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SCUTTLEBUTT 3013 - Friday, January 22, 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 NorthU and Interlux. STEADY WINDS & BOAT SPEED RULE IN KEY WEST Key West, Fla., (January 21, 2010) - Thursday brought the strongest winds of the regatta at Key West 2010, with a south-southeasterly delivering 14-16 knots. After three days of shifty conditions, the breeze stabilized and allowed tacticians to focus on boat speed instead of choosing sides of the course. Highland Fling, the Wally 82-footer, easily the largest entry at Key West 2010, has been unable to maximize its potential in the moderate, shifty conditions that predominated in the early part of the regatta. Said tactician Peter Isler, "We were really, really pleased when we went out this morning and found the breeze was what it was predicted." John Kilroy has been leading the Melges 32 class since Tuesday and holds a comfortable 10-point advantage with just two races remaining. However, the California skipper plans to sail the last day of the regatta the same way he did the first. "We're not going to do anything different. We'll just go out and sail as well as we possibly can and hope that is good enough to get the job done." New Wave, owned by Michael Carroll of Clearwater, Fla., had a superb outing on Thursday to move into second place ten points behind. Competition is still close in the Melges 24 class with skipper Lorenzo Santini and UKA UKA Racing taking a three-point lead over Blu Moon going into Friday. Joe Fly tacked on two more good results to hold a solid 11-point lead in the Farr 40 class. Barking Mad, skippered by Jim Richardson of Newport, R.I., notched a second and third on Thursday to move from fifth to second in the overall standings. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ydkem2m Results: http://tinyurl.com/y987z4f Key West Event Website: http://www.premiere-racing.com/ * Four video segments on Scuttlebutt's Key West 2010 micro-site from Thursday include the Duval Crawl plus interviews with Dobbs Davis of the ISAF Sailor Classification Code commission, US Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Bora Gulari, and Tom Verburgt of Kattack tracking. View it all here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/kw/ * SEAHORSE DISCOUNT: As a special offer to Scuttlebutt readers and participants at Key West Race Week, SEAHORSE Magazine is offering a substantial discount rate for 1, 2, 3 and 5-year subscriptions. New subscribers can save up to 40% off the cover price and 30% off the standard rates for monthly airmail delivery of the world's premier publication on international performance sailing. Details here: http://tinyurl.com/yfg8dct RETURNING TO MY ROOTS John Bertrand (USA), who won the Laser Worlds in 1976 and 1977, provides an update on his desire to climb up the hill again: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Twelve months ago, I raced at the Rolex Miami OCR in the 14-foot Laser class after a 30-year hiatus from top-level Laser competition. I did it as a reward to myself for getting back to my "Laser weight", which is the equivalent of one's "high school wrestling weight." This is the weight you can brag you once were, even if it was only for a day. For me, that meant being just under 180lbs (81.5kgs). The only problem was that I had only about an hour's worth of practice to get reacquainted with the boat before the first day of the regatta. Needless to say, the 2009 OCR regatta was a humbling experience but one that I wouldn't trade. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though losing weight by going to the gym and eating right for six months does not make one fit enough to effectively sail a Laser by any stretch. However, it was good enough to allow me to show up every day sore but not broken. More than once people commented on my ear-to-ear smile between races or post-racing. It was thrilling to be competing again instead of occupying my normal position perched on the coach boat. As a person who passed the half-century mark a few years ago, what compelled me to put myself back in a young man's class? I was inspired by two people in particular. Also, a specific circumstance conspired to push me in this direction. Brad Funk, who I coached to a second place finish at the 2008 Olympic Trials in the Laser, and to a top ten finish in almost every ISAF Grade One event he entered, always said there is no reason why I couldn't or shouldn't be racing a Laser. Brad s one of the most talented natural sailors I have come across and is a free spirit. His enthusiasm is contagious (one of the reasons he is universally liked) and it motivated me to get back in the boat. -- Read on: http://johnbertrand.blogspot.com/2010/01/returning-to-my-roots.html THINK FAST, THINK FASTER NorthU Trim Seminars and Race Weeks teach fast fast. In one day seminars you learn to control and balance power for better upwind performance, trim your spinnaker (A or S) to run faster and deeper, and how to set, jibe, and douse like a pro; plus you take home the NorthU TRIM Seminar-on-CD for review and home study. Or come to NorthU Performance Race Week on April 18-24 at Offshore Sailing School's Captiva, Florida location. Six days of on-the-water coaching and racing. Great fun and a great education. Visit http://www.northu.com or call 800-347-2457. PERCY & SIMPSON WIN 2010 STAR WORLDS Rio de Janeiro, (January 21, 2010) - Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (GBR) were crowned 2010 Star World Champions today. With a second finish overall, the Swiss team Marazzi/DeMaria's doggedness in trying to close the point spread between them and Percy/Simpson kept the World Championship title up for grabs through the final race of the series. Percy went into the race knowing that the Swiss team would have a difficult time placing first or second in the race and having the Brits finish eight or more points behind them. For the Brits, the start did not quite go as planned. Explained Simpson, "We thought that we were pushing them to the wrong end of the line and a big shift came through in their favor. They did a great job." The Brits' miscalculation put the Swiss more than 12 boats ahead of them at the top mark, and trading places with Lars Grael and Ronald Seifert (BRA), Johannes Polgar and Markus Koy (GER), and Fernando Echavarri and Fernando Rodrigues (ESP), all talented light air sailors. Said Percy, "We had a nervous moment at first when they crossed the fleet, but we continued to play the shifts and make gains." Americans Mark Mendelblatt and John Von Schwarz led around the first windward mark. They, like many others, had problems with the current after tacking for the offset mark, and slipped back to fifth. "We jibed to get clear air, and it turned out to be a good decision," said Mendelblatt, who went on to win his first race in a Star World Championship, finishing 22nd overall. "It was a good way to end the regatta." -- Full story: http://www.starclass.org/artman/publish/article_469.shtml The Star World Championship brought together 73 teams, representing 20 countries, with racing in Rio de Janeiro from January 16-22, outside of Guanabara Bay. Event website: http://www.starworlds2010.com Overall Results - Top 10 1. GBR, Iain Percy/Andrew Simpson, 20 2. SUI, Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria, 29 3. BRA, Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, 39 4. BRA, Lars Grael/Ronald Seifert, 44 5. BRA, Alan Adler/Almeida Guilherme, 44 6. ITA, Diego Negri/Fernando Colaninno, 52 7. SWE, Frederik Loof/Johan Tillander, 52 8. NOR, Eivind Melleby/Petter Pedersen, 54 9. BRA, Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada, 64 10. GER, Johannes Babendererde/Timo Jacobs, 66 Full results: http://www.starclass.org/search.cgi?Action=view&Event_id=1845 Photos by Fried Elliott: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0122/ RE-DEFINING THE CLASSIFICATION OF SAILING ABILITY The ISAF Sailor Classification Code provides an international system of classes of boats and events that seek to define the ability level of individuals who may participate. A revision to the system will occur April 1, that seeks to better define the professions which may have restrictions. Helping clear the air is Antony Matusch, Chairman of the ISAF Classification Commission: * Explain the goal for revising the Group 3 definition (i.e., professionals)? ANTONY MATUSCH: "The Classification code had previously included Group 1, 2, and 3, with Group 2 being the domain of individuals that did not cleanly fit into either Group 1 or 3. The decision to eliminate Group 2 is the only reason for the changes made to the ISAF Sailor Classification Code. It is the result of extensive consultations and surveys taken over the past two years with the classes and events that use the Code, and therefore we feel reflects their desire to see it simplified. "The impact is small: there are only 450 Group 2 sailors worldwide, a tiny proportion of the >16,000 who currently hold a valid classification. Furthermore, few classes and events referenced use of Group 2, and those that did differed widely in their treatment of Group 2 sailors: many included them with Group 3, some with Group 1, and others as a separate category altogether. This was very confusing. "These changes do not affect any Group 1 sailor (i.e., amateur), and the Commission estimates that rather more Group 2 sailors will become Group 1 than Group 3. However, in the FAQ's some Group 2's will be seen to migrate into Group 3, since the definition has been expanded and clarified to better define their level of professional activity. For example, coaches of elite events such as World Championships and Grade 1 match racing will be Group 3, as will full-time intercollegiate sailing coaches. "A new set of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) is posted on the ISAF website to help sailors, and is subdivided into different sections based on occupation. It is not necessary to study all the sections to understand a sailor's classification based on the new definitions in the Code." * What is the process for someone who feels unfairly labeled at Group 3? ANTONY MATUSCH: "For those unhappy with a decision there is a full Appeal process which sailors can use. Appeals are determined by a panel of three Commission members who have not been party to the original decision and are always drawn from at least two countries." -- Read on and post comments here: http://tinyurl.com/yjx2ayt Video interview with Dobbs Davis of the ISAF Sailor Classification Code commission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhwqqXClzK4 SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN (OR IF) THEY MEET? When it comes to the starting techniques to be used for the next America's Cup, there are not too many tactical moves in the classic match race book that will apply to the maxi multihulls used. Peter Isler, two-time winning navigator of the event, provides his thoughts on what we might expect to see when (or if) the Alinghi and BMW Oracle teams face off for the 33rd Match: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Winning a match race start requires excellent timing, good boat handling, and a boat that turns fast and accelerates quickly. The most spectacular form of starting line win features the victor blasting off the line, whilst the loser flounders, down speed, with a penalty owed. These match race "kills" are rare at the professional level because they are so risky. If you go for the kill and miss, either because the umpires don't agree that the competitor fouled you, or because you tried to get too fancy and your aggressive maneuvering leaves you slower than the opponent, your embarrassment is swift. It's much safer to aim to get a slightly better start than your opponent by being on the favored side with a swifter "launch" than trying to get too fancy for your own good. When Alinghi's catamaran and BMW Oracle's trimaran face off in the five minute pre-start in the America's Cup, I don't expect we'll see too much in the way of pre-start fireworks, (although with closing speed of maybe 100 knots that first entry could be pretty spectacular). The problem is multifold. Multihulls are not as maneuverable as monohulls to begin with, and neither team has a trial horse with which to practice starting line moves. Tactical pre-start moves learned on smaller cats won't necessarily "scale up" easily. Conventional wisdom would say that the Alinghi cat, with its wider effective "wheelbase" will be less maneuverable in big turns than the US trimaran. Plus, the BMW Oracle wing "sail" greatly enhances that boat's turning and acceleration ability. When we mounted the first wing on our Stars & Stripes catamaran preparing for the '88 Cup, we quickly noticed a big improvement in maneuvering versus our sister ship trial horse, which sported a conventional rig. And even if you're not buying into conventional wisdom, there's no way for either team to really know how they stack up on the acceleration/maneuvering front with their competitor... so it would be pretty risky to come out with all guns blazing in the pre-start. It would not be good to watch your competitor sail off to the first mark at 40 knots whilst you are still tied in knots at the starting line. -- Scuttlebutt Forum, read on: http://tinyurl.com/yeu794t HOW FAST IS YOUR BOTTOM? Winning is what Interlux is all about. Fast bottoms are what we do, performance is who we are, and speed is what we sell. Learn more about the high performance yacht and marine coatings from Interlux here: http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa => Curmudgeon's Comment: As Scuttlebutt's newest advertiser, I am thrilled that Interlux has joined the elite stable of our sponsors. As the leading supplier of coatings for the yacht and powerboat markets, Interlux is a great fit here at Scuttlebutt... providing a top ranked product to a top ranked readership. SAILING SHORTS * OceansWatch is helping to coordinate a fleet of sailing vessels to take food, medical aid, relief supplies and support to Haiti. A growing number of sailboats in Florida and Jamaica are preparing to depart in February for Haiti. They will take as many supplies as they can carry and get to them before they depart. If you can support these efforts, please make tax-deductible donations to OceansWatch www.oceanswatch.org. 100% of funds donated will go directly to purchase aid supplies to be delivered by yachts heading for Haiti to deliver aid. * In the Collegiate Match Race at Rollins College held January 16-17, 2010, at Winter Park, Fla., 14 flights were sailed, with 12 match races on Saturday, and 16 matches on Sunday. Kevin Dooley took first place, with Bill Gladstone second, and Marcella Butz (USF), third. -- Results: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8967#8967 * More than 640 sailors from 44 countries have registered for US SAILING's 2010 Rolex Miami OCR, which starts on Monday. The entry list, which has surpassed last year's numbers, has quickly become a who's who of Olympic and Paralympic medalists and world champions. View registrations at: http://tinyurl.com/yfjs62n PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include keelboat action in Key West and Victoria, dinghy action in Cabarete and Miami, imagery from Valencia, standing by in Lorient, and a slide show from the Opti Iceboat North American championships on Lake Charlevoix at Boyne City, MI. 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/10/0122A/ VIDEO OF THE WEEK This week's video brings us onboard for a windsurfing experience, courtesy of an end boom mounted camera. If you have been away from windsurfing, or have not yet given it a try, this video nicely captures the foot work and performance that occurs in this realm of the sport. Edited to 'This Fire' by Franz Ferdinand (aka, tolerable music), this 3:49 minute clip is worth a view. Click here for this week's video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/10/0122/ * If you have a video you like, please send your suggestion for next week's Video of the Week to mailto:[email protected] 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: [email protected] -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From George Hill, Newport Has Larry Ellison shown his sailor's superstition in numbering the BOR trimaran USA 17? The only odd numbered 12 Meter to successfully defend the America's Cup in Newport was Weatherly US 17 (1958). All the rest had even numbers, leading many to believe that odds were unlucky. The successful yachts were: 1958 Columbia US 16, 1962 Weatherly US 17, 1964, Constellation US 20, 1967 Intrepid US 22, 1970 Intrepid US 22, 1974 Courageous US 26, 1977, Courageous US 26, 1980 Freedom US 30 But Mr. Ellison beware! Weatherly US 17 was also the only yacht in the entire history of the Cup to gain her first victory on her SECOND attempt. * From Russ Saunders (re Scuttlebutt 3012): "But if Larry Ellison wins the America's Cup, I will take him some champagne and we'll share it." - Ernesto Bertarelli, owner of Alinghi, quoted in an interview to a Spanish press agency." One must remember that Bertarelli heads a pharmaceutical company...I would suggest that Ellison bring some fantastic California Sparkling Wine made in the method Champaignoise. I am not suggesting anything since there is nothing but friendship and warmth between the two factions, but the motto of our accounting department is "In God We Trust, Everyone else we double check!" CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years will this matter?" Special thanks to NorthU and Interlux. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
