|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2421 - August 29, 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. LEARNING VALUABLE LESSONS (American Star crew Austin Sperry provides his reflection on the Olympic test event from last week in Qingdao, China.) “There is nothing more important in this game than experience; it was very evident over the past few weeks in China. Throughout the Pre-Olympic regatta, most every competitor has been to the Olympics before, won a medal and/or has won a world championship – in most cases more than once. Every time we left the dock, we went out and competed with the Tiger Woods of sailing, except instead of one Tiger there were about eight teams that were that good. “Brazilian Robert Scheidt won the regatta, and while he might be new to the Star class, he is not new to winning. Prior to sailing the Star boat, Robert dominated the single handed Laser class, winning eight world championships, 2 gold medals, and 1 silver medal. Oh, and by the way, he just won the Star world championship last month (and finished 2nd at the Star worlds last year). Needless to say, this guy is not human. “Everybody says to go to the Olympics and treat it like it's another regatta. I have news for you people… it's not like any other regatta. You’re half way around the world, in a communist country, people don't speak your language, and you’re worrying about eating the wrong food and getting sidelined with food poisoning. There are film cameras, police escort bus rides to and from the venue, the heat and humidity, the sitting around waiting for wind, not seeing your family for over a month. You are totally out of your normal element, and all this stuff starts to take its toll mentally. “At the end of the day, the teams that can get past this and focus on only the sailing are the teams that will win… period. There were up to 12 boats that could have won this regatta, but it was about peaking at the right moment and being comfortable with your surroundings. Robert Scheidt rounded most weather marks in 10 to 12th position, but would pick boats up on every leg and have a shot at winning most races. This is how you win regattas, and he seems to have the model down better than anyone else right now.” -- Austin Sperry WALLY CROSS: THE SUMMER OF EXTREMES “My summer sailing has been one of extremes. Few will argue that our weather is changing and this summer produced some of the fastest and slowest races in my life. Shortly after sailing a very light regatta in Alicante, Spain on the TP52 Windquest, I traveled to rainy Cowes, England to sail the Swan 45 Worlds on Vixen. In the thirteen days I was there, eleven of those days it rained and only two days had winds less than 20 mph. On top of the breeze and the rain was the extreme current, sometimes up to 3 knots in speed. “In the previous regatta at Capri (Italy), we were well prepared for the lighter winds with sails, set up and crew work. In Cowes, we were not prepared for the big wind, current and extreme conditions. It is one thing to say you are prepared and another to be comfortable sailing in control in conditions so extreme. Just after this windy, rainy regatta came two extremely slow Mackinac races. Even though each race was predicated to be light, each started in good breeze. Each race, the Chicago Mackinac and Port Huron Mackinac race start in fresh breeze, yet by the first evening both races came to a stand still. Both races were started at the tail end of a cold front and entered a new high the first evening.” -- Read on as Wally discusses the lessons learned from these events: http://tinyurl.com/2dqzlu OLYMPIC-LEVEL GENDER BUSTING (The Daily Sail subscription website provides an update on a very successful female-male team in the male-dominated open Tornado class.) Carrying out an Olympic campaign is hard for anyone involved, but especially for those in the classes where there is more than one crew and team psychology comes into play. In this respect the duo who, without doubt, have made life hardest for themselves going into the Beijing games has been the sailing event's only the mixed partnership of Tornado sailors Carolijn Brouwer (helm) and Sebastien Godefroid (crew). Thankfully both are mature, in their 30s and with a lot of Olympic campaigning under their respective belts. Brouwer has been gunning for the Games since 1994 and has been twice first in the 470 and then in the Europe. Until recently Godefroid with his trademark shock of curly blond hair, was a perennial Finn sailor having been to the Games three times, but to date never bettering the silver medal he won on his first attempt in Savannah in 1996. To make matters even more complicated Brouwer and Godefroid were personally involved when they embarked on their latest campaign. Post-Athens they were keen to sail together and both had also discovered multihull racing, Godefroid having been part of the crew of Jean-Luc Nelias' now defunct ORMA 60 team, Belgacom. Sadly in their struggle to get to the Games in not only an unfamiliar boat, but an unfamiliar genre of boat, their personal relationship has fallen by the wayside, and yet impressively they are still resolutely campaigning together. The fruits of their efforts paid off last month at the ISAF World Championship in Cascais where they finished second, against many of the class' seasoned campaigners. -- Read on, http://tinyurl.com/2z7f22 "HONEY, THEY SHRUNK THE AMSTEEL-BLUE!" Samson's legendary single braid just got smaller! AmSteel-Blue is now available in two new smaller diameters: 7/64" and 1/8". These new sizes give dinghy sailors and kite boarders a very low stretch, superior flex rigging option that is so light it floats. Always made with Dyneema(R) SK-75 fiber and protected by a proprietary blue Samthane coating, AmSteel-Blue is size-for-size stronger than wire at 1/7th the weight. No matter what diameter, AmSteel-Blue provides the ultimate in low stretch, lightweight strength, abrasion resistance, and easy splicing. For detailed specifications, visit http://www.samsonrope.com/recreationalmarine ARBITRATION / LITIGATION STATUS (August 28, 2007) On behalf of the defender Alinghi, America’s Cup Management (ACM) has provided a timeline and explanation to the steps that have been taken and the ones to come regarding the dispute between the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) and Alinghi’s club, the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), as of 24 August 2007. The dispute between SNG and GGYC is now proceeding on three paths: (i) the arbitration before the arbitration panel under the 33rd Protocol, (ii) the complaint filed by GGYC in NY court, and (iii) the motion filed by GGYC in NY court. Arbitration 1) SNG, CNEV (Club Nautico Español de la Vela), ACM and Royal Thames have made submissions to the Arbitration Panel. 2) GGYC was invited to participate in the arbitration but refused. 3) A ruling is expected as to the validity of CNEV’s challenge in the coming weeks. Note: Two of the three arbitrators were also arbitrators for the 32nd America’s Cup. Litigation: GGYC’s Complaint 1) GGYC’s complaint which challenges CNEV’s status as Challenger of Record was dated 20 July but was not served on SNG until 17 August. 2) SNG’s response is due in mid-September. 3) SNG believes GGYC’s claims are without merit and will defend itself against them. Litigation: GGYC’s Motion On 22 August GGYC applied to the NY court seeking: 1) An expedited schedule for the case commenced by GGYC’s complaint under which discovery (the exchange of information between the parties) would be completed in September and trial would be held in October, and 2) A preliminary injunction requiring that SNG (i) provide GGYC with SNG’s club sailing rules and (ii) identify where a two-team match between SNG and GGYC in July 2008 would be held. 3) The 22 August “order” of the NY court only sets a schedule for the parties’ submissions on GGYC’s application and in no way addresses the substance or merit of the application. 4) SNG’s written response to the motion is due to be filed 5 September. 5) A hearing on the motion before the NY court is scheduled for 10 September. 6) The complaint and the motion are part of the same case and are before the same Judge (Justice Cahn) in NY. Curmudgeon’s Comment: A copy of GGYC’s motion can be read at http://tinyurl.com/269z65 FARR 40 WORLDS The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship kicks off Wednesday, 29 August in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event, hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club, marks the first time the event has been held in Scandinavian waters. Meanwhile, autumn is making itself felt through large sections of the area and bringing with it a period of very unsettled and cold weather. Moderate and possibly strong breezes will be experienced across the racing area through early next week. With 160 boats built to date throughout the world, the Farr 40 class has had a great turnout with 36 boats from 12 countries set to race in the waters of the Oresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden. Racing will run from Wednesday 29 August - Saturday 1 September and up to ten races are scheduled. Principal Race Officer Peter “Luigi” Reggio will head the race committee from the host Royal Danish Yacht Club. Early favorites include defending World Champion Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino (with tactician Adrian Stead), who recently won the 2007 Nordic Farr 40 Championship in Hankø, Norway, and 2003 World Champion Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (with tactician Vasco Vascotto), with their victory at the 2007 Rolex Farr 40 European Championship in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Also having a great European season is two-time World Champion, Jim Richardson on Barking Mad (with tactician Terry Hutchinson), who won the Pre-Worlds event last weekend. -- Full report: http://www.regattanews.com/pressrelease.asp?pid=1708&lang=1 -- Entry and crew list: http://www.farr40.kdy.dk/con45.php4 EXEMPT FROM REGULATION Prior to the launch of the annual Hedge Fund Regatta, which took place in New York Harbor one recent mild evening, Michael Fortenbaugh, the commodore of the Manhattan Sailing Club, called the competing skippers together at the marina in Battery Park City. The mood was sober, and, while pre-race tension alone might have accounted for that, the past few weeks have been stormy ones in the hedge-fund industry. “Boat No. 1—that’s the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association,” Fortenbaugh said. “No. 2—that’s Caxton Associates. No. 4: Alternative Investment Group.” Wait a minute - what happened to boat No. 3? “Boat No. 3 got liquidated,” Fortenbaugh said. “Bad joke.” The Hedge Fund Regatta was founded four years ago by T. J. Dalton, a broker at the Griswold Company. “They already had an architects’ regatta and a restaurant regatta, so I thought it would be good to get a bunch of hedge-fund managers,” Dalton explained later, adding that the money raised would fund sailing programs for city youths. Dalton, who learned to sail as a boy at the Jersey Shore, said that many of his hedge-fund clients were handy with a mainsheet. “Sailing a boat is very competitive, and obviously managing money is all about competition and performance,” he said. “And it takes a lot of money to have a big boat.” -- The New Yorker, full story: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/09/03/070903ta_talk_mead FROM DOWN EAST TO FAR EAST Doyle Sailmakers proudly announces the opening of a full manufacturing loft in Qingdao, China, the site of the 2008 Olympic Games. Veteran sailmaker Mark Fullerton heads the Doyle Qingdao team in the new 24,000 square foot facility. With an increasing number of sailors, boatbuilders, and sailing events coming to China, including two stops of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race, Doyle is positioned to ride sailing’s newest wave. To find your local Doyle loft call 1-800-94-DOYLE; http://www.doylesails.com SAILING SHORTS * As the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) prepares to round out a year of festivities marking its 40th Anniversary, this year's Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, now in its 18th edition, promises to be an extra special celebration of the finest in sailing prowess and technology. The event, hosted by YCCS and organized in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA), will run from 2nd to 8th September on the crystalline waters off Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy. Participants will compete in five divisions: Racing, Cruising, Wally, Spirit of Tradition and Mini Maxi. -- Full report: http://www.regattanews.com/pressrelease.asp?pid=1707&lang=1 * The deadline by which ISAF must receive nominations for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2007 - the most prestigious award of recognition in the sport of sailing - is at 1000 UTC on Monday 3 September 2007. Sailors nominated may represent any discipline of the sport of sailing, but must meet the criteria of 'outstanding achievement during the period 1 September 2006 through to 31 August 2007'. Anyone can nominate a sailor and all nominations must be submitted on the official nomination form at http://www.sailing.org/worldsailor/2007WSOYnominationform.doc * Organizers of the Audi 2007 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship have announced that Audi of America Inc. and the Detroit-Area Audi Metro Dealers have been named Title Sponsor of this prestigious event. This National Championship marks Audi's first title sponsorship of any U.S. regatta. Forty-two teams have already registered from as far away as England and California, with at least 15 more boats expected to register over the coming weeks. Racing begins September 21-23. -- http://www.melges24racing.com/nationals PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS At the start of each issue of Scuttlebutt explains how the newsletter “is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features, and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.” But where does it all come from? The sailing media continues to mature along with the Internet, and the advent of free blog sites has empowered many “closet scribes” to fill the world wide web with their spin on current events. Event sponsorship has also increased the amount of communications available, along with a heightened need to market and compete for the attention of a busy populace. However, the greatest source of information has always been the Scuttlebutt reader, and we encourage the Scuttlebutt Community to not only read their daily dose of sailing news, but to participate in the process as well. Contact the Scuttlebutt Editor with your story ideas, to send in your Letters to the Editor, submit your images for the Photos of the Week feature, use the Forum, post your events in the Calendar… in short, join in. For questions or comments, email the Editor at mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.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 Katy Campbell: Regarding Tom Silver’s letter in Issue 2421, his comment echoes a similar notation made in ‘butt wherein the TP52 MedCup racing is seeing some 2006 boats prove to still be competitive against the 2007 designs. This is such a bizarre reality in how the class has survived thus far when a new boat could only be a contender for a year. I recall how folks complained (still complain?) that 470s had to be replaced annually. Dealing with the same problem at the TP52 level blows me away. * From Geoffrey Phillips, Sydney, Australia: Great to read Staggy's early history and the account of his voyage from Wellington to Annapolis (in Issue 2420). Geoff and I were born a day apart and lived next door to each other in the seaside village of Eastbourne. He's a tough lad for sure. In between completing the Whitbread on Ceramco and joining Bruce Farr, Geoff worked a summer as Operations Manager for Sportsworld, a company I had formed to handle the ticketing and travel for overseas visitors to the 1982 World Cup in Spain. I recall a wild drive in an open top Alfa along the rugged northwest coast of Spain with Queen blasting out "We Are The Champions", as we raced to deliver match tickets to English football supporters at Santander. We were hours late and the fans were in a frenzy, crazed on Spanish brandy as they launched themselves at us while we pulled a suitcase full of tickets from the trunk. I was ready to scuttle the ship and run for cover but Staggy took over like a feisty terrier, barking directions at the demented horde and restoring some semblance of order. After handing out the priceless treasure of tickets to the England vs France match, we retired to a bar for beer and tapas. "Easy compared to the Southern Ocean," said Geoff. * From Paul Henderson: (regarding the Challenger's Commission) I represented +39 on the CC. I found it a very constructive and important part of delivering a fair and level playing field. As one would expect from 11 hyper-active syndicates, the decisions were not always unanimous but the discussions were always respectful and constructive. The only unfortunate and unsportsmanlike decision was the one on the +39 replacement mast. Alinghi was always consulted on the questions facing the CC and that should not be taken as being acrimonious but as trying to get to an acceptable position to both Challengers and the Defender. The Valencia America's Cup was a great success and I trust they will build on this success and not replace what worked. * From Matthew Reid: (re: ACM battle Between Larry and Ernesto) Enough already. Ernesto owns the ball and wants to go home and Larry still wants to play. The two should slug it out in dinghys, 'petulant billionaire vs. petulant billionaire'. A best of 7 series, played out in various venues around the globe so we all get a chance to watch. The winner gets his way. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION A person has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason. Special thanks to Samson Rope Technologies and Doyle Sailmakers. |
