kelp with the Potomac River’s tidal current and dirty water. Perhaps the biggest oddity here is the massive paddies of algae floating across the racecourses and the fleet of harvesters hired to clear it up. Very thin and gooey seaweed is the only form of life we can detect in the water in off the YinHai Yacht Club where we are training. Every day a rally of Chinese junk-style fishing boats lines up out in front of the club and then disperses across the racing areas to clear the waters of the great blobs of algae. It is a bit of nuisance while we are sailing having to dodge the globs that can sometimes grow to be the size of a baseball diamond. They generally form in the lines between different current. Yesterday I saw a British laser sailor try and navigate his way through one of the blobs, but before he stopped dead in the water.” -- http://campbellsailing.com/index.php/2008/06/20/foggy-qingdao THE DOWNSIDE TO SUBJECTIVE SELECTION (June 21, 2008) Peter O'Leary and Stephen Milne were yesterday confirmed as the Irish Sailing Association nominees for the Irish Olympic team following an unsuccessful appeal against their selection. Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks lodged an appeal to the Olympic Council of Ireland when O'Leary and Milne were picked despite their performance at the Star World Championships in April in which they placed highest of the three Irish contenders and qualified the country for Beijing. In a 10-page fax sent to the parties yesterday afternoon, the OCI tribunal found that ISA's steering group had acted properly in their selection procedure. Treacy and Shanks were said to be "mystified" at the decision and would be considering the matter with their legal team on Monday. An appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Lausanne remains a possibility. -- http://xrl.us/ew8zg HARD KORE from KAENON POLARIZED Hard Kore is the next evolution of pure performance from Kaenon Polarized. Uncompromising in fit, comfort and protection with styling indicative of the Luxury Performance collection Kaenon Polarized delivers. Patented and proprietary SR-91 polarized lenses are available in a variety of sailing-specific lens tints and Light Transmission Levels. Available in prescription - Single Vision or Freestyle Progressive - Kaenon Polarized is the must-have breeze reading tool for the Games in China. Luxury Performance from Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. View the new 2008 Collection and locate an authorized retailer nearest you at http://www.kaenon.com SAILING SHORTS * (June 20, 2008) A crucial piece of evidence in the sinking of the Texas A&M University sailboat was pulled from the depths of the Gulf Friday morning. A salvage team and the U.S. Coast Guard were able to recover the keel to the Cynthia Woods from more than 100 feet of water. The keel had broken free of the Cape Fear 38R during the 40th annual Regata de Amigos event from Galveston to Veracruz, Mexico which led to the death of crew Roger Stone. The keel of the Cynthia Woods has been moved to a Galveston warehouse while the investigation continues. -- Full story and video: http://www.kbtx.com/local/headlines/20614319.html * After three events on the M 30 North American Circuit, the consistency of Bodo and Nick von der Wense’s Turbo Duck has them at the top of the standings with the final circuit event to be held on July 11-13 in Newport, RI. After the North American Circuit concludes, the class - now in its 12th year - will remain in Newport to make final preparations for its North American Championship on August 22-24 and World Championship on October 1-4. Sail Newport will serve as a base of operations for the North Americans and co-organizing authority for the Worlds. -- http://www.mumm30.org/content/view/183/49/ * The World's Longest Freshwater Sailboat Race started at 8:00 CDT, June 21, 2008, taking singlehanded entrants along a route just under 1,200 miles. Sponsored by the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society, the race is known as the Super Mac and Back, with entrants starting in either Port Huron or Chicago. -- http://solosailor.org/allmac.php * Severe weather prompted a 20 hour delay for the start of the BMW Round Ireland Yacht Race, finally getting underway at noon on Sunday, June 22, 2008. With a westerly breeze gusting 40 knots, 41 boats started this year’s race though three have officially retired, with several others opting not to start. The course is 704 miles with the rules requiring Ireland and all her islands to be left to starboard. – Race website: http://www.roundirelandyachtrace.ie * South Dartmouth, MA - This past weekend Scott Ferguson of Jamestown, RI won the 2008 Laser Masters US Nationals held up at the New Bedford YC. The three day event had 58 entrants from as far as the Dominican Republic, England and Canada. Ferguson is also known to be the chief spar designer for the 33rd America's Cup with the BMW Oracle syndicate as well as the chief Spar designer for the 2008-2009 Spanish Volvo Team "Equipo Telefonica". -- Complete results: http://www.nbyc.com/regattas/Sunday.pdf * Ecuador’s Maria Jose Cucalon was the overall first place winner at the 16th annual Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta, sailed out of the St. Thomas Yacht Club, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, June 20 to 22. Cucalon also won the Caribbean Optimist Champion 2008 title. A record 96, 8- to 15-year-old junior sailors from 14 nations – Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Puerto Rico, Spain, St. Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago, the United States, all three U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela – competed in this event credited with jump-starting Optimist sailing for kids in the Caribbean. -- Complete report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0622a CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘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, 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 Terry Hutchinson: I was saddened to hear the news of George Fisher's passing (in Issue 2622). As a pass member of the Lightning class, I have great memories of racing against George and all the Fishers for that matter. George was a great competitor and one thing that always struck me is that regardless of the situation he always seemed to be smiling as if to say how good is this? Probably a lesson somewhere for all of us..... I know that there is a fraternity of sailor's worldwide that are saddened but in the same breath fortunate to have had the chance to know and compete with George. * From Rick Bernstein: As humble a man as you ever met, George Fisher embodied the persona we should all strive for. Having the incredible experience of crewing for George and Greg in the 2003 Lightning World Championships, I witnessed humility rarely seen in this age of thankless so-called "champions." Racing in his mid 70's, racing in an extremely tough US Worlds, going into the last day or racing, George was winning the Worlds. In the early years of George's racing, there were no throw-outs; he would be World Champion. In reality though it is secondary that he ended up 6th, his highest finish ever. The night before racing ended, George seemed almost uncomfortable, sort of shy and modest at the evening's party as countless wanted to shake his hand, discuss how he does it, ask where he gets the drive, and on and on people kept approaching him. It was an evening I'll never forget standing back and watching George shake off the attention, while really seeing the priceless glow of excitement in his eyes; he was uncomfortably on Cloud Nine. The next time you just don't have the energy, when you're feeling down or tired, can't go sailing with your family because you've been racing, remember 81 year young George Fisher; I know I will. * From Bill Munster: As a long time US SAILING member, and former Board of Director, and a Vice-Pres, I totally agree with the comments last week from Dobbs Davis and Bill Sandberg. Jim Capron was the most dedicated member, giving of all his free time as well as every other moment he could spare working on this great organization. He has left a trail that would be hard to follow when it comes time to step down as President. I congratulate and thank him for a job well done. * From Fred Young: Kudos to wotif.com for sponsoring the Australian team’s attempt to break the 50kpm sailing speed record. We should do everything we can to support companies that support the sport of sailing, including going out of our way to do business with those companies. All of us should check out their website (http://www.wotif.com), and email them at mailto:customer.service@wotif.com telling them that because of their sponsorship of this sailing event, we have learned about their company, and will probably do business with them in the future. And good luck to the Wotrocket team in getting to 50 knots before the French. * From Mike Ingham: (re, personal chef story in #2622) Barbara was our chef at the recently hel J/24 Worlds in Italy. What she failed to mention, besides providing excellent food and the convenience factor, was that she also brought me to the emergency room to get my fingertip sewed back on when I mangled it during a race. Definitely full service! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION A psychologist is a man who watches everyone else when a beautiful girl enters the room. Special thanks to MyBoatsGear.com and Kaenon Polarized. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
