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SCUTTLEBUTT 3554 - Friday, March 23, 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: Hall Spars & Rigging and Harken. PROVING TO BE INTIMIDATING If you have seen the America's Cup teams race the AC45s in the AC World Series, you have gotten a glimpse of what the 34th America's Cup will look like. But after speaking with Artemis skipper Terry Hutchinson (USA), the reality remains hard to imagine. It's one thing to sit on your couch with a video game controller; sailing the AC72s will be like living the game. Artemis Racing is getting an early tease by mounting their AC72 wing on to their ORMA 60-foot trimaran. With sail area nearly three times that of the AC45, it's proving to be intimidating... * What's it like having a wing that size? TH: We have the AC72 wing (131-feet tall) on our trimaran and it's unbelievably impressive from start from finish. From watching the shore team execute getting the wing in the boat to getting the boat off the mooring to going out sailing. The whole thing is on a magnitude of something I don't think anybody really thought all the way through when the thing was being written. It's going to be exciting times ahead of us. All the teams are in for an eye opening experience. It's been awesome to be out sailing with an element of the AC72 and to be the first ones doing it. * Does it really feel that intimidating? TH: Yes it does, without question. We sea trialed our trimaran about ten days ago in about 20 knots of breeze and had the thing in the high 30s boat speed wise with just soft sails. We went out on the first day with the wing in relatively calm conditions and it gives you - for the lack of better words - it gives you the sh#ts. But when you look at the thing, it's like, "Oh man!" But that's the challenge of it, and I think, therein lays the opportunity for Artemis. For sure we have a lot of challenges ahead of us and that's one we all have to face. * You've launched the wing earlier than you can launch the boat - is that indication that Artemis feels the wing is where the advantage will lay? TH: There are certain limitations within the rules we have to adhere to. We're just getting as much out of it as we possibly can. We have to overcome that we are a new team and operationally it's a big challenge to get 100 people operating and functioning and doing all the things that you need to do to be an efficient team when the boat goes out on the water. What the wing presented to us was not only the opportunity to do something full-scale but it was an opportunity to start working on the process of developing the team. Those two points alone will be worth a lot down the road when we get it to the 72. It also shows us where we're exposed in areas - on the shore team, on the sailing team - certain aspects of the team. Read on: http://sailblast.blogspot.com/2012/03/no-wingin-it-with-ac72-wing.html GAME TIME St. Thomas, USVI (March 22, 2012) - Overcast skies and light showers cooled things down today at St. Thomas Yacht Club in the USVI where hundreds of sailors on 68 teams are preparing for the 39th International Rolex Regatta (Mar. 23-25). The conditions, however, came with plenty of wind for practicing and did nothing to dampen the excitement building for the next three days of racing. Right out of the box will be Stephen Murray, Jr.'s Carkeek 40 Decision, which has been designed to the newly developed HPR (High Performance Rule) and will headline in one of two CSA classes here that has no less than six other 40-footers "raring to compare." "There is no rating rule promoting the light (displacement) grand prix racing boats as a continuum between 30 and 70 feet," said Sean Carkeek, the South African designer who has been working for a year on the rule as part of a technical committee developed specifically to fill this void. According to Carkeek, the HPR will change all that when regattas eventually adopt dual scoring under the widely used IRC rule and HPR in classes where it needs to apply. At the International Rolex Regatta, the likes of Michael Shlens' (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.,) Blade and Doug Baker's (Long Beach, Calif.) Magnitude 400, both Farr 400s, are sure to spice up the competition among the 40 footers. In addition, two Class 40 boats, which typically are outfitted for short-handed offshore sailing, are competing with accomplished skippers aboard. Andrew Fisher (Greenwich, Conn.) will take the helm of Icarus, while Berry Lewis (Mill Valley, Calif.) will steer 40 Degrees. In IRC, it will be a trio of 52 footers -- Lord Irvine Laidlaw of Rothiemay's (MON) Highland Fling XII, Ashley Wolfe's (Calgary, AB, CAN) Mayhem, and Peter Cunningham's (Georgetown, Cay) PowerPlay -- and a Cookson 50, Ron O'Hanley's (Newport, R.I.) Privateer, that are likely to stand out, while the reborn 65-foot Rosebud, now called Equation, will be out for a first showing since bought by Bill Alcott (St. Clair Shores, Mich.). Among the power names onboard these boats are America's Cup notables Peter Holmberg, Mike Toppa, Tony Rey, and George Skuodas. As well, Great Britain's Brian Thompson, who layed to waste previous around-the-world speed records with his recent circumnavigation aboard the 130-foot trimaran Banque Populaire V, will be skippering the Safe Passage company's Andrews 72 Safara, which is the largest boat competing here. -- Read on: http://www.rolexcupregatta.com/press/prread.php?prid=63 VIDEO: Before the start of 2012 St. Thomas International Rolex Regatta, Leighton O'Connor took video from on and off Stephen Murray Jr.'s Carkeek 40 Decision, plus interviewed Murray and designer Shaun Carkeek. Here it is: http://youtu.be/oSpIbvx_YtQ LEG 4 SUCCESS Congratulations to Groupama, first into Auckland on Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race sailing with a Hall Spars boom, and to the Hall-rigged Puma, which finished second. Hall is supplying innovative spars for the marquee teams of 2012. The JV72 Bella Mente will step their Hall spar in the spring, followed by the RP85 My Song, with a complete Hall spar package and Hall SCR Airfoil rigging. That's not all - there's a lot more going on in our three factories. Friend us on Facebook and visit our website for the latest news. http://www.hallspars.com SOUTHERN OCEAN COUNTS ITS FIRST CASUALTY (March 22, 2012; Day 5) - Team Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson has been left lost for words today after his Chinese team's starboard rudder bearing snapped as they were leading the Volvo Ocean Race on Leg 5 from New Zealand to Brazil. The breakage happened as Sanya was travelling at high speed and immediately sent the boat into a crash gybe with water pouring into the aft compartment. "The rudder snapped in between the boat and the deck, which is just the worst thing that can happen because then it just leverages itself off the boat and leaves a pretty messy trail," explained Sanderson. "The thing is we had all the sails stacked aft on deck, we had the aft ballast tank and the whole all the gear stacked downstairs in the back of the boat," Sanderson said. "So as soon as we stopped of course water just started rushing in. It is the second time we've heard water coming into this boat at that sort of pace, so it's pretty scary." Team Sanya is now heading back towards New Zealand, which they expect to take between four and five days. The team continues to assess their options in terms of how to get back in the race as quickly as possible. As for the rest of the fleet, the depression is packing strong and very cold winds from the deep south with the forecast to worsen. "We're still a long way from the matter in hand and once we have 40-45 knots of breeze, the sea state will be all important. We will then have two reefs in the mainsail and the storm jib," Groupama skipper Franck Cammas said. He added that the whole crew is tense, wondering how the boat will cope in the very strong conditions expected between now and Saturday. The next five days promise extreme conditions leading almost to survival mode for the crews as they race towards the notorious Cape Horn. -- Event media Leg 5 - Auckland, NZL to Itajai, Brazil (6,705 nm) Standings as of Thursday, 22 March 2012, 22:07:41 UTC 1. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 5253.6 nm Distance to Finish 2. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 4.0 nm Distance to Lead 3. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 17.2 nm DTL 4. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 20.7 nm DTL 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 430.1 DTL 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), Suspended racing Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com RATCHETING UP THE PROGRAM Tarragona, Spain (March 22, 2012) - Chalk it up it to a tough economy or the difficulty of making the grade, but the hard fact remains that only five of the 79 skippers who participated in the 2011 La Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 (AKA, the Mini Transat) advanced from their Class Mini yachts to the faster Class 40 raceboats for the 2012 season. American Emma Creighton (27) - the third American female skipper to have completed the Mini Transat- is thrilled to be amongst the fortunate few. "I can't wait!" reported an ecstatic Creighton. "The chance to step onto a bigger boat with a great teammate is huge." This May, Creighton and co-skipper Jorge Madden (28; ESP) will race the Class 40, Initiatives (GBR 30), in the 2012 Atlantic Cup (May 11 to 27). The three-stage race includes a 645-nautical-mile distance leg from Charleston, South Carolina to New York City, NY, where the fleet will also participate in a fun-spirited "Pro-Am" race. Next up is the 260-nautical-mile sprint from the Big Apple to Newport, Rhode Island. The event's grand finale is a weekend (May 26 & 27) of fully crewed, around-the-buoy racing, which will be contested off of Newport. "This year's race will be the first time that the European Class 40s will be racing in the States with the U.S. fleet," said Creighton. "So this is going to be a super exciting and competitive event." Creighton and Madden may be long on enthusiasm, but they freely admit that their lack of Class-40 experience is a weakness. While both skippers are fresh off big 2011 seasons that included the singlehanded, 4,200-nautical-mile Mini Transat, this will be their first Class 40 event, and their first partnership. Interestingly, Creighton and Madden are also the youngest team entered the Atlantic Cup, and Creighton is the only American female skipper - and one of only two women - competing. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13468#13468 SAILING SHORTS * A new computer graphics and data technology that allows international television viewers to see America's Cup racing with a closeness and accuracy never before possible has been recognized with an Emmy nomination. The backbone of the America's Cup television broadcasting, the revolutionary LiveLine data and graphics system has been nominated for the George Wensel Outstanding Technical Achievement Award, which recognizes extraordinary technical innovation that enhances the broadcast for viewers. -- Read on: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=529 * Miami, FL (March 22, 2012) - Italian Giovanni Soldini leads a crew of eight, including German Boris Hermann as Navigator, and American Brad Van Liew and Spaniard David Vera as Watch Leaders, to establish a crewed monohull reference time from Miami to New York. The team set out today aboard the VOR70 to begin the quest. -- Full report: http://www.oceanracing.org/?p=8299 * In the past three years, the BoatUS Foundation has helped 117 marinas around the country tackle the problem of cigarette litter, and it is now looking for more marinas to join its 2012 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. Marinas have until April 6 to apply, and if selected, they will receive a $500 grant to cover the cost of ash receptacles and a supply of portable ashtrays. Details at http://www.BoatUS.com/foundationcigarettesurvey HARKEN'S TINY T18 MAKES A BIG SPLASH With its 275-lb safe working load, the T18 carries 17,000 times its own weight - all on a sheave smaller than a penny! This 18 mm soft-attach block is exactly what you need for small control lines - it's compact and versatile to fit in tight spots, the soft attachment articulates to any load direction, and it's backed by Harken's trusted quality and support. Grab a few and show us what you can do! http://www.harken.com/blocks/T2.php PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include hammock boats, Caribbean champs, college sailing, sponsorship, well liked, table boats, bad day, and a classic Hiberna Iceboard jibe. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0323/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK If things go right, come early August, members of the U.S. Sailing National Team will remember visiting Colorado Spring in March. They'll remember how they were pushed past their mental and physical limits, made to sprint, swim, run and lift for hours on end, caked in mud and dirt. And, again, if all goes to plan, it will be those memories propelling them to the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Think you know how to train? Think again... click here for this week's video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/12/0323/ Bonus Videos: * This week on Episode 31 of 'America's Cup Uncovered' we are in Naples, Italy with Mayor Luigi de Magistris to uncover the next stop on the America's Cup World Series tour starting in just two weeks time. Then we meet with former America's Cup designer, Jo Richards, to hear his insight and insider secrets into what the new AC72 multihull monster could look like. Then we take a trip around Europe with Challenger of Record, Artemis Racing; visiting Chairman Torbjorn Tornqvist at his office in Switzerland, checking in on the hull manufacturer in Sweden, followed up by a trip to the design and sailing team office in Spain. Tune in on Saturday March 24 approx 0800 PDT 1600 BST: http://www.youtube.com/americascup#p/c/915CDC8233C7B14E * This week on the "World on Water" global boating video weekly news show it has been a big "Volvo" week. We cover the Auckland In-Port Race, the start of Leg 5 from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajai, Brazil and drama once again for Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi Racing's yacht Azzam. Also we report on the mayhem in last week's 18 Foot skiffs' Alice Burton Trophy when most of the fleet capsized, the 32nd St Maarten Heineken Regatta, the Australian Melges 32 Championships and in our regular action segment "Fresh to Frightening" we show the dramatic sequence when Melges 32 boat Red is T-boned by Bronco in the 2010 World Championships. See it on http://www.boatson.tv approx 1000 GMT, 0500 EDT. SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.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 Roger Vaughan: I've long been an admirer of John Kostecki. I have great respect for John's amazing string of sailing accomplishments that range from one designs to Volvo race boats. But when I read that line (in Scuttlebutt 3553) about him more than making up for the absence of fellow countrymen on the Oracle team, I about choked. That's ludicrous, and also embarrassing. * From John Domagala: I know that some time ago you put together a media tips packet for regatta chairs. However, I can't find it on the Scuttlebutt site. Can you point me in the right direction? COMMENT: Here is the link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/pr * From Laurence Mead: Dropping windsurfing from the Olympics would be the same crazy decision making process as was dropping multihulls (for the 2012 Games). And we all know how that worked out. I know the (windsurfing) discipline has declined in popularity from its heyday but it's still enjoyed by thousands and thousands of people on the water every year and it's a very pure form of sailing (Paul Elvstrom said it is what he would be doing were he 21 again) which should not be dropped. If we have to, I would say drop another dinghy to make way for the kite boarders. We really can't push the windsurfers out and maintain credibility with the younger generation that correspondents on these pages are always talking about wanting to enthuse. * From Chris Bulger: "What are am missing?" With all due respect to Bill Canfield (in Scuttlebutt 3553), the long list of things missing from your analysis includes the concepts that are central to the Olympic mission such as speed, athleticism, youth and inclusion. I have to add that your argument seems flawed on two additional fronts. First, the number of women 29er sailors exceeds the match racers - so, if this is about numbers - then the world is indeed crying out for skiffs. Second, arguing that women don't want any athletic opportunity just because they don't already have it has been disproven many times over. You are certainly entitled to prefer match racing, but to suggest that the call for women's skiffs is "silly," is like railing against the notion that the world is round. * From Louay Habib: What Bill Canfield is missing (in Scuttlebutt 3553) is that women are racing skiffs. There were over 130 29ers at the 2011 European Championships, many of which are raced by women. Match racing is a highly technical discipline and one that is worthy of an Olympic Class but skiffs are far more exciting for competitors to watch. I guess you are making your comments because you are pro-match racing and not against women sailors. In my opinion, sailing as an Olympic event should be mainly a mixed sport; sure there are few women that would make the grade in the Finn or other highly physical disciplines but there are many other classes where women can be as good as men, if not better. Why not have a mixed Match Racing Class and lose the Laser Radial for a 29er Class? I am privileged to see data about viewing figures for sailing events. The sport is not attracting women viewers; if we want our sport to grow and commercial interest to increase we need to appeal in a better way to half of the world's population. Furthermore, I could say that watching fit, young athletic girls getting wet would be a draw for male viewers but that would be sexist wouldn't it? COMMENT: Louay covers a lot of ground, but I wanted to note how the value of the Olympics for sailing varies from country to country. Louay sees the growth of sailing as connected to the Olympics, and while this may be true in some nations, it is not universal. However, some classes do thrive because they are used in the Olympics (or Pan Am Games). This is due to the funding provided to participants from sailing federations. Interestingly in North America, the various types of racing thrive more so as a result of their organization and participants, and not so much due to any Olympic connection. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION If you cannot hope for order, withdraw with style from the chaos. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Doyle Sailmakers - Summit Yachts - North U Atlantis WeatherGear - Ribcraft - North Sails - Mount Gay Rum J Boats - Ullman Sails - Southern Spars - New England Boatworks Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
