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SCUTTLEBUTT 2837 - Tuesday, May 5, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are Melges Performance Sailboats, North U, and Ocean Racing. SHEILA MCCURDY - BACKGROUND ON THE COMMODORE (Middletown, RI) - Sheila McCurdy, 55, was the only female skipper in last year’s 223-boat Newport to Bermuda Race fleet. Competing against some of the most elite competitive sailors in the world, the seven-member crew (husband David Brown was among those aboard the Selkie) came in second in the St. David’s Lighthouse division. A veteran of 15 Bermuda races — six as skipper — Ms. McCurdy has also made nine transatlantic voyages. This year she’ll probably bypass the Bermuda race because as new commodore of the Cruising Club of America — the first female to earn the honor — she’ll be needed to greet the first boats at the finish. Here she provides some background information on herself: START IN SAILING? “I was brought up on Long island. My father (the late Jim McCurdy) was a yacht designer and Naval architect, so that’s how I came to sailing. We were brought up wet.” SUPPORT FROM DAD: “My father ran the (Newport-Bermuda Race) sometime in the 70s and in the mid-80s became the commodore of the Cruising Club of America. During that time he figured there was no reason why women shouldn’t be members. There was some of the old guard who were resistant to change, so it didn’t happen then. In 1994 (after Ms. McCurdy skippered Selkie to a second-place finish overall), the Cruising Club admitted women.” -- Read on: http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/128265.html RAIN DOES NOT DAMPEN COMPETITION Annapolis, MD (May 4, 2009; Day 1) - Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz, who earned the J/24 World Championship title in 2006 and 2007 only to be unseated last year by Italian Andrea Casale, has made it clear that he wants to get back to the top with his Bruschetta team's performance in today's opening round on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay off Annapolis. Confronted with a fleet of 82 teams from 16 countries and more than a dozen U.S. states, including some of the class' and the sport's top champions, Santa Cruz managed finishes of 6-1 on a challenging day with constant drizzle interspersed with a few squalls and shifting northeasterly breezes ranging from 10 to 15 knots. The fleet got off to a clean start in the first race of the day, but repeated general recalls for the start of the second resulted in the application of the dreaded "black flag" - which penalizes sailors who were identified as over early in starts that are subsequently recalled, even if they start clean in the race which ultimately counts. Twenty teams were caught, including the top three from the first race: Ian Southward (GBR), Chris Larson (USA), and Tim Healy (USA). The regatta is scheduled to go through Friday, with a total of 10 races on the slate. Once the total hits five complete contests, a worst-race throwout will kick in. -- Complete daily report: http://tinyurl.com/J24Worlds-5-4-09 Provisional Results, Day 1 (top 5 of 82) 1. Bruschetta, Mauricio Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 6-1 = 7 2. Bomba Charger, Anthony Kotoun, St. Thomas, USVI, 7-2 = 9 3. Three Bond, Tetsuya Matsunaga, Kanagawa, Japan, 12-3 = 15 4. Paraloc, Will Welles, Rhode Island, USA, 14-7 = 21 5. Carrera, Matias Pereira, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 8-14 = 22 Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/J24Worlds-Results T2P video: http://www.t2p.tv/guide/j24w09.php * From Chuck Allen, North Sails: “It was one of those mornings when you wake up, hear the rain coming down on the roof, look out and say: ‘I think I’ll put all my gear on now’ before rolling out the door and it was definitely a full layering day as Martha Parker has taught us up in Newport - she would have been proud! Quick stop at ZU’s for the morning round and down to The AYC, only to find most boats closed up with a bunch of cold looking sailors peeking out from down below; the Volvo guys would be laughing for sure.” -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7413#7413 AUDI MELGES 20 The Audi Melges 20 is on the move from coast to coast as new customers are taking deliveries of their new rockets! For those interested in getting into the fleet - Melges will be offering a pricing incentive on the Audi Melges 20 - stay tuned and get ready to take advantage of a nice savings package. Announcements will be released on melges20.com and melges.com. Check out the latest Audi Melges 20 regatta photos on melges20.com too! -- http://www.melges20.com * Scuttlebutt gallery from an Audi Melges 20 regatta last weekend in Lerici, Italy: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0503 YOUTH ROAD TRIP - OPTI STYLE By Holly Tullo I went to Salinas, Ecuador in April to compete in the 2009 South American Optimist Championships, and was excited from the moment I found out I’d be spending ten days sailing with good friends by the Equator. The morning I arrived, I asked my teammate and friend Eliot what the practice schedule would be like. Her answer was nothing like what I’d expected: we would swim in the ocean every day before sailing, have a nice lunch at the yacht club and go sailing at noon. As I’d shown up three days after the majority of the team, I replied, “I missed this for school?” -- WindCheck, read on: http://tinyurl.com/WindCheck-5-4-09 * Holly Tullo, 14 years old, finished fourth this past weekend at the 208-boat US Optimist Team Trials, hosted by Noroton YC in Darien, CT. Max Simmons of Rowayton, CT rolled up four firsts and four seconds amid the 13 race series to win. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7412 THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF RAN 2 The project keeping most of the top UK sailors occupied over these last months has been the new Judel-Vrolijk designed 72 footer, Ran 2, belonging to Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom. Ran 2 recently competed in the Hublot Palmavela and this weekend is racing at the Regate Pirelli for the Coppa Puri Negri out of the Italian hotspot of Santa Margherita Ligure. Of the present crop of purpose-built grand prix Mini Maxis, Ran 2 is the largest and compared to the new STP65s, Luna Rossa and Container, she was not built to a box rule. Aimed at racing under IRC, less constraints have been placed on her design and while this is more a case of logical evolution than radical development, she has many features new to boats of her type. But first, a little about her intriguing owner, for we all use Skype, don’t we? For Niklas Zennstrom, a London-based Swede, Ran 2 represents his latest step up the yacht racing ladder. In Sweden, with its magnificent coastline and numerous archipelagos, sailing is a massive sport and Zennstrom says he has been sailing since the age of seven. “When I was small I was racing Optimists and Europe dinghies and Lasers and I was cruising every summer with my family for many years.” -- Daily Sail (subscription site), read on: http://tinyurl.com/Daily-Sail-5-4-09 * Carlo Borlenghi photo: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0501a/6.jpg BACK IN THE SADDLE (May 4, 2009) - Iker Martinez has returned from his break and admits he cannot wait to get back onboard Telefonica Blue for the remaining four (Volvo Ocean Race) legs. The Spaniard, who won Olympic gold in 2004, opted to skip leg six to recover from a schedule that saw him begin Blue's programme almost immediately after finishing his silver medal 49er campaign at the 2008 Games in Qingdao. He returned to Spain and now, after a break of more than three weeks, he confirmed he is ready to return, starting with Saturday's in-port race in Boston. "I feel good," the 31-year-old said. "It was very good to have a break. My motivation was fine, it is always high. But physically it was good to have a rest. I feel much stronger than in Rio, which is very good.I had quite a lot of work to do at home, but I had six or seven days of rest and it was a nice holiday. I really like this sailing and I like these boats. I will be very happy on Saturday when I am back on the boat." -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-5-4-09 * VOLVO OCEAN RACE: Began Oct. 4, 2008, crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. The next event is the Boston In-Port race on May 9th, followed by the 2,550 nm transatlantic Leg 7 from Boston to Galway, Ireland that starts May 16th and is expected to finish by May 23rd. Seven of the eight teams are expected to compete (Team Russia will not compete). Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 => Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck will be in Boston from May 7-10, getting a close-up look at the Ericsson 4 VO 70 when he rides shotgun with skipper Torben Grael during the practice races on Friday. HEY COACH! You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better sailor or you can accelerate the process at North U. Learn more about North U Fleet and Match Racing Clinics, On Board Coaching, or their renowned line of books and CDs at http://www.northu.com SAILING SHORTS * The IRC 35 class has been formed on Long Island Sound to bring together boats with similar ratings and sailing characteristics to foster close racing and greater participation. The idea is to encompass boats rating between 1.020 to 1.060 that are between 34 and 38 feet. The boats currently included are the J/35, X35, Beneteau 36.7, Tripp 36, J/109 (one-design sails or bigger sails), J/37, Express 37, C&C 115 and X38. --Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7406 * The World Yacht Racing Forum has announced America’s Cup veteran and former World champion sailor Peter Gilmour (AUS) as Chairman of the World Yacht Racing Forum 2009 (Dec. 9-10). Gilmour assumes the role from Pat Lilley, Chairman of the inaugural Forum last December in Monaco. The Forum will appoint a new Chairman each year. As 2009 Chairman, Gilmour will assist the organisers in helping to select topics and speakers for the Forum. -- http://worldyachtracingforum.com/index.php * The Canadian Yachting Association (CYA), the national sports organization representing the sport of Sailing in Canada, is calling for Nominations to the CYA Board of Directors. -- Details: http://tinyurl.com/d4u8ow * Organizers of the 36th annual Newport (Calif.) Boat Show say despite a drop in attendance, the atmosphere of the show was "overwhelmingly positive" and many boats were sold. The show, which took pace April 15-19 in Newport Beach, Calif., saw an 11.2 percent drop in attendance. Exact figures were unavailable, organizers said. -- Soundings Trade Only, read on: http://tinyurl.com/cw86z3 BFD – AND I DO NOT MEAN BLACK FLAG DISQUALIFICATION By Cory Friedman, Scuttlebutt legal analyst (May 4, 2009) Not only are America’s Cup rivals Société Nautique De Genève (SNG) and Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) back in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York with a hearing set for May 14, 2009, but they now have dueling motions. The whole thing is beginning to look a lot like trench warfare. To add to GGYC’s contempt motion over the match date, we now have SNG’s motion to disqualify GGYC as Challenger of Record for want of a Custom House registry, or in the alternative, to require a Custom House registry within 30 days. There is a lot less here than meets the eye. Nobody will be held in contempt and nobody will be disqualified. The Court will likely rule that, barring agreement (and world peace), the date set in the Judgment (February 2010) really, really, really is the date and GGYC will have to provide a Custom House registry within some reasonable time period. BFD – and I do not mean Black Flag Disqualification. Justice Cahn was presented with all of the arguments regarding the dates and the hemispheres and obviously concluded that his Order (now a Judgment) complied with the Deed. Figure it out. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/#p37 WHAT DOES "AS SOON AS POSSIBLE" MEAN TO YOU? This question was asked to the members of the Alinghi Official Facebook Group, “What does ‘as soon as possible’ mean to you?” This question has to do with the Custom House registry requirement that Cory mentions in his story above, which relates to the following section from the Deed of Gift: “Accompanying the ten months’ notice of challenge, there must be sent the name of the owner and a certificate of the name, rig and the following dimensions of the challenging vessel, namely, length on load water line; beam at load water line, and extreme beam; and draught of water; which dimensions shall not be exceeded; and a custom-house registry of the vessel must also be sent as soon as possible.” According to Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), the issuing authority in the United Sates for the custom-house registry is the US Coast Guard, which can issue such certificates when a boat is completed. Given that the GGYC boat has been completed since September 2008 (but only legally became the Challenger of Record on April 2, 2009), here are the choices that Alinghi presented to its members: A) I'll give it to you as soon as my boat is finished and ready to be launched. B) You'll have it just a few days after that... let me test it first and make sure it doesn't sink! C) You fool... haven't you realized yet? I'm only picky about rules when I can get a benefit out of them! Like when I used them to jump into a final duel, skipping a Challenger Series that I was never able to win on the water! -- Alinghi Official Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35894875086 * Daphne Morgan Barnicoat, Alinghi’s English Press Officer, told Scuttlebutt that the Alinghi multihull for the Deed of Gift America’s Cup match will be launched during the summer on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. OPTIMUM TIME SAILING WATCHES We've got the latest models with large, easy-to-read digits, pre-programmed 5,4,1,0 ISAF start sequences, loud audible alerts, sync feature for spot on starts and bright electro-luminescence backlight displays for nighttime viewing. Shock and water resistant, all watches come with a one year warranty plus an easy to understand manual. -- http://www.OceanRacing.com WHAT WERE YOU DOING THIRTY YEARS AGO? With the America’s Cup on hold, professional sailor Paul Cayard is filling his time in a most unexpected way… as crew for the 505 World Championship. Here is his report: “This past weekend I celebrated 30 years since I last sailed a 505 by racing on one. That's right, not 30 years of 505 sailing but 30 years since I last stepped foot in one. I crewed for Howard Hamlin of Long Beach up here in SF in the Elvstrom (do we pay him a royalty?)/ Zellerbach (I think he died before royalties became in vogue) Regatta. Small turn out in the 505 fleet (8 boats) but it was just about all I could handle for my come back debut.” -- Read on: http://www.cayardsailing.com/cs_Reports.cfm?evtID=79&csRpt=760 THE BILGE WAS MY BABYSITTER The Scuttlebutt contest - “The Bilge was my Babysitter” - concluded Monday morning with the random drawing from the submitted entries. Thanks to McLube, the two winning contestants will now have a smoother bottom and friction-less ball bearings. Here is the big winner from 12 year old Sean Walker of Galesville, MD: “I was first on a boat just 2 days after I was born in October. The moment I came home from the hospital, before we even went into the house, my Dad took me on-board First Draft, our Catalina 27, for a picture. “Then next spring, my parents strapped my car seat to the starboard settee and off we went. While they enjoyed the view of the sunset, I enjoyed the view of the port settee. Later that summer, as I began to crawl and walk, they used that same settee cushion as a baby gate to keep me corralled inside my new nautical playpen - the vee berth. Mom or Dad would occasionally stick their head down the hatch, keeping me entertained by playing peekaboo, but I really wanted to steer. “They eventually gave me the tiller, and today I'm racing Optis and Lasers and crewing on the Commodore's J/30. My goal is to one day do the TransPac on a TP52 like Morning Light.” Contest postings: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7361 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 Scott Truesdell: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 2836) What is it with "seekers" and wacky sailing adventures? There is nothing interesting, amazing or unique about Reid Stowe's "experiment in psychology." Nut cases have been pulling these stunts forever. We have the soda pop bottle catamaran in San Francisco. We had the self-destructing beer-can catamaran. If Stowe offers you the Kool-Ade my advice is not to drink it. * From Reed Baer: David Barrow might not want to read any more about the America's Cup (#2836), in which case I might suggest you practice the ancient art of JUST NOT READING THE STUFF! I, however, am fascinated by the drama, and I say, keep it coming, including the excellent analysis! * From Brendan Hanna: To David Barrow, and everyone else that thinks the same way about the AC coverage: Do you have OCD? When you read the newspaper, do you feel compelled to read absolutely everything on every page, including the ladies underwear ads from Macy's? I have followed all of the AC high jinx and shenanigans, both on and off the water, since the 1960s and researched the stories since 1851. I find the ego-play entertaining and in many cases amusing. Scuttlebutt is one of the best, most accurate and current sources of information. If you don't like it, skip it. * From Count Enrico Ferrari: In light of the excellent attendance and interest in sailing generated by the VO-70 in Boston and assisted by the three days of good weather, it would seem that sailing is perched on the brink of new popularity. North America is mostly shrouded in questionable weather most of the year, giving the fair-weather potential sailors an excuse to NOT go sailing. With the advent of Global Warming the industry will not be able to keep up with the demand for new boats as these previously shore bound swabs get out on the new and expanded warm waters. * From Bill Hardesty, Sr: My first time ever sailing was in 1968 at Da Nang, Vietnam (China Beach…we called it RED beach) on a Hobie 14. While in the USMC, when we had in-country R&R, they would pull us out of action for four days and give us anything we wanted - beer, food, beach, sailboats (and other things). There were about four Hobie 14s, but not knowing how to sail (being from Iowa), I just checked them out until I met a guy from California who said he could sail. So one day he and I checked out a boat and went sailing... DOWN WIND… heading for an Island off Vietnam. When we came about and sheeted in, the sail came down and we couldn’t get it back up. We gradually drifted out to sea for about three hours, using the sail as a cover against the 100+ degree sun. Eventually a 300+ foot Navy ship came by and picked us up. After all these years, I still wonder how the Hobies got to Vietnam in 1968. If somebody knows anything about this, please post it in the Scuttlebutt Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7409 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it. Special thanks to Melges Performance Sailboats, North U, and Ocean Racing. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
