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SCUTTLEBUTT 2246 – December 19, 2006Scuttlebutt 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). GUEST COMMENTARY (Tom Ehman has forgotten more about the sport than most of us will ever know. He’s a past Executive Director of US Sailing, former head of the U.S. delegation to ISAF, and has been involved in the America’s Cup for over two decades. Most recently, he’s been assisting Sail.tv with their broadcasts of the World Match Racing Tour. Here he provides insight from his side of the fence.) The general public, and hence TV audiences, could hardly care less about what classes are raced in the Olympics. The fast and furious 49er is no more interesting to the uninitiated than the tactical, slow Star boat. At least the Star has a large sail area and tends to fill up the TV screen rather than looking like a toy boat. (TV people will tell you that the FD, with its long, low hull and large overlapping jib, was the best-looking Olympic class ever on the tube, and it long ago got the flick.) Foilers, a la the Moth? Sorry to say it, more of the same -- big yawn. What does the general public really want? Big names representing their countries in match racing. Match racing is easy to understand and is something that they just may have heard about before (due to the America's Cup and World Match Racing Tour). Reps of their countries? Of course, it's good old Olympic nationalism. Big names? Goes without saying. If ISAF were smart (and of course they proved otherwise when they unceremoniously dumped match racing to preserve yet another fleet-racing dinghy discipline), they would re-install match racing and find a way to qualify the following or similar big names to the Olympic Games: AUS - Peter Gilmour DEN -Jesper Bank FRA - Sebastian Col GBR - Ian Percy GER - Jochen Schumann ITA - Paolo Cian NZL - Chris Dickson MSA - Tiffany Koo POL - Karol Jablonski RSA - Ian Ainslie SWE - Magnus Holmberg USA - Paul Cayard Now there’s an Olympic yachting event people would tune in for, sailors and non-sailors alike. -- Tom Ehman MONDAY MORNING TACTICIAN (American Andrew Campbell is the top ranked Laser sailor in the US, and was the 2006 College Sailor of the Year. Below is an excerpt from Andrew’s blog, where he discusses how the rules apply to a common weather mark situation.) There is always room for interpretation within the Racing Rules of Sailing. Whether it be the understanding of certain definitions, or when rules turn on or turn off, the grey areas within the context of the black and white print on the page of that little spiral bound holy book can be like looming troublesome storms in your brain. On the water you may have convinced yourself you were absolutely, 110% correct in every way. Yet when you step ashore and you read those letters, so terse and seemingly refined, and you audacity and bravado retreat as your brain begins to cloud and blur in the whirl of rules and interpretations. Sailing over the past week with a group of Canadian National Team members, we came across several incidents worth discussion and argument once ashore. More than once, we sat talking over each other’s raised voices in front of a paused video screen trying to gain an advantage over an incident that happened hours before. “You were here, and then this happened…” followed by something along the lines of “Well, I’ll give you that, but there’s no way that this can be right?” And out the rulebook came. Here’s one situation we see often misconstrued: Situation: Bernard is sailing upwind on the starboard tack layline to the windward mark, some 6 boatlengths from the mark. I am sailing across on port to windward of Dave (also on port). As we cross Bernard, I tack off of my pinning position on Dave and sail towards the mark. Where the controversy starts is just after the completion of my tack. Because the tack was not lightning quick, Bernard, continuing to sail on starboard tack while his competitors have tacked in front of him, sails into an overlap with my transom. In doing so heads up slightly and taps my boat, and bears away only to be blanketed and fade out behind me and Dave as we sail towards and then around the mark. -- Read on for the Discussion and Conclusion: http://tinyurl.com/y2wvek NEW ENGLAND ROPES SHAPES FUTURE OF RUNNING RIGGING New England Ropes has agreed to participate in a panel discussion on the future of running rigging at a Key West Race Week forum hosted by DSM/ Dyneema, makers of the high tech fiber Dyneema. Participation in events like this forum and KWRW illustrate the company's commitment to the high-end racing and performance sailing segments of the industry. Look for New England Ropes on-site and at the forum in January. Join us under the tent as we kick off our 40th Anniversary celebration. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.neropes.com UK SEPARATES CANTERS Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK: The creation of a Super-Zero class with its own race series at Skandia Cowes Week 2007, is all set to entice the owners and skippers of the world’s largest and fastest ocean racing yachts to compete at next year’s event (4-11 August). This new class meets the demands of the owners of mainstream Class 1 boats to separate canting keelers from boats with fixed keels. Virtually everyone in the racing world would agree that pitting boats with canting keels against their fixed keel cousins is unsatisfactory and is more akin to racing multihulls against monohulls. Therefore, regardless of rating, owners/skippers of any boat of over 14 metres LOA that has a canting keel and that wants to take part in the Regatta, will have to sail in this new Super-Zero Series, unless they fix their keel amidships and re-rate accordingly. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/y7drrp SCUTTLEBUTT POLL The final vote for 2006 Rolex Yachtswoman and Yachtsman of the Year awards won't be until January, so we are getting a jump on it and giving Scuttlebutt readers the chance to declare who they think should win (which might be different than who will win). Last week the ‘buttheads resoundly claimed that Anna Tunnicliffe should be the winner of the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award, giving her 75% of the vote. This week we are polling for which of the male nominees should win: John Dane, Greg Fisher, Howard Hamlin, Stan Honey, Mark Mendelblatt, or Jud Smith. For information on the candidates and to place your vote: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/06/1217 COACHES OF THE YEAR AWARDS US Sailing’s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) seeks nominations for the 2006 Coaches of the Year Awards. The awards are a part of the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Coach Recognition Program which highlights the accomplishments and contributions of coaches who train athletes at all levels of sailing. The OSC will nominate sailing coaches in four categories: National Coach of the Year, Developmental Coach of the Year, Volunteer Coach of the Year and the “Doc” Counsilman Science Award. The OSC will accept nominations from the public until January 5, 2007. Nominations should include coaching record, any honors or recognitions the nominee has received and a description of their service to the sport during 2006. A panel designated by the OSC will evaluate each nominee’s accomplishments and submit candidates to the USOC. -- US Sailing website, full details: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2006/coaches.htm UK-HALSEY WISHES YOU WELL. Throughout 2006, we’ve sent congratulations to many of our customers on great racing successes, interesting voyages, and cruises completed, and (happily) replied to messages about the fun they’ve enjoyed while sailing. This is a great sport (we enjoy as much of it as we can, too). Whether you’ re using sails made by UK-Halsey or sails made by others (which we’d be happy to replace), we take this holiday moment to wish all sailors fair winds and safe voyages not just on the water, but in all they embark on during the year ahead. 800.253.2002, http://www.ukhalsey.com GREAT LAKES SAVED (Dec 18, 2006) The U.S. Coast Guard announced today its decision to withdraw the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish 34 safety zones for live-fire training on the Great Lakes. The decision follows internal review, meetings with many community leaders, as well as nine public meetings, and numerous comments from the public and their elected representatives. "The Coast Guard appreciates the thoughtful comments we received and we will work with the public to ensure the Coast Guard can meet any threat to public safety or security. We are committed to addressing the concerns that training be safe, preserve the diverse uses of the Lakes, and protect the environment," said Rear Adm. John E. Crowley, Jr., commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District. "As a native son of the region I take the Coast Guard's role as guardians of the Great Lakes very seriously. The Great Lakes are one of the nation's most precious resources. The current NPRM is unsatisfactory and I will take the time to get this right. We will not conduct live-fire training on the Great Lakes to satisfy non-emergency training requirements unless we publish a rule, and I intend to reconsider the number, frequency of use, and location of water training areas as well as other concerns raised by the public. I am also committed to pursuing environmentally-friendly alternatives to the lead ammunition we currently use." -- BYM News, http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=1636 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar WINDLESS IN NY The fifth winner of Scuttlebutt’s ‘What is on your gift list?’ drawing is ‘anchorh’, whose says “all I'm asking for is a bit more time to take my wife out sailing (perhaps this should be a New Year's resolution). She's willing to try and to learn. This past year the (very) few times that we were on the water, there was NO WIND. We sat and bobbed there literally for hours in the hot sun on a Force 5. She's still willing to give it another go. Being an hour-plus south of the Finger Lakes with virtually no sailable water nearby limits the opportunity for spur-of-the-moment "Let's go sailing" jaunts. Maybe SantaButt can work out a text message system from SailFlow to my cell whenever conditions will be favorable in central NY.” Sounds like a good idea… get to work elves. There is one more $50 gift certificate to deliver, with the winner randomly selected from all the gift lists that have been sent in. Submit your list here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/gifts SAILING SHORTS * The agenda for the 2007 Winter Meeting of the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association of North America to be held January 13, 2007 at Park City, Utah is now available on the ICSA website at: http://tinyurl.com/yyx9vq * The Michigan Sailing Team is looking for a used fleet of boats to replace their existing one. They’re looking for a set of no fewer than seven 420's (2001 or newer), and will also be selling their existing fleet. These boats are very worn and vary in age, with most from the mid to late 80's and have non-spec sails. Contact Michigan’s executive board if you have a fleet or any leads. -- mailto:eb@umich.edu * Nearly 70 sailors gathered, on Saturday 09 December 2006, at the Middletown, RI loft of Hood Sailmakers for the inaugural meeting of the newly formed Short-handed Sailing Association. Participants traveled from as far as Toronto, Canada, Camden, ME and Annapolis, MD to the meeting which was organized by Middletown resident, and proponent of short-handed sailing, Joe Cooper. This new association is the 8th such association in the US primarily aimed at those who operate their boats short handed with groups operating in northern and southern California, the Great Lakes, Texas and Washington State. -- Full details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1216 VANGUARD - PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 2006 ORANGE BOWL Vanguard is proud to be a gold sponsor of the 2006 Orange Bowl International Regatta beginning next week. The Orange Bowl runs December 27-30th in Miami, FL. It is arguably one the largest small sailboat regattas in the country. Keep track of the action at teamvanguard.com and http://www.coralreefyachtclub.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 Ian Duff: (regarding story in Issue 2243) The Greenpeace "Esperanza" is not the only one seeing plastic problems. This is in the Dec 14 issue of the Times Online: The world's tallest man saved two dying dolphins in northeast China by reaching into their stomachs with his metre-long arms to remove plastic they had swallowed. The dolphins had fallen sick after eating plastic surrounding the edge of their pool at an aquarium in Fushun, Liaoning Province. Attempts to remove the plastic using surgical instruments had failed, the China Daily newspaper reported. In a last ditch attempt to save the dolphins, vets decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, 54, who measures 7ft 9ins (2.36-metres). The herdsman from Inner Mongolia was confirmed as the world's tallest man by the Guinness World Records in 2005. The official Xinhua news agency said Mr Bao, who has arms that measure 41.7ins (1.06 metres), was able to reach deep inside the dolphins to pull out the plastic. -- Full story, http://tinyurl.com/yznph4 * From David Tew, West Boothbay Harbor, ME: I'm sure I'm not alone in echoing Marie Jorgenson's concerns. I sailed across the Atlantic thirty-five years ago aboard a schooner engaged in scientific studies. Every sixty miles we conducted a 'neuston tow', a dragged net which skimmed the surface for a set period to find whatever was there. We pulled up sargasso weed, tar balls, and butterflies (!), but the most common capture was styrofoam pellets. I imagine those that we missed are still out there. * From William H. Gammell: For those of you who have not sailed on a tall ship, it is not irresponsible to not don a life jacket in these conditions. When sailing upon the SV Conordia as a junior in high school I experienced many 'storms' at sea, yet was able to survive what Ms. Gainey was washed over the side with. When in the Southern Ocean, and confronted with a squall in excess of 95 kts- this is when the anemometer broke off the mast- my best mate and I were the ones to respond to the failing helm in nothing other then our shorts and t-shirts. The fact that a member of a tall ship responded to a call to 'all hands on deck' without a life jacket on is proof of the ability of these strong ships to survive the many storms that cross the sea. From my experience a ship of this quality can survive a squall of 100+ knots with half canvas aloft if handled properly by amateurs. So again I must state that the loss of this young lady is not the fault of any person aboard the grand tall ship Picton Castle. * From Jim Hayes: Thanks for the article on the Tsunami Sailing Team (in Issue 2241) Living in Annapolis, I am friends with a good number of the crew of Tsunami, the Farr 395. This group has been together for a number of years and has had a good amount of success in a number of major regattas. It is also the case that many of them now have children in the 10-15 year old range, a number of them quite good sailors in their own right. It was getting more difficult for the crewmembers of Tsunami to convince their wives that they should be able to enjoy the AYC Wednesday Night Races while leaving the wives to look after the children. This was in no small measure part of the impetuous for the owner of Tsunami to purchase the J/105 Tsunami (also known as "the kids boat") to provide a platform for the children of his regular crew to expand their sailing skills in the handling of a keel boat. It also allowed him to retain his regular crew as their wives could not argue they were shirking their duties as parents. End result is another boat on the race course with young sailors expanding their skills while their fathers continue their Wednesday night racing ritual. It is commendable that the Tsunami Sailing Team is welcoming additional young sailors to join the team. Hopefully, additional big boat programs will follow their lead. * From Rich Jepsen: In reply to George Bailey's comments (in Issue 2245) on the value of small boat sailing; I agree that small boats are the quintessential training tool for all people, depending on their age and mobility. Sailed lots of small boats as a kid - Turnabouts, Snipes, Lightnings, Cape Cod Mercuries.... When I hit 16, I took a five-year hiatus from sailing, forsaking it for girls and driving.... only got back in through fortuitous circumstances.... Had I been invited on a large boat with all my friends, I wouldn't have missed out on five years of wonderful sailing time. Do not see Team Tsunami and programs like it as a replacement for good dinghy training and sailing... just as an opportunity to keep more kids involved in a sport that offers so much in teaching teamwork, leadership, problem solving and good interactive skills. Teens are voting with their feet and, if we believe sailing is a path to a better life, we owe it to them to pattern multiple opportunities to fit their changing needs. Kids on small boats; kids on big boats... It sounds 'all good' to me. * From John Harwood-Bee: Surely I cannot be the only person to question the artistic merit of chopping a yacht in two or building 'sinking dissolvable edible dinghys' ( Lia Ditton ‘butt 2244) . Art it is not, any more than dead sheep (Damien Hirst) or filthy bed linen and underwear (Tracy Emin) should be considered art. Whilst such exercises may rightly be described as creative thinking, they should not warrant the description 'Art'. The chattering classes may con themselves and a few critics into championing this as art in order to persuade those with too much money and little sense to invest in it. Those who dissent are scorned. Well, sorry about that. As 'a down to earth sort of chap' I prefer my vessels to stay afloat under me. CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM Why is there an eject button on the DVD player remote? Don't you have to get up to get to the disk? Special thanks to New England Ropes, UK-Halsey Sailmakers, and Vanguard. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
