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SCUTTLEBUTT 3173 - Thursday, September 9, 2010
Scuttlebutt 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.
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Today's sponsors: Ullman Sails and Summit Yachts
TIME TO TAKE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
By Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt
The oldest trophy in international sport, the America's Cup has become an
obsession for some of the most famous, powerful, and exceedingly eccentric
characters in the world. The America's Cup transcends mere sport; rather, it
is a story of adventure, ambition, technology, innovation, creativity, and
competition.
But of late, has it also become too much a story of greed? For decades the
America's Cup was viewed as the elite event of the sport. Children aspired
to participate. Enthusiasts followed the leading characters. Countries
cheered for their teams. But now, most of this is gone due to the desires of
the participants to revise an event for their own benefit. And apathy toward
the America's Cup is at an all time high.
With the absence of a nationality requirement for the sailors, fans can no
longer embrace the culture of a team. Of their team. Now the talent has been
spread to the highest bidder. While this change benefited the sailors, and
balanced the competitiveness of the challenging teams, has the cost of this
change been too high? Was losing nationalism worth gaining participation?
The remaining tangible connection between a team and its fan was the chance
for the event to come home. When Australia broke the Americans 132-year
winning streak in 1983, they brought the event home to Fremantle. When the
U.S. won in 1987, they brought the event home to San Diego. And when New
Zealand won in 1995, they brought the event home to Auckland. To this point,
every winning team brought the Cup home.
The Swiss victory in 2003 highlighted how dramatic the event had changed.
The team was comprised of the best free agents money could buy, and their
club's location prevented them from hosting the event on home waters. The
selection of Valencia as the venue for the 32nd America's Cup did bring the
event to the European continent, but when the home Spanish team was
eliminated during the 2007 challenger trials, interest among the local crowd
dropped too.
There is little doubt that if New Zealand had beaten the Swiss in the 2007
Match, the Cup would have returned to Auckland. And when the U.S. won the
America's Cup in 2010, they said their preferred location to defend would be
at their home too. But first, there was a mountain of obstacles to overcome
before San Francisco could be confirmed as the venue for the 34th America's
Cup.
While initial enthusiasm among San Francisco officials and residents was
high, the defender Golden Gate Yacht Club team considered all possible venue
options, and received serious interest from other U.S. and European cities.
With the list of prospects now whittled down to San Francisco, Italy, and
Spain, the defender would not be without recourse if the home venue was
unavailable.
Perhaps motivated by the threat of losing the event, San Francisco officials
recently confirmed the event could be held at home. Local government has a
plan. The sailing area is available, with consistent winds certain to
provide epic action. The opportunity to energize local spectator interest is
unquestioned. The road has been cleared for the winning team to once again
bring the America's Cup home to their country to defend.
The venue for the 34th America's Cup will be confirmed by December 31st. At
a time when the event desperately needs to connect again with the fans,
taking the event anywhere other than San Francisco would be a step in the
wrong direction. Without a nationality requirement for the team members,
there needs to at least be one for the venue. -- Scuttlebutt Forum,
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10489#10489
SCUTTLEBUTT SPECIAL: TECHIE / SAILOR ALERT
The annual Oracle OpenWorld gathering is the world's largest and most
important conference for Oracle technologists, business users, and partners.
A real "kumbaya" for the techies, but not likely the place to share sea
stories and Mount Gay rum drinkies. Or maybe it is.
This year's conference in San Francisco, CA will also feature Oracle CEO
Larry Ellison's latest acquisition, the America's Cup. The opportunity to
meet and greet with the trophy along with Tom Ehman, Ian "Fresh" Burns, and
others from the BMW Oracle Racing team will be on September 19th at 7:45
p.m, the 20th and 21st at 10:15 a.m. and 3 p.m., and the 22nd at 10:15 a.m.
Normally you'd have to pay $75 to get into the "Discover" portion of Oracle
Openworld 2010, which gives you access to OpenWorld, JavaOne and Oracle
Develop. But the team is offering free admission to the event exclusively
for readers of Latitude 38 and Scuttlebutt so sailors get a shot at seeing
the Cup as well. To get your free admission, you need to do the following:
Go to http://www.eventreg.com/oracle/openworld2010/sanfrancisco/attendee
Then select "Discover" on the home page. On the login page you'll need to
enter an email address, create a username and password and enter the code:
ODS10. Then you'll fill out your contact info, and complete a short survey
asking you about a bunch of things that were over our heads - we just
checked "n/a" on all of them. Then you're good to go. If all the stuff on
the surveys makes sense to you, then you'll probably want to stay for the
other stuff!
NOT JUST RACING
When it comes to cruising, Ullman Sails understands that one size doesn't
fit all. Rather than offering a stock line of cruising sails, we build
custom sails that match a customer's budget, cruising style and boat
specifications. Our experienced sailmakers located worldwide can answer
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inventory options. We also offer the latest technology in cruising,
including Custom Axis Laminate, Hydra Net and FiberPath options. Be
confident that you have invested in sails that are built for durability and
long term performance. Ullman Sails - Invest in your performance. Visit us
at http://www.ullmansails.com
CANADA'S CUP CONTROVERSY - EXPLAINED
In Scuttlebutt 3171, it was announced that the Great Lakes' oldest and most
prestigious match race trophy, the Canada's Cup, would be held in Chicago,
IL on October 15-17, with Don Wilson's Convexity representing Chicago Match
Race Center (CMRC) and Grant Wood's Vincere representing Port Credit YC in
Mississauga. What the announcement did not clarify was why Macatawa Bay YC
of Holland, MI, which won the Canada's Cup in 2007, would not be defending
their title. While the MBYC has not responded to Scuttlebutt's inquiry,
former ISAF President Paul Henderson files this statement on behalf of the
Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC), the custodian of the Canada's Cup:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have discussed the situation with the RCYC Past Commodore responsible for
the Canada's Cup who has led this event for now 20 years. The Cup is an
event under the auspices of the RCYC who has a policy of making sure it is
competed for on a very regular basis. In 2007 Macatawa Bay YC signed an
agreement which included that if they won the Cup they would issue a request
for a challenge from Canada by October 15, 2009 for a competition to be held
in 2010. If Macatawa Bay YC could not fit this commitment then the event
would revert to the RCYC who would explore other YC's to run the 2010 event.
Macatawa Bay YC did receive such a challenge before the October deadline
from the Port Credit YC (Toronto). The RCYC, on hearing of the challenge,
gave Macatawa Bay YC an extended period to meet their obligations. In fact
the RCYC has done everything possible to ensure that Macatawa Bay YC's
position is respected but they did have responsibilities also. When they
said they could not meet their obligations, the control of the event
reverted to the RCYC who explored and received a positive response from the
Chicago Match Race Center, which has very good expertise in running Match
Racing events.
The question of running the event in October 2010 is a non-issue as there is
always more wind in the Fall and Chicago is called "The Windy City". It
should also be noted that the last Canada's Cup at the RCYC won by Macatawa
Bay YC was the second week of October 2007. It is essential to realize that
the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup is very different from the Canada's
Cup and the two should not be confused; one of the main differences is that
the Canada's Cup will be run in Farr 40 One Designs which are readily
available equal boats. -- Scuttlebutt Forum,
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10491#10491
BRAGGING RIGHTS
Newport, RI (September 8, 2010) - The New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup
U.S. Qualifying Series, sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider and Jaguar North
America, began today off Harbour Court, the New York Yacht Club's
on-the-water clubhouse, with 24 preeminent yacht clubs in America showing
their hands. The prize for the top-three U.S. amateur teams is an invitation
to the NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex in September 2011, where
they will meet the top six teams from 2009: New York, Royal Canadian, Japan
Sailing Federation, Nylandska Jaktklubben of Finland; Royal Cork of Ireland
and Royal Bermuda, plus at least 10 other international teams.
It was windy for the first two races, about 16-18 knots from the southwest -
stuck at that pace since Saturday's passing of Hurricane Earl. The winds
moderated later in the day. NYYC Race Committee Chair John Myles set the
stage at the Skippers' Meeting on Tuesday. "We're here to sail; get in as
many races as we can." A man of his word is Mr. Myles. The Red Fleet sailed
the NYYC's Sonars for the first four races, before switching to Sail
Newport's J/22s for the last four. The Blue Fleet started in J/22s and
finished in Sonars.
After eight races for the Blue Fleet, Bayview Yacht Club of Detroit is
first, with Bora Gulari, the 2009 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, as skipper.
The team posted the best record of the day with 21 points. Then came Sean
Bennett's San Francisco Yacht Club team and Peter Duncan's American Yacht
Club team from Rye, New York.
For the Red Fleet, Peter McChesney's Annapolis Yacht Club is first.
Larchmont, of New York, skippered by Danny Pletsch, is second and Eastern
Yacht Club of Marblehead, Mass., led by Bill Lynn is third.
The top six teams from the Red and Blue fleets will be determined after
Thursday's racing; these 12 teams will compete on Friday and Saturday in
Sonars to determine the three winners. The bottom six boats from either
fleet will sail those days in a consolation round in J/22s. -- Event
website: http://nyyc.org/2010USICQualifying/
WITNESS SAYS COAST GUARD BOAT SPEEDING BEFORE CRASH
Dave Endert remembers turning to his wife and saying, "I think that guy is
going to kill somebody." Endert was describing the night of Dec. 20, when a
Coast Guard boat stuck a civilian pleasure craft during the San Diego Bay
Parade of Lights, killing 8-year-old Anthony DeWeese and injuring five other
people.
Endert, a boater that night, was the first witness to testify in a military
preliminary hearing Tuesday (Sept. 7, 2010) in Alameda, CA. Three San Diego
Coast Guard petty officers face criminal charges for their actions in the
33-foot patrol vessel that hit the DeWeese family boat five days before
Christmas.
In the courtroom, Anthony's mother, Caroline DeWeese, wept quietly as Endert
recounted how he heard a woman screaming that she couldn't find her child
and saw debris floating in the water.
About 150 feet away when the collision happened, Endert, a sailboat
enthusiast, said the Coast Guard boat appeared to be going 25 to 30 knots
just before the crash. He noticed the vessel, he said, because every other
boat on the crowded bay was moving slowly. "I thought it was a little
dangerous, a boat at that speed with so many people around," Endert said.
The three young military boat crew members appeared publicly for the first
time since being charged in July, in what officials say is an extremely rare
case of Coast Guard personnel being pursued criminally for actions taken in
the course of duty. The boat's driver that night, Petty Officer 3rd Class
Paul A. Ramos, faces the top count of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted
of all charges, he would serve 17 years in a military prison. -- SD
Union-Tribune, read on: http://tinyurl.com/UT-090710
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!
September brings the cool crisp weather of autumn, Football, and one of our
favorite annual rituals: Boat Shows. Summit Yachts will be presenting our
new Summit 40 as well as the popular Summit 35 at both the Newport and
Annapolis Boat Shows. These beautiful Mark Mills designs are built in the U.
S., and are sure to be among the hits of the shows. Check them out at
http://www.summit-yachts.com, and in the flesh at the Newport and Annapolis
Boat Shows.
SAILING SHORTS
* On Tuesday, October 19, 2010 (6:30-8:30 pm), the Newport Harbor Nautical
Museum/ExplorOcean in Newport Beach, CA will open its newest exhibit that
celebrates "Extraordinary People" by honoring the life of local hero, the
late Nick Scandone (March 4, 1966 - January 2, 2009), a Paralympic Gold
Medalist in Sailing. Nick's story will take us on a journey that covers
Newport Beach yachting, overcoming adversity and the path to Olympic Gold.
Guest speaker for the event will be Gary Jobson, President of U.S. Sailing.
-- http://www.nhnm.org/
* Sardinia, Italy (September 8, 2010) - The forecast weather for day three
of the 2010 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup was tainted with unpredictability. But when
the yachts on the racecourse were heading for an unannounced swiftly forming
violent thunderstorm, PRO Peter Craig made the call to abandon racing and
take refuge until the forty-knot squall had passed through. Vindication came
in the 25-nautical mile race sailed later in the day by all classes in
bright sunshine and a 20-knot westerly. Today's lucky stars were: Bella
Mente (USA) in Mini Maxi; Esimit Europa 2 (SLO) in Maxi; Gibian (GBR) in
Wally, and, Visione (GER) in Supermaxi, with Ranger (CAY) top of the J
Class. -- Full report:
http://www.regattanews.com/pressrelease.asp?pid=100402&lang=1
* New South Wales (AUS) builders of luxury racing yachts, Peter and Sari
Ullrich, say they have been financially devastated after the
multimillionaire entrepreneur, Sean Howard, liquidated one of his companies
that owed the couple about $470,000. The couple, who formerly owned
Boatspeed Performance Sailcraft of Gosford and remain consultants to the
company, have a long list of yachting clients. Boatspeed built the maxi
racing yachts Brindabella and Brindabella II for George Snow, the B&Q
Castorama trimaran in which Dame Ellen MacArthur broke the record for a solo
global circumnavigation, and the maxi trimaran Sodeb'O which Thomas Coville
sailed solo in record time across the Atlantic. -- Full story:
http://tinyurl.com/theage-com
INDUSTRY NEWS
This category of the Scuttlebutt Forum provides an opportunity for companies
to announce new products and services. Here are some of recent postings:
* New HARKEN products for 2011.
* SPADE anchors available in the USA.
* DINGHY LOCKER @ Landfall newest McLaughlin Boat Works distributor.
* PROTECTOR USA announced new leading-edge 20' Protector - the Jet.
* Stocking stuffers from OCEAN RACING.
* Free decal from LINE HONORS-Performance Sailing Supply.
* North Sails has PUMA's new il mostro tees in both men's and ladies styles.
View and/or post Industry News updates here:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/industry_news_c15/
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine)
Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free,
self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and
sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this
weekend:
Sept 9-12 - Buddy Melges Challenge - Sheboygan, WI, USA
Sept 10-12 - E Scow National Championship - Beach Haven, NJ, USA
Sept 10-12 - J 35 North American Championship - Gibson Island, MD, USA
Sept 11-12 - Larchmont Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta - Larchmont, NY, USA
Sept 13-19 - Rolex Swan Cup / Swan 45 World Championship - Porto Cervo, ITA
Sept 16-19 - Rolex Big Boat Series - San Francisco, CA, USA
View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
GUEST COMMENTARY
Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community.
Either submit your comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted
comments chosen to be published in the newsletter are limited to 250 words.
One published submission per subject, and save your bashing and personal
attacks for elsewhere.
Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From Chris Ericksen:
When I was a journalism student - and a student of journalism history - I
learned that, while for much of the Twentieth Century journalism idolized
impartiality and accuracy, this was a radical departure from the partisan,
sensational journalism of earlier eras. Newspapers of the early days of our
country were rarely accurate or impartial, especially when talking about
political figures. Mow it seems that the pendulum has swung back: the Glenn
Beck's and Keith Olbermann's have taken over the media center stage.
The Scuttlebutt Forum contributor "jlongley" was reported in 'Butt 3172 as
bemoaning the passing of an idyllic "once upon a time" when "normal people
used to get together on weekends and test their skills racing sailboats;"
"all had day-jobs" and enjoyed sailboat racing as a "recreational outlet,
often with family members on the crew."
The contributor obviously does not know yachting history. From its earliest
days up to the early part of the Twentieth Century, yachting was a pastime
enjoyed largely by "rich guys who rarely touch(ed) the helm and often only
show(ed) up after the race to collect the trophies that they paid others to
win." Sir Thomas Lipton did not sail; neither did Cornelius Vanderbilt or
J.P. Morgan.
It isn't the fault of Dennis Connor and Peter Gilmour that the very top
levels of our sport are dominated by professionals; except for a brief time
in the last century, hardly more than fifty years, it has ever been thus.
* From John Longley:
I saw the following piece in the Scuttlebutt Forum (and published in
Scuttlebutt 3172) which has caused me some embarrassment. Needless to say
this 'jlongley' is not me and I disagree with what he is saying. Given my
close association with the America's Cup, many people may think these are my
comments.
As you may know I am working closely with Peter Gilmour on the Perth 2011
ISAF World Sailing Championships. I realize I don't have the sole rights to
the name J Longley, but I would appreciate a clarification.
=> Curmudgeon's Comment: For those that do not know, John is a veteran of
five Australian campaigns for the America's Cup, including four straight Cup
Matches, winning the Cup in 1983. After his career as a 12-Metre Class
sailor and team manager, he contributed to the America's Cup by
participating in the development of the America's Cup Class. John was
inducted in the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 2009.
* From Hal Burchard:
It is great to hear of Imp and the book chronicling her successes (in
Scuttlebutt 3172). More importantly this brings to light an era of ocean
racing when amateurs were the norm. Second to Imp in the SORC that year was
a Farr one tonner named Sweet Okole. This boat was built in Hawaii by a
collection of enthusiastic locals, shipped to the mainland and then trucked
cross country by one of her crew members. The truck and trailer were donated
by one of the Hawaiian supporters. Sails were made by the local sail maker.
Sheet stoppers, which were in their infancy in development, were fabricated
in a backyard shop. Engine controls consisted of a small line lead from the
throttle to the cockpit and the "engineer" standing by below to shift when
necessary. Most of the original crew did a farewell Transpac race on her
once again finishing second this time to Merlin when the wind shut off one
day prior to the finish. I suspect we did more with less and had more fun
than most. Sweet Okole has found a happy home in San Francisco where she is
still actively campaigned.
* From Mal (Scuttlebutt Forum):
(Regarding the Scott MacLeod commentary in Scuttlebutt 3172) If the boats
benefit significantly from trapezes; they agreed on too small a boat. I'm
hoping for lots of collaboration with the multihull community if it goes
that way. I'm also hoping it does. As I have said before, look to an Extreme
40 on steroids (60) and a course designed for lots of maneuvering; maybe
even a limited corridor. There also has to be room for innovation in boat
design. One design racing is a real test of the sailor but not the tradition
or rule of the America's Cup.
Oh and what's wrong with billionaires fighting over pickle dishes? Quite
amusing if you ask me. --
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10488#10488
* From Tyler Carder:
I echo George McCroskey in saying how sorry I was to hear of Don "Donzo"
Wilkinson's passing. We both briefly worked for Lewmar, he in Connecticut,
me in Florida, in the 1990s. But it was when Donzo was running FUJIMO in the
1980s that we first became friends. FUJIMO, of course, was part of the IOR
50-foot class that was one the hottest fleets going back then, attracting
most of the best sailors of the day.
There was great boat-for-boat racing in that fleet, especially at the SORC -
and even better partying after the racing, especially amongst those of us,
like Donzo & I, who were certified members of the IBNA (The International
Boat Ni... oops, these days I guess you have to say Nanny Association), an
organization eventually disbanded through political correctness.
Yeah, back in those days, I know Donzo and I shared a whole lot of good
times, a whole lot of laughs - but perhaps proving what good times they were
- I can't remember most of them.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
On most brands of Christmas lights: "For indoor or outdoor use only." (as
opposed to...what)?
Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Summit Yachts.
Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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