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SCUTTLEBUTT 2938 - Monday, September 28, 2009Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are Summit Yachts and Team One Newport. TASELAAR WINS AUDI MELGES 32 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Porto Cervo, Italy (September 27, 2009) - Pieter Taselaar's Bliksem (USA) has taken victory in the Audi Melges 32 World Championship 2009, the first edition of the Worlds for the class organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo. Taselaar's Team includes Jeremy Wilmot on tactics and brother Nathan (Olympic Gold, 470 class, 2008). Bliksem's victory became a reality late Saturday evening when their protest against Claudio Recchi's Team 93 (ITA), then sitting in second place, was accepted leaving them untouchable at the head of the overall classification. With only one final race to be held on Sunday, the Bliksem team did not sail. Regarding the protest, Taselaar offered, "During race number nine on the first leg, 93 tacked inside three boat lengths (of the weather mark) and forced us above close hauled and then hit us so we had no choice but to protest because of contact. The jury found those facts too. That gave us an extra six point lead, resulting in a 17 points lead so we didn't need to sail the last race." It was then a fight for second and third place on the final day, with Giovanni Maspero's Joe Fly (ITA) just managing to steal into second place ahead of, but on equal points with, Uka Uka Racing (ITA) owned by Lorenzo Santini and Alessio Marinelli with Armando Giulietti at the helm. Team 93, which had dominated the overall classification for the first three days of racing, finished fourth overall, one point behind. -- http://www.yccs.it/portal/evento.php?eventid=154&lingua=2 Final results (top 5 of 29; 10 races) Top Ten Results (After 10 Races) 1. Pieter Taselaar, Bliksem (USA); 6-2-11-14-8-4-5-2-[DNC], 43 2. Giovanni Maspero, Joe Fly (ITA); 3-12-[20]-5-2-9-14-7-1-5, 54 3. Armando Guilietti/Lorenzo Santini, (ITA); 4-11-[19]-6-9-3-2-2-10-7, 54 4. Claudio Recchi, Team 93 (ITA); 2-1-2-3-1-11-17-9-[DSQ]-9, 55 5. Jason Carroll, Argo (USA); 10-10-6-17-6-15-3-[19]-3-5, 75 Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/ns9tsa Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0924d/ => Curmudgeon's Comment: Pieter's win will likely add his name to the growing list for the 2009 U.S. Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award. American world champion skippers this year also include Jim Richardson (Farr 40), George Szabo (Star), Bora Gulari (Moth), Mike Martin (505), and Matt Fisher (Lightning). FILLING THE SPONSORSHIP PIPELINE By Matthew Gregory I've decided to kick off a multi-part series of posts on the 'Commercialization and Business of Professional Sailing' as a bit of a change from my typical 'Life from the Nav. Station' pieces. This has been a personal interest of mine for some time, but seems particularly timely given where we are with the VOR and America's Cup timelines. In this first part I will establish a baseline for where 'we' are in the global sponsorship market place. Let's dig in... With the start of next Volvo Ocean Race two years away and the America's Cup/Louis Vuitton Series, ostensibly, returning to life, we sailors are asking: "Who's going to be on the starting line". While some of the teams will be underwritten by wealthy 'hobbyists', both the Volvo Ocean Race and the America's Cup have their eye on the commercialized sports level where F1 and NASCAR currently reside. What does this mean? Read on: http://tinyurl.com/yd8wlnu STACKED One-design class champions will put their titles on the line next month in Lightning class sailboats at the 2009 Championship of Champions Regatta. This US SAILING event is invitation only, and will be held October 14-17 on Lake Carlyle, IL. Among the exceedingly talented fleet is Paul Cayard participating as the event's mystery guest (so much for secrecy): OD Class - Skipper 505 - Mike Martin Thistle - Greg Fisher Highlander - Skip Dieball Day Sailer - Ted Dickson Mercury - Chris Raab Lightning - Jeff Linton Lightning - Allan Terhune, Jr. Snipe - Augie Diaz Lightning - Olin Paine Comet - Talbott Ingram Geary 18 - Oscar Barney Finn - Darrell Peck Lido 14 - Stuart Robertson Cornado 15 - David Rumbaugh Buccaneer 18 - David Spira San Juan 21 - Jeff Thomas Laser Radial - Mateo Vargas Y-Flyer - Paul White Optimist - Christopher Williford Event website: http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/CofC.htm SUMMIT YACHTS CONTINUES IT'S WINNING STREAK The new Summit 35, by Summit Yachts won Best Sailboat in the Newport For New Products competition at the Newport International Boat Show. This was the introduction of the newest boat in the Summit line of racer/cruisers designed by Mark Mills. Show attendees loved the boat for its open cockpit, and spacious interior. Come and see the Summit 35 at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, October 8-12. http://www.summit-yachts.com DON'T DO IT Teenage sailor Jessica Watson and her parents have been given a clear warning by Australian authorities to call off the 16-year-old's solo trip around the world after a damning assessment of her skills. The Courier-Mail has obtained a copy of the report a collision between Jessica's yacht and a Chinese bulk carrier on September 9th which shows basic problems led her to a potentially fatal crash off southeast Queensland. Maritime Safety Queensland inspectors concluded the Sunshine Coast teenager: * Most probably dozed off before her vessel hit and was dragged alongside the 63,000-tonne cargo ship. * Did not turn on a device that would have warned her of a potential collision. * Could not produce a clear, plotted plan for her journey. * Had not developed a fatigue management plan. * Kept a log with "irregular latitude and longitude entries". Full story: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26127059-1248,00.html Watson's website: http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/the-latest-news MAKING HISTORY ITS OWN Newport, RI (September 26, 2009; Day 4) - While history didn't quite repeat itself today, it came pretty close. The final races of the 2009 12 Metre World Championships were sailed on a sparkling Rhode Island Sound as helicopters buzzed and spectator boats jockeyed for front row seats to the action - evoking memories of 26 years ago to the day when the longest winning streak (132 years) in sporting history ended with the loss of the "Auld Mug" to Australia. On this day, however, instead of just two Twelves there were 17 making their way around the old America's Cup stomping grounds off Brenton Point and with many of the same spectators there to pay homage as the helicopters droned above. Notable for traveling the furthest to be part of this largest gathering of Twelves since the Cup left Newport: Challenge 12, which William Borel (Paris, France) had shipped from Europe early in the summer, and Australian Skip Lissiman who was onboard the Cup-winning Australia II in 1983. "It's fantastic to be back in Newport," he said. "I wanted to be back in particular for the anniversary and [to celebrate] I will be going down to O'Brien's Pub where they have the original boxing kangaroo flag. We're going to exchange it with one that the entire crew signed last year when we celebrated the 25th and take the original flag back to the museum in Australia." -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8317#8317 Final Standings - Division winners Division I - Grand Prix Kiwi Magic-KZ7, Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla./Osterville, Mass.) Division 2 - Modern Victory 83-K22, Dennis Williams (Hobe Sound, Fla./Mashpee, Mass.) Division 3 - Traditional American Eagle-US21, Charlie Millikin/Carol Swift (both Newport, R.I.) Division 4 - Vintage Gleam-US11, Einar Sissener (Oslo, NOR) Photos provided by Daniel Forster, Amory Ross, Leighton O'Connor, John Payne, and George Bekris: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0927/ IS THERE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE (ECONOMIC) TUNNEL? The Newport International Boat Show, held September 17-20, is traditionally the first show of the new boating season. As one of the five largest in-water boat shows in the country, it hosted more than 650 exhibitors with over 500 boats ranging in size from 16 to 92 feet. Here is a quick update on how it went: * Bright sun and a light at the end of the (economic) tunnel are thought to be some of the reasons for a boost in attendance by over 12% at this year's show. Exhibitors indicated that there was a lot of interest in all areas of boating powerboats, sailboats and boating products of all kinds -- and a good number of boats were sold! Gate sales alone were back to levels seen two and three years ago. -- http://www.newportboatshow.com/press-releases-details.php?articleID=388 * The Summit 35 was named Best New Sailboat, the C.W. Hood 43 captured honors as the Best New Powerboat, and the EFOY Smart Fuel Cell was judged Best New Boating Product from among the North American debuts appearing at the show. The selections were made as part of the Shows Newport For New Products program sponsored by Cruising World, Sailing World and MotorBoating magazines and recognize the best boats and the best product being introduced at the Show for the coming model year. -- http://www.newportboatshow.com/press-releases-details.php?articleID=383 U.S. MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS Bay St. Louis, MS (September 26, 2009) - For the fourth and final day of the U.S. Men's and Women's Sailing Championships, all efforts for racing were foiled due to rain and lack of wind, with the standings from Friday now final. The event was held in Flying Scots at the Bay-Waveland Yacht Club. In the men's division, the Charles D. Mallory Trophy was won by Andrew Eagan (Metairie, La. / Bay-Waveland YC) and the crew of brother, Marcus Eagan and Charlotte Santa Cruz. In the women's division, Amy Kleinschrodt (Mobile, Ala. / Buccaneer YC) and her crew of Sara Hall and Ashley Hall won the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Trophy. Eagan will also receive a Sperry Top-Sider grant toward the entry fee of a NOOD regatta of his choice. The Royal Victoria Yacht Club Seamanship Trophy was awarded to Claude Danemann (Bay- Waveland Yacht Club) and his team for his service in preparing and maintaining the borrowed boat fleet prior to and during the regatta. The Staton J. Peele Jr. Sportsmanship Trophy was awarded to David Rousseau (Canton, Mass.) and his crew Blake Suddath and Dennis Foley. -- Final report: http://tinyurl.com/yd8wlnu Men's Division (top 3 of 10) 1. Andrew Eagan, Bay- Waveland Yacht Club, 1-3-1-2-2-1-1-4; 15 2. Ken Kleinschrodt, Buccaneer Yacht Club, 3-1-2-1-1-6-3-6; 23 3. Jackson Benvenutti, Charleston Ocean Racing Association, 5-4-4-3-3-2-2-1; 24 Women's Division (top 3 of 9) 1. Amy Kleinschrodt, Buccaneer Yacht Club, 3-2-3-1-1-3-2-1; 16 2. Natalie Coleman-Fuller, Chatham Y.C., 1-3-1-7-2-1-5-2; 22 3. Katy Pilley-Lovell, Southern YC, 4-1-2-6-3-2-9-4; 31 THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU... Team One Newport would like to thank all of its customers that made the 6 Metre Worlds, NY Invitational Cup, and Newport Boat Show a huge success! And thank you to the wonderful Team One Newport staff for doing what you do best: educating the client and making sure that he/she is in the proper gear! You can still order the official merchandise from both events by visiting http://www.team1newport.com/departments.asp?dept=121 and be sure to browse the site to get the best gear for your sailing. You can buy the old fashioned way and call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) and speak to a gear specialist. SAILING SHORTS * Annapolis, MD (September 27, 2009) - Bruce Kuryla and his crew representing the New York Yacht Club posted a pair of second place finishes today to pull out a victory at US SAILING's 2009 U.S. Offshore Sailing Championship. Saturday's leader, Mike Gable, and his Davis Island Yacht Club team slipped out of first by dropping a pair of sixth place finishes on Sunday. A race 6 protest propelled Kuryla into first place at the end of the day. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/ycl2npc * Chicago, IL (September 27, 2009) - The four day Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship was hosted by Chicago Yacht Club (CYC) in conjunction with the Farr 40 Class Association. Winning the nine-boat event was Helmut Jahn's Flash Gordon team, with Bob Hughes/ Heartbreaker in second, and Don Wilson/ Convexity in third. -- http://www.2009farr40na.info * The Class40 President Jacques Fournier and Class Board Directors have confirmed that the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 is the only round the world race to be officially endorsed by the Class40 Association. The Global Ocean Race will be the second running of the event that Josh Hall and Joe Harris originally launched as the 2008-09 Portimao Global Ocean Race. -- Full story: http://portimaorace.com/?page=news&news_id=353&lang=en * An effort is afloat to form a team to represent the USA in the 2010 Rolex Commodore's Cup next August. US Sailing is able to help with organization and team support. The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), together with Rolex, announced details for the 2010 Rolex Commodores' Cup. It will be in Cowes, Isle of Wight between Sunday and Saturday August 15-21, 2010. The USA has won the event twice, 1992 and 1994. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8316 * (September 27, 2009) - The nine-boat Extreme 40 fleet entertained the 10,000 strong crowd lining the IJ-Haven canal in Amsterdam during the iShares Cup Amsterdam for the penultimate round of the six-stage European iShares Cup series. Winning was Gitana Extreme (Yann Guichard), with Oman Sail Renaissance (Loick Peyron) in second and Groupama (Franck Camma) in third. Overall series leaders, Oman Sail Masirah (Pete Cumming), put their day one collision behind them, finishing 5th to retain their overall lead. The final round of the 2009 iShares Cup takes place in the Andalucian city of Almeria October 10-12. -- http://www.isharescup.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF HISTORY There appears to be different versions of history regarding the ISAF fee for the 30th America's Cup in 2000. A recent letter published in Sail-World by former ISAF President Paul Henderson prompted this exchange: From Alan Sefton, Executive Director, Team New Zealand, 1995-2000: "The Pope (the one who lives in Rome, that is) might not be fallible, but the memory of his Canadian namesake - Paul Henderson - obviously is. The October 1998 meeting to which he refers in his note in fact took place at the behest of the Defender (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron), the Challenger of Record (New York Yacht Club) and their respective event organizations (AC2000 Ltd and ACCA Ltd). "It was necessitated by ISAF threatening to not sanction the 2000 America's Cup and its attendant Louis Vuitton Cup challenger eliminations unless we handed over an event fee of $US900,000. We travelled to Southampton with some urgency to make it clear to ISAF that it had no jurisdiction over the America's Cup, including the Challenger selection series (the Louis Vuitton Cup)." -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8304 To which Paul Henderson replied: He and his Kiwis lawyers were very difficult to deal with but thanks to the Commodore James of the NYYC a sensible discussion and resolve of the issues took place. It started rather tense and ended up in a very acceptable solution. ISAF had worked amicably with the NYYC on the AC for decades. The AC in 1988 led by the Kiwis, Aussies and Danes, offered 10% of all advertising on all boats if ISAF would allow on the boat advertising. It was the AC initiative and a formal agreement reached. (For 2000), ISAF asked for $2 million (Not $900,000), much below 10%, in hopes of settling for 50%. RNZYS offered $10,000 Kiwi. A rather large gap in fact an insult. I have kept the original letter from RNZYS if required. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8315#8315 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Bill Goggins, President, Sail America: Thanks for posting your review of Nick Hayes' book Saving Sailing (in Scuttlebutt 2937). Sail America (our sailing industry association) is very enthusiastic about Nick's message. For everyone in the industry, you're going to have a chance to hear directly from Nick the nuts & bolts facts about trends at the Sail America general members meeting at the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis on Friday, October 9 at 8am. (NOTE! Phillips Restaurant is closed, so our meeting is at the Fleet Reserve Club.) * From Mike Hobson, MyBoatsGear.com: Regarding the thread stemming from the man overboard incident at the 2009 Star Class North American Championship, apart from all the whose fault issues and cell phones, lifejackets, etc, I think the most important point has been missed, and is missed every time in a MOB situation. Here is his quote "I only saw Mike trying to sail back upwind to me and he did reach me, but I could not hang on or get into the boat." Because he could not hang on, he is now dependant on outside assistance Had he had some way of hanging on and getting back on board he would have saved himself. Try climbing a Star or any other small keelboat like a J/24 from the water. It's almost impossible especially if you're exhausted. There is nothing to hang onto and no ladder. I have long though it would be prudent for the USCG and other organizations to ask skippers to prove they can get back into their boat if they fall overboard. This would be a very simple safety procedure. Small dinghies are easy because of the lack of freeboard, larger yachts tend to have a swim platforms, but the small keelboats have too much freeboard. I wrote this article a while ago and describes various boarding ladders. This is an important topic which needs addressing: http://myboatsgear.com/newsletter/2009212.asp * MOB thread: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8264#8264 * From Tom Hart, Silver Lake, OH: I can still visualize the 1962 LIFE magazine images of Weatherly and Gretel that captured my 14-year old imagination and led me to a lifetime of sailing enjoyment. One can only wonder how the current America's Cup Circus will influence today's youth. Progress? I think not. * From Eric Sorenson: The Newport 12 meter series is bringing me a total surprise with Weatherly in first place after two days. I had the opportunity to sail it on Lake Union for a test sail back in the '80s and it was in pretty rough shape. There was 6" of salt on the inboard engine, which is nonexistent now, most likely. It is nice that someone took the successful Defender and put it back to racing condition. Hats off to all who are racing these lead sleds. Everyone is having fun and not in court. It is all about preparation and skills again. Well done! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Birthdays are good for you: the more you have the longer you live. Special thanks to Summit Yachts and Team One Newport. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
