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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 834 - June 12, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
IOC TO INVESTIGATE 'GENE THERAPY' Representatives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s medical commission met with scientists to discuss the future impact of the highly controversial therapy. They said possible abuse by athletes was at least three years down the road. 'Currently there are no gene therapy medicines approved worldwide for any human use... Approval will come within the next three to five years,' said Edward Baetge, a genetic expert who coordinated the meeting. The technique (still in the experimental stage) is designed to treat, cure or prevent disease. But authorities fear some people will try to use gene therapy to secure a competitive edge on the playing field. But the IOC knows it has to act now if it wants to stop abuse before it starts. 'We are aware that there is the potential for abuse of gene therapy medicines and we will begin to establish procedures and state of the art testing methods for identifying athletes who might misuse such technology,' Baetge said. Among the procedures under consideration to ferret out genetic cheats is the detection of antigens - or the presence of antibodies generated in the blood as a result of gene therapy use. Other methods include scanning and analyzing footprints of genes, or protein in blood and saliva. - ISAF Website, www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=710
EDS ATLANTIC CHALLENGE Loic will join forces with Patrick Tabarly aboard La Rage de Vivre. Ellen MacArthur will be teaming up with Nick Moloney as well as her project manager, Mark Turner on Kingfisher. Josh Hall will take American Brad Van Lieu on board as a crew member and will bring a truly international flavour to the event with the rest of his crew on Gartmore. Giovanni Soldini will be turning the helm of his Open 60's yacht Fila over to two of his most trusted team members, Bruno Laurent and Guido Broggi. Competition to win will be intense amongst the teams as the EDS Atlantic Challenge pulls together the cream of the yachting world's skippers and crewmembers. sums up the mood of the skippers: "The most exciting thing about the EDS Atlantic Challenge is that it will be the first time we will race with a full crew ," said Mike Golding. "That's a big attraction. So many skippers have been asking what these boats are capable of with a full crew - well, we're about to find out!" - Kate Gower, www.edsatlanticchallenge.com
Dates for the EDS Atlantic Challenge:
JUST FOR YOU
OLIN STEPHENS At 93, Olin Stephens shows few signs of slowing down. Two weeks ago, Stephens, the most influential naval architect of the last century, jetted over to Bermuda for a short visit. Yet another of his regular trips to Europe is just around the corner. And his reply to a recent e-mail message requesting a few minutes for an interview was answered within the hour: "Happy to talk anytime." True to form, Stephens has plans for next weekend. From Friday to Sunday in Mystic, Conn., Mystic Seaport will showcase a remarkable fleet of more than 75 yachts whose lines were created in the New York offices of Sparkman & Stephens, the firm Olin Stephens established with the yacht broker Drake Sparkman in 1931. The event, the Designer's Recognition Rendezvous, sponsored by Rolex, is billed as the largest collection of S&S boats ever assembled. Along with the on-the-water spectacle, a shoreside exhibit will illustrate the firm's story through pictures, half models and tank-test models. "It should be a lot of fun," Stephens said by phone from his home in Hanover, N.H. "I'm looking forward to seeing all the boats and their owners." - Herb McCormick Full story about Stephens: www.nytimes.com/2001/06/10/sports/10BOAT.html
PROFESSIONAL SAILING
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Chris Ericksen: Three cheers for Terry Harper's usage of the "C" word--"customers"--in his May report that you excerpted in 'Butt 833. Now, it is up to US Sailing to decide who their customers are. Any service organization has to decide who their core customers are and tailor their services and activities in support of that core; all other customers need to be viewed as secondary. For example, a lumberyard might focus on commercial accounts and deal with retail, non-commercial accounts as best they can; such non-commercial customers might suffer a lower-than-optimal level of service. Alternatively, another lumberyard might focus on the homeowner and handle commercial accounts as a sideline. No organization can provide the best level of service to all levels of customer. US Sailing needs to come to a decision as to who are their core customers. My hope is that they will focus on the rank-and-file sailor and not spend so much time, energy and money on the small number of sailors at the apex of our sport; if they did, they might find that membership will increase. They have one hundred per cent membership among Olympians and grand-prix sailors; they could do better with the rank-and-file if they would focus on that larger and therefore more lucrative customer base. * From Bill Heintz: (With regards to Ralph Taylor's comments about the "compressed" starting sequence in SB 833): This spring the American Yacht Club and NYYC used an innovative approach to alleviate these problems and, perhaps, smooth out the transition to the new starting sequence. In the SI's they specified a "Warning" signal at 5 minutes before the five-minute gun for the first division. In effect giving a 10 minute period and the first start. I think everyone appreciated this extra signal. For large fleets with multiple divisions we found it very helpful in clearing the line for the first division start. * From Robert T. King (With regard to Ralph Taylor's "one sailor's view" in 'butt 833): My understanding is that the new starting system should afford race committees with more options and greater flexibility with the timing sequence(s). The RC needs to have a general understanding of the basic conditions affecting the start, such as wind direction and velocity, current, the number of competitors, and the size(s) of competing boats. Knowledge of the maneuvering requirements of the competing boats is important, too. I believe that it is very important for competitors to understand and respect the performance characteristics and maneuvering requirements of dissimilar boats in the start sequence. For example, the annual RYC / SSC Delta Ditch Run usually features a downwind start. This year, aboard Tom Sanborn's SC 52 City Lights, we had the usual pre-race discussion pertaining to where and how to start. We opted for a port tack start at the committee boat. During the preparatory, we had to alter course many times to avoid numerous smaller boats sailing near the line, even while we were the right of way vessel. Diligence and understanding on the part of the RC AND the competitors is necessary to assure everyone an equal opportunity to enjoy the starting fracas. If you are not in sequence, keep clear of the starting area! * From Ron Baerwitz (re: New Starting System): I sailed with the new starting system for the first time this weekend in a small, 14 boat Lightning Fleet. It took a little getting used to especially the pre-start preparation such as wind shots and determining the favored end. Some boats missed the start because they were out tuning and got too far away for a 5 minute sequence. For such a small fleet in small boats I actually loved the new system. But I can see how 5 minutes is way too short for a larger fleet or a keel boat that has to determine what sail to use as well as other big boat hassles that take more than 5 minutes to prepare for.
COLLISION MANAGEMENT 101 Like the rule book states, contact with other boats should always be avoided. But since these things do happen, here are the basic steps to take in the case of a collision. - Make a quick assessment of the damage. You'll probably know by the sound of impact if it's serious. If it's not severe, nor life-threatening, fly a protest flag and hail 'protest.' - If the damage is severe, secure the boat by getting the damaged area out of the water, or by temporarily plugging any holes with whatever is available. - Get your boat under control. This means either reducing sail or starting the engine, or both, but quickly check for lines over the side before you turn the key. - Check to make sure everyone is all right. (Some sailors will disagree and say this ought to be the first priority, but you need to secure a sinking or out-of-control boat first before you can assist the injured crew.) - Determine if you can fix the problem and continue racing. If the hole is small enough, you might be able to affect a temporary patch with duct tape or sail-repair tape. - If you drop out of the race, hail the race committee to let them know, and indicate the crew's status-injured or not. - Determine the safest course of action. If possible, head back to port or protected waters right away. - Dave Gerber, SailNet website Full story: www.sailnet.com/collections/racing/index.cfm?articleid=gerber002&tfr=fp QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Larry Ellisoná (The following excerpts are from two separate answers Larry Ellison gave to Peter Delevett during a recent interview for the San Jose Mercury News.) "There was the famous quote (from mountaineer George Mallory), when they asked him why he wanted to climb Everest, and he said, 'Because it's there.' I think that's absolutely the wrong answer. I think he climbed Everest because he wondered if he could do it, did he have the endurance to make it up that mountain when no one else could? We're all curious about what our limits are, and we create these little examinations for ourselves. "I discovered I'm not really good enough to drive a sailboat in a hurricane at night in Bass Strait. That's very clear to me now. But the test of 'Can I drive Oracle past Microsoft?' and 'Can I win the America's Cup?' - those are still unknown. We live this life of self-discovery right up till the end." Full interview: www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/front/docs/ellison08.htm
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
CRAIG'S LUCKY SHORTS
SLED MATCH RACING At the final mark, Kohler led by two boat lengths when a warm front blew through and the breeze died. The boats split tacks, and Kohler's Santa Cruz 70 Evolution caught the new breeze first to win. "It was the most fun I've had at a regatta in my 60 years of sailing," said Kohler, North Sails chairman and BISMIC founder. The 2001 BISMIC is a warm-up for the Great Lakes 70 Class Association's Season Championship, which kicks off with the Chicago NOOD regatta June 15-17. The 14-boat class celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2001. Results: First Evolution, Terry Kohler skipper, Tom Whidden tactician; second Cynosure, Bill Martin skipper, Perry Lewis tactician; third Chance, Mike Brotz skipper, Tom McLaughlin tactician, fourth Mirage, Mike Bucklo skipper, Gary Weisman tactician. - Greta Schanen www.greatlakes70.org
KING OF SPAIN TROPHY
SAN JUAN 24 NAs
AUSTRALIAN WINTER ETCHELLS CHAMPIONSHIP The win, against a star-studded and record 51-boat fleet of Australia's top sailors, including America's Cup and Olympic skippers and past World and Australian champions, rates Coxon as one of the nation's outstanding, and most versatile, helmsmen. - Peter Campbell, Sailing Online website, www.sailing-online.com.au/welcome.cfm
FOR THE RECORD "It would take three to five days to cross Australia with the wind speeds we're projecting now," says Rice. "And there continues to be a significant problem in the South Pacific where we have persisting high amplitude wind patterns, which means the balloon could go either far north or far south. That problem could probably be worked around, but the lack of exit speed from Australia cannot. However, there are hints that these upper wind speeds may increase to marginally acceptable levels in the Friday and Saturday time frame. That possibility will be evaluated again tomorrow." - solospirit.wustl.edu/news.asp
THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUMS |
