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SCUTTLEBUTT 2915 - Tuesday, August 25, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are North Sails, Melges Performance Sailboats, and Key West 2010. NO YOUNGEST RECORD AVAILABLE AT WSSRC The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) was established by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in 1972, initially to provide impartial monitoring and ratification for the increasing numbers of high speed sailing claims. Since then, the WSSRC has become the de facto organization to oversee both sailing speed and passage records. With all the recent interest in the “youngest to sail solo around the world” claim, Scuttlebutt asked WSSRC Secretariat John Reed why this is a record that ISAF does not want to monitor: “The situation is that the WSSR Council does not have a category for "youngest" attempts and in consequence we do not monitor voyages to claim such a distinction. In 1999, Jesse Martin made an around the world voyage which at that time we accepted for a Performance Certificate and from this he was able to say that at 18 years of age he was the youngest to have achieved the circumnavigation. “However, since then we have a policy of not ratifying ‘youngest’ (or oldest) claims or attempts, and you will note that our rules do not include such a category. We concentrate on speed record attempts and claims, and no longer recognize "human condition" categories which can expand to such an extent that almost anyone would be able to claim a record of some sort. The other issue is that whilst we can clearly monitor and ratify "speed/time" records - at which we have become rather expert - the verification of age/disability/marital status, etc. is a less exact science.” -- WSSRC website: http://www.sailspeedrecords.com YOUNGEST RECORD AVAILABLE AT GUINNESS * 17 year-old British sailor Mike Perham is on the verge of becoming the world's youngest solo circumnavigator. He now expects his 50ft yacht Totallymoney.com to reach the Lizard line marking the start and finish point of his 30,000 mile record-setting odyssey on Thursday, August 27th - two months inside the current record. While such a record will not be recognized by the WSSRC, Guinness World Records will be on hand to ratify the feat. This will not be the first time that Perham has been credited by Guinness World Records. Back in January 2007, he became the youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic at the age of 14. -- Full story: http://www.covarimail.com/view.lasso?id1=406&id2=294439 * The juvenile court in Utrecht in the Netherlands is due to decide if it is okay for a 13-year-old girl to sail around the world. Laura Dekker's parents have given her permission to go, because it's her dream. The Dutch child protection agency says this is irresponsible and has taken them to court. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/lyy26k ONE WEEK LEFT: RECYCLE YOUR SAILS & SAVE 25%! Would you like to see your old sails recycled? From now through August 31 (only one week to go!), North Sails will pay for you to ship your old sail(s) to North’s Recycling Center in Portsmouth, RI and as an added thank you, you will qualify for 25% savings toward your new sail purchase. (North America only, 50 feet LOA & under, restrictions apply, one design sails not included.) We will also send you a free tote bag made from recycled sail cloth by SEA BAGS, Inc! When ‘thinking green’ matters, head North: http://na.northsails.com/tabid/14647/Default.aspx DOING IT RIGHT IN CLEVELAND By Don Finkle, RCR Yachts The organizers of the Beneteau 36.7 Great Lakes Championship at Cleveland Yachting Club (Rocky River, OH) managed to check off all of the important boxes when it comes to running a regatta: high quality race committee, great shoreside accommodations, excellent value for the cost, and one of the most important but often overlooked facets of running an event like this…they really, truly wanted us there! Everyone was friendly and helpful, from the moment we arrived. The event reinforced one of my regatta favorite things: the all-inclusive crew meal/drink wristband. It makes it so much easier for the owner, who already has a lot of other concerns and expenses, to just buy wristbands for his/her crew and then not worry about every night after racing. At CYC the crew wristbands covered breakfasts, dinner meals, a daily free pour period and keg beer for the weekend. When all is said and done, the most important part of running a regatta is the racing itself. In Cleveland the RC did an excellent job over two days of really light air, managing five races in conditions where lesser RC's probably would have gotten less. I especially liked the way they talked to the fleet over the radio, so we always knew what they planned to do and why. They also sounded a "wake up" signal one minute before each warning, giving the fleet ample time to get the timing down. Marks were moved for windshifts, legs were shortened as appropriate, and the lines were about as square as could be. The fleet was very competitive and overall it was a super experience. -- RCR Yachts, http://psndealer.com/dealersite/images/rcryachts/racersnews082109.pdf HUMMUS THE HARD WAY By David Schmidt, SAIL So there we were last Friday evening, sitting on the rail of Tom Hill’s magnificent new Reichel/Pugh 75 Titan XV during the 2009 Ida Lewis Distance Race off Newport, Rhode Island, happily munching on carrots and hummus, when a curious thing happened: a torrent of saltwater exploded over everybody seated at the back of the sled. It happened so suddenly that all I could do was hold onto the munchies and try not to inhale the water that was doing its best to ventilate my sinus passages and peel back my eyelashes. In the humble words of those around me, What the hell?! Thankfully, the water was warm, and soon it washed the hummus in my lap across the deck. A gentle spritz this was not. But again, WTH?! Fire hose treatment is generally reserved for those brave souls on the pointy end of the bus, but back in fantasy things had been dry and “comfortable”. Hurricane Bill had delivered a wonderful groundswell and perfect 18-20 knots of breeze, and we had just rounded the turning mark off Montauk, ditching our powerful upwind wardrobe for a jib top and a genoa staysail. -- Read on: http://www.sailmagazine.com/racing/ida_lewis_distance/ * Tom Hill's (San Juan, Puerto Rico) Titan XV, which was launched this year at New England Boatworks, handily won the IRC Division, finishing the 150-mile course in just over 13 hours and 42 minutes. -- http://www.ildistancerace.org/2009/ 505 WORLDS San Francisco, CA (August 24, 2009; Day 2) - Mike Martin and crew Jeff Nelson have won two of the three races in the 2009 SAP 505 World Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club, but were to spend a restless Monday night in 27th place before rejoining the fray Tuesday. Restless for some of their rivals, that is. The Newport Beach, Calif. sailors beat the regatta leaders, Mike Holt and crew Carl Smit of Santa Cruz, Calif., by 48 seconds in Monday's only scheduled race. Now, after the first of two races scheduled Tuesday---the fourth race of nine through Saturday—they'll discard the 99-point score they've carried like a thousand-pound bag of salt since failing to finish Sunday's second race after flipping their boat and busting their mast. At the time they were running second to Holt/Smit, who went on to win the race despite their mast getting bent by the same puff that took out their adversaries. Both replaced their masts overnight, and conditions today were lighter than Sunday's blowout at about 17 knots. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8103#8103 Photos: http://www.rrrcommunications.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=18 Sailgroove video: http://tinyurl.com/Sailgroove-505-Worlds AUDI MELGES 20 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP The New Audi Melges 20 was on display in fleet fashion this past weekend on Macatawa Bay in Holland, Michigan. The strong one-design fleet was handed many different conditions including six foot waves and big swell on Lake Michigan. Check out the spectacular photos: http://blog.melges20.com/2009/08/photolicious At the U.S. Nationals the 2010 Audi Melges 20 Winter Series was revealed. Get involved and go for a sail on one or check them out at the upcoming boat shows! Watch this new sportboat take off … check out the 2010 schedule at http://tinyurl.com/blog-melges20-8-24-09 LASER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Nova Scotia, Canada (August 24, 2009; Day 5) - For the second day in a row there was no racing at the 2009 Nautel Laser Worlds taking placed on St. Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia. A brush with Hurricane Bill on Sunday forced organizers to store 196 Laser hulls inside two buildings at the St. Margaret Sailing Club. The boats were unpacked quickly on Monday morning in anticipation of a great day of racing, but St. Margaret’s Bay did not live up to its reputation of steady afternoon sea breezes. “It’s disappointing to lose two days of racing,” said event manager Duncan Enman. “It happens sometimes and just means we will try to get in more races in the next two days. Having a day without wind on St. Margaret’s Bay, this time of year, is almost unheard of.” The forecast for Tuesday calls for 10 to 15 knot winds. After five races, Nick Thompson of Great Britain leads the event with Canadian Michael Leigh as the top North American. Event website: http://can09.laserinternational.org Photos: http://www.capizzano.com/laserworlds2009/index.htm SAILING SHORTS * San Diego, CA (August 24, 2009; Day 1) - San Diego Yacht Club, host of the 2009 Snipe Junior World Championship, ordered up a beautiful day for the 21 competing teams, completing three races in a steady breeze peaking at 12 to 15 knots. Despite defending champions Mario Tinoco and Mateus Gonçalves (BRA) beginning the event with a bullet, it is local sailors Judge Ryan and Chris Segerblom (USA) that currently hold the lead. -- Full report: http://www.snipeworlds2009.com/news/ * Traverse City, MI (August 23, 2009) - Alan Field and his WTF team beat out 25 other teams to win the 2009 Melges 24 Gold Cup Championship, hosted by Grand Traverse Yacht Club. Field won the championship with an impressive 11 points after 9 races. In second place overall was Argyle Campbell on Rock n’ Roll and Guy Mossman on Battle Rhythm in third. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/mtwdg3 * Macatawa, MI (August 23, 2009) - The first Audi Melges 20 U.S. National Championship was held this past weekend, hosted by the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club. Friday’s strong winds on Lake Michigan kept the 14-boat fleet ashore, moderating enough on Saturday for three races. On Sunday, extreme light conditions allowed for only one race. Eric Wynsma from East Grand Rapids, Mich. was declared the winner over Marc Hollerbach (Grosse Point, MI) in second and Pieter Taselaar (New York, NY) in third overall. While protests concerning the validity of the fourth race were disallowed, it is understood that an appeal on the verdict may be pursued. -- Results: http://melges20.com/2009-nationals-results.php * Kingston, ONT (August 24, 2009; Day 2) - The 49er North Americans have completed seven races, with former Canadian Sailing Team member Rob Dale, sailing with American Carl Horrocks, holding a narrow lead over Matthieu Dubreucq and Trevor Parekh. Nineteen races remain over the next three days, with racing wrapping up on Thursday. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8100 * Chicago, IL (August 23, 2009) - On a day challenged by light winds and irregular seas off the Belmont waterfront, Phil Robertson (NZL) and his Waka Racing team of Garth Ellingham, Sam Bell, and Jim Williamson has won the inaugural Chicago Match Cup against Keith Swinton (AUS) and his Black Swan Racing team. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8101 * Copenhagen, Denmark (August 24, 2009; Day 2) - Competitors at the 470 World Championship were blessed with another day of unbeatable weather, with blazing sunshine plus a stable southeasterly breeze that started at 8 knots and ended up closer to 20, allowed the race organisers at the Royal Danish Yacht Club to cash in on the conditions, holding three races for the five fleets, rather the scheduled two. Qualifying for the 95 men and 57 women teams continues through Tuesday, with the finals held August 26-29. Top North American teams are Stu McNay/Graham Biehl (USA) and Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (USA) in 14th and 12th, respectively. -- Event website: http://worlds470.kdy.dk/ * The Notice of Race for the 2011-12 Global Ocean Race is now online. The inaugural event, the 2008-09 Portimão Global Ocean Race, included singlehanded Open 40s and doublehanded Class 40s, whereas the 2011-12 event will be for Class 40s only in either solo or doublehanded configuration. Five boats are already entered, with the race limited to 20 open entries and 5 invited entries. Full NOR here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0824/ * (August 24, 2009) - Rhode Island’s public sailing center, Sail Newport, buzzed with activity today as sailors with disabilities and vision impairment gathered for the seventh annual C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta. When Judy McLennan (Portsmouth, R.I.) and daughter Stephanie McLennan (Newport) created the event, their goal was to fulfill the competitive goals of sailors with disabilities while helping to better prepare those sailors whose aspirations included representing the USA at the Paralympic Games. The one-day clinic, August 24, is the hallmark of “The Clagett” and is followed by three days of racing, August 25-27. -- Full report: http://www.ussailing.net/Clagett/2009/pr-2009/index.htm KEY WEST 2010 PRESENTED BY NAUTICA – WINTER’S BEST Don’t miss North America’s premiere winter regatta! Spectacular conditions beckon IRC, One Design and PHRF racers. World class competition, professional management, and unique shoreside fun await. New 20’ Sportboat class and the return of Corsair multihulls. Make your plans for the annual Key West reunion (January 18-22). Details at http://www.Premiere-Racing.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Glenn McCarthy, Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation Donation Chair: Our Regional Sailing Association ‘LMSRF’ was set up as a 501(c)3 charity and had some small donations along the way. Fifteen years into the program, Tom Neill donated his Beneteau 51 "Nitemare" to LMSRF which later provided confidence to other offshore boat owners to also donate their yachts to LMSRF. Tom's donation led to the following accomplishment for Lake Michigan sailors: a race management software program was developed when no commercial alternatives were available, LMSRF provided funding for ORR Measurers to become certified, funding has led to instructors at Lake Michigan sailing schools to be certified, juniors and adults attend "away" national and international regattas to learn the latest racing techniques and bring those ideas back home to keep our Lake Michigan sailors "up to speed", as well as coaches provided at youth events around the lake. This legacy will continue, repeated frequently, all with the greatest thanks to Tom. We will all miss him greatly. * From Will Laidlaw: In Scuttlebutt 2912, there was a paragraph in the lead story that concludes with the sentence "The sport needs larger than life personalities, and he was one of them". While this story was in reference to Tom Blackaller, the same could easily be said about Tom Neill of Chicago, whose death is reported in Scuttlebutt 2914. Tom was indeed a big personality, and an even bigger person. His generosity, spirit, and occasional outrageousness was a breath of fresh air in the world of sailing. While he did not always play by the rules on shore, he always did on the race course. He took a personal interest in each member of his crew and their families, and had a smile and most likely a joke for everyone else. He will surely be missed. * From Tom Thayer: After reading Chris Caswell’s comments (in Scuttlebutt 2914) on America’s Cup sailors of today lacking personality, I couldn’t help but wonder how Larry Ellison, Chris Dickson, and others could get labeled as bland? * From Les Valmadre, Southern Cross AC crew (1974): Please say thanks to Chris for saying what many of us old AC sailors have been muttering for years (from Scuttlebutt 2914). While the modern sailing is great to watch and the technology can make even the most jaded of us drool just a bit, I would give it all up to just hear one more quip from someone like Ted Turner when he said to Brit Chance the designer of Mariner in 1974, "Christ Brit, even turds are pointed at both ends". In that same event we Australians were privileged to see some 8mm footage of Ranger taken back in the thirties. And from that we mere crew coined the phrase "The Blackcoats" for all those who had found where the helm was and were afraid to leave its immediate vicinity in case it disappeared. I believe it is still much in use today. On September 25 of this year, we Aussies will again gather at Royal Perth Yacht Club for a lunch with no sponsors. We will pay our own way, tell the same stories we have told before, and while generally lamenting the facelessness of so many of today’s AC sailors, we will nevertheless revel in the friendships we have made both here and in the U.S. and France. We will remember those who haven't come to this year’s gathering and those who have passed on, while always knowing that we sailed in a tradition brought to us by all the previous America's Cup sailors. May it one day return. * From Casey Robert Baldwin: As reported in Scuttlebutt 2914, I sympathize with very skilled US Laser sailor Clay Johnson in missing his protest submission to the Laser World's jury by a mere five minutes. However, as a veteran international journalist, I feel the organizing, race, and jury committees, did a superb job in handling fast changing conditions, including Hurricane Bill. With many outstanding protests, the jury set a reasonable time limit for submissions, handled them logically and with dispatch. To my knowledge, Mr. Johnson was the only protester who missed the deadline. Getting 185 brand new Lasers indoors because of 'Bill' was well-organized and swiftly completed. I wish this top-notch American sailor the best of luck in the final three days of the 2009 World Laser Championships. * From Mike Levesque: Regarding the Scuttlebutt 2913 story ‘HI TECH RACE MANAGEMENT’, this is long overdue, and only partway there. The next step that we need is chips on the boats so there is no need for the manual entry. For many, many years now, we have been doing "live" updates on the web for major Hobie Cat regattas (Worlds, NAs, etc.). These updates include mark rounding order of the top boats, finishes, weather updates, etc. These are typically text blogs, and require a dedicated resource (volunteer) to upload this information (these are week-long events). At the Hobie Cat 16 Worlds in Mexico in 2004, it was reported that we were getting over 100,000 hits. To not take advantage of this free exposure would really be sad. Additionally, this would certainly help juries, which in the long run helps everyone. As a PRO, I know that having mark boats manually record roundings, while important, is difficult at best for large (60+ boat) fleets, particularly at gates. Add in some capsizes, Charlie flags, etc. and it becomes nearly or actually impossible. Having said all of that, I don't see the need to add electronics for the sailors to use. This is simply a means to help the OA provide to a greater audience without impacting the actual sailing. -- http://tinyurl.com/Scuttleblog-ML CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Astronomer: When you rearrange the letters you get ‘Moon Starer’ Special thanks to North Sails, Melges Performance Sailboats, and Key West 2010. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
