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SCUTTLEBUTT 2561 – March 26, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. FINALLY America's Cup Defender, Alinghi, will meet with BMW Oracle Racing on Wednesday in Geneva to sort out the details for the America’s Cup Deed of Gift match between the two teams -- most importantly, the dates for the series. Alinghi's two negotiators will be their chief legal adviser, Lucien Masmejan and SNG Vice Commodore Fred Meyer. BMW Oracle Racing will be represented by skipper Russell Coutts and Tom Ehman. Based on the quotes from the two syndicates, that's not going to be easy. * Vice Commodore Fred Meyer of the SNG has said: "We are not in a position to race this year because we always understood that tolling would take place during the legal proceedings. Furthermore, we have not started construction of our boat and will not be ready to compete this year. We are surprised as to why Larry Ellison, who considers himself a competitive sailor, would wish to take part in a second rate race or win by legal maneuvers." * BMW Oracle Racing representative Tom Ehman has said: "When we challenged we gave them twelve months notice, not the required minimum of ten. During the litigation we proposed a tolling agreement that they rejected. After Justice Cahn's November 27th decision, we proposed another ten months from then - October 1, 3 and 5, 2008. They filed new motions with the court two days after Christmas. The Court has now rejected those motions; and Justice Cahn has said our original challenge is valid. We stand by our offer of the October 2008 dates. Everybody is ready to move on. It is time to get real and get on with the next event, which we believe should be in October 2008." -- Adonnante.com, full interview: http://tinyurl.com/2sqawd => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Based on this update from the Alinghi team, it looks like they are taking a step closer to the maxi multihulls proposed for the Deed of Gift match: “Members of the Alinghi sailing team, including American helmsman Ed Baird, traveled to Lorient in France on Tuesday to begin multi-hull training with well-known French sailor Alain Gautier on the ORMA 60' trimaran, Foncia, to prepare for an America’s Cup match against BMW Oracle Racing. Gautier won the Solitaire du Figaro in 1989 and the Vendée Globe in 1992, among many other multi-hull grand prix titles.” -- http://www.alinghi.com/en THE PUNISHMENT MUST FIT THE CRIME Was Lijia Xu unlucky to lose the gold at the Women’s Laser Radial Worlds last week, after her disqualification from the final race due to excessive kinetics? Or should the Chinese sailor count herself lucky to hang on to silver? It depends on how you view kinetic infringements, I suppose. It wasn’t so long ago that Paige Railey fell foul of the system on two big occasions – racking up three RR42 penalties which up until recently was sufficient to see you disqualified from the whole regatta. Railey was booted out of the 2006 Worlds and then at the Rolex Miami OCR in early 2007. You could argue that Railey got what she deserved, if the American sailor was pushing the limits to such an extent when the penalty was so harsh. But are pumping, ooching, or other forms of kinetics really the worst misdemeanours that we see in sailing? I don’t think so. And yet they are punished more harshly than almost anything else in the sport. Under the old system, disqualification from an entire regatta was a penalty far too far. The punishment must fit the crime. So at least ISAF has relaxed the penalties to the point where non-discardable disqualification from the race (DNE) – and not the series – is the penalty for your third RR42 infringement. This is a step in the right direction. I doubt this would have happened under Paul Henderson’s watch when he was President of ISAF. -- Andy Rice, SailJuice Blog, full story: http://tinyurl.com/26pjz9 SAILING HALL OF FAME IN JEOPARDY Annapolis, MD -- Opposed by preservationists hoping to save a historic waterfront home, the National Sailing Hall of Fame warned the City Council last night of the "significant likelihood" the organization would haul anchor if it doesn't get explicit support from Annapolis government. The Hall of Fame has proposed leasing the William H. Burtis House at City Dock from the Department of Natural Resources in a move vehemently opposed by the Burtis descendants. Doug Lashley, a founding member of the Sailing Hall of Fame, sternly warned the council that the hall could relocate to another city if a resolution proffered by Alderman Richard Israel, D-Ward 1, supports the hall coming to Annapolis but opposes it at Burtis House. Mayor Ellen O. Moyer supports a separate resolution in favor of the City Dock location. More than 100 people crowded into the council room for the public hearing on the resolutions last night, many wearing Hall of Fame stickers while a few wore "Friends of William H. Burtis" buttons to show their support. -- Excerpt from a story by Andrew Childers, full story: http://tinyurl.com/32wqhv GET INTO THE GAME! Kick off the 2008 sailing season by refreshing your skills and learning something new with a J World San Diego sailing class. Maybe you are just starting out and need the basic skills from “A Learn to Sail Class” or want to fine tune your racing skills in one of our racing classes. Don’t miss out! Give us a call today before the schedule fills up! We look forward to hearing from you at 619.224.4774 or check us out on the web at http://www.jworld-sailing.com GOING SOLO This year will mark the 30th running of the Port Huron to Mackinac Solo Challenge and the 12th running of the Chicago to Mackinac Solo Challenge. Both of these races will begin on Saturday, March 21. In 2007, 17 sailors started the Port Huron Challenge and 28 started the Chicago to Mackinac Challenge. These are not French solo sailors; their boats are mostly production cruiser/racers – or cruisers – but this does not diminish the accomplishment that sailing one of these events represents. The emphasis is on finishing the challenge, not winning the race, and every finisher becomes a full member of the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society; it is the only way to get in. Although the the GLSS has sent Steve Pettingill and Tim Kent off to do solo around the world races, you would be hard pressed to recognize the boats or sailors who take this challenge every year. This year some of the sailors will go farther; this is a SuperMac year, so that sailors that wish to do so will pass up the charms of finishing on Mackinac Island and complete both legs of the course, either Port Huron to Chicago or Chicago to Port Huron, which means completing a 595 mile course solo. For the first time, the GLSS is offering the chance to compete in the longest freshwater solo race ever – the SuperMac and Back. These competitors will race either from Port Huron to Chicago and back to Port Huron or Chicago to Port Huron and back to Chicago, a 1,190 mile long course. Several skippers of the some of the faster boats in the fleet have committed to this event. For more information on the Mackinac Challenges or any of the events offered by the GLSS on Lakes Huron, Michigan, Superior, Erie or St. Clair, visit their website at www.solosailor.org SAILING SHORTS * It’s hard to ignore how many West Coast sailors there are on the team that qualified to represent the United States at the I-420 Class Junior European Championships to be held in Zadar, Croatia, August 7 – 15, 2008: Oliver Toole & Willie McBride (Santa Barbara, CA) - Chris Segerblom & Kayla McComb (Newport Beach, CA) - Shone Bowman & Nick Kaschak (San Diego, CA) - Kevin Laube & Jake Reynolds (San Diego, CA) - Sydney Bolger & Caitlin Beavers (Newport Beach, CA) – Sam Williams & Patrick Mignon (New Jersey) - Mac Mace & Jeff Aschieris (Newport Beach, CA). -- http://www.420sailing.org * It was 30 years ago since the first launch of the Olson 30 - the boat designed by George Olson at Pacific Boats in Santa Cruz, California with then-revolutionary ultra light displacement boat (ULDB) fiberglass construction. In celebration, the Olson 30 Class Association will be conducting their 30th Anniversary National Championship at the Channel Islands Yacht Club in Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard, California from July 17-20. The Olson fleet now extends across the United States from the Pacific states to the Great Lakes, Canada, the Chesapeake, the Northeast, Texas, and the Southeast, extending to Florida. -- http://www.ciyc.com/racing.htm * Although 2007 was a tough year for both powerboat and sailboat builders, sailboats are weathering the tough times better than powerboats. While powerboat sales dropped a painful 13 percent last year in terms of unit sales—and 10 per cent in dollar terms—the sailboat industry was only 5 percent down in unit sales, a better performance than in 2006, when production fell 7 percent. Boat sales have been declining since 2000. -- http://www.sailmagazine.com/industrynews/0308SailboatSalesDown/ * The J-Class Association will soon make an announcement to the press that a fourth replica is to be built. Details are scant at present, but a contract has been signed between an owner and a shipyard for the build of the yacht. She will join two other replicas in build at the moment - of Endeavour II and of a Ranger variant - as well as a replica of the original Ranger built in 2002. With the three original Js that are still sailing - Shamrock V, Velsheda and Endeavour - the total class will increase in number from four to seven. -- http://tinyurl.com/2f4z8x * The Newport Spring Boat Show will be held May 16-18 at Rhode Island’s Newport Yachting Center. In addition to the in-water portion and the exhibitor booths along the shoreline, this year’s show also includes the new marine consignment tent, which will be filled with used items from boaters and boat dealers alike. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/3codz9 NORTH 3Dtc SAILS: TOUGH TO THE CORE North Sails is proud to introduce 3Dtc, a breakthrough sail construction that makes 3DL and 3Dr sails more durable and versatile than ever. With an additional internal core of tough, lightweight woven taffeta, 3Dtc sails stand up to furling, flaking, folding and flogging. North’s new 3Dtc is the only sail available that combines the durability of taffeta with the unmatched strength and shapeholding of 3DL and 3Dr. Get tough...contact your nearest North Sails representative today. http://na.northsails.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 Alan Shore: I’m a semi-retired businessman, and now just casual sailor. I have several grandchildren who love to sail, and I willingly support this activity. But how do I explain to them that US Sailing is going to make them join? My daughter can't even get them to make their bed in the morning. Does anyone at US Sailing have teenage children? Do they know that the moment you start talking about "making" them do anything, they do exactly the opposite? In my business experience I employed lawyers frequently. I never for one moment ever considered letting them speak on my behalf, and found that usually when someone had a lawyer speaking for them, they were probably hiding something. How do I explain to my grandkids that two high profile sailors, from the wealthiest man in Switzerland, Ernesto Bertarelli, to a young girl from Florida, Nancy Rios, both have lawyers doing the talking for them? It saddens me to see this legal slugfest taking place in both the America's Cup and Olympics. And worse perhaps, is US Sailing trying to dictate another level of governmental red tape. Racing used to be fun. Maybe all of this is why I stopped. I hope my grandchildren can learn the best of human characteristics from sailing, but those are not evident by the current holder of the Cup, the winner of the ladies windersurfer trials, or the leadership of US Sailing. A grandchild who doesn't make their bed looks like an angel by comparison. * From Damian Christie, Melbourne, Australia: Now that Justice Cahn has dismissed Alinghi’s petty excuses, I challenge Larry Ellison and Oracle to show true sportsmanship – that is, sit down with Alinghi and not only decide a date for America’s Cup XXXIII, but replace the farcical Deed of Gift match they have concocted with a race programme that includes all international challengers in the AC90 class for 2011. Ellison certainly owes Alinghi no quarter. However, he should reward peers like Grant Dalton, Stephan Kandler and Vincenzo Onorato for their loyalty and support by demanding Alinghi accept a 2007-style Cup protocol. Alinghi is now boxed into a corner; faced with the prospect of a DoG match as early as July, Ernesto Bertarelli and his cronies will probably bend over backwards to revert to that protocol. Since last July, Oracle has spun the tale that it wants a fairer and inclusive America’s Cup for all challengers and defender. It’s now time for Oracle to live up to that spin. It is inexcusable for Ellison to persist with his DoG challenge simply because he is already building his yacht – he has enough wealth to build 10 multihulls without serious financial loss. Ellison will win the admiration of the sailing world if he shows true sportsmanship and selflessly invites all comers back to the fold for America’s Cup XXXIII. But he won’t – because like the US Cup holders of old, he will ‘waive the rules’ in his favour to rule the waves. Prove me wrong, Larry. * From Bruce Munro: To the editorial in SB 2560 by Valencia’s Peter Gooch, I have one word -- Amen. Until and unless an impartial international organizing organization is set up to administer the America's Cup, the gutter press level described by Gooch will continue into the foreseeable future. * From Bruce Brown (edited to our 250-word limit): Like Dawn Riley, I am a member of US Sailing - and was a member of USYRU in that day. I have been frustrated with the focus of the organization for many years and have commented on it to members of the board a number of times. The discussion of membership is long standing topic and as another writer commented, membership is not such a burden when the product is attractive enough. Other national sailing organizations have the concept of representing the sailing community's interests rather than having the racing members interests be dominate in the organization. Boating regulations are much more stringent in some European countries than in the US. Remembering that the racing part of our sport is a minor part of the sailing population will bring us closer to the target of making membership in US Sailing a value to all sailors. While racing is the visible and focal point for many of Scuttlebutt's readers, the fact remains that racing is very small percentage of our sport's participants. Working on safety regulations and representing the interests of sailing clubs and charter organizations will bring more interest to the membership. Keeping a voice in the national discussion on boating regulations will also keep membership levels up. Making US Sailing the true voice of sailors - not just racing sailors - may bring new interested members. Working to get power lines raised near launch ramps brought many Hobie Sailors to USYRU. Let's not forget those lessons of the past. * From G. E. Kriese: Jim Capron, head of the U.S. Sailing ‘family’, still doesn’t make his case as to why mandatory membership in US sailing should be required. He cites some vague reasons but no specifics. Tony Soprano's crew makes a similar argument regarding payment of protection money. Both are shakedowns, but Soprano has better salesmen. Capron says “Mandatory membership in the national authority is common practice for other sports in the United States…”. So what? Things have worked fine for years without the extra tribute to the bosses. What of the extra revenue windfall? Goomah’s and committee boats named ‘Stugots’? Salary increases at US Sailing for sure. It easy to understand that Capron & US Sailing want more money to do whatever it is they do, but that’s not good enough. I want less, not more bureaucracy, rules, fees and paperwork associated with the sport I love. US Sailing is free to justify its existence and anyone who wants to join can. But US Sailing should not look to yacht clubs to be their bag men and enforcers by prohibiting non-US Sailing members from entering regattas. Capron is making us an offer we can and should refuse! * From Mary Buckley (Regarding US Sailing Mandatory Membership): It is true that the best (and really only) way to increase membership is to provide value. But I am curious about what is described as a "certain level". If the "level" is fairly high - say like the Championship of Champions - chances are most of those are already members, and there just aren't that many participants anyway, so this isn't likely to substantially increase membership. If the "level" is fairly low - say like national or regional one-design regattas - I wonder how this rule would be enforced - and by whom. The last thing regatta organizers need is another burden placed upon them. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION People who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either of them being made. Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises and North Sails. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
