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SCUTTLEBUTT 2812- Tuesday, March 31, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsors are North Sails Gear, Melges Performance Sailboats, and LaserPerformance. DRAMATIC RESCUE IN DOUBLEHANDED FARALLONES RACE The Doublehanded Farallones Race in San Francisco, CA takes the fleet out through the Golden Gate Bridge and around the Southeast Farallone Island, leaving it to port, and then back under the bridge to the finish. Approximate distance is 58 nautical miles. This past weekend, of the 79 starters, only 11 boats finished. Here is the story of one of the boats that nearly finished, but was dealt an evil blow when just eight miles from the gate, their boat turtled followed the separation of the keel from their boat: When longtime Sausalito resident and friend of Latitude Dave Wilhite was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004, he moved to Bellingham, WA, to be close to his parents while he waited to die. Thankfully chemo did its job and Wilhite, 51, is in full remission. "Three months ago, my doctor told me I'd die from getting hit by a bus before I died from leukemia," he told us last night. "I can't wait to tell him I almost died in a yacht race." -- Latitude 38, read on: http://linkbee.com/MRFL MATT STRUBLE: 3-TIME DN WORLD CHAMPION The DN is the largest iceboat class in the world, and American Matt Struble has won the class world championships for the past three years. Here is the second half of Scuttlebutt’s interview with this master of the hardwater: * What is it about you and winning DN Worlds… magic boat, brass balls, or..? Matt Struble: “I am afraid it is all of the above. Winning the DN Worlds is something that I dreamed about since I was 7 years old. In my teens and 20's I was good, but never great. To become the World Champion, it was going to take more and so seven years ago I made up my mind to become better prepared. I had years of experience, I was just not putting it together. So, I started over with a clean sheet and documented everything and did smart testing. It took me several years to form the program that I am using today, but it is built on sound results and years of testing. “I have also been lucky to work with the greatest innovators and technicians in the sport. Jan Gougeon is a multi-time World Champion and one of my best friends. He can solve any problem. Ron Sherry of Composite Concepts is also a close friend of mine and a multi-time World Champion. He and I test together, and most of the equipment I am using today comes from Composite Concepts. And where would I be without sails. Mike Boston at the North Sails loft in Detroit is the premiere DN sail designer and builder in the world. “2009 was an interesting DN season for me. Ron Sherry and I designed a new mast, Mike Boston and I designed a new sail (MS-1), and I designed and built a new runner plank. I spent a lot of time testing before the Worlds and the data showed my new equipment was good, but I was still nervous about changing so many components in one season. Maybe my greatest advantage in DN ice boat racing is my physical preparation. I have worked very hard over the years to prepare my body for ice boat racing and the results seem to support my approach." * Any particularly scary hardwater stories that you care to relive? -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0328 HOW TO STIMULATE YOUR PERSONAL ECONOMY! North Sails has a great selection of Puma VOR and il mostro apparel for men and women and is offering FREE surface shipping within the USA on all Puma clothing purchases through April 5th. We’ve also got a great collection of bags, sandals and accessories to help you shed the winter “blahs.” Save $$, look sharp! Shop at http://www.NorthSailsGear.com. Mention ‘Scuttlebutt’ in comments box & shipping charges will be deducted. MONDAY MORNING TACTICIAN: WINDWARD GATES by Andrew Campbell Every once in a while a great idea comes into sailing and revolutionizes the game, changes how was approach racing, and makes a positive impact on all sailor’s experiences. Certainly the institution of the gate, instead of the traditional single leeward mark was one of those moments. Doubling the leeward marks means halving the traffic, and thus halving interactions between boats, halving collisions, and halving protests. While 50% fewer infractions might be optimistic, there are certainly fewer pin-wheel situations when you have the option of simply gybing and sailing around the other direction. So the easy transition would be to apply the same concept to the other high-traffic location on the racecourse… Enter: the Windward Gate. During the Etchells Jaguar Series this winter, the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club used the windward gate to spread out the sixty-plus boat Etchells fleets. By providing two exits from the windward mark, ideally the windward gate could cut the amount of traffic, incidents, and fouls, just like the windward mark. In practice the windward gate is not quite as simple as the leeward gate. And, while we know from experience that the leeward gate makes racing better and more fun, I’m not entirely convinced that it makes the racing better. Here’s why: http://linkbee.com/MRFN TIME FOR MY SPRING RANT by Don Finkle, RCR Yachts Maybe it is because I feel the need to remind myself, or maybe it is because I've been in the boat business all my adult life and I've seen this picture play out year after year. People wait until the last minute to get organized for the coming season and it leads to frustration, missed opportunities, and poor performance. Get your boat ready. Get your sails ready. Have your crew lined up. Schedule your season. Is your rating certificate current? Where is that list of "to do" items you made up last year, the punch list for fixing what didn't work quite right? This (Great Lakes) is a seasonal sailing area and you do not want to be unprepared when we start sailing, which will be soon. -- http://www.rcryachts.com TELEFONICA BLUE FILES FOR REDRESS If you can remember back to February 14th, that was when the start of the 12,300 nm Leg 5 from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janiero, Brazil began, but with only three of the eight boats competing. Where was everybody else? Cash strapped Team Russia was on the sidelines, and Delta Lloyd and Telefonica Black were on a ship to Rio due to damage from Leg 4. Then there was Ericsson 3, damaged during Leg 4, taking a pit stop in Taiwan for repairs, resuming Leg 4 to Qingdao, but when light winds delayed their finish, they started Leg 5 nearly seven hours late. The real surprise, however, occurred just minutes before the start gun fired when Telefonica Blue went aground, immediately returning to port to address damage to her bulb and fin, with the team finally crossing the starting line nearly 19 hours behind the leaders. Now Telefonica Blue has submitted a request for redress, claiming their delayed start was a result of mistakes made by the Race Committee and/or Organising Authority. The International Jury arrives in Rio de Janeiro later this week for the hearing. The redress form, submitted by skipper Bouwe Bekking on March 29th, can be read here: http://noticeboard.volvooceanrace.org/wp-content/uploads/tela-redress.pdf * All the teams except Team Russia are expected to be ready for the Rio de Janeiro In-Port Race on April 4th, with Leg 6 from Rio to Boston (4,900 nm) to begin April 11th, with the teams expected to begin finishing by April 27th. -- Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Current points standings: 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 63.5 points 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 53.0 points 3. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 50.5 points 4. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 43.5 points 5. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 39.5 points 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 21.0 points 7. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 12.5 points 8. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 points MELGES RACING TRAVELS TO CHARLESTON RACE WEEK The New Audi Melges 20 will make its one-design debut at Charleston Race Week and the Melges 24 will have a strong fleet at this same event with over 40 entries expected. For new Audi Melges 20 owner Eric Wynsma from Grand Rapids, MI, it is all about the process in travel, simple logistics with this boat, and then camaraderie at the event. “We are at the front end of something great so we need to start it out right. The upcoming racing is going to be a blast! Exciting and fun times ahead with the new Audi Melges 20.” -- http://www.melges.com SAILING SHORTS * Over three days of near perfect racing conditions, Bora Gulari of Detroit, MI bested a dozen boat fleet to win the McLube Harken Moth Pacific Rim Championship in a 15 race series on March 27-29. Hosted by Kaneohe Yacht Club, the regatta was sailed in 15-24 knot tropical trade wind conditions on flat green water. Gulari, the US National Champion, who finished second to Charlie McKee just three weeks earlier in the Pacific Coast Championships in Coronado, turned the tables completely in the challenging conditions, winning 11 of the first 14 races, with no need to sail the final race. -- Full report, photos, and video: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7293 * A new generation of 29er sailors is blossoming in the US as evidenced by the 22 teams at the class' Midwinters West on March 27-29. In challenging conditions in San Diego's South Bay, Paris Henken sailing with 49er Olympian ringer Chris Rast sailed to a 10 point lead over top US Sailing U18 Team sailors Mac Agnese and Ian Simms. An impressive 18 girls were in this fleet of 44 sailors, including 6 all-girl teams. U18 team members Julia Paxton and CC Childers were the top finishing all-girl team coming in 7th overall. -- Full report and photos: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7295 * Informa Yacht Group, organisers of the World Yacht Racing Forum have announced the addition of the Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium to run parallel to this year’s Forum on December 9-10 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Over 300 delegates and 65 media attended the inaugural World Yacht Racing Forum last December, co-located with the 4th edition of the popular Motorsport Business Forum. -- http://yrdts.com * The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water recently tested a range of handheld flare signaling devices on the water in both day and night conditions and put the entire video series of real-world tests online. The tests included SOLAS approved handheld flares, USCG approved gun-style flare launchers, parachute and meteor flares, smoke canisters, and pocket rockets as well some non-pyrotechnic visual distress signals such as the newest battery-powered laser signaling devices and distress signal flags. For more information, go to http://www.boatus.com/foundation/Findings/findings45/videos.asp * In the context of the world economic crisis, SailingOne and the sponsors from the private and public sectors of the SolOceans - the first round-the-world single-handed race on equal footing raced on 16-metre high tech monohulls - have officialised this morning the postponement of the start of the first edition initially scheduled on 25 October 2009 until 23 October 2011. -- Read on: http://linkbee.com/MRFR * When he retires in March 2010, Rod Carr will have been at the Royal Yachting Association for 25 years including 10 as chief executive, having started as dinghy coach to the Olympic team for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, when Britain earned a solitary bronze medal. On his watch, Britain has finished the last three Olympic Games as the world's top sailing nation, with a record four gold medals won at Beijing 2008 including a third for Ben Ainslie, one of Carr's early charges when he was coach in Atlanta 1996. -- Telegraph, read on: http://linkbee.com/MRFU * CORRECTION: In Scuttlebutt 2811, the winner of the Laser Radial division at the Laser Midwinters West event was incorrectly listed as Chris Toole from Santa Barbara. His name is actually Oliver Toole, who won five of the nine races on his way to his six point victory over Acapulco’s Erik Brockman. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7288 APRIL FOOLS WRITING ASSIGNMENT In anticipation of April 1st, Scuttlebutt is hosting an April Fools writing assignment. There are countless themes to choose - just scroll through recent issues of Scuttlebutt and put your own absurd twist to any event… or make up your own. We will publish every story (without the author’s name), and dig into the prize bin for the most worthy. Deadline for submissions is 12:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 31st. Send stories to the Scuttlebutt editor at mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com FREE SHIPPING FROM LASERPERFORMANCE Now through April 30th, LaserPerformance is offering free shipping on all orders of $100 or more bought through our on-line store http://shop.laserperformance.com. Some restrictions apply so go online, check out the fine print, and start gearing up for the season today! -- http://www.laserperformance.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Richard Jepsen, US SAILING volunteer: I've been very pleased and proud to volunteer for the past few presidents of US SAILING, whom I think were all selfless, hard working and worthy representatives of US SAILING and the sport of sailing. Dave Irish, Jim Muldoon, Dave Rosecrans, Janet Baxter and Jim Capron, as well as the luminaries before them, Bob Hobbs, Bill Martin, et al. They all sacrificed tremendously in service to the sport.. And, now, another person famously capable of selfless devotion to the sport, Gary Jobson, will lead the sport in America. It's a good day for sailing. * From Will Tuthill, Jamestown, RI: (re, Matt Struble interview) Thank you for covering this. For far too long, ice sailing has gotten short shrift from "mainstream" publications. Virtually all ice sailors sail soft water in summer, so ice sailing stories ARE mainstream. Ask any sailor who has experienced the joys of ice sailing which they would prefer… a good day of water sailing in summer or a good day of ice sailing in the winter. I think that you know the answer. Three cheers for Scuttlebutt! * From Fin Beven: In the article regarding the IOR rule (in #2811), there was a mention that to rate well, boats "carried their ballast up high, close to the waterline". Obviously not safe. I do have a recollection of one of the early stars of IOR ... Doug Peterson's Ganbare. As I remember it, the boat was brand-new, so it was probably 1973. Ganbare was racing in a One-Ton event hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club, and in order to measure in to the rating limit for One-Ton, Ganbare had lead weights bolted to her foredeck, just forward of the cabin house. In my foggy recollection, there may have been two weights, and each was about 4" x 4" x 15". Not pretty, but there was no doubt which boat was fastest that week: Ganbare. To put it in a time-perspective, the competition included Yankee 38's and Ranger 37's. No doubt they later figured out how to put those lead weights somewhere out-of-sight. * From Steve Barrett: (re story in #2811) To say that the IOR rule was alone responsible for the deaths in the '79 Fastnet is to focus on one contributor, to the exclusion of many others. I sailed that race in a 45' IOR two-ton sloop, crewed by seasoned sailors & it was a tolerable gale. At least three other factors were closer causes of the carnage: a) The then-lousy UK weather forecasting system, which was blindsided & failed to get warnings out to race management or radio bulletins to the fleet in time, b) The many small, family-crewed boats that had no business being out in such conditions, or who had insufficient equipment or training to handle big blows, and c) The fact that there were so few ports of refuge along the southwestern British coast. Forbes needs to either re-read Rousmaniere's excellent book or talk with someone who raced it in an appropriately crewed (IOR) boat, before opining about a poor analogy to the eight years of regulatory inattention that sailed our economy off the edge of the earth. * From John Walton, San Diego, CA: (re story in #2811) I was interested in seeing how the Forbes article, presented as the lead story in 2811, would tie that disaster to the current economic crisis. The first two sentences of paragraph 3 were particularly interesting. The author’s conclusion appears to be that imperfect regulation absolves responsible parties for practices that if not criminal by the letter of the law, certainly are absolutely unethical. The absurdity of shifting the blame from the yacht designers to the authors of the rule is ludicrous. The bottom line is that the designer weighed the potential for victory and the value of the victory against the value of the lives of the sailors and got the wrong answer. The historic yachting problem with the IOR rule that resulted in the Fastnet disaster was a microcosm of the current economic crisis. People with responsibility should ask whether their actions are right or wrong; not whether their actions are legal. When the answer to the first question is ‘These actions are wrong’, the answer to the second question should be irrelevant. It is the personal failure of the responsible parties to base their actions on a thorough ethical analysis not the imperfect regulation that caused the Fastnet disaster and the present economic crisis. Those people without a moral center who only concern themselves with the legal question are criminals, who belong in jail not living in La Playa. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. Special thanks to North Sails Gear, Melges Performance Sailboats, and LaserPerformance. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
