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SCUTTLEBUTT 2502 – January 2, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. ROSEBUD WINS 2007 SYDNEY HOBART RACE The STP65 Rosebud, owned by Roger Sturgeon (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida), became only the third American yacht to claim the overall title of the 628 nautical mile Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, bridging a time when previous winners Ted Turner's American Eagle in 1972 and Kialoa III (Jim Kilroy) in 1977 held the honor. An estimated 300,000 spectators, on boats and Harbour headlands, saw the 82-yacht fleet start on December 26th inside Sydney Harbour on a perfect, warm, sunny summer day. The Reichel-Pugh 98 maxi Wild Oats XI immediately grabbed control of the race for line honors among the three canting-keeled 98ft maxis, ultimately beating City Index Leopard (Mike Slade) by 27min 23sec, with Skandia (Grant Wharington) later limping in after breaking the top third off her mast. While Wild Oats XI finished two hours and 44 minutes outside the record time of one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes, and ten seconds she set in 2005, her third consecutive win equaled the record set in the race's very early days, by Claude Plowman's Fife-designed and built cutter Morna in 1946, 1947 and 1948. -- Daily reports: http://www.regattanews.com/event.asp?id=178 Division winners: Division A: Quantum Racing, Ray Roberts, Farr Cookson 50 Division B: Rosebud, Roger Sturgeon, STP65 Division C: Chutzpah, Bruce Taylor, Reichel-Pugh 40 Division D: Mr. Beak's Ribs, David Beak, Beneteau 44.7 Division E: Zephyr, James Connell, Farr 1020 PHS A: Sailors with Disabilities, David Pescud, Lyons 54 PHS B: Namadgi, Rick Scott-Murphy, Bavaria 44 Sydney 38: The Goat, Bruce Foye & Mitchell Gordon Cruising: Capriccio of Rhu, Michele Colenso, Oyster 55 Line Honours: Wild Oats XI, Mark Richards, Reichel-Pugh 98 maxi Complete results: http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/standings_ext.asp?key=524 * Thanks to photogs Carlo Borlenghi and Andrea Francolini for sharing race images: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/0101 * By Justin Vallejo: “I'm not afraid to admit it. As we embraced, doused each other in beer, and took team photos, I struggled to hold back the tears. When I went below deck for a quiet moment and actually tasted some of those coldies, the salty eyes couldn't be stopped. It was part jubilation, part sweet relief and, at the end, part shock. I'd just finished the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, the most intense three days I've had the privilege of experiencing. “But it didn't end with the neck-and-neck sprint up the Derwent River against main rival Hugo Boss. After 1170km, our near identical Volvo 60 boats were separated by just 40-odd seconds. We barely had time for any celebration when there was a problem bringing down the spinnaker after the finish line. So we turned hard to starboard to avoid crashing into Constitution Dock. When the kite suddenly refilled with air it flew high out the front of the boat and the ropes that bear its massive loads - we're talking tonnes - flew out with it. One hooked me around the neck before it hurled me into the air. The impact felt more like an iron bar than woven fabric.” -- The Daily Telegraph, read on: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22987916-5001031,00.html SHORT LIST ANNOUNCED FOR US ROLEX AWARDS Joining the year-end “best of” lists is US Sailing’s short list of nominees for the 2007 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US Sailing and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US Sailing's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards are widely regarded as the sport's ultimate recognition of an individual's outstanding on-the-water achievements for the calendar year. Nominees for US Sailing's 2007 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award: Ed Baird (St. Petersburg, Fla.) Clay Bischoff (Coral Gables, Fla./New York, N.Y.) Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.) Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.) Greg Fisher (Columbus, Ohio/Annapolis, Md.) Tomas Hornos (Swampscott, Mass.) Pete Levesque (Portland, Maine/Annapolis, Md.) Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.) Colin Merrick (Portsmouth, R.I.) Dave Ullman (Santa Ana, Calif.) Nominees for US Sailing's 2007 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award: Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) Amanda Callahan (Canton, Mass.) Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) Liz Hall (Tiverton, R.I./Washington, D.C.) Lisa Keith (Marblehead, Mass.) Amy Linton (Tampa, Fla.) Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) The final vote to select the winners will be held later this week. For a complete list of the nominee’s achievements, go to http://www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex MELGES WINTER SERIES READY TO CONTINUE The Melges 32 and Melges 24 Midwinter Championship will be taking place at Acura Key West 2008 on January 21-25. Of the 261 boats that’ll be at the event, the Melges classes are #1 and #3 in entries among the sixteen divisions. No surprise really since both boats are set up to trailer, rig easily, and even ramp launch if you choose - the perfect set up for Key West. When you want to do some winter sailing, look to Melges. The Melges Winter Series is very active and participants come from around the world. Check out what all the excitement is about at melges32.com, melges24.com, or http://www.Melges.com BARCELONA WORLD RACE Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles) (Day 52 – January 1, 2008) Since the last report on Day 40 (December 20th), Paprec-Virbac 2 maneuvered its way through Cook Strait on Day 46, the unofficial halfway point of the Barcelona World Race that lies between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Hugo Boss skipper Alex Thomson, some 130 miles behind the race leader, would announce on this day that he would be making a short pit stop in Wellington (NZL) to remedy their rudder problems. However, it would be on Day 48 that Paprec-Virbac 2 had their own rudder issues to deal with after hitting an 'unidentified floating object' and damaging the starboard rudder. While HB was waiting for their required 48-hour pit-stop penalty to expire, P-V2 was able to handle their repair on the water by covering the damaged area of the rudder with carbon material and coating. Then on Day 51, deep in the clutches of the Southern Ocean, P-V2 was confronted by an enormous iceberg at 54.30-degrees south latitude. For now, P-V2 is continuing their push south in the Pacific Ocean, but will need to get further north as they approach the ice gate at 52-degrees South latitude, some 300 miles away. The gate will force them north, out of an area where icebergs were reported just last week. But for now, the leading boat is still in iceberg country. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com Positions at 18:00 GMT 1-Paprec-Virbac 2, Jean-Pierre Dick/ Damian Foxall, 9,435 nm DTF 2-Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson/ Andrew Cape, 744 nm DTL 3-Temenos II, Dominique Wavre/ Michéle Paret, 1,862 4-Mutua Madrilena, Javier Sanso Windmann/ Pachi Rivero, 2,198 5-Educación sin Fronteras, Servane Escoffier/ Albert Bargues, 2,836 Retired - PRB, Vincent Riou / Sébastien Josse (broken mast) Retired -Delta Dore, Jérémie Beyou/ Sidney Gavignet (broken mast) Retired - Estrella Damm, Guillermo Altadill/ Jonathan McKee, (rudder damage) Retired - Veolia Environnement, Roland Jourdain/ Jean-Luc Nélias (broken mast) * The Scuttlebutt website’s weekly snapshot of the fleet finds the lead Open 60’s blazing a trail toward Cape Horn at the tip of the South American continent. Race tracker: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/bwr * (Day 39 – January 1, 2008 - 16:22 UTC) Francis Joyon and his maxi-trimaran IDEC now have 5,879 nm remaining in their attempt to set a new solo round the world record. In the past 24-hours, they posted an average speed of 17.6 knots and a distance covered of 423.3 nm, and an advance of 3,453 nm over the record set by Ellen MacArthur in 2005. Having past Cape Horn three days ago, his course is now direct to the finish at Brest, France. -- http://www.trimaran-idec.com * (Day 15 – January 1, 2008 – 15:30 UTC) In his solo round the world record attempt, Thomas Coville and the maxi-trimaran Sodeb'O has not enjoyed an ideal weather forecast, and while he holds a lead of 346 miles over the record set by Ellen MacArthur in 2005, he is estimated to be around 3 days behind Francis Joyon’s current record attempt time. Coville is still working his way down the Atlantic Ocean toward his turn at the tip of the African continent for the Southern Ocean leg. -- http://www.sodebo-voile.com/actu/news-eng.html * Franck Cammas and his nine man crew onboard the 105-foot maxi trimaran Groupama 3 are scanning a weather window that have them planning for a departure on Thursday, January 3rd to begin their Jules Verne Trophy attempt for the fully crewed round the world record. Bruno Peyron, aboard the maxi-catamaran Orange 2, set the current record March 2005, when his team sailed the course in 50 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes, and 4 seconds at an average speed of 17.89 knots. -- http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en AND THE BEAT ROLLS ON The legal skirmish over the America’s Cup showed no sign of ending, with the champion Swiss syndicate asking a judge to reconsider his decision to declare the Golden Gate Yacht Club the main challenger for the next race. Alinghi’s lawyers contended that the San Francisco club’s July challenge on behalf of BMW Oracle Racing was invalid because it failed to properly describe the yachts in which the race would be sailed. The challenge letter described a boat that would measure 90 feet long by 90 feet wide, a dimension that could apply only to a multihulled vessel like the catamaran that American Dennis Connor used to defend the cup in 1988. The challenge, however, also called the boat a “keel yacht,” a term traditionally used to describe a boat with one hull. Alinghi argued in court papers, filed in state court in New York on December 27. 2007, that BMW Oracle’s bid should be tossed because it proposes a boat that doesn’t exist, or would be so misshapen because of its barge-like dimensions that it would be unfit for racing. If the GGYC challenge was disallowed, the next in line for the Challenger of Record seat would be South Africa’s Team Shosholoza. The Golden Gate Yacht Club said Alinghi’s new claim lacks merit. “If these arguments were valid they would have been presented months ago,” BMW Oracle spokesman Tom Ehman said. -- Detroit Free Press, read on: http://tinyurl.com/2xl5v2 * The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) announced on December 29th that it will compete for the next America’s Cup according to the basic rules of the Deed of Gift, and will seek to have an upcoming Court Order confirm the regatta for October 2008. “It is time to move on and know where we stand,” Russell Coutts, CEO of the club’s BMW ORACLE Racing team, said. “We had hoped to negotiate a conventional regatta under the Deed’s mutual consent provisions. But the Defender has made it clear to us and the America’s Cup community that they will not negotiate. We are now fully committed to a multihull event in 2008. -- Complete statement: http://www.ggyc.com/071229_GGYC_Now_Committed_To_Deed_Of_Gift_Challenge.pdf CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SAILING SHORTS * (Miami, FL) 630 sailors from 17 countries attended the 37th Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta, hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club on December 27-30, 2007. Red Fleeter Antoine Screve from San Francisco won the Optimist overall class, Peru’s Stefano Peschiera won Blue Fleet, NYYC’s Ford Johnstone won White Fleet and Ian MacDiarmid of Palm Beach won Green Fleet. Sydney Bolger/ Caitlin Beavers from Newport Beach, CA won the 420 class, local David Hernandez won Laser Full-Rigs, Lauderdale Yacht Club’s Philip Alley won Laser Radials, and Holland’s Hidde Van der Molen won Laser 4.7s. The Magnus Liljedahl Sportsmanship Trophy went to 9 year-old Miamian Grace Howie. – Complete results: http://www.coralreefyachtclub.org/index.cfm?menu=7560 * Durban, South Africa -- South Africa’s America’s Cup Shosholoza team skipper, Mark Sadler dominated the 35-boat Eikos J/22 World Championship, held December 14-22, 2007. Sadler finished with an event aggregate of 23 points and a net result of 10 points after two discards, giving him the overall title by 12 points over runner-up Jeroen den Boer of the Netherlands on HBB/ Slam on 22, who was only one point ahead of third-placed Ian Ainslie on Eikos with 23. Top North American entrant was Keith Zars in 16th place. -- Complete results: http://www.j22.co.za/regattas/results/Worlds07Final.pdf * Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) Management, which includes members of the Storm Trysail Club (STC) and Lauderdale Yacht Club (LYC), has announced the formal opening for race entries for the 2008 Fort Lauderdale to Charleston Ocean Yacht Race. Scheduled to begin April 23rd, this event marks the rebirth of a race that originated in 1968 and ran for 10 years. The race will start just outside of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and finish just outside of Charleston Harbor. -- Full report: http://www.fortlauderdalecharlestonrace.org/news.html * The National Class E-Scow Association announced that a recent vote of their membership has approved the change from a symmetrical spinnaker to an asymmetrical configuration to be implemented in 2008. -- http://www.E-Scow.org * The acquisition of Matrix Masts (NZL) by Hall Spars & Rigging (USA) became official on December 14, 2007. Hall Spars & Rigging currently operates factories in the U.S., Holland, and New Zealand. In addition, there is a sales and service office in Italy. -- http://www.hallspars.com SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE RULES Dave Perry, David Dellenbaugh, and Brad Dellenbaugh are teaching Rules and Tactics Seminars this winter. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two... from fundamental principles to nuances highlighting the difference between right-of-way and control, these rules gurus teach the rules and the tactics rules dictate. The innovative case-based curriculum teaches situations, not rule numbers, so you can apply what you learn on the water. You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better racer, or you can accelerate the process at NorthU. Call 800-347-2457 or http://www.northu.com 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 Wes Bray: (regarding the post by Paul Henderson in Issue 2501; edited to the 250-word limit) We are a family of cruising sailors, not really caught up in the nuances of racing, but absolutely fascinated by the spectacle of the America's Cup. I was in Newport in 1983, caught the bug, and have followed every series since closely on TV/internet. My wife and I took the kids to Valencia, which was a wonderful experience! Fantastic venue, great access to the teams, exciting and dramatic races that were easily watched, and of course, magnificent SPAIN! With Alinghi’s win, we all looked forward to a return to Valencia in only two years time. You can imagine the disappointment and disillusionment that has settled in on my kids (and my wife and I) with all this seemingly pointless legal wrangling. We understand what Alinghi is trying to achieve and we understand why Oracle is concerned, but ultimately the differences seem pretty minor and we don't see why a compromise has not been able to be reached. Moreover, we REALLY don't understand why the "leaders" of the sport would so willingly and casually throw away all the good momentum, mainstream awareness, strong sponsorship, and broad scale good will that the 2007 event generated. As a professional marketer, I know that you can't forecast or buy this outcome -- you just have to take advantage of it if you are lucky enough to have the circumstances conspire to give it to you. It seems a terrible waste. So, we wait, becoming more cynical about the sport with every day's delay. To Ernesto and Larry...please listen to Paul! * From Fred Stelle: (regarding Paul Henderson’s letter) Finally somebody talks sense and proposes a no brainer solution that is simple and about sailing. Let them work out the next venue and protocol while they continue to build interest and excitement with a venue and format that worked well. I was there for the whole event and would go back in a heartbeat. There were more people at that event than any other by far and by a magnitude that I can only guess at. Lets get on with it. * From Gavin O'Hare: Congrats to US Sailing members for having nominated Team Silver Panda (six athletes representing one team) for Rolex Yachtsmen and Yachtswomen of Year. US Sailing only recognizes individuals for the Yachtsmen of the Year awards. So, Team Silver Panda have been recognized as individuals and not as the team for which they were nominated. Unfortunately for Team Silver Panda, US Sailing does not have an award to recognize team effort. What a shame, as never before has one team won the triple crown of team racing: 2007 US Sailing National Championship, 2007 Wilson International Team Racing Championship, and the 2007 ISAF World Championship. Congratulations Silver Pandas…I think you have sparked the organization's attention to the lack of Team Recognition! => Curmudgeon’s Comment: The precedent for a team winning the award has already been set, with winners including Paul Foerster & Kevin Burnham (2004), Mark Reynolds & Magnus Liljedahl/ JJ Isler & Pease Glaser (2000), and Allison Jolly & Lynne Jewell (1988). These teams were recognized largely for their Olympic achievements, though no team has yet to win the Rolex award that crosses the gender line. * From Charlie Legeman: I was in Sydney, Australia and was amazed at the media coverage given to the Sydney to Hobart race. There was an hour and half program covering the start, with hourly updates on the ABC channel, with all of the other news channels giving constant coverage. The turn out of yachts to watch the start was amazing, probably over a thousand. I have never seen anything like this anywhere. CURMUDGEON’S COUNSEL The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be alive while you are alive. Special thanks to Melges Performance Sailboats and North U. Additional thanks to the Scuttlebutt community that tolerated the holiday break taken by the newsletter’s editorial team. It is greatly appreciated. A complete list of Scuttlebutt’s preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
