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SCUTTLEBUTT 1463 - November 21, 2003
Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is a
digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock
talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press
releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always
welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?
In 2003 the Olympic Sailing Committee of US Sailing budgeted to distribute
(or cause to be distributed via the US Olympic Committee) about $1.4
Million. Of these 30.6% was in Direct Cash Grants to athletes, 37.9% on
Logistics and Coaching, 3.5% on Trials expenses, 1.7% on Sport Science and
Weather Forecasting support, 2.8% on Youth Development, and 23.6% on
Administration (office and salaries, insurance and fees for employees and
for coach-boats, etc.).
These numbers will be audited by the USOC to ensure we spent the money
where we committed to do so. Of that $1.4MM, the OSC actually touches about
$1.1MM as $300,000+ is in the form of direct grant checks to athletes from
the USOC, and only about $400,000 is not directed in how it may
specifically be spent.
It is true that US Sailing Membership Dues do not get spent directly on the
National Sailing Teams. They never have. However, there is indirect support
from Marketing, Communications and many other departments that the OSC is
not "charged for" either.
US Sailing does not tax anyone. However, when a donation is made to the US
Sailing Foundation, a management fee is charged by the Foundation, this is
how the foundation is able to then make grants to unique international
opportunities that sailors have made specific requests for via their
classes and other representing bodies. - Fred Hagedorn, Chair, Olympic
Sailing Committee, US Sailing
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
"This house believes the 2007 America's Cup is in trouble. Not being held
in Europe, nor the intimidating scale of the event planned by Alinghi
management. The problem is entry cost. This could easily be a party at
which only the hosts - Oracle and Alinghi - put in other than a brief
appearance.
* "The cat is out of the bag. No one seriously believes that they can now
compete with the two established superteams without a similar budget. Even
then, what can a new challenger do when the two best teams are currently
locking up the most experienced personnel with 'holding' retainers - Oracle
BMW especially." - Two excerpts from Editor Andrew Hurst's editorial in the
December issue of Seahorse magazine, www.seahorsemagazine.com
LITTLE AMERICA'S CUP
The Trustees of the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT) have
announced that the 24th running of the event better known as "The Little
America's Cup" will be hosted by Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, La.)
from October 18-23, 2004. The Little America's Cup is a match racing event
sailed in catamarans and contested between countries. Challengers from
countries other than that of the defender's country vie for the right to
face the defender's representative. John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree,
representing Southern Yacht Club, won the 2003 Little America's Cup.
The 18-HT class has been selected for the 2004 event. Competitors will be
allowed to bring their own boat which will permit teams to take advantage
of the development aspects of the 18-HT class. The Notice of Race is
expected to be available by the end of the year. However, the format for
racing will remain the same -- short-course, umpired match. - Media Pro
Int'l, www.littleamericascup2004.org / www.ICCT2004.org
CLARITY
Whether you're Kostecki and Illbruck, Butterworth and Alinghi, or team
Foerster/ Burnham handily securing the 470 berth at the Olympic Trials, one
of the most important things to have is clarity, clarity in goals, and for
sailors especially, clarity in vision. For clarity on the water, these top
sailors depend on Kaenon Polarized lenses. With the highest optical acuity
and clarity rating possible, Kaenon Polarized lenses are the ultimate for
performance sailing. These holidays give your favorite sailor the gift of
clarity, Kaenon Polarized. Available at Annapolis Performance Sailing, the
clear choice for all your performance sailing needs.
http://www.apsltd.com/depts/dept3257.asp
IN MEMORIAM
The "Fang" is gone. The man who had become a legend in his own lifetime is
with us no longer. David Kilponen died late yesterday in the Broward
Hospital, Fort Lauderdale in the company of family and close friends.
"Fang", as he was universally known was an extraordinary navigator with an
enviable record in maxi-boat racing; an International Judge whose
deliberations were universally acceptable; and an International Umpire who
sought to improve the sport by communicating with the competitors. Fang was
both loved and respected, often by the same group.
An Australian from Sydney, "Fang" was one of those who traveled the world
in pursuit of the best offshore racing, and that, in the Seventies, was
among the maxis. "Fang" joined the crew of Kialoa and as navigator was
contributory to the successes of the most famous of this class. He
navigated other maxis including later Kialoas, Il Moro di Venezia, and
Longobarda.
His shipmates knew that he was a man they could trust and those who were
are to be envied. "Fang" had a fund of stories, many of which were told at
meetings of Auscrew and at Quiet Little Drinks in Hobart and other places
in the world. Often they were told on the weather rail to raise morale, but
everyone who knew David Kilponen would know that they were subject to the
"Fang Factor"; he did have a way of embellishing his tales.
There will be a gathering of "Fang's" friends at Chuck's in Fort Lauderdale
from 1800 on Friday and a Celebration of his life at 2000 that same day at
Lauderdale Yacht Club.
Those of us who knew "The Fang" will miss his ebullience and his warmth,
and above all we will miss him for his erudite knowledge of our sport with
his sympathetic approach to the Racing Rules of Sailing. More than that, we
will miss his enduring friendship. - Bob Fisher
SWEDISH MATCH TOUR
The action was plentiful on a rain-soaked second day of the Nippon Cup
2003, the third event on Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004. Thirty-three matches
were raced on Shinjuku Bay as the Hayama Marina Yacht Club race committee
compensated for an abbreviated first day of racing in an effort to get the
program back on schedule.
Seven-time event winner Peter Gilmour of the Pizza-La Sailing Team was
impervious to the conditions, finishing the day with a record of 6-1, the
only blemish coming at the hands of Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker
and his Omega Match Racing Team. Gilmour, going for his fifth consecutive
Nippon Cup title, now sits at 7-1 overall and in good position to advance.
Oracle BMW Racing's Gavin Brady, with John Kostecki among his crew this
week, posted a record of 5-1 on the day to finish the round robin portion
of the regatta at 7-4. Brady now has to wait and see if his seven wins are
enough to advance to Saturday's semifinals. - Shawn McBride,
www.swedishmatchtour.com
Round Robin Standings:
1. Magnus Holmberg, SWE/SeaLife Rangers, 5-0
2. Peter Gilmour, AUS/Pizza-La Sailing Team, 7-1
3. Dean Barker, NZ/Omega Match Racing Team, 6-2
= Paolo Cian, ITA/Riviera di Rimini Sailing Team, 6-2
5. Jesper Radich, Denmark, 3-2
= Luc Pillot, FRA/Team Pillot, 3-2
7. Gavin Brady, Oracle BMW Racing, 7-4
8. Staffan Lindberg, FIN/Team Henri Lloyd, 4-4
9. Andy Green, GBR/Team Racing Green, 3-5
10. Yautaka Funazawa, Japan, 2-6
11. Eiichiro Hamazaki, Japan, 2-9
12. Takao Ninomiya, Japan, 0-11
AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .
For the last few weeks, the 1st Annual Scuttlebutt Photo Contest (provided
by Kaenon Polarized) has kept us busier than expected. But after reviewing
nearly four hundred photo entrants, we narrowed the field to one hundred
and ninety-two images that we felt best met our criteria of rare, epic,
awesome, tight, interesting, etc.
Unfortunately, we then had to determine the winners from the contest
gallery. There were certainly no losers in this event, but there were five
photos that we felt stood out (see gallery for winners). A heartfelt thank
you to everyone that contributed photos, as you have provided the rest of
us with a memorable tribute to our sport of sailing:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/03/contest/gallery
ROLEX FARR ONE DESIGN INVITATIONAL
With two days of racing completed and two more to go at the Rolex Farr One
Design Invitational in Miami, the international competitors assembled here
are at a critical junction. Every one of the 11 scheduled races count
toward the overall score. Similar to their Olympic class cousins, there are
no throwouts in this regatta. That's OK with Stuart Townsend and his Virago
team who currently lead the highly competitive Farr 40 class with 21
points. Virago tactician Chris Larson credited crew work as the key to
success. Jim Richardson's Barking Mad with Terry Hutchinson calling tactics
is in second place with 30 points and John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti is just
three points further back.
It seems only fitting that on North Sails Race Day, Ken Read should guide
the winning boat in the Mumm 30 class to victory. The America's Cup sailor
and two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year is calling tactics onboard Jack
Lefort's Off the Gauge. The Stuart, Fla. entry scored a fourth and two
firsts for a total of 13 points overall. David Pyles and USA65 holds second
with 19 points while Dan Cheresh's Team Intermec is in third place with 25
points. - Media Pro Int'l, www.farrinternational.com/rolexinvite03
NEWS BRIEFS
* Until Thursday morning, Olivier de Kersauson's Cap Gemini/ Schneider
Electric crew had enjoyed very good sailing conditions. At almost 30 knots,
with fair wind, Geronimo rounded the Canary Islands. The choice of course
followed after rounding the islands was taken in the early hours of the
morning. Whereas Steve Fossett was forced to seek the trade winds far
south, their weakness has led Geronimo to find the shortest route. In the
early morning, the wind abated (10 knots) and this lull should last 24
hours. The grey trimaran sails at 13 knots in this calm weather. -
www.grandsrecords.com
* The new official website for the 32nd America's Cup is now up and
running, complete with a second by second countdown to the announcement of
the host city for the big show in 2007:
http://www.americascup.com/en/
* Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Arnaut admits Lisbon is losing
the campaign to host the next America's Cup in 2007. His admission that
Lisbon has only a 25 percent chance puts the Spanish city of Valencia in
the forefront to host the series which will be announced by the Swiss Cup
holders on November 26. The French port of Marseille and Italy's Naples are
considered outsiders. Portugal's bid was hurt by a recent series of
protests by fishermen against government plans to turn Cascais, 25km to the
west of the capital, into a modern marina suitable for the million-dollar
racing yachts. - Yahoo News, full story: http://tinyurl.com/vx7x
NEED MAX SPEED?
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A NOTE FROM GARY JOBSON
"Humble is the way I feel after a 23 day stay in the hospital following my
high dose chemo and stem cell transplant. I arrived home yesterday
afternoon in a very weakened state. It is hard to sit up without being out
of breath. This procedure was by far the hardest thing I have ever endured
in my life. The idea behind it is to wipe out your bone marrow and immune
system and take with it the cancer. The stem cell replacement was taken
from me in early October. Now my whole system has to rebuild. It is hard to
judge how long it will take before I am recovered.
In January I start a series of 90-day scans to see if the cancer is still
around. This will go on for about two years.
I want to offer you this thought: take a deep breath every morning; say
thank you for your health. The alternative is unbelievably tough. - Gary Jobson
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com)
Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Donal McClement, Cork, Ireland: I am really surprised that your
article on the Rules Working Party (RWP) and the Box Rule has not generated
much interest over the past few days. The situation is, in my view, very
serious because until we have a good workable Rule we are not going to get
owners building new boats in any numbers. The Box Rule has to be the only
way to go and the idea of VPP's, Wanding and complicated measurements will
only bring us back to the thoroughly unsatisfactory situation that we are
in at the moment.
KISS (keep it simple stupid) has to be the answer. Let's have type forming,
fast, stable, seaworthy boats that are fun to race and safe to race on. It
is impossible to build a boat that will win in all conditions unless you
start messing about with complicated formulae.
Let the owners and designers do their thing but please make sure we have a
fast boat. We must keep Politics and National Agenda's out of these most
important decisions that will shape the future of Offshore Racing.
* From Chris Upton: In response to Trevor Pardee's observation that a box
rule will benefit deeper budget programs by allowing wealthy competitors to
reposition the boat to the venue in question misses the point. If your
doing the Transpac, Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay and Florida, then
possibly you would have the budget for top crew, extended training and new
sails everyday.
Many of the better programs here in Newport limit their sailing to only a
few locations such as home in the Northeast and Florida or the islands in
the winter. How many 40 footers sail in every major US venue let alone the
world?
Box rules led to the ton classes where owners had top competition in the
40, 44 and 50 foot sizes. It works.
* From Jim Capron: Regarding time limits when there are no dropped races .
. . I have always thought my club's (Annapolis YC) solution was both fair
and clever. It is accomplished with two simple sailing instructions:
Under "Time Limits" include the following: "Boats still racing ___ minutes
after the first boat finishes will be scored TLE (Time Limit Expired, see
Scoring). This changes RRS 35.
Under "Scoring" include the following: "Boats identified TLE shall be
scored points equal to the number of boats finishing within the time limit
plus two points by the race committee without a hearing. This changes RRS
A4.1, A4.2 and A5.
TLE then becomes a score that is proportional to the lopsidedness of the
race. Such a scoring system allows the race committee to gamble a bit when
it has an otherwise fair race in progress and believes the wind will hold.
If the wind does die after a boat or two has finished, the race will be
much fairer to all. This solution also permits the Race Committee to set a
fairly aggressive time limit, to keep the racing going, without too much risk.
* From Gregory Scott: I have read with considerable interest, the varied
and worthwhile retorts to the ISAF's recent and quite arbitrary decisions
on Olympic sailing. Over the past few years, like many of you, I have
watched local school boards, hospital boards, state and local government
and now sailing governance attempt to save us from ourselves. While I
appreciate the earnest intent under which these actions are endorsed, I
must say that we seem to be loosing our way. I request that you all overlay
your own into this segment, think about how soon after our learned
colleagues at the ISAF had come up with these ideas and we were reading
well thought out opposition pointing out the missteps or complete folly of
these ideas.
* From Cory E. Friedman: What other sport allows anything as ridiculous as
throwouts? Does a football team get to throw out a bad quarter? Does a
baseball player get to throw out an at bat because of a broken bat? Does a
golfer get to throw out a hole if he hits into the rough? While match
racing someone into the tank may be within the rules, most non-sailors
would consider it about as sportsmanlike as tax shelters. Can a shortstop
walk onto the field and harass his opposite number until he makes an error?
It's a sailor's responsibility to make sure that he's on the right side of
the line. (Wait until ISAF's GPS equipment comes down in price and becomes
the standard. Then the RC's computer will record OCS boats and creative
hiding in a crowd won't work.)
How many sailors have actually had an own equipment failure that really was
not their fault? Laser sailors all know a Laser's weaknesses. If you use
lots of vang and break an old top section or boom, who's fault is that? Of
course, unless a breakdown happens during the last race of the day, you are
going to lose more than one race, so a throw out does you no real good.
Throwouts encourage pure cheating. In today's moral climate, that has
become the game. Besides, if you protest and get the bad actor booted,
he'll just throw it out anyway. Hopefully, this is the start of getting
back on track.
* From Hal Smith: Before I am justifiably criticized for my error in
describing Dick Rose's cure for scoring DNF finishers resulting from time
expiration, I wish to apologize and correct the error. The suggested way to
score is to score the DNF's as 1 plus the number of finishers (not starters
- the RRS default). I prefer to add 2 to the number of finishers (not
starters) depending on the size of the fleet. I promise to be more careful
in the future.
CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL
Don't sleep with a drip - call your plumber.
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