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SCUTTLEBUTT 2383 - July 6, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. CUP PROTOCOL The Protocol for the 33rd America’s Cup was revealed on Thursday afternoon, detailing the broad outlines of the next event. Among the highlights was the introduction of a new class of boat, to be 90 feet in length overall, sailed by a crew of around 20 sailors. The final design rule for the new class will be issued on or before 31 December 2007, as will the venue for the event. The Challenger of Record is the Club Náutico Español de Vela (Desafio Espanol), which has agreed on the Protocol for the 33rd America’s Cup with the Defending yacht club, the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG). The 33rd America’s Cup will take place no earlier than 2009 and no later than 2011, with the eventual schedule being confirmed on or before 31 December 2007. As with the 32nd America’s Cup, the SNG has appointed ACM to manage, organize and finance the 33rd America’s Cup. Clearly, the biggest change will be the new class of boat, which Butterworth described as being something that will open the door to new teams, as all the teams in the next Cup, even existing ones, will start from the same level. “Everybody seems to want a new boat that is bigger, more exciting and difficult to sail, and faster which is the emphasis behind it,” Butterworth said. “We’re trying to develop something more exciting. These boats have been fantastic but I think they have got to the end of their life and people are looking for something bigger and faster, harder to sail. The guys will have to be athletic; they will be tough boats to sail.” -- Full announcement: http://www.americascup.com/en/news/detail.php?idRubr=22&idContent=28985 * A copy of the complete Protocol for the 33rd America’s Cup is now online: http://multimedia.americascup.com/multimedia/docs/2007/07/33ac_protocol.pdf * Viewership and attendance statistics from the 32nd America’s Cup are now posted on the event website: http://www.americascup.com/en/news/detail.php?idRubr=22&idContent=28983 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: We can only wonder what is on the minds of United Internet Team Germany, which announced on June 26th that they were in the midst of building a new boat that is designed to the now defunct ACC rule. STACKING THE DECK Alinghi has yet to finalize a new class rule, but the basic elements are contained in the protocol, which was released Thursday. It is also stipulated that teams will have a minimum of 18 months after the announcement of the class rule before they will have to race in their new yachts. "The hardest thing for me sitting here as a potential competitor is that not knowing the rule for the boat is a huge disadvantage," said Paul Cayard, a former America's Cup skipper and syndicate head who expects to take part in the next Cup, perhaps with Desafío. "Meanwhile, Alinghi is going to be working on it, I assume, by themselves. It didn't sound like they were too eager to get anybody else involved, so that's going to be a huge technical advantage." The new class will have a maximum overall length of 27.4 meters, or 90 feet, which is 3.4 meters longer on average than the current class. The boats will have a significantly deeper draft of 6.5 meters, with the current draft being 4.1 meters. When racing, the new yachts must be equipped with a sliding keel system capable of reducing draft to 4.1 meters for entering port. The class should be lighter and faster and should sail in a wider range of wind speeds than the old class, which has been in place for the last five editions of the Cup. -- Excerpt from the International Herald Tribune, full story: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/05/sports/SAIL.php COMPUTERS HURT SAILING INDUSTRY Thom Dammrich sees brighter days ahead for the recreation boating industry. He has to. Dammrich is the president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association. And he admits the past decade hasn't been great. “Since 1997, participation in boating is down around 10 percent,” Dammrich said recently. “And new boat sales the past couple of years have been flat to slightly declining in some categories. But we expect boating to start growing again as soon as 2008.” Dammrich was speaking after the NMMA launched “Discover Boating” - a four-prong program designed to lure new boaters into the sport and “re-enthuse” veteran boaters who recently have been watching from shore. “We're not selling a product,” said Dammrich. “We're selling a lifestyle. We're planting the seed of what is great about boating, the family aspect as well as the pleasure and adventure that goes with boating.” But Dammrich admits these are difficult times. The economy has flattened out and fuel prices are up - not a good combination for an industry that depends on disposable income and operates at a low mpg rating. “Petroleum prices have only been a problem the last couple of years,” said Dammrich. “But almost no one is leaving the sport because of gasoline prices. Right now, we are seeing boaters adjust with fewer and shorter trips. Among newer boats, however, fuel expense is another factor they are considering. But we don't see it as the biggest problem.” If not fuel, then what is keeping people off the water? “Computers,” said Dammrich. -- SD Union, full story: http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20070703-9999-1s3boatcol.html TRANSPAC TODAY – VALLARTA TOMORROW Wishing all competitors a safe, fast, and fun race to Hawaii, and would like to remind all participants of the other long established historical race to Mexico that has been going on since 1954. So after your Transpac experience, don’t forget to register for the next event, the Vallarta Race to Puerto Vallarta with MEXORC to follow. The race is February 2008, and will celebrate San Diego Yacht Clubs 27th race to Mexico’s west coast. The 1000-mile course finishes at Punta Mita on the north end of Bahia Banderas and the hosting Vallarta Yacht Club and Paradise Village Resort and Marina. http://www.sdyc.org/pv/ ISAF WORLDS Cascais, Portugal (July 5, 2007) Now in its third day of racing, the pace of the ISAF Combined World Championships is quickly picking up for the 11 Olympic Classes. The Stars and Tornados have completed their third day of racing, and will be the first fleets to enjoy a rest day on Friday. The Laser and Laser Radial have competed for two days, and the Finn and Yngling now have scores on the board after their first day of racing on Thursday. All the classes got in two races, with the first race seeing winds in the mid-teens that built during the day, with the second race on some courses reaching the mid-twenties. On Friday, the next classes to get the ball rolling will be the RS:X Men and Women,and the 49er, and they will join the Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, and Yngling classes already in progress. -- Complete event report: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j1lFnijk?&format=popup Top Three and Top North Americans Laser Radial (106 boats) 1. CHN - Lijia Xu, 1-1-6-1, 9 2. ISR - Nufar Edelman, 4-2-13-2, 21 3. MEX - Tania Elias Calles Wolf, 3-11-2-6, 22 Yngling (35 boats) 1. GBR - Shirley Robertson/ Annie Lush/ Lucy MacGregor, 1-2, 3 2. GBR - Sarah Ayton/ Sarah Webb/ Pippa Wilson, 2-3, 5 3. NZL - Sharon Ferris/ Raynor Smeal/ Shandy Buckley, 7-1, 8 5. USA - Sally Barkow/ Carrie Howe/ Deborah Capozzi, 8-5, 13 Finn (73 boats) 1. GRE - Aimilios Papathanasiou, 1-1, 2 2. GBR - Ed Wright, 4-1, 5 3. DEN - Jonas Hogh-Christensen, 3-2, 5 3. ESP - Rafael Trujillo, 3-2, 5 5. CAN - Chris Cook, 1-6, 7 Laser (149 boats) 1. GER - Simon Grotelüschen, 5-1-2-4, 12 2. FRA - Thomas Le Breton, 3-8-1-2, 14 3. GBR - Paul Goodison, 3-5-2-4, 14 12. CAN - Michael Leigh, 16-2-7-9, 34 Tornado (49 boats) 1. ESP - Fernando Echavarri/ Anton Paz, 9-8-1-11-4-3, 25 2. BEL - Carolijn Brouwer/ Sebastien Godefroid, 5-10-3-3-8-18, 29 3. FRA - Xavier Revil/ Christophe Espagnon, 20-11-5-1-5-13, 35 12. USA - John Lovell/ Charlie Ogletree, 23-2-9-8-17-25, 59 Star (62 boats) 1. BRA - Robert Scheidt/ Bruno Prada, 2-4-3-1-1-1, 8 2. FRA - Xavier Rohart/ Pascal Rambeau, 3-1-1-2-3-3,10 3. GBR - Iain Percy/ Andrew Simpson, 1-8-2-5-2-2, 20 15. USA - Mark Reynolds/ Hal Haenel, 5-6-17-11-14-6, 42 Complete results: http://www.cascaisworlds2007.com/home.php?content=resultadoGeral.php * From top ranked American 470 Mens team Mikee Anderson-Mitterling & Dave Hughes: “Our housing here in Cascais is amazing. Our roommates include top American 49er team, Morgan Larson and Pete Spaulding, and we are in a mansion overlooking our racecourse. It is a prime location 3km away from the venue, and has a pool, courtyard, and BBQ area. A great place to get away from the chaos down at the boat park. Cascais is a venue known for its strong breeze and unstable sea state, and with the strong breeze disasters are inevitable. On our first day of training we were victims of the conditions, where we split our mast in half while sailing downwind. We completely blew the mast apart at the spreaders. It was incredible, though not at the time. However, after we digested what had happened, it was quite revealing how the sheer strength of the wind could destroy our mast. We quickly regrouped on land and put up a new mast, and have been working hard with US team coach Skip Whyte and a few international teams on breeze boat handling and speed.” * Sail TV will be broadcasting live coverage of the Medal Races for two hours daily on July 9-13. The channel will be providing two modes of coverage from Cascais, with a daily news update which is free to view, and live programming coverage of the event will be available for a fee. Details at http://www.sail.tv PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Here is Scuttlebutt’s new feature where we post random photos from the sport at the end of each week. Included this week are images of a fleet of O'pen Bics pond sailing during the “Hall of Fame” dinner of the 32nd America’s Cup, the 55ft race boat Bounder upside down after losing her keel, the new Open 60 Pindar, action from the Swan Europeans and the Dragon Edinburgh Cup, Alinghi’s Peter Evans trailing his new Bladerider Moth, and more. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here is this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0706/ * Extra Video: If you were to mix together frostbite sailing, science fiction, and the approach of ‘Epic Movie’, you would come close to getting an idea of what Harry Manko’s latest animated video is about. His description - "The boys come under attack by a rogue alien vessel, and are saved by Betty and her M26" - gives only a tease about what to expect, as this video is littered with innuendo and inside jokes. Sit back and be ready to shake your head: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/0705/ WORLD TOUR - MATCH CUP SWEDEN Marstrand, Sweden (July 5, 2007) – After yet another drizzly morning of light shifty breeze, the wind finally settled and filled in out of the west to provide a great start to the second Round Robin here at Match Cup Sweden. With three flights remaining for Group B and four for Group A, there are only a handful of sure winners who will fill the top four slots and advance to the Quarter Final round. For several more, there will be all to play for on Friday in the remaining battles to qualify, with tie-breaking inevitable among this highly competitive field. With a Friday weather forecast of continued overcast skies, with the wind shifting back to the north, shifty conditions will likely return to the race course under the rocky cliffs of Marstrand Island. -- Read on: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=57396 Cumulative results: Group A: (with four flights remaining) Mattias Rahm - Victory Challenge (SWE) 8-2 Gavin Brady - BMW Oracle Racing (NZL) 8-2 Simon Minoprio (NZL) 6-4 Björn Hansen - Team Onico (SWE) 6-4 Ian Williams - Team Pindar (GBR) 4-6 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) 4-6 Evgeniy Neugodnikov - Lord of the Sail Team (RUS) 2-8 Jenny Axhede (SWE) 0-10 Group B: (with three flights remaining) Jesper Radich - Desafio Espanol (DEN) 10-1 Magnus Holmberg - Victory Challenge (SWE) 8-3 Mathieu Richard - Saba Sailing (FRA) 7-4 Sebastien Col - Areva Challenge (FRA) 7-4 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) 6-4 Eric Monnin (SUI) 4-6 Claire Leroy (FRA) 2-9 Malin Millbourn (SWE) 1-10 DECLARE SAILING GEAR INDEPENDENCE AND SAVE 25%! Try the New American Revolution: the 2007 Coastal Line from Atlantis. Visit our website and take 25% off all orders over $125. This sale ends Sunday, so hurry. Visit http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com and use promo code AWGIN76 at checkout. Discover the new Atlantis WeatherGear. SAILING SHORTS * (July 5, 2007) With 6 races complete and another 5 to go, Ignacio Camion of Spain leads the 124-boat fleet at the 2007 J/80 World Championship in La Trinite sur Mer, France. Fellow Spaniard Jose Torcida Seghers is in 2nd place just in front of Victor Lanier of France (3rd) and Kevin Sproul of the UK (4th). Five countries are represented in the top six teams with defending champ Glenn Darden of the USA in 5th. The fleet now splits into Gold and Silver divisions with all but one race carrying forward to the final tally. -- http://www.j80worlds2007.com/ * (July 5, 2007) It was tight in the end, but Tobias Koenig’s Grey Goose managed to hold her position and was the third yacht to finish the 3,600 nautical mile HSH Nordbank Blue Race from Newport, Rhode Island, USA to Cuxhaven near Hamburg, Germany. Not long after, the super-maxi Rambler rushed across the line at a speed of 20 knots and set a new course record of 11 days, 16 hours, 13 minutes and 59 seconds. The crew of professional America’s Cup and Ocean Race sailors thus clearly cut the record set by Klaus Murmann’s UCA in 2003 (13 days, 7 hours and 22 minutes). -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j1vFnijkC&format=popup * In round two of the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series, the the Extreme 40 fleet heads to the French port of Marseille 7-9 July. Based out of the Vieux Port and racing off Le Roucas Blanc beach, close enough for spectators to get a close up view of all the action, the iShares Cup, Marseille will see top international sailors Sébastien Josse and Ellen MacArthur join the six-boat foray. American boat Tommy Hilfiger will be in the hunt for points in Marseille after falling one point short of a podium finish in the first event in Munich. -- http://www.iSharesCup.com * This week’s Volvo Sailing podcast reflects on the dramatic events in Valencia and the plans for the next contest, the 33rd America's Cup. Leading personalities integrally involved in this year's Cup - Ernesto Bertarelli, Brad Butterworth, Grant Dalton, and editor of the America's Cup website Peter Rusch – are included in the broadcast. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.org/podcast * Dublin, Ireland - Rescuers plucked about 110 children from the sea Thursday after a sudden squall hit their flotilla of sailboats during a race in the Irish Sea, officials said. The sailors, mostly teenagers but some as young as 12, were taking part in a junior regatta when a surge in winds and waves capsized many of their 91 boats. More than 100 children were rescued and evaluated on shore for hypothermia and shock. Fifteen children and one adult were treated at a hospital, but all were expected to be released. * The World Speed Sailing Record Council (WSSR) announces ratification of a new World Record by Samantha Davies (GBR) and here 4-person crew onboard Roxy, setting a new standard for going around Britain and Ireland non-stop by women. The new time is 10 days 16 hours and 7 seconds, and was set during the 2007 Calais Round Britain and Ireland Race. The previous record of 11d 6h 58m 17s was set in August 2000, and was held by Merron/ Richards onboard Pindar. -- http://www.sailspeedrecords.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Bob Bausch: Just wanted to thank you for your extra special effort during the America's Cup to keep us well informed, and in a timely fashion, with non-stop Scuttlebutts. They always included more detail than it was possible to get from just one viewing of Versus coverage, and Gary Jobson's descriptions and opinions were much appreciated. Thanks for an outstanding performance! * From Charlie Legeman, 2004 Congressional Cup Chairman: It is interesting to note that in the 2004 Congressional Cup final match, it was Terry Hutchinson leading Ed Baird around the weather mark when the wind made a major shift that benefited Baird and allowed him to win the Cup. The cream rises to the top as we have seen in this America’s Cup with Hutchinson and Baird having great duels race after race. Congratulations to both teams. * From David Storrs: Regarding David Burn in Issue 2383, you might point out that in fleet racing a downward change in course ("hunting") would be illegal, but in match racing it is legal. This is not just an America's Cup special rule. * From Frank Ficken, Warren, Vermont: (re: David Burns comments on the foul called in race 7 and the Curmudgeon's response) Much of the confusion over whether Alinghi was allowed to sail below it's "proper course" during that critical cross is due to a lack of understanding about one specific difference between fleet and match racing rules. Most sailors only race in fleet races and so are aware that according to Rule 16.2, the privileged yacht in a port/starboard cross must maintain a proper course towards the mark when the port boat "ducks" them. However, in a match race, Appendix C 2.5 Match Racing Rules deletes Rule 16.2. What that means is that in a match race, the starboard boat is allowed to "hunt" the port tack boat down to 90 degrees TWA as long as in doing so they still give the port boat room to clear. The onus is on the port tack boat to take sufficient action. In this case, ETNZ had plenty of room to bear off deeper when Alinghi first dialed down but did not do so until the boats were too close in the judgment of the umpires. Foul. Alinghi's actions would not be allowed in a fleet race, but are perfectly allowable under the different rules that are in effect for Match Racing. * From Bill Lee: (regarding the potential overlap of the VOR and the ACUP) Yes, the Volvo Ocean Race and the America's Cup should be held in the same year. This would give more sailors an opporunity! If not, there should be a planned stagger between the two events such that the America's Cup can occur every two years and the Volvo every four. * From Jeremy McGeary, Farnham, VA: Thank you, Paul Henderson, for raising a topic that's been a burr under my skin for years (in Issue 2382). When I was a staffer at Cruising World, under an earlier editorial regime, we were expected to excise the word yacht from all editorial content. The reasoning was that the term is "exclusive" and would deter the economically disadvantaged from engaging in activities that involve sailing. I resisted somewhat (I had enough other battles to fight), because the word applies succinctly to what the magazine is about. Our readers don't cruise coal carriers and those of our sister magazine next door don't race submarines with sails. A yacht is a boat, sail or power, used for pleasure. I became so used to not seeing the word in print, and accustomed to the economically-correct term "sailboat," that I even began to wince when I heard my English and Colonial friends use "yacht" in its proper context. The absurdity of the edict (which for all I know may have come down from the publisher) becomes clear when you flip to the back of the book, which is devoted to advertisements for yacht brokers and charter-yachts. Not to mention the fact that many of the magazine's employees belonged to yacht clubs. So, kudos to P.H. for raising this topic in such an elevated forum, and let's put yacht back into yachting. * From Chris Ericksen: While I have often and gleefully disagreed here with former ISAF President Paul Henderson, I gleefully agree with him that renaming the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) was unnecessary. As he evidently did, I felt so at the time, and nothing has occurred since to change my mind. I might say the same about the change of the United States Yacht Racing Union (USYRU) to the United States Sailing Association (USSA or US SAILING), but I digress. Yet I must disagree with his suggestion that ISAF return to IYRU in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the organization ('Butt 2382). His observation about the uniqueness of the IYRU acronym and his feelings about a less-than-clever association connected to the ISAF acronym notwithstanding, I doubt that anyone who seriously needs to know will confuse the International Sailing Federation with the International Security Assistance Force, any more than folks think that Steve Jobs released "A Hard Day's Night" or the Beatles developed the Mac. This fight is over, sir; you cast your vote and a decision was been made. Let it stand. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Some people are working backstage, some are playing in the orchestra, some are on-stage singing, some are in the audience as critics, and some are there to applaud. Know who and where you are. Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises and Atlantis WeatherGear. |
