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SCUTTLEBUTT 2338 – May 7, 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). NEARING THE END Valencia, 6 May 2007 – Three teams are now secure in their position on the leaderboard at the Louis Vuitton Cup. On Saturday, BMW Oracle Racing and Luna Rossa Challenge earned enough points to ensure the fifth place team couldn’t overhaul them. With its win on Sunday, Emirates Team New Zealand did the same. The fourth and final Semi Final spot is currently occupied by Desafío Español 2007, who earned a great win in front of a large weekend spectator fleet on Sunday. The Spanish have won six of their seven Round Robin Two matches to build a five point cushion over Victory Challenge, which is the only remaining challenger with a mathematical chance to beat them. The Swedish team has three matches left, with six points available. If the Swedes lose one more race, or the Spanish team earns another victory, Desafío Español will have the coveted Semi-final berth. That doesn’t mean the remaining matches for the top teams are meaningless. Just two points separate first from third and the top finisher has the right to choose its opponent for the head to head Semi Final portion of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Flight 9 is scheduled for Monday. Flight 9 1. +39 Challenge vs. Team Shosholoza 2. China Team vs. Areva Challenge 4. Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team vs. BMW Oracle Racing 5. Victory Challenge vs. Desafío Español 2007 6. Luna Rossa Challenge vs. Emirates Team New Zealand Provisional Leaders (RR1 pts - Matches Sailed RR2 - Matches Won - Total Pts) 1. BMW Oracle Racing (USA 98) 21-7-6-33 2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL 92) 18-7-7-32 3. Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA 94) 19-7-6-31 4. Desafío Español 2007 (ESP 97) 17-7-6-29 5. Victory Challenge (SWE 96) 14-7-5-24 6. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia (ITA 99) 14-7-3-20 7. Team Shosholoza (RSA 83) 12-8-3-18 8. Areva Challenge (FRA 93) 9-7-2-13 9. +39 Challenge (ITA 85) 6-7-0-6 10. United Internet Team Germany (GER 89) 3-8-1-5 11. China Team (CHN 95) 1-8-1-3 Note: 2 points are awarded for each match won. * Must-see Monday: There is a lot riding on two of Monday’s matches, and kudos to the schedulers for maintaining high drama and interest. Victory must beat Desafío Español 2007 to stay alive, where a loss assures the Spanish the final slot in the Semi-finals. All eyes will then turn to the Luna Rossa Challenge vs. Emirates Team New Zealand match, which is a biggee in establishing the pecking order for these two semi-finalists. -- Complete schedule: http://www.americascup.com/en/americascup/program/calendrier.php * Regarding television coverage in Canada, ACM Media and Communications contact Peter Rusch reports that the contract is still being finalized with TSN. Says Rusch, “To the best of my knowledge, the plan is for them to run Semi Finals, Finals and Match, and highlights of other portions. However, the station is the only one who can provide programming details.” The website for TSN is http://www.tsn.ca SCUTTLEBUTT POLL: JURY PENALTIES (May 4, 2007) The America’s Cup jury has penalized the Italian team Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team twice during Round Robin 2, both for incidents the jury said had no impact on the racing. The first penalty was when it was discovered that the team had used a type of paint on their hull that was not on the approved list – a list that was created to limit what the teams could do to gain advantage with their bottom finishes. The second penalty came through a protest by Desafío Español 2007, where it was found that the Italians had their backstays stowed alongside the mast for much of the race, but set them up before the final run to provide more support to the topmast. The protest was upheld, as the class rules say the backstays must be either on or off at the start, and remain that way for the entire race. Both penalties against the Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team were financial, though they also had to resail their race against the Spanish team. The question is about the jury’s penalties: Was it proper to inflict Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team with these financial fines for their rules infractions, thus allowing them to continue without losing ground in the points totals, or should the consequence of their actions been more in keeping with the rest of the sport, where awarding penalty points is more the norm? Submit your vote and comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/07/0504/ DOESN'T SHE DESERVE THE VERY BEST Flowers and chocolates last a few days, but a sailcloth bag from True Wind lasts a lifetime. This year, do something special for Mother's Day and give a gift that can be used all year long. Made exclusively with new Dacron sailcloth from Hood Sailmakers, True Wind travel and gear bags not only look great with their original and colorful nautical design, but they're the perfect size and shape for traveling to the boat, the beach, around town, or anywhere in between. View the collection at http://www.truewindusa.com/index4.asp JUAN FAST TRACTOR Wanna have fun? Go talk to Juan Kouyoumdjian about Volvo boats, running a design office, and of course this boat race that's happening in Valencia. Listen to him talk about "doing Formula One on a tractor," and mobile Cup teams, and be sure to check out the 128-CPU computer that arrived last November and hasn't been shut down since. Ask Juan K for a sound bite regarding the next Volvo Ocean Race and you get this about an itinerary still in development: "The course is just barely clear enough that we know how to design for it, and as a designer you never know enough. We find it hard to find data for wind, and especially waves, for Leg 5 between Singapore and Qingdao, China—it's still possible the race will stop somewhere else in China—but we think that if boats break in the next race, it will be on that leg. The passage between the mainland and Taiwan shoals from two kilometers to 200 meters. Think, strong current, big waves, probably plenty of wind. Upwind. These boats can go 15 knots in those conditions, and jumping off waves, that's hard on boats and people." Ask for a sound bite regarding the opposition at America's Cup 32 (along with Farr Yacht Design, Juan K is part of the heavyweight design team for BMW Oracle) and he says, for example: "Team New Zealand is an institution, but they're under a lot of pressure. It's understood that it will be easier for New Zealand to be part of the future of the Cup if they are a defender. I admire that team for knowing their ingredients and how to put together a recipe around them, but they have a lot to lose here. At the risk of being wrong—we haven't sailed against them enough to really know—I'd say the boat lacks a touch of speed. That team can compensate with rigs, sails, sailing talent, but if you give that boat to any of the second-tier teams, you won't see them going any faster." -- Kimball Livingson, SAIL, full story: http://sailmag.com/JuanKonDesign BEANTOWN OR BUST (May 4, 2007) The U.S. East Coast port city of Boston has been formally announced as a stopover for the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race. The long-awaited news that Boston will be the only North American stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race was announced at a ceremony to introduce the Boston-based entry, PUMA Racing Team to the world's press. The U.S. entry will be skippered by top American sailor Ken Read and sponsored by the global sport lifestyle company PUMA, which has its North American and international brand headquarters in the historic U.S. city, where billions of dollars have been spent on reclaiming the harbour under its Save the Harbor/ Save the Port project. PUMA Global introduced Read, their training boat (ex-ABN Amro Two) and the PUMA Racing Team at a function in the Boston Harbor Hotel attended by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, PUMA CEO Jochen Zeitz, Volvo Ocean Race CEO Glenn Bourke, Save the Harbor President Patricia A. Foley, and Secretary Daniel O’ Connell of Massachusetts. Bourke said that the confirmation of Boston as a host port was a welcome addition to the new ground-breaking route which includes the Middle East and Asia for the first time in the race’s 34-year history. -- VOR website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2vpvap ETCHELLS NORTH AMERICANS Houston, TX - Jud Smith received his sixth Etchells North American Championship trophy Saturday evening at the Houston Yacht Club following his dramatic win with a 14-point lead over his closest competitor on Galveston Bay. This regatta, sailed Thursday through Saturday, May 35, marks the fourth consecutive North American win for the reigning Etchells World Champion. Hank Lammens and Chris Busch tied for second place, and the spot went to Hank who scored a bullet in the second race of day one, which beat out Chris's bullet from the first race. The second annual Corinthian Cup, awarded to the top-finishing boat sailed by an all-amateur crew as determined by ISAF ratings, was awarded to Hank and his crew Dwayne Smithers and Peter McKenna. -- Complete story with photos and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/E22NA BREEZE READING IN VALENCIA What’s the not-so-secret weapon every team in Valencia can possess during these weeks of variable winds? The must-have piece of equipment on the winning teams is Kaenon Polarized. Whether it’s prescription like Peter Isler must wear, or the new Hard Kore that Gavin Brady and Terry Hutchinson rely upon, Kaenon Polarized is the most dominant and required piece of breeze reading equipment in Valencia. As Brad Butterworth says, “they’re magic!” Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. For women and men – required by winners. Prescription-ready. View the entire collection online and locate an authorized dealer nearest you at http://www.kaenon.com PHOTO GALLERY * During the Melges 24 Pre-Worlds in Santa Cruz, CA, entrants last weekend saw some of the big breeze that they might be facing when racing for the Worlds begins on Tuesday. Photographer Sharon Green characterized the conditions as 'fresh to frightening,' and she has provided Scuttlebutt with a dandy photo sequence of one team wiping out on their way to the downwind finish line. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0505 * English shooter Ingrid Abery provided Scuttlebutt with images from Antigua Sailing Week, which wrapped up its racing last week: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/antigua TWO DAYS - NEW RECORD Tony Bullimore is known as much for his disasters at seas as his accomplishments. On May 1st he set out to capture the solo around the world record, but it only took two days for adversity to find this hard luck skipper. Last Thursday, Tony Bullimore reported that the staysail halyard on his 102ft catamaran Doha, snapped overnight. Luckily, he managed to retrieve the sail from the sea, but lost some ground, and in the process, fell into a lighter wind area. “It was devastating,” Tony reported when 434 miles due South of Bluff Harbour on New Zealand’s South Island. “Doha was doing around 20-24 kts when there was a bang and the staysail fell in the water. This is one of the real workhorse sails in heavy weather and it took me an hour to pull it back onboard. It seems that the top swivel eye on the furling system has failed, for part of the fitting was still attached to the headsail. The other part is still up the mast. It all seemed to happen in a flash. When it happened, I had a single reefed mainsail and the staysail up – and Doha was charging along at 20knots.” -- Full report: http://www.teambullimore.com/content/view/123/50 * (May 6, 2007) British yachtsman Tony Bullimore reported early Sunday on Day 5 that the 40-50knot winds that gave his 102ft catamaran Doha such a battering over the past 2 days have dropped to a more manageable 25-30 knots. It has been an exhausting time, and having been hunkered down with thee reefs in Doha’s giant mainsail, her speed had dropped to little more than 13knots at the latest position report. That is much less than the speed required to match Dame Ellen MacArthur’s 71day 14 hour solo circumnavigation record at this stage. -- Complete report: http://www.teambullimore.com/content/view/130/50 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SAILING SHORTS * (May 4, 2007) English solo sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston crossed the finish line of the Velux 5 Oceans in Bilbao, Spain on Friday at 11:22:03 local time (09:22:03 GMT). The 68 year old sailor completed the third and final leg of the Velux 5 Oceans onboard Saga Insurance after a transatlantic sprint that started in Norfolk (USA) 16 days, 17 hours and 2 minutes ago. -- http://www.velux5oceans.com * Miami, FL (May 5, 2007) - A sailing boat packed with up to 150 Haitian migrants capsized while it was being towed by a police vessel from the Turks and Caicos on Friday, and the U.S. Coast Guard said 20 people had died while another 58 were missing. The Coast Guard said 63 people had been pulled from the water after the 25- to 30-foot (7.6- to 9.1-metre) Haitian vessel flipped over around half a mile (1 km) south of Providenciales Island in the Turks and Caicos and another 10 were found later clinging to the overturned hull. -- http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKN0426466620070505 * The 2007 Bermuda International Race Week Championship finished up last week, with both one-design and keelboat classes competing. American Augie Diaz and crew Kathleen Tocke won the Snipe North American Championship, which proved to be a double celebration, as he also became a grandfather during the event. Malcolm Smith, a former European and World Sunfish champion won the Laser class, defending champion Peter Bromby won the Etchells title, and former world champion Bill Widnall won the IOD. J/24s and J/105s also competed. Complete results: http://www.rbyc.bm/biirw07/RaceResults/tabid/454/Default.aspx * Miami, FL - Coral Reef Yacht Club hosted the 2007 Optimist Team Trials, where sailing conditions for the 202 competitors included sunshine, finicky winds and the famous Biscayne Bay chop. Michigan’s Morgan Kiss won the trials, and she will be joined on the USA World Team in Cagliari, Italy by Pearson Potts, two-time US Optimist National Champ Matthew Wefer, Marlena Fauer, and Axel Sly. This is the first time the US World Team has had two female sailors. In addition to the World team, the trials were also used to select sailors to compete in Greece, Mexico, Britain, and Belgium. -- http://www.coralreefyachtclub.org/index.cfm?menu=7547 INTERNATIONAL EVENTS CONFIRMED FOR THE O'PEN BIC! The O'pen BIC Class confirms several International Events for 2007: French O'pen Cup, Italian O'pen Cup, a Dutch TV event, and the U.S. O'pen Cup in Newport RI, August 18th. Contact mailto:info@BicSportNA.com for information on Fleet Pricing, Dealer Inquiries, Industry Insider Offers, or to join the 2007 Demo Tour. Energize your kid today! http://www.OpenBIC.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 Paula Kaminsky Davis: The Russians may be coming (to the 2007 Congressional Cup, as reported in Issue 2337), but this is not the first time for Andrew Arbuzov to compete in match racing in the US. He has twice been a competitor in the Knickerbocker Cup Match Race in 2001 and 2004, currently being sailed in Manhasset Bay, Long Island New York out the the Knickerbocker Yacht Club. This year’s competition will be August 22 to 26th. We are currently recruiting competitors who can check out the website for the NOR and other information at http://www.kyc.net/kcup/kcuphome2007.htm * From Ray Tostado: In concert with Doug Wall and his observations, and mine of 5 weeks ago. The sponsors of major events had better hire on some top guns in weather prognosis. And not some talking head he/she TV analyst. These are serious times. Even the great MDR to SD race was dwindled from a 350 entry cap to a maybe 50 boat fleet. At first over a protest ruling, but now over the fact that drifting is not a sport. As for the Newport to Ensenada race, who are the real racers? I have not yet fully retracted my competitive mind, but lord, what do I tell my crew who have for 14 hours fought off the 1.5 knot blues and boredom all night only to notice a cruz class boat motor by towards the finish line at 7.5 knots. There is no describing the air that fell over us. My crew, my boat, and myself were the 2nd from last to finish this year at 10:53:45, Sunday. Without any inspiration from me, when we crossed the line under spinnaker the crew was elated. We had finished and we had sailed the entire distance, in some 47 hours. Without the motor allowance I estimate that there would have been an 85% DNF log for the race. Such is the present and the future. No shame in reviewing events and defining a new mission statement. Tradition should not become a shackle upon the purpose for the event. * From Doug Mills: As an active racer who has participated in the Newport Ensenada Race since 1981, and a former NOSA Board Member, I do my own statistics on the entry list. I think Doug Wall has missed the reason for the decline in entries for this race. The "bottom line" is that the number of racing sailors in Southern California has declined dramatically. When I was President of the Regional PHRF Board in Southern California in 1998, we had over 1500 active PHRF certificates in our area. The current count is around 1050. This year, if one counts boats racing with PHRF certificates (include cruising class for this!), something like 35% of boats with PHRF certificates in Southern California were in the race. How can you do better than that! Realize that many certificates are held in Santa Barbara/ Ventura/ Oxnard, and this is a long haul for these guys. I think NOSA is doing very well, but racing in general is going south, and this is not a reflection on the Ensenada event. One concern: for the last five years, the fraction of entries in cruising class has been stable at close to 30%. This year it popped up to 34%. The number of people in our region (a) who are serious enough about sailing to race is declining rapidly, and (b) the number who enjoy the challenge of sailing overnight is declining more quickly, if this is not a statistical fluctuation. I think NOSA is doing a great job of it! All aspects of the race have improved recently. The problem, alas, is with our sport. * From Jim Gardiner: (regarding the passing of Tom Dreyfus) My then future wife Ginger used to flog Kevlar all over the world for Dupont. After an eventful meeting with Tom, she asked him for a recommendation for a good place to have dinner that night. He obliged by collecting her and Ken Raybould from Martech in a 5.0 Mustang GT, and off to Commander's Palace in New Orleans they went. Upon arriving, Tom executed ten 360-degree donuts and finished with a massive burnout before stepping out of the 200' cloud of burnt rubber wearing an all chartreuse green suit and tossing the keys to the valet. Seeing was unbelievable! * From Butch Ulmer: John Rumsey’s description (in Issue 2337) of Tom Dreyfus as someone you had to see to believe is pure understatement. Yes, Tom’s boats were fast and dominated the SORC in the early 80s. He was also a good sailor and shipmate. However, to those who knew him, he will best be remembered for his antics. The one that comes to my mind first was his unexpected exit from a photographer’s helicopter prior to one of the SORC starts off Miami. Having arrived from New Orleans late, he somehow talked his way onto this unsuspecting photographer’s helicopter. When they arrived over the fleet, Tom waited until they were close to the boat he was supposed to be sailing on (Burt Keenan’s “Acadia” I believe), threw out his seabag and promptly followed into the water. Estimates of the helicopter’s altitude started at 75 feet and went up from there. He made the race! That was Tom Dreyfus! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming: Whenever you're wrong, admit it; and whenever you're right, shut up. Special thanks to True Wind, Kaenon Polarized, and the O'pen BIC class. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
