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SCUTTLEBUTT 2296 – March 8, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). MIAMI SET TO DELIVER Miami Beach, Fla. - If the final practice day was any indication, the 2007 Acura Miami Grand Prix should deliver what the hundreds of visiting sailors are seeking. Most of the 46 entries participating in the annual regatta headed out of Government Cut for one final tune-up before the competition turns serious on Thursday. It proved an ideal day for testing sails and training crew as sunny skies and warm temperatures were augmented by winds that ranged from 12-15 knots. The IRC class has nine good boats ranging in size from Marcin Rojek’s Swan 45 Better Than to Hap Fauth’s JV 66 Bella Mente. In between are four TP52s and a pair of Farr 60s. An international fleet of 16 Farr 40s has come to contest the Rolex North American Championship and has typically attracted a slew of big-time professionals. Alinghi, the Swiss-based syndicate that currently holds the America’s Cup, is the pre-regatta favorite after putting forth an impressive performance in Key West. Skipper Ernesto Bertarelli has several members of his America’s Cup crew onboard, including tactician Brad Butterworth. There figures to be equally stiff competition in Melges 32 class, which also has drawn a slew of talent-laden teams. Skipper Claudio Recchi and crew aboard Let’s Roll overwhelmed the competition in Key West, clinching overall victory with one race to spare. Let’s Roll could get a challenge from Grins, the Georgia-based entry that placed second in Miami last year. Peter De Ridder and the Mean Machine team are early favorite in Mumm 30 class after losing a tiebreaker and placing second in Key West. Volvo Ocean Race veteran Jono Swain, a Ft. Lauderdale resident, is calling tactics on Mean Machine for De Ridder, a Monaco resident who is mounting a Volvo Ocean Race campaign. -- http://www.premiere-racing.com/miami07/pages/miami_2007_entry_info.htm SOFA SAILING There will be plenty of information for the armchair quarterbacks following each day of racing at the Acura Miami Grand Prix, where racing begins Thursday and continues through Sunday for the IRC, Farr 40, Melges 32, and Mumm 30 classes. Following each day of racing, Gary Jobson will be providing video highlight from one of the four classes. If the weather cooperates to keep the racing on schedule, Gary hopes to have the video available for viewing by 8pm ET. Additionally, there will be detailed GPS tracking data for every race in every fleet. Provided by Kattack, this later feature is essentially a replay of the race, which can be sped up and provide the exact moves of each boat based on data that is downloaded at the end of the day. If you download the free Kattack Player, the playback is estimated to be available by 5pm ET after each race day, with the Player offering detailed information from each boat. If you don’t download the Kattack Player, a video replay should be up on the Kattack website by 9pm ET. -- Jobson video: http://www.jobsonsailing.com -- Kattack playback: http://tinyurl.com/3akgfo EXPERIENCE BEATS RISING STAR (March 7, 2007) Rather than paying attention to shifts, pressure and clouds Wednesday afternoon, I thought about the broad range of competitors participating in the Star class Bacardi Cup in Miami, FL this week. Yes, over twenties countries are represented. Yes, nearly thirty teams from throughout the US are here. Financial advisors, manufacturers, retirees, boat builders, sail makers, and full time sailors are here as well as a number of healthy and wealthy retirees. Most of them tell me that they are single. Maybe sometime this week I’ll take a legitimate poll to find out the truth. As the fleet approached the final leeward mark of the fourth race, Experience lead, Seasoned Veteran was second, and Rising Star was third. By the time I wandered up to the finish line, Rising Star had overtaken Seasoned Veteran and Experience retained the lead. I’m keeping an eye on Ian Murray. He hasn’t been in the limelight, but he’s been consistent and is always threatening the leaders, especially on the downwind legs. Prof O’ Connell, the winning Irish skipper of the first race, had back problems and headed in before the second general recall. Only one boat was scored ZFP after three attempts to get off a start. -- Read Lynn Fitzpatrick’s complete account of Day Four in her Bacardi Cup daily diary on the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/StarBacardiCup Preliminary results after four races (top ten of 77 boats) 1. NZL, Hamish Pepper/ David Giles, 2-3-1-16, 22 points 2. POL, Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Dominik Zycki, 4-9-7-2, 22 3. AUS, Ian Murray / Andrew Palfrey, 6-5-6-8, 25 4. SWE, Fredrik Loof/ Anders Ekstrom, 8-2-2-18, 30 5. BER, Peter Bromby / Bill McNiven, 5-11-10-5, 31 6. GER, Matthias Miller/ Manuel Voigt, 7-7-17-11, 42 7. NOR, Eivind Melleby/ Petter Morland Pedersen, 12-14-20-4, 50 8. USA, George Szabo/ Magnus Liljedahl, 15-15-4-19, 53 9. AUT, Hans Spitzauer/ Christian Nehammer 14 [AVG]-17-11-15, 57.3 10. ITA, Luca Modena/ Michele Marchesini, 11-18-31-6, 66 Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/3278pr * Correction: The story in Issue 2295 listed Hamish Pepper/ David Giles and Fredrik Loof/ Anders Ekstrom as the only world champions in the fleet. The list should have also included skippers Mark Reynolds and Vince Brun. ULLMAN SAILS WIN AT DANA POINT Congratulations to Ullman Sails customers competing in the Dana Point Series at Dana Point YC. Class winners include “Horizon”-SC50, “Legacy”-J/105, “Beaver”-Lindberg 26, “Power Point”-Henderson 30, “Sloop Du Jour”-Catalina 30, “Fair Havens”-Newport 28, “Rattle & Hum”-Antrim 27, “Orski”-Capo 26. In a variety of conditions and classes of boats, Ullman is the sailmaker of choice to deliver the speed and reliability to win. If you and your crew are ready for the “Fastest Sails on the Planet,” contact your nearest Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com Next…Ullman Inshore Championship Series! CARIBBEAN SPROUTS MEGAMARINAS San Juan, Puerto Rico -- As the yachts get bigger and more numerous, the Caribbean is running out of parking space. The answer to this invasion of the so-called megayachts? Megamarinas. From the Bahamas in the north to St. Lucia in the south, island governments and entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and western Atlantic are developing waterfront property and expanding marinas to handle yachts that range from 80 feet to longer than a football field. The goal is to lure the ultra-rich yachting set and the millions of dollars it can pour into the local economies. Leading the pack is Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, which is being upgraded at a cost of $200 million in a part of Charlotte Amalie harbor once so blighted boaters called it "rat haven." Promoted as the largest megayacht facility in the Caribbean, the marina has hosted Rising Sun, a 452-foot, five-story behemoth with 82 rooms and a generator capable of powering a small town. The megayacht, the world's fifth largest, was built for Oracle Corp. co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison. -- Orlando Sentinel, full story: http://tinyurl.com/38tgs4 MULTI-LINGUAL The first-ever AC team representing a Chinese yacht club, powered largely by the former French AC team Le Defi, backed by Swiss-based main partner in TAG Heuer, for an unprecedented AC event in Spain, used a bottle of Chivas from Scotland swung by the Chinese model Xin Li (who splits her time between Los Angeles and New York) to "christen" the yacht Longtze while a number of French and German marketing mavens hovered in the wings. Not to mention that the yacht was constructed in China by a boat building team led by Australians. Needless to say the evening was a colorful mix of sights, sounds, tastes, personalities and languages -- including English, French, German, Mandarin and of course Spanish, in which most of the ceremony was conducted. The unskirted yacht -- with its colors, graphics and name -- is distinctly Chinese. -- http://www.challengercommission.com/2007/03/son-of-dragon.html SAILING SHORTS * (March 7, 2007) With an American three-some on his heels, Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz continues to hold the lead after three days of racing at the J/24 World Championship, hosted by the Vallarta Yacht Club in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. US National Champ Chris Snow is four points back in second, with Mark A. Hillman and Mike Ingham in third and fourth respectively. The shoreside fiesta appears to be slowing down the submission of race reports, but they will be posted on the Forum as soon as available: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/J24Worlds * (March 7, 2007) Things are looking better for the now 43-boat fleet racing to the finish in Cabo San Lucas. The increased winds Tuesday night and Wednesday have moved up the finishing estimates, a relief to the fleet that had been battling light winds. The canting R/P66 Stark Raving Mad III was the first boat to finish, coming in today just a little past 1230 PST. Peligroso (Dencho/ Kernan 68) is also in, while the last boat to finish in Class A, Medicine Man, is now being overtaken by the B fleet leaders. The Race Committee is not expecting another finisher until early to this evening. -- Race reports and results at http://www.07caborace.org * Daylight Savings Time begins early this year on March 11, part of an effort by the US Congress to save energy. As a result, tide tables will be off by one hour from March 11 until the old DST date in April. -- http://www.boatus.com/news/releases.asp * Spain and New Zealand make their mark on the latest release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings on 7 March, with both nations bringing new sailors to the world #1 spots. Great Britain maintains their place as the top performing nation, but the challenge from Australia and Germany is intensifying. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2olhny * 100+ windsurfing competitors from around the U.S., South America, and Europe came together in Merritt Island, Florida for the 22nd Calema Midwinters. 5 classes raced 7 races over 3 days with conditions varying from tornado warnings to sub-planning. Frenchman Antoine Albeau won the Formula Fleet with 40 competitors, with Jesper Vesterstrom (DEN) in 2nd and Micah Buzianis (USA) in 3rd. This was also the inaugural Kona Class North American Championship, won by Dave Stanger (USA). The Kona class is a throwback to the original windsurfer, with one long board and one 7.5m2 rig, while the formula class allows multiple fins and sails. -- http://www.stevebodner.blogspot.com NEW ENGLAND ROPES SPONSORS MELGES 24 WORLDS New England Ropes is a proud sponsor and exclusive cordage supplier to the 2007 Fullpower Melges 24 World Championship, May 3-12 in Santa Cruz, CA. This high profile regatta is the next logical event for the company, which is coming off a very successful kick-off at Premiere Racing’s Acura Key West Race Week in January. In addition to providing rigging support and guidance on-site, the company's ambitious Melges 24 program, led by Ken Read in Endura, will make its West Coast debut. For more information, please visit the event website (melges24worlds2007.com) or http://www.neropes.com EIGHT BELLS The world famous Danish boat builder and sailor, Börge Börresen has silently passed away in his home at the age of 87 years. Börge Börresen built his first Dragon together with his brother, Albert at the age of 16 in the winter 1935-36. Since then many of the famous Börresen Dragons have been sold all over the world through more than 60 years. Börresen Boatyard in Vejle, Denmark became world famous for the beautiful wooden boats and later the glassfibre boats they built. The boatyard built 325 Dragon in wood, before it was recognized to build the boat in glassfibre. All boats have consistently been built to the highest quality standards, and many customers have bought several Börresen boats during their active years in sailing. Börge Börresen was in 1971-1972 involved in the process of preparing the Class Rules for allowing glassfibre boats to sail equally with the wooden boats. In this way Börge Börresen, among others secured the future of the Dragon after it sailed in the Olympics for the last time in 1972. The Dragon Class has since then been growing even stronger and is together with the Star one of the ISAF International Keelboat’s Classes with the most competitors at International regattas and World Championships. -- Full story: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j12FnAuBl&format=popup CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Some of the events listed for this weekend are: March 9-11 - Coral Reef Cup Miami, FL, USA March 9-11 - Culebra International Regatta, Culebra, Puerto Rico March 9-10 - Emirates Open Regatta ABu Dhabi, U.A.E. March 9-10 - Leukemia Cup Regatta Mobile, AL, USA March 9-11 - Melges 17 Midwinter Regatta Eustis, FL, USA March 9-11 - New Zealand IRC National Championships Auckland, NZL Complete list of events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Barry Carroll: (regarding story by Kimball Livingston in Issue 2295) First, Kimball has never called the US-IRC office and not had his call returned, not once to my knowledge. The last time Kimball and I spoke was mid-January. I was in New York at a meeting with the US-IRC Executive Committee and senior members of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. We were discussing IRC issues here and internationally. Kimball quoted me in Scuttlebutt shortly after that conversation. This is a part time occupation for me, and I travel on business quite a bit, (and some skiing in Colorado) so no, the office is not manned every working day. US-IRC has formed an Owners’ Committee under the chairmanship of Rich DuMoulin. There are representatives from all the major IRC regions, and participation is open to all owners of IRC rated boats in the USA. The OC will rightly take over a larger share of IRC management. They have already had significant input on the issue of Spinnoas, for example. The support of major yacht clubs and the number of events coming on board has continued to grow at an exceptional pace. This year the Marion-Bermuda Race and Charleston Race Week have joined all of the major winter events in the Caribbean in offering IRC for the first time. Rolex has added its support to the US-IRC effort, and the financial health of the organization is as good as it has ever been. There is a tremendous amount of momentum in the US; sorry Kimball doesn’t see it. -- The rest of Barry’s letter is posted in the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4449#4449 * From Mark Heer: Having participated in race committees for over thirty years, and raced all over the world in one design and time/distance regattas, I have found that there are two types of committees. The best ones are the ones that come to help sailors have the best possible event and sublimate their own egos to that end. The second is the committee that shows up thinking that the competitors arrived so that they could run races. I remember one Melges World Championships in which I was the PRO and we had several re-starts on the first day. It never entered our minds to use the black flag that early in the regatta. A couple of restarts and the I flag were enough to get the jitters out of the fleet and get them started properly. When there are problems getting a fleet started, it has more to due with either the bias or the length of the line than anything else. Host clubs should remember the incredible commitment made by traveling teams and extend the courtesy of a couple of restarts. Race committees should carry extra compressed air and shotgun shells, not attitude! * From Bruce Thompson: I'd make the comment to Mike Levesque that the RC has to set a good line (angle and length) first. Then the onus goes where it belongs, on the racers. To be scored they are going to need to get a clean start anyway, so why not do it from the beginning? I'd offer the suggestion to adopt a hard line stance, similar to the Olympic 100-meter dash. On the first false start there is a re-start (general recall). Before the second start, the black flag is displayed. Anyone who is over gets a BFD and the rest get a general recall. Repeat as necessary until everyone left gets a clean start. Then no one who gets a legal start ever has to contend with bad air from a boat which will be notified of its BFD at the first mark. As the Stars at the Bacardi Cup demonstrated, harsh penalties tend to concentrate the mind and the competitors can find it possible to get a legal start, when sufficiently motivated. I know the start is very important in sailing, but not as important as in the 100-meter dash, where margins of victory are measured in hundredths of a second. It can be done. * From Adrian Morgan: Rules, racing, start line tactics, committees, IRC, Olympics, kinetics, more rules, ISAF (yawn), AC - god this site's letters are getting tedious. The aggressive, competitive racing crowd are muscling out more pertinent contributions from those who believe that racing is a minor, albeit important, side to sailing. Trouble is that endless discussion about rating rules and what to do at the windward mark spirals into navel gazing, while Rome burns (if you excuse the juxtaposition). The heroic, inspirational and romantic aspects of our pastime are being elbowed aside by the dayglo-painted racing fashionistas whose circular antics do little except swell the coffers of the foul weather merchants. If I read another suggestion about how to run a start line or the rights or wrongs of Paige's weight movement I might just press the "unsubscribe" button. Now, some serious questions: can you give me any examples of how yachting has benefited mankind overall? What has been yacht design's historic contribution to ship design? What has been the role of the yachtsman in naval wars over the last two centuries? What is the future of long-distance solo racing? And what new records, feats of endurance/speed remain to be challenged under sail? Or shall we just analyse the last Optimist world championships? CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION All men are animals; some just make better pets. Special thanks to Ullman Sails and New England Ropes. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
