|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1290 - March 20, 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 emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. THE NEXT AMERICA'S CUP (There is an interview posted on the ISAF website with GBR Challenge skipper and double Olympic Silver Medallist Ian Walker. In the following excerpts, Walker discusses AC XXXII.) I think that the entry level of funding even if you just want to do a bare bones one-boat campaign is so high that you're not going to have people hammering at the gate to do it. I think that there are not enough second hand boats from the relevant European Countries to suggest that a lot of people could enter with an old boat. I think that if there was any threat of this then I think Alinghi, or the organizers appointed by Alinghi, would seek to prevent that from happening. Certainly what the new protocol is aiming towards is a good, high quality event that delivers good returns for those teams that enter, and it's not about having masses and masses of teams diluting the pot for everybody The way I understand it is that the commission set up by the Challengers and the defenders would jointly choose the race committee and jury so I don't think that you are going to see a race committee or Jury appointed by the defenders, which is currently the case. [Ed Note: The International Jury for the America's Cup is determined in conjunction with ISAF.] So I have far fewer concerns in terms of the running of the racing, that's one side of it. The other side of it is the whole commercial handling of the event and in that instance then I think the defender is going to maintain total control of the organization and particularly the media. Until this event, it's been done separately so the challengers have organized their event, and they've organized their selling of media rights, and the running of the racing, and the defenders have done theirs. Now really that's a shambles, I mean you shouldn't have the two sides of the event competing for media for a start, and clearly it's ridiculous changing the race committee halfway through the event, or at the end of the Louis Vuitton. So I think there is a lot of merit to what Alinghi are suggesting, but of course the fear would always be that the defender could abuse that power because they effectively would handle all the commercial rights to the whole event, whereas before the challengers handled the commercial rights to their side of the event. But realistically you can't do these things by committee, you need to have somebody who's going to own the event and do the best, and you've got to trust them to do the very best for the event and all the teams in it. I think as long as that body that is appointed is accountable and that their accounts can be audited by all the challengers and the agreements are sort of agreed in advance then I don't have a problem with it, and I personally do trust Alinghi and all their intentions in running a fantastic event. - Ian Walker, ISAF website, full story: www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=4134 SPONSORSHIP Rolex Watch U.S.A. will continue as the exclusive-presenting sponsor of NYYC events through 2007. The five-year sponsorship agreement extends the relationship that was established in 1994. Highlighting the NYYC's schedule in 2003 is the 149th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, scheduled for June 7-8. In 2005, the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge will feature superyachts attempting to break the world's oldest ocean-racing record while covering 3,000 nautical miles from New York to England. - Media Pro Int'l SPRING IS ALMOST HERE, TIME TO THINK … RIGGING! If you are like most sailors, Spring never comes soon enough. Time to get your boat ready for the upcoming racing season! To get it into mid-season form, check out the retailer locator on Samson's website for your nearest qualified Samson rope supplier. They'll have a full line of the latest high-performance running rigging as well as our dock and anchor lines. All from the leading manufacturer of high-tech lines…Samson - First in Innovation, First Across the Line! http://www.samsonrope.com/home/newrecmarine/index2.cfm SEARCH FOR CUP REPLACEMENT Auckland's civic leaders believe a major international superyacht regatta or marine fair could replace the America's Cup. Auckland Mayor John Banks says he's keen to support an international yacht regatta or the marine industry sponsored New Zealand Millennium Cup superyacht regatta. The Millennium Cup was held over two days before the February start of the America's Cup challenge 2000. Fifty-five vessels took part in the race followed by a dinner celebration at Kawau Island. The regatta was extended over four days this year to include a day of golf at Gulf Harbour. "I think it is a great idea. I thought the Millennium Cup brought a special dimension to the America's Cup. The hoopla around that event was most satisfying and it brought a huge amount of cash into the city," Mr Banks says. He says the wife of a friend who owns a superyacht spent $100,000 a day for the 10 days they were in Auckland. "They loved the place and want to come back. It is all good news, especially if we could do a lot of work around such an event and maximise the visit in an investment sense. "It is all win-win for New Zealand and Auckland. I have withdrawal symptoms when I think of the mega yachts and the associated credit cards leaving." - Sue Fox, East & Bays Courier, full story: www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/0,2106,2339798a6497,00.html CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * April 24-17: US Pan Am Sunfish Trials, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, Florida. Entries must be received by March 31. - www.sunfishclass.org * June 7: Bermuda One-Two Race, Newport YC. Singlehanded race from Newport to Bermuda and the doublehanded race back from Bermuda. (Skippers meeting and Forum on March 22) - www.newportyachtclub.org/bermuda1-2/ AROUND ALONE Bobst Group Armor lux was hauled out of the water and the mast and keel removed. "It's a big job," JC Caso, shore crew for the boat said after looking at the keel. "First we have to remove the plates that Bernard installed in the Falkland Islands and then we will have a better idea of the job we have to do." Work also continues on the other boats. Sails have been removed and either sent to the sailmaker or repaired on the dock, while the never ending work lists grow and shrink with regularity. - Brian Hancock www.aroundalone.com From the boats still at sea: "One of the by-products of the heat and salt water environment are salt-water blisters. I almost made it through the leg without getting a bad dose of them, but not quite soon enough. I've had to take off my watch because of them and they are showing up everywhere. A couple of days of fresh water showers takes care of them; another treat I can not wait to enjoy!" Tim Kent, Everest Horizontal "While I certainly don't recommend around the world sailing as a smart career move, I do recommend taking an impossible dream, visualizing it, and making yourself believe that you can do it if you work hard enough. It may turn out to be even harder than you originally thought. You may come across huge stumbling blocks that seem insurmountable. You may not get quite the results you expected, but if you just don't quit you can make something amazing happen. And in how you overcome the obstacles and setbacks that you didn't expect, you will find out more about yourself and what you can do than you thought you would. What will surprise you is that this is one of the best parts of the whole adventure," Bruce Schwab, Ocean Planet STANDINGS: 2200 UTC March 19 CLASS 1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux, Bernard Stamm Solidaires, finished; 2. Thierry Dubois, finished; 14; 3. Tiscali, Simone Bianchetti, finished; 4. Pindar, Emma Richards, finished; 5. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 93 miles from finish; Hexagon, Graham Dalton, dismasted, withdrew from race. CLASS 2: 1. Tommy Hilfiger, Brad Van Liew, finished; 2. Everest Horizontal, Tim Kent, 370 miles from finish; 3. Spirit of yukoh, Kojiro Shiraishi, 512 mff; 4. BTC Velocity, Alan Paris, 1053 mff; Spirit of Canada, Derek Hatfield, 2907 mff - dismasted. TRANSATLANTIC RACE There is less than two weeks before the April 1 deadline for interested skippers to enter their yachts in the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge from Newport, Rhode Island, USA to Cuxhaven and on to Hamburg, Germany in June. To date, 57 yachts from 40 to 152-feet have registered to enter this 3,500 nautical mile offshore race across the Atlantic Ocean and North around the British Isles. - Media Pro Int'l, www.dcnac.de ROUND POLES ROCK! According to Ben Hall, round is in! We've seen a lot of experimentation with other pole styles, but Hall's carbon tubes continue to rock the racing world. But accidents happen: we've also developed the QuikSplint, a repair kit that will allow you to finish that distance race in a gale without carrying an extra pole. Check out prices for our carbon poles and lightweight end fittings, as well as a description of the QuikSplint, at http://www.hallspars.com WILLIAM MAVROGIANNIS Tuesday, a humble sailing friend passed away. William Mavrogiannis was chief designer for Sparkman & Stephens for 25 years. Bill helped design many of the famous America's Cup twelve meters. About 35 years ago he designed the Knickerbocker One Designs which are still actively racing in Manhasset Bay. Few of his friends, even his son Mike, were unaware of Bill's distinguished war record. At the age of l7 he joined the Marines in l943. He survived the landing and bloody fighting on Iwo Jima; participated in Tinian and Saipan. When the Korean War started he went to flight school and became a fighter pilot. Shot down twice: once at sea and the second time behind enemy lines. Raise a glass to Bill. - Ed du Moulin 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 Olin Stephens: In explaining, in Scuttlebutt, the coming of advertising, Paul Henderson has laid his cards on the table and demonstrated the honest and direct approach that has made him a leader in the sailing world. At the same time he has, sadly, to my mind, changed the America's Cup from a tradition into a business, something I deplore. In sailing, though not in sailing alone, our shrinking world cannot afford to lose, to the bottom line, traditions that, by differentiation, add sparkle to our interests and pleasures in life. * From Tom Donlan: In his reflections on advertising, excerpted in Scuttlebutt 1289, ISAF President Paul Henderson also wrote: "It is interesting to see that all those who asked for an ISAF advertising Code, Aussies, Kiwis and now the Europeans, have won the America's Cup. The initiative directed, adjusted and administered by ISAF has produced what was intended." If the intention of the ISAF really was to intervene in the America's Cup, it should be ashamed of itself. It should also be ashamed of the trashy addition of ads on so many racing boats, and it should be ashamed of abetting the professionalization of a sport that could and should have remained purely amateur. Nuts to advertising, nuts to sponsorship of regattas and nuts to professional sailboat racing. * From: Robbie Doyle: Peter Commette has it just right. As a former collegiate sailor and parent of our second child participating in college sailing I can state that without roll tacking as it is now executed, collegiate sailing would be a different and much duller sport. The rule makers must work with the reality of the sport and with those who are out there sailing rather being aloof and at times being a hindrance. I feel every rule maker should at least witness first hand a collegiate regatta, and best of all a team race to see the real excitement of the sport. And, this action/ excitement is often extracted from boats that otherwise would only be good for flower pots! While observing the team racing, note how quickly the sailors will do their circles rather then risk a protest. I once observed an instance where my son who was competing against his cousin in a team race and had an incidence when they both did a circle. When I queried them as to what occurred, they both said they touched but were not sure who was a fault so both did their circles and continued on. One additional thought: (US Sailing's newly nominated president) Janet Baxter with her broad based experience I am confident will be ideally suited to address such matters extremely well. * From Craig Leweck: Kudos to US Sailing for recognizing Jerelyn Biehl and honoring her with the Leadership role. Jerelyn takes on tasks as often as many of us try to avoid them. On top of her significant committment with the 2002 Youth Championships, she manages the International and US Snipe Class office. Her involvment in both junior sailing and the snipe class has introduced many young sailors to the class. Because of Jerelyn, I have had the pleasure to cross tacks with elite juniors like Bryan Lake, Mikee Anderson, Andrew Campbell, Graham Beihl, Tyler Sinks, Adam and Melanie Roberts, Tyler Pruett, etc. She brought them in while they were still young, and I was still good enough to cross tacks with them. Thanks Jerelyn! * From John Sherwood: It seems to me that the Star is one of the few classes to be broadly popular and have Olympic status. Many Olympic classes (past and current) have struggled to retain a high level of racing activity and solid participation, while a number of similar classes not selected for Olympic participation do well. Look at the success of such non-Olympic classes as Snipe, 5-0-5, Lightning, J/24, J/22, Melges 24, Etchells. Compare these with the 470, Flying Dutchman, Soling. The Star thrives despite its Olympic burden. As a Star sailor I enjoy seeing the class in the Olympics and did two campaigns myself (1960, 1968), but I don't think such status is at the core of the class's success. It hasn't been central to my participation. Rather, success lies in the quality sailing experience provided by the boat and the solid, sailor-run class organization. The latter is being sorely tested by the need to fit into the current Olympic mold. * From Rob Drury, Sydney Australia (edited to our 250-word limit): Following the ISAF meeting last November a Rules Working Party has been formed to develop a new rule for 'Grand Prix' (trans-ocean capable) yacht racing to re-ignite participation at this end of the sport. At the 'front end' of yachting the box rule is supreme. The Americas Cup, numerous races for Open 40, 50 and 60's and the Volvo Ocean Race are Box rule events and these events attract massive following and sponsorship. Why not a box rule for this GP niche? Imagine an Admirals Cup or a Kenwood Cup with teams comprising e.g. a 40ft, 50ft and a 60ft box rule boat, pitting nation against nation, designer against designer, crew against crew, sailmaker against sailmaker. Now that would be a yacht race - especially now, as nationalism in the AC is dead. History shows handicap/ rating systems are unsatisfactory for this purpose and have been the subject of constant change with high administration costs. Handicap/ rating systems are suitable for 'club' racing but surely a box rule is more suitable for GP and international racing. The last Volvo Ocean Race clearly showed how close and exciting box rule racing can be. There is no separation of big and small boats being subjected to different weather systems with the weather favoring one end of the fleet. If not a box rule, why not? The KIS rule should also apply-keep it simple! And there is nothing simpler than a box rule! And it could be set in concrete! * From John Berry: I am a long-time, avid sailboat racer and enthusiast of the America's Cup. I think it would be a mistake if any port in France was chosen as the venue for the next America's Cup. The AC event generates 100's of millions into the economy of the host. I for one, don't believe that France should be the beneficiary of the America's Cup. I hope those individuals that have any influence in the decision making process of Alinghi's choice of venue, both the elite sailors of the world and those in governing positions within yachting, strongly urge that France not be considered. THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM You know you're getting old when you stop buying green bananas. |
