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SCUTTLEBUTT 3017 - Thursday, January 28, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today's sponsors: Team One Newport and Ullman Sails. HALFWAY MARK AT MIAMI OCR Miami, FL (January 27, 2010) - More than 600 athletes representing 45 nations have hit their regatta halfway mark, with a picturesque light-air day on Biscayne Bay at US SAILING's 2010 Rolex Miami OCR, the second of seven stops of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup 2009-2010. The event, the only of its kind in this country, started Monday and continues through Friday for three Paralympic classes and Saturday for ten Olympic classes, which will have been pared down to the top ten in each for medal races that day. The unstoppable SKUD-18 team of Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julie Dorsett (West Chester, Pa./Boca Raton, Fla.), who hope to have a repeat gold medal performance of last year's Rolex Miami OCR, added two more bullets to their collection today to lead the seven-boat fleet. "Our speed was great, and we were really in sync," said Dorsett, who noted they were happy with their starts, on which they've been focusing. "In these conditions you don't want to make too many tacks, so we were really trying to consolidate our tacks and make each one count." After dropping his lowest score today, 2.4 mR World Champion and 2008 Paralympic Bronze Medalist John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) continues to lead his 27-boat fleet. Ruf made a remarkable comeback today in his first race after starting prematurely and having to restart. He swiftly recovered to finish tenth, which ended up being his throw-out. "The Rolex Miami OCR is a good regatta to see how you're doing vs. the rest of the world," said Ruf, who won the open (able-bodied and disabled) World Championship this year a day early and with one race to spare. "I love big fleets," he added. According to John Craig (San Francisco, Calif.), principal race officer for the RS:X race course, both men's and women's fleets have been aggressive on the line. Three of the last two days' four starts carried the burden of a "black flag," flown by the race committee after recalling too many starts due to premature starters. The penalty for jumping the start on a black flag means disqualification from that race - end of story. "Racing among the top 10 in each class is very close," said Craig. "The physical fitness of these top athletes is a big part of what's making the difference." For the Women's Match Racing event, the top six teams from the field of 24 have advanced from the first Round Robin Series, with two more teams to come from the Repechage Round Robin to complete the eight team field for the Quarterfinal series. The teams that have already advanced are Claire Leroy (FRA), Lucy MacGregor (GBR), Nicky Souter (AUS), Samantha Osborne (NZL), Sally Barkow (USA), and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA). Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/MOCR-Day-3 Results: http://rmocr.ussailing.org/Results.htm Wednesday photos: http://tinyurl.com/y9wpblu T2P.tv videos: http://www.t2p.tv/guide/ocr10.php Sailgroove videos: http://www.sailgroove.org Offshore Rules videos: http://tinyurl.com/yd5stwl Twitter page: http://twitter.com/RolexMiamiOCR Facebook fan page: http://tinyurl.com/OCR10-FB BRAD VAN LIEW: BACK IN THE GAME Brad Van Liew will be competing in the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010-11, the oldest single-handed round the world yacht race. Run every four years since 1982, the race is a series of five high-pressure ocean sprints within a marathon circumnavigation. In the course of the 30,000 mile race, the skippers cross five oceans alone. Van Liew's new ocean racing campaign targets the popular and exciting Eco 60 Class, and constitutes the first United States entry in the race. The move represents a return to the race he famously won in 2003 as the skipper of the Class II Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America. Here he provides an update for Scuttlebutt: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Brad, you have done this race twice. How did you get started in this type of racing? BRAD VAN LIEW: In 1986 I was working for the summer aboard Dyer Jones' boat based in Newport, Rhode Island, enjoying a summer of New England regattas with Dyer, my uncle Fred Van Liew and a great crew of guys when the BOC Challenge (now the Velux 5 Oceans) finished in Newport. I was instantly mesmerized by the sailors who competed in this type of event and the futuristic boats they sailed. Following his class II victory in the race, Mike Plant was willing to take a lunch with me so I could ask him all of my burning questions. By the end of that lunch he had become my hero and mentor. I knew from that moment forward that in some way my life would be intertwined with singlehanded racing. * You took a break after doing the race twice. Why? BRAD VAN LIEW: Well, there were a few reasons and frankly I didn't think I would ever want back in the ring. I had become a father and wanted to be around my family more. My wife (and business partner) Meaghan and I were both burned out. I had spent 70,000 miles in solitude during 1998/99 and 2002/03 and believe it or not, I like being around people. I also felt like I had achieved what I wanted to achieve. When I left the pro racing scene, life seemed to be more about the destination. Now I am more about the voyage again. * What is the attraction of the Velux 5 Oceans for you compared to some of the other circumnavigation races? BRAD VAN LIEW: The Velux 5 Oceans has a fantastic route with great stopover locations, which allows the competitors to develop bonds that add a character to this race unlike any other. Often times your rivals are also your friends, and your safety net in some instances. The dynamic of intense sprints from port to port, means you can push harder than you would in let's say, the Vendee Globe; and the sooner you get to port, the more time you have to prep for the next sprint. "Specifically considering the 2010-11 edition of the race, the attraction for me largely is the ECO 60 class being offered. It allows for an American entry to happen at a budget we feel can be sold to sponsors and be competitive. Finding the necessary funds to be truly competitive in a Vendee and the entire IMOCA circuit is unlikely in the U.S. market. I am hopeful some day that will change and the U.S. will really be able to make a run at it. Complete interview: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0127/ => Curmudgeon's Comment: Brad will be making an announcement Thursday on news of his newly acquired boat coming from France to the U.S. Details at his re-launched website: http://www.oceanracing.org GREAT NEW PRODUCTS FROM TEAM ONE NEWPORT Team One Newport has some super new products for all of your Spring sailing. The new Gill Race gear is in stock! Check out the hiking pants from Sailing Angles and Gill that have hip pads and knee pads for lifeline hiking. Visit http://www.team1newport.com/departments.asp?dept=166 for all the New Arrivals or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) and speak with an expert! * Team One Newport's very own Martha Parker provided Scuttlebutt with a video profile of some of the cool new gear she was using at Key West Race Week while sailing with Phil and Wendy Lotz on their Melges 32 'Arethusa': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ54PEnfZsk HORSES FOR COURSES (AND FLEETS) For trialing new boats, Key West Race Week provides an ideal race track to get the year started. For Summit Yachts, the 2009 event saw their new Mark Mills-designed King 40 blister the IRC 2 fleet, and when their new IRC oriented Summit 35 was to splash in time for the 2010 edition, the question was whether little brother would seek similar success. But when the two Summit 35s were entered in the PHRF fleet, confusion reigned. Explaining this conundrum is Barry Carroll of Summit Yachts: "Two new Summit 35's were making their first course racing starts ever. Charlie Milligan and Tom Roache's Act One (A-1) had won the Palm Beach Race in December, but were otherwise untested. Mariner's Cove (MC) is hull #2 and was under charter to David Dwyer and Anthony O'Leary from Ireland. MC was fresh from the Edgewater Boats shop, launched on the Tuesday before race week, and her crew sailed her for the first time Friday. With near identical sails, electronics, and hull weight, they were as close to equal as any good one design class. "A lot of people asked why they raced PHRF instead of IRC. There were several reasons. Frankly we looked at the size range in IRC 2 where they would have been the smallest boats by at least 5 feet. The Summit 40's would have been tough to beat under any condition, not to mention the J/122's, who would always have the size advantage upwind. The rest of the class was even larger, so finding clear air up wind would be nearly impossible. There were a lot of 'one way beats', so ultimately size did matter in keeping clear air on the favored side of the course. The Summit 35's would have struggled to find a lane toward the favored side among the larger IRC 2 boats. "More importantly, MC was right out of the factory. She was weighed and measured out of water for IRC, but with trucking issues and abysmal weather in Key West, we just couldn't get her rigged and pull off proper flotations to get an IRC certificate in time. Eric Battinger at US Sailing and Jim Miller, the local measurer went out of their way to make it happen, but we ran out of time. Both A-1 and MC wanted to race against each other, so the choice was made by the owners and charterers to race PHRF 1." -- Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/yawzgrp * KEY WEST 2010: The Scuttlebutt event micro-site holds all the info, from weather forecasts to final results, with daily reports, videos, and photos to fill in the gaps. View it all here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/kw * SEAHORSE DISCOUNT: As a special offer to Scuttlebutt readers and participants at Key West Race Week, SEAHORSE Magazine is offering a substantial discount rate for 1, 2, 3 and 5-year subscriptions. New subscribers can save up to 40% off the cover price and 30% off the standard rates for monthly airmail delivery of the world's premier publication on international performance sailing. Details here: http://tinyurl.com/yfg8dct NOTICE TO MARINERS - USA Coast Guard crews are responding to a report Tuesday of about 30 containers that fell off the deck from Seaboard's 544-foot container ship Intrepid, approximately 30 miles south of Key West, Fla., Monday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Key West Command Center were notified at approximately 5 p.m. Monday from the master of the Intrepid stating the shipping containers had fallen in the water and were reported to have sunk. An HU-25 Falcon aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami was launched to assess the situation Monday. Once on scene, the aircrew located a few containers still floating. During a second HU-25 Falcon flight Tuesday, no containers were located. Personnel from Seaboard shipping are determining the contents of the overboard containers. Seaboard shipping is currently working with Coast Guard Sector Miami personnel to conduct a full assessment of the vessel to ensure safe return to the Port of Miami. Once at the port, an in-depth survey will be conducted to facilitate the safe removal of the cargo. The Coast Guard advises all mariners transiting through the area to proceed with caution and report any container sightings to the Coast Guard. -- http://coastguardnews.com NOTICE TO MARINERS - SPAIN Harold Bennett and Niccolo Porzio are the people responsible for the regatta course for the 33rd America's Cup and have two main important concerns: 1) Whether the races will be able to be staged on February 8, 10 and 12 due to the weather conditions, and 2) The security of the craft that go to sea to witness the duel between the two huge trimarans. They have issued a very stern warning: "This edition of the America's Cup bears no relationship whatsoever with the previous edition that was far more accessible and took place in the summer, and the nearest buoy to be rounded will be at least five nautical miles from the coast." Mr Porzio added, "We must warn the spectators that those who set out to sea to witness the races must be prepared for the conditions that they will meet. The buoys will be at least thirty nautical miles from the coast and this is a considerable distance and if people do not have the necessary equipment or experience to cope with these conditions, it is better and far safer that they remain at home and watch in on television. Those who do take to the seas must be prepared to sail at least one hundred nautical miles: thirty to get to the course and thirty to return and will have to navigate a lot in order to follow the two trimarans, and we expect that the final distance to be covered by these private craft is about one hundred nautical miles, or the equivalent of the distance between Valencia and Ibiza, and conditions at sea will not be the same as they are during the summer." The organization also revealed that the umpire boats for these races will number eleven, as opposed to 63 for the previous edition, and people are welcome to put to sea and observe close to the various buoys, but this is undertaken at their own risk. The Guardia Civil will be responsible for overall security on the water, and the Corps has refused to give any details of how the security operation will be mounted. Mr Bennett also revealed that the race area will be revealed at 6:30 in the morning of the competitions, and the Notice of Race filed at 10 am as the two craft will have to sail thirty nautical miles to get to the course, and that the course will remain the same throughout the three days, but racing will be suspended if the wind (variation) exceeds 25 degrees. -- Valencia Life Network, mailto:publisher@valencialife.net A NEW OFFSHORE SERIES IS BORN Ullman Sails announces the new Ullman Sails Offshore Championship (USOC), a series of offshore races along Southern California's coastline. In its inaugural year, USOC will add a new dimension to the SoCal summer racing program and cater to racers with interests beyond buoy racing. The new NHYC/SDYC Island Race will kick off the series on March 12-13, followed by the CBYC/DPYC Around Catalina to Dana Point Race, and conclude with the SBYC/KHYC Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race in July. Check out the Ullman Sails website for more information on the new 2010 USOC. Invest in your performance. http://www.ullmansails.com * Dave Ullman met with Scuttlebutt on video before Key West Race Week, and his event prediction pretty much nailed the eventual reality. Once again, Dave was totally in phase: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAeKZss2Fmw OVER 2 BILLION TELEVISION VIEWERS FOR AMERICA'S CUP Beyond the recent announcement that the 33rd America's Cup will be broadcast live free on the Internet, a massive TV broadcast reach has been secured which should ensure that the dramatic, never seen before multihull races between the Defender Alinghi and the Challenger BMW Oracle Racing, with the capacity to reach a huge global audience. Agreements are now in place to assure a massive international audience of over 2 billion viewers with the European Broadcasting Union, which reaches 56 territories and has an audience of over 650 million; Sports News TV spanning 160 territories, broadcasting to over 1.4 billion people; and Transworld Sport with a global audience of over 302 million. Among the broadcasters are Great Britain's BSkyB, TVE/Teledeporte and Canal 9 in Spain, French based Eurosport and Showtime in the Middle East. Broadcasters will take all of the America's Cup output, including the 26 minutes race day highlights package, Race News package and the 52 minute summary wrap up programme at the end of the event. -- http://www.americascup.com SAILING SHORTS * The largest annual gathering of sailors in the Midwest - Strictly Sail Chicago - welcomes more than 20,000 sailing enthusiasts of all skill levels to attend the four-day event January 28 - 31, 2010. Discount tickets and additional details here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8852#8852 * Dennis Conner will be a guest skipper this weekend in San Diego aboard the Challenged America racing sailboat B'Quest II, a Nelson/Marek Custom 43, for the Sugar Loaf Race. Founded in 1978 by San Diego disabled veterans, the charitable Challenged America program provides free learn-to-sail and advanced sailing opportunities to the disabled. For additional information visit http://www.ChallengedAmerica.org * Technology has led society down many alleys, some darker than others. But if sailing can get a boost from an online service that focuses on the active person, than regatta parties might be improving soon. 'Fitness Singles' is the world's largest online 'connection' community for sports and fitness enthusiasts. Might just be the place to look for new crew. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2010/01/need-crew_26.html * In the last 20 years, the Boat U.S. Foundation has awarded more than $1 million from two separate grant programs targeting local grassroots organizations. For 2010, the foundation has combined its former Boating Safety and Clean Water Grants into a new, single Grassroots Grants Program. Local groups, community organizations and nonprofits are eligible for grants for up to $4,000 each and may apply using one application that covers both topics. A total of up to $50,000 is available this grant cycle, however, local community groups need to have their applications in by February 28. -- Details: http://www.boatus.com/pressroom/release.asp?id=468 LETTERS AND FORUM Please email 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 Peter Isler: Keep those Buddy Melges stories coming! Buddy has always been revered and respected by his competitors for good reason. Not only did he raise the game to a new level in Scows, Solings and Stars, but he was always ready and willing to share his "secrets" with anyone who asked (no matter whether they were customers of his fast sails and boats or not). Thirty years ago, when Buddy turned 50 at the Soling World Championships in Puerto Rico, we learned about the big day and planned a "Happy Birthday" song moment for the warning signal of the first race of the day. We passed the word and everyone agreed that at the 10 minute gun (my how times have changed), all the boats in the fleet (some 50 odd boats as I recall) would sail in a circle around Buddy's boat while we all sang a rousing Happy Bday to the man. It was a pretty special moment for all of us, and I've never seen anything like it since! * From Barry Johnson, Perth, Western Australia: I had the honour to to be asked to assist the Heart of America syndicate set up its base in Fremantle, Western Australia in 1986 (for the America's Cup). During this time I had the fortunate opportunity to meet and also socialise with the Wizard of Zenda. Sadly as time went by I lost contact with both Buddy and Gloria Melges. But last week, whilst taking time out before the annual Miami Olympic Classes Regatta where I am acting as the Event Chief Measurer, I was fortunate enough to literally bump into Buddy whilst dockside after racing in Key West. This marvelous man was still the Buddy I met some 24 years ago and he remembered those Fremantle days very well. Happy Birthday Buddy! * From Robert Thuss: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3016) It was interesting to note that the total cost of campaigning nineteen J/80's at Key West at $8,000 each just about equals the cost of the $150,000 Racer's Edge Pro laser wind gauge! The broad spectrum of this sport never ceases to amaze me. * From Ron Baerwitz: Is it just me or does anyone else have a problem with a tool that will literally give you a road map to follow upwind? What are those great tacticians making seven figures for. Did technology just work Kostecki out of a job? Technology to make a bigger, badder boat is one thing. Coaches giving wind readings before the start, cool. But once that gun goes off may the best sailors win, not the best map reader. Hate It! * From James King: While there may not be a whole lot of US / Swiss harmony going on in Valencia (and the courts and the interweb, notwithstanding a rogue cake), there was one outbreak spotted in Australia recently: http://www.cyclingnews.com George Hincapie is the current (and three-time) US Professional road race champion, riding for the Swiss BMC bike team. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than it is to speak and remove all doubt. Special thanks to Team One Newport and Ullman Sails. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
