SCUTTLEBUTT No. 640 - September 6, 2000

HIGH PERFORMANCE

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LAST WEEK'S PROFESSIONAL SAILING
ONE TON CUP, MARSEILLES, FRANCE - The final day of the 2000 One Ton Cup could not have been more delicately poised with a raft of overnight protests affecting the points table and five boats leaving the dock at Marseilles, France, with a chance to win the trophy overall with just two of the eleven races still to sail. The Greek Atalanti X, skippered by Ken Read, lost the overnight lead after losing a protest against second-placed Cavale Bleue skippered by French Olympic and America1s Cup sailor Thierry Peponnet. The protest cost Read a race win and instead of going into the final day with a points cushion the Atalanti crew found themselves four points adrift in second place. "It's like the series starts again today," said Read before leaving the dock. "And I think you will see people sailing in a different way and treating it like a two-race series rather than taking too many risks."

But the prerace talking gave way to the best day1s racing of the regatta 25 knots and bright sunshine - and off the start line it was action from the first gun. Cavale Bleue started well to lead around the first top mark but was soon overtaken by Indulgence. The British team streaked away to win while Cavale Bleue slipped back through the fleet with spinnaker problems. Atalanti came through to finish third. It was a finishing combination that took five boats into the final race within six points of each other. Cavale Bleue, Atalanti, Serono, Faster K-Yote Two and Indulgence all had a chance to win.

Atalanti came off the pin end of the starting line of the final race in the second row while Cavale Bleue was nose out and sailing into clear air. Again it was the time for Indulgence, the crew revelling in the strong winds. Indulgence led from start to finish which was enough to elevate them to third overall and leave Graham Walker wondering how yet another One Ton Cup had been within grasp only to slip away. "This was probably the best crew I have ever sailed with," said Walker about his team skippered by Adrian Stead with Tim Powell on the helm and Gerard Mitchell on the mainsheet.

But behind Indulgence there were still four boats fighting to win the trophy. Cavale Bleue was in second place but seemed to be lacking some pace and was slipping into the clutches of Faster K-Yote, Atalanti and Serono. In the end Cavale Bleue was able to hold off the challenges of the chasing pack but on the last downwind leg Ken Read out-gybed Faster K-Yote to sail past, and clinch second overall. "The team that deserved to win won," said Read afterwards. "We had a great day's racing but I haven't sailed the boats for two years and this boat has not been sailed for a year and it showed in the results." - Andrew Preece

Final results: 1. Cavale Bleu France, (Michel Duquenne/Thierry Peponnet/Luc Gellusseau) 29 points; 2. Atalanti X Greece, (George Andreadis/Ken Read/Robbie Haines) 31 points; 3. Indulgence UK, (Graham Walker/Tim Powell / Adrian Stead) 32 points; 4. Faster K-Yote II Germany, (Orwin Kandler/Francois Brenac/Alain Fedensieu) 33 points; 5. Serono Switzerland, (Ernesto Bertarelli/Jochen Schuman/Luc Pillot), 34 points.

To watch One Ton Cup video reports, read reviews and commentary: http://www.sailing-channel.com/

LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net)
Letters selected to be printed are edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.

-- From Jonathan Harley, Olympic Director, US Sailing - 'Butt 639 referenced the one-day trans-Pacific turnaround made by several members of our 2000 Olympic Team - Yachting (including Charlie Ogletree & John Lovell) - which needs some clarification. When our sailors won their respective Olympic Trials they were given the date for USOC processing in San Diego. All U.S. athletes, from every sport, must go through USOC processing before they can obtain access to the Olympic venues in Australia, and our team was one of the first to go through the process. While it may seem exhausting to many of us (not to mention crazy), our sailors who have been training Down Under elected to complete processing in this short timeframe in order to keep their body clocks in line as well as take the least amount of time from their training schedules. The decision to handle processing in this manner was made by each athlete. Some athletes came home for just 2/3 days instead of the 24-hour turnaround.

The Soling team of Jeff Madrigali, Craig Healy and Hartwell Jordan signed up Russell Coutts as a coach to take advantage of his match racing expertise. They have had several sessions with Russell in San Francisco and he will coach them during the Match Racing portion of the Soling event.

-- From Donald Ricketts: It's ironic that the Albatross YC would end up with a veritable albatross competitor yoked to it forever by the tender mercies of US Sailing. Hmmmm. And nowhere do we read this competitor's name (who must be a piece of work to have (a) not conformed his conduct to the loose bounds of the sport; and then (b) pursued this matter through multiple levels of hearings and appeals - no doubt threating litigation under that Stevens Act...).

Yet the young kid who got fiesty on his Laser gets banned by name. I think I see the problem. My (oft ignored and sadly impractical) solution: "Never play sports with a lawyer." Even though "I is one."

Seems to me like almost any litigation or dispute (aside from child or health-related matters) that the names of the parties should be made part of the "record" such that it is. That way, other clubs or regattas could at least see this gentleperson coming. Why should Albatross and its leadership get slammed solo?

-- From Randy Beal (re Albatross YC) - Mr. Chapin says Albatross broke USSA Bylaws but when I read the Bylaw alleged by USSA to apply (Art. 2, Sec. 2) it appears that the provision (1) wasn't broken by Albatross and (2) only applies to USSA run or sponsored events ("any event within the jurisdiction of [USSA]"). Is there some secret provision USSA is relying upon but didn't mention?

Mr. Chapin confuses Administrative and Grievance proceedings, both of which are aimed at some failure of USSA to follow specified rules and regs (Admin: Olympic Sports Act or USOC Const.; Griev.: USSA Bylaws and Regulations). Instead, an action to suspend a member certainly sounds "disciplinary" to me and, in that case, USSA failed to follow its own procedures under USSA Bylaw Art. 14, Sec. 1(b) [the only hearing was Admin. and Griev., NOT Discip.]. Plus, the sole basis for suspending a member from USSA seems to be "injured the good name of [or] prejudicial to the welfare and reputation of [USSA]." No one accused Albatross of that!

I have a problem when USSA treats its members with the heavy- handed attitude it did here. USSA apparently blatantly made up "rules" to apply to Albatross and then ignored its own Bylaws in order to penalize Albatross for conduct it didn't like. This violates fundamental principles of fairness because it penalizes Albatross under a "rule" that didn't exist at the time Albatross acted.
By the way, most of the relevant docs in this matter appear to be at http://home.earthlink.net/~albatrossyc

FOR THE RECORD
(Record-breaking attempts have become vogue again with the 100-foot-plus machines built for The Race. However, Mark Chisnell wonders if a 60-foot trimaran wouldn't be better suited to the task. Here's a brief excerpt from his story on the QuokkaSailing website.)

If there is anything from this past few weeks of passage racing and record-breaking attempts that takes my breath away, this is it. Read Yvan Bourgnon's, account of a spell at the helm (of the trimaran 'Bayer en France' on the recent Quebec to St Malo Race).

"When you know it's your turn to climb up to the top of the windward hull and take the helm, already the adrenalin starts pumping. I'm going into battle, my heart is thumping 140 to the minute and I am constantly aware that anything could happen from one second to the next.

"I get into my 'ejector seat' and the see-saw motion begins, my bum lifts off and cracks down on each wave we surf. I feel the boat accelerating - 24, 25, 26 knots! I use every ounce of strength to grip onto the helm as the vibrations are pushing the limit now. Twenty-seven knots and that's it, no more! The helm gives up, the rudders are ineffective, no hold left. But the boat is hungry for more, it increases speed all by itself - 28, 29, 30 knots!"

They kept this up for 24 hours. But it does make you wonder if anyone out there is crazy enough to take one of these boats on The Race. Given that the maxi-multihulls have proven susceptible to breakdowns in their sprints across the Atlantic, the 60-footers might be the most reliable vessel for the voyage. - Mark Chisnell, for Quokka Sports

Full story: http://www.quokkasailing.com/expert/09/SLQ__0905_chisnell_WFC.html

DUCKING
(Ducking a starboard-tack boat doesn't have to be a last-minute, crash-and-burn maneuver. Here's an excerpt from a story by Dan Dickison on the SailNet website about how you and your crew can make the most of close-crossing situations.)

Any experienced helmsperson will tell you that in close-crossing situations, the key to a perfectly executed duck is anticipation and starting early. Most often, the need to duck a starboard-tack boat comes along unexpectedly, and that's when it becomes a crash-and-burn maneuver. For racing sailboats, a well-executed duck is critical. It can mean that you'll be able to pursue your game plan and not be controlled by the other boat if you had had to perform a last-second crash tack to starboard. But for any sailor, having the ability to execute a clean duck in a port-starboard crossing can be a valuable component of your boat-handling arsenal.

It's important to carve a smooth arc through the water throughout the duck. Beginning the duck too late will require an abrupt turn, so start heading down when you're roughly two of your own boatlengths away from the other vessel. (Of course this distance will ultimately be determined by the length of the vessel you're ducking-if it's a maxi boat, start early and allow enough distance to duck the boat easily without having to turn down beyond a close reach.) The entire maneuver needs to be a coordinated effort, which actually involves the whole crew. As the helmsperson begins to bear away, the sail trimmers (main and headsail) will need to ease the sails. The trimmers have two objectives here-allowing the boat to make its initial turn down, and keeping the sails trimmed for optimum performance all the way through the duck. As the helmsman bears away, the remainder of the crew should continue to hike hard to keep the boat flat. As the bow of the boat clears the other boat's transom, the helmsman should be steering the boat back up to a close-hauled course. Depending upon the strength of the wind, the crew may need to heel the boat slightly to help it get through the other boat's wake and bad air, but immediately after that they should hike the boat flat again.

Be aware that the boat on starboard tack boat may not know that you're there. It's always a good idea to hail the crew of that boat and ask them: "Tack or cross!" This will get their attention, let them know that you're there, and prompt a response regarding what they'd like you to do. - Dan Dickison, SailNet website.

Full story: http://www.sailnet.com/collections/racing/index.cfm?articleid=ddcksn0325&tfr =fp

FAVORITE PART
I think my favorite part is the deep pockets. Sure, I like the great look of my Camet sailing shorts; and the fact that Supplex really dries quickly; and the way the Cordura seat patch stands up to course non-skid patterns. And Lord knows I love the 1/4-inch foam pads that can be inserted into the seat patch to eliminate fanny fatigue. But I still think I like the deep pockets best. They hold lots of stuff, but more importantly - nothing ever falls out. NEVER. Take a look for yourself - they come in four great colors (Red, Navy Blue, Khaki, Charcoal Grey): http://www.camet.com

MATCH RACING
* The ROLEX SAIL NEWPORT CUP - the third event in a series of Rolex-sponsored women's match race regattas - will take place September 16-17, 2000, in Newport, Rhode Island. Hosted by Sail Newport Sailing Center, with competition set for Narragansett Bay, this ISAF-sanctioned grade four event. A double round-robin series of racing is planned for 10 teams sailing in three-person Ynglings. Skippers committed as of this date include Dawn Riley (San Francisco, Calif.); Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.), Colleen Cooke (Chula Vista, Calif.), Arabella Denvir (Irvington, Va.), Suzy Leech (Avon, Conn.), Karen Lynch (Scituate, Mass.), Katie Pettibone (Marysville, Mich.), Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.), Jody Swanson (Buffalo, N.Y.), and Hannah Swett (Jamestown, R.I./New York, N.Y.). Shayes7069@aol.com

* The skippers for the 19th annual KNICKERBOCKER CUP Match racing event scheduled for October 4 through the 8 on Manhasset Bay, NY were announced: Tomislav Basic from Croatia, Ed Baird (Newport, RI), Carsten Bech (Denmark), Sepastien Destremau (France), Andy Green (Great Britain), Bjorn Hansen (Sweden), Peter Holmberg (American Virgin Islands), Luc Pillot (France), Ken Read (Newport RI), Dawn Riley (San Francisco), James Spithill (Australia) and Maxim Taranov (Russia). J/105s will be used for this ISAF sanctioned Grade 1 event

J/22 WORLDS
After six qualification races and eight gold and silver fleet races, we have a new J22 World Champion. Serge Kats and his team Jean Pierre Martens and Cees Scheurwater proved to be the most consistent team in the difficult weather conditions.

Albert Kooijman, the leader up to Fridays races, did not have a good day. He could not do what everybody seemed to expect him to do: sail two more consistent races and become the new world champion. Albert ended up with a silver medal, sailing a strong series by all means.

Nic Bol had an excellent day. After Thursdays races it did look too good for him. Disappointment turned into cheer when he finished in the top twice, giving him the edge to the bronze medal. This metal could only go to team Bol after disqualification of the Jasdaq team, the youngest and least experienced team to finish in the top ten. The International Jury and Hans Duetz (NED 4) protested them for illegal hiking. Kasper Kieft, Rik Kuijpers and Gideon Mastenbroek saw their dream not come true, but did finish eight, still an excellent result for this promising team.

The first non-Dutch team was the USA 398 with Mark Mendelblatt on a fourth place. The Danish boat DEN 9 finished fifth, the South African RSA 774 was sixth. The USA's Will Crump finished ninth.

Complete results: http://www.j22.nl/gaastraworlds/

THE CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS
"An error doesn't have to become a mistake until you refuse to correct it." - John F. Kennedy