|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1253 - February 3, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. NATIONALITY PROVISIONS OF THE PROTOCOL By Vince Cooke, Regatta Operations Director, Louis Vitton Cup 2000 From the Louis Vuitton website it appears that the Nationality clauses may see a drastic revision should Alinghi win the America's Cup. Wonderful! This is long overdue. There are so many workarounds which have been employed by crew and designers to comply with the current and past protocols that to continue the practice simply continues the deception that the crews and designers are from the same nation in which the challenge was issued. The current rules serve only to severely inconvenience the families of foreign crew and designers while doing nothing to prohibit these same people from selling their talent to any challenge from any nation provided they do so within the time frame specified in the protocol. Who cares if Alinghi is crewed by 15 or so from different nations? You cannot take away from it the fact that it is a challenge emanating from Switzerland. Or, that OneWorld had numerous different nationals on board but clearly to the world, and most pointedly to the people of Seattle and the USA, it was an American challenge. Eliminating the Nationality restrictions does not mean that the Deed of Gift is being ignored, any more so than permitting the challengers to fly their boats instead of sail their boats to the venue does, or conducting the Match over a six leg windward leeward course, or permitting multiple challenges. If the foregoing can be tolerated, though in opposition to the Deed of Gift, then so can the elimination of Nationality restrictions. It's the reality of the 21st century; live with it. SURVEY RESULTS America's Cup defectors Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth have left no hard feelings in the hearts of most New Zealanders. An overwhelming majority in a poll taken this week do not blame them for quitting Team New Zealand after the last defence and do not feel "betrayed". While giving strong support for their freedom to switch to the Swiss Alinghi challenge, however, most people still believe Team New Zealand will retain the Auld Mug. The Weekend Herald-Digipoll survey has found that more than three out of four people believe the pair had every right to take billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli's offer. Nearly 60 per cent did not believe Coutts and Butterworth had betrayed their country. Despite those sentiments, the country remains firmly behind Team New Zealand, with 80 per cent of those polled confident of a successful cup defence, including 30 per cent who are very confident. * The poll of 800 people, conducted from January 23-28, is the first major survey of New Zealanders' opinions on the defections. * About 80 per cent agreed that as professionals they had a right to sell their services to the highest bidder, and 60 per cent thought that they had made their contribution to the country and deserved to leave and earn more money. However, most people scotched Bertarelli's call for the cup to become less parochial and for the nationality rules to be relaxed. About half of those surveyed disagreed with his belief that future events should be less a competition between nations and more a match-up between elite teams. - Eugene Bingham, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3099045&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup&thesecondsubsection=general TNZ TRUSTEES UPSET * Richard Green, one of the TNZ's former directors, called Coutts's statements ('Butt 1252) "factually incorrect, self-serving and grossly misleading." "It does a terrible disservice to the vision and principles on which Sir Peter Blake built Team New Zealand," Green said, adding that he and the team's former directors planned to issue a more detailed rebuttal next week. - Warren St. John, NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/01/sports/othersports/01BOAT.html * Team New Zealand's past trustees have vowed to put "the record straight" over claims they deliberately obstructed attempts by Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth to take over the America's Cup team. Former Team New Zealand trust chairman Richard Green is expected to make a detailed statement tomorrow, rejecting Coutts' allegations. - Helen Tunnah, NZ Herald, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/ MACRAE AND EVANS WIN SNIPE COMODORO RASCO John MacRae from Boston and Barb Evans from Annapolis, won a very competitive two-day Snipe regatta in Coconut Grove this weekend. For a complete report and photos, go to: http://snipeus.org. Snipes have great racing and great parties planned throughout the winter in Florida and Southern California, without the risk of frostbite: Alamitos Bay Feb 15-16 and Mar 8-9; San Diego Women's Mar 1-2; and the Florida-Bahamas Winter Circuit including the PanAm Trials Mar 21-Apr 5. So, shovel the snow out of your driveway, and come down and join us. ROLEX MIAMI OCR Warm sunshine and fresh breezes on Biscayne Bay made for a quick and delightful last day of the Rolex Miami OCR, where 526 athletes representing 34 countries have been competing in 11 Olympic and Paralympic classes since Wednesday. Over half of the 328 boats sailing were foreign entries. The regatta is the only ISAF Grade One ranking event in the U.S. Perhaps today's biggest international upset was had by Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) who snatched the Laser title from yesterday's leader and defending champion Paul Goodison (GBR). Going into today, Mendelblatt was only two points behind Goodison. Mendelblatt finished 6-1 to Goodison's 14-2 in today's racing -- his sixth posted after a remarkable comeback from a crippling wind shift that put him 30th at the first mark. Another amazing performance was seen in the 470 Men's class by Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas) and Kevin Burnham (Miami Beach, Fla.). Foerster and Burnham, both Olympic medallists, won both races today to knock off Steve Hunt (Hampton, Va.) and Michael Miller (Charleston, S.C.), who had been leading since day one. Their final margin was one point to win, with Hunt/Miller settling for second. Bermuda Star sailor Peter Bromby and Lee White from turned in finish positions of 2-11 to pull ahead of Andy Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Eric Oetgen (Savannah, Ga.). This makes the second time Bromby's team has stood atop the podium at this event. (Bromby won in 1995 and was second in '02). In the Yngling class, Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Capozzi (Nashotah, Wisc.) finished 9-3 to take a surprise overall victory in their first appearance at this event. The team was not considered contenders, especially after a premature start early in the series added 25 points to their score. - Media Pro Int'l Star (68 boats): 1. Peter Bromby/Lee White, Sandys, BER, 80; 2. Andy Lovell/Eric Oetgen, New Orleans, La. 100; 3. Bill Hardesty/Will Stout, San Diego, Calif., 108; Europe (25 boats): 1. Lenka Smidova, CZE, 13; 2. Meg Gaillard, Jamestown, R.I, 16 ; 3. Georgia Chimona, GRE, 36; Finn (32 boats): 1. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen, DEN, 28; 2. Chris Cook, Whitby, CAN, 31; 3. Richard Clarke, CAN, 44; 470 Men Mixed (12 boats): 1. Paul Foerster/Kevin Burnham, Rockwall, Texas, 24; 2. Steve Hunt/Michael Miller, Hampton, Va., 25; 3. Mark Ivey/Howard Cromwell, Huntington Beach, Calif. 33; 470 Women (9 boats): 1. Katie McDowell/Isabelle Kinsolving, Barrington, R.I., 41; 2. Erin Maxwell/Jen Morgan, Stonington, Conn., 55; 3. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler, Shelter Island, N.Y, 86; 49er (17 boats): 1. Tim Wadlow/Peter Spaulding, Branford, Conn. 19; 2. Andy Mack/Adam Lowry, White Salmon, Wash., 23; 3. Dave Fagen/Bora Gulari, St. Petersburg,Fla., 29; Laser (49 boats): 1. Mark Mendelblatt, St. Petersburg, Fla., 48; 2. Paul Goodison, GBR, 55; 3. Andrew Campbell, San Diego, Calif., 59; Mistral Men (22 boards): 1. Nikos Kaklimanakis, GRE, 13; 2. Kevin Stittle, CAN, 24; 3. David Mier y Teran, MEX, 26; Mistral Women (11 boards): 1. Anja Kaeser, SUI, 54.5; 2. Dominique Vallee, Trois-Rivieres, CAN, 71.4; 3. Swaine Gregoire, Montreal, CAN, 101; Tornado (28 boats): 1. Roman Hagara/ Hans-Peter Steinacher, AUT, 35; 2. Santiago Lange/ Carlos Espinola, ARG, 37; 3. Xavier Revil/ Laurent Guillemette, FRA, 48; Yngling (24 boats): 1. Sally Barkow/ Carrie Howe/ Debbie Capozzi, Nashotah, Wisc., 50; 2. K. Giakoumidou/ H. Dimitrakopoulou/E. Mantzaaki, Glyfada, GRE, 57; 3. Carol Cronin/ Liz Filter/ Bridget Hallawell, Jamestown, R.I., 60; 2.4 Metre (20 boats): 1. Heiko Kroeger, GER, 14; 2. Hans Meyer, Pewaukee, Wis., 9; 3. Stellan Berlin, SWE,; 29; Sonar (7 boats): 1. John Ross-Duggan/ JP Creignou/ Mikey Ross, Newport Beach, Calif. 14; 2. Rick Doerr/ Richard Hughes/ Tim Angle, Clifton, N.J 22; 3. Ken Kelly/ Peter Steel/ Kirk Westergaard, Victoria, CAN, 27. - www.ussailing.org/Olympics/RolexMiamiOCR/ UNINTERRUPTED PRACTICE Alinghi and Team New Zealand have agreed to a system of sharing space to enable both crews to practice without interference out on the Hauraki Gulf. The agreement was worked out with the Auckland Maritime Police unit following a series of confrontations on the water between the two syndicates. Last week, tensions rose when Alinghi received an instant fine of $10,000 after one of its chase boats entered the Team New Zealand practice area in violation of the agreement. Since then, however, there have been no further incidents, according to Senior Sergeant Martin Paget, head of the police unit. "Everybody has been really good. Both sides now have a very clear understanding of everybody's needs. We have had no problems at all and we do appreciate the level of co-operation we are receiving." According to the agreement, Team New Zealand and Alinghi have first choice of their practice area on a rotating basis. Team New Zealand has first choice on even dates and Alinghi on odd dates. Course area details selected have to be passed by e-mail to the AucklandHarbour, the New Zealand Police and the syndicates by 9am every day. - Ivor Wilkins, LVC website, full story: www.louisvuittoncup.yahoo.com/story1807.html JULES VERNE TROPHY * KINGFISHER2 has clocked up their best 24 hour run so far - 535 nautical miles - averaging boat speed 22.3 knots. Ellen and her crew made some good gains over the last 24 hours to make up some time and position them only 4 hours 55 minutes behind the record (although 10 hours 15 minutes behind the track of Geronimo). Difficult 48 hours ahead for Kingfisher2 as Andrew Preece explains: "Tactics wise we are at a tricky stage. We carried the wind jetting south at high speed until early morning but we have run into an area of squalls which suck the air off the water and spit it out unpredictably - either you get nothing or 35 knots. - http://www.teamkingfisher.com * GERONIMO: In the last 24 hours, the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran has covered 463 nautical miles at an average speed of very nearly 20 knots. Geronimo entered the Howling Fifties this morning. "The seas in this part of the Southern Ocean are fearsome and any hope of rescue is just a fantasy. This is a place of total isolation: an immense desert of savage waves of biblical proportions", says Olivier de Kersauson. http://www.grandsrecords.com FOR THE RECORD American skipper Steve Fossett's 125' (38m) maxi-catamaran PlayStation is getting ready for an attempt on the 'Christopher Columbus Route' - the East - West TransAtlantic Record, also known as the 'Route of Discovery' and the 'Trade Winds Route.' Their target for the Cadiz - Canaries - Bahamas course - is not the legendary Admiral's 10 week voyage of 1492, but a rather more recent record - the current mark of 10d 14h 53m 44s set in June 2000 by the 110' maxi-cat Club Med, co-skippered by Grant Dalton (NZ) and Bruno Peyron (FRA). As always on a record attempt, Steve and his international crew of 12-14 will be looking for a powerful weather system to launch them towards the Canaries and onwards across the Atlantic. - www.fossettchallenge.com TEAM RACING WORLDS AUCKLAND, New Zealand - The teams who finished one-two in the last world championship in 2001 once again topped the leaderboard on day one of round robin racing. At the end of a perfect day's sailing in 5-10 knot winds, the United States 2 team was undefeated after nine races, while defending champions New Zealand 1, from the Kerikeri Yacht Club, suffered just one hiccup in an otherwise faultless day. US Team Captain Tim Fallon said his New England team, who joined forces as college students six years ago, had stuck together with the aim of knocking the New Zealanders off their perch. Day One Leaders (16 teams) : United States 2: 9 wins, 0 losses; New Zealand 1: 6 wins, 1 loss; Ireland 1: 7 wins, 2 losses; Czech Republic: 7 wins, 2 losses; United States 1: 7 wins, 2 losses; Netherlands: 6 wins, 3 losses; Great Britain 1: 5 wins, 3 losses. - www.nzteamracing.com LOOKING GOOD FOR SORC AND ANTIGUA! Outfit your team with quality gear from The Pirate's Lair. Custom artwork, embroidery and screen-printing to make your crew look great and sail better. Also, check out our line of Henri-Lloyd gear at excellent prices. Call (888) SAIL-BUM or log on for sales and catalogs at http://www.pirateslair.com WANNA BET ON THE AMERICA'S CUP? The Alice Springs New Zealand-based Centrebet has TNZ paying $1.55 to win for a $1 bet, while Alinghi is at $2.30. A TNZ clean sweep will pay $3.85 while Alinghi is at $7.50 to win the series 5-0. The agency is also accepting bets on each race with the Kiwis at $1.65 to win the series opener and Alinghi paying $2.30. Punters can also gamble on who wins the starts, which boat is the fastest on each leg as well as the winning margin. William Hill also has TNZ as solid favourite though the British bookmaker rates Alinghi closer to TNZ than the Centrebet odds. From a story by Andrew Sandres in the Sunday Star Times, full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/0,2106,2233952a6444,00.html NEWS BRIEFS * From the end of June through to the beginning of July, the V.O. 60s, will compete in the Volvo Baltic Race - a new event is organised by Viamare and KSSS (Royal Swedish Yacht Club) in co-operation with Volvo and SEB. This regatta coupled with the Accenture Gotland Runt as well as other European inshore races will give the public a chance to see the boats up close as it provides the V.O. 60s with opportunities to compete even during the years between the Volvo Ocean Races. * There's a new "Marine On-Line Auction" site called SailBay that provides a variety of equipment categories: http://www.sailbay.ca * GOOD READING: Warren St. John's New York Times story: "Pursuit of the America's Cup Can Be Fulfilling, and a Curse," points out that if history is any guide, sometime during or not long after the AC regatta, some terrible misfortune will befall at least some of the major players, in the form of lost fortunes, prison terms, even untimely deaths. - http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/02/sports/othersports/02BOAT.html * The Australian 18 Footer League has released the current world rankings for the 18 Foot skiff class. The current number 1 position is held by Rob Greenhalgh (GBR) after a second place in the recent JJ Giltinan International Trophy, with Tony Hannan (AUS) in second and John Winning (AUS) in third. Howie Hamlin (USA) is in fourth position after winning the JJ Giltinan International Trophy in January. The complete list is posted at: www.18footers.com.au * Where are they now? What has happened to all of those boats that competed as either the challenger or the defender in a previous America's Cup? 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 David Weatherston: After reading all the reports about the gazillions of dollars spent on trimming weight and windage aloft in the AC boats, it's a hoot to read that one of the great tactical weapons was sending a man aloft to read the wind on the water. Titanium blocks and expense-be-damned composites suddenly are joined by a 200-lb. blob of humanity! However, I'm sure it all makes some sort of sense, as it seems to have been a key to winning several important races. There is, though, a darker side for which future crew might care be watchful. Lay the drive to lighten and trim alongside the undisputed advantages of a man aloft and how long will it be before the technicians turn their attentions to the weight and windage of the man? A titanium cranium and a carbon fibre hip replacement, anyone? * From Todd Fisher: I applaud and greatly respect Brad Butterworth and Russell Coutts for there incredible display of self control and great respect for others in keeping their word to not talk about the reasons behind their leaving TNZ - and to the naysayers who were so very critical of them, I say 'Learn from these two honorable men.' Life is full of decision points, confrontations, and opportunities. These two fellows have shown us all how to handle these difficult times with honor and pride. A tip of my sailor's cap to them both! * From Christian Fevrier (edited to our 25-word limit): Thomas W. Lawson's book is certainly a jewel. However, the book is responsible for a huge error copied during one century by other leading historians. The nice map of the race track around the Isle of Wight indicates a wrong position of the Nab Lights Vessel. From this map, historians have often deducted that the America, in not rounding the mark had made a gain varying from 1.5 to 3 miles according the authors. Lawson used the position of the Lights Vessel in 1887, when she was moved by to miles in the NE from her 1851 position! In placing the vessel at 3.56 miles from Foreland Point, Lawson encouraged the erroneously conclusions. America was obliged to sail not too close of the Bembridge shoals on her right and indicated by a black and white buoy, moored at 0,8 miles from the Foreland Point. So, an eagle view could see that the narrow channel between the Nab Lights vessel and the Bembridge buoy did not exceeded a 0.6 miles beam! We are quite far from the often alleged 3 miles advantage for America. Sir Peter Johnson was the first to check the 1851 Admiralty charts and revealed the truth in 1989 in the magazine Yachts & Yachting. Six other yachts followed the America, including the little cutter Wildfire, a no-official entry as she was sandbagging, but started with the others. And Wildfire was the first yacht to cross the finishing line, ahead of America. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large. |
