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SCUTTLEBUTT 1386 - August 5, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. PAN AM GAMES Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic- The USA's 13-member Pan Am Games Team-Sailing positioned themselves solidly during Monday's two opening-day races on Andreas Bay. Staged at Santo Domingo's Club Nautico, the Pan Am Games sailing competition is hosting a total of 114 sailors from 17 countries, sailing in seven classes (eight disciplines). In the J/24 class, Tim Healy (Newport, R.I.) with crew Nick Judson (Nantucket, Mass.), Gordon Borges (Newport, R.I.) and Davenport Crocker (Cohasset, Mass.) sailed to a tied first-place position with Brazil. "We sailed conservatively today to learn about this rig and our setup," said Healy, explaining that his championship team typically sails the J/24 with a larger headsail and an additional crewmember. "We are allowed only a small jib at this event and four people. Tomorrow we will keep sailing to fine-tune our program," said Healy. "We'll worry later in the week about where we are with Brazil and the others." Mistral sailor Lanee Butler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) also had a strong start to her regatta with a 2-1 for three points to top Canadian Dominique Vallee's four point total. "I was really pleased to top the scoreboard, because I didn't know what to expect. Dominique has been training in Europe for two months, so she really came on strong. It's a real speed course because of the puffs and lulls. There aren't many shifts, so you just have to concentrate on getting to the breeze first and go fast all the time." The Pan American Games, held every four years since their inception in 1951, are always held the summer preceding the Olympic Games and are attended by athletes from 42 nations in North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, who compete in 288 events across 35 sports. The event showcases all 28 Olympic sports and seven non-Olympic events. Results from Monday: Top Three and U.S. Hobie 16 Open (9 boats) 1. E. Figueroa, PUR, 2-2, 4 2. B. Arndt, BRA, 1-4; 5 3. J.I. Maegli, GUA, 3-3; 6 5. Paul/Mary Ann Hess, USA, 5-6; 11 J/24 Open (11 boats) 1(t). M. Santa Cruz, BRA, 2-1; 3 1(t). Tim Healy/Davenport Crocker/Gordon Borges,/Nick Judson, USA, 1-2; 3 3. A. Gonzalez, CHI, 7-3; 10 Laser Male (15 boats) 1. Robert Scheidt, BRA, 1-1; 2 2. D.E. Romero, ARG, 2-2; 4 3. Ben Richardson, USA, 5-3; 8 Laser Radial Female (11 boats) 1. T.E. Calles, MEX 1-1; 2 2. K. Rasa, CAN, 2-3; 5 3. C. Bejar, BRA, 5-2; 7 5. Sally Barkow, USA, 4-4; 8 Mistral Male (10 boats) 1. M. Galvan, ARG, 2-1; 3 2. K. Stittle, CAN, 1-2; 3 3. R. Santos, BRA, 3-3; 6 7. Peter Wells, USA, 7-6, 13 Mistral Female (7 boats) 1. Lanee Butler, USA, 2-1; 3 2. D. Vallee, CAN, 1-3; 4 3. C. Walther, ARG, 5-2; 7 Snipe Open (8 boats) 1. N. Manso, CUB, 3-1; 4 2. B. Amorim, BRA, 1-3; 4 3. S. Silveira, URU, 2-4; 6 7. Henry Filter/Lisa Griffith, USA, 6-6, 12 Sunfish Open (11 boats) 1. M.H. Smith, BER, 2-3, 5 2. E. Cordero, VEN, 1-5; 6 3. P. Stanton, ISV, 4-4, 8 6. Jeff Linton, USA, 3-8, 11 Additional information is available at http://www.ussailing.org/Olympics/PanAm SAVING GREEN CAY AND SANDY SPIT You've seen them in pictures, and if you've sailed the British Virgin Islands at all, you're sure to have visited. But now the 16 acres of Sandy Spit and its parent, Green Cay, are for sale - asking price $1.7 million - and they could be developed. Lots of people think that would be a terrible loss, including Jost Van Dyke musician and beach bar magnate Feliciano Callwood, aka Foxy, the local musician who perfected the island beach bar (and who is probably the most famous West Indian after Bob Marley and Fidel Castro). He and his friends are raising funds for the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society, with hopes to merge picture-perfect Green Cay and Sandy Spit into a public marine park to benefit islanders, visiting sailors, and generations to come. They're even willing to face cold water to do it, thus the first annual Foxy's Wooden Boat Regatta-North, a fund-raiser coming to Corinthian YC in Marblehead, MA, August 30-31. The terms are simple: "Wooden yachts of any size or shape, single-handed or fully-crewed, mono or multi-hulled." No ratings. Instead, boats will be grouped by size. Race info at http://www.corinthianyc.org/foxywbr162.html Complete story at http://www.sailmagazine.com/news/NEWS BIG PROBLEM For as long as I can remember I've used my tired up old shorts for sailing. But no more. I've gotten spoiled by my fast drying Breathable Supplex Camet shorts and their foam pads that pamper my aging butt. And the Camet shorts do have a cool look. So now I have a problem - what do I do with my old shorts? Visit the Camet web site for information on the different style Shorts, Pants, Coolmax Shirts, Mylar Bags and Belts: http://www.camet.com U.S. INDEPENDENCE CUP & N.A. CHALLENGE CUP Chicago, IL - The 2003 Independence Cup and North American Challenge Cup concluded this past weekend, where racers competed in either the single-handed or double handed divisions. In the 2.4mR class, Paul Tingley, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, held on to his lead from the previous two days' racing to sail to victory this afternoon in the single-handed division with a total of 10 points. Finishing second in the division with 12 points was fellow Canadian Bruce Millar, who was competing in his first U.S. Independence Cup and North American Challenge Cup. Millar, of Toronto, was named "Rookie of the Year" after a tie-breaker put him ahead of 2.4-meter class veteran and U.S. Paralympic hopeful Tom Franklin for the number two spot in the division. In Freedom Independence 20 class competition, the team of Karen Mitchell and Kerry Gruson took the championship title in the double-handed division with a total of nine points. The winning pair, who hail from Deerfield Beach, Fla., and Miami, respectively, narrowly beat out two other teams for the title. Double-handed teams Tim Flynn/Paul Choquette and Joe Guay/Paul Cormier, each had 10 points at the finish. A tie-breaker put the Flynn team in second place in the division. Complete results at http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/NACC/Results/index.htm WORLD SPEED RECORD A select group of windsurfing's very finest sailors, including Robbie Naish and Björn Dunkerbeck, have begun a quest to shatter the current record of 46.52 knots (86.16km/h or 53.53mph). A three-stop tour has been scheduled for this effort, which includes the Canary Islands in the Eastern Atlantic, Southern France's Mediterranean Sea and the shores of New Zealand's Pacific coastline The first stop at the Canary Islands was just completed, where the record withstood this first assault. On Saturday, August 2nd, Björn Dunkerbeck came closest during the trip. With winds blowing from a direction of 40º to 45º at 25 knots mean and with guts from 30-35 knots, Björn was building run for run until he clocked 43.87 knots over the full 500 meter distance. The teams will head to France later this fall to again take on a world record that has now stood since 1993. - http://www.worldspeedsailing.com/news_fr.html SNIPE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Borstahusen, Landskrona, Sweden- Sixty entrants from eighteen countries completed the first two races on the event's first day, where the fleet contended with strong current and light to moderate winds. It was a good day for the Americans, with Augie Diaz/Jon Rogers winning the first race and Hal Gilreath/James Liebl going wire-to-wire in the second race. However, the consistency of Spanish team Sánchez/ Sánchez has them currently in the lead. Results from Monday: 1. ESP- Francisco Sanchez/ Marina Sánchez, 6-2, 8 pts. 2. USA- George Szabo/ Brian Janney,5-6, 11 3. ESP- David Saura/ Jordi Triay, 10-5, 15 4. USA- Hal Gilreath/ James Liebl, 16-1, 16.75 5. BRA- Carlos Henrique Wanderley/ Richard Zietemann, 7-10, 17 Complete report and results: http://www.snipeus.org/regattareports/2003%20Worlds/Monday/monday.htm Event website: http://www.borstahusens-ss.org/snipe2003 MUSTO IN THE USA The America's Cup, Volvo, Vendée, the Mega Cats and the Super Maxi's: Musto is the favorite brand of foul weather gear amongst the crews. It is available to purchase across the States - try one of the following retailers or by going on-line: Annapolis Performance Sailing - www.apsltd.com Fawcett Boat Supplies - www.fawcettboat.com Layline - www.layline.com Fisheries Supply - www.fisheriessupply.com Pineapple Sails - www.pineapplesails.com Team One Newport - www.team1newport.com West Marine Stores - www.westmarine.com You don't need to be a professional sailor to experience Musto. Give it a try next time. http://http://www.musto.co.uk NEWS BRIEFS * GBR Challenge announced that Iain Percy is to join Britain's 32nd America's Cup bid as a core member of the sailing team. Percy is one of Britain's sailing success stories winning a Gold Medal in the Finn Class in the Sydney Olympics and is currently campaigning for Athens 2004 in the Star Class. Percy will be involved in the early strategic planning stages and will support the sponsorship search programme for GBR Challenge during 2003 and 2004. After the Athens Olympics, he will join the sailing team full-time. Complete story at http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=5096 * The Boat Owners Association of The United States is urging all Bahamas bound cruisers to join an E-mail campaign to protest the country's sharp increase in its cruising permit fees. As of July 1, 2003, recreational vessels 35-feet and larger will now pay $300 per entry, a 200% increase over the previous $100 fee. Vessels less than 35-feet - which previously paid $100 - will now have to pay $150. The fee was originally scheduled to increase on January 1, 2004, but the Bahamian government abruptly moved the date forward six months. - http://www.boatus.com/news/releases.asp * America's Cup French challenger K-Challenge has registered to compete in the Golden Gate Series which will be held in San Francisco Bay, September 5-8. The event, hosting by Challenge Series group, may draw as many as 6-7 ACC yachts to San Francisco Bay for three day of fleet and match racing. For the French syndicate, this highly anticipated competition provides a training platform and the opportunity to try out new crew in an authentic racing environment. - http://www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007-K-ChallengeLN3.htm * The Opti Nationals begin their first day of racing Tuesday, August 5th in Chicago, IL, which concludes on Friday, August 8th. Just under 300 competitors from around the country have poured into Monroe Harbor, and after a stormy weekend with hail showers that pummeled the Midwest, the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan looks like it will provide a typical August week of light winds and warm, muggy weather - resulting in what could be a true test of these young sailors' boat handling skills. - Haley Pingree US YOUTH RADIAL TEAM AT THE WORLDS The US Youth Radial Team, sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats, will be sailing at the World Championships in Riva del Garda, Italy this week. Team members Pat Curran, Todd Hawkins, Greg Helias, Bobby Noonan, and Paige Railey are there with help from a grant provided by Vanguard. Find out more: http://www.teamvanguard.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Aidan S. Bolger: I absolutely support Robbie Doyle's position of avoiding the Rubber Room. We were in our first NOOD regatta in Detroit and a yacht from another division hit us, as we were finishing in first place. We were compelled to protest. We went to arbitration and were exonerated. The yacht that hit us did not want to take the penalty as assessed by the Arbitrator and insisted on going to the Rubber Room as was their right. Yes, you guessed correctly, we were thrown out. As Robbie said even if you are right, in a collision it can still be 50/50 at best. Facts found: I avoid the Rubber Room at all cost unless an Insurance situation dictates otherwise. * From: Kelson Elam: Umpiring has been a great addition to both the match racing and team racing formats. These venues encourage pushing the rules of racing to the limit and with only a few boats to police, umpires provide a fair and consistent method to resolve disputes. In fleet racing, rules are enforced through peer pressure and an occasional red flag. The responsibility to enforce the rules falls completely on the competitors. Judges are needed to hear testimony, determine the facts from that testimony and then interpret and apply the rules. Judges who witness incidents on the water and then testify in the room are merely masquerading as umpires. It is up to coaches and parents to teach kids the difference between right and wrong on the water and how to deal with it. Adults new to the sport rely on those with experience and can learn through formal training, a trip to the protest room or through a simple chat on shore. Maintaining order on the racecourse is a group effort and should not be left to a few individuals. If we truly need umpires in our fleet events, we have failed to teach the Corinthian spirit. Let's keep the umpires where they are, the judges off the water and remind all competitors that the integrity of the sport remains 100% their responsibility. * From G. H. Schirtzinger: Reading all the stuff about honor in sailing causes me to recall a recent President, a lawyer by trade, who couldn't define "is." Since a fish rots from the head down, what do you really expect to be happening anywhere there used to be a functioning honor code? No doubt these problems predate to some extent the Slickster's tenure, but has the volume of naked cheating increased? * From Peter Harken: "Any slob can win in an Eichenlaub!" Lightnings, Stars, Flying Dutchman, the first modern day ocean racers… no-one could out build Carl for speed in building and performance in his day. No one! No one has given so much of his volunteer time to US Sailing Olympic and Pan American competitors in keeping the racing stable of boats in Gold Medal condition. No one can beat Carl in an emergency repair, but best of all, no one can match him in his wonderful big grin attitude with any boat problem, no one is more fun to be with and watch when he becomes all hammers and tongs and carbon and goop and "make way, stand back and you can sleep when you're dead" as he dives into the job. You can't help but grin from ear to ear because no one can "out-dirt" Carl during a job and no one has a wardrobe that wouldn't exactly be deemed as "best dressed" like Carl's! He also plays classical Oboe in a San Diego symphony orchestra and believe it or not, is dressed in a proper penguin type suit. Man, how we all love that guy. What a treasure to sailing! * From Ted Livingston: Not to continue the Eichenlaub thread, unduly, but let me mention just one more example of his legendary resourcefulness: this from his first Olympics at Kingston in 1976. It was early in the use of aluminum masts in the Finn Class. Many competitors failed the mast flotation test, because the sailtrack rivets were working, allowing water to seep in. Carl hopped aboard his trusty bicycle, rode to town, and bought-up cans of radiator sealant. He mixed the sealant with boiling water, and poured it into the ailing US masts. After a few minutes of dripping, "Voila" the test was passed --- and most of the other teams made a beeline for the gas stations of Kingston! Curmudgeon's comment: Ted's letter breaks our rule of one letter per subject, but I liked the story. However, I think it is time to end this thread. If you would like to add to Ted's collection of "Carl Stories," he is compiling them at TLiving777@aol.com. * From Chris Groobey: I think you and the others involved in Scuttlebutt owe all of your readers, military and civilian, an apology for the "oxymoron" that ended 'Butt 1384. I have never served in the military, have no personal connection to anyone who currently serves in the military and don't particularly support the foreign policies that the U.S. military is currently called upon to implement. But your comment that "military intelligence" is an oxymoron was inappropriate for the times and shows a lack of respect for those who serve and put their lives at risk for our country. I appreciate everything you do for the sport of sailing and avidly read every issue, including the closing remark, but this time you overstepped the bounds of humor. Curmudgeon's comment: Chris, you are right. Sorry. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted. |
