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SCUTTLEBUTT 3380 - Monday, July 11, 2011Scuttlebutt 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: Quantum Sails and Vineyard Race. SAIL RACING MAGAZINE INTERVIEW: JONATHAN MCKEE With a pair of Olympic Medals, two America's Cup campaigns, a near Mini Transat win, as well as multiple world championship victories to his name, Seattle's Jonathan McKee has had a more varied sailing career than most. Sail Racing Magazine tracked him down after he had won his third Melges 24 World Championship title last May to find out more about his career so far and what the future might hold for him now. The following interview was originally posted in the SRM June 2011 edition. SRM: How did your sailing career start? What are your earliest sailing memories? JM: Well I didn't really do the traditional junior sailing thing. My parents were sailors and had a cruising boat. I guess the biggest sailing influence at that time was that my parents always had a lot of sailing books and magazines around the house. I would read the books and look at the pictures and I was immediately captivated by them when I was pretty young. So I actually I had a lot of book knowledge before I had any practical experience at all. I sailed with my parents and then started racing on some local boats. Our house was close to a lake and I started sailing a little eight foot pram dinghy by myself in the summers. I started racing Lasers when I was about twelve I think, and then shortly after that my dad bought me and my two brothers an old Soling. I was the one who was most interested and took it the most seriously, so the boat became mine. I would ride my bike or take the bus down to the marina to work on it and race it. SRM: How and when did you get into professional sailing? JM: Well that is a more complicated question than you might think. I was only 23 when I won a Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics in the Flying Dutchman and following that I decided I really didn't want sailing to become my job, because I loved it so much that I didn't want it to become 'work'. I guess I was afraid that I might stop enjoying it. So at that point I was intentionally not really working in sailing. I had studied as an architect and I worked in that field for some time and that was very much my career, rather than sailing. I did have some professional sailing opportunities after the Olympics and I raced on bigger boats, but I never saw it as a full time job. It was only much later in 2000 when my brother Charlie and I won Bronze at the Olympics in Sydney that we got the opportunity to join the One World America's Cup squad. That was the first time that it was really full time paid sailing work for me. That was eleven years ago when I was forty years old. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12199 COMMENT: Sail Racing Magazine is the first monthly electronic magazine for racing sailors everywhere. You can read SRM on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch by downloading our custom App. Just search for Sail Racing Magazine from within the Apple App Store. Laptop and PC users can view our online versions in their browser. Additional information: http://www.sailracingmagazine.com COMPLETELY UNSUPPORTED IN A HIGH PERFORMANCE MACHINE (July 10, 2011) - Rambler 100, skippered by George David (Hartford, Conn.) crossed the finish line of the Transatlantic Race 2011 on Sunday 10th July at 16h 08m UTC. The elapsed time for Rambler 100 was 6d 22h 08m 2s, which establishes a new record for the 2,975 nautical mile course from Newport, RI to Lizard Point, South Cornwall, UK (to be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council). "For the first 80 hours of this race we were ripping along," explained David. "Towards the end we hit a few holes in the wind, but the net speed average was 15.7 knots across the Atlantic. Kenny Read is about 100 miles behind us with his PUMA Team. The odds are he is probably going to win the race on corrected time, but we will see what happens over the next 15 hours, which is about the amount of time that we give them. "Flying along at 28 knots is an exhilarating experience but one that concentrates the mind. Rambler is a finely balanced machine and anything can go wrong and there are huge forces opposing each other. If those forces go out of balance, bad things can happen very quickly. But as I say this has been an exhilarating race, where we have been well out of sight of land, completely unsupported and in a high performance machine, which you are taking close to the edge, for a very long time - that is, without doubt, exhilarating." The showdown between Rambler 100 and the Farr 100-foot ICAP Leopard failed to materialize when ICAP Leonard broke their bowsprit on Monday (July 4), just over a day after the start in Newport, R.I. The damage happened in flat water after passing the George's Bank with a fractional sail flying off the sprit. -- Race website: http://www.transatlanticrace.com/ QUANTUM KEEPS YOUR SAILS RACE READY On the regatta schedule for this coming weekend is the annual Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge in Solomons, MD. Quantum Sail Design Group is a longtime sponsor of this great event and will have several reps on hand and Quantum gear for sale. The QuantumR loft at 243 C Street in Solomons is providing overnight service and extended hours for drop-off and pick-up on Saturday through Tuesday. Call the loft at 410.326.2600 for more info. Quantum keeps you race ready with sales and service lofts from coast to coast. Visit http://www.QuantumSails.com for a location near you. OUT OF DODGE, WITH SPINNAKERS (July 10, 2011) - Psst! Don't tell the old girl there's a replacement on the way. Hap Fauth's mini-maxi, Bella Mente, set a blistering pace overnight - not just another Saturday night - and in these early stages of the 2,225 nm Transpac 2011 is threatening the 7 day, 11 hour Barn Door record set in 1999 by Roy Disney's RP75, Pyewacket III. A record, that is, for fixed-keel monohulls employing no stored energy. That's the regulation for Transpac's most coveted prize, the Barn Door Trophy. To be clear about this: Hasso Plattner's cant-keeled Morning Glory lowered the monohull course record to 6 days, 16 hours in 2005, and Neville Crichton's cant-keeled Alfa Romeo in 2009 lowered it to 5 days, 14 hours. But for a lot of these boats, this year, it's about fixed keels and the Barn Door. Some 32 miles astern of Bella Mente and 12 degrees to the north (at morning roll call; not subject to the six-hour transponder delay) was Magnitude 80, built with a canting keel but reconfigured for this race with a fixed keel so that Doug Baker could have another crack at the Barn Door. With the final group of 34 starters last Friday winning the luck of the draw - a fast pass through the inner coastal waters and an easy launch into the synoptic wind on the ocean - the navigators will soon be showing their hand as they "pick a lane" for rounding below the calms of the Pacific High Pressure Zone. To that end, the smaller, slower Monday starters who worked north of the rhumb line, just to keep moving, are likely to be twice-punished. Or thrice, in the case of Harry Zanville's SC37, Celerity, farther north than anybody and reporting that, overnight, they tangled with a fishing net and spent 45 minutes overboard, diving and knifing, to set themselves free. -- Full story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/11/0710/ Race website: http://www.transpacrace.com Tracking/Standings: http://live.adventuretracking.com/transpac2011 Photos: http://tinyurl.com/Ultimate-Sailing-071011 WILLIAMS ON A ROLL Marstrand, Sweden (July 10, 2011) - Ian Williams scored his second consecutive win of the 2011 World Match Racing Tour with a come from behind victory at the Stena Match Cup Sweden over local hero Bjorn Hansen (SWE) in a five-match finale. The win moves Williams within three points of second-placed Peter Gilmour (AUS) and within ten points of Tour leader Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing. "It's unbelievable to come through in that style - to come from behind. The team is new this year - Williams, Bill Hardesty, Gerry Mitchell, Mal Parker, and Matt Cassidy - and we needed time to settle in so while we won some other match race events before the start of the Tour, we're now improving with every race." A devastated Hansen said: "We sailed well all week - we know it's not easy to beat Ian but right now we're disappointed. We felt he should have had two penalties and before we knew it, it was us who carried two [penalties]. It'll take a bit of time and a few beers to get over it but that's match racing." With five stages complete and three more remaining, the 2011 World Match Racing Tour couldn't be more exciting. Just 28 points separate first and eighth. The next stage of the Tour will see racing head to St Moritz in Switzerland from August 30 to September 4 where the skippers will vie for the title of King of the Mountain. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/WMRT-071011 Final results 1. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, 36,779.67 USD 2. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team, 21,911.29 USD 3. Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners, 18,624.60 USD 4. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, 15,650.92 USD 5. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat, 13,929.32 USD 6. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 12,207.72 USD 7. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 10,486.12 USD 8. Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing, 7,355.93 USD 9. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team, 6,260.37 USD 10. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing, 4,695.28 USD 11. Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team, 3,130.18 USD 12. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing, 2,347.64 USD 13. Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team, 1,565.09 USD 14. Rasmus Viltoft (DEN) Team Viltoft, 1,565.09 USD (Prize money converted from Swedish Krona to US Dollars on 7/10/11) BACKGROUND: The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the leading professional sailing series, with Stena Match Cup Sweden as the fifth stage of the eight event circuit sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with "Special Event" status. Prize money is awarded for each event, with event points culminating in the crowning of the "ISAF Match Racing World Champion". -- http://www.wmrt.com MEDALS DECIDED AT 2011 IFDS DISABLED SAILING WORLDS Weymouth, UK (July 8, 2011) - The Netherlands, Great Britain and Israel topped the podium on the final day of the IFDS Disabled Sailing Combined World Championships despite strong breezes gusting up to 30 knots in Portland Harbour denying the sailors the chance of once last race today. That meant for the third successive year the Netherlands' Thierry Schmitter wrapped up the 2.4mR World title, while, Great Britains Helena Lucas secured her third SKUD 18 World Championship medal since 2006. However, there was drama before Athens 2004 Paralympic champions Dror Cohen, Benni Vexler and Arnon Efrati (ISR) were confirmed as Sonar champions. Following the decision to reinstate the Israeli team after an initial race ten OCS, a decision which put them at the top of the leaderboard four points clear of Britain's John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas, the British crew protested their Israeli rivals today for having film equipment on their boat, an alleged infringement of the class rules. The protest was upheld by the jury, who found that the presence of the video camera did breach the class rule but imposed zero penalty and recommended that for future events, the class rules should be reviewed. The British boat's subsequent request for redress against the race 10 OCS decision was also dismissed, meaning the Israeli crew were crowned Sonar World champions for the first time. As the last chance for nations to qualify a boat in each of the three classes for next year's Paralympics, the final list of qualified countries is now complete as follows: Singlehanded (2.4mR): GBR, NED, GER, CAN, FRA, NOR, DEN, GRE, USA, NZL, FIN, ARG, AUS, ITA Doublehanded (Skud 18): GBR, USA, AUS, CAN, SIN, MAS, NZL, ITA, ISR, ESP, BRA, FRA Triplehanded (Sonar): GBR, NED, GER, ISR, GRE, FRA, ITA, NOR, USA, IRL, AUS, CAN, AUT, JPN Full report: http://tinyurl.com/IFDS-071011 Canada report: http://www.sailing.ca/features/ifds_worlds_2011/ USA report: http://tinyurl.com/USSTAG-071011 DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS YEAR'S VINEYARD RACE WEEKEND Take part in the East Coast classic, presented by Thomson Reuters and hosted by Stamford Yacht Club. Three courses to choose from: cruising division; multihull division; race tracking and post-race trophy party. Join Tom Whidden at our skippers' meeting. Start date: Sept. 2. Register today: http://www.stamfordyc.com/intraclub/query/catquery.html?doc_number=676 YACHTSMAN DIES UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES (July 7, 2011) - Saint John Police are investigating the death of Richard Oland, which is being described as suspicious. Richard Oland, a member of one of the best-known families in Atlantic Canada, has died under suspicious circumstances, according to police. Oland was 69 years old. Saint John police spent much of last Thursday near his Canterbury Street office in downtown Saint John, where his body was found about 9:30 a.m. Police removed Oland's body at about 2:30 p.m. and towed his BMW from the parking lot, at the corner of Canterbury and Princess streets. They also searched the area with sniffer dogs. Richard Oland was a businessman, world-class sailor and a driving force behind the 1985 Canada Games in Saint John. (Canadian Yachting Association)Staff Sgt. Mike King said the major crime unit and a number of patrol officers were involved. But he wouldn't comment on how long the body had been there, how Oland died, or whether any weapons were involved. An autopsy is expected to be performed Friday. Oland is survived by his wife and three children. Oland's family has owned Moosehead Brewery since Confederation, but he left that company in the 1980s. His brother Derek now runs the brewery. Oland became a competitive sailor, competing with his Southern Cross 52 Vela Veloce. Last year, he won the International Rolex Regatta in St. Thomas, also clinching the 2010 US-IRC Gulf Stream Series. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/CBC-071011 A CLASSIC CLASSIC (July 10, 2011) - Thirty-seven Kiteboarders and Windsurfers showed up for what is the toughest race on San Francisco Bay - SF Bay Classic & UN Challenge - and it was the Formula Boards that dominated the results with a little help from two world champion kiteboarders. The second longest running windsurfing race in the world showed today why it's had such a long run. A spectacular 40+ mile long course, solid 20+ mph winds showing up annually, and the hospitality of a world class yacht club in the St Francis Yacht Club make for one of the don't miss races of the season on SF Bay. The race however is not for beginner or even intermediate racers as it crosses some of the nastiest points on the bay, regularly sees winds near 30mph, and sends the fleet across the shipping lane multiple times with massive container ships frequently shaking up the sailors lay lines. -- Read on: http://www.pressure-drop.us/forums/content.php?1581-A-Classic-Classic SAILING SHORTS * Copenhagen, Denmark (July 8, 2011) - With sixty-eight competitors participating in the J/80 World Championship, Ignacio Camino (ESP) repeated his 2008 title by closing with a ten point margin for the win. After four days and nine races of light to moderate winds for the entire event, Spain swept the top four spots with early event leader Glenn Darden (USA) in fifth. --Daily report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12198#12198 * Zadar, Croatia (July 10, 2011) - After two days of racing at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, the pecking order is already getting established in the eight events where 242 teams represent 58 countries. Tops so far among the North American contingent are Nikole Barnes/ Agustina Barbuto of the USVI and American Morgan Kiss/ Christina Lewis, who are tied on points in the doublehanded Girls 420 event. Also lurking near the podium is Laser Radial sailor Erika Reineke (USA) in fourth, and 29er team of Antoine Screve/ Mac Agnese (USA) in fifth. Racing continues to Friday. -- Event website: http://www.isafyouthworlds.com/editions/2011/index.php * Balatonfured, Hungary (July 8, 2011) - Fifty teams competed at the 2011 Formula 18 World Championship on July 1-8, where Darren Bundock (AUS) picked up his thirteenth world title when he and crew Jeroen an Leeuwen (NED) won the event. Bundock secured the 2011 title six points ahead Mischa Heemskerk/ Bastiaan Tentij (NED), and 16 points ahead former Youth World Champions Vittorio Bissaro/ Lamberto Cesari (ITA). Among the 50 teams were 43 all men, six mixed (man/woman), and one all woman team. -- Report/Results: http://tinyurl.com/F18-071011 * The racing program for the inaugural America's Cup World Series competition in Cascais, Portugal has been announced. Seven days of competition will be held August 6-14, where the format includes a mix of speed trials, head-to-head match racing, and all-out fleet racing with ten identical AC45s on the line. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/AC-071011 SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION There are four basic food groups: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate truffles. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Quantum Sails - Vineyard Race - North Sails - LaserPerformance Morris Yachts - Samson - Ullman Sails - APS Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
