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SCUTTLEBUTT 2222 – November 13, 2006
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is
distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of
Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing).
A NAME FOR HIMSELF
He grew up the son of a toothpaste and soap tycoon, graduated from Yale and
served three years as a lieutenant in the Air Force, stationed in Turkey and
Japan. Family business ventures, the stock market, a military career. Steve
Colgate had a myriad of job choices by the time he turned 25, but he chucked
the financial security of the white-collar professional world in favor of
ocean racing.
A relatively new sport during the 1950s, racing sailboats across oceans is
grueling, dangerous and often deadly. Colgate was just 19, barely out of
high school, when his mother suggested he go to Cuba and crew during a yacht
race to Spain. It was his first ocean crossing, and Colgate was hooked long
before the boat made it to Europe. "It really turned me on," said Colgate,
now a 71-year-old south Fort Myers resident. "I felt like it was something I
wanted to do the rest of my life."
And he has. He sailed in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, crewed in America's
Cup trials against media mogul Ted Turner, completed six transatlantic races
and won his class in the '79 Fastnet off England, arguably the most infamous
sailboat race in history. He built the most successful sailing school in the
country (Offshore Sailing Ltd), creating the business in New York and moving
its headquarters to Fort Myers in 1988. Colgate also designed a racing and
training boat that's now used by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
All cadets must master his boat before graduating. It would seem his sailing
resume is more than full, but there's one more notch Colgate wants on his
sailing belt, one last ocean crossing. -- by Chad Gillis, Bonita Daily News,
full story: http://tinyurl.com/y54gwm
REVISED SCHEDULE
Charleston Race Week, April 12-15 2007, has accepted an invitation from the
US-IRC to be part of the 2nd annual Gulf Stream Series. Organizers of both
the series and Race Week believe the event will be an excellent transition
regatta as boats make their way North for spring and summer racing following
winter racing in Florida and the Caribbean. Finding an additional Group 3
event for the Gulf Stream Series became necessary when sailors noticed that
the Acura Miami Grand Prix now has a minimum size cut-off at the Swan 45 OD
IRC rating (2006). The cut-off is necessary because recent hurricanes
damaged many marinas and there are now limited berths for the Miami
event. -- Talbot Wilson, full report:
http://www.gulfstreamseries.com/news_full.cfm?ID=17
Curmudgeon’s Comment: In Issue 2214, Scuttlebutt printed a letter from
Stuart Hebb who was first to point out the shortcomings of the 2007 schedule
for his Aerodyne 38. In response to the revised schedule, Stuart told
Scuttlebutt, “I am pleased with their decision. My main goal was to get them
to give us an option other than going to the Caribbean, and I believe this
will allow the guy with the 37 footer to complete the series, plus give CRW
a boost as well. I also now have a dialog with Peter Craig (of Premiere
Racing) and am seeing where I can help (accommodate more boats) for Miami
Race Week for 2008.” Thanks Stuart!
GREEN LIGHT
(Nov 12, 2006) On the final day of ISAF Council meetings at the ISAF Annual
Conference in Helsinki, Finland this year’s hot topic, an ISAF World Cup for
the Olympic Classes was given the go ahead. After lengthy discussions on the
World Cup series yesterday, it was clear that a consensus around the Council
table was strongly in favour that this was the way forward for sailing. This
consensus echoed the words of ISAF President Göran Petersson (SWE) when he
had made his opening address to the Council, ‘We all know the sport has to
develop a professional and widely recognized world tour.'
Today, the focus was on timing – when would a World Cup begin. As the
President summarized, 'It is a matter of when and how and how we can.' On
Thursday the President had also told Council, 'You cannot have competition
unless it is commercially viable and a strong commercial base is needed for
our sport.' ISAF Vice-President Teo Ping Low (SIN) echoed those statements
today, 'ISAF has to become more business like.'
ISAF will establish an ISAF World Cup series for the Olympic Classes using
the following events:
-- Sail Melbourne (AUS)
-- Rolex Miami OCR (USA)
-- Princess Sofia Trophy (ESP)
-- Semaine Olympique Française (FRA)
-- Holland Regatta (NED)
-- Kiel Week (GER)
The intention is to commence the ISAF World Cup as soon as possible, and no
later than 2008. -- ISAF website, full report:
http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j69Fh?~kC&format=popup
AFFORDABLE WIRELESS CONTROL
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the Ockam system. Each of the 5 key fob control buttons is capable of being
easily programmed to output any Ockam command. Scroll through the pages on
any display, operate the stopwatch or control the lighting to name a few of
the possibilities. It’s pre-programmed with a MOB function that switches the
displays to back range and bearing to the point of activation. Like all
Ockam components, the Lynx is compatible with any Ockam system. Just simply
connect it to the existing bus, no additional wiring required. Contact
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A NEW, MORE MOBILE AMERICA'S CUP?
During the Allianz Cup, a World Match Racing Tour event sailed in October on
San Francisco Bay, America's only America's Cup challenger, Larry Ellison,
sat behind a microphone and went public with thoughts that are buzzing among
all the Cup teams that will be racing in 2007. Power players at Alinghi and
other camps too are thinking along the same lines as Ellison, who said that
he'd like to see Cup racing, "follow more closely what they do in Formula 1;
we’d have a regatta in Cup boats in San Francisco every year, one in
Newport, one in Germany, one in Italy; regattas that people and sponsors
could count on, to have some regularity."
Of course that's a merely for-example list of venues. The goal would be to
tame the monster unloosed in 1983, when Australia II broke the longest
winning streak in sports history and removed the racing from its comfy
cloister in Newport, Rhode Island. Each Cup cycle since has been an
adventure. Remember the dramas of overhauling Fremantle, Australia to host
the next match? Remember the traumas (too much to describe) of the 1988
races in San Diego? Each cycle has charted new waters and new shoals, while
the teams have morphed into fulltime business ventures craving
"regularity." -- by Kimball Livingston, Sail Magazine, full story:
http://sailmag.com/newAC
RACES IN PROGRESS
* Velux 5 Oceans, a 30,000-mile solo race exclusively for the Grand Prix
IMOCA Open 60 and Open 50 classes, is beginning its fourth week. The race
begins and ends in Bilbao, Spain with just two stops - in Perth, Western
Australia and Norfolk, Virginia on the east coast of the USA. The leader of
the first leg, Bernard Stamm, has covered approximately 5,000 miles of the
12,000 mile first race leg to Perth. -- http://www.velux5oceans.com
* Route du Rhum race, the 3,500-mile solo race for multi-hulls and monohulls
from France to Guadeloupe, is now in its third week with most of the
multi-hull fleets finished, and with the monhulls entries between 500-1900
miles to the finish. American Kip Stone continues to lead Class 2 with his
Open 50, while the UK’s Phil Sharp maintains his lead in the twenty-five
boat Open 40 class. Frenchman Roland Jourdain won the IMOCA monohull class,
besting Ellen MacArthur’s 2002 record by 1 day, 1 hour, and 32 minutes. --
http://www.routedurhum.org
TAKE YOUR SHOW ON THE ROAD
(From the Sailing World November/December 2006 issue, Tony Bessinger
provides this "Tech Review" on keelboat transport.)
You may never know how good (or bad) you are at racing your boat until you
leave your home waters and test yourself against sailors somewhere else.
This is a relatively easy task for dinghy sailors, a bit more of an endeavor
for keelboat racers. To entice you to expand your horizons, we talked with
two road warriors, guys who have trailered their boats thousands of miles in
pursuit of silver and new venues.
Mike Ingham, of Rochester, N.Y., has towed his J/24 as far as central
Mexico, because he's a firm believer in sailing his own boat no matter where
he races. "When I first got into J/24 racing, we chartered a boat for the
worlds and it was a horrible experience," says Ingham. "Our philosophy ever
since has been, 'That's a really long way to go to have a really crappy
boat.'" -- Full article: http://tinyurl.com/yx9y5x
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CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine)
Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
SAILING SHORTS
* Debbie Capozzi, with her crew of Chantal Leger, Kelly Hand, and Lindsay
Bartel, defeated Katie Pilley-Lovell’s team 3-1 to win the 2006 US Woman's
Match Racing Championship. Sailed in Newport Beach using Governor’s Cup 21s,
Capozzi’s team advanced into the finals by defeating Liz Baylis’ team, with
Pilley-Lovell’s team beating Sandy Hayes’team to advance. The winner of the
Petit Finals was Liz Baylis. -- http://www.ussailing.org
* An update is posted on the AC32 Challenger Commission website concerning
the efforts to retrieve the historically significant and valuable pieces of
the original America's Cup that went "walkabout" in 1997 after the Cup was
bashed and then repaired. It seems that there are several pieces in the
possession of separate parties. -- Full story with photos:
http://www.challengercommission.com/2006/11/silvergate.html
* Yachting World’s Matthew Sheahan caught up with Russell Coutts, where he
talks about the first season of racing for his new RC44 class. Created by
the most successful helmsman in the history of the America's Cup, Russell
Coutts' RC44 class embarked upon it's first round of racing this autumn.
Listen to this podcast conversation where they discuss how the class was
going and its plans for the future. --
http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20061011081343ywnews.html
* On Saturday (Nov 11, 2006), the Swiss Defender loaded 224 tons of
equipment onto the ship bound for Dubai. Including 2 boats, 3 support boats,
rigs, keels, travel lifts and no less than 10 containers, the process began
early in the morning and the job was done by mid afternoon. At the other
end, the Dubai International Marine Club, which is to be home to Alinghi for
the next three months, other Alinghi shore crew members were busy getting
things ready to receive the shipment. Sailing in Dubai is due to begin in
mid-November. -- Cup In Europe website,
http://www.cupineurope.com/NewsEN/2006/Alinghi.htm
* The Etchells class website has posted a rules update which addresses the
troubles the class had this past summer over which materials were
permissable to use for the construction of tillers, tiller extensions, and
other equipment. Link: http://etchells.org/content/view/82/19/
* (Nov 12, 2006) West Australian Swan River fleet sailor Skip Lissiman, who
was a member of the 1983 America's Cup winning Australia II crew, this
afternoon won the 2007 Slam Etchells Australian Championship sailed on the
legendary Cockburn Sound. This was the final regatta before next weeks 2006
Audi Etchells Worlds, an eight race series that runs from 18th to 25th of
November. -- Worlds website: http://www.etchellsworlds2006.org
* The Notice of Race for the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles
to Honolulu next summer has been posted online along with an online entry
program. Significant changes for this race include the addition of the STP
65, a "box" rule class, and a reduction in the minimum length of monohulls
from 30 to 26 feet, plus satellite tracking by Flagship. -- Race website:
http://www.transpacificyc.org
* Correction: Peter Commette's letter in Issue 2221 about Paige Railey
noted: "All that, and she's the world number one ranked Laser Radial
sailor." Actually, to set the record straight, in current ISAF rankings for
the women's Laser Radial class she is No. 3, behind Anna Tunnicliffe of the
U.S. and Evi Van Acker of Belgium.
CHRISTMAS IS COMING…
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EIGHT BELLS
The Monterey Bay and west coast sailing communities are saddened by the
passing today of Harvey Kilpatrick at age 66. Harvey was a fiercely
competitive ocean racer for decades but will be be remembered for the
generations of junior sailors he introduced to the sport. He taught not only
sailing skills but also set the highest standard of sportsmanship. He will
be sorely missed. -- Dick Clark
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 Forums.
-- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
-- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From Jeff Borland: (regarding George Heartwell’s letter in Issue 2221 on
‘Who does the scheduling for US Sailing’s championship events?’) Well, I
guess that would be me - in my volunteer position as the chair of the US
Women's Match Race Championship Committee. Sort of. Scheduling a
championship, especially one as complex as this one, is very difficult.
First you have to find a club that is willing and able to: host 9 teams, 10
umpires, provide 10 equal boats, 6 umpire boats, race committee, etc. Then,
you need to work with them and their racing schedule. Here at Newport Harbor
YC, they not only are running this championship, two weeks ago they ran the
US Sailing pre-trials, and last week ran a large team race event!
It certainly isn’t as simple as demanding that the club take a week out of
the prime part of the season to host this event for us. It is a cooperative
thing, and sometimes it is not optimal - but these clubs and their
volunteers are out here doing an excellent job of running regattas so that
US Sailing can crown a champion. Clubs don't come beating down our doors to
run these events - the chairs of the committees and the members of those
committees go out and solicit clubs to step up. I am in the process of
trying to line up venues for the next 2-4 years, and I am going out to clubs
with hat in hand asking if they can help. It's the graciousness of these
clubs and their members that allow us to hold this championship, so we work
with them on the scheduling.
* From Jonathan Sommers: ISAF President said, 'We all know the sport has to
develop a professional and widely recognized world tour.' and apparently the
delegates to the Annual Conference agreed - they just established a "World
Cup" series with four stops in Europe, one in Australia and one in North
America ... plus the probable addition of an Olympic Class World
Championship and a Grand Final event. `I guess that makes it official - an
Olympic sailing campaign is now a full time commitment, and only those with
a shipping container, wall-to-wall sponsorship or very deep pockets need
apply.
* From Ralph Taylor: Oh, oh! If we needed more evidence the professional
tail is wagging the sailing dog, ISAF President Göran Petersson supplied it:
“You cannot have competition unless it is commercially viable and a strong
commercial base is needed for our sport” (as stated in Issue 2221). The
absence of a statement of need for amateur viability says something. I
suppose there is to be no place in ISAF for amateur competition. Say goodbye
to the working stiff, in his or her own boat, funding sails out of the
grocery money, and getting a group of buddies together for the club regatta.
Will sailing follow the vortex of “commercial viability” down the drain?
Some recent trends suggest that the era of rich professional sports has
already reached its peak and may be beginning to decline. For sailing, there
’s a finite limit to the number of billionaires and the number of boats
sailed by professionals. There is also a finite limit to sponsorship money.
There’s a place in sailing for the big-time events and professional sailing.
But, it will happen no matter what ISAF does or doesn’t. Commercial
viability will be there so long as there’s demand for boats, sails &
equipment. Amateur sailing is the goose that lays the golden eggs of
commercial viability. ISAF should recognize that fact.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
The location of all objects cannot be known simultaneously. If something is
found, something else will disappear.
Special thanks to Ockam Instruments, Ultimate Sailing, and Vanguard
Sailboats
Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender
of the 32nd America's Cup.
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