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SCUTTLEBUTT 1858 - June 13, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. CHANGING TIMES It is nowhere near as famous as its sister yacht, America's Cup winner SUI64, but Alinghi's SUI75 may be given a chance to race in acts starting in Valencia on Thursday. SUI64 sailed virtually unchallenged through the last Louis Vuitton Cup before leaving Team New Zealand's black boat in its wake on its march to America's Cup glory. While it was always in the background, SUI75 never made it onto the race course. But with both Swiss boats now modified to comply with the new design specifications (version five of the cup class rule), it may get its chance this week. Alinghi strategist and rig designer New Zealander Murray Jones said his team was likely to use SUI75 in this year's acts but they were not yet 100 per cent sure. "We are trialing different stuff on the two boats," he said from Valencia. "We haven't put all the pieces together yet, the new bulbs and that." He said they had raced SUI75 against a couple of the other teams recently "but before that no one had raced against her". SUI64 was used through the last cup regatta because it was the better of the two and a good all-round boat. Gearing up for the start of 2005 acts, Alinghi have been based in Valencia since mid-March. Jones relocated a month earlier. "The language is difficult and the city isn't pretty or as clean as New Zealand, so it has taken a bit of adjusting," he said. As for life without Russell Coutts, who was controversially sacked last July, Jones admits in a nice way that "it is pretty good, actually". "Jochen Schuemann, the sailing director, has taken on a stronger role. He shared some of the responsibility with Russell last time." Jones said training had been going well, but did concede the conditions were on the light side at 7-13 knots for the last couple of months. "Lately it has been getting up to 17-18 knots later in the day. That is what it is going to be like in the cup, so get used to it." Heading into the coming acts, Jones said the aim was to learn about the boats in the version five configuration and "get a gauge of ourselves against other teams". Jones said they would mix their crew and alternate the helming position between Peter Holmberg, Ed Baird and Jochen Schuemann. - Excerpts from a story by Julie AZsh, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10330163 Curmudgeon's Comment: In past iterations of the America's Cup, the defender could never tune up against any of the challengers - they had to optimize their boat as best as they could by themselves, without knowing how their speed compared with any of the challenging syndicates. And now with the "Acts" format, the defender is out there every day lining up and racing against all the challengers. That certainly makes it a very different game. COMING TO CANADA Victoria, British Columbia will sponsor one of the ten yacht entries for the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race, and that city will host the first ever Canadian stopover for the event. The race begins on September 18, 2005 from Liverpool (UK) and returns some 10 months later after 35,000 nautical miles at sea. Race e9ntries include the defenders Jersey (Channel Islands), as well as Liverpool (UK), Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Western Australia), Singapore, Glasgow (Scotland), Qingdao (China) and New York (USA). The Canadian stopover is scheduled for March 25, 2006, with the identical 68ft racers berthing in Victoria BC for 10 days, before heading to Panama City on the penultimate leg of the race. The Victoria yacht will be skippered by Ewan Hind (27) from Brixham in Devon (UK), and there are selected berths available for Canadians interested in sailing as crew members on various legs of the race. Participation in each leg costs approximately $16,000 CDN and the main requirement for prospective crew members is the burning desire to represent their nation as comprehensive Clipper training will prepare competitors for the challenges ahead. - http://www.clipper-ventures.com NEVER TOO OLD On June 4, 89-year-old Harry Heikel, frequently written up in Latitude 38, docked his Dreadnought 32 at Jacksonville, Florida, marking the end of his second circumnavigation. "The event marked more than just the end of 16 years of solo sailing," said Heikel, "it marked time for me to get off the bridge and become a passenger. At age 89, it's best to let someone else do the heavy lifting aboard Idle Queen. "The 10-year period of my second trip around the world has been a time of significant learning for me," continued Heikel. "It became apparent that people who travel to new places in small boats are, as a group, the finest in the world. They are interested in people, places, and events, cognizant of the need to be on the lookout for trouble, and always ready to assist a fellow traveler. My belief that on a one-to-one basis, people from whatever country can be friendly and helpful, particularly to the elderly, was amply confirmed. My traveling now will be limited to U.S. waters and with a companion." - 'Lectronic Latitude, http://tinyurl.com/cdt77 BOAT SHOES FOR THE SPORSTMAN WHO HAS EVERTHING… The Gold Cup Collection from Sperry Top-Sider offers a whole new level of luxury and performance. Full deerskin linings and dual-density memory foam footbeds surround the foot in comfort. Non-marking TC4 rubber Vibram® outsoles provide anchor-like traction on wet or dry surfaces. Durable yet supple exterior leathers are both stain and water-resistant. And signature eyelets plated in 18K gold hold their rich, polished sheen through years of use. These seaworthy shoes are the perfect gift for Father's Day! Available at fine retailers nationwide and http://www.sperrytopsider.com ON A ROLL Sailors from Hobart/William Smith Colleges (HWS) have won their second straight Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) championship title in less than a week. On Tuesday, June 7, the Hobart/William Smith Colleges team lay claim to the ICSA/Layline Team Race Championship -- their first-ever win of that title. And then last Friday, HWS also claimed the ICSA/Gill North American Coed Dinghy Championship. Another first for HWS. Sailing for The Colleges in A-Division were skipper and graduating senior John Storck with sophomore crew Amanda Markee and junior Zach Goldman. Sophomore skipper Trevor Moore with junior crew Augusta Nadler sailed in B-Division. The defending University of Hawaii Rainbows finished second in the championship with 235 points - 38 points behind HWS - with Dartmouth (247 pts), Georgetown (248 pts) and USC (259 pts) tightly packed in the top five. - Complete results: http://collegesailing.org/nas/spring05/index.htm Photo Gallery: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/icsa-d/ ALL AMERICAN TEAM Mikee Anderson, USC '06 has been named College Sailor of the Year by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. Anna Tunnicliffe, Old Dominion '05, was named Quantum Women Sailor of the Year while Harvard University was voted College Team of the Year. The members of ICSA Coed All American Team, Sponsored by Ronstan, are: Mikee Anderson, USC '06; Zachary Brown, Yale '08; Andrew Campbell, Georgetown '06; Molly Carapiet, Yale '06; Clay Johnson, Harvard '07; Justin Law, St. Mary's '07; Stuart McNay, Yale '05; Trevor Moore, Hobart/WmSmith '07; Patrick Rynne, Brown '05; Erik Storck, Dartmouth '07; John Storck, Hobart/WmSmith '05; Anna Tunnicliffe, Old Dominion '05. The Women All American Team members are: Molly Carapiet, Yale '06; Anne Davidson, Brown '05; Sloan Devlin, Harvard '06; Alana O'Reilly, Charleston '06; Genny Tulloch, Harvard '05; Anna Tunnicliffe, Old Dominion '05; Sara Wilkinson, Charleston '05; Caroline Young, Stanford '07. All American Crew: Emily Bartlett, Old Dominion '08; Dorothée Bergin, Georgetown '05; Arlene Chung, Brown '06; Christina Dahlman, Harvard '07; Vanessa Decollibus, USC '07; Paige Hannon, St. Mary's '05; Sarah Himmelfarb, Yale '06; Jenn Hoyle, Yale '05; Clementine James, Dartmouth '05; Elisabeth Kreter, Dartmouth '05; Meredith Killion, Yale '05; Caroline LaMotte, Georgetown '07; Susan Lintern, Charleston '06; Joy MacDougall, Boston Coll '05; Amanda Markee, Hobart/WmSmith '07; Augusta Nadler, Hobart/WmSmith '06; Melanie Roberts, USC '07; Louise Sherman, Brown '05; Emily Simon, Harvard '07; Hilary Wiech, St. Mary's '07. - http://www.collegesailing.org THE VENUE Nearly every day for the past two months, Gavin Brady has steered one of Oracle's slick grey yachts from the syndicate's temporary base at Valencia's Real Club Nautico out to the Mediterranean. But after two months of light, fickle conditions, the New Zealand helmsman is not convinced Valencia was the best choice of venue for the 2007 America's Cup, and believes a successful summer of sailing in Auckland may have set Emirates Team New Zealand up for success in the early acts of the 2005 season. Oracle has been training in Valencia since late March. While Team New Zealand had ideal sailing conditions over the summer in New Zealand, the wind has been fickle in the city that will host the event from mid-April to June 2007. Brady said the summer breeze had just started to kick in, bringing an end to the fickle period. It does not bode well for event organizers who chose Valencia because of its consistent breeze. "I don't think in many aspects that Valencia has turned out to be quite the place we were told it was going to be," he said. "It has been an eye-opener for us." He is also not overly excited about the newly announced points system which means teams carry points from the acts through to the Louis Vuitton Cup. "Yes the acts are important, yes we are trying very hard, but we are in 2005, not 2007. To have points that contribute to your result in 2007 is a bit tough, especially on the teams showing up for the first time. "I am pleased the points don't count for too much, but it is a shame they count at all." - Excerpts from a story by Julie Ash, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10330164 NEW PRODUCTS The sport of sailing is most enjoyable when we have the right type of gear. The New Products page on Team One Newport's website lists all the latest offerings from the "Best of the Best" including Henri-Lloyd, Musto, Gill, Patagonia, Railriders, Camet, Sailing Angles, Kaenon, Native Eye, Extrasport, Lotus, Dubarry, Harken, Magic Marine and more. Not sure what would work best for your type of sailing? Call 800-VIP-GEAR for reliable advice or to request a catalog. Also, look for the "Ask Martha" link for specific questions at the Team One Newport website: http://www.team1newport.com SLOOOOOW The 67th Bol d'Or Rolex on Lake Geneva in Switzerland attracted more than 500 starters, but it will be remembered as the slowest in the recent history of the race. The multihull record for the 93 nautical mile course is 5 hours 1 minute. However, this year French multihull racing star Loick Peyron at the helm of Nicolas Grange's orange Decision 35 catamaran Okalis took line honors in 16 hours 29 minutes and 43 seconds. The first monohull, was Eric Delaye's Sebastien Schmidt-designed Psaros 40 Oyster, with a canting keel, water ballast and six crew on the trapeze. Helmed by sail maker Jean-Marc Monnard, Oyster finished 55 minutes ahead of the next monohull with elapsed time was 20 hours 56 minutes and 37 seconds - more than 12 hours longer than the course record. "I think around 300 boats have abandoned," admitted President of the Race Organization Jean-Loup Gabayet. - http://www.regattanews.com NEWS BRIEFS * Howie Hamlin, Mike Martin and Trent Barnabas sailing 'Pegasus Racing' (USA) won the 18ft VelamareSkiff Cup in Sardinia. Their The team won five of the ten races in the series. Second place went to 'Radii' (GBR) Andy Richards and Dave Richards, GBR, 23 points; with third going to 'Fisher & Paykel' Andy Cuddihy, Brent Dennis and Gerard Smith, AUS, 32 points. This regatta was part of a three-event international series, the first of which took place earlier in the year, with the final one scheduled to be sailed in San Francisco in September. * 103 yachts turned out for the New York Yacht Club's 151st Annual Regatta presented by Rolex. More than one-third of the fleet were handicapped under IRC; the rest racing -- in order -- one-design, PHRF, Classic and NYYC Cruising. Overall, Barking Mad, James Richardson, finished first in the 18-boat Farr 40 class. Vim 4, Craig Speck, won the Swan 45s. M&M, Mark Ploch, was unbeaten over eight races among the Beneteaus. In the IRC Classes, Rich du Moulin's Lora Ann was undefeated, as was Richard Breeden's Bright Star - when you factor-in his throw-out race. - http://nyyc.org * The remaining Victory Challenge America's Cup crew members have been announced by sailing manager Magnus Holmberg. Four of the five new names have America's Cup experience - the fifth possesses wide international sailing experience. "It feels like a very strong team with lots of AC experience. Thirteen of them were with Victory Challenge last time round, while two of them sailed with GBR Challenge and Alinghi," Holmberg said. The 20 sailors - 17 are needed on the boat - are in now place for the first of this summer's Acts which start in Valencia on Thursday. - http://www.victorychallenge.com * The (VO 70) Brasil 1 has left the ML Boats shipyard, in Indaiatuba and is on its way to Rio de Janeiro. This marks the end of more than eight months and 35,000 hours of work, to build the first Brazilian sailboat to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race. The whole package weighed-in according to the team's expectations. "Our work has been very cautious and we have been able to increase the weight of the keel bulb by 3.2%," confirms technical director Horácio Carabelli. The christening is scheduled for June 23. - www.brasil1.com.br * The Valencian Government has stated that it hopes that the Americas Cup will be responsible for bringing as many as 300,000 additional tourists to Valencia City for the duration of the various regattas . The Partido Popular spokesman Jesus Sanchez stated that these tourists come from 'the heights range' of the tourist ladder (Meaning they are wealthy - pg) and that they will make a considerable difference to the Valencian region during their stay. - Valencia Life Network * Dawn Sunday found the 49-boat Annapolis to Newport Race fleet is spread out in the Atlantic Ocean along the Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey coasts, with the trailing boat having just left the Chesapeake Bay. After tacking upwind down the Chesapeake Bay, the fleet has enjoyed prevailing southerly and southwesterly winds off their stern quarters as they head northwards to Newport, RI. As of press time, over 260 nautical miles separates Donnybrook, Jim Muldoon's customer 72-footer from Annapolis, Md. sailing for the Annapolis Yacht Club team, from Ned Dunham's Mistral Beinestar, the smallest boat in the fleet at 33 feet. - www.annapolisyc.org/newport05 * Rod Carr, Chief Executive of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has received an OBE for his services to sailing. Rod was the architect of the RYA World Class Performance programme for sailing that has successfully attracted vital funds from the National Lottery to the sport. He can, with some pride, reflect in the golden glow achieved by the British Sailing Team at both the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. OWN THE PERFECT FAMILY SPORT BOAT Fast and responsive yet safe, durable and stable, the Colgate 26 is a winning combination of performance sailing and family fun! Designed by Steve Colgate and Jim Taylor, this virtually unsinkable boat features a comfortable oversized cockpit and rudder. Sail one at Marblehead NOOD, July 28-31. Contact mailto:Carmen@colgate26.com or http://www.colgate26.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Frank Cornwell: Your correspondents are too kind in their comments on Ben Lexcen's continued lack of recognition by the so-called America's Cup Hall of Fame. It's time that the organizers of this farce realize that their obstinacy has made them the laughing-stock of the sailing world. * From Graham Kelly: My understanding is that one reason clubs may be reluctant to host US Sailing championships and other high-level events, is that US Sailing has adopted a policy of "taxing" cash contributions to the clubs. As a result, when presenting clubs are able to obtain commercial sponsorship for high-level events, a significant proportion of the funds end up at US Sailing, rather than being available to pay the expenses of presenting the events. In my opinion, this policy makes it more difficult and expensive for clubs with the necessary facilities to make them available for such events, especially when they are costly to present, and lead to conflicts because of the human resources and expense involved, and because these events compete with "normal" club activities. * From Emily Decker: Mr. Colloton (Scuttlebutt #1856) and others have brought a potentially dangerous situation to light in the possibility that the National Weather Service could be eliminated. I did some quick digging and here are some facts: The bill sponsored by Senator Rick Santorum (S.786) doesn't actually eliminate the NWS, but gives any company who thinks they can provide the same service the opportunity to replace it in that region. I fully believe that this would compromise the current access we all enjoy from NWS. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce where it will be reviewed and voted before heading to the Senate; then it goes to the House of Representatives for the same review process. The likelihood that all this will happen between now and the end of the Congressional year is very unlikely. However, Senator Santorum could achieve the same means by simply "not funding" it in the '06-'07 fiscal year, thereby effectively achieving the same result. These "budget/ appropriations" bills are must be passed at the end of the year. I join Mr. Colloton and others in encouraging Scuttlebutt readers to contact their Senator to voice opposition to this bill. Your letters would be even more effective by including an anecdote about how the National Weather Service provided you with information that helped you in a potentially dangerous or life-threatening situation. Letters can simply be addressed to Your Senator, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510. You can also cc your Congressman too. For the full language: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c109:./temp/~c109rzycTz * From Ellie Doyle: I thought Scuttlebutt readers would be interested in what the Airline Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has to say about Senator Santorum's National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005. They don't like it. The comments of AOPA can be found here: http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/air_traffic/nws.html It seems to me that pilots and boaters would have similar interest in this issue. I for one would prefer to get my weather information from the NWS and make my own forecasts! In addition, there was a story on ABC news on May 19th on the topic: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=773123&page=1 * From Libby Hartmann (Re: Hugh Dowling, Butt 1857): "Say it ain't so, Joe." While I would absolutely love to have Hugh's understanding be the truth (it would save me from having to apologize to all my non-American friends every time baseball is brought up), his bit of fiction is better than fact. The title "World Series" was coined after the 1884 champion Providence Grays (NL) and the Metropolitan Club of NY (AA) played three games "for the championship of the United States." The winning Grays were acclaimed in the press as "champions of the world," and the World Series was born. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children." |
