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SCUTTLEBUTT 3238 - Monday, December 13, 2010Scuttlebutt 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: Kaenon Polarized, Hall Spars & Rigging, and Team One Newport. CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME While the rest of the country is gearing up for New Year’s celebrations and finalizing 2011 resolutions, Annapolis resident Ryan Breymaier is preparing for his first-ever circumnavigation around the world as a participant in the double-handed Barcelona World Race. The event, sailed in super-light, highly technical IMOCA Open 60 monohulls that have few design concessions for comfort, starts its second edition this December 31 and is scheduled for a finish late next March after 15 teams representing eight nationalities complete 25,000 nautical miles (46,300 km) around the globe. Born in Washington, D.C., and a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland (1997, BA in Economics), the 35-year-old Breymaier essentially relocated to France four years ago with his wife Nicola to pursue his life-long dream of racing in the IMOCA Open 60 Class. The extreme sport of short-handed sailing is dominated by Europeans, and many of them, such as Loick Peyron, Alex Thompson, Michel Desjoyeaux, Dee Caffari, Jean Le Cam, and Jean-Pierre Dick, are headlining in the Barcelona World Race and are nothing short of national sports heroes. But all that does not phase Breymaier, who will be the only U.S. entrant in the event, sailing with Boris Herrmann of Germany on Neutrogena. In fact, he embraces his position as an up-and-comer and hopes his journey can be an inspiration to other U.S. sailors to rally behind or try short-handed sailing. “Over here, I’m now known as the young American pitting himself against the European legends but being encouraged by them at the same time,” said Breymaier, who has earned his stripes working for Neutrogena’s previous owner Roland Bilou Jordain, who sailed the boat in the first edition of the Barcelona World Race and in the Vendee Globe as Veolia Environnement. “I love the boats, I love the racing, and I love the challenge,” he added, noting that in 2009 alone, he logged 20,000 miles on the boat, delivering it to various ports and competing in the Istanbul Europa Race (a crewed race around Europe) with Jordain. The Barcelona World Race is the only race of its kind in the world and follows the Great Circle route (the shortest possible route traced across the map) past three capes: the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn. Rounding any of the three is a badge of significant merit in the sailing world, but rounding them with only two sets of hands to manage a 60-foot boat and without the choice of holding back for severe weather may be the greatest challenge for entrants in the Barcelona World Race. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/1211/ SAN FRANCISCO IN DANGER OF LOSING AMERICA'S CUP San Francisco has been told it will lose the right to host the next America's Cup unless a deal is signed by this Friday. The warning came in a letter the Golden Gate Yacht Club sent to Mayor Gavin Newsom and other officials on Saturday. America's Cup official Stephen Barclay said he considered San Francisco to have come up with the winning bid in early November, when city officials and the yacht club negotiated an agreement that was then sent to the Board of Supervisors to begin the approval process. But he said the Port Commission recently changed key points in the agreement that would put too much of a financial risk on the America's Cup Event Authority, which has been contracted by the GGYC to run the regatta. The Board of Supervisors' Budget and Finance Committee will hold a final hearing Monday, and the full board is expected to vote on the agreement Tuesday. Barclay said the GGYC - which sponsors America's Cup champion BMW Oracle Racing - set the deadline because the America's Cup Event Authority is committed to informing participating teams of the venue choice by Dec. 31. Barclay said the GGYC has reopened talks with Italy to hold the America's Cup in 2013. He added that Tom Ehman, a member of the GGYC's board of directors, was en route to Newport, R.I., to reopen talks with officials there. -- AP, full story: http://tinyurl.com/AP-121210 VIVA LA FRANCE: ALEPH, the French challenge headed by Bertrand Pace and Alain Gautier, has been confirmed by the Golden Gate Yacht Club as a challenger for the 34th America’s Cup. With the backing of the French Sailing Federation, the French challenger has taken on the official mantle of “French Team for the 34th America’s Cup”, and has been re-named “ALEPH-EQUIPE DE FRANCE”. ALEPH is said to be the fifth entry; three teams having already been officially revealed as entrants are Golden Gate Yacht Club, USA (BMW Oracle Racing team); Club Nautico di Roma, ITA (Mascalzone Latino team); and Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Sweden (Artemis Racing team). The entry period closes March 31, 2011. -- http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-121210 STOKE THAT SAILOR WITH KAENON POLARIZED Choose from the just-released White and Titanium limited edition color range, to the stealthy in-demand Matte Black, the uber-hot aviator-inspired Sequence, to the sleek lightweight Spindle, or the retro cool Burnet, Burny and Pino, to the practical Georgia, Klay and Kanvas. For dad, mom, son or daughter stoke that sailor in your family with Kaenon Polarized. Visit Team One Newport, APS, Point Loma Outfitters, Sailing Supply or locate an authorized dealer nearest you at http://www.kaenon.com. Always featuring Kaenon’s patented SR-91 polarized lenses and available in prescription. Merry Christmas from Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. SAN FRANCISCO VS. LARRY ELLISON It seems like a lifetime ago when yachting journalist Kimball Livingston reported on the love fest that occurred on February 20, 2010 at City Hall in San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom handed BMW Oracle Racing team owner Larry Ellison the key to the city. Ellison gave the Mayor a team jacket which he promptly put on his back. And both made a lot of noise about finding a way to make it happen that the new defender, Golden Gate Yacht Club, would be hosting the 34th America’s Cup on their home waters. “We will do whatever it takes,” Newsom said at the time, “because of the magnitude of the opportunity.” To which Ellison replied, “We don’t need taxpayer support. We need access to waterfront land. The 2007 match brought 680 million Euros to the economy in Valencia. That’s almost a billion U.S., and this should be even bigger.” Ten months later, and now less than three weeks from a vital deadline to disclose the venue location, the level of negotiations between the City and the Golden Gate Yacht Club have gotten rough. Some might say it was only a matter of time. Ellison, the sixth richest person in the world with a personal wealth of $27 billion, didn’t achieve that status by always playing nice. It is hard to know what is really going on when it is not clear who San Francisco is bidding against to host the Match. Recent rumors are that the City realized it is not bidding against anyone, which may have affected how much they are willing to give up. Also, with the number of entries now looking to be less than projected, the City may have reassessed the value of hosting the event. If Emirates Team New Zealand had won the 2007 match, a venue location other than Auckland would have been a non starter. And what no one disputes is that the City is able to host the event, or that Ellison declared his desire to defend in San Francisco. For the Bay Area sailing enthusiasts that have faithfully dedicated their support to the cause, let’s hope the deal gets down for the right reasons and not the wrong. -- Scuttleblog, http://tinyurl.com/LRvsSF-121210 RC44 CLASS VS. ELLISON Miami, FL (December 12, 2010) - Larry Ellison and his BMW ORACLE Racing crew wrapped up the 2010 RC 44 Season Championship with a second-place finish in the fleet racing portion of the ORACLE RC 44 Cup Miami. Coupled with the team’s sixth place in the match racing portion of the regatta, BMW ORACLE Racing placed fourth overall in the Miami regatta, which equated to a 2-point victory over Artemis Racing for the season championship. While Ellison got the spoils for the season championship, Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino won the ORACLE RC 44 Cup Miami title. Mascalzone Latino showed great improvement at this regatta after rejoining the class in July. The Italian crew placed third in both the match and fleet racing for the overall victory with the low score of 6 points. “Winning this event is special meaning for me because the past three years have been difficult for me in my life and in sailing,” said Onorato, a six-time world champion in yacht racing. “Russell asked us to come back to the class and we couldn’t be happier with this result. We’ve worked hard to regain our form and we will do our best in the future to perform in this class,” Onorato said. The 2011 RC 44 Season Championship begins in March in San Diego, Calif. Full report: http://www.rc44.com/en/regattas/news/index.php?idContent=2788 PHOTOS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/1212/ SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar MORE PHOTOS FROM MIAMI * Miami, FL (December 12, 2010) - The Jaguar Series, the premiere winter event for the Etchells class in North America, hosts four events from December through February. The Etchells Jaguar Cup series for 2011 kicked off this weekend at Biscayne Bay Yacht Club with 45 Etchells entered in the Louis Piana Cup. Winds failed to materialize on Saturday, but Sunday was a perfect day for racing with warm Southwest winds building from 10 to over 20 knots during the day. Consistency was key for last year's Jaguar Series winner Jeff Siegal and Jeff Madrigali, who began their defense by winning the Piana Cup. -- Photos/report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/1212b/ * Miami, FL (December 12, 2010) - Only one race was held Saturday at the 2011 Audi Melges 20 Miami Winter Series hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club (CGSC), due to very light air conditions. But on Sunday, 2010 Audi Melges 20 USA Sailing Series Champion Michael Kiss, from Holland, Mich. and crew comprised of Chris Rast and Jamie Kimball on Bacio took on the 25-strong fleet by winning all three and the event by a substantial 8 points. -- Photos/report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/1212a/ DREAMING OF A CARBON CHRISTMAS? Hall Spars & Rigging is the place to start when shopping for the serious sailor on your list. Contact our experts (real sailors!) for recommendations for the perfect present. A QuikVang would look great with a big, red bow! Or order a carbon pole and we'll send a t-shirt to put under the tree. If Santa doesn’t bring you a gift from Hall, simply log on to our website and order hardware or rigging. We’ll get it to you in plenty of time for your winter racing. Email info@hallspars.com or shop online http://www.hallspars.com SAILING SHORTS * Cruising World magazine announced the winners of its 18th annual Boat of the Year awards. Topping this year’s list of winners for the most anticipated awards in the sailboat industry were the Catalina 355 and the Discovery 50. The Catalina 355 won the Domestic Boat of the Year award, and the Discovery 50 was named Import Boat of the Year. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/CW-121210 * According to a local harbormaster, the Raw Faith, An 88-foot sailing ship designed for wheelchair-bound sailors that sank on Tuesday, had problems long before it embarked from Salem, Mass. Said harbormaster Peter Gifford of the boat, which went down about 165 miles southeast of Nantucket, “When it was built it was probably good, but it was not well maintained. It was leaky, there were seams opened up on the hull,” Gifford said of the Raw Faith. “I think the guy was in over his head.” -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/RF-121210 * Multi One Design S.A., the exclusive promoter and organiser of the new MOD 70 class, has appointed leading global sports marketing and events company OC ThirdPole as co-organiser of the European Tour 2012 and 2013, events that form part of the MOD 70 circuit. The Multi One Championship programme, composed of offshore and inshore crewed races solely, will kick off in July 2012. OC ThirdPole is also the organizer of the Extreme Sailing Series for eXtreme 40 catamarans. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/MOD-121210 * The start of ocean sprint two of the VELUX 5 OCEANS has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions off the South African coast. Gale force winds and huge seas led to the race committee taking the decision to delay the start - possibly to Thursday - because of concerns about the safety of the solo skippers and their Eco 60 yachts. Ocean sprint two, the second of five that make up the VELUX 5 OCEANS, will see the fleet sail through the Southern Ocean to Wellington in New Zealand. --Full story: http://tinyurl.com/V5O-121210 * On Monday 13 December at 1900 hours GMT the venues and teams for the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series will be announced. Sailed in eXtreme 40s, the series is expected to begin in Oman in March with an expanded schedule to include new territories and additional teams that are using the series to help bolster their multihull skills for the 34th America’s Cup. Hosted by BBC Olympic sailing commentator, Richard Simmonds, and joined by Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of event organisers OC ThirdPole, the live, online broadcast will be hosted on the event website: http://www.extremesailingseries.com * Groupama has officially presented the team that will compete for the Volvo Ocean Race Trophy in 2011-12. Led by skipper Franck Cammas (FRA), the team will include veterans Damian Foxall (IRL), Phil Harmer (AUS), Magnus Woxén (SWE), Sébastien Josse (FRA), and Yann Riou (FRA). Complete list here: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-121210 * Phuket, Thailand (December 10, 2010) - The Phuket King's Cup Regatta, Asia's biggest and most popular regatta, cancelled racing on the final day as a result of a large rescue operation due to storm conditions. A strong westerly blowing straight into Kata Beach bay along with sea chop and low tide has caused havoc among the King’s Cup fleet with at least 10 boats beached and more heading towards the sand. -- Full report/photos: http://www.kingscup.com/index.cfm?Nid=77957&RequestTimeOut=180 HOLIDAYS MADE EASY AT TEAM ONE NEWPORT Let Team One Newport's crack staff help you fill your sailor's stockings with terrific gift ideas at http://www.team1newport.com/products.asp?dept=180. You can get Petzl headlamps, Opti Models, Chelsea clocks, new games, Ultimate Sailing calendars, Suunto watches and lots more. For the sailor with a really BIG stocking, don't forget the full line of gear from Musto, Henri-Lloyd, Gill, Slam, Atlantis, Patagonia, Zhik, Magic Marine and more. Team One Newport has been the leader in sailing clothing for 26 years! We have the best service, expertise, and selection in the world! Just call us at 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) and be sure to check out the special Promotions from Atlantis, Gill, Henri-Lloyd and Kaenon on our web Home Page. 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 Clark Chapin: To answer Paul Henderson’s question as stated in Scuttlebutt 3236: “ISAF got $8 million out of Beijing, which is up from $50,000 in Montreal (1976 Games) and $2.5 million in Sydney (2000 Games). How much money does the Federation need?” We all know the answer: “As much as they can possibly get.” Or perhaps, “How much have you got?” Maybe this is the wrong question. Perhaps a better question is, “Would it be better for the world-wide sport of sailing if it was not an Olympic sport?” US SAILING, in its previous incarnation as USYRU debated this question in the late-70’s. At that time, the consensus was “Yes”, (and it may be again) but the irrational demands of the world body based on their need to maintain and justify an exorbitantly expensive and excessive structure could mean that that the time has come again to ask some basic questions. Let’s not be confused about what the Olympics are: Every four years, a group called the ‘International Olympic Committee’ puts on a television festival that features various events where the outcome is not known beforehand and are therefore sports. The object of the event is not really to determine any sort of world champion (although SOME of the world’s best athletes compete), but to generate advertising revenue that returns to the aforementioned ‘International Olympic Committee’ that then decides to conduct the event at another venue to generate more revenue. Removing sailing from the Olympics would be highly disruptive, but it could be for the best. * From Giles Pearman: I have no beef with the Star. Never sailed one, never will. I have no beef with the world’s best sailors having an appropriate vehicle to show off their talents at the Olympics. It just occurs to me that one problem sailing may have with something like the Star is the fact that the fundamental design of the boat is too far in the past and, unlike skiing and cycling for example, the upgrades to the design over the years are by no means obvious and cool (just look at the website for the sexy developments - http://www.starclass.org/about.shtml). An amateur cyclist can go buy something similar to the cool looking bikes used at the Olympics; the amateur skier can go buy something similar to the cool looking skis now in use. What does the amateur sailor do if he wants something cool: doesn’t he go and buys a foiling moth or sportsboat, or at least something involving lots of carbon-fibre, an asymmetric kite and no hiking vests? It occurs to me that the last thing the wannabe hero-identifier sailor buys is a Star. I am Tiger Woods because I use a Nike Dymo driver; I am Chris Hoy because I ride a Dolan; I am Bode Miller because I use Head skis; I might have been Robert Scheidt when he sailed a Laser, but I am never going to be Robert Scheidt in a Star. Don’t shoot the messenger, just explain how and why my hero worshipping children start to identify with guys racing a boat designed in 1911. If Miller was made to use hickory skis, with steel and leather bindings, they’d love him like Mr Bean but not because he’s cool... * From Ted Jones: (re, the loss of Raw Faith reported in Scuttlebutt 3236) Thank goodness this ill-fated vessel sank before it took on a group of handicapped passengers/ crew, and thank goodness it sank in water deep enough to precluding salvage. The bottom of the ocean would seem to be a good place for it. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I live in my own little world. But it's okay. They know me here. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Ultimate Sailing - West Marine - Henri Lloyd Melges Performance Sailboats - North U - Camet - North Sails LaserPerformance - APS - Ullman Sails - Harken - The Pirates Lair Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
