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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 936 - November 2, 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.
VOLVO OCEAN RACE An exhausted Dalton was delighted with his second place in the Volvo Ocean race when he crossed the finish line at Cape Town last week, two hours behind the German yacht illbruck Challenge. Illbruck faces a protest hearing tonight over claims it illegally used the internet for weather data and modified its stern drive - both against the rules. Dalton said from his Auckland home today he expected the internet charge to be too hard to prove. However he said the modification claim appeared clear cut and the protest committee would have no choice but to penalize the Germans. He said any penalty which did not move illbruck at least one place down the points table would be ludicrous, and that must put his Italian-Finnish yacht Amer Sports One into first place with eight points. -- New Zealand Herald, complete story at www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/ Event site: www.volvooceanrace.org
AMERICA'S CUP: CAYARD DEMOTED FROM ORACLE SAILING MANAGER Bob Fisher writes in today's Grand Prix Sailor: "Earlier this year, Ellison saw fit to depose his skipper, Chris Dickson, but that was seen as a popular move among the rest of the crew. Dickson was accused of being an irritating skipper by other members of the crew, and Cayard, whose experience in the America's Cup is second only to that of Dennis Conner, while not being appointed to the post, was in the skipper's position by default, as a result of his being the Sailing Manager. The latest move, revealed exclusively to this writer from an inside source in Auckland, may be seen as one of identity crisis. Ellison likes to sail on his boats ... he is subsequently believed to have found the position of spending money to promote the fame of another totally intolerable." Other sources see the influence of Chris Dickson in Cayard's fall from grace. There were reports 2 weeks ago in Bermuda that Cayard knew of his ouster but did not tell others until the end of the Gold Cup (which fellow Oracle teammate Peter Holmberg won with Cayard as bowman). There was reportedly an outcry from teammates, and a reinstatement. If that's true, Cayard's return to the boat was short lived. The full text of Fisher's article at: sailingworld.com/sw_article.php?articleID=350
FREE GEAR IS HERE! Visit teamvanguard.com/_general/freegear_info.asp for more information and to find your local Vanguard dealer. Get ready for the midwinter's in a new Vanguard Sailboat and take advantage of Free Gear.
FARR 395 WINS OVERALL BOAT OF THE YEAR Sailing World editor John Burnham presented the Farr 395 One-Design as the 2002 Sailing World Overall Performance Boat of the Year. Farr Yacht Design (Annapolis, Md.) and builder Carroll Marine (Bristol, R.I.) have collaborated to produce other Boat of the Year awards that, like the 395, are marketed by Farr International (also in Annapolis). Sailing World judges used a numeric formula to assess each design; the formula factored sailing performance, rigging, construction quality, interior layout, systems, and six other factors. Because Sailing World readers value performance, this feature was given a 50 percent weight in the system. The Farr 395 was the unanimous choice amongst the judges, quickly earning the best score of all performance nominees. -- Cynthia Goss Complete list of all winners and nominees at www.sailingworld.com (and check out the new Sailing World website, kudos to webmaster Jeff Roy).
NEW TRANSPACIFIC YACHT RACE Participating in the organization of CrossPac are the Golden Gate Yacht Club, Waikiki Yacht Club, Hawaii Yacht Club, Royal Prince Albert Yacht Club (Sydney), Singlehanded Saling Society of San Francisco Bay and the Shorthanded Sailing Association of Australia. The starting gun for the CrossPac will go off on June 7th, 2003 at the Golden Gate YC in San Francisco. Ten to twenty days and 2100 miles later, finishers will complete Leg 1 by crossing the line seaward of the lighthouse at Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii. Leg 2 begins on July 1 and takes the fleet across the equator, past Fiji, and just south of New Caledonia. The fleet will sail through the Tasman Sea to finish in Pittwater, on Broken Bay just north of Sydney, Australia. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the race director at RaceDir@CrossPac.org, or visit the event website at www.CrossPac.org
FORMULA WINDSURFING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
KAENON POLARIZED - EVOLVE OPTICALLY
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON From David Greening: I am convinced that the rules are moving away from what "fun" sailors want. No protest flags means that no one takes the threat of a protest seriously. Windward boat and luffing rules are unclear without "mast abeam". New starting sequences are impractical, especially at sea on a long starting line. On top of this, the majority of sailors have no understanding of the rule book, and like me, would rather have a drink in the bar than sit in a protest meeting. Maybe the rules should consider "fun sailors" needs, be presented in a simple, modern and concise fashion, and include "fast-track" protest procedures. I personally think that if the aggreived party does not wish to see a protest through following a minor collision, then it should be settled by the purchase of a beer at the bar, rule 90.2 maybe. From Mike Turner: I agree with Mr. Redler's comments in Butt 935 that fewer protests are being filed. I can offer two ideas: 1. Make the process more open - part of the reason sailors, especially those new to the sport, do not protest is that they are unfamiliar with and / or intimidated by the process - they think they are going to court. Let's try holding the hearings, when applicable, in a forum that allows anyone to observe - use it as an instructional opportunity. Many of us have learned some valuable (and sometimes painful) lessons over the years by being involved in protests. Protests are one of the best ways to learn the rules (next to Team or Match racing). 2. Do away with the requirement to "immediately display" a protest flag. In recent years, I have observed that too many protest committees disallow hearings on the basis of the flag not being displayed quick enough. Many inexperienced (and experienced) sailors can be shocked, surprised, whatever during an incident and their first thought is not their flag... it is usually several minutes before the average sailor goes over the incident in his / her head and then thinks "hey, I was in the right" or "rats, I screwed up". By then, under our current rules, it is too late to fly the flag and the protest will be disallowed... so why bother filing and lose bar time. From Kathy Weishampel: I have raced and crewed in a evening series that allows no protests to make the series more laid-back, encourage people to try racing and to simplify administration. If someone fouls they are honor-bound to do a penalty turn to clear themselves. This laid-back atmosphere however seems to some to mean that they don't have to try to learn the rules or if they know them to not abide by them. I have observed and been a victim of flagrant violations of the rules and have observed only one or two skippers doing penalty turns in over three years of racing! This rule violation has gone so far as to have one boat sail with a 170% genoa - with extra crew for weight in windy conditions - with a standard 150% PHRF rating! Simplifying racing is probably good but when competition is involved and larger boats are racing, adhering to the rules adds a measure of safety and fairness to the contest. Another concern is if there is a collision involving damage and personal injuries that must be sorted out by the insurance companies/courts, which right-of-way rules apply when no formal rules with protests are being used? From John Diggins: USSAILING has established the simplified protest procedure Ken is trying to invent. It is called pre hearing arbitration, conducted by a single Judge, who will not serve on the Jury if arbitration fails. Only the two skippers are present; they each have about 3 minutes to present their side, the Judge is to reach a conclusion with-in 10 minutes or let the dispute go to a hearing. The process resolves about 1/3 of the cases heard, depending on the level of the regatta and the participants involved. It is an excellent way for less knowledgeable competitors to learn the RRS (fften times they have never owned or read the Rules).
INDUSTRY NEWS: SUPPORT FOR KEY WEST RACE WEEK The program is designed to provide additional stability to Terra Nova Trading / Yachting Key West Race Week with 3-year commitments from industry leaders. At press time, the following companies are on board as Industry Partners for the event:
Platinum Level:
Gold Level:
Silver Level:
Bronze Level: Key West Race Week is on track for another strong turnout this January. While world events and uncertainty slowed the pace of entries in the early fall, current entries and other key indicators point to another 300+ boat regatta. 326 One Design, PHRF, and IMS boats hailed from 20 different countries and 32 US states for the 2001 event. Race dates are January 21 - 25, 2002. Event website: www.Premiere-Racing.com
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
