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SCUTTLEBUTT 3316 - Friday, April 8, 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: Melges Performance Sailboats and Point Loma Outfitting. AC34 TEAMS BENEFIT FROM SHARED DESIGN PROGRAM San Francisco, CA (April 7, 2011) - For the first time ever in the America’s Cup, a shared design program is being offered to the entered teams to jump-start designs of the fast, high-tech AC72s, the new wing-sailed catamarans to be launched next year. With the surge of new teams that just entered the 34th America’s Cup, the 15 teams that met last week’s entry deadline now have the opportunity to share in an initial design package from an international team of proven industry leaders. “We gave the design and research team a simple brief: give us your best shot at a winning design,” said Iain Murray, America’s Cup Race Management CEO and Regatta Director. ACRM developed the concept and sourced international design and technology leaders to start designing a package for the new wing-sailed AC72. “This solution is being offered to close the gap on the front-runners, and provide all teams, large and small, the opportunity to be competitive within the time remaining before racing starts in the new AC72 catamarans next year,” Murray said. “Technology is a critical piece of a Cup-winning program and we want to ensure teams have access to the right people and the latest tools to design a fast boat while still managing their costs.” The ACRM AC 72 will be comprised of a platform designed by high-performance multihull design leaders VPLP of France and a wing and sail package designed by the North Technology Group (NTG), a global company headquartered in the USA. Both VPLP and NTG have assembled an international team of their top talent across all areas of the design and structures spectrum. The project will be coordinated for ACRM by Andy Claughton. Michel Marie is ACRM’s technical consultant for VPLP and NTG. -- Read on: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=66 NEW ROLE FOR STAN HONEY (April 7, 2011) - Stan Honey, Rolex Yachtsman of the Year 2010, has been appointed to Director of Technology for the 34th America’s Cup by the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA). As many sailors know, Stan’s list of accomplishments, both sailing and professional, is long and deep, from navigating ABN AMRO to victory in the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race to navigating Groupama 3 in setting the Jules Verne record for the fastest circumnavigation of the world under sail in 2010. Non sailing fans may know Stan as the guy who led the development of the yellow first-down line widely used in the broadcast of American football and the Race/FX tracking and highlighting system used in NASCAR, among other applications. He’s particularly excited about his new role with ACEA as it combines his two sets of interests. “I’ve been working in technology and TV special effects, in sports TV for other sports for a number of years and I’ve also been working as a professional sailor,” Honey said. “This is the first time that those two careers have combined so that makes it fun for me.” Honey, who turns 56 on April 8, has spent a good part of the past year working on the system that’s being built to enhance the TV broadcast of sailing through inserting graphic effects using the same kind of animated elements that have appeared in Ian Taylor’s work in Virtual Eye since 1992 and inserting them in the live helicopter video during racing. “The main goal is to resolve the frustration that people had in the past where if you were looking in the helicopter view you could see the boats but you couldn’t tell who was ahead and who was behind because you couldn’t see the wind direction and you weren’t really sure what perspective you were looking from, whereas when the TV would shift to the animated view, then you could tell who was ahead or behind but you couldn’t see the boats,” Honey explained. “If someone was falling back you couldn’t tell why - did they have a broken halyard, for example.” Essentially, said Honey, he’s providing the race commentators with a story telling tool that they can use to explain what’s going on, where the lay-lines are, who is ahead and what decisions are going to have to be made at a certain point while also enabling fans to still be able to fully see the race and the boats. To do that, the boats on the race course have to be tracked very accurately by measuring not only their position but wind direction etc. The position of the helicopter also has to be measured extraordinarily accurately in order to be able to precisely insert the graphic elements in the video. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/3pj6kwp MELGES RUSH The official Melges Spring Rush is on with new Melges 32’s, Melges 24’s and Audi Melges 20’s going out the production facility in Zenda, Wisconsin USA. Many new Melges 24’s and Audi Melges 20’s are headed straight from the factory to Charleston Race Week. Nearly 60 Melges 24’s on the line and nearly 30 Melges 20’s on the line with a Melges Racing Circle. Melges Scows are being built with a big rush on new Melges E scows and Melges MC’s. Stay tuned to melges.com for new and official announcements. Some could be BIG. http://www.melges.com DAY 4 ISAF SAILING WORLD CUP Palma de Mallorca, Spain (April 7, 2011) - The fourth day of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia MAPFRE brought light and shifty conditions and mixed results for most leaders. Ben Ainslie in the Finn class and Dorian van Rijsselberge in the RS:X were able to sail to a perfect day claiming victories in the day's races. Defending champions Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis (FRA) are keeping the lead in the 49ers. In the 470, Nicolas Charbonnier and Jeremie Mion (FRA) are conserving the lead without winning a race yet. Olympic Gold medalists Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (GBR) are increasing their lead in the Star class after winning a race, with Andrew Campbell/Ian Coleman (USA) in second and Diego Negri/Enrico Voltolini (ITA) third. US Sailing Team Alphagraphics sailors continued to climb the scoreboard. In the Elliott 6m Women’s Match Racing, the fleet is now down to the top eight teams with Team Tunnicliffe (Anna Tunnicliffe, Plantation, FL; Molly Vandemoer, Stanford, CA and Debbie Capozzi, Bayport, NY) advancing to the quarter-finals after going undefeated in the gold round robin. They are up two wins over Stephanie Hazard (NZL) in the “first-to-3-wins” stage. “We are very excited with how we are sailing,” Tunnicliffe commented. “We have been working hard on the game and are trying to incorporate everything we have learned. Everyone is getting better and better every time we see each other, which makes the racing tight and fun.” In the Finn gold fleet, another two races were completed with Zach Railey (Clearwater, FL.) maintaining his 5th overall, with a 25th in race 7 that is a drop-out result. “I’ve made huge gains and we’re very happy with the way that we’re sailing,” Railey stated. Racing concludes with the medal race on Saturday, April 9 in nine of the 10 Olympic Classes. The final matches for the Women’s Match Racing are scheduled on Saturday, April 9. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/44f38ma Results: http://tinyurl.com/4ysjhn6 USA team report: http://tinyurl.com/43zgurx MEMBERSHIP: American IAIN WOOLWARD is competing in the Finn event under the flag of the Scuttlebutt Sailing Club. As the official club of the Scuttlebutt newsletter, Scuttlebutt Sailing Club has been officially sanctioned by US SAILING since 2001, and is officially available to all Scuttlebutt readers (for free!). Details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/ * Follow US Olympic sailors competing in the Princesa Sofia MAPFRE: Brad Funk: http://www.funksailing.com Erin Maxwell/Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar: http://www.470teamusa.com Team Tunnicliffe: http://www.teamtunnicliffe.com Storck Moore Sailing: http://www.storckmooresailing.com/ Campbell Sailing: http://www.campbellsailing.com/ A PODIUM PLACE FOR RENAULT Z.E. IN BARCELONA RACE (April 7, 2011) - Pachi Rivero and Tono Piris on Renault Z.E had less than 100 miles of Mediterranean between them and the Barcelona World Race podium and are expected to break the finish line off Barcelona between 0700hrs and 1000hrs local time Friday. It is a startling contrast to the brutal conditions which were encountered by Estrella Damm in the Straits of Gibraltar yesterday, with Pepe Ribes reporting this morning that he and co-skipper Alex Pella had made 23 tacks in the 30 hours since Gibraltar. For sure their dream of a podium place was finally blown away by the strong Levant of the last few days. Estrella Damm are expected in Barcelona Saturday morning, early. ETA sometime between late Sunday and mid Monday, Neutrogena’s Ryan Breymaier said today that despite their keel problems which have compromised their attack in the Atlantic since Cape Horn, he and Boris Herrmann will get off their 2004 Lombard design with their heads high, content that they have made their best possible race. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/3rc38kp Standings (top 5 of 14 as of 01:01:03) 1. Virbac-Paprec 3, Jean Pierre Dick/Loick Peyron (FRA/FRA), 93:22:20:36 2. Mapfre, Iker Martinez/Xabi Fernandez (ESP/ESP), 94:21:17:35 3. Renault, Pachi Rivero/Antonio Piris (ESP/ESP), 56 nm DTF 4. Estrella Damm Sailing Team,Alex Pella/Pepe Rives (ESP/ESP), 208 nm DTF 5. Neutrogena, Boris Herrmann/Ryan Breymaier (GER/USA), 565 nm DTF BACKGROUND: The Barcelona World Race is the only double-handed race around the world. Fourteen teams competing on Open 60s started December 31st, with the 25,000 nautical mile course extending from Barcelona to Barcelona via three capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn, Cook Strait, putting Antarctica to starboard. FINALLY - A TRUE NATION FOR NATION REGATTA (April 6, 2011) - The inaugural Hong Kong Nations’ Cup race is on Sunday 10 April, out of the RHKYC in Causeway Bay. Any boat can enter - that’s anything from a Laser, through J80s and Hobies, up to Jelik. The unique feature is that everybody on board an individual boat must be of the same nationality - born, passport, fluent, see below for nationality criteria. Are you up for this chance to claim the waters of HK for your country? You don’t have to be a member of the RHKYC or ANY club in HK. Heck, you don’t even have to live here. Fly in Ben Ainslie if you want! Prizes include the winning nation’s flag being placed behind the bar until the race the following year, and of course, the status of Champion Sailing Nation of the Year. Nationality Criteria: 100% of crew members must be nationals of the country which is represented by the boat they are racing on. During his/her lifetime, a sailor may only ever represent one country in the Race - you should sail for the country to which you have the strongest allegiance. A sailor who could qualify as a national of two or more countries at the same time may represent either, as he/she may elect. But that choice is final (see below). A sailor qualifies as a national of a country if ANY of the following apply: * The sailor was born in that country * The sailor holds a valid passport of that country * The sailor has the right of abode in that country (ie, HK requires a Permanent HKID Card) * The sailor has been normally resident in that country for at least 10 years at some stage in their life (for clarity, the 10 years need not be continuous) * The sailor has represented that country at a major international event, for example the Olympics, the Rugby World Cup, the United Nations, or the Miss Universe pageant * The sailor fluently speaks the language of that country * The sailor can sing the national anthem of that country (in the native tongue) --Full story: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/article.aspx?c=2&a=1672 PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include the bad and worse of Lasers sailing, snotty Star sailing, extreme Vanguard 15 sailing, the Answer to the Question, celebrating defeat, and close encounters of the match racing type. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/0408/ BONUS: Want to dress up your computer monitor? Photographer Cory Silken provides a background image for April of Humpback whales greeting the Caribbean Superyacht Regatta and Rendezvous in Virgin Gorda, BVI. Depending on your monitor type, click on the link below. Put your cursor over the image after it opens, right-click to open the menu, then click on ‘Set as Background. Here are the options: - Widescreen: http://tinyurl.com/0411-widescreen - Standard screen: http://tinyurl.com/0411-standard SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK The spring college season has begun, which really means that it's still cold, storms still make it snotty, and that high wind boat handling skills might be a bit rusty. Thanks to SailGroove, these realities also make for fun viewing. Here is a clip from the 2011 Southern New England Team Race, held on April 2-3 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/11/0408/ SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com SPRING TIME IS THE TIME TO BUILD TEAM PRIDE Spring time is the time to prepare for the upcoming season, and you know what they say: Most regattas are won before the boats leave the dock. There is no better way to instill pride in your team than making them look like a team. Not only does good team gear make them feel like “one”, but it also has a huge psychological effect on the competition when you walk down the dock. Call us, we would be happy to put you in the right gear for your sailing environment. We know how, because we’ve been there. http://www.pointlomaoutfitting.com/team-clothing.php CORRECTION It was incorrectly published in Scuttlebutt 3315 that Phillipe Kahn was a world champion in the Melges 24; rather it was his son “Shark” Kahn who, at age 14, impressively won the Melges 24 2003 Worlds. SAILING SHORTS * (April 7, 2011) - The San Francisco Ethics Commission voted unanimously on March 14 to waive a pair of ethics rules in order to allow Kyri McClellan, a project manager in the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development to become executive director of the nonprofit America's Cup Organizing Committee (ACOC). ACOC's role in bringing the world-famous sailing regatta to San Francisco is to secure corporate donations to offset city costs. For months, McClellan has been on the city's side of the negotiating table in discussions with ACOC to hash out a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning its fundraising obligations to the city. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/3oz64bx * (April 7, 2011) - Sailing World’s college rankings show that as the nationals near, the top of the college rankings are becoming quite crowded. Boston College leads the co-ed rankings, but only by the slimmest of margins over Charleston and Georgetown. Brown is the top women's team. Sailing World’s college rankings, presented by Sperry Top-Sider, are determined by an open coaches’ poll. This is the fourth ranking for the Spring 2011 season, based on results through April 3. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/3e3jjjl * Crescent City, CA (April 6, 2011) - The Coastguard and cleanup crews in Crescent City have removed some 1,869 gallons of petroleum products from damaged vessels and 1,660 cubic yards of debris from the city’s inner boat basin following last month’s tsunami damage. Yesterday crews raised the historic fishing vessel Kodiak and pumped off water and 426 gallons of diesel fuel but the damage was too extensive to save the vessel. The primary goal is to complete pollution mitigation operations as quickly and safely as possible so Crescent City can begin restoring its harbor. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/4y34ywl * (April 6, 2011) - Florida House CS/HB 5005, under consideration in the Florida Legislature, would deregulate Florida's strong and vibrant yacht brokerage industry by ending the Florida Yacht & Ship Brokers Act. The Florida Yacht Brokers Association, Marine Industries Association of South Florida and Marine Industries Association of Florida oppose this measure as deregulating Florida's yacht brokers would leave consumers wary about doing business in a state where their boat purchases, finances and general well-being are at risk. Additionally, the reputation of Florida yacht brokers could suffer and significant revenues generated for Florida from boat sales, as well as jobs, would be lost. -- Full story: http://www.boating-industry.com/output.cfm?id=2738323 * London, United Kingdom (April 7, 2011) - The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) has unveiled a partnership with leading international digital solutions company Sigma as part of its continued drive to bring technology innovations to the world’s best match racing series. At the heart of the agreement with the Swedish based Sigma will be the development of a state-of-the-art digital communications platform which will be a key delivery mechanic for partners and sponsors to promote their brands, engage with consumers and deliver their marketing objectives. The project will also ensure that WMRT is able to develop new revenue streams as the Tour continues its growth. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/3znsusw * Portsmouth, RI (April 6, 2011) - US SAILING has presented a Hanson Rescue Medal to Erik and Brian Jones of San Francisco, CA, for rescuing two sailors from San Francisco Bay on August 19, 2009. Erik, Brian and their friends were taking their 28-foot powerboat to Berkeley Marina, where they observed two sailors in a 15-foot dinghy capsizing 1˝ miles east of Paradise Point. Fortunately, both were wearing life jackets and wet suits. However, the water was 51 degrees and the wind was blowing. The Joneses radioed the Coast Guard and waited for the arrival of a rescue boat while carefully monitoring the situation. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/4y5ka6k GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From D. Randy West: About the new rig in the new AC cats, I read that it’s easier to sheet in on the wing than on the soft sail of the X40 (Scuttlebutt 3288). I have a feeling that the jargon will soon change as there really is no "sheet" per say on the wing but rather a line to pull it inboard or let it out board, thus no sheet or sheet loads, it’s a wing. When I was given a tour of Oracle during the Cup in Valencia the crew would also warn you to "watch out for the boom" as the wing was free rotating while the boat was moored… of course there is no boom either, it’s a wing. Welcome to the 21st century. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION There are two kinds of bounces; unfair bounces and bounces just the way you meant to play it. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Quantum Sails - West Marine - IYRS - Morris Yachts Atlantis WeatherGear - North U - North Sails - Gowrie Group Ullman Sails - Melges Performance Sailboats - Point Loma Outfitting Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
