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SCUTTLEBUTT 2611 – June 5, 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. NEW RULE 18 - THE THREE-LENGTH ZONE IN RRS 2009-2012 by Jos M Spijkerman , International Judge Chris Atkins is one of the members of the Rule 18 working party. Together with three other persons, he worked on the changes we will all find in our rule books next year. I asked him specifically about the background for changing the two boat-length zone into three and the choice the Organizing Authority or Race Committee could make, to decrease this back to two or increase to four. Wouldn't this create confusion for sailors encountering different zones at different regattas? First of all he explained to me the reason for the increase to three-length zone. In the new rule, the current "about to round" part of rule 18.1 is deleted. That part has always been a source for discussion and confusion. No longer! Only when you enter the zone, rule 18 will begin to apply. The working party concluded - as we all do with the current rule - that two lengths was a too small an area for that. Spinnakers are lowered and course is adjusted before entering the two lengths zone. Most boats are already busy with the rounding well before. Without the "about to round" part of the rule, the zone could not stay two lengths. He stressed that in most classes, three lengths should work on the water the same as the current rule, with the added bonus that the 'border' for rule 18 was now fixed. -- Read on: http://abe5.com/4h7 LESSONS LEARNED OFFSHORE Although he's had generous offers to charter offshore-race-ready boats from caring sailing friends, after watching his 44-foot Beneteau Making Waves sink 15 miles off the Hamptons, NY last weekend, Jim Praley's going to take a pass on this year's Newport to Bermuda Race and give himself time to process the formidable event. The crew was delivering the boat to Newport, RI for the start of the biennial Newport to Bermuda Race in 5-7 foot waves and 20-25 knots of breeze under sail. They heard a bang and lost steerage. The rudder tube had broken just above the hull joint, and they were taking in water. Unable to control the flooding, the crew called the US Coast Guard, who acknowledged receipt of the VHF distress call and the EPIRB signal and arrived in a timely, efficient fashion. Time was on the side of the crew, and they thankfully had plenty of it--a couple of hours from the call to the actual sinking--to gather cell phones and wallets in plastic bags before boarding the USCG vessel (in 7-9 foot waves, weather too hairy for a helicopter!) and watching Making Waves go under in 165 feet of water. -- Floatline, read on: http://www.floatline.com/floatline/2008/06/lessons-learned.html LEOPARD AND THE 'SAIL-POWERED MOTORBOAT' RECORD by Elaine Bunting, Yachting World So Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard has just claimed the transatlantic record. Well done to him and his crew, but I'm bothered by the small print, which explains that this is the powered record, allowing the use of electric winches, etc. I'm told that Leopard needs to run her generator or engine almost continuously when racing and was aptly described to me last week by David Schmidt of SAIL Magazine as "a sail-powered motorboat". A powered transatlantic record seems a very odd thing to boast about for a couple of reasons. First, the use of power seems out of kilter with sentiments (and technology) these days. Secondly, what's the big deal about a time of 7d 19h by a crew aided by powered gear, when Mari Cha IV's did it over a day quicker with no such assistance and one man under sail alone (Francis Joyon in IDEC) was a day faster than either? Now this is a very interesting subject, and I think we do have to look very closely in future at the use of power in records and races. Francis Joyon proved during his solo round the world record last year that it is possible to circumnavigate at speed using nothing more than wind power, solar power and a fuel cell. -- Read on: http://www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/20080504154626blog_elaine_bunting.html DISCOVER: THE BEST GEAR FOR BOTH BERMUDA RACES The Newport-Bermuda Race is two races in one: the cold half and the warm half - and each has its own unique gear requirements. Atlantis has you covered for both halves. The Grand Prix and Numbers softshells are perfect for those late night watches, while the Microburst line of jackets, pants, and vests will keep you dry without overheating when you’re south of the Gulf Stream. Plus they’ll look great with your Madras shorts at the post-race bash. See the whole line at Team One, Newport’s Bermuda Race HQ, or visit http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com to find a dealer near you. DISCOVER: Your Atlantis GEORGETOWN WINS FIRST-EVER COLLEGE DINGHY NATIONALS Newport, RI (June 4, 2008) - Evidently the idea of finishing runner-up to Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) for the second time in less than a week did not sit well with the Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) sailing team. Last Sunday (June 1), Boston College won the ICSA/APS Team Race Championship with a final score of 11-3, as Georgetown finished second with a 9-5 win-loss record. In pouring rain and with the most coveted title in college sailing – the ICSA/Gill National Championship – within reach, Georgetown turned a 17-point deficit at the start of today’s final six races for both A- and B-Divisions, into a 31-point lead to win. The Hoyas senior skipper, Chris Behm (Hampton, Va.), alternating crew between junior Carly Chamberlain (Newport Beach, Calif.) and sophomore Marco Teixidor (Guayanabo, Puerto Rico), had posted finishes on Wednesday of 4-12-8-1-2-2 to finish fourth overall in A-Division. It was their finish in the last race that mathematically secured Georgetown the championship with 233 points – to BC’s then 266 points – prior to B-Division sailing its final race. Freshman skipper Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) and sophomore crew Alexandra “Alex” Taylor (Hobe Sound, Fla.) finished 8-1-15-8 before their fifth-place finish in race 17B moved them into the top spot in B-Division. Another fifth-place finish in the last race (18B) merely sealed the deal to earn Georgetown its first-ever win of the ICSA/Gill National Championship. Final report: http://foxholefengshui.com/wordpress/?p=58 Results: http://www.collegesailing.org/nas/spring08/coedresults.asp Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/cn/ BMW ORACLE RACING TEAM LEADING SECOND MEDCUP EVENT Marseille, France (June 4, 2008) If the opening day of the City of Marseille Trophy regatta offered a modest introduction to ‘Mistral-lite’ conditions, 15-19 knots, Wednesday’s two windward-leeward contests met with conditions much closer to the upper racing limit for the fleet of TP52’s during the second event of the 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit. After an initial postponement, waiting for the wind to drop enough, there were still 22 knots blowing from the Mistral’s hallmark North West direction, and with the windward mark set under the cliffs of the Isle du Frioul, the breeze may have been strong but it was erratic at times on the approach to the top turn. The first race was a showdown between the two BMW Oracle Racing crewed boats by team designer Reichel/Pugh. Both the 2007 circuit winner Artemis, with tactician John Kostecki (USA) helping owner-helm Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE), along with the USA-17 team of Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts, and Jim Spithill, found the conditions to their liking, with the later getting a close win while both running away from the fleet in the opener. For the second race, Artemis turned in another steady score of third, but it was starting line confusion for USA-17 that would result in a protest against the race committee. Deemed to have started prematurely, USA-17 restarted, but then successfully proved that it was neighboring Cristabella (GBR) that was the offending boat, which has both similar hull color and bow number. USA-17 has received for race 5 average points from races 1 through 4, with the average also to include Friday’s inshore score(s), but will not include the distance race on Thursday or the final inshore schedule on Saturday. -- Event website: http://2008.medcup.org/home/ Provisional Results after five races (top 10 of 14) 1. USA-17, 6, 5, 1, 1, 3 - 16pts) 2. Artemis, SWE (12, 1, 2, 2, 3 - 20) 3. Bribón, ESP (4, 4, 4, 5, 5 - 22) 4. Quantum USA (3, 6, 12, 6, 1 - 28) 5. Matador, ARG (2, 2, 7, 7, 12 - 30) 6. Platoon by Team Germany, GER (7, 9, 5, 3, 6 - 30) 7. Mean Machine, MON (1, 14, 3, 9, 4 - 31) 8. CxG Caixa Galicia, ESP (9, 11, 6, 4, 2 - 32) 9. Audi by Q8, ITA (8, 7, 8, 13, 9 - 45) 10. El Desafío ESP (11, 10, 9, 8, 8 - 46) Complete results: http://2008.medcup.org/results/venue.php?trophy=2 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: After learning that the just-launched USA-17 may only race in the Marseille event this season, we were curious what other pricey purchases have been under-utilized by Scuttlebutt readers. Best answer gets Scuttlebutt schwag. Post it here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/06/big-bucks.html QUALIFYING COMPLETED AT MELGES 24 WOLRDS Porto Cervo, Italy (June 4,2008) - The final qualifying race was held for the 114-boat fleet on the fourth day of the Volvo Melges 24 World Championship 2008, with winds increasing from mid teens to gusts of 30 knots, preventing further racing in the afternoon. The Gold and Silver fleets have been decided with the first 57 places overall assigned to the Gold division and places 58 through 114 assigned to the Silver division. With six of the possible twelve races now completed and the discard in play, it’s all changed at the top of the leader board with just ten points separating the top four boats. The series continues through Friday. -- Event website: http://www.melges24worlds2008.com Gold Division Standings (6 races, 1 throwout) 1. ALINA HELLY HANSEN, Maurizio Abba, ITA,1,30,1,2,3,1, 8.00 2. PILOT ITALIA, Gianni Catalogna, ITA,2,1,3,1,7,4, 11.00 3. UKA UKA RACING, Lorenzo Santini, ITA,10,6,1,2,2,1, 12.00 4. BLU MOON, Franco Rossini, SUI,11,5,6,3,1,3, 18.00 5. SAETTA, Nose Sailing Team Ass. Sport, ITA,27,1,11,6,4,2, 24.00 6. MARCHINGENIO, Giorgio Marchi, ITA,7,50,7,1,3,6, 24.00 7. FULL THROTTLE, Brian Porter, USA,5,3,2,13,8,6, 24.00 Results: http://www.melges24worlds2008.com/results08/m_24_w.htm CAL RACE WEEK Ullman Sails Inshore Championship series regatta at California YC (May 31-June 1) saw Ullman customers win 6 of 11 classes. Full Ullman inventories were on top five J/105’s with Gary Mozer’s “Current Obsession” finishing first; Steve Murphy’s Schock 35 “Joann” won class with 1-2-1-1-1; Geoff Longenecker’s Melges 30 “Nemesis” dominated the Sport Boats with 5 bullets; the Martin 242 winner was Mike George’s “All In”; Krinsky/Redman won the Fast 50’s on 1D48 “Chayah”*; and Ray Godwin’s “Temptress”* took honors in the Farr 40’s (* partial inventory). For durability, power and speed… contact Ullman Sails and visit http://www.ullmansails.com SAILING SHORTS * America's Cup skipper Dean Barker has taken up a significant shareholding in Auckland marine products company Kiwi Yachting Consultants. Barker, son of retail chain millionaire Ray Barker of menswear company Barkers, approached the company familiar with its products. He takes a seat on the company's board of directors and expects to be an active participant in the business. -- NZ Herald, read on: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10514194 * Olin J. Stephens II has been elected to the Bermuda Race Roll of Honour on the 80th anniversary of the first of his many races to “the Onion Patch.” No yacht designer has produced more prize-winners over the race’s 102-year, 45-race history. – Read on: http://abe5.com/4h8 * Surf City, NJ -- The 37th Annual Jack Elfman Orange Coffee Pot Laser Regatta was held last Saturday with 19 boats braving the 18-25 mph strong winds on Manahawkin Bay. This event is best known as the first Laser class event every held, which was won by USA Olympic Coach Skip Whyte back in 1972. It only took Whyte 36 years back to defend his title, which he nearly did, coming up short by two points to Eric Reitinger. -- Results: http://www.scyc-nj.org/Gallery/2008/2008_OCP_Results.htm * The deaths of six people in a boating accident last month has prompted Australia's New South Wales government to propose a dramatic tightening of boating safety regulations in that state. The state minister proposing the legislation said that it would ensure that "skippers put safety first." -- IBI Magazine, read on: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20080504141137ibinews.html * Minutes from the meetings of the ISAF Council and ISAF Executive Committee at the 2008 ISAF Mid-Year Meeting in Qingdao, China are now available online. The ISAF Mid-Year Meetings took place in the host city for this year’s Olympic Sailing Competition on May 8-12. -- http://www.sailing.org/23540.php?PHPSESSID=ac37230c922ce735e0aa989fa45ad5ef * The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on June 5, 2008 at 2:00 pm by America’s Cup Defender Société Nautique de Genève’s (SNG) and Challenger Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), in regard to the appeal filed by SNG concerning the conditions of the 33rd America’s Cup. * The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has selected the City of Chicago as a Candidate City to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the announcement, Chicago officially becomes a Candidate City and enters the next stage of the bid campaign. Madrid, Spain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Tokyo, Japan, were also named Candidate Cities. A delegation from Chicago will attend the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in August to meet with leaders of international sport and to observe the Games in an official capacity, which will help to formulate their detailed plan to be submitted in February 2009 for hosting the Games. -- http://www.chicago2016.org/News/Pages/ChicagoSelectedasCandidateCity.aspx VIDEO OF THE WEEK In order to draw attention to the other masses of recyclables now floating in the pacific, Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal departed Sunday, June 1, 2008 from Long Beach, California on a raft made mostly of plastic bottles - 15,000 plastic bottles - topped by the fuselage of an old private airplane. Marcus and Joel hope to sail their raft all the way to Hawaii in order to help call attention to the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans. The raft is 30 feet by 20 feet, consisting of thousands of plastic bottles bound together with fishing net into "pontoons," and then set in a deck/framework of old aluminum spars. The "cockpit" of the raft, which will provide shelter for the two man crew, is an old airplane fuselage, which the team overhauled and "made waterproof." They expect to make landfall in six weeks, but are carrying provisions for three months. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/08/0602 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 Ian Duff: (re, "Dave Perry is one of the good guys" from #2610) No kidding. It's stunts like Dave's online Appeals that will make me want to keep paying my US Sailing dues, and not Jim Capron's cranial rectal insertion. Keep offering value like this, and it's a no- brainer. Keep mandating, and the only outcome is a fight. * From Greg Felton, Lake Tahoe, NV: Three (more) cheers for Dave Perry! He's added to the quality and consistency of our sport for years. His latest success, making the Appeals easily accessible, will surely further this effort. While on protest committees over the years, I've found that the review of past appeals has highlighted the key elements which must be considered and well-documented to ensure a correct and lasting ruling. I hope this tool will encourage other sailors to volunteer to serve on protest committees. There's no better way (and motivation) to learn the rules than the intensive review associated with fairly judging our peers. * From Paul Gingras, Palm Beach, FL: I read with interest the account ( Scuttlebutt # 2610) of a sea lion flying out of the water and striking a 29er crewmember, David Liebenberg, while practicing on the waters off Santa Cruz. The good news is that David will recover within a few weeks. During the recent Transat Race numerous collisions with sea life -sharks and whales- were reported. One boat was abandoned after cutting a basking shark in half. After the 29er incident do you think that now the marine animals are going on the offensive? Are they fighting back after being struck by so many fast sailboats? Seriously, how about developing a device that would transmit a warning signal to alert marine life of an approaching fast sailboat? This could be a requirement for the long offshore races with high speed boats. An electronic or audible signal could be broadcast underwater and certainly whales and dolphins could pick up the message. The US Navy may already have something on the shelf which could be use d. Any ideas? => Curmudgeon’s Comment: For those following the transatlantic record set this week by the 100-foot maxi ICAP Leopard, it was on their fourth day when they hit a large sunfish which then became wrapped around the rudder. Fortunately the rudder was undamaged, but the crew had to stop the boat, take down the sails and remove the sunfish before they could continue. No report on the condition of the fish. -- http://www.leopard3.com/news_story.php?s=42 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "Ignorance is never out of style. It was in fashion yesterday, it is the rage today, and it will set the pace tomorrow." - Franklin K. Dane Special thanks to Atlantis WeatherGear and Ullman Sails. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
