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SCUTTLEBUTT #260 - January 19, 1999FOX Sports Net, a division of FOX Television, has signed a major cash sponsorship agreement with the NYYC/Young America Challenge for America's Cup. FOX Sports Net is Young America's first Premier Partner, the top-level sponsor category."The partnership with FOX is a significant milestone in our fundraising campaign, said John Marshall, president of the NYYC/Young America Challenge. "It is particularly important that this is a cash sponsorship. FOX's help provides us the funding to build two new International America's Cup Class yachts this winter for the 2000 competition. With construction of our first boat starting in the next few weeks, the FOX partnership is keeping us on track." The sponsorship package includes extensive corporate hospitality both in Newport, RI, starting in the summer of 1999 and in Auckland, New Zealand beginning with the Challenger Races for the Louis Vuitton Cup which start in October, 1999. Other sponsor benefits include logo signage on Young America's sails and the hulls of the two new racing boats as well as signage at all Young America venues, and in Young America communications such as the newsletter and web site. FOX also receives a number of 17th crew member positions, the unique opportunity to sail on the racing boat during competition. "In October, our sailing team became the first of the now 15 Challengers to conduct two-boat testing and training on the America's Cup race course in Auckland, New Zealand. Our design/technology team is seeing exciting results from more than two years of two-boat testing and laboratory research and development, and construction is about to begin on the first of our two America's Cup boats," Marshall said. "We have now raised some $24 million, more than 60 percent of our total budget. The first race for the Louis Vuitton Cup is exactly nine months from today and thanks to this support, we are exactly where we want to be." -- Jane Eagleson Young America website: http://www.youngamerica.org KWRW - Report by Sean McNeill Two one-design classes got a head start in the race for the Yachting Magazine Trophy, awarded to the overall Boat of the Week at GMC Yukon Yachting Key West Race Week, as competition began today at the international keelboat regatta held on the Straits of Florida off Key West. Conquering a puffy and shifty breeze blowing between 6 and 10 knots from the southeast, the 1D35 and Farr 40 classes were the finalists for Race Week 99's first Boat of the Day award. The award is determined using a time and distance formula. A smaller ratio indicates a more competitive class. The time and distance formula is one of two criteria used to determine the Yachting Magazine Trophy winner. At the end of the day, the duo of Johnny Roberts and Ed McMurphy, co-owners of the 1D35 Fine Line, claimed the daily honor and with it a titanium MR-G Tactician watch from event sponsor and sponsor of the day Casio Watches. First through fifth in the class was separated by 2 minutes and 3 seconds. "Today it was a matter of where you went," said Roberts, referring to the challenging conditions that foiled the winning hopes of many early race leaders. "I just went where my tactician, Bill Fortenberry, told me to go. The pressure's now on to keep it going all week." The Farr 40 class finished runner-up for the award. John Thomson (Port Washington, N.Y.) drove his defending class champion Solution to a 29-second victory over Jack Woodhull's (Newport Beach, Calif.) Persephone. First through fifth in the class was separated by 2 minutes and 12 seconds. "The one-designs always provide close racing," said Event Director Peter Craig. "Success today didn't come easy. The breeze was puffy and there were some major shifts, which makes the performance of these classes even more impressive." Other class winners relied on the large wind shifts to fight their way into the winner's circle. Pasquale Landolfi's (Porto Cervo, Italy) Brava Q8 won IMS 2 in such fashion. Brava Q8, a 40-footer, trailed a few of its rivals around the first leeward mark, and then banged the left side of the second beat and shot into the lead. Brava Q8, a two-time ILC 40 World Champion, won the class by more than four and a half minutes. Paolo Gaia's (Milan, Italy) 49-footer Breeze won IMS 1 in similar dominant fashion. Breeze finished third at Race Week '98, and is looking to rebound from that showing. "We're very happy with our performance today," said Gaia. "We did very well among the 50-footers in Europe last summer, and we're looking to continue that streak here this year." In the Melges 24 class, which is hosting its Midwinter Championship in conjunction with Race Week, Charlie Ogletree's (Newport Beach, Calif.) Planet Loaf finished first and second and opened an early 4-point lead over Bruce Ayres' (Newport Beach, Calif.) Monsoon, which won Race 1 but finished 6th in Race 2. Brian Porter's (Lake Geneva, Ill.) Full Throttle holds third after Day 1 with finishes of 7-2. The Mumm 30 class began its '99 season with Massimo Mezzaroma's (Rome, Italy) Malinda/Invicta capturing the early lead. Malinda/Invicta placed 2-4 in today's racing, good for a 1 point lead over Bodo Von der Wense's (Annapolis, Md.) Turbo Duck and Carla Silva's (Portofino, Italy) Sector. Steve Liebel's (Sarasota, Fla.) Speedracer blitzed the competition in the Henderson 30 class with two firsts, winning Race 1 by 1 minute, 17 seconds, and Race 2 by 2 minutes, 42 seconds. Michael Carroll's (Clearwater, Fla.) New Wave and James Walsh and David Cook's (Brielle, N.J.) Purple Haze are tied for second. Each had a 2nd- and 3rd-place finish today. Italy's strong showing in IMS 1 and the Mumm 30 class helped propel its three-boat team to the early lead in the three-boat team competition for the Yukon Cup, presented by title sponsor GMC Yukon. Team Italy (Breeze, Malinda/Invicta, Planet Loaf) leads Team Germany (Rubin XV, Rainbow and Monsoon) by 10 points, with the United Kingdom team (Hi Fling, Turbo Duck and Snickers Workwear) another 6 points in arrears. DIVISION I STANDINGS (provisional after 1 race) -- CLASS A -- IMS1 1. Breeze/Paolo Gaia (Milan, Italy) 1, 2. Hi Fling/Irvine Laidlaw (Isle of Man, England) 2, 3. Rubin XV/Hans-Otto Schumann (Hamburg, Germany) 3. CLASS B -- IMS2 1. Brava Q8/Pasquale Landolfi (Porto Cervo, Italy) 1, 2. Hawk/Nigel Bramwell (Hamble, England) 2, 3. Heatwave/Sal Giordano (Edgartown, MA) 3. CLASS C -- Farr 40 1. Solution/John Thomson (Port Washington, NY) 1, 2. Persephone/J.R. Woodhull (Newport Beach, CA) 2, 3. Passage/B.Jayson & B.Burgess (Newport, RI) 3. CLASS D -- PHRF1 1. Starlight/Jay Ecklund (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 1, 2. Elyxir/Paul Ely (Santa Cruz, CA) 2, 3. Fatal Attraction/F. Gray Kiger (Farr 39ML) 3. CLASS E -- 1D35 1. Fine Line/J. Roberts & E. McMurphy (Ono Island, AL) 1, 2. Northern Bear/Stephan Pfeifer (Milwaukee, WI), 3. Windquest/Doug DeVos (Holland, MI) 3. CLASS F -- PHRF2 1. Wai Rere/Chris Bouzaid (Jamestown, RI) 1, 2. Letter of Marque/W. Colahan & D. Halsted (Marblehead, MA) 2, 3. Full Circle/Sanford Richardson (Hampton, VA) 3. CLASS G -- PHRF3 1. Fitikoko/Andrew Wilson (Annapolis, MD) 1, 2. No Fear/Kjell Jacobsson (Sweden) 2, 3. Lunatic Fringe/Eric Wynsma (Grand Rapids, MI) 3. DIVISION 2 STANDINGS (provisional after 2 races) -- CLASS A - PHRF 4 1. Surprise/Joan Tryzelaar (Portland, ME) 1-1--2, 2. Snake Eyes/Tom Ballard (Annapolis, MD) 2-2--4, 3. Wild Thang/Thomas Podgorski (Grosse Pointe, MI) 3-4--7. CLASS B1 - Viper 830 1. RE/Guy de Boer (Detroit, MI) 1-2--3, 2. Extreme Measures/Doug Harkrider (Flowery Banch, GA) 3-1--4, 3. Impulsive Response/Ted Balfour (Randolph, NJ) 2-3--5. CLASS B2 - J/105 1. Southern Crescent/Daniel Kerckhoff (Naples, FL) 2-3--5, 2. Phenix/Bob Swirbalus (Boston, MA) 3-2--5, 3. Hi-Jinx/Tom Thayer (Jamestown, RI) 1-5--6. CLASS C - J/29 1. Dirty Harry/John Lavin (E. Greenwich, RI) 2-3--5, 2. WOW/W. Rojek & A. Zaleski (City Island, NY) 1-5--6, 3. Hustler/John Esposito (City Island, NY) 5-2--7. CLASS D - J/80 1. Monster Lady/Martin Kald (Pt. Washington, NY) 4-2--6, 2. Hustle/Tim McAdams (E. Greenwich, RI) 2-5--7, 3. Adrenalin/Gregg Morash (Newport, RI) 6-1--7. CLASS E - PHRF 5 1. Claddagh/L. Fallon & J. Flanagan (Marblehead, MA) 1-2--3, 2. Storm Front/James Wells (Evansville, IN) 2-1--3, 3. Think Blue/Gary Disbrow (Vermilion, OH) 3-3--6. CLASS F - PHRF 6 1. Synchronicity/Michael Phelan (Coconut Grove, FL) 1-2--3, 2. Creola/Jack Cavalier (Tampa, FL) 3-1--4, 3. Hasl Free/Rudolph Hasl (Douglastown, NY) 2-3--5. CLASS G - PHRF 7 1. Fourtune Cookie/Peter De Beukelaer (Jackson, MS) 1-2--3, 2. Fluffy Flanks/Barry Parkoff (San Antonio, TX) 2-1--3, 3. Hot Sheet/Mitch Hnatt (Brick, NJ) 3-3--6. DIVISION 3 STANDINGS (provisional after 2 races) -- CLASS A - Henderson 30 1. Speedracer/Steve Liebel (Sarasota, FL) 1-1--2, 2. New Wave/Michael Carroll (Clearwater, FL) 2-3--5, 3. Purple Haze/J. Walsh & D. Cook (Brielle, NJ) 3-2--5. CLASS B - Mumm 30 1. Malinda/Invicta/Massimo Mezzaroma (Rome, Italy) 2-4--6, 2. Turbo Duck/Bodo Von Der Wense (Annapolis, MD) 6-1--7, 3. Sector/Carla Silva (Portofino, Italy) 4-3--7. CLASS C - Melges 24 1. Planet Loaf/Charlie Ogletree (Newport Beach, CA) 2-1--3, 2. Monsoon/Bruce Ayres (Newport Beach, CA) 1-6--7, 3. Full Throttle/Brian Porter (Lake Geneva, IL) 7-2--9. A total of eight races are scheduled for GMC Yukon Yachting Key West Race Week. A complete set of provisional results and scratch sheet can be found on Race Week's web page at: http://www.yachtingnet.com INVESTIGATION CYCA Commodore Hugo van Kretschmar, announced at a press conference that it would be several months before the 1998 Sydney Hobart Race Review Committee's work would be completed and findings announced. "While we are moving as fast as we can, thoroughness, not speed is what's important now," he said. "We are working closely with the Coroner and respecting his wishes and keeping the details of our Review confidential". "In the fullness of time our finding and recommendations will be a matter of public record, but until that time it is critical that the Committee get on with the job". Mr van Kretschmar dismissed suggestions that the Club would not conduct an objective review on the basis all yachties have a vested interest in the outcome. "Our only interest is to reduce risk and improve safety for not only ocean racing but also every single person who ventures to sea in a boat," he said. The Committee has already established a Frame of Reference and issued an initial Questionnaire to the 1998 Sydney-Hobart Race fleet. The Frame of Reference includes: Race Background, Weather, Communications, The ability of yachts and equipment to withstand the conditions, The ability of Skippers and Crews to withstand the conditions, and Search and Rescue It is expected to be some weeks before these questionnaires are completed and the results tabled to provide the Committee with a detailed understanding of exactly what the issues are. "Some aspects of our Review are self evident, and we are addressing them immediately, others are not and will only become clear from the results of the questionnaire and review submissions from other interested parties," Mr van Kretschmar said. E-mail racrev98@bigpond.com NUMBER ONE When W.L. Gore introduced GORE-TEX fabric Ocean Technology garments in 1994, they ushered in a new level of comfort and protection to foul weather gear. Currently, five manufacturers worldwide are licensed to produce Ocean Technology garments. However, when the Gore Factory Management Evaluations were issued, the highest rating, #1, went to Douglas Gill. And Gill is the ONLY manufacturer to achieve a "1" rating. Do yourself a favor and check out Gill's complete line of quality foul weather gear: http://www.douglasgill.com BOTY On January 29, the winners of the 1999 Boat of the Year (BOTY) Awards-the "Academy Awards" of sailboat design and construction, presented annually by Sailing World and Cruising World magazines-will be revealed at an evening gala at the School at the Chicago Institute of Art. The BOTY Award presentation-an invitation-only event with television personality Gary Jobson as master of ceremonies-takes place during the Strictly Sail - Chicago boatshow, an all-sail show held January 28-31 at Chicago's Navy Pier. Beginning in September, a panel of judges stepped aboard some sixty boats from 7.5 to 80-plus feet for sea trials and dockside inspections to cull out the outstanding designs of the year. "Each year, our judges conduct in-depth inspections and sea trials, looking for the most exemplary boats introduced this season," says Bernadette Bernon, editorial director of The Sailing Company. " The 1998 BOTY overall winners were the Farr 40 One Design (Overall Performance Boat of the Year and the Dehler 41 DS (Overall Cruising Boat of the Year). The 1999 BOTY winners will be featured in the March issues of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. -- Cynthia Flanagan Goss LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters may be edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. -- From Jim Marta, Seattle -- Being a veteran of eight 2,000 mile+ ocean races as both crew and skipper I have an interest in the PFD/Harness/personal strobe light discussion. Any skipper or crew that does not wear all three at night, or the first two in breezy daylight conditions is just plain stupid! A great fear of mine has always been that of going overboard at sea...in daylight! One is out of sight within two minutes if any sea is running. At night, I'm sure one could take a spinnaker down and find an overboard crew if you're within three miles, even in very windy conditions. The strobe gives a great halo effect at sea, particularly the airforce rescue type (only the size of a cigarette package). In gale or storm conditions the above should always hold true if common sense prevails. The key is to get gear on early...not after the fact. This is a no-brainer that always hold true. -- From Ken Redler -- I always find it interesting that nobody argues against using a pfd and harness in stormy conditions, but they do argue at great length about using them in light weather. They claim that the life saving devices are a nuisance when conditions don't warrant them. Does this mean that these devices are not a nuisance in stormy conditions? I wear my life jacket every time I race my Snipe. The reason being that if I get used to wearing it in calm weather, then I won't notice it when the weather gets rough (which is when I need to be my most agile). It just seems to me that the time to get used to wearing life saving devices while doing sail changes at night should be in calm weather, not when the winds are over 20 knots and the seas are washing over the deck. -- From Charlie Arms -- I am ultimately responsible for my safety, that means wearing a PFD when it is prudent, putting on a harness on when I feel there is a distinct possibility of falling overboard, making sure there is adequate safety gear on board or bringing my own, and choosing to sail with a skipper that I trust to make the right decisions about whether or not to keep racing. I assume the risk for participating in a sport that can be dangerous. It is not like we are shanghaied, we choose to sail and anyone who trie to place responsibility for their wellbeing on anyone but themselves ought to take up another sport, perhaps knitting. -- William Henderson -- Tom Ehman, you could not have summed up the problems at US Sailing better or in less words if your life had depended on it. It was eloquent. Not only did you demonstrate more clearly than anyone else what is wrong with this whole PFD thing, you pin-pointed the underlying problem and the solution. As long as we have people at US Sailing making arbitrary and capricious decisions based on their idea of what the world should be like instead of genuinely soliciting opinions and input from the members we will continue to have disasters like the PFD decision. Their whole arguement is based on the premise of, "If it saves one life, it's all worth it." If saving lives is your goal, then STAY HOME! Life is a risk. Crossing the street is dangerous. Flying in an airplane is dangerous. And going out on the water when you weren't born with gills and flippers is dangerous. We can't protect ourselves from everything. But we can do something about bad decision-making. And that day is coming. US Sailig will either become a responsive, member-oriented body again, or they will be replaced. It has happened before in other sports and it will happen again. 99 WORLDS A penalty right on the finish line today cost Italian yachtsman Paolo Cian the chance to continue on into the third round robin of the Soling world match racing championship on Port Phillip - and gave the key place to New Zealand's Rod Davis. The on-the-water judges ruled that the Italian had breached the racing rules as he and the New Zealander came into the finish, boat-for-boat in the second last of seven flights. The Italian crossed the line first, but the race committee awarded the flight to Davis who, although beaten in the final flight, qualified to move on to the third flight tomorrow. Davis, a former America's Cup skipper, finished with five wins and two losses while Paolo missed the cut with three wins and four losses. Britain's Andrew Beadsworth sailed impressively to win six of the seven flights while American Jeff Madrigali, the bronze medallist in the match racing finals at the Atlanta Olympics, sailed out of Savannah, again proved his skill, with a 5-2 score in 12-18 knot south-westerly breeze and lumpy sea. Australia's Cameron Miles won only one flight, beating Sweden's Hans Wallen in the seventh flight. Wallen also qualified to move on, scoring 4-3 today. Also eliminated were France's Philippe Presti who finished 3-4 and Sergey Pichugin from the Ukraine, who failed to win one flight. Tomorrow, Davis, Madrigali, Beadsworth and Wallen will race against the top four ranked skippers Denmark's Stig Westergaard, Atlanta gold medallist and world champion Jochen Schuemann from Germany, Norway's Herman Horn Johannessen, and Roy Heiner from The Netherlands. The four top skippers and their crews will be then sail semi-finals on Thursday and the final for the prestigious Infanta Dona Cristina Trophy on Friday.
Event website: http://99worlds.org
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