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SCUTTLEBUTT 2359 - June 6, 2007Scuttlebutt 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). START - TICK. FIRST CROSS - TICK. RACE.... On Sunday, in race three, Luna Rossa won the start, but not the first cross. Tuesday, in race four, they won the start and the first cross, but not the race. The Italians just can’t get a result on the board, and with today’s 52 second defeat putting them 4-0 down, a come-back would require a unique achievement in Louis Vuitton and America’s Cup racing. And once again, it started so well for Luna Rossa – with the pin end entry in the light air it looked like they would be in trouble in the dial-up. But with a perfect, on-time entry, deep angle into the box and a little bit of line bias their way, they got across in front of ETNZ to take the right hand side of the pre-start box. Luna Rossa’s weather call was for the right, and Luna Rossa’s helmsman, Jimmy Spithill made sure they got it. The Kiwis didn’t put up too much resistance, and ETNZ strategist, Ray Davies said afterwards that they had no strong feeling about the start, reckoning that the left can pay in that north-easterly. And they were confident that there was more left shift to come after the gun – both relative to their wind direction at that moment, and from what they’d seen on the met buoys before they entered. And come it did, but not in time to win them the first cross. -- Read on for Mark Chisnell’s explanation on how the Italian team can get the start they want, lead on the first cross, and still not win the race: http://tinyurl.com/2gd9xa Preliminary results (winning team is the first to 5 in the 9 race series) 1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 1-1-1-1-_-_-_-_-_ = 4 3. Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA) 0-0-0-_-_-_-_-_-_ = 0 * Race schedule: The fifth race of the Louis Vuitton challenger finals will be on Wednesday, and if further races are needed, they will begin again on Friday, as Thursday is a scheduled rest day. -- Complete schedule: http://www.americascup.com/en/americascup/program/calendrier.php * TV schedule: VERSUS (USA) and TSN (Canada) will provide live coverage of the Finals from 8:30 a.m.–11 a.m. ET. VERSUS will also have replays from 12-2:30 p.m. and 6:30–9 p.m. ET. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar/shows/#6 * Weather forecast: The report for Wednesday on the ETNZ website is for southeast wind, 8 to 12 knots, sun and clouds, with temperatures at 17ºC to 24ºC (63ºF to 75ºF). * Self-interest: Desafio Espanol might be eliminated, but they can still help keep the Cup in Europe. On Tuesday, the Spanish team joined defender Alinghi for a tuning session. * Owning up: Blogger Kimball Livingston makes a strong point about how the high profile afterguard members tend to be MIA at the post race press conferences, and praised Torben Grael for showing up on a day when most others would not have: http://sailmagazine.blogspot.com/2007/06/hats-off-to-torben-grael.html * Predictions: Here’s how Paul Cayard sees it: “Is it all over? Pretty much. The forecast for Wednesday is more of the same. Kiwi weather. I would be looking for Jesse James Spithill on the starting line tomorrow. Luna Rossa will have the right on the entry and this needs to be leveraged to the max. I would be looking for some blood to be spilt. It's now or never. No point in holding back. If Luna Rossa lets the Kiwis sail on their own, it will be over. They need a penalty and a shut out on the start, then they need to tack all over the Kiwis and finally take the favored side. Then maybe.” -- http://cayardsailing.com/Louis%20Vuitton%20Finals-Race%204 IS TORBEN GRAEL JUST TOO NICE? Is Torben Grael just too nice for match racing? In the second cross of today ’s match the Brazilian Magician on Luna Rossa had his foot on the Kiwi boat’ s throat. He should have finished off the job, by tacking hard on the Kiwis’ leeward bow, forcing them off to the left again. By his own admission in this evening’s press conference, Grael thought the breeze had already gone as left as it was going to, so he wanted to protect the right. Maybe by tacking far to leeward of NZL 92 he wanted to encourage the Kiwis to follow him over to the right and fall into Italian bad air as the breeze shifted right. That is the only possible defence for Grael’s unconvincing tactics. As it was, the breeze went further left than Grael had expected, allowing Dean Barker not only to live on ITA 94’s hip but to move forwards and climb out from there into a controlling position which he would never relinquish. Not for the first time this series, the Kiwis couldn’t quite believe their luck, as ETNZ windspotter Adam Beashel commented afterwards: “We were surprised they tacked to leeward there, it’s not what I’d have chosen, but that was their thinking…” The result was a 52-second win to the Kiwis, who used marginally better boatspeed to extend once they were in front. -- SailJuice, full report: http://sailjuice.blogspot.com/2007/06/is-torben-just-too-nice.html MELGES 24 NEWS The hottest one-design is getting hotter! Spectacular events are booked for this growing sportboat class with the 2007 National Championship taking place in Detroit this September. The Melges 24 Winter Series is then next in line. To trailer, rig, and launch a Melges 24 is a breeze – no wonder everyone goes to the class Midwinter Championship in Key West. 2008 has the North Americans in Annapolis and then the 2009 World Championship takes place in Annapolis. East Coast, get ready. 2008 Championship Editions are being built now. Plan ahead. http://www.melges.com RIDICULOUS SCHEDULING Okay so the media centre is full of jobbing journalists, all the photographers are in town, the place is thronging with excitement and the regatta starts to feel almost as though it's got a pulse. Well, sorry to dampen things down a bit but if Deano closes out the Finals Wednesday by thumping Prada again, do you realise that there's 17 days to wait before the next bit of action... What infuriates me is that there's absolutely no flexibility in all of this. Just as the Cup starts to get momentum, ACM shut it down for over two weeks! The situation is faintly ridiculous and to be honest there's little point in complaining because they just refuse to listen to anything or anyone. The sooner the present incumbents are either ousted or fired and replaced by some sailors who have the interests of the Cup and its heritage at heart rather than their own, the better... -- Rule 69 blog, http://www.rule69blog.com/archive/2007/june/518 OLYMPIC UPDATE: EUROPEAN CHAMPS * Laser Europeans, Hyeres, France: (June 5, 2007) A light and variable five-knot breeze allowed for only one race on the third day of the Laser European Championship. With five races completed, the North American contingent remains strong in the 155-boat senior division, as Canadian Michael Leigh has pulled all top ten scores to remain in second, and American Andrew Campbell has strung together a 9-1-3 over the last two days to move up to eighth. In the 103-boat youth division, Kyle Rogachenko (USA) finished 6th today to lay claim as the top North American in twelfth place overall. -- Brad Funk, complete results: http://coych.nikopo.com/?page=affnews * Finn Europeans, Lake Balaton, Hungary: (June 5, 2007) The 92-boat fleet enjoyed two perfect races on Tuesday under sunny blue skies with light cloud and 5 to 7 knot winds. Many sailors turned up late this morning expecting another postponement, but were surprised to find a somewhat healthy wind in place and boats already launching for the first start at 10.00. Sailing as one fleet, top North American entrant Andrew Casey (USA) rolled a 7-6 to find himself in second, only 1 point out of the lead. Two more races are scheduled for Wednesday, with very light wind predicted again. -- Full report and results: http://www.finnclass.org/Europeans/european_championship_2007.htm * 470 Europeans, Thessaloniki, Greece: (June 5, 2007) Racing was postponed all day because of heavy winds, rain, and thunderstorms. This weather was already expected yesterday, and therefore one race extra was added to the schedule. Some changes have been made in yesterday’s published results after protest handling. Racing resumes Wednesday with another three races on the program to finalize the Qualifying series. Very light winds are being predicted. In the 92-boat men’s fleet, the top North American team is Mikee Anderson/ David Hughes (USA) in 21st, and in the 48-boat women’s fleet, it is Amanda Clark/ Sarah Merghenthaler (USA) in 12th. -- Event website: http://www.ncth.gr/470/ THE PROFESSIONAL CIRCUIT Just a couple of hours south of the America´s Cup host city in Valencia will be the opening event in the TP 52 Breitling MedCup in just over a week in Alicante on Spain´s Costa Blanca. In the last month, a flurry of new boat launches and presentations of some of the 24-strong TP 52 fleet. As the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series draws to an end, increasing numbers of America´s Cup sailors are now joining their boats and preparing for the competitive season ahead. This year there are nine new boats that have been built for the Circuit. New designs as well as updating of older models – so who will have the competitive edge to sail in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic? Here is a rundown of all the teams: http://2007.medcup.org/news/?idioma=2&id=159 * A record fleet of 21 Farr 40 yachts representing nine nations has gathered in Porto Cervo for the Rolex Farr 40 European Championship, the second leg of the European Circuit. Racing is scheduled to start Wednesday. -- http://www.yccs.it IT’S LAUNCHING SEASON AT MORRIS YACHTS! Two Ocean Series Yachts and 14 M-Series yachts will be delivered this summer. The Morris 45 ‘Next Boat’ sports a Jim Taylor keel and a deep high aspect carbon spade rudder and custom carbon mast for plenty of power for shorthanded racing. She will also be a delight in light air. Morris 48 ‘Cheshire Cat’ will spend the summer in the Great Lakes before setting off for an around the world adventure next summer. Outfitted with all the comforts of home and redundant systems, this family will cruise in style and with peace of mind. For more information: mailto:sales1@morrisyachts.com SAILING SHORTS * SAIL has identified 15 cruising boats that are commonly raced in PHRF fleets, but that can also be raced as one-designs, provided there are other interested owners living near your home port. Their list includes website links, and is designed to serve as a starting point for any would-be buyers, or for owners looking to connect with other owners. Details at http://sailmag.com/Cruisersyoucanrace * The 3rd Chix's Only Team Race is set to take place on July 28, 2007 @ MIT Sailing Pavilion in supplied FJs. Ladies of all walks of team racing experience are invited to get together for this event just for women. Don't worry if you don't have a team, you can register as a boat, as two boats, or as a team. We will do our best to match people up before the regatta. This one-day event is designed to be a fun, learning experience. Info and registration at http://tinyurl.com/yscchc * Helly Hansen has entered a three year partnership agreement with the Ericsson Racing Team as the official supplier of clothing and footwear for the team’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/ 09 -- BYM News: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=9645 * BoatUS, the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters, recently wrapped up an industry-wide hurricane planning conference. And the news is in: thousands of recreational boaters are facing another challenging year of predicted increased hurricane activity, with potentially more frequent storms this summer and fall, and each with greater intensity. What does this mean for boaters in hurricane states? Read on at http://www.boatus.com/news/releases/2007/june/6reasons.asp * The Mills Trophy Race, one of the oldest and most prestigious sailing contests on the Great Lakes, will observe its 100th birthday on June 8. Toledo was a mere 54 years old when local industrialist Merrill B. Mills gave the Toledo Yacht Club the famous trophy - an elaborate gold-lined silver bowl - as the prize for a test of navigation and night sailing. Since then, the race has been run 83 times. -- The Blade, full story: http://tinyurl.com/23gewf * One month after taking the Discovery Route record, Franck Cammas and his crew on the maxi-trimaran Groupama 3 have absolutely pulverised the Miami to New York record, held by Steve Fossett with his catamaran Playstation. The all French crew left Miami, on Sunday at 1131 UTC, and reached crossed the finishing line at the Ambrose lighthouse at 2236 UTC on Monday, to cut a staggering 18 hours off Fossett’s time. The new record (subject to WSSRC ratification) is 1 day 11 hours 5 minutes 20 seconds. Groupama 3’s average time was 26.77 knots, compared to 17.57 knots for Playstation. -- http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=9623 WANTED: COLLEGE COACH Dartmouth College is looking for a full-time head coach for its nationally ranked intercollegiate sailing team. For a detailed job description and job requirements, or to get an application, please contact Brian Austin at 603-646-2871 or mailto:brian.austin@dartmouth.edu LIVING LIGHTNING LEGEND The loss last weekend of Bruce Goldsmith has stunned the sailing community, where many have posted their feelings on the Scuttlebutt Forum. Among the submissions is this one below by Bruce’s step-daughter: Omelets, Bloody Marys, and the signature twinkle in his eye, One-liners, bad jokes, a warm smile, and a wonderful guy. Once called "Living Lightning Legend" and reminded us if we forgot, Started a tent-jumping contest once that everyone cleared but he did not. A pretty good sailor from what I know, always a smile on his face, A lot of fun on the course, but even more so after the race. He was my morning ride to school - always late by 10 minutes or more, He'd drive me there in his underwear and drop me off at the front door. I know how people loved him - I'd see it everywhere we went, I've have always been so thankful for him in my life & the time we've spent. I will miss the one-liners, I will miss that twinkle in his eye, I will miss a man that was a father to me - I will miss a wonderful guy. To be carefree - to be fun - to be genuine & true, To be a good friend, a giving man - that's what it was like, Bruce, To be you. -- Kelly McCarthy (Bruce's step-daughter) => Scuttlebutt encourages you to share your thoughts here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/07/bg A TRIBUTE TO DADS To celebrate Father’s Day on June 17, take a moment to thank your dad, and if they helped you get into sailing, tell us about it. Join Bob Johnstone, Annie Nelson, Karen Yingling, Jim Madden, and many others by sharing your story this week. All the submissions will be eligible to win an Atlantis WeatherGear Grand Prix vest on Friday. Here is an excerpt from one of the great letters posted: “Dear Dad and all those other male skippers (mostly fathers and grandfathers too): How does a little girl who learned to sail a Sunfish with her Dad at the Jersey shore and various lakes in southeastern PA in the early 70s end up with a 3 page resume of 20 years of sailing experience? From Wednesday night beer can racing off City Island in the Bronx to every weekend racing in San Francisco Bay, and ocean racing, deliveries, and cruising in the Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and the Caribbean on boats ranging from a Wylie Wabbit to a Santa Cruz 50. Dad, thank you for laying the foundation and continuing to provide the encouragement for me to explore this world of endless opportunities, new friends, and faraway places.” -- Karin King => Post your letter here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/07/FD 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 Ben Jarashow, U Michigan ’00: I agree with Dierk (letter in Issue 2358) that it’s unfortunate that sports in general (and sailing) have moved in the direction they have, to make money a key ingredient to success from a very young age. I also think that it will continue to get harder for the under-funded teams of the MCSA, SEISA and PNWICSA to compete on a national level. That said, I certainly don’t think the new system is inherently bad it’s still fair and competitive. I also have some faith that those districts will continue to produce leaders in the sailing industry beyond college sailing. The lessons I learned in school were certainly not lessons on the water. Sailors on those teams that run themselves (as do the teams from these districts) learn skills from fund-raising to regatta management. These sailors are the glue that holds our sport together for all the press that the wicked fast kids from the well-funded schools get. The future of well-trained judges, umpires, race committee, event managers, team managers, and industry leaders can still easily come from schools that are ‘less competitive’. * From Ted Ritter, Fort Lauderdale, FL: As a life-long sailor and a marine TV/ Video Producer, I am in the highest admiration of the Versus Network coverage, especially since Peter Isler joined the anchor team. "Pedro" offers a calm, cool insight on the finer points of AC Boat sailing much appreciated by the sailing viewer. The camera work coupled with Virtual Eye is fascinating. The TV ratings downside is that once the trailing boat is "hopelessly:" behind, it evolves into a real yawner as witnessed with race 2, 3, and 4 of the LV Finals. As we watch, we all know in our heart of hearts that the outcome is pretty much sealed at the first leeward gate. With all the past scores of posts debating sailing for TV, lets face it, a distant 2nd place yacht probably isn't going to win...time to change channels or resume our daily routine? Zzzzz. Hopefully the Alinghi vs Challenger series will ratchet up the close racing we all eagerly await. *From John J. Ford: Let me initially congratulate Versus on superb coverage of the LV elimination series. Commentators and live broadcasting ooze objectivity and on -board excitement. I just wonder how much better this coverage would be if the race course could resemble the AC courses that were punctuated with reaching legs along with the beat/run legs? As it is, one could shut off the tube once the start is completed, or maybe hang on for the first crossing. The starts are brimming with interest and adrenaline while the race after the first crossing seems ho-hum. Am I alone in this observation? CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument. Special thanks to Melges Performance Sailboats and Morris Yachts. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
