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SCUTTLEBUTT 2813 - Wednesday, April 1, 2009Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Please consider the date when reading the news reports. Today's sponsors are Team One Newport and Doyle Sails. COURT OF APPEALS DECISION RELEASED (Mar. 31, 2009) - State of New York, Court of Appeals announced their decision this morning, finding the defender Société Nautique Genève (SNG) had breached their fiduciary duty and has instructed that the America's Cup shall be returned to the custody of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) who will conduct a two boat challenge between SNG and Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) in Long Island Sound no later than September 1, 2009. Judge Smith, writing the decision stated, "The defender (SNG) has clearly ignored the spirit of the Deed of Gift by creating a challenger yacht club Club Nautico Español de Vela (CNEV) to gain an advantage and rewrite a set of rules that have served the Cup well for many years." The GGYC challenge is approved and NYYC shall act as escrow agent and shall conduct a best of seven series from their base in Newport, RI. The race dates should be announced next week. SNG shall immediately transfer the Cup to NYC as escrow agent. WHERE TO GO FROM HERE Obviously tired of petty argument over what is an arm of the sea, which was resolved many years ago when Chicago was deemed to be on an arm of the sea, since you could reach the sea by travelling the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence Seaway and the declensions of the word ‘having’ over ‘having had’, the Supreme Court decided to back the traditionalists but with a twist. Following the race between Société Nautique Genève (SNG) and Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) will in the future be the perpetual custodian of the cup, taking into account that it is what they did for 135 years with few arguments. The simplicity of the decision is that NYYC will organise a defenders’ series, open to all yacht clubs from friendly nations, and that Newport RI will be the permanent home of the Cup races. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#2 NEW LIFESAVING MEASURE REQUIRED FOR SOUTHERN LATITUDES CANBERRA, A.C.T.---(Southern News Service) Citing the extraordinary costs of deploying warships for the rescue of non-commercial sailors in distress in the Southern Ocean, pleasure craft operating south of 40 degrees latitude will be required by January 1, 2012, to carry one Fulton surface-to-air recovery system (STARS) unit for each person aboard the vessel, Australian Defense Minister Warren Snowdon announced Tuesday. The system, known in military circles as Skyhook, utilizes a small blimp-shaped helium balloon attached by a cable to a harness worn by the person to be extracted. After the cable is borne aloft, a specially-equipped aircraft flies at the cable, which it captures using a V-shaped device on the aircraft’s nose. The rescued person is pulled aloft and hoisted into the aircraft by the cable. A separate aircraft pass is required for each person to be rescued. Experts estimate that a crew of six can be recovered in as little as 30 minutes. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARTHA'S STIMULUS PACKAGE #3... We're all doing our part to help stimulate the economy and Mad Martha from Team One Newport has gone madder! Get the Musto Soft Shell jacket (MUSB0060) for 40% off if you are a Scuttlebutt reader. Visit http://www.team1newport.com and be sure to type SSCSP for your 40% off this Musto jacket (we will adjust the price when we receive your order). Or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) and speak to a Customer Specialist. This offer ends on April 8th. We also have great new product in like the Henri-Lloyd Shadow and the Gill Keelboat racing line. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- JOBSON BUSY WITH MIDAS TOUCH Gary Jobson added to his leadership legend today, announcing that he had taken over the role as President of America’s Cup Management (ACM). This follows his appointment as International Sailing Federation (ISAF) President and his nomination as President of US SAILING. Following the announcement today by the New York Court of Appeals, Jobson called a press conference to announce that the word ‘Acts’ will never be used again as a label for America’s Cup pre-regattas. Jobson also announced the decision to reinstate multihulls into the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Working with the International Multihull Council and the ISAF Event Committee, Jobson took the extraordinary step of adhering to the recommendations of a committee. -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#4 US SAILING ANNOUNCES MANDATORY MEMBERSHIP AGAIN Jim Capron, President of US Sailing, announced today that membership in US Sailing would be mandatory for all sailors starting July 1, 2009. “Last year we considered the idea of making membership mandatory for all racers, but scrapped the idea after some negative feedback from sailors who were too cheap to pony-up the dues,” said Mr. Capron. “But this year we’ve gotten a sponsorship deal from the big banking conglomerate UBS.” In a related press release from UBS, it was revealed that UBS will contribute $1 to US Sailing for every member on the books by the end of 2009. An unidentified UBS source stated, “Now that UBS has cut its ties with Alinghi, we have some extra sponsorship money. We still want to reach that desirable ‘sailing’ demographic, because everyone knows all sailors have a lot of money, and this is an excellent way to reach those rich sailors without being associated with Ernesto Bertarelli.” -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#5 PROFESSIONAL SAILORS GET CREATIVE As professional sailors scramble for the few remaining pro sailing gigs, a few of them branched out to start a new sort of company. In the past, Paul Cayard and Mark Strube have turned down many offers for spreads in GQ and Esquire, but as the sailing offers slowed, they have decided to start out on a new path and try modeling, and have joined forces to start ACME: America’s Cup Modeling Enterprises. Mark Strube has been ardently tuned to “Runway” to learn the skills of the runway cat walk, while Paul Cayard has spent time doing self portraits to ensure the photographers always shoot his best side. In addition, they have recruited a coach, Austin Sperry, often seen working out prior to the Olympics on YouTube, to help keep their fitness level up. A sample photo of Paul can be seen here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/10/reaping-rewards.html OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NAUTICAL STIMULUS PACKAGE In an effort to stiffen up the softening marine industry, the U.S. President Obama’s administration has incorporated a nautical twist within their stimulus package. This grant opportunity is targeted to fall in line with other green initiatives, which will focus on the “zero carbon” benefits of sailing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “This will be not only good for the environment but for all my friends in the Bay Area who love sailing.” Ms. Pelosi went on to say, “We also welcome the commercial partnerships between companies as well.” Pelosi cited the newly announced joint marketing effort between mast maker Southern Spars and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, makers of Viagra. The two companies have launched a new advertising campaign targeted to the male sailing audience with their slogan; “A stiff rig is hard to beat”. The first commercials are due to air during the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCOTT PIPER WINS 2009 CORAL REEF CUP It all came down to the final race of the 2009 Coral Reef Cup. The top 3 boats went into the 7th race within 3 points of each other. Scott Piper with crew Stuart deLisser and Richard Shellow pulled off a perfect boat end start and managed to maintain a 2-5 boat lead around the course to clinch the series by a 5 point margin. When asked about his winning strategy, Scott stated he credits “much of our success to the new jib”. Read the full interview: http://www.doylesails.com/news ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHANGES FOR LEGLER AND TUFTS UNIVERSITY Ken Legler, longtime Tufts University sailing coach, has been tapped by President Obama to become the new Director of NASA. Legler, neither the tallest nor smartest on the short list, was selected for his ability to get sailboat races off on time. NASA officials, plagued by shuttle flight delays, said getting flights off on time saves the taxpayers billions of dollars. An unidentified official, unable to comment since he is not an authorized member of US Sailing, said. "The cost of gas to keep that thing idling on the launch pad while a bunch of guys from ITT Tech check out problems is a major factor in our current economic downturn." In a related story, Tufts University, fearful that the popular Legler's departure for outer space will lead to the cancellation of his popular reality series "Coed Corner Bangers" (on Fox, annually, 7pm), is considering a plan to sell the naming rights to the Dental School. Hall Spars, of Bristol RI, is considered the front runner and a good match due to the financial success of its carbon tooth implant technology. Hall Spars’ Nan Hall, unable to officially comment since Ben was away at the family compound in Florida, said ' Go Jumbos!" ELEVENTH OLYMPIC MEDAL TO BE A NEW DISCIPLINE In a surprise move, it is believed that International Sailing Federation (ISAF) are going to recommend to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the 11th medal in the 2012 Olympic Games should be awarded for a new discipline - Cruiser Racing. While the decision will not formally be taken until the ISAF mid-year meetings in Poland in May, and the final decision about an 11th medal awaits the IOC August meeting, sources close to ISAF say that President Goran Petersson (SWE) has sounded out IOC President Jacques Rogge (BEL) and has received a positive indication of support for this initiative. It has been believed for many months now, that, should an 11th medal be awarded, the multihull would be restored to the Games. However, in a private conversation with an ISAF Vice President, Scuttlebutt has learned that the global financial crisis has prompted ISAF to consider ways in which it can contribute to an upturn in the marine industry. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#8 A LIKELY WINNER (April 1, 2009; Day 47) - Ericsson 3 has finally crossed the Volvo Ocean Race starting line in Rio De Janeiro to win Leg 5. After an agonizing march to glory, Norwegian skipper Magnum Oldmon and his men unofficially finished at 10:37:57 GMT. On arrival, a jubilant Oldmon, buoyed by the result, said: "It's unbelievable. Fantastic! We had a fantastic strategy when we needed it. Ansel (Madrigali) did a fantastic job on that. It was fantastic for sure! We executed that fantastic strategy in a very fantastic way. We were so tired but we were fighting on with fantastic spirit right to the end, everybody worked fantastically well with each other. And, finally, it was fantastic how we nursed the boat really well and didn't have any breakdowns. Fantastic! Oh, and by the way, this steak sandwich I am eating is really fantastic!" -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#9 * From Bluey "Long Pockets" Robinson (AUS), Retro MCM: “Hi from the guys on the Volvo 70 Retro. As a late entrant in the Volvo Ocean Race we had a low profile as on the early legs our communications gear packed up so we were sailing in stealth mode until we got to China. Our original comms gear was provided by a principal sponsor TA (Telecom Albania) which worked once on the first leg, picking up the collective workers Samba hour from Cuba, then silence until a bit of static from a North Korean trawler off Yemen on leg 2. We replaced all the hardware in India, courtesy of CEE (Colonial Empire Electronics), and have fitted out the boat with all the Bakelite rotary dial telephones and valves the British left behind in 1947. The systems take a bit of getting used to.” -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARTHA'S STIMULUS PACKAGE #3... We're all doing our part to help stimulate the economy and Mad Martha from Team One Newport has gone madder! Get the Musto Soft Shell jacket (MUSB0060) for 40% off if you are a Scuttlebutt reader. Visit http://www.team1newport.com and be sure to type SSCSP for your 40% off this Musto jacket (we will adjust the price when we receive your order). Or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) and speak to a Customer Specialist. This offer ends on April 8th. We also have great new product in like the Henri-Lloyd Shadow and the Gill Keelboat racing line. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREEN DRAGON EATS SUSHI AND A SEVEN-FOOT BLUE SHARK By Ian Walker, Green Dragon skipper Sorry I didn’t get this to you sooner, but we were involved with trying to finish the race. This occurred when we were still two days out from our finish at Rio. As I wrote in prior e-mails, fuel was critical, the generator on the alternator was not functioning, and we were only eating one meal per day. We had sailed through several schools of yellow fin tuna and seen the occasional turtle. Phil Harmer tried his luck with spear-fishing, taping a knife to a batten. No luck. Pitman James Carrol was not to be denied. He was determined to fabricate a lure, and mostly we needed a hook. Necessity being the mother-of-invention, we found a light-weight "D" ring in the sail repair kit. It was light relative to the loads on this boat, but quite heavy for fish-hook. James went to work on it. Using a hack-saw, he cut out a section of the curved part of the stainless steel "D", leaving enough to form an "eye" (lots of squeezing with the vice-grips) and the lower curved portion that would be the hook (barb-less, of course). He must have spent at least an hour sharpening that hook with a flat-file. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#11 TESTS PROVE THAT FOOD IS NO LONGER NECESSARY Scientific testing was done on the recent leg of the Volvo Ocean Race to determine the value of food on a racing yacht. A double blind test was held without the knowledge of the participants in the race. Crews were given food that had no nutritional value, crews were given food that had nutritional value but not the "right value", crews were given food that had all the required nutritional value, and crews just starved during the test. Results are still being evaluated but the preliminary results show that those that ran out of food had really aggravating periods of time on board. Those with food with no nutritional value thought the stuff they were eating was better than those with real food. Those with the fake nutritional value did not care because they were drinking all the time and selling the "hidden supplies" each sailor has learned to carry during these races. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#12 TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES CALL FOR CONSOLIDATION In a surprise move, the two global leaders of sailing hardware, Harken of USA and Ronstan of Australia, have formed a joint venture to make a new generation "Air Block". These blocks add 69% less weight than conventional blocks, a huge advantage when every ounce counts. Speaking on behalf of Harken, Bill Goggins said, "This block is made of black carbon goo infused with air, sort of like a Milkey Way bar." Alistair Murray of Ronstan said, "We came up with the idea by accident while watching things that would typically sink, float instead; they had more air than mass." The new company will be called HarStan and will be headquartered in Switzerland. Notes Peter Harken, "With all of the air in the components, we decided to make them where Swiss cheese is made." It was surprising that Wisconsin, headquarters of Harken and home to famous cheese wasn't chosen. The new company will begin by producing only a small boat range of blocks which will be made from 69% air and the remainder of carbon composite secret "goo". -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#13 SAILING SHORTS * The Federal Justice Department has announced that they are investigating how Eric Goetz was able to retain ownership of his Rhode Island-based yacht building company after it filed for receivership in January. On March 6, Goetz needed to bid only US$540,000 for the holdings of Goetz Custom Sailboats, despite a US$1.9m loan that Citizens Bank made to the company. Among the areas the investigation will cover is how Goetz Custom Sailboats was awarded a Governor's Workforce Board grant of $68,000 to train 20 new employees as well as gain financing that helped the company build a 43,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Bristol. * Despite the decision today by the New York Court of Appeals to award the America’s Cup to New York Yacht Club, there remains significant fence mending ahead. Valencia doesn’t want to play anymore, UBS cannot really afford to play anymore, and Louis Vuitton feels they have been screwed without a kiss. A caveat to today’s court ruling is the dissolution of the Challenger Commission, and the designation for Scuttlebutt to determine what the participants of the sport desired. When asked about the choice of Scuttlebutt, a source close to the discussions said on the condition of anonymity, “All parties seemed to hate them the least.” * Jacques Rogge, the IOC president and past Olympian for Belgium in the Finn class, announced that Ice/Snow Sailing has been added to the schedule for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. The announcement was made at the IOC meetings that just concluded. Four medals have been added, 80 athletes, 20 in each fleet. The events announced are Men's and Women's DN class and Men's and Women's kite sailing. There is an option for additional four medals within the existing athlete quota, a judged jumps category for kite sailing and a timed speed event for the DN. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#16 * Washington, DC, April 1 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama moved to fill one more of the four most senior Treasury Department positions on Wednesday, by announcing his intent to nominate US SAILING President, James Capron as deputy assistant Treasury secretary. An engineer by trade, Capron is the founder and president of Capron Company, Inc., a facility automation design and contracting firm located in Rockville, Maryland. "Jim was convincing in his interviews with both Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and I, and we are pleased to welcome him to the team," President Obama said during the brief announcement. * (Pewaukee, WI) - Following the announced merger between Harken and Ronstan (see above), it was announced that Peter and Olaf Harken will leave the company they founded in the hands of the CEO, Bill Goggins. The successful Wisconsin brothers will begin operating a new company that focuses on friction reduction on a larger scale. The Harkens will remove friction from business applications and contend that they can make business all but invisible. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#18 * Ernesto Bertarelli, team owner of Alinghi and current defender of the America’s Cup, has been named a new President of Honour by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). Said ISAF president Goran Peterson, “Mr. Bertarelli has made great improvements to the America’s Cup with his new format, and we look forward to supporting his management company in any way we can. His contribution to ISAF has been significant, and the least we can do is elevate him to the status typically reserved for royalty.” * According to a recent US Boating survey, Saylor and Kai top the charts for the most popular children’s names in 2008, pushing Calypso and Jack into seventeenth and third places respectively. “We surveyed over seven thousand boat-owning new parents, and these are the top names for nautical tots this year,” said Carington Huntsman, spokeswoman for US Boating. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#20 * The world renowned high-end RIB manufacturer, Scorpion RIBs from Lymington, Hampshire, UK, is launching a world first - a new 8.5m Tubeless RIB - at this year’s RIBEX Show in Cowes, Isle of Wight which runs between 8-10 May. This ground-breaking stepped hull design incorporates the Scorpion-trademarked ‘Pressure cordless and tubeless technology’, which will be applied in the vicinity of the widest portion of the RIB’s body with annular reinforcement ribs extending continuously along the entire circumference of the boat’s body at the side walls. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#21 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCOTT PIPER WINS 2009 CORAL REEF CUP It all came down to the final race of the 2009 Coral Reef Cup. The top 3 boats went into the 7th race within 3 points of each other. Scott Piper with crew Stuart deLisser and Richard Shellow pulled off a perfect boat end start and managed to maintain a 2-5 boat lead around the course to clinch the series by a 5 point margin. When asked about his winning strategy, Scott stated he credits “much of our success to the new jib”. Read the full interview: http://www.doylesails.com/news ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CATAMARAN FOR SALE As seen on E-bay, Catamaran for sale, 90 ft + long, almost as wide. Never seriously sailed. Original owner, Comes with enormous sail inventory. Best suited for flat water only. Good daysailor but not well suited for family cruising as has no cabins, toilets, bunks, or cooking facilities. Motivated seller. Starting bid at $1.99 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Zim Kuelsdorf: (Re: Sunscreen Rituals) I fortunately don't have any of the dreaded skin diseases yet, as I know that my use of sunscreen is perfect. Rather than waste it applying it to my skin, I simply ingest it every night before bed. It doesn't matter what kind of sunblock, just drink about 4-5 ounces and in the morning, viola, the sunscreen permeates from the inside out. * From General Hunt Stockwell: I heard a heartwarming story from an unusual source today, the iconic mid-Atlantic boatyard owner, "Bilge Rat" Bill. Last week Bill was working late, as usual, at his yard, servicing winches on a large sailboat. The weather was miserable, a fine misty rain, blown in off the Atlantic by a cold nor'easter. The boat belonged to Bill's least-liked owner, Mr T, a surly AIG executive who Bill said worked "with something called derivatives." As Bill's frozen fingers worked grease onto the winch parts, he looked up and shuddered when he saw Mr T approach the boat. Mr T had tortured Bill for over 25 years constantly accusing him of bill padding, shoddy workmanship, and even piracy while almost always being late with payments. He had once accused Bill or one of his workers of purloining a bottle of 1967 Rothschild Chateau Neuf du Pape and presumably guzzling it down. When Mr T did pay his overdue accounts, it was always late on Friday evenings, depriving Bill from one of the few pleasures the demanding yard allowed him: Friday happy hour. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0401/#24 * From Simon Cowell, East Sussex, England: Regarding Steve Barrett’s letter in Scuttlebutt 2812, which noted that among the causes of the 1979 Fastnet disaster was “the then-lousy UK weather forecasting system, which was blindsided & failed to get warnings out to race management or radio bulletins to the fleet in time.” Has anyone taken pause to consider why the forecasting system was so horrid? It was because the weather in the UK is …simply put… horrid. Back then, the less it was discussed, the better off the tourism might be. The whole bit about the royal family and the changing of the guards got folks to forget about whether their hotel had a pool or not. Now that the waters are much safer, and people know exactly how miserable it can be here, the sport of sailing has been thriving. Go figure! * From Huey, Dewey, and Louie: Considering all the frustrating news worldwide, whether it's the housing market decline, financial institutions on the brink of bankruptcy every day, or some new Ponzi scheme knocking on your door, it was certainly refreshing when I saw that Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli had taken a week out of their busy schedules to vacation together with us at Disneyland. After they were seen riding together, hands in the air, laughing and screaming, in rotating tea cups… it almost brought a tear to my eyes. It seems like the power of Disneyland was just too much to keep these two men apart - we truly are the “Happiest Place on Earth.” And they say there is no more good news ... who knew! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Special thanks to Team One Newport and Doyle Sails, who provided the only legitimate information included in this issue of Scuttlebutt. Thanks also goes to the faithful ‘butthead readers for contributing every “news” item in Scuttlebutt 2813. You all are the best! A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
