SCUTTLEBUTT No. 663 - October 9, 2000

THE REST OF THE STORY

You need a lot of things to win a world championship, and boatspeed is at the top of that list. Boatspeed was not a problem for Giorgio Zuccoli when he won the recently completed Melges 24 World Championship - he used Ullman Sails. Of course he did - Giorgio is a licensee of Ullman Sails International and has been with Dave Ullman for years. But more importantly for Ullman customers, Giorgio is also a major player on the sail design team that Dave anchors. Wouldn't you like to have this design team working for you? You can:

http://www.ullmansails.com/

PARALYMPIC GAMES
Tuning boats, honing skills and training hard to build to a medal-winning crescendo has for months been the focus of the U.S. Paralympic sailing team

that left the States on Tuesday, Oct. 3, for the distant waters of Sydney harbor. Preceding the rest of the U.S. Paralympic contingent, the sailors hope to get in a few weeks of practice on Rushcutters Bay, recently the scene of fierce battles waged during the Olympic regattas.

"Our biggest asset is to go down earlier to practice and establish a routine before the actual start of the Games," said U.S. coach, Betsy Alison, 40, from Newport, R.I. Sailing will last for nine days, from Oct. 20 through Oct. 27.

Most of the other Paralympic sailing teams - including, not surprisingly, the host Australians - have traveled to Sydney in recent months to sail the harbor and decipher the unique wind directions, wave patterns, currents and subtle quirks. Familiarity with these conditions will prove crucial in making any serious attempt at medaling. "The comments from our athletes there for the Olympics were that the sailing has been very shifty and tactical," Alison said of the variable wind patterns prevalent during the Olympic Games. "Still, we've got two really strong teams and I am looking forward to seeing them perform up to their potential."

Representing the U.S. in the Sonar class is a veteran crew of seasoned salts: skipper Paul Callahan, 42, from Newport, R. I.; Keith Burhans, 43, from Rochester, NY; and Corky Aucreman, 57, from Dana Point, Calif. Sailing solo in the single-handed 2.4mR boat is Tom Brown, 40, from Northeast Harbor, Maine. Rounding out this group are coach and team leader Serge Jorgensen, 29, from Sarasota, Fla., and reserve crewmember Jim Leatherman, 40, from Baltimore, Md. - Matthew J. Belson, WeMedia

Full story:
http://www.wemedia.com/wehome/bu_index.jhtml?docname=http%3A%2F%2Fexcurses%2Fsp_anchors_away.xml&relativePath=%2Fsp_anchors_away.xml&business_unit=wesports&viewer=%2Fwehome%2Fbusiness_units%2Fwesports%2Fshow_full_story_xmltodom&sub_menu=no&sub_cat=none

LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net)
Letters selected to be printed are edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a bulletin board or a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.

-- From Jan Visser - I agree with Jesse Dupree's comments that US Sailing seems to offer less and less as it focuses more and more on the needs of itself and the elite. In past years the one and only Joni Palmer has been the key person in putting together the National Junior Sailing Symposium, gathering together some of the most incredible presenters to teach those that run Junior Programs how to attract the best, not necessarily the richest to sailing which I believe to be the ultimate sport.

These folks can move mountains and hearts into attracting kids however it seems that what is taught here does not extend to the US Sailing Championship events. Take the Sears, it is going to take a minimum of $800, not including damage deposit, $250, insurance $55 - $60 and we have not gotten on an airplane yet. Now if you live on the west coast and the event is on the east coast, that becomes quite an expense, perrish the thought if you live in Hawaii.

Basically we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Year-end bonuses at US Sailing could be converted to Olympic Gold and then we could truly say we are serving sailors and the sport, attracting the best of the best and enjoying every minute of it.

THE RACE
* 6 October 2000 - When a boat is big enough to fill the Olympic pool, problems are on a commensurate scale, and Pete Goss admits that the latest structural failure on his 120ft catamaran Team Philips is "pretty serious." Team Philips limped back into River Dart yesterday morning after the heel of the 135ft wing mast started to move alarmingly on the very day she set off on a transatlantic trial following the major rebuild triggered by the spectacular collapse of her bows last March.

Team Philips had been "rocketing along" halfway between the Scillies and Ushant, bound for New York, when her six-man crew realised that the second major setback of the boat's brief career had occurred. "The mast starting moving unnaturally and was becoming unstable," explained Goss. "It's a specific problem, but we don't know what it is." More should be known this afternoon after the mast is pulled from the boat.

Goss could not muster his habitual cheerful countenance for long yesterday, as the full weight of this L4 million project bore down on him 24 hours after he had expected to be liberated by leaving it in his wake.

At the first sign of trouble on Thursday evening the crew slowed Team Philips down, dropped the sails and used ropes to stabilise the mast which, like its starboard-side twin, is a radical free-standing windsurfer rig without the conventional array of fixed rigging. Team Philips reached Dartmouth at 7am yesterday.

Team Philips will come up on today's lunchtime tide to the Goss Composites build shed at Totnes. If time permits, the starboard mast will also be removed for inspection. The bottom bearing is concealed behind two bulkheads in an area absolutely fundamental to structural integrity of each hull. - Tim Jeffery, Daily Telegraph, UK Full story:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001648423620749&rtmo=aqJ9ad6J&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/10/7/soyots07.html

* October 7, 2000 - Both of the 135ft masts have now been lifted from Team Philips and laid down at the Goss Composites build site in Totnes, Devon. The base of the port mast was damaged and will be inspected fully by Pete Goss and his build team over the next few days. From initial inspections the damage is much less serious than originally thought and does not affect the structural integrity of the mast. The repair should be relatively straight forward. - Team Philips website, http://www.teamphilips.com/

* During her visit to London, the maxi-Catamaran Club Med brought the traffic to a standstill while the bridge was opened especially to allow the super-cat to pass through for a special photo opportunity. With her mast measuring 41.5metres she passed under the top walkway of the bridge with just a few metres clearance. After her two day visit to London Club Med and her international crew were tonight heading back down the Thames and out to sea for an expected 4 day trip to Vilamoura, Portugal where the team will be based for the next 7 weeks. - http://www.therace.clubmed.com/press/news.phtml

YACHTIES OF THE YEAR
So, who's going to win the watches as the 2000 Rolex Yachties of the Year? USSA members may vote to help select the nominees by expressing their preferences electronically: http://www.ussailing.org/faces/rolex.asp

The Science of Comfort.
At Gill we know the quality of our garments will be measured over years of use. That's why we strive to exceed industry standards in everything we do! From the unique way we work with and listen to the world's sailors to the meticulous attention we give to every garment. Whether you're on the US Sailing Team at the Sydney Olympics or facing the extremes of the Southern Ocean sailors want to stay warm and dry. Don't' take any short cuts when it comes to comfort and quality. Choose Gill gear! http://www.gillna.com

INDUSTRY NEWS
World Champion sailor and sailmaker Steve Benjamin has joined North Sails. He and his sales and service staff will join the North Sails East operation, which covers Connecticut and New York. His Bethpage, Long Island sail loft, formerly part of Banks Sails USA, will become North's sixth panel and 3DL finishing production site in North America. Benjamin, 45, has been president of the Banks Sails Long Island operation and Banks Sails USA since 1988.

Benjamin was named top collegiate sailor of the year while at Yale University and now serves as Chairman of the Yale Sailing Associates. After graduating from Yale, he became one of the world's top 470 sailors; winning silver medals at both the Pan Am Games in 1983 and at the Olympic Games in 1984. He has three World Championship wins in the Fireball and 505 classes. Most recently, Benjamin has sailed as helmsman on board the Reichel/Pugh 66 Blue Yankee. - Debbie Springer

LITTLE ENSENADA RACE
Southwestern YC - Gray, overcast skies produced light but fairly consistent breezes over the 62-mile course. CLASS WINNERS (68 finishers): Ancient Mariner's - Flirt - J. Swendson 7.04.43; PHRF 1 - Muddy Waters - Johnson/Means 7:15.44; PHRF 2 - Magic Light - R. Francis - 7:47.12; PHRF 3 - Starfire - C. & J. Guild - 8.02.20; PHRF 4 - Jezebel - M. Roach - 7:50.10; PHRF 5 - Masquerade - L. Emerson - 7:31.00; Non-spin - Mariah - J. Brinker - 7.59.42; SWYC Hdcp - Tinman - J. Sinclair - 8.32.13

Complete results: http://www.southwesternyc.org/

LASERS
Fifty-two Lasers descended on Chicago Yacht Club for the annual Jimmy Talbot laser championship. The weather was spectacular with bright sunny skies and 85 degree temperatures with strong shift winds of 10-20 all weekend right from the SW and the center for downtown. - Dierk Polzin

RESULTS - Laser Overall: 1 Andrew Scriven (11) 2 Chris Cook (13) 3 Kurt Taulbee (14) Laser Radials: 1 John Bowden (5 points) 2 Josh Rubin (14) 3 JB Turney (20) Laser Masters: 1 Tracy Usher (33) 2 Michael Schrieber (47) 3 Bruce Martinson (68)

http://www.chicagoyachtclub.com
http://www.laser.org

THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism