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SCUTTLEBUTT 3540 - Monday, March 5, 2012Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: APS and Gowrie Group. DON'T LET LIFE'S TROUBLES KEEP YOU FROM SAILING By Chris Caswell, SAILING magazine I have been writing about sailing for more than four decades now, and I was just reminded afresh how the written word can touch people. As a journalist, my work goes into print (or onto the blue screen) and there is usually no direct connection to the reader. Oh, sure, there are the letters telling me that I'm an idiot for criticizing mommy boats or helicopter parents or for picking on people who want to sail around the world in 10-footers. But those are just snipers. Musicians and actors who perform live have a direct relationship with their audience: They can see in it the eyes of their audience when the performance connects. Unlike them, when I find out later that I have reached people, it is immensely satisfying. Before continuing this thought, I have to say that this has been one of those months when, though the summer heat is upon us, there has been the melancholy of autumn in my heart and mind. It is as though the leaves are already falling, and several of those leaves were friends and acquaintances that passed away unexpectedly. I suddenly know how my father felt when he decided to stop attending the reunions of his World War II squadron because fewer and fewer were at the gatherings. It has been a time of loss in sailing as well, with two sailors on the Chicago-Mackinac race and a teenager off Annapolis, Maryland. And, if not for a large dose of both luck and preparation, not to mention England's superb Royal National Lifeboat Institution, there might well have been a crew of 21 lost on the Fastnet Race. In the midst of this, an e-mail from a man in San Francisco restored the wind in my sails and the joy in my heart. Several years ago, I did a column (you can still find it on the SAILING Magazine website) about Hal, a fellow who was preparing his boat to go cruising. His wife had passed away, his kids were grown, his business had been sold, and he was planning The Grand Adventure. And then, one day, there was a For Sale sign on his boat. He had been diagnosed with The Big C - cancer. He had about a year and the end wouldn't be fun. He gave up his dream. I urged him to go anyway and, one day, he took my advice, cast off the docklines and headed for the South Pacific. I got a postcard from him, saying it was the best decision he'd made. The title of my column was Carpe Diem. Seize the day....read on: http://tinyurl.com/Sailing-030412 GOOD TO BE YOUNG When the format for the 34th America's Cup was announced on September 13, 2010, among the plans announced was for there to be a separate event dedicated to youth sailors - the Youth America's Cup. Initially intended to commence in 2012, this appears now to have been too optimistic at the time. But it is still very much on for 2013. Here is an update on the youth event provided by Regatta Director Iain Murray last week: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- We are planning to race the Youth America's Cup in the AC45s, between the Louis Vuitton Cup (July 1-Sept. 4) and the America's Cup (Sept. 7-22). There are still a number of factors that take it from pencil to ink, but that is what we are working on. There are a lot of varied definitions of what 'youth' are around the world throughout the various different sports. Sailing currently has defined youth by ISAF as being under the age of 19 years during the year of an event. We are intending to sail in the AC45s, so I am thinking the age could be possibly under 23 years. If you look at the teams that we have (entered in the 34th America's Cup), there are very people that are under the age of 23. One of our objectives is to create a pathway and provide exposure for young guys to come and be seen by the teams. One of the things we are looking at is for the sailors being purely nationals of the country they are representing. If we can make it happen on the 45s, I am anticipating that we would sail with six crew as opposed to five. So these are some of the things that we are thinking about. In terms of training and availability, we need to work through these details. We would be looking to work with ISAF and US Sailing to make sure we do this in a way to insure they are fully onboard. Like most things we do, we want to do it properly. GEAR UP FOR SPRING Time to switch gears - we're talking shiny, brand new, ready-to-go winches, blocks, cleats and more. All through March, APS is going to hook you up. Save 10% off our already low prices on all hardware from Harken! Deal not sweet enough? Let's throw in free gifts with every Harken hardware purchase over $100.00. Had your eye on a cool document case, roll-top dry bag, or Transition back pack? We're tossing them in with your orders. Now is the time to benefit in more ways than one while updating your hardware. http://bit.ly/HarkenSale NATIONAL TELEVISION COVERAGE BEGINS IN 2012 In just four months time, the America's Cup will be back on national television in the United States after a 20-year hiatus. On July 1, the final day of the AC World Series Newport will be broadcast live on NBC, coast to coast, featuring the winner-take-all race that not only determines the event champion but also the outright overall winner of the inaugural six-event America's Cup World Series. Currently after three events, Emirates Team New Zealand sits on top of the leaderboard with 55 points, while the American team on ORACLE Racing Spithill is nipping at their heels with 54 points and Sweden's Artemis Racing in third with 40 points. The final three events of the 2011-12 AC World Series are in Naples (April 7-15) and Venice (May 12-20) in Italy before getting to the series closer in Newport (June 23-July 1). Following the conclusion of the first AC World Series in Newport, the 2012-13 season begins with at least two further Cup events planned for the United States this year, including racing in the host city of the America's Cup, San Francisco. First, in August 18-26, the second season of the AC World Series opens in San Francisco or New York, with the venue announcement coming shortly. The final day of racing will be broadcast live on NBC on August 26. Then, in the first half of October (dates not confirmed), the focus of the Cup world will be on San Francisco and the 'Bay Arena'. With the race course squeezed between Alcatraz and the San Francisco Cityfront, shoreside viewers will have a front row seat for what is sure to be the fastest and most exhilarating racing the Bay has ever seen. And here too, television viewers will be able to tune in live on NBC to the final day of racing. "As we build to our pinnacle events in 2013, we are thrilled to have live coverage of all three of our American stops on NBC this year," said Richard Worth, Chairman and CEO, ACEA. "We are focused on creating a broadcast product that will excite current fans and draw in new ones, and working with a broadcaster like NBC will help us to fulfill that vision in the United States." Source: http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-030412 DETAILS: Stephen Barclay, the chief operating officer of the America's Cup Event Authority, explained to SF Weekly that NBC is getting the rights to the Cup for free, plus race organizers must buy airtime. "We're investing for the future," said Barclay. "The reason the NBC deal is so important is, for 20 years, [the America's Cup] hasn't been on national broadcast TV in America. Anyone can watch the races now." -- SF Weekly, full story: http://tinyurl.com/SFW-030412 OUT OF BUSINESS American Brad Van Liew's racing yacht is on its way to France for a new race with a new owner, and his 15-year-old sailing company is out of business. On Thursday, U.S. Bankruptcy Court closed the book on Van Liew Ventures, ending one chapter in the life of the only American to race solo around the world three times. Van Liew said it basically came down to bad timing and bad luck. He signed on to race in the 2010-11 Velux 5 Oceans race (formerly known as the Around Alone) just as the economy went south. His campaign aboard Le Pingouin never landed a title sponsor to pay the bills. In his previous races, he secured sponsorship from Balance Bar and Tommy Hilfiger, respectively. A title sponsor generally pays the bills in a campaign in exchange for the publicity that comes with winning. And even though Van Liew was winning, without corporate backing in the Velux, he was barely able to keep the $1 million campaign afloat. "The saddest thing is that this was the first race where there was ever prize money, and we had to use that money just to keep us going," he said Thursday afternoon. The Velux 5 Oceans paid prize money for winning each of its five legs, and Van Liew won all five. But it was not nearly enough. He secured just enough sponsorship from local and state businesses, including the State Ports Authority, to keep his racing crew following him as he circumnavigated the globe. "Some of those local sponsors got us to the finish line," he said. Van Liew's Le Pingouin was repossessed in December and sold at auction to one of the boat's creditors in January. It has since been resold to a French team, which plans to run the boat in the Vendee Globe, a non-stop race around the world. -- The Post and Courier, read on: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/mar/02/choppy-financial-waters/ EAST OR WEST? (March 4, 2012; Day 14) - The Volvo Ocean Race fleet crossed the equator by Friday morning, and the worrisome doldrums had been brief but eventful as teams weaved through the squalls and clouds. Whilst the tradewinds have softened in this descent towards Auckland, the attention has been on the best path through the islands of the south pacific. As a result of how the teams exited the China Sea, two groups formed - east and west. And with each group, a separate set of options existed in their approach to the Melanesian archipelagos. The three boats furthest West (Telefonica, Camper, Sanya) were forced to traverse the Solomon Islands whilst the three crews furthest East (Groupama, Puma, Abu Dhabi) were able to clear the chain's windward side. While an option for the eastern pack appeared to split Vanuata and New Caledonia, both groups now appear to be pointing to the west of the later 300 nm land mass. With the east-southeast trades of 10 to 15 knots in the Coral Sea soon freshening and turn southeast, the advantage arrow could point to Groupama's group which has beam on winds while their western foes face tighter angles. The final stretch should be upwind for all teams to the finish in Auckland with the leaders expected to arrive on or around March 10. Leg 4 - Sanya, China to Auckland, NZL (5,220 nm) Standings as of Monday, 05 March 2012, 1:03:30 UTC 1. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 1459.7 nm Distance to Finish 2. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 75.3 nm Distance to Lead 3. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 124.0 nm DTL 4. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 168.6 nm DTL 5. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 170.2 nm DTL 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 249.8 nm DTL Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos Race schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com LOCAL SAILOR DISCOUNT ON GOWRIE'S ONE-DESIGN INSURANCE Whether you sail for fun, race occasionally, or are pursuing an Olympic campaign, Gowrie Group has a specialized insurance program to meet your unique needs as a One-Design sailor. With our One-Design Insurance Program, your premium is based on how and where you use your boat. Local sailors that use their boat exclusively within 100 miles of home are given a significant discount. US Sailing members are eligible for a 10% discount. Optional coverage for extra masts, trailers, dollies, and chartering can be added. Get a quote and buy a policy online: http://www.gowrie.com/onedesignquote A GAME OF WAIT AND SEE By Ken Read, PUMA skipper I can't remember a race that I have been so unsure of the outcome. The huge east-west split (on Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race) opens up room for the three boats to leeward to sweep around the high possibly better than us. But, we do have a lot of leverage in a port tack race south. I don't know what is going to happen. It is strange because usually we have a pretty good idea how things are going to work out in the big game of chess long before it actually does happen. Or at least I hope we usually know. As for now, we are past the "doldrums" which were pretty uneventful. We just passed the Solomons with a set of final solid squalls just to wish us goodbye. Only about 20 minutes of drifting right at the southern tip of the Islands and then we were off. Whew. Don't need to give the rest of the group more of a head start. We did that already off the starting line in Sanya. Now comes the tough part. How much of our gauge do we give up in order to gain bearing? Will they (western boats) always have a better angle than us on the outside of the high? Who will have the better pressure, as the two GRIB files are contradicting themselves right now. So, we keep pushing and wait and see. It looks like it will be a complete fight at the end anyway as all the models have us hitting a wall a couple hundred miles from New Zealand and drifting in at this stage. But these forecasts are changing every time they come in. Some complex weather stuff happening down there and it is too far out to really have a firm grasp on the situation. -- Full report: http://www.puma.com/sailing/news/wait-and-see NEWBIE TEAM CRASHES THE PARTY Muscat, Oman (March 2, 2012) - Going into the first Act of the Extreme Sailing Series 2012, the all-French team of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild led by Pierre Pennec were favourites on paper and few would have predicted the final outcome that saw Morgan Larson's team on Oman Air triumph in their debut here in Muscat, Oman. Four teams were in contention for the podium going into the final double-points race - the new Danish entry, Team Trifork, won the race, but Oman Air did enough to secure victory after an intense battle with the favourites. Leigh McMillan's team on The Wave, Muscat muscled their way into the two-way fight and raced brilliantly on the final day to finish 2nd overall ahead of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild with Austria's Roman Hagara (Red Bull) in fourth, having been just one point behind the French going into the final race. Morgan Larson, skipper, Oman Air: "It's an amazing feeling! It was a challenging week and obviously our learning curve was quite steep. But this was really hard racing and any team could have won going into those last couple of races and we were just lucky they went well for us. I'm sure there was a bit of beginner's luck to this one and we just dug in and focused hard but I know it's going to be a challenging season and we'll get tougher conditions thrown at us and for sure we're going to have to eat a few of them and we're just need to keep enjoying the sailing as I think that was the key to our success working together. We knew if we held our position things would be good but in these boats you never know what can happen so you just have to keep on pushing all the way to the finish." Morgan Larson's team includes four-time Olympian Charlie Ogletree and Max Bulger from the States, Britain's Will Howden and Omani Nasser Al Mashari competing in his second Extreme 40 season. Act 2 on the circuit is April 17-20 in Qingdao, China. Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ESS-030412 Live Race Console: http://www.extremesailingseries.com/console Video: http://www.youtube.com/extremesailingseries BACKGROUND: The Extreme Sailing Season is in its sixth season, with this year's eight event tour travelling through Asia, Europe, and South America. The platform used is the one design Extreme 40 catamaran, with the format for event including both ocean and 'stadium' short-course racing in front of the public. Interest in the ESS has grown in part due to the multihull format planned for the 34th America's Cup in 2013. -- http://www.extremesailingseries.com/ GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Mike Hobson, MyBoatsGear.com Editor: To help people in mark boats and race committees I would recommend looking into a GPS coupled with a DSC enabled VHF. With this combination you can use what is called, "Position Request", "Position Polling", or "Buddy Tracking". If all the mark boats have a set up with GPS and VHF, the race committee can do a "position request" and have all the marks come up on the race committee's chartplotter. All the race committee does is enter the MMSI number of the VHF in the mark boat, and ask for position request. The mark boat is now seen on the committee's chartplotter with distance and bearing. No need for Lat & Lons to be called on the radio We did an article on it - check out the ICOM video for a good understanding of how to use Position Polling: http://myboatsgear.com/newsletter/2008919.asp This feature is widely used in fishing circles/tournaments. They can see where their friends are without giving up their position or calling on a radio. SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "I offer my opponents a bargain: If they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them." - Adlai Stevenson, US politician, 1952 campaign speech SPONSORS THIS WEEK APS - Gowrie Group - North U - Atlantis WeatherGear - Soft Deck North Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - Ullman Sails - The Pirates Lair Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
