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SCUTTLEBUTT 1571 - April 28, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. CHAOS REIGNS AT STAR WORLDS - Magnus Wheatley Wherever there's sailing there's politics and day three of the Star World's proved no exception with the international jury throwing a spanner in the works after twenty-four hours of crazy decision making, amendments and counter-amendments that very nearly threatened to kybosh the regatta. The problems all started yesterday morning at the weigh-in of USA crew George Szabo and Christian Finnsgard who after standing on the scales were informed that they were a full one pound over the permitted limit. Cue a frantic cycle around the town to shed the excess weight and the boys jumped back on the scales only to find that they were still over the limit. Furthermore the Italian crew of class chairman Riccardo Simoneschi and Marco Marenco were also found to be over the limit alongside two other competitors. Now came the first of a series of errors by the mis-managed event staff who informed Szabo and the others verbally that they were not allowed to race and that they should stay on shore. Szabo checked the sailing instructions and found that there was no provision for re-weighing during the event despite the notice of race stating in article 8.2 that there was. (In other words the two documents governing the event were at odds with each other). Quite rightly Szabo and Simoneschi protested, claiming redress for the situation on the grounds that they were told that they were not allowed to race despite no official protest by the race committee. The jury upheld the protest and then made the astounding decision that race two was to be re-sailed on Tuesday with a premise that "no boat will be scored worse for race two than the score they achieved from the race sailed on Monday!" Where they cooked that one up from, heaven only knows! Remembering that the championships are, for some, the final qualifying event for the Olympic Games a series of counter protest threats emerged and the committee were forced into a lengthy jury session to decide how on earth to dig themselves out of the situation remaining fair to the aggrieved Szabo and Simoneschi whilst upholding their earlier decision. As the day rolled into afternoon the postponement flag still flew from the Base Nautico until a decision was taken at 2.30pm to can the day as the crews scattered around the town, confused, ill-informed and frustrated at the sheer ineptitude of the organising authorities. In a final statement the committee owned up to their failings and reopened the redress hearing to dig themselves out of the royal mess that they'd created. In doing so they found that their first decision was "not the fairest arrangement possible as required by RRS 64.2 and reopened the hearing as provided by RRS 66". The result (which should have happened in the first place) was that race two would not be re-sailed. The overweight crews would receive average points over the series for that race and the committee admitted their anomaly between the SI's and the notice of race whilst also admitting that they were wrong to verbally tell the crews to stay shoreside without formally protesting. In addition the class agreed a procedure with the race committee for weighing during the remainder of the event and cancelled tomorrow's planned lay day to complete race three whilst canceling all racing for the day (Tuesday). As one seasoned campaigner put it, "it was not John Doerr's (International Jury member) finest hour. - Magnus Wheatley, Yachts and Yachting website, full story: www.yachtsandyachting.com/default2.asp?section=11&article=12740 TEAM NEW ZEALAND Middle Eastern airline Emirates has signed a multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal with Team New Zealand, apparently securing our participation in the 2007 America's Cup regatta in Spain. The contract, understood to be for as much as $50 million, was signed in Dubai three-and-a-half weeks ago. Team NZ boss Grant Dalton told New Zealand media earlier this month he was "not far" from signing sponsorship deals for nearly $100 million of the total $150 million needed to mount a Cup challenge. Dalton did not respond yesterday to calls made via his PR man, Warren Douglas. Nor was Emirates' New Zealand country manager Chris Lethbridge contactable on Tuesday. Emirates PR woman Pamela Wong said "as far as New Zealand is concerned, we have had no contact [from Emirates headquarters] and we know of nothing that has been signed." Earlier this month Daily Telegraph sports writer, Tim Jeffery, tipped a Middle Eastern airline would be Team NZ's title sponsor. Team NZ failed to respond to this speculation. It is understood some high-profile Europeans are also keen to kick in funds to support Team NZ and Emirates will make an announcement about the sponsorship deal within weeks. The carrier has taken an increasing interest in New Zealand recently. It started flying out of Auckland to the Middle East via Sydney last August and yesterday announced special launch fares to Melbourne, Dubai and Europe for services out of Christchurch from 1 July. Emirates was a major sponsor and official carrier for the 2004 Holden NZ Open Golf Tournament in January and is a sponsor of the NZ Barbarians rugby team. - xtramsn website, full story: http://xtramsn.co.nz/business/0,,5007-3294648,00.html IMAGES If you admire big classic boats, we think you will enjoy the Onne van der Wal photos from the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta that we've just posted in the Scuttlebutt Gallery: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/antiguaclassic/ Event website: http://www.antiguaclassics.com/ "TEAM MUSTO" WINS THE CONGRESSIONAL CUP You don't need to have a maxi catamaran to wear Musto gear; you don't even have to race offshore. Ed Baird has just won the Crimson Blazer at the Congressional Cup wearing Musto's latest Gore-Tex race gear. "Great kit" said Ed, "Comfortable, easy to move in, very breathable, keeps you dry and does its job for a very long time. Nice quality." Thanks Ed, and congratulations. Good luck in Elba next week. You don't need to be the Match Racing World Champion to experience Musto. Give it a try next time: http://www.musto.co.uk GETTING TOUGH OneWorld executive director Bob Ratliffe says his America's Cup syndicate will do all it can to ensure former operations manager Sean Reeves coughs up the $1.6 million awarded to it. Reeves, a former Team New Zealand member, was ordered for the second time this week to hand over the money for his involvement in an America's Cup secrets scandal. The High Court at Auckland backed a United States judicial order that Reeves compensate OneWorld Challenge for a breach of contract over allegations that he tried to sell the Seattle-based syndicate's design and technical plans. Ratliffe said the the US Federal Court judgment was now well over a year old. "He has the resources financially to pay the judgment; he is a wealthy man. We will do everything we need to do to get the judgment claimed. If it means bankrupting him and taking his tennis racket and his house and his car then that is what we are going to do." Peter Spring, the lawyer representing Reeves, said he would meet his client this week and discuss whether he wanted to appeal against the decision. - Excerpts from a story by Julie Ash in the NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3563106 TROPHEE JULES VERNE Monday's average of 23.5 knots point-to-point reflects an excellent day's surfing of the kind for which Geronimo was designed and developed. The ability to skirt around the depression, pick up speed and get in front of it requires this potential for pure speed that only large multihulls can offer. Tuesday looks like being a slower day as the crew tries to make the jump to the anticyclone off Ireland, although tomorrow promises to be a tougher proposition altogether, with over 30 knots of headwind and a pretty rough sea. Day 61 Update: Geronimo covered 565 nautical miles in 24 hours for an average speed of 23.5 knots which places them 321 miles ahead of the Day 61 track of Jules Verne Record holder Orange I. - www.trimaran-geronimo.com/ ORACLE BMW RACING BMW has just signed a new agreement with Oracle to remain a part of that team's America's Cup effort through 2007. According to the announcement on the syndicate's website, "BMW will in future contribute even more expertise to the team. Increased technology input on the part of BMW, an expanded personnel contingent, and experts from the automotive concern have been actively incorporated throughout the new challenge's entire development process." http://www.oraclebmwracing.com/ EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGE Berths available: incredible passages & legendary landfalls. June: Newport Beach (CA) - Easter Island (4,000 miles non-stop); July: Easter Island - Pitcarin - Marquesas. Aboard 65' S&S sloop Alaska Eagle, led by professional skipper, mate & cook. Program is designed for sailors interested in building modern offshore/navigation skills. 949-645-9412, http://www.occsailing.com/pages/eagle/eaglesched2004.html NEWPORT TO ENSENADA RACE Ensenada Mexico (April 27, 2004) Afterburner demonstrated exceptional sailing, beating a fleet of 460 boats to finish the 125 nautical mile Tommy Bahama Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race. The 52-foot Bladerunner Catamaran, skippered by Bill Gibbs from the Pierpont Bay Yacht Club, won the most trophies in NOSA's 57th annual race held this weekend. Afterburner won several trophies including the coveted First-to-Finish trophy, the new Tommy Bahama trophy for overall winner on best corrected time and the President of NOSA Trophy for 1st place on corrected time in ORCA class. Northwest winds between 10 and 15 miles per hour allowed most boats to get a good start. Wind conditions were good through Friday, slowed down considerably overnight and were good throughout most of Saturday bringing most of the fleet in during the daylight hours on Saturday. Dick Compton's Alchemy sailed smoothly to the finish line in 13 hours and 19 minutes making it the first monohull to finish. Alchemy also won its class (ULDB-A) and was first overall in the PHRF class. This is Dick Compton's 36th consecutive Ensenada race. Finishing just 10 minutes behind Alchemy was Magnitude 80, skippered by Doug Baker. A showdown was expected between the two Alan Andrews designed boats, which sailed neck and neck throughout most of the race. Campbell's Sloop, an all-female team, won their category and was awarded the Caroline Starr Trophy for Best All Women's Crew on corrected time. Ernie Minney's Samarang took the Serena Trophy for the Ancient Mariner schooner with the best corrected time (17:52:40) Campaign II, skippered by James Devling, was awarded the President of the USA trophy for the PHRF boat with the best corrected time. - Bryn Punt, full results: www.nosa.org Curmudgeon's Comment: The Cortez Racing Association has posted 12 pages of photos of the event: http://www.cortezracing.com/CRA2004/04TACOweb/04taco.html NEWS BRIEFS * Australia's leading sailors and their yacht, Alfa Romeo will be campaigning under the Italian car maker's colours for a second European season after their total dominance of the 2003 European regatta season. With skipper and owner Neville Crichton at the helm, Alfa Romeo has now recorded more than 65 wins and Alfa Romeo confirmed her position as the fastest maxi yacht in the world. Murphy and Nye in supporting Neville Crichton and his crew of Australian and New Zealand sailors in one of the largest sponsorship programmes in support of Australasian sportsmen this year. * Hyères, France - Blue sky, sunshine and good wind started the 3rd day of racing in Olympic Sailing Week. Starting at 8 knots the South Easterly breeze increased to 14 knots providing perfect sailing conditions for all classes, finally able to catch up with the program and race the last qualifications in the Lasers, 470 and Europe classes. Current top U.S. finishers: 49er: 4. Wadlow/ Spaulding; 470 Men: 6. Foerster/ Burnham; 470 Women: 31. McDowell/ Kinsolving; Europe: 20. Gaillard; Laser: 8. Mendelblatt; Mistral Men: 12. Barger; Tornado: 2. Lovell/ Ogletree; Yngling: 2. Barkow/ Howe/ Capozzi. - Event website: http://hyeres.ffvoile.net/ TRAINING TECHNIQUES We are getting a ton of e-mail about yesterday's Guest Editorial by Drs. Richard Schmidt and Tim Lee. So - we've asked Dick Schmidt to write a story for Scuttlebutt outlining what he considers to be appropriate training for recreational sailors eager to improve their position in the fleet. And he's agreed to do that - soon. Who is Dick Schmidt and is he qualified to outline training for recreation sailors? Dr. Richard Schmidt earned his Ph.D. in human performance at the University of Illinois in 1967. He has served on the faculty at the University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, and UCLA, where he is currently Professor of Psychology (Emeritus). He is currently consulting in the area of human performance, human factors, and ergonomics at his consulting firm Human Performance Research in Marina del Rey. He has written about 150 research articles and four books. He does laboratory research in human performance and human learning, focusing on the principles that help us to understand how some people can perform skills at amazingly high levels. He has collaborated with tennis guru Vic Braden in his Tennis College, given lectures on learning principles to the ski instructors at Aspen, and applies his work to situations where learning is involved in such diverse areas as sailing, race-car driving, and physical therapy and speech therapy. More important perhaps, Schmidt learned to sail at the age of 13 and has been competing in sailboats most of his life. He sailed Snipes with his wife Gwen Gordon for 18 years, 470s for 5 years, and Starboats for 4 years. He and Gordon raced "Outlier" in the competitive Southern California Schock 35 fleet for 17 years; they were Class Champions for three years (once with the curmudgeon as tactician, even). JUST IN TIME Raider RIBs have a perfect yacht club tender. This 22-foot Raider 665 is the ultimate tender for a yacht club, a sailing program or a sail coach. The 665 is a center console, deep V hull with a 115 horsepower 4-stroke Yamaha engine, a galvanized trailer, towing post, and it even has an enclosed head. The Raider 665 is available for immediate delivery with special financing for a non-profit or yacht club junior program. Call for details at 1-877-7RAIDER, or check out the Raider 665 at our website. http://www.raiderboat.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Mark Taylor: Your article about the Trophee Jules Verne suggests that some yachts will throw all wastes overboard ("...Geronimo keeps all non-biodegradable waste on board..."). Is this correct? If so, it is terrible to think that ocean racers may also be ocean polluters in the search for speed - surely we should all be trying to keep the oceans beautiful and rubbish free and in so doing protect our amenity and the wildlife. * From Ted Rogers (In response to the guest editorial on practice and the notion that repetition does not improve later retention): I'm sure that the research is correct. However, the vast majority of us who sail only a few days a month probably all qualify as "rank novices" when it comes to executing the exact motions required by a particular crew member for a particular maneuver on a particular boat in a particular wind strength. (This complexity is part of what makes sailing interesting and rewarding!) I would suggest that repetitive practice is useful and essential to determine the "right" set of moves to execute a particular maneuver. Once the correct sequence is determined, I can believe that then random practice becomes the better method. In Kevin Hall's case, I suspect it took him several all-day trips just to determine the correct nuances to practice downwind. In the case of myself and my crew on our International 14, even after 150 days of sailing over the last 5 years, I would argue that we're still learning exactly what we should be practicing in each maneuver, rather than trying to repeat a known ideal maneuver each time. Recent performances such as Ben Ainslie's in the Finn suggest that C.A. Marchaj's notion that the best sailors are sailing their boats at 60-80% efficiency and the rest of us are considerably worse, is really true. I suspect the key to these dramatic successes is based in successfully learning exactly what to practice, rather than just putting in long hours. (Though it may take long hours to figure out what to practice!) * From Joby Easton: I think science is nifty and at times even fun, but while others were studying precisely 'how' Kevin should be training, he was just 'doing it. Here's to you Kevin for going about things the wrong way. Congratulations on becoming an Olympian. And in response to science telling Kevin he went about things the wrong way - check the scoreboard! * From Douglass Sisk, Dick Schmidt's mast-man (Regarding Dick Schmidt's guest editorial in 'Butt 1570): Please don't read Dick's note at the end of his fine editorial to mean that one should only jibe once in practice then go tacking upwind for a while before reversing course and jibing once again. More than once in a close race we were able to gain position by being able to perform more jibes well in a short period of time than our opponents. Having the Rapid-Sequence-Jibe-Series in your arsenal is a powerful weapon. The ability to throw just one more good jibe than your opponent will win races. That said, I heartily agree with Dick that beating up your crew with numerous jibes everytime you go sailing is counter-productive. On Dick's Schock 35 we used to go out early before every race and do some tacks and jibes just to get warmed up. Not only did it get everybody's head in the game, but if you're going to have a spectacular failure its much better to do it pre-race than in the heat of battle. * From Ted Livingston (An additional comment on water in dinghy masts): At Kingston, in 1976, the Finns were using aluminum masts for the first time at the Olympics. There was a flotation test for the masts themselves. The Americans found that the rivets in their masts were "working" resulting in unexpected leakage, and failure to pass the flotation test. Boatwright Carl Eichenlaub hopped on his bike and bought radiator fluid at a gasoline station. He poured this fluid, along with boiling water from a tea kettle, into a mast. Everyone watched the drip-drip-drip slow to a d-r-i-p, and then stop altogether. The masts passed the test, and Carl established himself as our permanent Olympic Boatwright, poised now to fly to Athens. * From Dave MacVean: Scuttlebutt criticized the Newport Offshore Sailing Association for not having photos up on their website within 24 hours of the race finish. This is petty stuff, when considered against the incredible success of the regatta. As a first time participant, I would like to express my gratitude for NOSA, and to everyone who helped organize this incredible event. I now understand why so many starboard spreaders were covered with veteran burgees. Over 450 yachts were comfortably moored in Newport Harbor before the race, with fantastic support from the Newport Harbor Police and local yacht clubs. The Balboa Corinthian Yacht Club threw a party that should be featured in Vanity Fair. Suffice it to say that food, drink, and camaraderie were in ample supply. The starts went off on time, with some grumbling from skippers that it was too close to shore and thus straddled a frustrating wind line. But in a freshening breeze, it is an incredible thing to see so many boats broad reaching down the Southern California Coastline, framed by the Channel Islands to the west. The organization again did a great job in Ensenada. Water taxis were plentiful, the race results were posted promptly in the plaza of a local hotel, and margaritas flowed for the benefit of all racers, organizers, friends and family. THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Is one millionth of a fish the same as a microfiche? |
