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SCUTTLEBUTT 2379 - July 2, 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). IT’S NOT OVER YET Alinghi had everything lined up to win the America's Cup in Valencia on Sunday but the crunch race was postponed because the vital ingredient was missing -- wind. The Swiss syndicate leads Team New Zealand 4-2 in the best-of-nine series and will now have to wait until Tuesday to play their match point. The two crews sailed out into the Mediterranean as scheduled on Sunday but already their weather teams were looking dubiously at the sky as a cool front started to move in from the north, chilling the land and stopping the sea breeze from building. About 75 minutes after the race was supposed to have started, the race committee called the whole thing off. It is one of the vagaries of sailing that regattas cannot be planned perfectly because they are dependent on Mother Nature. At the last America's Cup in Auckland in 2003, the teams waited for days on end for the wind to settle and ensure a fair playing field for sailing's most important competition. One of the reasons defender Alinghi chose Valencia to host the 32nd America's Cup was because there is usually a steady sea breeze at this time of year as the hot Spanish plain sucks air in off the Mediterranean. However, this year has been different. At the beginning of the challenger playoffs in April, racing started four days late as the teams waited for a breeze to build. Several other days were lost along the way as the wind blew too softly or too strongly. Under this year's America's Cup rules, racing cannot start unless the wind is steady between seven and 23 knots. -- http://www.superxtra.co.za/default.asp?id=220457&des=article LAY DAY A single lay-day is scheduled for Monday, with racing scheduled to resume again on Tuesday. The present forecast for Tuesday calls for a strong, steady 15-knot sea breeze. If additional races are necessary after Tuesday, they will continue without additional lay days until one syndicate gets the five wins required to claim the America’s Cup. Scuttlebutt will continue to publish every day there is Cup racing. VERSUS (USA) and TSN Broadband (Canada) will provide live coverage of the Finals from 8:30 a.m.–11 a.m. ET. VERSUS will also have a replay from 6-8 p.m. ET., while TSN Broadband will archive each race for later viewing. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar/shows/#6 RUMORS On Sunday, Alinghi denied rumors that are circulating in Port America’s Cup, saying that if Alinghi were to win Sunday’s America’s Cup match, Ernesto Bertarelli would, immediately, announce Valencia as next host port and Desafio Espanol as Challenger of Record. An Alinghi spokeswoman said “If we were to win today, no announcement will be made until Monday. Valencia has not been chosen as the host port, although it is a contender.” -- Marian Martin, BYM News http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=11268 DISCONTENT Louis Vuitton might not renew its sponsorship of the America's Cup after this series. The Paris-based luxury goods company doesn't know if it will continue to support a competition that is "all about money.” It's not for sure, but there are some kinds of philosophical disagreement over the future of the cup," Louis Vuitton spokesman Bruno Trouble told The Associated Press. "We're in the America's Cup because it's much more than sport: it's elegance, tradition ... if the game is to take the cup to new grounds to make it just another sporting event to be commercial, then I think not only Vuitton, but most of the luxury good companies, would be willing to quit." Vuitton has been a main sponsor of the America's Cup — international sport's oldest competition — since 1983, when the challengers' series became known as the Louis Vuitton Cup. But Trouble says his company disagrees with Alinghi's focus. "The audience of sailing is not as wide as soccer or rugby," he said. "I think the Swiss did very well by picking Valencia and by building up the event ... but the whole duration of this cup they've talked about money. We don't like this very much." -- International Herald Tribune, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2dvple MMM . . . TASTES LIKE CHICKEN Doyle sails powered Steve Tedeschi’s “Tastes Like Chicken” to win both the J/109 class and the One-Design overall award -- a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner -- at Block Island Race Week. Gregory Manning’s X-41 “Sarah” with a full inventory of Doyle sails won IRC 3, Andrew Weiss’s J/122 “Christopher Dragon” took second in IRC 4, Mike Perry’s Evelyn 32 "Bloody Hell" took 3rd in PHRF 1, and Bill Purdy’s “Whirlwind” took 3rd in the Beneteau 36.7 class. Call your local Doyle loft now and start winning this season. Contact Doyle Sailmakers at 1-800-94-DOYLE or find your local Doyle loft at: http://www.doylesails.com BEADSWORTH WINS ETCHELLS WORLDS Despite constant rain and poor visibility the final race of the Etchells World Championship in Cowes was an absolute stunner. At last the wind had moderated although conditions were still extremely testing with constant shifts in the south westerly breeze which varied from 8 to 15 knots as the bands of rain came through. 2006 World Champion Jud Smith, sailing USA1351 with David McClintock and Steve Girling, bowed out of his tenure as World Champion in true style by giving the rest of the fleet a master class in Etchells sailing to win the final race and take second overall (again). But the day belonged to Andy Beadsworth, Oscar Strugstad and Simon Fry, sailing GBR1361, as they took on and ultimately trounced Ante Razmilovic, Jez Fanstone and Stuart Flinn sailing GBR1333, in a stunning final show down for the championship. Final Results: 1. GBR Andy Beadsworth 1 6 (7) 3 4 1 3 - 18 points 2. USA Jud Smith (10) 2 2 6 8 6 1 - 25 points 3. GBR Ante Razmilovic 5 (15) 3 1 6 3 11 - 29 points 4. GBR James Howells 3 5 9 4 2 (18) 8 - 31 points 5. USA Tom Hughes 6 (28) 6 12 3 9 2 - 38 points 6. AUS Noel Drennan (26) 1 10 7 11 4 10 - 43 points 7. NZL Jon Andrews 4 8 11 8 13 7 (14) - 51 points 8. GBR Nils Razmilovic 2 34 1 (46) 7 5 5 - 54 points 9. USA Peter Duncan (33) 23 4 5 16 2 6 - 56 points 10. AUS Jake Gunther 23 (26) 5 13 9 10 4 - 64 points Full story and results: http://www.etchellsworlds2007.org CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar AC DESIGN EQUALITY -- Bob Fisher Six races have been held and the biggest winning margin has been 35 seconds. Every race could have gone either way and the forecast superiority of the defender has been proved to be a myth. Not since 1983, when the racing was anything but close and should have been over in five races (in those days it was first to win four) but for breakdowns, has there been anything like this. This time however, there is nothing between the boats – they appear to be the same speed in a wide range of conditions – and it will be a battle of wills and wits. It is sailor against sailor, team against team, which is exactly what it should be. Neither design team has progressed any further than the other; what we are seeing is match racing of the highest order. -- Excerpts from Bob Fisher’s commentary on the Sail-World website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/yfxj4h AN OPPOSING POINT OF VIEW -- Andy Rice So Brad, do you still think the America’s Cup is a design race? No one asked Brad Butterworth the question Saturday, because we know what the answer would have been – an exasperated, how-many-more-times-do-I-have-to-say-“Yes!” After Saturday’s race, I have to admit that I think Brad is right after all. In Saturday’s 7 to 10 knot breezes, on the downwind legs SUI 100 was just plain faster. There was nothing in it upwind, but on the first run Alinghi kept on sliding up behind NZL 92, and once they had pulled in front on the final beat, on the second run they just kept on sliding further away from the Kiwis to the finish. In Saturday’s conditions, the only weapon in New Zealand’s downwind armory was superior gybing technique, with the Kiwi ‘inside gybe’ taking about 10 metres off every Swiss ‘outside gybe’. So down the last run Terry Hutchinson kept on trying to engage Butterworth in a gybing duel. After a while, Alinghi refused to play that game and allowed some big splits to open up. It very nearly opened the door to the Kiwis just before the finish, as they closed to within two boat-lengths. -- Sail Juice blog, http://sailjuice.blogspot.com/2007/06/match-point-to-alinghi.html SUMMARIES AREN’T EASY -- Mark Chisnell I’ve been trying to think of a way to neatly sum it all up – but race six, this series, will not be put into boxes. Neither team can produce a significant, consistent edge. The Kiwis aren’t a flawless racing machine, and Alinghi aren’t a rocket-ship. But while I'd still rather be in SUI100 if you gave me a choice, and it’s the Kiwis mental strength and tight racing technique that has kept them in the game, it’s been the errors that have made this such an absorbing contest. This America’s Cup doesn’t belong in a world with a three minute attention span, that prefers one sentence of ‘spin’ to political policy, the elevator pitch rather than the script. In this world, there is only one way to tell this story. Alinghi have won four and ETNZ have won two. -- Full story: http://markchisnell.blogspot.com/2007/06/desperate-daze.html HARD KORE LEADS 4-2 Brad Butterworth, the clever defending tactician, is one win away from another successful defense. His not-so-secret weapon of choice is the new Hard Kore from Kaenon Polarized. Both tacticians have chosen Kaenon Polarized and its patented SR-91 lens to read the breeze. Speed is similar, it’s up to the tacticians to determine placement and direction. It’s up to Kaenon Polarized SR-91 lenses to provide the “magic” as Butterworth calls it. Luxury Performance for men and women. Prescription-ready. View the entire collection online and locate an authorized dealer nearest you at http://www.kaenon.com. Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. THIS IS THE REAL DEAL -- Kimball Livingston I've seen America's Cup racing revolutionized twice now, and this is the real deal. What more can you ask of a sporting contest? The America's Cup has been debunked generation after generation, but you can't rationalize it away any more than you can rationalize it. Can I find things to criticize here? Sheesh. Of course I can. But that's not the story. And I'm not alone. Mark Chisnell has been doing a bang-up job of analyzing the racecourse action in America's Cup 32, and when I sent him a note of appreciation, he answered simply: "It's not often something comes along where you just want to do it justice, rather than seeing it hyped." -- Excerpts commentary on the Sail magazine blog: http://tinyurl.com/2fxtj9 SAILING SHORTS * Former Team NZ skipper Russell Coutts has denied he will sail for Oracle in the next America's Cup. "Despite what you might have read, that's not that case," he told a Swiss newspaper. But he has not ruled out a return to the regatta, despite that move seeming remote only a few months ago. Coutts is busy setting up a sailing series of his own with Paul Cayard which could rival the America's Cup. He said he discussed the regatta with Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth every day, saying their "30-year friendship" was still strong, despite his split with the Swiss syndicate. -- Greg Ford, Stuff NZ, full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4114155a21895.html *Australian Rohan Veal made it look easy as he dominated the 63-boat Moth World Championship at Lake Garda, Italy with five straight bullets: 1. Rohan Veal (AUS) 5pts; 2. Scott Babbage (AUS) 14pts; 3. Sam Pascoe (GBR) 24pts; 4. Les Thorpe (AUS) 36pts; 5. Jason Belben (GBR) 46pts. Complete results: http://www.moth-sailing.org/worlds/2007_italy.xml#results Updated photo gallery: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0627/ * Match Cup Sweden, July 2-8, Stage 8 of the World Match Racing Tour includes six of the top fifteen in the world championship standings, six of the top 12 in the ISAF Open Match Race Rankings, five teams representing syndicates from the America’s Cup and three women teams: Mathieu Richard (FRA); Ian Williams (GBR); Sébastien Col (FRA); Björn Hansen (SWE); Eric Monnin (SUI); Magnus Holmberg (SWE); Gavin Brady (NZL); Matthias Rahm (SWE); Jesper Radich (DEN); Eugeniy Neugodnikov (RUS); Johnie Berntsson (SWE); Torvar Mirsky (AUS); Simon Minoprio (NZL); Clair Leroy (FRA); Jenny Axhede (SWE); Malin Millbourne (SWE). http://www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com * Fourteen people were rescued from the 55ft race boat Bounder when her keel reportedly fell off two and half miles south of St Catherine's Point off the Isle of Wight Saturday afternoon. The crew were airlifted off safely and taken to Lee on Solent. None was hospitalized. The yacht reportedly sank after the rescue. The new yacht designed by Juan Kouyoumdian and owned by Chris Little, recently came third in class in the JP Morgan Round the Island Race and was lining up for a big season on the grand prix circuit. -- David Glenn, Yachting World, http://tinyurl.com/29scov * The busiest boating time of the year is nearly here, the July 4th holiday. According to the largest on-the-water towing fleet in North America, TowBoatUS and Vessel Assist, over 3,800 boaters across the US are expected to call for on-the-water assistance during the holiday week – more than any other time of the year. The BoatU.S. website provides a list of 10 things that could get you into trouble on the water on America’s busiest boating holiday: http://www.boatus.com/news/releases/2007/june/10things.asp * As many as 60 of the 74 boats now entered in the Transpac race, including Roy E. Disney's modified Pyewacket and his Morning Light team of young sailors, will soon be moored the in Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach -- adjacent to a “Transpac Village.” The schedule of pre-race events begins Saturday evening, July 7, at 6 p.m. with opening ceremonies and the dedication of 11 monuments along the Transpac Walk of Fame. The 5 1/2-foot-tall monuments present highlights and photos of each decade of the race since its inception in 1906. -- http://www.transpacificyc.org * The waiting is over for more than 350 international sailors taking part in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race. They have finally discovered who their skipper and team-mates will be for the 35,000-mile adventure which sets off from Liverpool in September. People from all over the world converged on Portsmouth on Saturday 30 June to find out which boat they will be competing on in the Clipper 07-08 Race. Each yacht is sponsored by an international city or territory including Liverpool 08, Glasgow: Scotland with style, Uniquely Singapore, Hull & Humber, Durban 2010, westernaustralia2011.com, Qingdao and New York. -- http://www.clipper-ventures.com GRAND OPENING Not all the excitement on the water is in Valencia! July 4th in Newport, RI marks the Grand Opening of Newport's neatest marina and coolest bar and restaurant: Forty 1º North. Come by dinghy, by boat, or by yacht we have a space and a lounge chair waiting. http://www.41no.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 Bob Harden, Austin, Texas: I echo Simon Barrett's comments (that the America’s Cup is a big yawn). I see it this way, we should do away with the arrows, and adopt slow, round frisbees. Boats that turn very well compared to their straight line speed. While you are at it, do away with the asymmetrical spinnakers. A boat behind should be able to blanket a boat ahead easier. Those asymmetricals let the boat ahead off the hook. * From Mike Shocklee, Marina del Rey, CA: I really wish that Simon would please stop watching the America's Cup. He would be happier with out watching it and I would be happier not starting to read an article so down on something that I am really enjoying. For those that don't like America's Cup Racing, simple -- don't watch! * From John Edwards: Turning over the July page on my Ultimate Sailing calendar brought back a flood of happy and sad memories. It was not the great shot of Braveheart, but the little yellow happy face on her transom. To those of us in the Pacific Northwest that sticker, which still graces yachts, cars, and who knows what, else symbolized our dear friend Kelly O’Neil who was taken from us far too soon by a tragic car accident. Kelly was one of the top marine photographers in our area, and was a fixture at rounding marks clicking away with her camera. Kelly, you will live forever in our hearts! * From Guy P. Brierre: I was extremely disappointed with the vicious tone the Curmudgeon took in reporting about the US Youth Champs, then piling on in his comments in the letters section, regarding timing of posting of results (in Issue 2374). The regatta website has streaming commentary of mark roundings, updates on the top three and an end of day wrap-up on the top 7-10 in each class (posted yesterday by 5:41 CDT, well within the cutoff for Scuttlebutt). As Scuttlebutt rarely posts more than the top 5 in a class, I do not see why the Curmudgeon is on his soapbox. Instead of "the event website failed to post complete results by 8pm", you could have said: "the top 10 are:" It is true that the complete results were not posted within the cutoff but that is a call made by the Judges and US Sailing, who desired to verify the accuracy of the results before posting. Southern Yacht Club is hosting this regatta from temporary facilities. SYC members are hosting 140 kids FREE of charge, while many are still dealing with their own housing issues. Our first and foremost responsibility is to the competitors. You commented: "So maybe there was a good party to attend. Whatever!" In fact, after 5 long races on the water, every host family was taking their guests back home for a home cooked meal and rest. Family values and southern hospitality. Whatever, indeed. To unjustly criticize SYC and its membership is deplorable. I believe you owe us an apology. Curmudgeon’s Comment: We consider the US Youths to be the premier event for American junior sailors, and that it deserved proper coverage in Scuttlebutt. When complete results were not available online – a standard that we insist on for any event we cover – it makes it difficult to provide the details for the parents and youth supporters that are interested in the performance of all the sailors, not just the top 7-10 that were provided. For those that were offended by our comment regarding this shortfall, please accept our sincere apologies. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind. Special thanks to Doyle Sails, Kaenon Polarized, and Forty 1º North. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
