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SCUTTLEBUTT 2353– May 29, 2007
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is
distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of
Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing).
EXCERPTS OF ANALYSIS
If I'm in trouble, I'd as soon call a Kiwi as a cop. Kiwis have a way of
getting things done. If I want to have a good time, bring on the Italians.
Those people know how to live. That sets up a dilemma, but it's up to them
to sort it out. Cup down under, Cup in Italy, if either can get through
Alinghi. They've both spilled blood to get this far. Come Friday, June 1,
we'll have our Race One of the challengers' final knockout round, and we'll
have a serious look at the next challenger for the America's Cup. We won't
know for a while, of course, whether that's going to be the Italian boat
with the Italian backing and an Aussie at the helm and a Brazilian on
tactics or the Kiwi boat with the Middle East (plus Kiwi) backing and a Kiwi
on the helm and an American on tactics. As ETNZ tactician Terry Hutchinson
sees it:
> On Luna Rossa vs. ETNZ . . .
“The two teams have been racing each other for two years, and we've split
our races 50-50. This match will come down to who does the subtle things
well.”
> On defining the subtle things . . .
“A lot of our racing with Spain was decided by who got the first lee bow. If
you can come off the line on the other guy's hip and live there for two
minutes, that's huge. And NZL 92 is pretty happy making lots of tacks,
downspeed if need be.”
> On Torben Grael's loosey goosey covering style . . .
“The Luna Rossa guys have been fearless with some of their calls. We're
happier with a two-length lead; that's our style. Our weather team gives us
a heads-up as to whether to aim for a tight race or a loose race.”
> On the celebrated starting skills of Luna Rossa helmsman James Spithill .
. .
“It's not smart to put pressure on Dean to win every prestart, and when
someone has the upper hand, you don't go for some high-risk maneuver and
maybe take a penalty. At that point we're happy following them into the
course.”
> On comparing the boats . . .
“I think the score will come down to how we go with them when it's windy,
and how they go with us when it's lighter. Their hull shape pushes them that
way [toward liking more breeze]. Maybe 10-12 knots versus 14-16. The BMW
Oracle guys tell us that Luna Rossa has definitely gotten faster.” --
Kimball Livingston’s GOT LIVE blog, full report:
http://sailmagazine.blogspot.com/2007/05/blood-in-water.html
CHALLENGER FINALS
Racing begins June 1st (best of 9 series)
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ = 0
3. Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA) _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ = 0
-- Complete schedule:
http://www.americascup.com/en/americascup/program/calendrier.php
* Waving the flag: New Zealand sailor Mike Sanderson is promising the new
British America's Cup syndicate Team Origin will be far more nationalistic
than Alinghi. Sanderson has been contracted as the team director for the new
syndicate that will lodge challenges at the next two America's Cup regattas.
While Alinghi's team is made up of an international group, Sanderson says
Team Origin will have similar make-up to the Team New Zealand operation. He
says Team Origin will have a very strong British base just like Team New
Zealand has a strong New Zealand base. -- Newstalk ZB,
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=118117
SCUTTLEBUTT POLL: WHICH TEAM WILL WIN?
The Louis Vuitton Cup challenger finals begin Friday, June 1, 2007, with
Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge vying for the chance to
meet defender Alinghi in the America’s Cup match. If you had to pick which
team would win based on how they look on paper, whom would you pick? While
both teams rotate some of their positions, our survey page provides a good
representation of the players on each team. Based on these rosters, our poll
question asks which of the two Challengers do you think will be the team to
face Alinghi. Vote here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/07/0524
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE RULES?
If you would like to feel more confident about racing near other boats, you
should get Learn The Racing Rules! This new two-part DVD, written and
narrated by David Dellenbaugh, uses live sailing action and computerized
animation to explain all the important right-of-way rules in the 2005-2008
rulebook. Part 1 covers the essential rules that apply whenever boats meet.
Part 2 explains the often-confusing rules about marks and obstructions. Each
is an hour long and includes the text of all rules discussed. Produced by
SEA-TV, it makes a great gift! To learn more or to place an order, go to
http://www.SpeedandSmarts.com
OLYMPIC SAILING: BREITLING REGATTA
Medemblik, Netherlands (May 27, 2007) While many of the top North American
teams sat out the Breitling Regatta, preferring to ration their time in
Europe for the ISAF World Championships at Cascais, Portugal in June, the
continental squad in attendance - with the exception of the boards -
continued to nip at the best the world has to offer. Despite the unsteady
conditions during the event, the Canadian Finn and Laser sailors
demonstrated again that they are medal threats. The American 49er sailors
filled three of the top ten places, while ’04 Tornado silver medallists John
Lovell/ Charlie Ogletree have returned to the top ten as they heighten their
training in time to reach peak Olympic performance. For many others, it was
an untimely OCS that kept them on the outside looking in. With a European
spring season that has been dominated by difficult wind systems, there is
hope amongst the sailors that the Worlds in Cascais will provide the kind of
conditions that many felt were deserving of the America’s Cup.
Final Results: Top 3 plus top North Americans
Laser (108 entrants):
1. AUS - Tom Slingsby, 46 points
2. POR - Gustavo Lima, 72
3. CAN - Michael Leigh, 74
Finn (64 entrants):
1. NZL - Dan Slater, 43 points
2. NED - Pieter-Jan Postma, 46
3. GBR - Ed Wright, 48
4. CAN - Christopher Cook, 51
Yngling (30 entrants):
1. GBR - Sarah Ayton/ Sarah Webb/ Pippa Wilson, 68 points
2 .NED - Mandy Mulder/ Brechtje vd Werf/ Marije Kampen, 84
3. NED - Renee Groeneveld/ Marije Faber/ Floortje Hendriksen, 90
6. USA - Sally Barkow/ Carrie Howe/ Debbie Capozzi, 110
49er (57 entrants):
1. ITA - Petro Sibello/ Gianfranco Sibello, 60 points
2. AUS - Nathan Outteridge/ Ben Austin, 72
3. GBR - Stevie Morrison/ Ben Rhodes, 77
8. USA - Tim Wadlow/ Chris Rast, 96
Tornado (39 entrants):
1. FRA - Xavier Revi/l Christophe Espagnon, 75 points
2. GER - Johannes Polgar/ Florian Spalteholz, 91
3. FRA - Yann Guichard/ Alexandre Guyader, 96
10. USA - John Lovell/ Charlie Ogletree, 137
Star (40 entrants):
1. ITA - Diego Negri/ Luigi Viale, 55 points
2. POL - Mateusz Kusznierewicz/ Dominik Zycki, 56
3. POR - Afonso Domingos/ Bernardo Santos, 59
11. USA - John Dane III/ Austin Sperry
470 Women (33 entrants):
1. JPN - Wakako Tabata/ Naomi Kurita, 79 points
2. ITA - Elisabetta Saccheggiani/ Elisa Cecconi, 86
3. SLO - Vesna Dekleva/ Paoli Klara Maucec, 88
11. CAN - Jenn Provan/ Carol Luttmer
Laser Radial (75 entrants):
1. BEL - Evi van Acker, 55 points
2. GER - Petra Niemann, 61
3. GBR - Penny Clark, 68
12. MEX - Tania Elias Calles
RS:X Men (55 entrants):
1. BRA - Ricardo Santos, 35 points
2. HKG - Chi Ho Ho, 39
3. GBR - Nick Dempsey, 43
20. USA - Benjamin Barger
RS:X Women (26 entrants):
1. NOR - Jannicke Stalstrom, 15 points
2. AUS - Jessica Crisp, 22
3. FRA - Faustine Merret, 24
21. MEX - Demita Vega de lille
470 Men (52 entrants):
1. ITA - Gabrio Zandona/ Andrea Trani, 49 points
2. FRA - Benjamin Bonnaud/ Romain Bonnaud, 84
3. FRA - Nicolas Charbonnier/ Olivier Bausset, 105
No North Americans entered
=> Note: No scores listed for finishers outside of top ten as they did not
compete in the final medal race. For complete scores:
http://www.breitlingregatta.org/2007
COLLEGE NATIONALS
Norfolk, Virginia (May 25, 2007) – The Lady Seahawks from St. Mary’s College
(St. Mary’s City, Md.) are celebrating two accomplishments as competition
for the 2007 ICSA (Intercollegiate Sailing Association) Women’s National
Championship, sponsored by PENTAX Imaging Company and Vanguard Sailboats,
wrapped up on the Elizabeth River today. First, after three days of racing
from the Old Dominion University Sailing Center, the Seahawks closed this
event the way they opened it – at the top of the standings. Secondly, their
A-Division skipper, junior Adrienne Patterson (Newport Beach, Calif.), was
named the 2007 Quantum Female Sailor of the Year.
Patterson learned to sail at age five at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (Corona
Del Mar, Calif.), and by high school she was racing for the competitive team
from Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Balboa, Calif.), and always with her parents
in the spectator fleet. This spring her dad, Jim, has been traveling alone
from California to watch Patterson compete – her mom, Melanie, died on
December 20. “Every regatta since my mom passed away, I’ve been under
control, able to look at the bigger picture and control my emotions,” said
Patterson. “It’s kind of a new thing for me – to be a little kinder to
myself, while still pushing. So [coming into this championship] my attitude
was different, I was not nervous, I was confident in my crew and comfortable
in the conditions.” -- Complete wrap-up report with results:
http://www.collegesailing.org/nas/spring07/womens/womens_day3.asp
Final Results (top 5 of 18; 16 races)
1. St. Mary's, 132 points (A division= 62; B division=70)
2. Charleston, 176 (A division= 110; B division=66)
3. Stanford, 204 (A division=101; B division=103)
4. Navy, 216 (A division=124; B division=92)
5. Harvard, 219 (A division=107; B division=112)
Women’s All-America Team: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0528
Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/cnw
* Light air winds presented challenging conditions on Day 2 of the Team
Racing Championship, but good breeze filled in later during the afternoon.
The first round robin for the Gold fleet and the consolation round are
complete, with the second round of the championship eight to be started on
Tuesday, the third and final day. The teams still in the hunt for the
championship are St. Mary's, Yale, Dartmouth, Hobart, Charleston, USF, Navy,
and Harvard. --
http://www.collegesailing.org/nas/spring07/teamcoed/teamrace.asp
MELGES EUROPE LAUNCHED, THE MELGES 32 IS HOT!
Melges Performance Sailboats is pleased to announce the official launch of
Melges Europe. The Melges 32 has undoubtedly become the most progressive,
fastest growing fleet of one design, performance-racing yachts in the world
and to further support its success - Milan, Italy is now officially
designated as its European home base! The Melges 32 is in demand - it’s
fast, fun and you can trailer it anywhere! Melges Europe will act as a
distribution center for the Melges 32 and provide additional support for
other Melges products. • melges.com • melges.com.au • melgeseurope.com •
http://www.melges32.com
WMRT: MATCH RACE GERMANY
Langenargen, Germany (May 28, 2007) Paolo Cian won his second World Match
Racing Tour championship when he defeated Mathieu Richard 2-0 in the final
of the 10th annual Match Race Germany. Cian, helmsman of the South African
America´s Cup-team Shosholoza, and his crew overcame the French Saba Sailing
team of Mathieu Richard. Despite coming second, Richard has earned enough
points to secure the number one spot on the World Match Racing Tour leader
board. He currently leads with 70 points. He is closely followed by Cian
with 66 points, whilst the World #1, Ian Williams, who suffered an early
exit from this event, slips in to third place with 62 points. The event saw
approximately 30,000 spectators over the course of five days. The next stop
on the tour is the Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand, Sweden on July 2-8. --
http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/default.asp?cid=637
DOUBLING UP
Stockholm, May 25, 2007 - The Ericsson Racing Team will enter two boats in
the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. After recruiting skipper John Kostecki,
designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, and boat builder Killian Bushe last year, the
team announced on Friday that a second boat bearing its colours will be
raced by a Nordic crew and skippered by Swede Anders Lewander. "This is
without a doubt the best way to go about building a strong campaign,"
comments John Kostecki, skipper of one of the boats. "It will allow us to
conduct full scale speed testing and also helps us with our sail program by
allowing us to test different sail configurations."
Alongside Kostecki’s international crew, the second boat will be raced by an
all Nordic team with a Swedish skipper. Anders Lewander, who will lead this
team, is a newcomer in the Volvo Ocean Race and his profile is different
from the usual offshore professional sailor. “We want to bring new people to
the event”, comments Managing Director Richard Brisius. “One of our goals is
to contribute to building experience of top level offshore sailing among
sailors in Scandinavia. There are some very skilled sailors in the Nordic
region and we want to give them the opportunity to gain the experience
required in international offshore sailing.” -- Complete report:
http://www.ericssonracingteam.com/news.html
SWIFTSURE INTERNATIONAL YACHT RACE
Victoria, British Columbia - The wind gods smiled on the Strait of Juan de
Fuca this past weekend, making the 64th running of the Swiftsure
International Yacht Race one of the fastest on record. Two hundred and six
racing yachts hit the starting line Saturday off Clover Point at Victoria's
waterfront. Almost 1,000 spectators were on hand to witness the ideal
sailing conditions for the start of one of the west coast's premiere yacht
racing events. Taking into account each yacht's time allowance, preliminary
results show Rob Fleming's Coruba, from Seattle, as overall winner of the
Swiftsure Lightship Classic, making this Coruba's third overall victory in
the past five years-winning in 2003, 2005, and again this year. These
unofficial results also indicate that Braveheart, owned by Seattle's Charles
Burnett III and skippered by Victoria's Brian Huse, smashed the elapsed time
record in the Swiftsure Lightship Classic by more than one hour, by
completing the race in slightly over 15 hours. -- Complete report with
results: http://www.swiftsure.org/article.php?id=566
BLOCK ISLAND RACE
Larchmont, NY (May 28, 2007) – "Nobody could touch him," said Block Island
Race Chairman Ray Redniss about George David after David's 90-foot Reichel/
Pugh-designed Rambler took line honors at the Storm Trysail Club's 62nd
Block Island Race. By wide margins, Rambler also secured both IRC fleet and
Super Zero class victories on best corrected and elapsed times. The 186
nautical mile race, which began late Friday afternoon, May 25, sent Rambler
and 61 other IRC- and PHRF-rated boats off on a course from Stamford, Conn.,
down Long Island Sound, around Block Island, R.I., and back. The conditions,
which included 8-14 knot breezes at the start, favored the larger boats,
which exited the Sound before adverse current kicked in and returned to
their starting point before the wind lightened enough to turn the last mile
of the race into a one-hour slog for some smaller boats. -- Full report and
results: http://tinyurl.com/2gsprx
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine)
Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
SAILING SHORTS
* ‘Butthead John Payne has sent images from the 2nd Annual Florida State
Optimist Team Racing Champs, hosted recently by Lauderdale Yacht Club. Team
Puerto Rico defeated 14 other teams for the win. Photos:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0525
* Munich, Germany - Great Britain's Robert Greenhalgh helmed his Extreme 40
Basilica, crewed by Peter Greenhalgh, Justin Slattery and James Grant, to
victory over the 6-boat field on Lake Starnberg in the first event of the
iShares Cup Extreme 40 four-event season. The next iShares Cup Extreme 40
event will be held in Marseille from 7-9 July but before then some of the
fleet will head to Lake Geneva to compete in one of Europe's largest
endurance races, the 82-mile Bol d'Or Mirabaud. -- http://www.extreme40.com/
* All eighteen entries in the 2007 Charleston to Bermuda race have either
finished or dropped out of the race. Complete results and reports at
http://www.charlestontobermuda.com
KEEFE KAPLAN MARITIME IS HIRING
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compensation and you’ll be part of an award winning team. Experienced
mechanics, shipwrights, technicians, and riggers needed. http://www.kkmi.com
(510) 235-5564 mailto:Paul@kkmi.com
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be
edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250
words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot,
don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks
for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is
available on the Scuttlebutt Forum.
-- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
-- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From Diane Swintal: I have to take exception with Pete Truman’s assertion
(in Issue 2351) that BMWOR did not embrace their US identity. From their US
yacht club tour to the very successful mini boat show at Rockefeller Center
in New York, BMWOR constantly promoted their branding as American. Toss in
their sponsors (Allianz, BMW) putting together commercials purely for the US
audience – to have missed that message would be difficult – or intentional.
* From Richard Goldsmith: (Re: Dicko Resigns) Are we all happy now? I find
the feeding frenzy around the failure of BMW Oracle and particularly Chris
Dickson’s role in it pathetic. This is sadly the dark side of our sport and
is at it’s worst when journalists and other less informed types have time on
their hands and blank screens in front of them. How many of these pundits
have sailed with him or against him? Few to none probably. I suggest people
look through the BMW Oracle crew list and see how many crew have come back
to sail with Chris time after time. Funny that. On the management side I put
Chris up there with Grant Simmer and Tom Schnackenberg with Grant Dalton
about to prove his ranking.
Any time you can spend talking to Chris is valuable time. Just think of the
things he knows work and don’t work when developing an IACC yacht. For all
that experience alone, he’ll be scooped up by one of the other failed
challengers. America’s Cup challengers fail for many reasons, most through
lack of budget related items. In this case not, which makes it so
interesting. Play that, not the man blame game. The BMW Oracle “wash up”
document will be the best “How to” book in America’s Cup history since the
Team NZ one. At $10 million a copy, they’d be the best buy of any would be
challenger. Think of the cost of the mistakes they wouldn’t make! (shouldn’t
make!!!)
* From Eric Steinberg, Farallon Electronics: The comment regarding
weatherfax by Tim Dick is technically correct (made in Issue 2352), but
doesn't draw a clear picture; the service the USCG is proposing to
discontinue would render traditional stand-alone "weatherfax" machines
useless. These are the machines that print out WX faxes directly to paper
without the need for a two way HF/ SSB radio or computer. The stand-alone
fax is still preferred by experienced offshore sailors - any crew member can
run it. If the machine has power and an antenna, one can usually get good
weather information. It is basic safety equipment, period.
I don't doubt that the USCG gear is old and hard to maintain. However, as an
early supplier to SSB email systems such as Sailmail, I'm certain modern
off-the-shelf equipment can replace existing radios/ amps/ etc at a fraction
of the cost of what it takes to maintain the current USCG gear (Sailmail
operates with Icom M710 radios 24/7/ 365). Cost can't be the problem here;
it just requires some out of the box thinking?
* From Robert D. "Dan" O'Brien, Olympia, WA: (edited to the 250-word limit)
The first live coverage I remember of the Americas Cup was the day Dennis
Conner lost to Australia in 1983. I tuned into CNN to see if they had some
information, and their sports announcer at the time, Debbie Saguras, was
just beginning to talk about the last race that was now under way. She was
doing her best, but obviously didn't know much about the sport. As Debbie
talked on you could tell from her voice and body language that she was
obviously out of her element.
Suddenly she moved over and down beside her sat Ted Turner. Ted in his
unmistakable style took over the commentary and explained without degrading
Dennis Conner in any way that the Americas Cup was about to be lost. After
about ten minutes of straight commentary, Ted stopped talking with a
surprised look on his face and said, "Oh, you want to do a commercial?" It
was great; the production people obviously didn't want to interrupt the guy
who was signing the paychecks. The commercial break was short, and Ted's
commentary went on for as long as it took for it all to be over. Turner
obviously didn't need anyone to tell him what was going on, and of course
was perfect to explain the action as it unfolded. I have regretted ever
since that CNN didn't become the official broadcaster of the Americas Cup. I
can only speculate in my mind what a great difference that may have made.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin
Franklin
Special thanks to Speed & Smarts, Melges Performance Sailboats, and KKMI.
Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender
of the 32nd America's Cup.
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