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SCUTTLEBUTT 1389 - August 8, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. KIMBERLY BIRKENFELD Kimberly Birkenfeld had it all at 37 - an MBA from Harvard, a successful consulting business, the No. 1 ranking among women windsurfers on the U.S. Sailing Team, all leading into a week with her boyfriend Magnus Liljedahl at his birthplace in Sweden. After a flight together to Amsterdam, where they parted, he returned to his adopted home in America to sail in the Nautica Star Worlds at Marina del Rey. She went on to the pre-Olympic regatta at Athens. "It was the epitome of my sailing career," she said. "I couldn't have been happier that I had earned the right to represent the [U.S.] in the Olympic test event. I had everything lined up. Then the next thing I knew I woke up in Oregon." Aug. 8, 2002, a year ago today from this publication date, was the day Birkenfeld's life crashed. She didn't feel a thing. She remembers nothing. About a half-hour before a race start, she was involved in a violent collision with a rival team's inflatable chase boat. It was piloted by Bruce Kendall, a New Zealand coach and former Olympic gold and bronze medallist. There were no witnesses - none who came forward, anyway - other than Julia Conrad, a German windsurfer who was riding along with Kendall. Birkenfeld suffered severe traumatic brain injury, spinal-cord injury, and the effects of nearly drowning. Doctors told her that only her athletic fitness kept her alive. Kendall told Greek authorities that he turned his boat and saw a sailor coming right at him. Conrad supported that account. Birkenfeld, in a coma for a month and unable to think clearly long after, was in no position to dispute them. Until now. Curmudgeon's comment: There's more to Rich Robert's story…much more: http://www.thelognewspaper.com/columnists/columnistsview.asp?c=69139 U.S. JUNIOR WOMEN'S SINGLEHANDED CHAMPIONSHIP Mentor Harbor Yacht Club, Mentor Harbor, OH (August 8) - Charlotte Hill from Miami, FL won the Leiter Trophy competing against forty-one junior women from across the United States. Nathalie Mulhern of La Porte, TX, came in second with Allison Blecher of Fullerton, CA, taking third. Case Hathaway-Zepa of Pasadena, CA was chosen by her competitors to receive the sportsmanship trophy. When asked what she liked best about the event she said, "All the people and their attitudes. Everyone went out even when the weather wasn't so good with no complaints and the competition stayed on the water." The coaches and judges awarded the spirit trophy to Katherine Greene of Honolulu, HI. Complete Results at: http://www.ussailing.org/leiter/2003/results.htm OLYMPIC UPDATE - by Fred Hagedorn, Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman: In mid-August our Team will arrive at the venue of the 2004 Olympics for sailing's second and final test event. Every nation will have a maximum of one entrant per event, and we will be traveling with a full team of 18 athletes. Full team support will come from Team Leader Jonathan Harley, on-site weather reports provided by Chris Bedford, the unparalleled skills of our illustrious Team Boatwright Carl Eichenlaub, and from the coaching staff led by Gary Bodie. The focus for all our athletes will then turn to September and the Op Gold event of the year -- The 2003 ISAF World Sailing Championships in Cadiz, Spain. Our Paralympic hopefuls will have their first opportunity to experience the venue in Athens during the IFDS Worlds at the same time. Complete report: http://www.ussailing.org/Olympics/SailingMedallist/03vol8/index.htm FALLING SAILS Half way up the final beat to the finish it happens... your headsail falls to the deck. Don't you wish you had inspected your halyards? Annapolis Performance Sailing reminds you that proper race prep includes inspecting all your cordage for signs of chafe, rot or other damage regularly. If you haven't been doing this, now is the time. To help you ensure your second half of the season is as good as the first, APS is running a 50% off rigging sale. Check your cordage and give our line experts a call at 800.729.9767. For more details, http://www.apsltd.com/depts/dept3269.asp CASCADE LOCKS The Cascade Locks at the Columbia River Gorge was an in-crowd thing for years-a favorite with Pacific Northwest dinghy sailors who like their action in wild open spaces. Lately, the Locks have become a training ground for Olympians, and top sailors are buying houses there. The Locks went mainstream in 2002, and the 2003 calendar has been full. The 29ers wrapped up their North American championship in July, and now the 49er Nationals are next on August 16-17, the Snipe North Americans August 22-24, and the Melges 24 Gorge Regatta September 13-14. Back in the Eighties there was the windsurfer rush to Hood River, which is to say to the town farther upriver where the Hood joins the Columbia. Hood River is known for its booming winds and big air. But the Locks offer something different. At the Cascade Locks, the breeze blows upriver and builds through the day, reliably. And the wind blows against a two-knot river current, so the beats are shortened and the downwind legs are lengthened. The water in the summertime is warm, and it doesn't even taste bad. 17 knots is a typical afternoon breeze. What's not to like? Conditions change mile by mile along the river, with more-and more stable-wind in the open stretches and significant waves where a fetch has time to build. In the protected zones you find smooth water and shifty winds. You can pick the kind of sailing you want to do. - SAIL Magazine Additional information at http://www.gorgesailing.org DISABLED SAILING Newport, R.I. (August 7, 2003) A new event was recently unveiled to better serve the disabled sailor component in the US. The Clagett Memorial Cup, an inaugural event for disabled sailors, is set to take place August 21-24, 2003, in Newport, RI. The hallmark of the event will be the combination of an annual regatta with a dedicated coaching component. The specific goal of the event - to take good disabled sailors and position them to move up to elite-level sailing is enhanced by a long-range goal of increasing the talent pool for future Paralympic competition. Unique due to its purpose and intended perpetuity for disabled sailors, the event will take place at the newly expanded Shake-A-Leg Sailing Center at Fort Adams. "This event will be the first of its kind in the country combining top-level instruction followed by a competition for a perpetual trophy for disabled people," explained head coach and Regatta Chair Scott Callahan, himself a C-4 quadriplegic. His personal evolution from a novice sailor in 1996, to one of the best disabled skippers in the world, representing the U.S.A. at the 2000 Paralympic Games For more information on their programs, contact Shake-A-Leg-Newport at P.O. Box 1264, Newport, R.I., 401-849-8898; or visit them online at http://www.shakealeg.org - Jan Harley, Media Pro THOUGHTS FROM THE RAIL The Curmudgeon recently observed, "Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up in our life we could press 'Ctrl-Alt-Delete' and start over?" Having sailed Transpac and blasted into the night with a white chute up and full main doing 19.5 knots with the boat vibrating like crazy. I cherish the memory. I've dreamt of crewing in Whitbread/ Volvo Ocean Race but the decision to stay home and raise my son held strong. For so long I thought those times anchored just off hotel Oa Oa on Bora Bora, lazing on the deck of a 100' schooner and having a tanned lady crewmember with flower lei for a top handing me a refreshing Hinano, was the top of the heap. That is, until my son introduced me to his second grade class for show and tell "as his dad." I don't know what feeling was worse, when the regatta was over and the next one was six weeks away and thousands of miles from where I stood. Or, how I felt when my boy refused to pull weeds even when I offered money for the household chore. Oh, for what lies ahead? Tribulations and fear of what is before you always aid the soul in creative conclusions! Braving the tempest adds character and humbles that soul all the while developing the wisdom to be who you are and gives the foundation you use to assist in guidance of those that follow. So, no! I am glad I did not have the "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" to change and start over. - Bob Kiernan US OPTI NATIONALS Chicago, IL, August 7th - With clear skies, steady 8 to 12 knot winds and seas up to one foot all day, the Championship fleet completed four races and the Green fleet completed five. Weather conditions remained steady until the middle of the final race of the day when the winds picked up to 14 knots with whitecaps. After six hours of intense competition, race officials made the call to send the competitors in for the day. "Conditions today were ideal for this competition," said John Vandemoer, Chicago Yacht Club Sailing School instructor and head coach. "The first two days' light winds set us back, but we made up all that was lost in today's racing." Race committee is aiming to complete an additional three races to wrap-up the event Friday, thereby reaching the 12-race maximum for the Opti Nationals. "It looks like we'll see 10 to 15 knots from between the northeast and northwest for tomorrow's racing," said Vandemoer. "The scores are tight at the top, so we are definitely excited to get these last three races off and name our national champion." - Haley Pingree, PCI Results through Thursday Green Fleet (55 entrants): 1. Will Dennis, Saratoga, CA - 24 points 2. Kelly Seago, Grosse Point Shores, MI - 38 points 3. Andrew Pate, Naples, FL - 38 points Championship Fleet (208 entrants): 1. Kiel Killeen, New Orleans, LA - 35 points 2. Elijah Simmons, St. Georges, BER - 45 points 3. Alex Bunt, Fair Haven, NJ - 46 points Event website: http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/opti/index.html HENRI LLOYD SWEETENS THE DEAL Henri Lloyd USA adds a new prize to the Layline photo contest! Last Friday, we announced our photo contest. Tom from Henri Lloyd said, "Walt, great idea! Could you add a bonus prize?" So now there is another way to win: send photos of yourself or friends wearing Henri Lloyd product, and you will be entered to win $1,000 of brand new Henri Lloyd gear. Enter up to ten photos per person - each one is eligible to win Layline's weekly prize. Don't forget to vote for your favorites; your vote enters you in Layline's drawing! http://www.layline.com/llf/photo/photo_contest.htm LAYDAY The competitors at both the Snipe Worlds and the Pan Am Games were observing a scheduled day off on Thursday. Racing resumes on Friday for both events. Pan Am Games: http://www.ussailing.org/Olympics/PanAm Snipe Worlds: http://www.borstahusens-ss.org/snipe2003 NEWS BRIEFS * The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) and Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) are hosting a series of Town Hall Meetings this summer to discuss the critical funding issues that are hindering the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to maintain the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW). There is a real possibility that commercial and recreational use of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) in Florida will lose parts of the waterway due to shoaling. Full report at http://www.boatus.com/news/releases.asp * More than 240 boats are set to sail the course of the RORC's 2003 Rolex Fastnet Race. Run biennially, the 608-mile long offshore race will start at 10:00 on 10th August from the traditional start line in front of Cowes' Royal Yacht Squadron on the Isle of Wight. The current monohull race record stands at 53 hours and amongst the fleet this year are several boats capable of setting a better time, the favorite being Neville Crichton's 90-foot Maxi monohull Alfa Romeo. Crichton's New Zealand-registered yacht has already picked up line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in December last year and recently broke the record for the offshore race in the Giraglia Rolex Cup in the Mediterranean. Additional information at http://www.rorc.org CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * August 15-16: Volvo Leukemia Cup in Bristol RI. Racing includes one-design as well as PHRF spinnaker and non-spinnaker. Funds raised go toward disease research. More information is available by contacting John Handfield III at 401-683-4704 or at http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/regatta/all_cal_detail.adp?item_id=101430 * August 15-17: Yngling North American Championship in Minnesota. Event website: http://usa.yngling.org/index2.html * August 16-20: CORK in Kingston, Canada. Event website: http://www.cork.org * August 22-24: Laser National Championship in Sayville, N.Y. Event website: http://www.laserinternational.org Curmudgeon's comment: I am pleased to announce the debut of the official Scuttlebutt event calendar on our website. Regatta organizers can use the inputting features to help publicize their event, while the rest of us can use the search tool to find out what's going on. Bookmark it at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From David Scully: Will Cosmos 1's time for circumnavigating the earth qualify for Jules Verne record consideration? * From Ed Crouch: The juxtaposition of the interesting piece about Space Sailing on Cosmos 1 and the ad for UV protective clothing struck me as quite funny. How long until the ad reads "....a back flip on the centerboard, leaping for a surprise jibe on your Farr 40, or hurtling through outer space where the UV is really intense....?" * From Marc Skipwith: ISAF's international world "wide" ranking list is the most useless information that anybody anywhere publishes. It is an attendance list, period. Absolutely favoring the Europeans. Within a five hours radius from most European Country's you are able to attend ISAF sanctioned events!!!! You might say who cares, well, with ISAF's combined ISAF Worlds, limiting the entry to a guaranteed attendance if you are in the top 100, guess what, based on just that "attendance" list makes it unfair for the rest of the world. * From Will Glenn: Having just spent the winter in this beautiful archipelago I agree we should pay our way; the Bahamians have a treasure and those of us who are fortunate enough the use it should help support it. * From Giles Anderson: Has anyone looked at the Pan Am Games web site (http://www.santodomingo2003.com)? Sailing is listed as the sport of "Candle." It's right after the sports of "I Swim Synchronous," "It Fights Olympic," and "Rise of Weights." No, I'm not making these up. My favorite - in the Athletics competition under the "Tests of Launching" there is a "Wild Sow" event. No wonder we have so many problems attracting spectators and sponsorship to Candle when the competition is having wild sow tossing contests. * Bob Knowles: What an interesting pair the nominating committee has chosen to be inducted this year into the AC Hall of Fame. With Gary Jobson, you get the cool analysis of a veteran tactician with the gift of being able to translate all of the complexities of sailboat racing down to it's most basic elements and conveying it to audiences worldwide, entertaining sailors and non-sailors alike. Than there's Alan Bond. Here's a man whose name alone would fulfill the definition of "maverick" in any country's dictionary, whose approach could best be described as plunge ahead, learn as you go from (very expensive) mistakes, don't give up or be discouraged 'till you get to the goal you've set and win that damn cup! Two very different men from very different backgrounds who exemplify what's so neat and exciting about what we all love to do. Congratulations to both of them and to the committee for nominating them. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together. |
