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SCUTTLEBUTT 1915 - September 1, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.GULF COAST UPDATE In 'Butt 1914, we called out for updates on the status of clubs along the gulf coast that may have incurred damage due to Hurricane Katrina. The information below is accurate to the best of our knowledge, and accounts for a significant number of clubs that are members of the Gulf Yachting Association (http://www.gya.org) * Confirmed Reports of Total Loss or Significant Damage: Bay Waveland YC (Bay Saint Louis, MS) Biloxi YC (Biloxi, MS) Gulfport YC (Gulfport, MS) Long Beach YC (Long Beach, MS) Ocean Springs YC (Ocean Springs, MS) Pascagoula YC (Pascagoula, MS) Pass Christian YC (Pass Christian, MS) New Orleans YC (New Orleans, LA) Ponchartrain YC (Mandeville, LA) South Shore YC (New Orleans, LA) Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, LA) Buccaneer YC (Mobile, AL) Fairhope YC (Fairhope, AL) Mobile YC (Mobile, AL) * Damage Suspected But Not Confirmed: Singing River YC (Pascagoula, MS) Tammany YC (Slidell, LA) Lake Forest YC (Daphne, AL) Point YC Gulf (Shores, AL) * A message board at New Orleans YC has many postings regarding area damage: http://noyc.info/cgi-bin/webbbs_config.pl * A photo gallery showing the damage at Fairhope YC, which resides on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and was situated along the eastern edge of the storm: http://tinyurl.com/a5d4q * The annual Sir Thomas Lipton Cup, which is a highly acclaimed GYA interclub championship sailed in Flying Scots, was to be held this coming weekend at Bay Waveland YC, Bay Saint Louis, MS. It has been cancelled. UNLIKELY TEAM Elizabeth Kratzig of (Miami Beach, FL/ Corpus Christi, TX) joined with Lenka Smidova of the Czech Republic earlier this year to win the Rolex Women's Match Race series at St Petersberg, FL, and now the pair have taken 4th place last week in the highly competitive Women's 470 Worlds in San Francisco during their first attempt. Kratzig had a great career in the 470 in the late 90's before teaming with Jody Swanson and Cory Sertl in a short, but exciting Yngling campaign towards 2004. Lenka was a Silver Medalist in the Europe class in Athens 2004 and became an "Olympic Class Refugee" when unable to make weight in the new Laser Radial class (which replaced the Europe class for the 2008 Games). After some good, local training, skipper Lenka and master crew Elizabeth joined the 200 sailors from 29 nations to compete in the International 470 Class Worlds at St Francis YC. It was Lenka's first major 470 regatta, but her nerves didn't show as the pair recovered from a 12th on the first day to join the lead group for the rest of the event. With a win in the eighth race (something unheard of in a team's first Worlds), the team had medals on their mind. Elizabeth has a great background in 470's being inducted into the Yale Sailing Hall of Fame after her 3rd place in the US Olympic Trials of '96, but is unsure of what to do now. She would obviously love to sail again for the United States and especially at the Games, however the Czech and Texan are simply made to sail together. With still 3 years until the 2008 China Games, Kratzig has time to consider her options but she would be a huge loss to US Sailing as she also coaches the International 420 team that did respectably in France just before the 470 Worlds. One thing is for sure; it won't be the last time we hear from both of them in International sailing. - Darren Dunkley-Smith, 470 International Class President JUST LOVING IT It is possible that Ellen MacArthur's career in solo ocean racing will never again reach the heights she achieved earlier this year when she captured the imagination of the nation as she set a new single-handed non-stop round-the-world sailing record. But that is of no consequence to MacArthur, who most definitely has not finished with the sport she loves. It is not the pursuit of money or fame that sustains her but her singular passion for boats, the sea and, increasingly, for the people who work alongside her. As she put it recently during a day-sail on the Solent on her 75ft trimaran, B&Q: "I just love this. I love working with the guys in my team. We've had a project that was hugely successful with the round-the-world record attempt and we are all proud with the outcome. We love whatever we have here; we are very lucky." - Edward Gorman, Times Online, full story: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4041-1755869,00.html WORKS GREAT, LESS FILLING! You have to carry an anchor and rode, but why take up extra space? Yale's eight-plait Nylon Brait anchorline is the best thing in the anchor locker since...well, since a drain hole. Compared to three-strand, Brait takes up half as much space, absorbs up to 75% more energy (less pull-out force on deck gear and anchors), and works exceptionally well in windlasses. It just won't kink or hockle, plus Brait maintains its suppleness and is easy to splice. Available from knowledgeable Yale Cordage suppliers. Call or write for a copy of our new white paper on anchoring technology. http://www.yalecordage.com NZ REPORT CARD The Emirates-sponsored syndicate finished third behind Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing in the sixth America's Cup pre-regatta in Malmo, Sweden. Team New Zealand won eight out of 11 races. They could have ended with a 10-1 record had they not been over the start line against Italian syndicate +39 or if a jib sheet had not blown out against Oracle. But it was always going to be difficult for them to beat defenders Alinghi, who are clearly a click faster than everyone else. After securing the start they wanted, Team New Zealand were simply outpaced by the Swiss boat, which went on to win by 2m 03s. "We are driving a bloody Jordan, not a flippin' McLaren," said managing director Grant Dalton. "Since the very first day I started at Team New Zealand I have never been particularly happy with the boat, no matter what we did to it." The syndicate's first new boat is under construction at Cookson's boatyard in Auckland, but probably will not sail until early next year. Aside from their lack of speed against Alinghi, Team New Zealand's report card following the match-racing regatta would feature mostly As, with the exception of a C for their loss against Oracle, the result of gear failure, and maybe a D for their mis-timed start against +39. "We set some objectives at the end of last year which were for Dean [Barker] and the afterguard to gel as a unit and to improve our starting and to get our weather working properly," Dalton said. "With the exception of being over the line, I think we have won every start, or we have got the side we always wanted and in every case we have got the first cross. As a unit, I'd tick that box. We are right on track there." - Julie Ash, NZ Herald, complete story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10343441 GERMAN SHAKE UP Four months after the jubilant announcement of Germany's first-ever entry into the America's Cup sailing regatta, power plays and a serious injury has put United Internet Team Germany's existence under intense pressure. The management behind the German syndicate, the team and its sponsors, underwent a dramatic shake-up over the weekend, after syndicate head Uwe Sasse fired team leader and sailing sage Andreas John. Press spokesman Andreas Klinger was let go as well. John's firing worsened the mood of the already despondent crew. On Friday, crew member Christian Buck suffered a dramatic fall while working on the boat's mast before racing started in Malmö, Sweden this weekend. The injuries he sustained put him in the hospital in serious condition. Though Buck is recovering well, the crew is having a tough time. - Deutsche Welle, Complete story: http://tinyurl.com/9n3tq ANTARCTICA CUP OCEAN RACE To celebrate Fremantle's 20th anniversary of the legendary 1987 America's Cup defence and the 125th anniversary of the International Polar Year, discussions are progressing to bring existing circumnavigating fleets to compete in the 14,500nm inaugural Antarctica Cup Ocean Race to be staged during the 2007/2008 Southern summer. The first attempt at initiating this event back in 2003 had the race to be sailed in identical 82-foot yachts, with the start planned for 2005. At that time the race was billed to have the largest prize money, with US $6.4 million in prize money planned. The event is now being marketed for such existing high performance ocean racing classes such as Open 60's, VO 70's, Ocean Racing Multihulls, etc. At present, there is no mention of prize money in the latest reincarnation of the event. Details available at http://www.antarcticacup.com 18' SKIFF INTERNATIONAL REGATTA San Francisco - Shark Kahn's Pegasus Black broke its mast, Patrick Whitmarsh's Skiff Blue blew out its sail track and Ty Reed's Skiff Red, an unofficial entry, also retired early with a hole in the middle of its mainsail bearing the rough outline of crew member Trevor Bozina, who said it was "like falling through a jelly doughnut." Another way to measure the carnage wrought by 25-knot winds on the third day of the 18' Skiff International Regatta was that only two of the nine wild and crazy craft remained upright through both races: the crippled Pegasus Black and Howard Hamlin's Pegasus White, still the leader but by only two points over Jack Young's Pegasus Gold. Everybody discarded their worst score after five of the six completed races, so Kahn, despite a DNF, is still in fourth place overall. Four races remain, including Thursday's change-of-pace Ronson Bridge to Bridge Race---five miles from the Golden Gate to the Oakland Bay---when a flock of kite boarders and windsurfers get off work in time to join the fun at 5:30 in the afternoon. The regatta concludes with two races Friday, but it isn't likely to produce more thrills than Wednesday's switch from balmy conditions the previous day to the cool, customary blasts in the 20s with gusts above 25 delivered straight down the bay through the heart of the Golden Gate. Top Five Standings (6 of 10 races): 1. Pegasus White, Howard Hamlin/ Mike Martin/ Trent Barnabas, USA, 8 points. 2. Pegasus Gold, Jack Young/ Euan McNicol/ Casey Smith, USA, 10. 3. Yandoo, John Winning/ Andrew Hay/' Geoff Beaushop, AUT, 12. 4. Pegasus Black, Shark Kahn/ Cameron MacDonald/ Paul Allen, USA, 18. 5. Rag & Famish, Grant Rollerson/ David Cunningham/ Chris Cleary, AUT, 25. Complete results: http://www.stfyc.org/ Daily photos posted on the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/18-SF ULLMAN SAILS DOMINATE SCHOCK 35 NATIONALS Congratulations to Jeff Janov and his crew on "Ripple" for capturing top honors in the 2005 Schock 35 National Championships. In a commanding performance, "Ripple" scored four wins and two seconds in the regatta hosted by Long Beach YC, Aug 26-28. Tying in 2nd place with 18 points was Fred Young's "Perfect Circle" and Ray Godwin's "Whiplash," with "Perfect Circle" winning the tiebreaker. All three were powered by Ullman Sails! If you and your crew are ready to compete with the "Fastest Sails on the Planet," contact your nearest Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com NEWS BRIEFS * With the latest prediction of gas prices soon to rise past $4.00 a gallon due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, you might not want to turn your back on the gas pump when filling up. Click here for a humorous video clip explaining why: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/gas * The entry deadline for the 2005 Baja Ha-Ha, the annual fall cruising trek from the western US down the Baja Mexico coast, is September 10. Details available at http://www.baja-haha.com * From the SailNet.com website: "SailNet's community sections - including the email lists, message boards and more than 1500 articles - will remain accessible during our current legal proceedings. The SailNet Store is disabled. Over the next few weeks, SailNet could emerge with new ownership and again become a favored destination for sailors in need of hardware, equipment and accessories." - http://www.sailnet.com * Due to storm damage at Bay Waveland YC (in Bay St. Louis, MS), the 2005 Sunfish Women's North Americans will now be hosted at Houston YC, Houston, TX. The regatta will be held October 15-16 as originally scheduled. Details will soon be available at http://www.sunfishclass.org - Gail M. Turluck, US Sunfish Class Secretary CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed 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 space - 250 words max. This is neither a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Rick Zern: Everyone in this area feels the pain and shock of this tragic disaster to these western Gulf Yachting Assn. clubs and memberships. Due to the nature of the Gulf Yachting Associations existence and the camaraderie that it fosters, the memberships of many of these clubs are like family to us. Many of these people and families that we have yet to hear from were the kids that we sailed with and against 3 and 4 decades ago in the context of the GYA interclub competition. Some of these folks were very quick to come to the aid and assistance of our area last September when Hurricane Ivan devastated this area. Now it is our turn. I have learned that the Pensacola Yacht Club is formulating plans to serve as a refugee center for some of these affected GYA Club memberships. * From Larry White, President, Interscholastic Sailing Association: We in ISSA pray for the safety of our friends at Southern Yacht Club who have made our school sailors more than at home in an atmosphere of friendship and sportsmanlike competition. Southern has hosted our Mallory Doublehanded High School Nationals, and in a series from its inception in 1999, our Great Oaks Regatta for developing teams. Under the leadership of Chris Clement and Cal Herman, this regatta has drawn sailors nationwide from even far-off Hawaii for a weekend of racing and Southern hospitality. The enthusiastic support team of Southern members has made this regatta a great success, growing to nearly forty one-boat high school teams sailing in supplied Club 420s. Once intended to be rotated among our districts, Great Oaks has a home at Southern. I write to add to the record of service which Southern has given to the sport of sailing and to the people who make it great. * From Ray Medak: (re: Brazil 1 hitting a sleeping whale) I doubt it. To my knowledge, large water mammals do not sleep. They are constantly moving and aware of their surroundings. Just try to imagine breathing through a blow hole, in 3 foot seas and/or 10 foot swells, while trying to sleep or rest. I'd be coughing my lungs out, and never catching a wink. * From Diane Swintal: Lots of letters and articles bagging on the America's Cup - but we're talking about it, so someone is doing their job right. So perhaps it's less 'doom and gloom' and more a progressive move forward. Perhaps the current 'Acts' mode is not working for everyone, but a great many people seem to be following quite closely - and if Sky Sports and OLN have put their time and money behind showing the America's Cup, it can't be in as bad a shape as Mr. McCormick, et al think it is. Check out some of the fan websites - there's a great deal of interest out there regarding each of the AC Acts. I may not choose to wake up to watch at 3 am on the Left Coast, but I for one find the race reports quite interesting! * From Guenter Balford-Suppemende, Germany: Anyone involved in the America's Cup is well aware of Mr Troublé's work and efforts to promote this prestigious sailing event. He might have been a great sailor and the creator and soul of the LV Cup but he gets an F in math!! In his desperate effort to beautify the dire TV rating numbers, he mentions 300 million viewers during the LV Acts in 2004. Let's break the numbers down: In 2004 there was a total of 21 days of Acts. Dividing 300 million by 21 results in 15 million daily viewers. As far as I know, in 2004 the Acts were broadcast only in France and Spain and assuming an equal split between the countries, AC was watched daily by roughly 7 million Spaniards, achieving an afternoon TV share of 50%!! Nevertheless, actual TV viewing numbers paint a much bleaker picture. Monday's (29 Aug 2005) show on LA7 in Italy was watched by merely 91,000 people (TV share of 1.5%), while in Spain viewers reached 140,000 (TV share of 1.9%). In these two key TV markets viewership is appalling. Apparently millions in Europe agree with Herb's belief that these "Acts" are a bore. Unless of course, Mr Troublé is referring to the number of people that were watching the news when a 20-second phrase related to the America's Cup was uttered. Unless I make a tremendous calculation error, Mr Troublé's TV viewing numbers seem to be grossly exaggerated. Does he need a wakeup call? * From Virginia Jones: Subscribers might be interested to know that a descendant of William Whiting from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, who wrote the words to the Navy Hymn "Eternal Father, Strong To Save," Emma Whiting, wrote another verse -- during World War II -- which was for Naval Aviators. I can't find her verse but it ended up with "Oh hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril in the air." She also wrote a wonderful book (long out of print) called Whaling Wives that was one of the first books to honor women at sea, as well as those who stayed behind while their husbands sailed away on long voyages and for many years. Curmudgeon's Comment: For those interested, Chris Ericksen also sent in a link with audio for the first stanza of the hymn that was included in 'Butt 1914: http://www.defenselink.mil/multimedia/audio/eternalfather_vocal.ram * From Chris Upton, retired Bowman: (In response to the gentleman calling for open revolt with the Blunt Executive End) In a recent regatta, the owner went forward in 20+ knots of wind to help the boys on the bow and was knocked overboard. The story is amusing because no harm came. While the owner was dragging alongside he lost his shorts, literally. Fortunately he was recovered by our tender (a rival) and provided with a pair of shorts in which to finish the race. How often do you hear of someone loaning a pair of pants from one team to another on the race course? The truth of the matter is that on a large boat the bow team will ask for assistance if it is needed. Other than that no one should come forward for safety reasons. It is disruptive to a crew to have to reorganize their procedures in real time. This can make a marginal situation bad or dangerous. Derek Bouwer should try to sail on a more competitive boat. To do that he should consider his attitude first, then address skill building. Good teams work together not against themselves. * From Enrico Ferrari: The comment from Derek Bouwer on the new organization of FU certainly gains my respect and acknowledgement, although it was ignored by anyone who might reside in the cockpit of a race boat. I saluted all cockpits similarly without prejudice every time the spin pole has knocked me. The most telling comment was the reticent action by other crew for going forward to do sail changes in 25+ knots. I revel in those times still. Life is too short to be limited to railmeat or cockpit work. Seize the day and put yourself forward where all the action is. Without the FU all cockpits would be in chaos. * From Brett Phillips: (regarding yesterday's Curmudgeon's Observation) I guess Maya Angelou never met a sexual harassment lawyer. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Learn as if you would live forever; live as if you would die tomorrow -- Mahatma Ghandi |
