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SCUTTLEBUTT 2654 - Wednesday, August 6, 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. MINING FOR GOLD IN QINGDAO After a dozen years of chasing his Olympic dream, after two previous failed attempts in the Tornado event to reach the podium, American Charlie Ogletree finally felt satisfied when the silver medal was placed around his neck in 2004 in Greece. Well, at least for a couple of months. Then came the itch to put his toe, so to speak, back into the water as a competitive sailor. Then came the phone calls to and from partner John Lovell. Then came the next regatta on the sailing calendar in Miami, and a couple of old friends just figured they’d break out the equipment and see what they had left. Plenty. They won in Miami by one of the largest margins in the history of the event. “I don’t know if that was good or bad,” said Ogletree, who lives in Kemah, TX and sails out of the Houston Yacht Club in La Porte. “But it kind of told us that we weren’t finished yet. And chasing the gold is something to do with it.” So when the 2008 Olympic regatta gets under way in China, a couple of 40-year-olds who were born on the same day - Oct. 11, 1967 - will be looking to take that additional step to the top of the podium in the Tornado class. -- Houston Chronicle, read on: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5918655.html * The American and Dutch teams in the Tornado catamaran class are continuing to test an extreme 'upwind spinnaker' to see if they can steal a march on their Olympic rivals. "I don't want to give away too much information because I noticed one or two teams in the boat park are trying build sails like ours," said John Lovell, helmsman of the USA Tornado and competing in his fourth successive Olympics. The radical development has sent several rivals scuttling off to try and build last-minute copycat versions proving, at the very least, the sails have caused a considerable psychological disturbance in the 15-nation fleet. -- by Tim Jeffery, Telegraph, read on: http://xrl.us/omtnx DEALING WITH THE HEAT by Dean Brenner, US Olympic Sailing Team Leader The heat is on in Qingdao, literally and figuratively. The temperature is routinely north of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (about 30 Celsius) and the humidity is off the charts. Every team is constantly looking for additional ways to get an edge. Here in Qingdao that means, among other things, dealing with the heat effectively. The top Olympic sailors are all really fit, and in many classes the sailors are truly elite athletes. Elite athletes, in any sport, need to think about what they eat, what they drink, how they attend to their bodies, and how they recover after a hard day. So too here. We have brought a medical and fitness team here with us that consists of three people: Dr. Amy Myers, and our two physical therapists Scott Weiss and Mark Kenna. All three of them are responsible for the physical well-being of our athletes, including daily time on the bench to stretch out, attention to any physical issues, and perhaps most importantly heat management. Heat management means a lot more than just drinking lots of water and wearing a hat. It has to do with the clothes you choose to wear, and the foods and liquids you put into your body from morning until night. It consists of several "cold" options on the water to drop core body temps. It consists of protein smoothies as soon as we hit shore. And perhaps most importantly it consists of a communication plan so our athletes can stay out of the heat as long as possible. We have people monitoring the morning information so our athletes don't have to hang around the boat park wondering when the race committee will send us out on the water. -- Complete report: http://xrl.us/omtn7 OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN: 3 DAYS TO GO * Eighteen American sailors are in Qingdao, China, ready to begin the 2008 Olympic Games. To read a full report on each US representative and their medal chances, along with who the favorites are in each event, go to http://xrl.us/omtob * Britain's sailing squad has an extra weapon going into the Olympics - an extract from a sea creature which could help keep them ready to race. They have been using a blood test using luminous chemicals taken from the common piddock, a marine mollusc. Its developers, a husband and wife team of scientists based in Plymouth, claim it can detect the earliest signs of infection, or even overtraining. -- Read on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7543162.stm * From Ken Dool, Head Coach, Canadian Sailing Team: “Those that have been following the weather and past events here in Qingdao are all too familiar with the projected wind forecasts (lightish) and tidal effect (huge), but over the course of our first 10 days here this year we have seen it all. It all started with rain that was bouncing to your knee-caps off the pavement, this quickly evolved into ridiculous humidity and day time fog banks that completely engulfed the area, then the tail of a typhoon provided us with 20-25 knot breeze for a complete day and evening, and more recently, a picture perfect day for anywhere in the world. Visibility was amazing; shoreline architecture and mountains appeared that had never previously been viewed. All in all a breath taking day that we can only hope gets repeated for us down the road.” -- http://www.sailing.ca/feature/2008/08/faces.html * The US Olympic Sailing Team has set up a dedicated email address to enable the ‘buttheads to send messages to the whole team or anyone within the team. Emails can be sent here: mailto:GoodLuckTeamUSA@ussailing.org HOW TO WIN THE CHICAGO-MAC Keith Bechard and crew aboard his Farr 395 'Zoom' won their class at the Chicago-Mac thanks to good crew work, an ace tactician, and their new North Sails 2A spinnaker. Bechard said winning their class at the 100th Race to Mackinac was "a big deal to us." In addition to his 2A, Bechard races with a six-year-old TF-2 mainsail and six-year-old 3DL jib. "North recognizes that not everyone can buy new sails every year and their quality and design gave us an edge. When people want to go faster, I tell them to buy North Sails." -- http://na.northsails.com WHEN CAN THE AMERICA’S CUP BE HELD? by Sébastien Destremau: An interview with America’s Cup defender Alinghi’s skipper Brad Butterworth. * On when the next America’s Cup can be held: BUTTERWORTH: That is the ridiculous point of the current situation actually. We have two scenarios here: A DoG Match and a “conventional” mutual consent America’s Cup. > DoG match: It will take a minimum of six months for the New York State Court of Appeal to make a decision. Then you’ll have to add the minimum 10 months requirement set in the Deed of Gift. Being a northern hemisphere regatta the DoG match cannot happen before Summer 2010. Whoever wins the DoG Match will need another two years to organize a “conventional” 34th America’s Cup. So that pushes us back to 2012 or 2013 at the earliest!! > Conventional regatta: If BMW Oracle was to drop this ridiculous Appeal now, we would envisage having a multiple challenge regatta in 2010. * On the possibility of a 2009 event if BMW Oracle drops their appeal: BUTTERWORTH: To be fair to all competitors and not only the richest teams, the protocol forbids a regatta to be organized any earlier than 18 months after the AC90 class rules are released. It would be very easy for us to get all the parties involved around the table and discuss the final version of the class rules before releasing it. The America’s Cup would be 18 months after that. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: It is interesting to note Brad’s timeline; if the appeal is decided in 6 months, and then 10 months was added to that, it would be December 2009. This makes it a Southern Hemisphere event (per the Deed), which could happen if the parties don’t agree to postpone until Spring 2010 for it to be in the Northern Hemisphere. Also, Brad noted that the adaptation of the AC90 class rules would require 18 months. However, if the existing class was used, this timeline would shrink considerably. I suspect that much of this will depend on who the Challenger of Record is following the appeal – the American club or the Spanish club. Complete interview: http://xrl.us/omtod COMMON SENSE SAILING FITNESS FOR JUNIOR SAILORS by Harry Legum, Annapolis Sailing Fitness I recently had the opportunity to lead the sailing fitness section for the US Sailing Women’s Jr double handed Championship in Sausalito, CA. Sixty or so of some of the top girls in the nation sailed their butts off in gusts of up to 20 knots and a new found appreciation for fitness was created. Initially when I asked if anyone had any questions, most girls were a bit hesitant. After experiencing capsizing and working the trapeze in the San Francisco Bay, a different attitude was displayed. One advantage in being young is the ability to perform without having years of abuse on your body. Having an abundant supply of energy is another. I explained that even though some were naturally gifted in their sailing abilities, an exercise routine will do nothing but help and keep those attributes in check. Most girls raised their hands enthusiastically when I asked if they have aspirations to sail in college. What they did not realize is that every college sailing team has a workout program and for most is mandatory. I would encourage any Jr program sailor to start now so that you will be ready when time comes. It can be as simple as going for a run or hitting the weights a couple times a week. What if it works? Tiger Woods is a great example of someone who integrated exercise into a sport that traditionally had a limited need for cross-training. Now is the time to do the same with competitive sailing. -- http://na.northsails.com/SailingFitness.htm => Curmudgeon’s Comment: If you have a daughter that sails, she must see the video that we just posted online. It was filmed during the Women’s event mentioned above, and it is just what might inspire her to greatness. View it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m64AtfSTVCc SAILING SHORTS * Chicago, IL (August 5, 2008) – Top-ranked disabled sailors competing at the annual North American Challenge Cup (NACC) were treated to two days of great wind conditions: a first morning of 15-knots of breeze; a second day of 9- to 12- knot blows and lumpy seas. Unfortunately, weather conditions did not permit sailing on the third and final day of racing. The NACC, held August 1-4, drew members of both the 2008 U.S. and Canadian Disabled Sailing Team, with the 2.4mR and the Sonar, both sailed at the NAAC, to be two of the three classes at the 2008 Paralympic Games in China. -- Complete report: http://xrl.us/omtna * (August 5, 2008) A 59 boat fleet is competing in the Thistle Nationals in Pensacola, FL, where they have just completed their 3-race qualifying series. The top 29 boats will now carry their scores and move on to compete for the Thistle National Championship, with racing on Wednesday through Friday. Currently in the lead is the team of Paul Abdullah, Andy Lawrence & Sarah Paisley of Jacksonville, FL. -- Results: http://xrl.us/omtnc * Richmond, CA (August 5, 2008) - The 31 boats at the Snipe Nationals have completed their qualifying series, and will carry their current position in the standings as a race score when they compete in the National Championship series Wednesday through Friday. Current leaders are Ernesto Rodriguez/ Leandro Spina and Augie Diaz/ Kathleen Tocke of Miami, FL. -- Results: http://www.snipenationals2008.com/results.php * (August 5, 2008) Following the first two days of the Shark World Championship in Hamilton, Ontario, the 46 boats competing have now completed three races, and will continue racing through Friday. Current leader is the team of John Dakin/ Morgan Dakin/ Kyle Dakin, who are holding an 8-point lead over fellow Toronto sailors Richard Robarts/ Colin Clark/ Paul Ziemer. -- Results: http://69.90.69.142/~rhyc/Shark%20Worlds/sharkworlds08nh.html * Castine, ME - Dorade, the famed 52’ yawl designed by Olin Stephens in 1929 when he was 21 years old, led a fleet of 47 boats in the ninth annual Castine Classic Yacht Race to Camden. The race celebrated Stephens’ 100th birthday. Stephens, on board the Race Committee boat, proclaimed Dorade’s victory “the greatest birthday present ever,” according to event chairman David Bicks. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6193 * Five events and their dates, a freeze on the TP52 Class Rule for two years, introduction of cost containment initiatives and a revamped Corinthian Class are amongst the first elements announced for the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit. -- Read on: http://www.medcup.org/2008/mailing/?id=137 * Of the nine events that comprise the 2008 World Match Racing Tour, the Troia Portugal Match Cup in Troia, Portugal has been moved from its initial position on July 15-20 to now being held September 23-28, 2008. -- http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/68487 * Twenty-three sailors comprised of a mix of juniors and adults ranging in age from 17 to 61 years old qualified for this year’s U .S. Singlehanded Championships, hosted by the Sayville Yacht Club (NY), held from August 6-10 in Sunfish. Among the field is Krysta Rohde, of Richmond Hill, GA the reigning 2007 Women’s Singlehanded Champion who represents the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) and Doug Kaukeinen of Rochester, NY, reigning Sunfish North American Champion. -- Complete report: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/singlehanded_preview.asp DISCOVER: DUELING FOUR-PEATS At the Marblehead NOOD Regatta, two of the boats that were fully kitted-out in Atlantis gear did something rare: each won their class for the fourth year in a row. Now, we’re not saying it was the gear, but don’t you sort of start to wonder? If you want to four-peat too, go see your local Atlantis dealer or visit our website to find out where to get it. While we can’t guarantee a win, we’re pretty confident that you’ll be dry, comfortable and looking great while you’re out there. Discover: Your Atlantis WeatherGear. -- http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com TOP GOOGLE RANKINGS FOR FORUM EVENT REPORTS The Scuttlebutt Forum for Sailing Event Reports is coming up aces in the world of Google rankings. We were stunned to discover how many events came out on top, and all were top five, some even above the event site. Here are some of the July events we searched: 2008 505 Class North American Championship 2008 Yngling Open Worlds 2008 Soverel 33 Nationals 2008 Cal 20 Nationals 2008 J/80 World Championship 50th Anniversary E-Scow Championship 2008 If you are interested in getting the word out about an event you are running or participating in, the Scuttlebutt Forum is proving to be a powerful tool. Log on here: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/events LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From former NYYC Commodore Harry Anderson (re, the America’s Cup): I'm having a wonderful time I'm having a regatta some time But the New York Court has the nerve To rule that my participle (having) does not have the verve To have the regatta that I deserve. * From Roger Marshall: (re, story in Issue 2653) Interesting read on the Santa Barbara race overboard scenario. The ladies were very fortunate. Readers might want to be aware of some research I did a couple of years ago for my book Rough Weather Seamanship. We towed a swimmer on a lifejacket harness at various speeds and found that at speeds over 4 knots the swimmer can barely keep his/her head above water. At six to eight knots the bow wave created by the person came over his head and he had great difficulty breathing (we stopped the test at this point!). At this same speed the drag of a person in foul weather gear is so high that two crew could not drag that person up to the boat and out of the water. When a boat is sailing at twelve to sixteen knots, it will be almost impossible to get a person back aboard. This leads to two conclusions, first, use lifejackets without a harnesses for high speed sailing or end jacklines far enough forward that, should a person go overboard, they can still hold onto the rail. If they end up a full tether length behind the boat, they may be drowned before the boat can be stopped. * From Jim Gardiner, Washington, NC: Two thoughts cross my mind after looking at the extreme 40 regatta photos. One, somebody is going to break their neck racing 90 foot America cup multi hulls if they fall off. Secondly, we used to have an Alcort Sunfish and a Sunfish clone. The clone would turtle in a nano second. The Sunfish was infinitely recoverable. The clones mast was not water tight, would fill, regardless of standing on the dagger board, and you would watch the mast sink. The Sunfish mast would float and provided enough buoyancy to keep from turtling. Fast forward to the late 70's when I built a 1300 lb. 35' wood/epoxy/carbon trimaran with a wing mast. The mast was watertight, and I recovered on two occasions from big hairy pitch poles where the mast was laid out flat and would not sink. The wind would blow the boat around and out the bow would pop. Off we sailed slightly worse for wear. Sure seems like the Extreme 40's would benefit from sealed spars, postponing if not stopping them turtling. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION When approaching a four-way stop, the vehicle with the largest tires always has the right of way. -- Redneck Driving Rules Special thanks to North Sails and Atlantis WeatherGear. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
