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SCUTTLEBUTT 1330 - May 15, 2003
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TEAM FRANCE
Loïck Peyron and Bertrand Pacé launch their project for the America's Cup 2007
Loïck and Bertrand have been rubbing shoulders out on the water for ten
years. And although match-racing and the America's Cup have become part of
Bertrand's every day life, Loïck has been interested in the famous silver
trophy for almost ten years. A project in common became obvious and both
sailors, each with an exceptional list of achievements, thrashed their
ideas out properly last December in Auckland. An association which can be
qualified as natural, complementary and unifying.
"For me, Bertrand is one of the figures of the America's Cup," said Peyron.
"He knows the competition and its hidden side and possess the famous
international experience which is so rare for we French. He really knows
what it means to manage a sporting project of this scale. What's more, he
has taken part in various sort of organisations and knows their strengths
and weaknesses. He's been through a lot and now has his fair share of grey
hair to prove it! I'm not doing this without Bertrand... "
"I've always had an enormous amount of esteem and respect for Loïck, Pacé
explained. "What I like about him is that he is passionate about yacht
racing. He doesn't think twice before bringing himself into question and
sails on all sorts of boats. His boats have always been technically
innovative and high performance machines. Loïck has enormous talent in
terms of technology and when it comes to navigation. He has both the
savoir-faire and the energy to manage an America's Cup team. We are both
passionate about sailing and love being out on the water. That should not
be forgotten!"
So that we can have all the necessary assets on our side, Pacé explains
that "we have to start acquiring key people right now." So strong relations
are maintained with national and international skills in setting up the
Design Team. For several months now, we have been in contact with two
American "personalities" - Rod Davis (Coach, 9 America's Cup
participations, 2 times Olympic medalist in the Los Angeles (gold) and
Barcelona (silver) Games, 14 international match-racing titles) and Clay
Oliver (naval architect, Team New Zealand, Stars and Stripes, America3).
With a view to mixing skill and experience, Christian Contzen former
Managing Director of Renault F1 (6 times World Champion) and highly
enthusiastic about our project will be in charge of technological
partnerships. Top French educational institutions have already given their
undertaking in the shape of ParisTech.
"Money alone is not enough to win, but you cannot win without money."
Therefore, in order to get down to work rapidly and efficiently, the best
men and tools of the moment have to be brought in. So, our aim is to put
together 75 million euros (average of the true budgets in the last edition)
with the guarantee of obtaining the first half of the budget before the end
of July 2003. - Laurent Simon, Team France Press Service, Agence Windward
TEAM FRANCE SAILING HIGHLIGHTS
BERTRAND PACÉ: Winner of the Admiral's Cup 1991, World Match-Racing
Champion 1994 and Vice Champion in 1998-99, 1st in the Swedish Match Tour
2000, 6 times winner of the Tour de France à la Voile, 5 America's Cup
participations, 1st French tactician to have taken part in an America's Cup.
LOÏCK PEYRON: 36 Atlantic crossing 15 of which single-handed, two
circumnavigations (Vendée Globe and The Race), 4 ORMA world championship
titles, 2 consecutive wins on the English Transatlantic single-handed yacht
race, 4 Round Europe Yacht Race wins, 14 first and 4 second places in the
21 ORMA Multihull Grands Prix between 1993 and 200.
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SWEDISH MATCH TOUR
Former Swedish Match Tour champion Magnus Holmberg is displaying his old
form at the Toscana Elba Cup - Trofeo Locman, leading the way into the
semifinals, following the third day of the regatta. Joining Holmberg as an
early qualifier for the semifinals is former Mascalzone Latino helmsman
Paolo Cian now sailing for the Riviera di Rimini Sailing Team.
While training with Mascalzone Latino, Cian spent 18 months sailing on the
waters around Elba and that experience has paid dividends as he upended
Swedish Match Tour leader Jes Gram-Hansen of Team Victory Lane, who had
been undefeated entering the quarterfinals, 2-1. Meanwhile, Holmberg
dispatched of Poland's Karol Jablonski 2-0, in dominating fashion
The Toscana Elba Cup - Trofeo Locman is Holmberg's second appearance on the
Swedish Match Tour following his duties as skipper and helmsman for
Sweden's Victory Challenge for America's Cup 2003. Following a fifth place
finish at last month's Congressional Cup in Long Beach, CA, Holmberg is
feeling well and looking for more.
In the day's other action, James Spithill of Australia, former helmsman of
the OneWorld Challenge, defeated American Ed Baird of Team Musto 1-0, in
the third place knock-out round forcing Baird into Quarterfinals
Qualifying. In the Quarterfinals Qualifying, Baird turned around his
fortunes, dispatching Great Britain's Andy Beadsworth of Team Henri Lloyd
2-1, to stay alive.
Likewise, Luc Pillot was pushed to three matches by Denmark's Jesper Radich
before prevailing in a third and final match, while Chris Law of "The
Outlaws" swept past Sebastien Destremau of Le Defi Areva. As a result,
Radich, currently second on the Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 Leaderboard,
has been eliminated from the regatta without gaining any Swedish Match Tour
Rankings points.
Wednesday presented the best racing conditions of the week thus far. A
consistent 12 knot breeze settled in at 8 knots in the afternoon on
Portoferraio Bay, before getting a bit shifty as the day came to a close.
Repechage quarterfinal action resumes tomorrow as well as the beginning of
semifinal competition. - Shawn McBride, http://www.swedishmatchtour.com
PICKING THE US OLYMPIC TEAM
(Recent issues of Scuttlebutt have contained discussions of how athletes
are picked to represent the USA at the Olympics, and the Olympic test
event. Fred Hagedorn, Chairman of US Sailing's Olympic Sailing Committee
(OSC) has provided Scuttlebutt with some insight into the selection process.)
The US Olympic Team Trials-Sailing are a winner-takes-all event, with the
first-place finisher earning a place on the starting line at the Olympic
Regatta. Similarly, the US Olympic Pre-Trials rewarded the top-finishing US
boat with an entry to the 2003 Athens Regatta scheduled for August 14-28.
The OSC, which is tasked with determining the athletes to attend these
events, believes strongly in on-the-water selections. Utilizing a single
event simulates both the Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games experience.
The US Sailing Team annually recognizes the top-five ranked sailors/teams
in each of the 11 Olympic disciplines based on performance at
pre-determined events. Being named to the Team is an important goal for
sailors in the USA, who then benefit by receiving elite-level coaching,
assistance with overseas shipping and national recognition which assists
their individual fundraising efforts.
Rankings are good benchmarks for overall performance by sailors/teams. They
are, however, not a guaranteed predictor of how a sailor/team will finish
at a specific event. The OSC's philosophy is to build strength within the
Olympic classes so that those sailors will push each other to excel. This
philosophy has enabled the USA to achieve the best Olympic medal record of
any nation 54 medals in total, with 27 of those won over the last five
Olympiads.
We are fortunate to have many talented sailors in the US with Olympic
dreams. The OSC will continue to support our athletes in every way possible
to position them for success at the Olympics, Paralympics, Pan Am Games and
the ISAF Youth World Championships. - Fred Hagedorn, OSC Chairman, US Sailing.
Additional information on all the national teams can be found at:
http://www.ussailing.org/Olympics
AMERICA'S CUP TECHNOLOGY
An Auckland University student is using computer models to investigate
sailing characteristics of the voyaging canoes that carried Maori and other
Polynesians across the Pacific Ocean. Anthropology student Brian Jacobs
moved to Auckland from the United States to research the performance of
traditional canoes using mathematical models. The computerized models are
similar in concept to those used to find the best hull shapes and sails for
America's Cup yachts.
Jacobs said a lot of anecdotal evidence existed about traditional canoes,
and it was known how reconstructed canoes performed. "But nobody has
actually examined the boats using scientific methods to provide any kind of
evidence," he said.
The first study of its kind, it would compare traditional Polynesian and
Micronesian vessels, including single outrigger and double-hull canoes from
the early 18th and late 17th centuries. "Those boats are very closely tied
to the ancient canoes, so once I have an understanding of them, I will use
that knowledge to study the 1000-year-old boats," he said. "It fascinates
me to think of the thousands of miles that people journeyed in these
canoes." - NZ Herald, full story:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/marine/marinestorydisplay.cfm?storyid=3451794&reportid=57034
FACTOIDS
During Brad Van Liew's eight month solo Around Alone Race circumnavigation
and class sweep on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America, he:
- consumed 225 dehydrated food pouches;
- drank 142 gallons of desalinated water;
- spent 668 hours sleeping (average nap was 26 minutes);
- averaged 8.36 knots;
- spent 455 hours surfing the web for weather data;
- took zero showers at sea;
- lost 20 pounds per leg;
- logged 345 miles in a single day;
- sailed each leg with six sails, two computers, two Iridium phones, four
cameras and zero toilets. - Meaghan Van Liew, http://www.oceanracing.org/
SNIPE SAILING GEARS UP FOR SPRING
Snipes all over the U.S. are tuning up their rigs and getting ready to
start the spring sailing season. This coming weekend the 53rd Snipe
Southerns will be held in Chattanooga, TN and the annual Blue/Grey Regatta
will be held in Island Heights, NJ. If you're ready for a weekend of
Serious Sailing and Serious Fun, contact your local fleet captain to find a
boat. All the information you need is available at http://www.snipeus.org
J/24 NAS
Valle de Bravo, Mexico - Two races were completed today in light and
variable winds of 3 to 12 knots. A system nuboso has generated variable
winds so much in direction as intensity for the last two days of racing, as
opposed to the strong winds of the first day.
The best performance today was Mexican sailors Jorge Castle with a 1-5 and
Pablo Cervantes with a 7-1, taking advantage of the fleet with their
extensive knowledge of the local conditions. In the press conference Castle
attributed their best performance so far to good teamwork in the maneuvers,
and to the good reading of the changes of direction and intensity of wind,
in spite of not having excellent starts.
The American crew of "Mr Happy", skippered by Bob Harden is the current
points leader with racing continuing through Friday. - Mario Velasquez.
Complete results at
http://www.j24mex.com/j242003/Results/results_final.htm
Curmudgeon's Remark- I had to dust off my sombrero to translate this report
that was provided in Spanish)
TYBEE 500
In a really close finish Tommy Bahama nosed out Key Sailing for the third
leg of the Tybee 500 from Jensen Beach to Cocoa Beach. Despite not winning
the leg, Key Sailing has now moved into the lead by 50 seconds ahead of
Tommy Bahama. Tybee Island finished 3rd today and remains only two minutes
behind Tommy Bahama. Results: 1. Key Sailing I, Kirk Newkirk/ Rod
Waterhouse, Inter 20, 24:39:57; 2. Tommy Bahama, Alex Shafer/ Nigel Pitt,
Inter 20, 24:40:47; 3. Tybee, Steve Lohmayer/ Kenny Pierce, Inter 20,
24:42:10. Complete story and results at http://www.tybee500.com/results.htm
and http://www.catsailor.com/Tybee500/Tybee500.htm
AMERICA'S CUP ON TOUR
The America's Cup returned to New York on Tuesday, spending the morning in
the model room of the New York YC on West 44th Street. However, it
certainly wasn't the homecoming the NYYC has dreamed of for the past two
decades as the club was merely acting as a gracious host for a stop on the
Alinghi victory tour.
The big question remained unanswered - there was no announcement regarding
the venue for the 32nd America's Cup. But Alinghi representatives Brad
Butterworth and Josh Belsky did shed a little light on the team's plans for
the next few years and some of the changes the Swiss syndicate is looking
to institute for the 32nd America's Cup. Complete story at
http://www.sailingworld.com
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
* May 17-18: S.O.C.K.S. Regatta, Seattle YC. http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/
* May 23-25: Sunfish U.S. Masters Championship, Ninnescah Sailing
Association, Cheney Lake, KS. http://www.SunfishClass.org
* May 24-26: Swiftsure International Yacht Race, Royal Victoria YC.
http://www.swiftsure.org
NEWS BRIEFS
* Gull Lake YC, Richland, MI - John MacCausland and Phil Trinter shot out
early in the first race of the Star Spring Championship of the Western
Hemisphere and never looked back. The right paid all day in a light 5-10
mph, southwest breeze. Typical light and tricky Gull Lake conditions on the
first day of racing allowed for only one race. The biggest news of the day
was Mark Reynolds' fifty foot putt at the opening ceremonies event at Gull
Lake Country Club. Racing continues through Sunday. -Tom Vandermolen,
http://www.gulllakestarfleet.org and http://www.starclass.org
* For those still interested in voting for who currently has the hottest
tiller hand, Seahorse Magazine is pitting the recent accomplishments of
Augie Diaz against Freddy Loof in their latest sailor of the month poll.
- http://www.seahorse.co.uk
* A second Spanish team from the Real Club Nautico San Genjo of Galicia is
now the eighth confirmed entry in 2003 Admiral's Cup. The team comprises
Bribon Telefonica Movistar, the recently launched Jason Ker designed 55'
IRC boat owned by Jose Cusi. His majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain will
skipper the boat and the crew includes Eddie Warden-Owen (GBR) as tactician
and Bouwe Bekking as principal helmsman. The IMS600 entry is the Rodman 42
Telefonica Movistar, owned and skippered by Pedro Campos (ESP). The boat
will have crew from Campos' 2002 Copa del rey winning team, and also
includes John Miller from the Volvo 60 illbruck and Jens Christiansen. -
ISAF website, http://www.sailing.org
PIRATE ATTACKS AT RECORD LEVEL
The first quarter of this year saw 103 pirate attacks worldwide, up from 87
during the same period in 2002. The International Maritime Bureau did
however welcome heavy sentences imposed on convicted pirates action by
courts in China and India as a signal that could curb the incidence of
piratical attacks.
Indonesian waters are still the most dangerous with 28 attacks in the three
months, compared the three next dangerous, Bangladesh, India and Nigeria
where there were nine attacks each. IMB director Capt. Pottengal Mukundan
said: "Both the Indian and Chinese authorities should be congratulated for
having taken these difficult cases through to prosecution,' . 'It is this
kind of response which will deter future pirates from this trade." -
Maritime Global Net, http://www.mgn.com/
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com)
(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 or a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Ian Duff: Well, it's heartening to see the fogeys showing the
young bucks a thing or two in the Laser Atlantic Coast Championship. The
first four places being taken by my peers (in age at least, certainly not
in talent, what's the grouping for age bracket 45-54, but without enough
talent to deserve the title "Master"?) is certainly encouraging. Perhaps
enough to drag me back into a Laser, after many years away from the best
singlehanded racing around! Hat's off to you gents!
* From Glenn Selvin: Could we please stop a moment and put things into
perspective. Day after day, people continue to blab on and on about the
America's Cup, which has become very old news. Instead, let's celebrate the
fact that all across this great country of ours, Wednesday night racing has
begun! Let's all enjoy our own racing, enjoy the midweek play time, and
forget all this A-Cup stuff!
* From Rob Ball: Keep up the AC coverage - I find it much more compelling
than anything else. With so much secrecy around each program, it's hard to
learn the inside story, and for sure Scuttlebutt is the best source of info
for us that are a distance away . . .
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
The early bird still has to eat worms.
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