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SCUTTLEBUTT 3230 - Wednesday, December 1, 2010Scuttlebutt 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: Team One Newport, North Sails, and J Boats. THE ROLLER COASTER LIFE OF A DEVELOPMENT CLASS - PART 1 The International Moth class was on quite a roll by the time the 2009 Moth World Championship landed in Cascade Locks, Oregon. The virtues of foiling had gone viral. Awareness was epic, and interest was off the hook. This funny 11-foot singlehander rooted in the late 20’s was the talk of the sport. The International Moth is a development class, which had always meant you needed to be as good in the garage as you were on the water. However, a lot has changed for the class since the foils. The introduction of productions boats brought in a new breed of sailors. But a production boat in a development class makes for odd bedfellows. And now the latest game changer may be discovered at the 2011 Worlds in Belmont, Australia (Jan. 8-14), where a number of boats will be powered by wing sails. Here is a history update: - Garage class gets pimped with foils. 2003/2004 in Perth, Australia. - Everybody is amazed. Demand builds. - Demand encourages concept of production version. - Bladerider presents first mass produced version in 2006. - Major class growth at Worlds. From 32 entries in 2006 to 95 in 2008. - Production concept opens eyes to other builders. - Drama at Bladerider. Designer leaves to market his own boat (Mach 2). - Mach 2 emerges as better production option and dominates 2010 Worlds. - Bladeriders are now off the pace. U.S. importer stuck with inventory. - Wings emerge in 2010. Could soft sails be the next casualty? Such is the roller coaster life of a class with rules that begin by saying, “The International Moth is a single-handed development class boat. The intention of these class rules is to give the designer and builder the fullest liberty in design and construction, within these rules to develop and produce faster boats.” As long as your boat fits within the length, width, and sail area limits, it’s a Moth. Tomorrow we will check in with the U.S. Moth guru, 2009 World Champion Bora Gulari, who assembled a team to develop a wing sail that hopes to be the next game changer for the class. Also, we will note how the North American sailor can survive and thrive. -- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF LOOPIE COURSES? Dear Curmudgeon: I have a question I would like to chuck out to the world for opinions. The question: Is anybody else, besides me, sick and tired of the world’s most boring race course, the now dreaded (multiple) windward leeward loop(s)? It seems that's all we get to do these days - bang it upwind and hump it back down, over and over and over again. The absolute most boring set-up possible! I like the challenge of having to make a decision before the top mark of what sail is going up and getting the most out of the boat on a reach.....for those of you who no longer know what a reach is, look it up! A variety pack of legs presents many other ways to screw up that the tiresome old W/L does not. When you’re doing a Race Week and it's the same thing a couple of times each and every day, well that's just plain boring...period. Let’s mix it up and keep it interesting; there's lots of water out there why not use it. It is, sometimes, more difficult for the RC but that's life. For me, the sport is losing some of its luster by spending the entire summer sailing these loopie courses. Am I alone or are there others out there who feel the same? -- Alex Watters Do you feel the same way as Alex does? This week’s Scuttlebutt survey is asking two basic questions about the type of buoy racing you typically do: How often is a windward-leeward course signaled? - All the time - Nearly all the time - Most of the time - Not too often - Never Would you prefer more courses signaled that had reach legs? - Yes - No Post your response here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/10/1130/ SANTA'S ELVES GET FREE GIFTS TOO Santa's Elves are shopping at Team One Newport and getting FREE gear! You can too! Team One Newport is partnering with Atlantis, Gill, and Kaenon to bring you FREE product. Get a FREE Atlantis Microburst Jacket or Vest, Gill Multi Tool or dry bag and a Kaenon hat or t-shirt with a specified purchase. It's easy to shop at Team One Newport and you get expert advice, great service and the best selection! Visit http://www.team1newport.com or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327). And you even get FREE shipping for orders over $100. Most offers expire 12/24/2010. CAN MATTHIEU RICHARD SILENCE HIS CRITICS? Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (November 30, 2010) - Matthieu Richard (FRA) has arrived at the Monsoon Cup confident that he can silence his critics and claim his maiden ISAF Match Racing World title. The Frenchman has led the nine event World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) from the opening regatta of the season at Match Race France in April and heads into the season ending event in Malaysia with a 15th point advantage over 2009 Tour champion Adam Minoprio (NZL). The pressure has been mounting on Richard in the recent weeks after failing to make it through the qualifying stages of the last event in Bermuda, while people have also questioned the Frenchman’s decision to race in Perth last week with Richard having a poor track record of racing back to back. “Adam and Ben (Ainslie) are close and with so many points on offer anything can happen. We can't afford to try and calculate where we need to finish, we need to aim to win. At the Monsoon Cup we have had so-so results. We reached the Final some years ago (in 2006) and lost to Peter Holmberg of Alinghi. We've also had some not so good races like last year when we came fifth. Our results have been so-so but we know we can do well here." Racing for the field of 10 teams begins Wednesday. Winning the 2009 Monsoon Cup was Minoprio and his ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing crew, enjoying a 3-0 victory over Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin. -- Video/Full report: http://tinyurl.com/WMRT-113010 BACKGROUND: The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the leading professional sailing series, featuring 9 events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with "Special Event" status. Prize money is awarded for each event, with event points culminating in the crowning of the "ISAF Match Racing World Champion". -- http://www.wmrt.com NO SYSTEM IS PERFECT The history of college rankings goes back to at least 1979, when Tufts coach Ken Legler did them on his own. Sailing World magazine got involved to provide more structure, working with a select panel of top coaches from both coasts to do the honors. The system evolved again before the 2009 spring season when an Internet polling site was developed so that every accredited coach could submit his or her list of the top 20 coed and top 15 women's team in the country. But no system is perfect. Over 200 member schools are spread across the continent with various levels of organization, and the reality is that most of the schools are unable to gain an opinion on other programs outside of their conference. Regardless, measurement is a component of sport, and the close of the 2010-11 college fall season finds Boston College holding the top spot in the coed school rankings, with St. Mary's strong performance at the Atlantic Coast Championships boosting that program atop the women’s list. Blake Middleton, former sailing coach at Stanford University, provides this observation about the current (and many of the recent) rankings: “When I was involved as one of the three coaches who did the rankings for Sailing World years ago (along with Ken Legler and Gary Bodie), there is one thing I remember clearly: If a team from a ‘minor’ district (you may define that any way you wish) made a splash with a top regatta finish, they got recognition by the three of us, even if only for a month or two. “This latest ranking (on Nov. 24th) was done with contributions by 19 coaches. The fact that we get to have that many folks involved is a quantum step forward, and very cool! However, I wish I could say they represented the entire country, as there was not a single one of them West of the Mississippi River, and no contributions were made from the South East, Midwest, Pacific Coast or Northwest districts. “I suppose it should come as no surprise that a fairly significant performance like that of UC Santa Barbara in winning the Pacific Coast Fall Championships (formerly known as "North South") would not get recognized. The fact that they got a few votes shows that a few (albeit very few) members of the coaches ranking team noticed that result, but..... ;-). This should be a wake-up call to for teams (and coaches) from 4 of the 7 ICSA Districts to participate in these ranking polls.” Latest rankings: http://tinyurl.com/SW-113010 MORE HURRICANES, FEWER THREATS TO U.S. IN 2010 (November 30, 2010) - Today marks the official end of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season and it was one of the busiest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the Atlantic basin, 19 named storms formed - tied with 1887 and 1995 for the third-highest on record. Of those, 12 became hurricanes - tied with 1969 for the second-highest on record. Five of those reached the major hurricane status of Category 3 or higher. An average Atlantic season produces 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Large-scale climate features strongly influenced this year's hurricane activity, as they often do, according to NOAA. This year, record-warm Atlantic waters, combined with favorable winds coming from Africa and weak wind shear aided by La Niña, energized developing storms. The 2010 season continues the string of active hurricane seasons that began in 1995. Despite the high number of storms, few posed a threat to the United States. The jet stream's position contributed to warm and dry conditions in the Eastern part of the country and acted as a barrier that kept many storms over open water. Also, because many storms formed in the extreme eastern Atlantic, they recurved back out to sea without threatening land, NOAA said. Other parts of the Atlantic basin weren't as fortunate. Hurricane Tomas brought heavy rain to earthquake-ravaged Haiti and several storms, including Alex, battered eastern Mexico and Central America with heavy rain, mudslides and deadly flooding. -- Soundings, read on: http://tinyurl.com/Soundings-113010 NORTH 2010 VICTORY LIST COMING UP....! Look for the 2010 North Sails victory list in the December issues of Latitude 38, Spinsheet and WindCheck magazines and the December issues of SAIL, Sailing World and Sailing magazines. If you finished 1,2,3 in any regatta in North America in 2010 while racing with North sails, we’ll send you a free hat!* If you aren’t already included on the list, you can add yourself and RSVP for a free hat at the same time. *One hat per customer, offer expires April 1, 2011. When speed counts, the choice is clear: http://na.northsails.com CAPE TOWN SUPERSTITION A year from now, the Volvo Open 70 fleet will be arriving into the first port of call in the 2011 - 12 Volvo Ocean Race, Cape Town. ‘The tavern of the seas' will be a safe haven after the proving ground of the first 6,500 nautical miles of the race. Legend has it that the first boat into Cape Town will eventually go onto win the race and past experience does prove this folktale to be true. In the last edition of the race, this leg was won by Ericsson 4, the overall race winner, with PUMA Ocean Racing coming in second in both leg and race as well. More proof comes from the 2008-09 Race when ABN AMRO ONE won the Fighting Finish Trophy for the race and the leg, as did illbruck in 2001-02. So is this a strange coincidence, or are there other reasons for it? Many say that this belief manifests from the fact that the team that wins the leg is normally the team that has had the best training and preparation before the start of the race. They have the smoothest crew work, as they have been a racing unit for a long time and often have been sailing on their boat for extensive periods. This was certainly true for Ericsson 4 in the past edition as they spent the year before the race start training in an old Volvo Open 70, whilst building two new boats. They were also the only team in the race that kept the same crew all the way around the globe. These factors certainly will have helped them win the race and the first leg. When the new rule was introduced to limit two-boat testing for the 2011-12 race, this not only reduced costs for the race campaigns but also allowed every team to play on a fairer level. It meant the well-funded projects did not have an unfair advantage and it has also resulted in most of the new teams for this coming race making use of older Volvo Open 70s for their training. At the moment, Team Groupama, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Team and PUMA Ocean Racing are all sailing on older boats. In addition, Team CAMPER is well on its way to getting their new Volvo Open 70 in the water. With one year to go before we know the first offshore result, this video looks back at the trials and tribulations of leg one and forward with Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama, who provides his predictions for next year: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-113010 DISTRIBUTION: The Associated Press (AP) has been selected as a global content distribution provider for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011–12. From the build-up to the race through to the finish, photos, video and other content will be made available to the world’s media by AP. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from AP. INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATES The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum encourages companies to post their new hirings, product and service updates. Scuttlebutt editors will select Industry update each week to include in the Thursday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to post Industry News updates: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news SAILING SHORTS * Sixteen lucky teams (8 women and 8 open) will be competing in the Carlos Aguilar Match Race this Thursday through Sunday in possibly the world's best march racing venue, Charlotte Amalie harbor in St. Thomas. Live Internet coverage will follow former world match race champion and America's Cup veteran Peter Holmberg as he goes against young star Taylor Canfield and "old guard" Dave Perry. On the women's side, great march ups include a rehash of the Sally Barkow versus Lucy McGregor finals at their recent World Championship. -- Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10905#10905 * The 2010 US SAILING National Championship season comes to a conclusion this weekend in St. Petersburg, FL at the U.S. Disabled Sailing Championship (USDSC), hosted by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (Dec. 3-5).This championship is one of two qualifying events for the 2011 US SAILING Team AlphaGraphics’ Paralympic classes. A total of 24 boats and 39 sailors from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland will be on hand to race in one of three Paralympic classes: 2.4mR (singlehanded), SKUD-18 (doublehanded), and Sonar (triplehanded). The 2012 Paralympic Regatta will take place August 29-September 9, 2012 in Weymouth/Portland, England. -- Full report: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/2010_USDSC_Preivew.htm * A nice breeze of 18 to 24 knots persisted at the 2010 South, Central & Caribbean Sunfish Championship held from November 23 to 27 November at Paracas Perú. Local Luis Alberto Olcese, once a Laser Olympic sailor who recently was the runner up in the 2010 J24 South American Championship, led the fleet from the first day and never got off from the first three places, winning the last race and securing the first place overall on his home waters. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/news/34790.php * (November 30, 2010) - Dueling scenarios for a multi-year America’s Cup regatta on San Francisco Bay were approved by the Port of San Francisco on Tuesday, with city lawmakers now charged with hastily selecting, crafting and approving a host city agreement with Larry Ellison’s BMW Oracle Racing team. With the Port's approval secured, the Board of Supervisors plans to hold a Dec. 8 committee hearing related to the proposals, with a full board vote scheduled for a week later. -- John Upton, The Bay Citizen, full report: http://tinyurl.com/TBC-113010 J/80 CLASS DOESN'T MISS A BEAT You know a class is strong when two months after a World Championship it's hard to find an available boat. The J/80 Class momentum keeps building with the next stop at Key West. New production is backlogged to February ... still time to get a boat for the 2011 season! http://www.jboats.com/j80 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 Forum (rbgarr) Concerning the discussion “Broadening the scope of junior programs”, I was a sailing instructor in the 1970s. The kids were motivated to sail on their own before and after 'class' because the boats were new and exciting at the time. We took them on overnight cruises that mirrored the adult summer cruise. There were treasure hunts, pirate races, tag-team races and cookouts every week. Moonlight sails. Capture the flag at night. Sears Cup finalists emerged who went on to become Mallory Cup finalists, but that was on their own effort and time, not a club focus. I live on the shore near a different yacht club now and I see the same classes of boats (Optis and 420s) but much fewer activities. Too often a day's class is ducks-in-a-line, the least capable sailors left behind to fend for themselves, running into moored boats and getting in irons. I wouldn't be surprised at all if children find it boring. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10906#10906 * From Mark Lammens: Weight limits are about fairness, and if it is not done right it becomes about stupid testosterone antics. Rowing events do a pre-regatta and daily weigh-in, and as such they all know what they weigh, and are basically at that weight. Just having a pre-regatta weighing promotes “How heavy can we get”. Overeating is promoted because it is an advantage to be heavier...eating and drinking becomes the game within the game. It is not healthy to eat that much. With multiple weigh-ins, weight fluctuations are discouraged and if one is serious about competing well (strong enough to pull the ropes, or hike), your weight needs to be a normal, hydrated, ‘first thing in the morning’ weight. The regatta and class can dictate whether it is going to be healthy, safe, and fair event, or a college dorm ‘all you can eat’ kegger party,....which was fun...but not healthy. * From Andrew Troup: In Scuttlebutt 3229, Peter Hinrichsen is no doubt jamming his tongue deep into his cheek with his talk of kg being a mass unit and some subterfuge such as jolly jumpers being needed to measure mass directly. However, for the sake of impressionable minds, I think it should be noted: 1) When we talk of someone weighing 70kg, we really mean 70 kg.f, or kilograms force. This is not a standard SI unit and no use to a scientist, but it's in almost universal use for weights (not just of people but freight, machines etc), and in some European countries it's also used for measurement of force in some engineering disciplines. It used to be known as a 'kilopond' in some places. It's not normally necessary to resort to mass units, or standard weight units (eg Newtons) 2) In cases where it is necessary to measure a sailor's mass (presumably we're not sailing in Lake Titicaca where altitude might start to count, so perhaps because of unquantified local gravitational anomalies), it is difficult to do directly, but relatively easy to do by comparison with a know mass, eg using a beam balance. * From Dennis Palmer: About Stuart Streuli's assertion that most sailors would say that Melges 32's are The Show, why would anybody choose to be bisected by that hiking strap? My dream would be to do the TP 52 MedCup. What do your other readers think would be the coolest circuit they aspire to race in? => Curmudgeon’s Comment: While the TP52 crews are known to hike pretty hard, this Sharon Green photo from the 2010 Melges 32 Worlds in San Francisco clearly illustrates what being “bisected by that hiking strap” means: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0925/sg/1.jpg CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Hammers are just like men, as they haven’t evolved much over the last 5,000 years, but they’re handy to have around. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Mount Gay - Kaenon - LaserPerformance - Ultimate Sailing Melges Performance Sailboats - Henri Lloyd - Team One Newport North Sails - J Boats - Ullman Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises Summit Yachts - Doyle Sails Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
