|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2446 – October 4, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. GETTING READY TO HOIST THE ANSWERING PENNANT VALENCIA, Spain (AP) America's Cup organizers are considering postponing the 2009 event because of continued legal wrangling over proposed rules changes. America's Cup Management said Wednesday that it ``is concerned that the feasibility of organizing the next America's Cup in Valencia in 2009 has been effectively compromised'' due to Golden Gate Yacht Club's lawsuit against Societe Nautique de Geneve, the home club of winner Alinghi. ``ACM is considering all options, including the possibility of postponing the event to a later date,'' the group said in a statement. Golden Gate's BMW Oracle Racing sued SNG in July over proposed rules changes for the next America's Cup. The San Francisco-based syndicate is looking to remove Desafio Espanol as the official challenger and halt rules changes that include a change of boat class. Golden Gate claimed the Spanish syndicate is an ``invalid challenger'' because it never held a regatta as stipulated in the rules of the ``deed of gift,'' the regulations that govern the America's Cup. New York state's Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction to settle all disputes in the competition, will hear arguments in the case on Oct. 22. ACM chief executive Michel Hodara said the lawsuit was the sole problem. ``Nothing has changed. We are just saying that now we find ourselves in a situation where time is the problem,'' Hodara said. ``We have reached a stage and we have to face the reality of the situation.'' BMW Oracle Racing said it was ``concerned'' by the news. ``We have been urging mediation and-or a speeded up court process for some time now ... and the defender has resisted this,'' spokeswoman Jane Eagleson said. ``Maybe this is the right time for everyone to get together and sort out this protocol once and for all.'' ACM said it will consult with Alinghi, Desfio Espanol, the other five challenging teams and Spanish authorities ``in the coming days'' to discuss the matter. -- Paul Logothetis, AP, full story: http://tinyurl.com/yrvxw6 OPINION Delaying the next Cup might not even be an option given Valencia's bigger project, that of extending the container port, a massive engineering exercise that would involve a land fill up to 1 mile out to sea. It is understood that while the city would be happy to host the next Cup, it needs to get on with the building of this new commercial port and that the Cup would have to be held in 2009. So maybe ACM's release is more about preparing for court and being able to demonstrate to the judge that the Bertarelli camp tried everything it could to avoid ending up in litigation. --Yachting World - Matthew Sheahan, full commentary: http://tinyurl.com/2vunvc QUOTE / UNQUOTE “Ernesto Bertarelli and Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird are paying visits in New York City and San Francisco this week in an attempt to win opinion makers to the defender's point of view. I figure it's a tough sell. No way have Americans rallied around Bertarelli's chief opponent, Larry Ellison/ Golden Gate YC, as a flag bearer against the protocol of America's Cup 33. (My British colleague, Tim Jeffery, reports that Bertarelli and Ellison have recently, finally, talked by phone.) But neither have Americans embraced the defender's ideas, and my own reception to the protocol was cool from the start.” -- Kimball Livingston, Sail magazine, full commentary: http://tinyurl.com/33d7x7 WINNER TAKES ALL On October 6, the nation's top Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls will sail to starting lines on the U.S. East and West coasts to compete in the one regatta that will have the most dramatic impact on their sailing careers so far in this quadrennium: the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing. Coordinated by US Sailing and six host organizations, this winner-takes-all regatta determines which sailors will represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Upon approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the athletes who win the Trials will be named to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. The regatta concludes on Sunday, October 14. According to Dean Brenner, chairman of US Sailing’s Olympic Sailing Committee, the ability to select the Olympic and Paralympic teams concurrently in 11 classes and nearly a year before the 2008 Games will have a great benefit to the U.S. team. “Up until this point, the focus of the Olympic Sailing Committee has been preparing all our athletes for these Trials," said Brenner. "But once the Trials are over, we will all shift into the next phase together, as a team—and the focus of our energies and resources becomes concentrated on those sailors who will represent our country at the 2008 Games." The venues for the US Olympic Trials are: * Star / California Yacht Club / Marina del Rey, Calif. * 49er / Southwestern Yacht Club / San Diego, Calif. * Finn / Newport Harbor Yacht Club / Balboa, Calif. * Tornado / San Diego Yacht Club / San Diego, Calif. * 470 Men, 470 Women, RS:X Men, RS:X Women / Alamitos Bay Yacht Club / Long Beach, Calif. * Laser, Laser Radial / Rhode Island Sailing Foundation / Middletown, R.I. * 2.4mR, SKUD-18, Sonar / Rhode Island Sailing Foundation / Newport, R.I. Event website: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/OlympicTrials IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT… But you can stay warm, dry, and comfortable from all the awesome gear at Team One Newport! Bad weather is not a problem if you have the proper gear. Not sure what you need, then just “Ask Martha” on the website and get advice from the Expert! Be sure to check out some incredible off-price items on the SPECIALS page including the Henri-Lloyd Breeze jacket and vests (25% off), Railriders Hydro shirts (in selected colors - 25% off), and Extrasport PFD’s (30% off). All are great for Holiday presents or maybe even a gift for yourself! Visit http://www.team1newport.com or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327). GROUPAMA 3 REVEALED When your boat heels 10 degrees and you rise 15 to 20 ft in the air, you’re experiencing the elevator sensation skipper Franck Cammas feels every time he helms the ‘G’ Class trimaran Groupama 3. These ‘Giant’ (that’s what the ‘G’ stands for) multihulls were built to break ocean records: distance records, around-the-world records and speed records. They regularly sail at speeds in the mid-30 knot range with bursts into the 40s. Harken outfitted Groupama 3 with complete deck hardware and winches, and have provided for Scuttlebutt their engineering brief on what it took to design and build the gear to control and transform Groupama’s power into forward motion. -- http://www.harken.com/sailing/GroupAma3_EngineeringBrief.php VIDEO OF THE WEEK If you have been thinking of getting a small inflatable dinghy, but haven't come up with enough reasons to justify it, this week's video might swing the deal. Enter the Flying Boat. Leave it to the Brazilians, where the rules are likely a bit more lax, to even consider trying this. They have taken 12-foot RIB, attached a hang-glider wing, added an ultralight engine, and have successfully created a boat that can fly. It can carry a load of nearly 1,000 pounds, fly for a max of 131 miles, and claims to be the only type of seaplane that can land and take off with waves up to 3-feet. Why do we think there is no way the Flying Boat could ever be legal in the US? Regardless, the next 7:11 minutes might forever change the way you look at RIBs. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/1001 REGATTA MANAGEMENT: REFLECTING INDUSTRY CHANGE There’s become an expectation within society these days to be able to manage and do just about everything online: Dating, paying your taxes, grocery shopping, banking, buying concert tickets, and renting movies. People expect to do all of these things effortlessly, online, 24x7, with the click of a mouse. This same change is happening in the sailing industry too, albeit at a much slower pace. Why is it that with all of the technology advances in the past decade, the sailing industry at large, still finds itself reverting back to completing hand written forms, licking a stamp and relying on the postman to enter a regatta? Wouldn’t we all enjoy the time savings and convenience of doing this online? The good news for everyone is that online entry is here, is available now, and is relatively simple to set up for your club. It has actually been around for some time, while some yacht clubs are reluctant to get on board, most yacht owners are praising the clubs that have embraced online regatta management. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1002a US-based online regatta management services: * Compete-At.com - http://www.Compete-At-Sailing.com * Yacht Scoring - http://www.yachtscoring.com SAILING SHORTS * The 2007-2008 ICSA/ Vanguard Men's and Women's Singlehanded National Championship will be hosted by the University of Washington on November 2-4, 2007. Racing will be out of the Shilshole Bay Marina on the waters of the Puget Sound. The sailing area will be located in Shilshole Bay, with open water conditions and tidal currents being a factor. The event will be sailed in Vanguard-provided Lasers. Additional information available from Regatta Chair Alex Jones: mailto:amj3@u.washington.edu * 177 boats have currently paid up for the 14th annual Baja Ha-Ha, the cruisers' rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with R&R stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. The entire fleet starts at the same time off Pt. Loma on the morning of October 29. The entry list so far is five short of last year's record number, with some of the participants including the 94-ft Havfruen from British Columbia, the Perry 72 Elainium, the classic 1934 70-ft S&S yawl Alsumar, the Farr 58 Tribute, two J/160s, two SC50s, and 15 mulithulls. For the complete entry list, visit http://www.baja-haha.com * With a record setting 100 boats pre-registered, the 2007 A-Class World Championship will be held November 12-16. The regatta will take place at The Islander resort hotel in Islamorada, FL. The Islander has been hosting the US A-Class for its last two midwinter race weeks and was the unanimous choice by the US class as the best venue to host this world championship. The race site is a 9 square area of the Atlantic Ocean protected by an offshore reef. Sailors will enjoy clear aqua water and hopefully warm and consistent easterly winds of 8-15 knots. -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1002/ J/FEST AND ARGOSY RACES HIGHLIGHT END OF SEPTEMBER Ullman Sails customers had outstanding finishes last weekend to cap off September in Southern California. San Diego Yacht Club hosted J/Fest 2007, where Doug and Pam Werner’s ‘Javelin’ decisively clinched the J/105 fleet. All but one J/105 in the 15-boat fleet competed with full Ullman Sails inventories. Further north, Robert Plant and Erik Shampain won first in class and first overall on Hobie 33 ‘Still Crazy’ in both days of the NOSA Argosy Races, September 29-30. Around the buoys or up the coast, Ullman Sails has the ‘Fastest Sails on the Planet.’ Contact a local loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Art Ahrens: It is interesting that Melges announces the M20 around the same time Sailing World magazine gives all the hoopla over the Laser SB3. They both sound like great boats. I only hope that the competition keeps the prices in line!! * From Peter Commette: Regarding Bob White's correction of the identity of the youngest Snipe world champion, that's an amazing accomplishment for him and his twin sister to have won the Snipe Worlds at 17. Bob pointed out that they were the only brother/sister team to ever win the Worlds, but he missed something even more basic about their accomplishment. According to the Snipe records, as far as I can tell (the Snipe records are a little sketchy on this), when Bob and Betty won in 1945, Betty was the first woman to win the Snipe Worlds, and it's only been done once since. Augie Diaz won with Pam Kelly in 2005. Hats off to the Whites' multiple accomplishments in that regatta, and hats off to Tomas Hornos for becoming in September what we now know was the second youngest to win the Snipe Worlds. I think Dave Chapin also won at 19, but I doubt he won it on his birthday, like Tomas. Fabini won it at 20. That's about as far as my Snipe knowledge and the sketchy Snipe records of old take me. * From Peter Strong, Director, US Sailing Center - Martin County: From the point of view of a junior program coach, the more fair races the better. Kids train hard for the regattas that they attend and the parents spend a lot of their time and money to get the kids to the regatta. To travel 4 or more hours to a regatta then not race when there is enough breeze is very frustrating. I recently took my Opti team to a regatta where after floating all morning the breeze came in in the afternoon. We got a couple of races in and then around 4:30 the Race Committee decided to take the fleet in while there was still enough wind to get another race in. Why does there seem to be an unwritten rule that we cannot race after 5? The kids are used to practicing until dark after school. At the time of the year this regatta was held there was light until 7pm. Plenty of time to get one more race in. When talking to all the kids and parents they get very frustrated with not racing when its possible. The same thing goes for postponing on land. Do it on the water do that as soon as the breeze comes up, a race can be held. I'm sure many of you have been out practicing in racing conditions while the RC is just taking down the postponement and leaving the dock. I realize that different fleets have different attitudes on this subject, but it is just frustrating to organize 15 families to go to a regatta then sit on the beach looking at breeze while the RC is having cocktails. * From Derek Bouwer: (regarding the thread beginning in Issue 2443) In the good old day of deep keeler racing, one race a day per day of the regatta was deemed adequate to determine a winner. Then along came small fast one design racing boats, e.g. J/22 (I’ve just sold mine), and these quick, easy-to-rig and handle boats just shouted to be sailed more than one race a day. The poor race committees were then put under pressure to run more and more races each day. Ending up in a case where we run a regatta where the keelers did one race a day, while the J/22's ended up doing 3-4 and coming home in the dark to cold showers and warm beers! Added to this the introduction of discard races forced race committee to introduce more and more races into regattas. This gave those poor souls who were racing badly the mistaken belief that they could improve their results by sailing badly in more races and discarding the really bad ones. My personal belief is that racing one race a day, forces you to be on the money in every race as there is little chance to recover from a bad one. This forces keelers to practice, practice, and practice some more to get on top of their game. * From Eric Lind: In response to Bill Heintz diatribe against RC and races/day (in Issue 2443) -- Read the NOR and decide if you want to partake. As a well seasoned RO of the Regional level, I think that you are making much of nothing here. I worked between 15 - 20 events this year of varying size and scope and each was at the instruction of the organizing group. Some want many races per day, some do not. Bottom line, don't blame the PRO or the RC as they are usually acting at the behest of the OA. * From Richard Loufek (re curmudgeon’s comment about those who travel to the regatta): Interesting perspective. I am always of the opposite feeling. If I traveling out of town by several hours, I have made a major weekend (or longer) commitment to race. I want to spend a long day racing, then enjoy the evening and night with the racers. The long day racing and socializing is what I came for. I am not heading home to do chores, or head to a friends dinner party. I traveled to race. If I am heading to my local club for a "local" race, they may start at 1 PM, be done by 4:30 leaving me to do other activities if I so desire. I had breakfast with the family, rode my bike, did chores, raced and had a drink with the sailors after the race. Great day for me. * From Michael Levesque: It's a weird thing, this number of races debate. The example you give (travel time) can also go either way. I've heard sailors say things like "I didn't travel all this way just to race three races." Other than being cold (or tired if it's really windy), or keeping people on the water too long on Sunday (when they have a long drive home), I've never heard anyone complain that there were "too many races." The big thing that bothers most sailors I know is bobbing in the water while watching RCs waste time between races because they don't have their act together. Or, being sent in after two or three races, when the wind is still good and there's another hour or two before anyone would conceivably need to be in getting ready for the party. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.” -- John Browning Special thanks to Team One Newport and Ullman Sails. |
