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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 673 - October 23, 2000PRADAPatrizio Bertelli and Francesco de Angelis visited today the 40th edition of the Genoa International Boat Show. Team Prada was greeted by Mr Paolo Vitelli, President of UCINA (Unione Nazionale Cantieri Industrie Nautiche e Affini) and Mr Luigi Montarsolo, President of the Ente Fiera Genova. Bertelli and de Angelis met the journalists during a press conference where they outlined the programmes of team Prada. Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of the team, said: "Ours is a challenge of continuity. Since the end of the last America's Cup we have been working with the aim of improving certain areas and creating a team which will be able to sustain the work of the next two years. Starting in January we will be sailing again in New Zealand. The real news of the next America's Cup is the fact that the racing format will be different from the last one. There won't be three Round Robins any more and each race, right from the start, will be important for the qualifications towards the Finals. The past America's Cup has been very intense and aggressive, and there will be many 'patrons' who will participate because of their passion and personal goals. We are aware of the fact that the next challenge will be more difficult than the last, both from a sporting point of view and because statistics say it will be so. The new boats will be called Luna Rossa and will carry the same colours as before.Our budget for the next America's Cup will be around 50 million US$. The costs for all the teams have increased since the last event. This time, however, we won't have to deal with the set up costs of the operation bases". Francesco de Angelis, skipper of Luna Rossa, said: "We have just started a new cycle of activity. We now have to face two and a half years of hard work. Our objective is to build a strong team which can train together with the maximum effort and dedication. Individually we all know our strengths and weaknesses and it is now our opportunity to come together as a team. The composition of the team and the roles are still 'open'. It would be impossible, at this stage, to define in detail all the positions, in the same way as it would be impossible to determine the composition of a soccer team three years before the start of a match. We hired some non Italian sailors (see attached Sailing Team list) since we have one year less to prepare than the last America's Cup. We thought this was the quickest way to improve the level of our team". Doug Peterson, Design Director of Team Prada, said: "The Design Team of this challenge is slightly different than the past. This time Patrizio Bertelli decided he wanted his own Design Team. We will create an environment which will enable us to work to the maximum potential. In the past America's Cup we were one of the last Challengers to begin operations. This time we have lots of momentum. We added new people to the Design Team with the standpoint of bringing new ideas and being more efficient. More than ever we will work closely with the Sailing Team". THE TEAM STRUCTURE: Patrizio Bertelli - President and C.E.O SAILING TEAM: Francesco de Angelis - Skipper, Alberto Barovier, Paolo Bassani, Lars Borgstrom, Gavin Brady, Daniele Bresciano, Thomas Burnham , Sean Clarkson , Pietro D'Ali, Rod Davis, Simone de Mari, Steve Erickson, Massimo Galli, Cristian Griggio, Andrew Hemmings, Michele Ivaldi, Albert Jacobsoone, Dario Malgarise, Lorenzo Mazza, Carter Perrin, Matteo Plazzi, Romolo Ranieri, Piero Romeo, Massimiliano Sirena DESIGN TEAM: Doug Peterson - Design Director, David Alan-Williams, Andrea Avaldi, William Brooks, Miguel Costa, David Egan, Scott Ferguson, Ian Howlett, Michel Kermarec, Juan Kouyoumdjian, Jed Lowry, Claudio Maletto, Paolo Periotto, Bruce Sutphen. SAIL DESIGN TEAM: Alessandro Benigni, Steve Calder, Guido Cavalazzi. MORE AMERICA'S CUP (Herb McCormick of the New York Times recently did a telephone interview with Dennis Conner. Here are a few excerpts from his story in yesterday's issue.) Conner was reluctant to reveal many details about his next America's Cup challenge - he is waiting for the New York club to make an official statement, due in about six weeks. But he did say that the yacht designers John Reichel and Jim Pugh had been signed on to create two boats that would be built at Rhode Island's New England Boatworks. Because of the time demands of the cup, he also said he would regrettably pass up the Volvo Race. His teams have been a fixture for the last several runnings of the round-the- world event. "There's no question that the timing is going to hurt the entry list for the Volvo," Conner said. "I think if the Bees hadn't come onto the cup scene like they did, there would've been more interest in it. But all that money has attracted the interest." By the Bees, Conner is referring to the billionaires who have announced challenges for the next cup, including the Americans Larry Ellison and Craig McCaw, and Ernesto Bertarelli from Switzerland. Gilmour and Coutts, respectively, have signed on to the latter pair's campaigns. "The cup's going back to the era of the Morgans and the Vanderbilts, where the really wealthy guys of the world are out sailing boats again," Conner said. "It could make it the best cup yet. Those guys will want the publicity to make sure their egos are gratified. I think they'll see to it that it's a big event." But Conner also thinks there may be surprises in store, especially for those who believe the defender, Team New Zealand, has been hurt by the loss of Coutts and others. "I have a different take on that," he said. "There's so much depth of talent in New Zealand. They've still got world-class guys you never heard of. They'll still be difficult to beat." - Herb McCormick, NY Times Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/22/sports/22BOAT.html WORLD CLASS COMPETITION Take control of a 24-foot boat or a 70-foot racer and challenge the best virtual skippers in the world! Virtual Skipper, the first true 3D regatta simulator, allows you to tack and jibe to win. Work the wind shifts, breezes, lulls and currents all faithfully reproduced on the most prestigious stretches of water in the world. Play in single mode against your computer or in multiplayer mode on the Internet, against real opponents. Visit http://www.virtualskipper.com/yw.asp today and play online for FREE for a limited time. COLORCRAFT GOLD CUP Two relatively unknown American skippers, Dalton Bergen and Andy Horton, share the lead with Denmark's rising star Jes Gram-Hansen at the end of the first day of the Colorcraft Gold Cup, on Bermuda's Hamilton Harbour. Bergen, Horton and Gram-Hansen have all scored three wins and one loss, in the elimination series for unseeded skippers, that decides who will go forward to meet the seeds later in the week. Also looking strong at this stage of the series, though having sailed one less race, are New Zealanders Chris Dickson, Kelvin Harrap and Murray Jones, plus Australian James Spithill, and another Dane Sten Mohr, who have all won two races and lost one. Dalton Bergen from Seattle, Washington, is sailing in only his second match racing event, and was until recently unfamiliar with large heavy keelboats. When he had his entry to the Colorcraft Gold Cup accepted, he borrowed a Six Metre to get some practice in boats that are similar to the International One Designs that are sailed in this event. "This is our second match racing event ever," confessed Bergen, "and the first was the Prince of Wales Cup, three weeks ago." He went on to describe the I.O.D. boats as "like a sports car" compared with the Six Metres. Andy Horton from Shelbourne, Vermont, has sailed in this event before, but was always eliminated early, while Jes Gram-Hansen has been a consistent performer on the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour all year. Australia's Neville Wittey and Chris Larson from the U.S. are also still in contention with 2 - 2 scorelines after the first day. The sixteen unseeded skippers are divided into two groups, which each sails a round robin to select the top four from each group, who progress to sail against the eight seeded skippers in a Wimbledon-style knock-out series. With five skippers sharing a 2 - 1 scoreline in the other group, the competition will be tough when racing resumes on Hamilton Harbour on Monday morning. The weather gave the skippers a gentle start to this week long series, with the wind an easy 8 to 10 knots from the north east, which tested their tactics rather than their strength. - John Roberson Scoreboard after day 1. - Group 1: 1= Chris Dickson (New Zealand) 2 wins 1 losses; 1= Sten Mohr (Denmark) 2-1; 1= Kelvin Harrap (New Zealand) 2-1; 1= Murray Jones (New Zealand) 2-1; 1= James Spithill (Australia) 2-1; 6= Josh Adams (U.S.A.) 1-2; 6= Adam Barboza (Bermuda) 1-2; 8. Inga Leask (Britain) 0-3. Group 2: 1= Dalton Bergen (U.S.A.) 3-1; 1= Jes Gram Hansen (Denmark) 3-1; 1= Andy Horton (U.S.A.) 3-1; 4= Chris Larson (U.S.A.) 2-2; 4= Neville Wittey (Australia) 2-2; 6= Cameron Appleton (New Zealand) 1-3; 6= Glenn Astwood (Bermuda) 1-3; 6= John Cutler (New Zealand) 1-3. Website: http://www.bermudagoldcup.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed may be edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a bulletin board or a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Paul Henderson, President ISAF (re Advertising Code) - I would like to disagree with the comment about the new ISAF Ad Code as a "pending action". It has been thoroughly debated for now two years openly and many classes have made their decision. The basic position is that the sailor who owns the boat makes the decision, through their class, on the degree of advertising they will sail under. Europeans for the most part want it open and the USSA restrictive. The new code allows the choice to be made by the sailor. The problem being put forward by the USSA is mostly in the PHRF area and that should be decided by USSA after consultation with the PHRF sailors how they handle it. USSA wants ISAF to make the decision and ISAF believes it is a USSA jurisdiction. If USSA had National Classes, as happens in most other countries, then they are their own masters which is what ISAF wants them to be and not dictated to by event organizers or National Authorities. PHRF, through my eyes, is essentially a class no different basically then the Star or Snipe or Lightning. (if it walks, looks, quacks like a duck it is a duck.) The only question is what the default position should be until the class makes a decision on what they want to be. Some want the default position to be Cat"C" and I personally will campaign that it be Cat"A" because once advertising is allowed to be opened up then to make it restrictive is impossible. -- From Ron Baerwitz (Re: Advertising/Sponsorship) - Our great sport has left a black hole for good yachtsmen who choose not to go professional yet lack adequate disposable cash to purchase their own boat. Most good one-design classes require owner drivers. So, if your primary position has been as a helmsman, say as a junior or at the Olympic level, where do you go when you move out of those classes? If you can't afford a boat you're relinquished to coaching owners around the race course or trying to compete in a OD class with an outdated, but cheap, boat. Or, drop out of the sport all together. Sponsorship would enable the many good sailors in this position to get back on the race course and be competitive. I've heard the argument that sponsorship will make yachting a money game. So, I ask all of you, rich and poor, which is better for our sport - The rich guy who can buy a top notch crew and new sails every regatta or the good racer who has adequate sponsorship to buy a competitive boat and maintain it at top level? My answer is that they are both welcomed on the course. However, I have a good idea who will win the race! -- From Bob Biegler - If you think that commercial sponsorship won't have an adverse effect on sailing then you are not familiar with the history of sportscar racing in America, which is actually an fairly good model for comparison. In the late forties and very early fifties, the Sports Car Club of America was founded to coordinate and organize amateur sports car racing. I bought an MG-TD, put on quality American sports car tires (my only outside expense, not unlike a suit a good racing sails), joined my local SCCA chapter (like a yacht club) and began racing in club races. As I had no other transportation, I drove to the gas station nearest the track, pumped up the tires, lowered the windscreen, put on my surplus airplane goggles, a new Bell crash helmet and drove to the track for inspection, the driver's meeting, starting time assignments and went racing and had a lot of fun. After the races, I did all my preparation in reverse and drove home. And then some well meaning fellows convinced the directors of the SCCA that factory sponsorship and commercial advertising would help the sport! I think that the total lack of amateur sportscar racing today speaks volumes for what happened after the big auto factory teams and all the ancillary supliers were allowed in the game. If you think that this won't happen to yacht racing, then you don't know the old saying that those unfamiliar with history are doomed to repeat it. -- From Chris Ericksen - In response to your Conundrum ("When people lose weight, where does it go?"), the answer is obvious. Under the theory that matter and energy are different states of the same thing, and the theory that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it is obvious that every pound lost by one person is gained by another. And, to all you dieters, I say, "Thanks a lot": I seem to be carrying a lot of other people's weight loss! --From Whit Davis - Weight is never lost it is just redistributed. CLARIFICATION To clarify a recent posting in Scuttlebutt, the trial agreement between Omni Casino and Sports.com and the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour is in no way endorsed or affiliated with the Colorcraft Gold Cup, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, or its sponsors. For additional information please visit www.sports.com/sailing PARALYMPICS Germany's Heiko Kroeger and Denmark's Jens Als Anderson are looking to put more distance between themselves and the rest of the fleet when racing resumes in the 2.4mR class on Monday at Rushcutters Bay. The two exchanged first and second place finishes in the opening races of the regatta on Saturday, and sit equal on three points, with Kroeger listed in first by virtue of having won the last race. Stalking them is the French sailor Philippe Balle and Thomas Taylor Brown from the United States, both with eight points. The first day of racing featured some great action with many place changes in the light, shifty conditions. More of the same is expected when the fleet takes to the water Monday. The weather forecast is for sea breeze conditions building to Northeast 10 knots in the afternoon. The strength of the wind will depend on how much cloud builds up to inhibit the land warming. Germany's Jens Kroker goes into Day 2 of competition Sunday with a slim one-point lead over local favourite Noel Robins of Australia in the Sonar class of sailing at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.Kroker gained a first and a second from the two races Saturday, while Robins came third in the first before winning the second race. Canadian David Williams also sailed strongly on the first day and sits in third place on the strength of second- and sixth-place finishes. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the first day was Paul Callahan of the United States, expected to challenge for a medal. He is sitting in eighth place, although just three points out of fourth. Complete results: http://www.sydney.olympics.org/eng/paralympics/sports/SA/index.html
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