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SCUTTLEBUTT 1867 - June 24, 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. QUEST EDITORIAL - Dean Brenner The US Olympic Sailing Committee has recently announced the details of a major fundraising effort to benefit our Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Program. Why are we doing this? The answer to that question is simple. From 1984 to 1992 our athletes won 21 medals out of 25 classes at the Olympic Games. From 1996 to 2004, our athletes won 8 medals out of 33 classes. Are today's American sailors less talented than those who were dominating sailing 20 years ago? Absolutely not. Our athletes are just as talented as ever. However, our competitor sailing nations have made significant improvements in the organization, support and funding available to their sailors. The field is no longer a level one, and in some cases our program is being outspent by nearly a 10 to 1 ratio. Our Paralympic sailors are enjoying a run of success similar to that of our Olympic athletes from 1984-1992. Our Paralympic athletes have won medals in 4 out of 5 classes over the last three Paralympic Games. But their advantage is starting to narrow as well. If we do not increase the support we can provide them, the medal count for our disabled sailors will surely decrease. The time has come for the sailing community in the United States to level the playing field for American sailors who aspire to become Olympians and Paralympians. We must increase the support available for our national sailing teams, so that our athletes can once again compete and win or lose based solely on their skills on the water. We are excited and proud to launch this initiative, and look forward to better days ahead for the Olympic and Paralympic Program. - Dean Brenner, US Olympic Sailing Committee Chair Details on the OSC's fundraising initiative: www.ussailing.org/olympics TESTING GROUNDS This weekend's Lands' End Toronto National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta will be the testing grounds for a new two-person keelboat sailing event that is scheduled to be added to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Representatives for the Martin 16 class, which will field 13 two-person teams in Toronto, have asked the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing to use the Lands' End Toronto NOOD Martin 16 races to evaluate the class and the boat for admission as the two-person keelboat sailing event for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. The Martin 16 Class has been developing the two-person sailing format over the past three seasons, gaining vital experience to support the submission of the Martin 16 as the IFDS equipment choice for this new Paralympic event in the 2008 and 2012 Games. The IFDS will announce their decision in Singapore, November 2005. "This new event will compliment the current one-person (2.4mR Class) and three-person (Sonar Class) Paralympic events and, for men and women with a Paralympics dream, the two-person event has opened a door for new teams to train and excel," said Bob Jones, President Martin 16 Class Association. SEA-INDUCED RELAXED STATE Sandwiched between covering the Michael Jackson trial and heading off to Aruba for the missing teenager, Geraldo Rivera found the time to race from Marion to Bermuda. Rivera, famous for having his nose broken on national television, giving away troop positions in the Iraq war and having an iconic moustache, has a high pressure job from which he rarely gets a break. So for Rivera, whose attitude has gone from indifferent and stiff in Marion last week to relaxed and amiable in Bermuda yesterday morning, sailing is his one way of letting it all hang out. "That's why I love sailing so much," said the 61-year-old yesterday aboard Voyager after successfully completing the 645 mile ocean crossing for the first time and avoiding a repeat of his 1985 disqualification for a pre-start collision. "When you are out on the water there is nothing else to think about. Yes, I do have a stressful job, there a lot of demands and we have done some pretty dangerous things, but being out there helps you forget about it all. I had the Michael Jackson trial to cover last week but when I was out there at sea, all I was thinking about was the current and the wind and how to get this boat to go as fast as possible. There is enough to think about at the helm of the boat that you don't have time to worry about work - whatever you do for a living." - Dan Rutstein, The Royal Gazette, full story: http://tinyurl.com/9njp8 VERY SMOOTH Having spent the last few days in Valencia watching act four of the America's Cup pre-regatta, it is clear the challengers have got a bit of work to do to reach the same level as Alinghi. The Swiss look very smooth. I guess some of us thought they might be a bit vulnerable without Russell Coutts, but that is not what we are seeing. Against Emirates Team New Zealand, they had a sailing edge, given they won the pre-start, and I think their boat SUI75 had a speed edge over NZL82. Starting is such a key area of the race. Previous cups have shown that 75 per cent of the races are won by the team who win the start and the first cross. It was a huge strength of Russell Coutts, and Alinghi's new helmsman Peter Holmberg is very comfortable there as well. This regatta has shown that there are still two divisions - Alinghi, Team NZ, Oracle, Team Luna Rossa - quite a way ahead of the rest. Their crew work and ability to get the boat around the track reflects they have been in the game a long time. - Peter Lester, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10332195 FOLLOW CAL 40 DANCING BEAR ON TRANSPAC Seventy-six boats are signed up to start the 100th anniversary of the Transpacific Yacht Race in next month's 2,225-nautical mile contest from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Included in this group are 14 Cal 40s marking the 40th anniversary of their debut in the event. After a recent refit, circumnavigator Mark Schrader's Dancing Bear, with all new lines from Samson, is a boat to watch. Herb McCormick from Sailing World will be on board recording notes and photos from the refit and the race to the islands. Safe sailing. http://www.samsonrope.com PREPARED FOR SOME CARNAGE - Matthew Sheahan Tomorrow, twelve fragile America's Cup boats will line up for the first two fleet races of Louis Vuitton Act 5. During the next three days there will be no dial-ups, no reason to be late at the start and no pressing your opponent way beyond the lay lines. Instead, the international fleet will aim to be at the favored end of the line when the gun goes, at full speed and with clear air. They will round the weather mark to port and reach to a spreader mark around 300 metres to the left hand side of the course before bearing away into a spinnaker hoist. Last year the fleet racing was spectacular with the weather marks providing the best of the action. But last year the fleet was only half the size it is now. The word from race management is that the start line will be easily long enough to accommodate 12 AC boats, but a biased line is a biased line, be it 10 or 100m long and the skippers and crew know it. "I think if we can finish the event with 12 boats it'll be good," said Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker. "There's potential there that's for sure. You can imagine what the top mark will be like with half a dozen boats arriving at the same time. It'll be interesting, a great spectacle and will be great to watch but it'll also be about protecting the boast as well." Alinghi's strategist Jochen Schuemann was also perfectly aware of the risks. "It'll be very exciting and very challenging but there's also a considerable risk and hopefully everyone will see this the same way and hold back a little bit as nobody can risk that they break the boats here or the rigs," he said. But saying that you'll hold back to ensure a clean start is one thing, doing it quite another, especially for crews whose careers have been focused on always scrapping for the best position. Others appeared to take a more light-hearted approach." Our boatbuilding team is on the night shift and prepared for some carnage," said Victory syndicate head Hugo Steinbeck. "I think with all these egos in the same start box, it's going to get pretty hot." Xavier de Lesquin of China Team took a similar view. "Fleet racing will bring a lot of attention and a lot of excitement and we're happy to have two boats," he said. Grant Dalton continued the thread saying, " We're used to having holes in our boat but we can't fly up any more - we're running out of boats!" - Excerpts from a story by Matthew Sheahan on the Yachting World website, full story: http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050523180903ywamericascup07.html MISTAKE An English and a Finnish judge of the Louis Vuitton Act 4 regattas that took place recently in Valencia yesterday apologized to the Spanish Challenge team for their mistake over finding against the Spanish syndicate when they were competing with Victory Challenge of Sweden. At the time the Judges' findings could cost the Spanish Challenge a fifth place in the overall classification of the event. As a result of the apology, Jordi Lamarca, the legal advisor to the Spanish syndicate, has sought an immediate meeting with Bryan Willis, the head of the juries for the Americas Cup, stating that 'whoever made this decision against us is clearly not in a position to be judging here.' - Valencia Life Network. - publisher@valencialife.net LINE HONORS In a tight battle down to the finish of the Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race, the USNA's Mameluke, a N/M 49 footer skippered by Tom Bock, snatched line honors from Sam Vineyard in Hawke, a more cruise oriented J/46. Vineyard was leading much of the way James Mulderig's Farr 72 Starr Trail withdrew from the race with light air sail problems. However, Hawke ran into a six-hour "hole" of light to no winds on Monday. This allowed Mameluke, sailing in from a more westerly course, to converge on Bermuda with a better angle and snatch the lead just at the reef marks north of the island. On corrected time Hawke took 13th place in the fleet and first place in Class A. Mameluke, in the celestial navigation group, ranked 40th in fleet and 7th in Class C. - www.marionbermuda.com NEWS BRIEFS * It's early in the Olympic quadrennium, so there are only 12 US athletes at the huge ISAF Grade 1 Kieler Woche in Kiel, Germany. However four of those competing are making their presence felt. With finishes of 4-3, George Szabo/ Eric Monroe, the only Americans in the 39-boat Star class, are just one point behind the leaders, Christian Monberg/ Martin Leifelt (DEN). And in the 50 boat Men's 470 class, Michael Anderson-Mitterling/ David Hughes have put together a 3-2-3-5 series to put them just nine points behind Matias Buhler/ Marcos Lamas (ARG). - Complete standings: http://www.navis-results.com/results.aspx?id_event=24 * John Kostecki has added a new title to his long sailing resume - America's Cup skipper. Kostecki is now responsible for on-the-water decisions of BMW Oracle Racing, the only remaining American challenger for the 2007 America's Cup. Kostecki, formerly BMW Oracle's tactician, replaces New Zealand native Chris Dickson, who is not sailing in Valencia but continues as CEO. Is it possible that Dickson is on the bench, sidelined by Ellison? After all, in this game of billionaires, there are big stakes and even bigger egos. - Jan Pehrson, Marin Independent-Journal, http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_2819257 * US Sailing awarded its Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal, which recognizes exemplary acts of seamanship, to the crew of the Ericson 38-200 Balder for their rescue of a fellow crew member. Balder, skippered by John DeMeyer, was getting ready to jibe, crew-member Tom Droescher was hit by the boat's boom when changing directions, flinging him into the Puget Sound and leaving him unconscious. He was not wearing a personal floating device (PFD). Luckily, the layers of his clothing trapped air and held him afloat, temporarily giving his fellow crew members time to react. - www.ussailing.org/safety/Rescues * Most of the Global Challenge fleet has averaged less than 4 knots for the last 24 hours which to be a downer for the 12 boats that are still some 2400 miles from the leg's finish line in France. SAIC La Jolla, who is some 80 miles south of the fleet, found its own private elevator and road it from 11th place to the top of the standings - eight miles ahead of Spirit of Sark with VAIO just two miles further back. - http://www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/ UK-HALSEY: SYNERGY REIGNS UK Sailmakers and Halsey-Lidgard Sailmakers, two organizations sharing an identical commitment to sailmaking excellence, customer service and great product performance, have merged to become UK-Halsey. More than 50 lofts in 20 countries will now deliver their combined advantages, including UK's laminated loadpath technologies (Tape-Drive and UK Ultra construction), dominance in PHRF and among production racer-cruisers, plus Halsey's expertise in mega-yachts and multihulls (from PlayStation and other RTW racers to Caribbean charter cats). The UK-Halsey website is worth visiting - for the latest animated Rules Quiz or news, sail tips, loft locations and sail quotes: http://www.ukhalsey.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 Randy Bartholomew: The finishing order of the just ended Marion-Bermuda Race has presented an unintended dilemma for the race committee. Mameluke (Class C), the first vessel across the finish line, actually took 25 minutes longer to sail the course than Hawke (Class A), the second boat across the line (5 minutes behind). The classes started in reverse order with 15 minutes between starts, which meant Hawke started 30 minutes behind Mameluke. The question is: who should get the "First to Finish" trophy and the perpetual recognition the goes with such a fete? If staggered starts are the order of the day, shouldn't "First to Finish" prizes go to the boat with the lowest elapsed time? * From Ralph Deeds: The omission of Bill Lapworth diminishes Sailing World's so-called Hall of Fame. His omission apparently exhibits an East Coast establishment bias against West Coast designers and sailors. In the 1960s Lapworth's boats wiped up the ocean with everything Olin Stephens, et al, had to offer. This led to the development of the IOR rule which took sailboat design down a blind alley for fifteen years. Shame on whomever the anonymous voters are who have repeatedly denied Lapworth the honor of being included. Curmudgeon's Comment - The Hall of Fame Judges are made up of present members of the Hall of Fame and an international group of yachting journalists - three of whom live and work on the West Coast. Check the list of Hall of Fame members and you'll see that many of them are also West Coasters: http://tinyurl.com/7j8c6 * From Peter Huston: Carl Eichenlaub certainly deserves to be in the Sailing World Hall of Fame - yes he won alot of races, yes he built a lot of great boats - not the least of which was the Doug Peterson designed "Ganbare", which with a really limited budget helped to change the face of big boat sailing, and yes he has helped many Olympians, whether they are part of the US team or not, to have perfectly prepared boats during the Games. But what I remember most about the guy so many of us have the honor and privilege of calling a friend is the time and patience he took to help anyone who asked for his help to become a better sailor. And the best lessons I learned from Carl had nothing to do with sailing. * From August Miller: Carl Eichenlaub has been the U.S. Sailing Team boatwright at the Pan Am and Olympic Games since 1976 not 1979. It was in 1976 at Kingston when Carl stopped the leaks in Peter Commette's aluminum Finn masts so they would pass the flotation test by filling them with boiling water and adding auto radiator stop leak. Carl has never watched a race at any of the Pan Am and Olympic Games where he has been the boatwright because someone might have needed his help on an emergency basis. The goodwill he has generated by repairing the boats of other nations has smoothed out rough patches for many US sailing competitors. * From Peter Brazier: I've always wondered how any boat is allowed to move ballast (eg the keel) in a race where the national authority or at least the sailing instructions have not allowed it by prescription to RRS 51 for that race or race type. Prescriptions may apply for certain offshore categorized events but do they apply to inshore/club racing? Without a prescription to the rule, there is no difference between moving keel ballast as to stacking sails, batteries, tools etc on the high side. Such a prescription would also need to provide relief from RRS 52 if any hull appendage (eg the keel) is to be moved other then by manual power. And unless the prescription is specific to moving hull appendages, there would be no differentiation between using power to adjust hull appendages as to adjusting running rigging for sail trim. 51. Movable Ballast - All movable ballast shall be properly stowed, and water, dead weight or ballast shall not be moved for the purpose of changing trim or stability. Floorboards, bulkheads, doors, stairs and water tanks shall be left in place and all cabin fixtures kept on board. 52. Manual Power - A boat's standing rigging, running rigging, spars and movable hull appendages shall be adjusted and operated only by manual power. * From Greg Farrell: I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate The Storm Trysail Club and Rolex for signing up T2Productions to release video footage of this years Block Island Race week. What a fantastic presentation package. As a past competitor of this great event it is fantastic to be able to watch the quality footage of this year's regatta whilst trapped at my desk in here Australia. It's a shame that the organizers of that other famous yachting event happening in the world (Europe, Valencia) don't take a leaf out of these guys book and offer more substantial and informative free video footage of their event within hours of it happening. Surely at this early stage of 'the Acts' the AC organizers could provide a little more informative and interesting footage than the brief grabs they are providing at the moment. Perhaps they should chat to T2p. * From Jose Fernandez Bilbao ( Re John Glynn's letter - 'Butt 1866): I would recommend to Mr Glynn a visit to the official America's Cup website at. While not ideal (I have experienced problems and delays with the race tracker, and the live information displayed on ongoing races is extremely limited), it includes the full line- up in each boat for every race- not only names, but positions as well. And although I also miss some of the "big old names" in AC history, we should also remember that there was a time when all these sailing legends were relatively unknown. Rather than look back at the past, I think it's time to look at the oncoming AC as an opportunity for new names to emerge. I would also think that reduced coverage by the US press has more to do with the scarcity of big US names on the AC than with any fault of the AC competition itself. With 12 teams from 10 different countries, this is the most international AC ever held. Would the NY Times be dedicating more space to it if the new big sailors were Swedish, Chinese or Spanish? http://www.americascup.com/ * From Alexander "Ali" Meller: After reading John Lake's guest editorial, I feel compelled to write to thank him for writing it. Not everyone posting earlier on this thread had bothered to acquaint themselves with all the facts (and neither have I); I was growing tired of the thread. But Mr. Lake's posting not only helps explain why this team was not seen at more collegiate events leading up to the college nationals, it gives us all the more reason to congratulate Bryan Lake and Jennifer Warnock. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS One of the perks of being over 60 is that when you have a party, the neighbors don't even realize it. |
