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SCUTTLEBUTT 3639 - Tuesday, July 24, 2012Scuttlebutt 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: US Sailing, North Sails, and Pure Yachting. FLEETS PARADE TO FINISH UNDER SPINNAKER (July 23, 2012, 6:30am CDT) - It's a steady stream of skippers and crew passing through the race committee tent this morning to sign paperwork and greet their fellow big boat sailors. So far, the Turbos, Section 1, 2, Farr 40s, J111s and Multihulls have all crossed the line, and a look back to the Mackinac Bridge shows a steady stream of colorful kites bearing down toward the finish line between the Round Island Lighthouse and the race committee headquarters on Mackinac Island, Mich. In its "Mac" debut, Peter Thornton's Il Mostro takes home the Royono Trophy for line honors as the first-to-finish boat in the racing division in the 2012 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, presented by Veuve Clicquot. At 1:08 a.m. CDT, the Volvo 70 finished the race in 35:38:19. Windquest, the DeVos' Z Max 86, finished approximately one hour later. Lindsey Duda, skipper of the Santa Cruz 52 Sin Duda, crossed the finish line at approximately 4:15 a.m. CDT Monday morning. "Overall, a great race. I think the most challenging part was working our way through the Manitous and just trying to stay in the pressure," said Duda. "It was like playing a massive game of chess." According to Mike Mayer, a partner in the J-111 Kashmir, the 10-boat one design fleet battled all the way up the lake. "What a fun race," said Mayer. "We had multiple lead changes throughout. Going through the Manitous we had eight boats within a mile of each other. What great racing." The Mac impressed the Annapolis sailors Kevin McNeil and John Lecourt. McNeil brought his Farr 40 Nightshift to the Great Lakes this summer in preparation for the Farr 40 Worlds in September. "What a spectacular backdrop," MacNeil said, referring to the northern Michigan shoreline. "Between the Manitous and Sleeping Bear dunes, it was an amazing site. Of course, it helped we had our own private wind vein as we passed by." -- Report at: http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/fleets-parade-to-finish-under-spinnaker/ KEEPING UP WITH THE KIDS Al Clark is an icon on the Laser racing scene, from simply having been around it for many years to his laid-back style of sailing his boat - kinda kick-back casual. But don't mistake that for a lack of seriousness come race day - he wouldn't have a casual chat prior to racing as he was "too focused on the day's work ahead". At 52, Al takes the racing game very seriously, and the results show for this Canadian sailing coach. Racing at Cascade Locks this past week in the Laser North American Championships, Clark placed second overall in the 100-strong Radial fleet, losing out to winner Isabella Bertold (CAN) by just three points, and seven points ahead of third place, to kids more than half his age. Bertold is a former Clark student now racing at Olympic level. He spent some time - after sailing - to chat about what's happening on the Canadian Laser scene, especially from where he stands in BC. He's worked for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club for ten years coaching sailing in the summers since 1985. He grew up racing Lasers in his teens and 20s, stopped to have a family and raise kids and is now racing again. How's the racing scene in Canada these days? AC: I think it's kind of like the Canadian National Downhill Ski Team years ago. I remember when I first started this job I thought how great it was that they used to share all their information. They all became good and they all bought into the concept that if everyone shares information the whole group benefits. I like to think our sailing has grown that way. What changes have you seen in your time in the class and at these regattas? AC: Regattas were big when I was a kid. I remember going to a regatta in 1980 that 250 people so the Laser class has been healthy. It has its waves of up and down. We didn't have an Opti fleet back then. A lot of the kids who are racing in the Radials now are out of Optis so maybe that's I think is different - it was probably an older crowd racing Lasers back then. And, it was only just Lasers - now you have Lasers, Radials, 4.7s - so three fleets here with 170 people. But we'd have one fleet and 170 people show up back in the early days. It's been popular. There's more coaching, more motor boats, more people being attentive - we didn't have any of that when I was a kid. What do you see in the US vs the state of competitive sailing in Canada? AC: The American system is different because they have the high-school sailing and college sailing, which we don't have. It seems like, somehow, the sailing is attached to education. It's not so in Canada. It's like church and state. If you want to go to university, which most kids do, you just go. Tuition is not super expensive whereas down here, I think a lot of kids want to do well and they take college sailing and that's the debate, whether college sailing is ultimately a great solution for high level sailing like the US Sailing Team. Instead, our guys come to the Club (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club). It's all yacht club sailing. For under 18s at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club its just $125 a year. To be part of the race team is a $100/month and for that you can keep your boat on the dock. The club buys big trucks and trailers and hires coaches - we have got five coaches. The money comes from the membership - 5500 members at Royal Van. They get behind it because you're getting new members. You're teaching them to sail and they're going to stay. -- Full report: http://sailblast.blogspot.com/2012/07/al-clark-from-vancouver-b.html TEAM USA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT The U.S. Olympic Sailing Team will be racing for gold against the best in the world and you can follow all the action in Weymouth. Sixteen athletes representing the U.S. across 10 Olympic events are making final preparations for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta on July 29 to August 11. Follow Team USA's every tack and jibe and cheer them on along the way with a Tweet or a post on our Facebook site! Your hub for Olympic Sailing coverage: http://bit.ly/ussailing_weymouth Watch all the action online at http://www.nbcolympics.com/sailing/ SIX TIME OLYMPIC SAILING COACH A curious Marie Carpenter loaded her three kids onto a sailboat she'd rented, handed the instructor $5 for a few quick pointers and set out on the lake in Texas where her family was spending the summer. A few hours later, as she battled a stout wind, the kids informed her they were ready to head back. "I would like to go back, too," Marie Carpenter remembered saying. The youngest of the Carpenter kids clung to his life jacket as Marie, who'd struggled to get the boat pointed in the right direction, finally made it ashore. Luther Carpenter was 3. "He said he'd never get on a boat with me again," Marie Carpenter said. The experience may have jolted the boy, but young Luther would indeed get on a sailboat with Dewey and Marie Carpenter again. And again. And again. A boy's love for sailing would lead him to a full-time job coaching the country's fastest sailors, a job he has held over 20 years. As an Olympic coach for U.S. Sailing, Luther Carpenter begins his sixth straight Games when the Olympic Sailing Regatta gets under way Sunday in Weymouth and Portland, U.K., on the southern coast of England. "I occasionally think about the traveling as a little overbearing, and part of me thinks it would be better to be home more," Luther Carpenter said. "But then when I envision myself with a 9-to-5 job instead of being out in the water and wearing flip-flops and shorts, I think I've got it pretty good." Luther Carpenter, 50, hails not from a seaside town bouncing with aquatic activity. He grew up in Baton Rouge, about 2 miles from LSU's south gates. But he got his love of sailing honestly. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/c3n9a7y ALL EYES ON OLYMPIC WEATHER FOR SAILING (July 22, 2012) - All eyes are on the weather for the Olympics and especially for the sailing at Weymouth, on 29 July, where the current prognosis hints at far more summery conditions than has been experienced so far this summer. It will be fascinating to see how the sailors cope with weather conditions down on the south coast. Forecasters will be providing detailed weather forecasts for all the sailing teams, using new high-resolution computer forecasting techniques that give more detail than ever before. Teams with the best forecast models will almost certainly get a competitive advantage and no doubt this forecast information will be closely guarded. The challenge for the sailors will be the wind and waves. The race courses are largely confined to Weymouth Bay, which is fairly well sheltered from the prevailing southwesterly winds, but the seas farther offshore are more turbulent, with eddies and perhaps squalls of wind which will need to be identified on the weather charts and exploited. The local winds in and around the bay are complicated by the cliffs around Portland, which can set off all sorts of turbulence over the water. If the long range forecast charts are right, and conditions are true to expectations as it turns calmer and warmer, then sea breezes will be crucial. These strike up as the land along the coast heats up and warm air rises and draws in cooler air off the sea, creating all sorts turbulent wind flow close to the coast. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/d8ursg7 NORTH SAILS-POWERED BOATS LEAD THE WAY AT SCREWPILE North Sails-powered boats won four at the 2012 Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge including A2 class and overall winner Dan Rossi and crew on 'Bandit.' Congratulations also to A1 class winner Ian Gordon and crew on 'Sea Biscuit'; PHRF Non Spinn class winners Pat & Jake Broderson and crew on 'Midnight Mistress' and J/80 class winner John White & crew on 'USA 1162'. When performance counts, the choice is clear: http://www.na.northsails.com ICON HALFWAY TO HAWAII (July 23, 2012) - It's Day 8 for the first starts on the 2012 Pac Cup and all boats are finally in the breeze. At 2pm PDT on Monday July 23, leading the pack with 1035 nm sailed since their departure on Thursday is the Perry 66 Icon, owned and helmed by Kevin Welsh, enjoying a breeze of 15-16 knots from 058 degrees. Jamani, the J/120 double-handed entry owned and helmed by Sean Mulvihill is having a great race, just behind Icon with 1085 nm distance to finish and still the most northerly situated boat in a similar breeze. Sailing just a tad south behind Jamani is the J/125 Double Trouble, with 1096 nm DTF. (Ed Note - real time positions recorded here). Principal Race Officer Bobbi Tosse received a report on Sunday evening from Alameda Coast Guard Ed Skinner, confirming that the double handed Espiritu Santo, owned and skippered by John Silverwood had a generator problem and they were apparently unable to charge any of their devices so have turned around and are headed to Santa Barbara. From Double Trouble, navigator Skip McCormack reported on Saturday that this is the first (Hawaii) race he's sailed where he's never worn his thermals. "It's been incredibly warm and pleasant." He says they were anxious about sailing the longer distance and having the high consolidate early and release the boats to their North quicker than anticipated. "It appears that did not occur and as of this morning's 11am report, we had nosed out on the fleet (except Icon) and rumbling towards the next shift. Our goal is to keep the boat moving faster through the water and cross in front of the fleet to gain leverage to the NW as the breeze shifts right Monday night and Tuesday morning." -- Full story: http://www.pacificcup.org/news/23jul2012 * After a weird first few days of this edition of the Pac Cup, the weather appears to be trending more traditionally, according to weather guru Lee Chesneau, "It's an absolutely ideal scenario for this race now. The high is in the right position, the winds will begin to veer - for all the boats that are west of 135, the winds will veer from northerly to north easterly." ARE YOU IN THE MARINE INDUSTRY? The Scuttlebutt website allows marine companies to post their personnel, product and service updates. For free. Are you in the marine industry? Post your updates in the Industry News section of the Forum. SAILING SHORTS * Wilhelm Schurmann (BRA) was the top Formula windsurfer, and John Heineken (USA), the winning Kiteboarder at the conclusion of the 2012 Formula Windsurf and Kiteboard North American Course Racing Championships hosted by the St Francis Yacht Club July 19-22. Jesper Vesterstroem (DEN) took second in the windsurfing, and third went to Al Mirel (USA). Second in the kiteboarding was Bryan Lake (USA) and in third, Adam Koch (USA). -- Regatta details: http://tinyurl.com/StFYC-071812 * (July 23, 2012) - In the finals of the Opti Worlds Team racing in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 16 international teams went to battle in challenging conditions - shallow water, shifty winds and a tricky racecourse. The US team qualified for the Grand Final early on, to go up against current title holders the Singaporeans, also the favorites to win. In two races, the Singaporeans left no chance to the Americans, becoming the new 2012 World Champions. The Dutch team came third. -- Full results: http://www.optiworld.org/12worldsTRres.pdf * Newport Beach, CA (July 22, 2012) - In an all-Kiwi final, the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club crew beat the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron 3-0 to win the prestigious Governor's Cup, the world's oldest junior match racing regatta's 46th edition. Held at the Balboa Yacht Club and raced in supplied 21ft yachts the Kiwis headed off 12 under-21 teams from four nations - Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and the hosts - knocking out the defending champion San Diego Yacht Club 3-1 in the semifinals. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/cef5xg3 Event website: http://tinyurl.com/3jy3jeu * Travemuender, Germany (July 23, 2012) - Day 1 of the 29er World Championship was a long day on the water with the last of the sailors returning at 8:30pm. Results see some familiar and some new names rising to the top however full results were still not available at press time. Racing continues on Tuesday, July 24 with two more days of the qualifying series followed by three days of the final series. Photos available on the Travemuender website; www.travemuender-woche.de Live reports and daily results: www.29erworlds.org Facebook: Int 29er Class * The 2012 Lightning Youth World Championship began on Sunday in Tuusulanjarven, Finland, and will be sailed through July 27. Competitors include four US teams and one Canadian team. For a full list competitors and countries competing, visit www.lightningclass.org. Event website: http://www.tpsail.net/tp2/ilca2012youthworlds * The U.S. National Sailing Center & Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational institution dedicated to preserving the history of sailing, has published their 2012 Mid-Year update: http://tinyurl.com/d3ucm3e PREFER YESTERYEAR'S OLDSMO-BUICK OR CITROEN? We thought not. A lot of RIB designs are really old. PURE YACHTING offers all new custom RIB's built in the USA. Multi-purpose YC RIBs. Coach boats for all programs. SuperYacht Tenders. Harbormasters. Police & Fire. Call RIB legend Whitey Russell now at 401-338-7457. Info at http://www.pureyachting.com GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Guy Nowell (re, Scuttlebutt 3638): Who is Bill Sandberg? This is a bit uncalled-for! Maybe if Ben Ainslie hadn't beaten Zack Riley back in Qingdao he wouldn't feel so sore? "That they are great sailors is a given, but they are also a group of individuals that will represent the country with honor. You will not likely find any of these sailors jumping on a media boat and threatening a photographer, or using language that would make a marine blush. They are gentlemen and ladies to the core." To suggest that all US Olympic sailors are soapy-mouthed goody two-shoes' is nonsense. Sorry, I mean 'crap.' As a frequent occupant of the media boats, I have heard plenty of blue language coming from sailors of ALL nationalities. Stop being prissy, Mr. Sandberg, whoever you are? * From Kathy Weishampel, Pewaukee, WI (re, Scuttlebutt 3638): Since Graham Biehl lives in "Sabotland," I can't believe he sailed an Optimist? * From Tom Keogh (re, Scuttlebutt 3637): While you're at it, don't miss what Dennis said before the 1978 Star Worlds - http://www.starclass.org/history/melges.shtml. The championship attracted a mammoth 100-boat fleet with many observers calling it the most talented group of sailors ever assembled including: Buddy Melges / Andreas Josenhans, Dennis Conner / Ron Anderson, Tom Blackaller / Ed Bennett, William Gerard / Paul Cayard, and Ding Schoonmaker / Kim Fletcher. A few days prior to the World's, pre-race favorite Dennis Conner, already a two-time world champ, claimed, "Whoever wins this regatta will be the best sailor in the world." CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Try to keep the number of your landings equal to the number of your takeoffs. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Soft Deck - Hall Spars & Rigging - US Sailing - North Sails - Pure Yachting Harken - Team One Newport - Allen Insurance and Financial Ullman Sails - APS - Camet - Quantum Sails Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
