|
SCUTTLEBUTT 3625 - Tuesday, July 3, 2012Scuttlebutt 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: Team One Newport, North Sails, and Allen Insurance and Financial. GROUPAMA WINS 2011-12 VOLVO OCEAN RACE (July 3, 2012) - Only disaster could steal away the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race title from the Franck Cammas' skippered Groupama, which the team neatly avoided as they finished the final offshore leg (Lorient, France to Galway, Ireland) in second position to secure the overall win. Groupama are the first team to represent France in the Volvo Ocean Race since Eric Tabarly's La Poste in 1993-94, and they are only the second French winners after Lionel Pean on L'Espirit d'Equipe in 1985-86. With only six points separating PUMA, Camper, and Telefonica, this leg would prove decisive for the remaining positions on the podium. The final stretch was downwind, and while PUMA had their bow in front of the group with 50nm to go, it was Camper and Groupama that jibed first toward Galway, a move that would determine the rankings of the race, and the overall standings. "We've had a massive day and fought our way through to the lead," noted Camper skipper Chris Nicholson. "We've been so close [to winning] on several occasions and once or twice, through no fault of our own, it's been snatched away from us." With Camper's win of Leg 9, the overall standings are now locked in despite the outcome of the final In-Port Race on July 7. Standings - Leg 9 (Lorient, France to Galway, Ireland; 550 nm) 1. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 001d 13h 40m 13s 2. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 001d 13h 47m 11s 3. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 001d 13h 53m 01s 4. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 001d 13h 57m 33s 5. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 001d 16h 12m 27s 6. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 001d 16h 21m 29s Overall standings (after Leg 9) 1. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 250 points 2. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 226 points 3. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 220 points 4. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 209 points 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), 129 points 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 50 points Schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule Tracker/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com SCUTTLEBUTT TRIVIA What is it, which is now integral to the sport of sailing, that was invented 125 years ago? (Answer below) EASY WAY TO GROW THE SPORT Have you ever gone to a waterfront restaurant by boat? Do you know that in a recent survey of non-boaters, they really, really envy people who arrive by boat at the restaurants? Many people have entered the sport of boating just so they can be among those who are envied. Despite surveys pointing to boaters being happier, more content and better lovers, non-boaters slough off all that and concentrate on their desire to simply stepping off a boat onto a restaurant's dock as the main reason they might one day get into boating. In effect, you as boaters have a responsibility to boat to more restaurants. Not just for the great food or the enjoyment of being on the water with friends but to preserve the boating lifestyle. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/Grow-070212 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!! To celebrate our beloved Day of Independence, the founding mother at Team One Newport has decided to break free from the Tyranny of shipping costs! Place your order online July 4th and it will ship anywhere in the lower 48 states (via UPS ground or USPS Priority Mail) for FREE! That's right -- we said FREE! And in case you wore out the soles of your shoes marching in a parade or two, remember Team One Newport has one of the largest shoe offerings around! Adidas, Rainbow, Henri Lloyd, Ronstan, Sperry, Olukai, Sebago, Dubarry, Teva and Vibram... we've got 'em all! Shop our complete selection at http://tinyurl.com/tonfootwear and HAPPY FOURTH! IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING * If you were among the ten billion people in Newport this past weekend for the America's Cup World Series, and your keepsake photos aren't quite memorable enough, Scuttlebutt has a gallery of images provided by pro shooters Daniel Forster, Carlo Borlenghi, Leighton O'Connor, and Bob Grieser. And for the rest of you, who chose to do some boating of your own, here's a look at the AC45 racing: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0702/ * Are you the type that slows down to look at car accidents? How about glancing the direction of a loud argument? Of course you are, and that's in part why this next America's Cup is to be held in these combustible catamarans. Amazingly, however, the only capsize this past week at the AC World Series in Newport was mostly missed by the broadcast. Thankfully for all you rubber neckers, Dean Lennox caught on video the Emirates Team New Zealand capsize that occurred on the first day. Here's what happens when the wing isn't eased at the weather mark: http://youtu.be/uKhXk3fSvaA WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR Marstrand, Sweden (July 2, 2012) - Several skippers have started strongly at the third stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, with Tour stalwart Peter Gilmour finishing the day as the man to beat on four victories and a loss whilst Australian Keith Swinton also staked an early claim in the race to win STENA Match Cup Sweden in his adopted home country. Gothenberg-based Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing finished the day on three wins without a loss but won't begin to relax until he has confirmed his place in the event Quarter Final: "Obviously it's good to win three races but I think we're going to need seven wins to be guaranteed to go through to the Quarter Finals." Fourteen teams are competing on the DS 37 Match Racer boat. Also remaining undefeated is 2011 World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar at 3-0 and Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team at 2-0. Qualifying resumes Tuesday with the Semi Final and Final matches scheduled for July 7th. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/WMRT-070212 BACKGROUND: The eight event World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the leading professional sailing series, and is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with "Special Event" status. Prize money is awarded for each event, with event points culminating in the crowning of the "ISAF Match Racing World Champion". -- http://www.wmrt.com FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are recent ads: * Recruiting Waterfront Programs Coordinator - Univ. of South Florida * 1980 35' aluminum twin grove Gemini foil for sale * Fantasy House Boat, excellent condition for sale View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads LOOKING FOR THE BEST SAIL PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY? If you were out on the water this weekend (or watching sailing on TV or the Internet) you may have noticed North Sails logos all around - Volvo Ocean Race (5 of 6 boats race with North); America's Cup (6 of 8 boats racing in Newport are powered by North); or KRYS Ocean Race MOD 70s (all five boats race with North). The same technology used for these high performance racing boats ultimately benefit all North Sails customers, whether you race around the world or day sail with your family. North even offers free sail care* for the first year on all new North sails. *Some restrictions apply, see http://www.na.northsails.com for details. SAILING SHORTS * (July 2, 2012) - Nearly 60,000 people attended the America's Cup World Series in Newport - a turnout that pleased Rhode Island officials even though it fell short of initial predictions. State tourism officials reported Monday that 59,882 people visited the sailing event that ended Sunday at Fort Adams State Park. Officials said last week they were hoping the World Series would attract 50,000 visitors over its nine-day run, though a preliminary estimate had predicted as many as 90,000. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/ACWS-070212 * Australia's senior yacht club, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, next Sunday, 8 July 2012 will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its foundation, marking a proud role in the social and sporting history of Sydney and leadership in Australian yachting. It was the first Australian club to challenge for the America's Cup and one of its members, the late Bill Northam (later Sir William) Northam, was the first Australian to win a gold medal in Olympic sailing, at Tokyo in 1964. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14093 * (July 2, 2012) - The new MOD70 class, a one-design 70 foot trimaran conceived in 2009 and designed by VPLP to provide evenly matched high speed racing, today saw the five-boat fleet begin a 120nm prologue from Newport, RI to New York City in anticipation of the 2950 nm KRYS Ocean Race on July 7, which will take the fleet across the North Atlantic to finish in Brest, France. This will be the first event of the Multi One Championship, which will be followed by the European Tour to set off from Kiel on September 2. -- http://www.krys-oceanrace.com/en/ * (July 2, 2012; Day 3) Tight reaching winds in the twenties have given the Singlehanded TransPacific Yacht Race fleet an uncomfortable ride during the early stage of the race from San Francisco to Kauai, Hawaii. Adapting well to the cold, wet, and bumpy conditions is Alex Mehran's Open 50, which has opened up a 130 nm lead in the 23-boat fleet, and is 1653 nm from the finish. Each boat is fitted with a tracker that can be viewed here: http://singlehandedtranspac.com/race-viewer/ * The "Greatest American Sailor" Tournament has reached the semifinal round, with voting now open until July 8 at 11:59 pm EDT. The final four finds #1 Buddy Melges, Jr. matched against #1 Lowell North, while #1 Dennis Conner faces #2 Ed Baird. US Sailing members vote here: http://membership.ussailing.org/sweeps.htm EIGHT BELLS Eight Bells chime for Wilmot V. "Jerry" Castle Jr. on June 28, 2012 at 90 years young. Jerry's passion was sailing. He began competitive sailing in the 1940s on International 14 dinghies, continuing on 6 Metre's, Star boats and Soling's. His accomplishments in one design racing have been respected by the international sailing community throughout his life. At the age of 68 he was invited to be on the 1989 U.S. Sailing Team - in the Soling Class. In 1984, Jerry was chairman of the Tall Ships Festival for the Rochester sesquicentennial celebration bringing and hosting over twenty tall ships to Rochester's shores. Jerry was Commodore of the Rochester Yacht Club 1961-1962. He was awarded the club's first Commodore Emeritus in 2010 recognizing his life-time achievements on the racecourse, sportsmanship and contributions to the sport of competitive sailing. Jerry was known as a skilled competitor on the water and a skipper who could quietly bring out the best in his crew. Many of Rochester's top sailors have learned the set of a sail, an eye on the wind, and the skill of gentle leadership through Jerry's tutelage. Many Soling sailors who competed in the Firecracker Regattas during the 70's & 80's will recall the wonderful parties and fireworks display hosted on the lawn of Jerry & Fran Castle's home on the lake on the 4th of July. Fair winds Jerry. -- Keith Burhans, http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14095 TRIVIA ANSWER According to Vincent Delany of Dublin, Ireland, the One Design model was invented 125 years ago. "Thomas Middleton created the idea of a One Design boat in 1887 when he founded the Water Wag Club in Kingstown, Ireland and launched the first boat the 'Eva'. In introducing the 13'-0" long Water Wag, he noted that the One Design idea would be tested on the smallest boats. He envisaged classes of dinghies being built to exactly the same specifications and subsequently classes of keelboats. It is the best birthday present on the 125th Anniversary of the first One Design Water Wag Race, to hear that the Volvo Ocean Race has commissioned a class of 65'-0" long keelboats which will all be built to the same design. Congratulations to the organizers of the Volvo Ocean Race on adopting the One Design model... the 2014-15 edition will be a real race of yachtsmen's skill." CREDITABLE INSURANCE PLAN Do you sail professionally or cruise or race internationally? Are you an Olympic team member, instructor, coach or US SAILING team member? US SAILING is proud to offer all members a creditable health insurance plan with coverage at home and abroad. 24/7 assistance in your language. http://www.AllenInsuranceAndFinancial.com/ussailing 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 John Sweeney: In response to my good friend Bill Canfield's note declaring election results (in Scuttlebutt 3624) between the Euro Cup and the AC World Series, as an off-island member, I trust that the St Thomas Yacht Club contingent who would otherwise have voted to watch the ACWS were instead enjoying their Sunday on the water. * From Stephen Watson: I'm so confused. Is the America's Cup still the elite event of the sport? If so, then why are the commentators on such a mission to turn it into a "Learn to Sail" class? The degree of over-talking and over-explaining (much of it wrong) has me reaching for the mute button. Thankfully I had recorded the network show on Sunday, which allowed me to both fast forward through the painfully long fleet race (really, nine legs?), and rewind to confirm Russell Coutts' classic line after burning Jimmy Spithill off the start line of the Match Race Finals: "Pretty good for an old guy". Too bad there wasn't more onboard audio used. In general terms I suspect there are two groups of people: the casual sailors and non-sailors who enthusiastically attend the events for the party atmosphere, and the active racers who find the broadcast to be the best way to closely watch the competition. But with the 'Green Fleet' level commentating, no wonder there were only a few thousand people watching on youtube.com EDITOR'S NOTE: Curious how other feel about this. Send your comments to editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com * From Dawn Riley: Regarding the losing a rudder, the Oakcliff Sailing Center Ker 11.3 lost its rudder while racing double handed in the Newport to Bermuda Race. They were able to execute a plan that allowed them to sail the boat back to the U.S. over 100 miles to within 15 miles of shore where we sent a boat out to meet them to get to the dock. I was very proud of their efforts and seamanship. Here is how they did it: http://tinyurl.com/OSC-070212 * From Don Tracey, Ballyhoo skipper (1974-76): Regarding the comments about losing a rudder, it was during the 1974 Round the State race in Hawaii, on the Australian 73' mini-maxi " Ballyhoo", that we lost our rudder on the windward side of the big island, on a lee shore. Due to Transpac rules, we had provisioned for an emergency rudder, which we rigged ASAP. The system consisted of using the spinnaker pole secured to and pivoting on the backstay, with the teak salon table bolted on with threaded "U" bolts, with lines to the grinder port and starboard winches. With this rig we sailed the boat south round the bottom of the big island and back to the Waikiki Yacht Club in Honolulu...about 350 miles. The moral of this story is, safety rules are there for reason, and good seamanship is a necessary skill. * From Peter Rugg: In a recent distance race, there were several small infractions that did not give a competitor an advantage including not crossing a finish line (under a bridge) properly and using the engine to get off a mudbank with no wind and an outgoing tide. The protest committee, adhering to RRS 64.1, saw DSQ as the only remedy. Clearly, most people who travel 50 miles to and from an overnight race feel that the committee should have provided for alternate time penalties. I believe I recall an article in Scuttlebutt that said the 2009-12 RRS were focused on one-design day racing and caused many problems with handicap distance racing. I have searched archives and been unable to find it. Can you point me to any relevant article or point of view? COMMENT: I don't recall that discussion in Scuttlebutt. Can anyone offer information on this topic? - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt INDEPENDENCE DAY Commonly known as the Fourth of July, this United States federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. The holiday this year falls midweek on Wednesday, so there will be no Scuttlebutt newsletter that day. Look for a concise edition of Scuttlebutt to return this week on Thursday and Friday. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Oh look... it's sunny outside. I'll update my status for all of my friends who do not have a window of their own. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Doyle Sails - Soft Deck - Team One Newport - North Sails Allen Insurance and Financial - Ullman Sails IYRS - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - PUMA Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
