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SCUTTLEBUTT 2155 - August 9, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.WOMEN STRUGGLE TO COMPETE AT TOP LEVEL It is unlikely that any woman will be racing in the America’s Cup next summer even though the 12 teams have recruited up to 38 sailors each. Dawn Riley, the American yachtswoman and the first woman to be selected as a crew member aboard an America's Cup boat in 1992, is listed on the French Areva Challenge team sheet as a pit assistant but her role is mainly a management one. Alicia Ageno has recently been appointed as navigator on the Swedish Victory Challenge’s B boat and although she has become Spain’s first female America’s Cup sailor, her services are unlikely to be required on the A boat when the Louis Vuitton Acts start next April. Such are the loads on these powerful state-of-the-art racing yachts that women are rarely strong enough to complete basic jobs, such as packing sails and grinding winches. Yet the numbers of women and girls taking up sailing at entry and club level continues to grow and of the 8,500 sailors at Skandia Cowes Week, more than a third are estimated to be women. Ellen MacArthur, Dee Caffari, Shirley Robertson and Emma Richards have inspired scores of women to take to the water after going to extraordinary lengths to stamp their mark on the sport but with the exception of Robertson, the double Olympic gold medal -winner, all have had to make their name by plunging themselves into soul-wrenching isolation and pitting themselves against both the elements and the clock rather than enjoying the exhileration and comeraderie that goes with successful team sport. Riley has said that opportunities for serious female sailors are becoming harder to find. “We still have work to do so that the women who get into sailing have long careers - the paying jobs are harder to get and women are less likely to be paid enough to call it a career - but it will happen,” she said. “Instead of relying on getting paid to just sail I developed as many ancillary skills as possible, engine repair, diving, sandwich making, sponsorship solicitation, public relations etc. etc. This has meant that my time on the water comes in chunks and I have to work my ass off in between.” -- Rxcerpts from a story by Kate Laven, The Times, UK, full story: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4041-2298465,00.html UNDER THE INFLUENCE Last weekend's Seafair summer festival saw a huge increase compared to the previous year in the number of boaters charged with Boating Under the Influence. Over 100 boaters were arrested by more than 50 local law enforcement, US Customs and US Coast Guard personnel during an unlimited hydroplane race. "Multiagency efforts aren't a new thing, but this year we've really put an emphasis on BUIs," police officer Debra Brown told the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Officials had warned the boating community that they would be enforcing BUI laws this year. There were 49 BUI arrests during last year's Seafair and just 12 in 2004. "We don't believe that it's more intoxicated boaters on the water but the combined efforts of law enforcement," State Patrol Lt Jeffrey Sass told the paper. A number of states and provinces around North America are making tighter boating while intoxicated laws. Delaware, New York and Montana recently passed tougher BUI laws, and the Michigan and Vermont legislatures are considering revising their laws. Ontario recently passed a law saying that boaters could have their driver's licenses suspended for boating under the influence for up to a year. -- IBI Magazine, http://tinyurl.com/lqvql GOOD GRADES (Following the first two major events at England’s Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), thedailysail subscription website looked at what did and what did not work at the future Olympic venue. Here are two excerpts.) The £7m (US$13million+) centre which began operations two years ago - is the pride and joy of the RYA. Funding has come from a multitude of organizations including the South West Regional Development Agency, Sport England, the RYA and numerous other partnerships and donations. The purpose-built centre - complete bar one more slipway, providing the ability to launch almost all Olympic classes at once – for some time has been home to the elite Skandia Team GBR who train most days on the waters of Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay. Beyond the uncontrollable weather, sailors and coaches seem impressed for the most part. What comes across regularly in conversation is in comparison with both the Olympic venues at Athens and Qingdao, Weymouth is significantly smaller. “I think Qingdao and Athens are both bigger than Weymouth but then they are both designed to be big marinas after the Olympics. This will not be a marina. This is good because it means this is a venue for small boat sailing first and everything else later,” says Walter Bordeno, Coach and Technical Director to all Olympic classes for Brazil. These feelings about the size of the venue are reflected by many in attendance. “I think this is a very good multi-functional training centre. It is very compact but it offers everything a sailor and an athlete would need. It is really fantastic and I cannot think of venue that is more compact and functional than this one,” says German windsurfer coach, Deitrich Bakker, who adds that the German federation is considering a similar such facility. -- http://www.thedailysail.com FREE NORTH SAILS HAT* Order North Sails gear online now through August 15, and we’ll include a free North Sails hat!* We’ve added several new shirts & bags to our online store. Our newest polo shirt ($38) has the NS logo embroidered discreetly on the sleeve. Our drawstring cinch sacks ($15) are perfect for school or the beach! Visit our clearance section to shop for great bargains including tropical prints shirts (now just $15); great for crew gear! *(Free hat offer applies to merchandise totals over $65, one hat per person. Use the following code in the comments box during check-out: SBUTT) http://na.northsails.com/an/AN_catalog.taf THE NEXT BIG THING? In the sidelines of the (Copa del Rey) regatta, another interesting new development started taking shape. It was the formal creation of a Spanish association of GP42 boat owners with the intention of establishing a European circuit next year, with the participation of teams from Spain, France and Italy. At the press conference, two Spanish owners announced they had already put the office of Botín & Carkeek in charge of the design of the first two Spanish units, to be built at the King Marine boatyard in Valencia. King Marine was responsible for the construction of ESP-88, the first new boat of the Spanish America's Cup challenger Desafío Español. In addition, as we wrote a month ago, on July 10, King Marine started the construction of the team's second America's Cup yacht, scheduled to be ready next February. Always according to the Spanish owners, the advantages of the GP42 class over the TP52 class reside in the considerably lower financial costs. The construction costs (excluding sails) of a GP42 boat are between 450 thousand and half a million euros, while the annual budget of a team is well within reach of an owner and his sponsors that look for boats that can be competitive, fast, attractive, fun and can draw the interest of top-class international sailors. In addition, one of the basic concepts of the rule is to keep it stable for at least three years, further reducing the costs. In comparison, it is now believed that the annual budgets of the top teams in the Breitling MedCup have reached the 2-million euros (US$2.5 million+) level. Another six Spanish projects are on the starting blocks and there is the potential of reaching a total of eight teams in France and Italy. The first ever GP42 boat has been designed by Farr Yacht Design and built by Latini Marine in Rome. She was presented in Valencia on the 1st of July and made her racing debut the following day, in Valencia as well in the Trofeo de la Reina regatta. -- Valencia Sailing, full story: http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/ VIDEO OF THE WEEK This week’s video is of the PDRacer, an 8-foot developmental class sailboat that claims to be the easiest boat in the world to build. The class has been around for just under 3 years, has over 100 boats built so far and more being built regularly. If you think you have seen everything… think again. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for the this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/#media TIME TO MOVE CAMP Emirates Team New Zealand winds up the summer testing program in Valencia this week. By the end of August, the team will be taking a month off and the focus will be on building, fitting-out and sea-trialing NZL 92, the team’s second new boat. Grant Dalton: “The team has worked hard for six months. They have come to grips with living in Spain, the quirks of the sailing venue and they have coped well with long days in the heat of a Spanish summer. We have achieved what we set out to do over this America’s Cup season: establish ourselves as a credible challenger for the America’s Cup in 2007.” The team will sail for the last time on Saturday and then after a short break will pack equipment essential for the build and sea trials of NZL 92 in Auckland. By Christmas, NZL 92 and the equipment will be back on a Maersk container ship for the voyage back to Valencia. -- http://www.emiratesteamnz.com/news/060807_01.aspx SAILFLOW.COM - WEATHER WHERE YOU SAIL! SailFlow, the leader in real-time and forecasted marine weather, announces the completion of a new website. By collecting all public weather data (buoys, forecasts, warnings, satellite/radar, etc), SailFlow's new FREE service eliminates your need for multiple weather bookmarks by giving you everything in one convenient location. Plus SailFlow operates a network of proprietary weather stations placed right where you sail and uses their own computer model to forecast conditions. A recent addition is a revolutionary weather graph that scrolls between current, past, and forecasted conditions without having to reload the page. -- http://www.SailFlow.com/new PICTURE PERFECT The Santa Monica Bay delivered ‘Chamber of Commerce’ conditions for day two of the Laser Radial Youth World Championship regatta at the California YC. Bright sun, 10 knots of breeze and just enough shifts to keep the 173 competitors on their toes. After four races the leaders in the 134-boat male fleet are: 1. Guney Kaptan, (TUR) 18 points 2. Guilherme Barbosa Lima, (BRA) 25 points 3. Kyle Rogachenko, (USA) 32 points 4. Gijs Pelt (NED) 41 points 5. Luke Ramsay, (CAN) 44 points Female leaders (39 boats): 1. Claire Dennis, (USA) 13 points 2. Marit Bouwmeester, (NED) 25 points 3. Sarah Lihan, (USA) 26 points 4. Laura Maes, (BEL) 26 points 5. Allie Blecher, (USA) 27 points Complete standings: http://tinyurl.com/kj8ug SAILING SHORTS * Hat trick for Mendelblatt/ Strube -- In an unprecedented performance at a major Star championship, Americans Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube added two more first place results to Monday’s win, giving them a perfect record at the 81- boat Star Europeans, part of Rolex Baltic Week. Their consistency is all the more amazing considering the conditions ranged from 6-15 knots and very patchy. Standings: 1. Mendelblatt/ Strube (USA) 3pts; 2. Robert Scheidt/ Bruno Prada (BRA) 16; 3. Matthias Miller/ Manuel Voigt (GER) 19; 4. Diego Negri/ Lugi Viale) (ITA 28; 5. Mateusz Kusniercwicz/ Dominik Zycki (POL) 30. -- http://www.rolex-baltic-week.com/index.php?id=409 * Audi has become a second major co-sponsor for the Australian Sailing Team (AST) until the 2008 Olympic Games. The two year sponsorship agreement will see Audi named as the Official Car of the Australian Sailing Team. This is the second major sponsor deal announced by the AST in recent days. In addition to its agreement with the AST, Audi Australia is the naming sponsor of the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta and has recently announced two other major sponsorship deals with Hamilton Island Race Week and Skandia Geelong Race Week. * Sailing World magazine has posted a report from Jesse Fielding, who is one of 30 finalists currently trying-out in Long Beach, Calif. for Disney's Morning Light film project, which will follow a crew of 15 young sailors as they prepare for and compete in the 2007 Transpacific Yacht Race. -- http://tinyurl.com/pxxoc * After a very successful regatta in Palma de Mallorca, around half of the Mediterranean TP52 fleet is now heading to Athens, Greece for the fifth and penultimate event of the 2006 Breitling MedCup. Twelve of the 21 TP52 boats departed Palma this afternoon aboard a cargo ship that will transport them to the Greek port of Piraeus. Unlike their America's Cup counterparts, the 12 TP52 boats have been loaded fully masted and together with the rest of the material will travel to Athens in this configuration, allowing for a swift preparation once in the Greek capital. -- Valencia Sailing, full story and photos: http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/ * San Francisco, CA provides one of the most scenic settings for sailboat racing, as is profiled in a recent photo gallery on the Scuttlebutt website from the Aldo Alessio Perpetual Trophy regatta, sponsored by Fremont Bank: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/0808/ * Adrian Flanagan, who is attempting to sail round the world via the polar route, was expected to arrive in Nome, Alaska on Tuesday where his 38-foot Barrabas will be lifted out of the water and assessed for damage to his prop shaft. If all goes to plan, he will then cross into Russian waters and be on station to transit the Northern Sea Route towards the latter part of August. -- http://www.alphaglobalex.com WHERE'S VANGUARD SAILBOATS? You can find Vanguard this week sponsoring the Youth Radial World hampionship at California Yacht Club, Marina Del Rey, CA, the US Junior Singlehanded and US Junior Doublehanded Championships, sailed in Vanguard Lasers and C420s respectively at the Texas Corinthian YC, Kemah, TX. For results, updates and more visit http://www.teamvanguard.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thought at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Leslie Valmadre: As a lifelong sailor and having competed over the years in many of the major events around the world I can only applaud the sentiments of your guest editorialist Glenn McCarthy. Used to be that the reason for sailing was the competition and the fun of winning and competing and sharing the adventures with your crewmates and adversaries. Seems now that only the winning is important with professional sailors awarded rockstar status. As I have told my children and many of the people I meet who are new to sailing - sailing is an acquired skill, anyone can learn it. Some people do exhibit greater natural attributes at some aspects of the sport but many also become just as good by sheer hard work and determination. It is not tennis or football it is sailing and the pleasure of enjoying it all all levels should be emphasized by all yacht clubs, organisers and participants. In view of my comments and views I found it interesting then that the article following the Guest Editorial, promoting the Buzzards Bay Regatta, mentioned everything about the regatta but not once was the word or idea that it would be "fun" canvassed in the promotion. Indeed today the concept of a "fun" regatta seems to indicate that it is not a serious regatta. What a shame that our sport is being reduced to one that sees only winning, in its various interpretations, as success. * From Jan Visser: Just reading Glenn McCarthy’s comment on Fun for Kids, how true are his comments! In 1992 a "Youth Sailing Circuit" was started here in the Pacific Northwest, idea was to help kids grow and measure their abilities against their peers. It has evolved into Dads' , Coaches and those well over the age of 21 participating, some thoughts from some parents are that if dad can't sail then the youngster cannot as well, can't take the time to get them there unless dad can play with the kids. Well now - take this into the sport of say baseball, soccer, football, name a few, show up at practice as a parent and tell the coach your youngster cannot play unless you do. How far is that going to fly? Not too far I can guarantee you that. A few years back at my Yacht Clubs annual event for the kids in the sailing program, we put all the dad's who had the courage to go, in Lasers. I was flat on the lawn along with most of the kids in laughter along with the wives and everyone else who attended, it was hilarious. Let the kids be kids, enjoy their peers and grow in their own dimension, you will have memories, and good ones that will last a lifetime. * From Tim Prophit (re Mr. McCarthy’s Guest Editorial on fun at regattas): I wouldn't be so quick to discard tunes and a keg. Nothing wrong with adding fun stuff; I applaud the idea, but most folks I know associate 'fun' with parties, and most 'fun' parties have in common two things -- tunes, and, adult beverages. * From Scott Truesdell: I've always viewed non-racers on the course as ordinary obstacles to be dealt with tactically. The difference between a Westsail 32 and a channel marker is that the Westsail 32 can communicate. I have never had a problem with catching the eye of such an obstruction and communicating my intentions with simple hand gestures. I can easily gesture my intention to duck close aboard or my wish that he alter course to pass behind me. I never fail to finish with a "Thank you" via thumbs-up and a nod. I've noticed that the boats that scream, "We’re racing - get out of the way!" always seem to be somewhat less than the most competitive boats in the fleet. * From Nancy Zangerle: In response to Tony Chamberlain's query on racing in a busy harbor (his example was Buzzard's Bay and the J/24 Women's Open Championship in Issue 2150). As a participant in the WOC, our team did encounter a few of the cruising boats, bound for the area's attractive destinations, on the race course. Most cruisers, when they realized we were racing, did their best to avoid our course. In a few instances, the cruisers were a welcomed "obstacle" on the course on which to peel off a competitor. I can't say that I witnessed any of the "screaming" that Mr. Chamberlain did. There may be reason (perhaps courtesy) for a port-tack racer to hail a starboard tack cruiser so that the cruiser doesn't panic or alter course as the port-tacker cuts close under his transom. The cruising boats (or any boat for that matter) that aren't racing are just obstacles on the course. Obstacles are clearly addressed in the RRS. The exception on "screaming" may come if the boat was a powerboat (complete with large wake). When horsepower exceeds brain power, all bets are off. * From Doug Metchick: Some of our crew has been debating about when Mount Gay Rum started giving out their “red hats” at regattas. One of the guys thinks it started around 1986. Do you have any idea? * From Woodie Cobb: I want to know how the Foiling Moth relates to waterline? Large race boats often win by their waterline - what up with the Foiling Moth? Waterline means nothing. CURMUDGEON’S COUNSEL If life is a waste of time, and time is a waste of life, then let's all get wasted together and have the time of our lives. Special thanks to North Sails, SailFlow, and Vanguard Sailboats. |
