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SCUTTLEBUTT 1923 -- September 14, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.THE PIRATE SHIP (Thedailysail subscription website attended Monday's launch of Paul Cayard's The Black Pearl, and came away with an extensive report and lots of photos. Here are a couple of story excerpts.) Robert Mitchell, Managing Director of Buena Vista International UK admits that he has gone out on a limb to get Disney to back the project - this is the first deal of its kind between a sporting event and a major Hollywood film. Buena Vista, Disney's distribution company will be cranking up promotion of the film via the boat to coincide with the Volvo Ocean Race start this November but with the launch of the second film - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - not due until 7 July next year (The Black Pearl's sail number is 7706) it is only likely to be in the latter stages of the race that we will see any heavyweight marketing, using the film's stars. And what of the boat herself? Last week we expressed our concerns over what we felt was an unimaginative paintjob for a boat linked to Disney, a company renowned for creating the fantastic. To be called The Black Pearl (the VO70 does have 'Isla de Muerta' on its transom as port of registry) one would anticipate the boat to have black sails - clever use of graphics could even make them look like tattered black sails - and a wave-ravaged black hull showing cannons pointing out. What is depicted on the hull we have since learned are not hot rod flames, but the black tentacles of a character we can expect to encounter in the second Pirates film - the Kraken - hence the 'eye' that appears on the topsides beneath the 'C' in Caribbean. -- www.thedailysail.com OPHELIA All eyes are on Ophelia in the Atlantic Ocean, still a Tropical storm, but tracking across warmer waters giving her the chance to re-intensify before landfall. Even at this late stage, confidence regarding her exact track remains rather sketchy. Therefore, winds generated by this system are subject to considerable change, especially through Thursday and Friday. The forecast for Wednesday has Ophelia possibly strengthening back to Hurricane status as she crosses warmer waters before landfall in the vicinity of Cape Fear, NC/ Wilmington, VA on Wednesday afternoon or evening, with winds increasing into Wednesday night and through Thursday. Sailflow.com is providing complimentary updates from the following link: http://www.sailflow.com/ophelia FROM SWEDEN TO SICILY It would be hard to imagine a bigger contrast in sailing venues in Europe than comparing Malmö to Trapani. It's a long journey from the cool, clean, quiet refinement of the Swedes to the wild exuberance and organised chaos of Sicily. The Trapani Louis Vuitton Acts are among the biggest events to ever happen here, and the local population is certainly caught up in the excitement. Nearly every doorway and window contains an America's Cup poster, and the works along the waterfront are unmistakable. As for the venue, the team base area is already looking well prepared, as it should be. The M/V Schippersgracht is due to arrive on Wednesday and unloading will begin later this week. The teams will have everything they need to set up their temporary bases by the weekend. Meanwhile, still in construction mode, the Foredeck Club and the America's Cup Park are beginning to take shape. The venue is more spread out than in Malmö, occupying most of the horseshoe-shaped inlet that makes up the main harbour in Trapani. The team bases are to the South, whilst the America's Cup Park, the organisation offices, the Race Committee, Foredeck Club and Media Centre are along the waterfront street that stretches the length of the harbour. For the sailors, the sailing conditions will be much different as well. After racing within the protected confines of the Øresund, the waters off Trapani will seem much more exposed. The water is much deeper here as well, so if there is heavy weather on the Mediterranean, a swell will build up. After an overcast day with rain showers on Monday, the sky has brightened Tuesday and the temperature, near 30-degrees is much more similar to Valencia than Malmö! The forecast is for the sun and warm temperatures to continue through the week. -- America's Cup website: http://www.americascup.com/en/ SWAN 45 - A THOROUGHBRED PERFORMER SECOND TO NONE Whether you seek the ultimate one design racing, podium appearances at IRC regattas, or comfort and elegance for relaxing with family and friends, nothing compares to the Swan 45. One of the most successful and enduring international offshore classes, the Swan 45 is at home everywhere: from the Rolex Swan American Regatta, the Gold Cup at Acura Key West 2006 and Newport to Bermuda, to the islands of the Caribbean and warm waters of Med. The Swan 45 is sailing without limits - unmatched racing, uncompromised cruising delivered with unparalleled craftsmanship. Experience the Spirit of Swan - http://www.nautorswan.com/center_45.htm ISAF MATCH RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP There was 18-22 knots of breeze for the first day of the ISAF Match Racing World Championship in Calpe, Spain, which is being sailed in the four-person Tom 28. Paolo Cian has emerged as the first day leader, having won matches against Peter Gilmour, Ian Williams and Santi Lopez-Vazquez, "We sailed just three matches and won the three, but we are just at the beginning. The three matches have been really hard; there won't be any easy matches here. We didn't expect such a good beginning, but we had a good feeling with the boat," the leader said. The defending champion Ed Baird sailed just two matches and had 1-1 day -- beating Finland's Staffan Lindberg before losing to Russian Eugeniy Nevgodnikov. Standings: 1. Paolo Cian (ITA) - 3 pts 2. Philippe Presti (FRA) - 2 pts 2. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) - 2 pts 2. Mathieu Richard (FRA) - 2 pts 2. James Spithill (AUS) - 2 pts (just two matches) 6. Peter Gilmour (AUS) - 1 pts 6. Ian Williams (GBR) - 1 pts 6. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) - 1 pts 6. Sébastian Col (FRA) - 1 pts 6. Eugeniy Neugodnikov (RUS) -1 pts 6. Ed Baird (USA) - 1 pts (just two matches) 12. Santiago Lopez-Vazquez (ESP) - 0 pts Event website: http://tinyurl.com/9dcy3 BASILICA J/24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Weymouth, UK - After a one hour delay one shore, the 55 boat J/24 fleet for the 2005 Basilica J/24 World Championship set out for Weymouth Bay to pound out three races today. The fleet was sent out only to be further delayed by another hour wait on the wind to settle in at 230 degrees with 5-8 knots of pressure. At the final leeward mark, the Irish entry, Carrabeg Two, having rounded the leeward gate in 5th place and sailing upwind on starboard, was t-boned by L'Allegro Sommelier driven by Carlo Maremmani (ITA), resulting in serious damage just forward of the mast on Carrabeg. The Irish boat was towed to the National Sailing Center at Portland for repair. Thirteen protests were lodged, pending arbitration. -- Nancy Zangerle Standings after four races: 1. USA 4161, Murder Picture, Max Skelly, 12 2. USA 5287, Team Tarheel, Peter Bream, 22 3. ISV 2329, Jigalo, Anthony Kotoun, 24 4. BRA 37, Bruschetta, Mauricio Santa Cruz, 24 5. JPN 5317, Gekko, Tomomi Hatakeyama, 25 For full results: www.j24-weymouth.com REGATTA ROUNDUP * Absolutely perfect sailing conditions were enjoyed by 29 I-20 competitors at the National Championship Regatta at the Fond du Lac YC. The winds were out of the south at 10 to 15 all weekend and generally oscillating about 10 degrees. There was little hiking to leeward, few capsizes, some great rides downwind and some great glory in picking the right shift. After six races with one discard, Grant Frautchi &Caroline Curry won the title on tie-breaker with Stefan Achmidt &Amy Wencel -- both teams had 13 points. Steve Scheck & Leigh Leonard finished third with 17 points. -- http://www.inland20.org/ * Brian Porter of Winnetka, Illinois won the 48-boat E Scow National Championship on Little Egg Harbor just north of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Finishing second was Casey Call of Indianapolis, Indiana and third was Vincent Porter of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Sailing with Charlie Harrett and David Navin, Porter won his second Nationals in a row and seventh total. Porter won three of the six races held and elected to not sail the last race and keep his final total score of 9 points. Racers came from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and South Carolina to compete.-- http://www.e-scow.org/ * The three day J-22 East Coast Championship at Eastport YC in Annapolis, Maryland attracted 44 J-22s -- nearly 60% of them teams gearing up for US Sailing's Rolex Women's Keelboat Championship. Three races were completed on Friday in 8-12 knots of breeze. However, disappearing winds forced cancellation of all races on Saturday and only one race was completed on Sunday. Peter McChesney won the abbreviated event with 22 points -- seven less than second place finisher Jeff Todd. Jody Swanson (33 pts) won a tie-breaker with Jim Barnash to claim third place. -- http://www.regattaweb.net/events/2005j22ecc/default.htm * While the Yellow fleet at the Finn Gold Cup just outside of Moscow, Russia completed one race Tuesday with a large win for Ben Ainslie, the Green fleet had two abandoned races when the wind died away to nothing. The wind kept coming and going, coming and going all day long and was a race officer's nightmare. The forecast is for more wind on Wednesday. Because the Green fleet did not race, scores can not be updated. -- English language website: www.finngoldcup2005.ru JUST IN TIME Raider RIBs has an excellent tender that is immediately available for delivery. This 22-foot Raider 665 is the ultimate work boat for a yacht club, a sailing program, or a sail coach. The 665 has a center console, deep V hull with a 115 horsepower 4-stroke Yamaha engine, a galvanized trailer, towing post, and it even has an enclosed head. The Raider 665 is available now with special financing for a non-profit or yacht club junior program. Call for details at 1-877-7RAIDER, or check out the Raider 665 at our website. http://www.raiderboat.com NEWS BRIEFS * Rolex has become the title sponsor of Antigua Sailing Week. The Rolex Antigua Sailing Week, due for its 39th running from Sunday, April 30, through Saturday, May 6, 2006, is an addition to the Rolex worldwide portfolio of yachting events, which includes another Caribbean favorite, the International Rolex Regatta, which Rolex has sponsored for 33 years. This international event spans five racing days, with an additional Bareboat Championship Race on a sixth day, attracts an average of 200 yachts, over 1500 participants, 5000 spectators and some of the biggest, fastest and most impressive sailing yachts in the world. -- www.sailingweek.com * It's time to start thinking about nominees for US Sailing's 2005 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards. All US Sailing members will be able place names into the nominations beginning Wednesday, September. 28, and ending Wednesday, November 30. A shortlist of nominees is presented to a panel of noted sailing journalists who discuss the merits of each and vote by secret ballot to determine the award winners. The winners will each receive a specially-engraved Rolex timepiece and the perpetual Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Trophy: a Steuben crystal interpretation of the yacht America. -- www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex * Our friends at Yachts and Yachting Online (yachtsandyachting.com) in England brought to our attention a photo display of a dramatic crash and sinking at the 1720 European Championships. While the 1720 class boat isn't one that we hear too much about in North America, we can all relate to holes in the hull, and hulls filling up with water. As long as you are not party to this incident, you may be able to stomach the slideshow now up on the Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/crash * The 7th International Sailing Summit (ISS) is to be hosted this year by Amsterdam RAI in conjunction with METS on November 14. Sponsored by an international committee of representatives, the summit is held in a different city each year, and aims to bring all members of the sailing community together. This year's event will include presentations from representatives of major companies involved in yacht sponsorship in a panel discussion on 'Winning Sailing Sponsorships'. There will also be reports of ongoing projects to boost the appeal of sailing worldwide, including an update on the NMMA's 'Grow Boating' Campaign. -- http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20050726165201ibinews.html * If you have not seen the photos of America³ and Il Moro di Venezia, -- the 1992 America's Cup contenders 'doing battle' on the front lawn of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts -- this gallery is a must see: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/mfa/ * The International Sailing Schools Association (ISSA) is holding a Teaching Sailing Worldwide conference on November 5 in Singapore. The conference aims to bring together prominent local and international experts in sailing education and includes a presentation from the Chairman of the ISAF Youth and Development Committee Ross Robson (RSA). Created in 1969, ISSA is a non-profit organization who aims to support and promote sailing institutions and develop the sport of sailing through teaching at all levels. Steve Colgate from the USA's Offshore Sailing School will open the Teaching Sailing Worldwide conference. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j67Fh5ABr VANGUARD SPONSOR OF ISAF TEAM RACE WORLDS Vanguard Sailboats is a proud of sponsor of the 2005 Grey Goose ISAF Team Racing World Championship, September 24th - October 1st, in Vanguard 15s, at the New York YC, Newport, RI. Those in the area can view the racing off of Goat Island. For reports and results, visit http://www.teamvanguard.com 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 Cy Gillette: The triva issue in 'Butt 1921 about Il Moro di Venezia winning that America's Cup in 1992 gives the impression that she won that event because she let out her spinnaker halyard. This is a violation of the rule that required sails be set and not extended. As the rules advisor to America3, before filing a protest , we checked with Terry Harper , the race chairman , to find out where the bow of the boat was at the finish fine. He confirmed that Il Moro's bow crossed before America3 and was awarded first place so no protest was lodged . Il Moro won fair and square. * From Dave Culp (re Marc Herrmann's comments about the ranking of BMW Oracle Racing in the standings): Or to look at it another way, perhaps Mr. Ellison and Mr. Dickson actually do know how to put together a successful challenge, after all? * From Stephanie Stoll: I read with interest the comments of John Rousmanière about oldest American yacht-clubs. But I have a further question. A few days ago, I spotted on the 49er WC in Russia, this information: Moscow Sailing School Sailing, apart from being the oldest Olympic sport in Russia is one of the few that were born in Russia. It happened in 1718, when under the decree of Peter I the first yacht club was arranged. Born on the banks of Neva sailing settled down in Moscow perfectly. Within 65 years of its history Moscow Sailing Federation could compete with regions with long-standing " It is the first time I read sailing was born in Russia. * From Alex Watters: Man oh man, the granola bar complainers regarding the AC acts and their huge budgets are driving me crazy. I bet these do-gooders watch grossly over-paid athletes play football, baseball, soccer or whatever, each and every week and don't give it a thought. A NFL team budget is in the same league as an AC team ... so what's the difference I ask? Whether its Formula 1 racing or big boats, football or baseball, golf or tiddly winks, people love competition and these days its big business. It has value in creating something us mortals can follow and get excited about. Sure it's not the wisest way to spend money, but if it's your money spend it as you wish. In some ways there is little difference between plowing money into the arts or sports. Sports or the arts are performed for the enjoyment of the individual athlete / artist and the audience that watches or listens. Monies for charity comes for the same pair of pants, just a different pocket, so lets stop combining the two, and stop picking on the AC as the only culprit. If you don't like it watch ... humm ... what would you watch! * From Stevan Johnson: To all the writers regretting that the AC has somehow lost its "Corinthian" roots, I recommend reading just a little bit of history. Please recall that the J boats were crewed by paid hands and driven by professionals. That the owners went by names like Vanderbilt and Lipton. And that there was a reason that when the cup competition was restarted, in 12 meter boats, the events were held in Newport, home of one of the most stunning aggregations of wealth in this country. And that they were run by the New York Yacht Club as a format for gentlemen to play with boats and never suffer the disappointment of losing. I remember hearing nasty comments about that young upstart "drapery salesman" Dennis Conner and how he was just not quite the right type of person. If you want some democracy, look to the Olympics or Optimists or Lasers perhaps. Ignore the AC or accept it for what its always been. But you're not going to "fix" it. * From Wilder Lewis: I've been reading a lot of opinions recently about the past, present, and future of the AC. I'm quite proud of myself for keeping my mouth shut. Until now. This is a discussion (the polite word) within the chattering class between those involved and those who aren't but wish they were. Some sailors, always an opinionated group, feel excluded and left behind by this new movement. Others feel exited and invigorated by the sport taking itself by the scruff of the neck and charging into the 21st century. The debate is about jealously and a feeling of loss. Discussion about money and tradition and sportsmanship is a bunch of hooey. Please oh great editor, kill this thread! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Men of genius are admired. Men of wealth are envied. Men of power are feared. But only men of character are trusted. |
