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SCUTTLEBUTT 2254 – January 8, 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). STORM TRYSAIL CLUB COMES WEST (Jan 8, 2007) The Pacific Cup Yacht Club and the Storm Trysail Club have announced that they will collaborate in the planning and execution of the 2008 Pacific Cup, the 15th running of this biennial ocean classic. The Pacific Cup, dubbed “The Fun Race to Hawaii,” runs from San Francisco to Hawaii every other Summer. Since its inception in 1980, thousands have experienced the high-quality pre-race seminars and preparation, the 2,190-mile spectacular course to Oahu, and the post-race festivities at Kaneohe Yacht Club, which hosts the finish. Organizers expect that the alliance announced today will take the race to a new standard of excellence. “We’re thrilled to join in this race,” said Storm Trysail Club Commodore Richard du Moulin. “For many years we’ve hosted East Coast events like Block Island Race Week and the Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race. This will be our West Coast debut.” The Storm Trysail Club will be participating significantly in a number of areas, including expanded safety and preparation seminars, review of equipment requirements, and recruiting entrants and sponsors. – Full story: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0107 US SAILING REVIEW BOARD (Curious about US Sailing’s process in handling cases involving misconduct and its Review Board’s roles and responsibilities, US Sailing President Jim Capron has provided Scuttlebutt with the following report.) Most of the time, the process begins at the event. In accordance with rule 69, the protest committee has the authority (and, I believe, the obligation) to address misconduct. The protest committee must report any penalty, or may report an allegation of misconduct if it was unable to hold a hearing, to US Sailing. The party has the right to appeal any protest committee decision. From the decision or report, the US Sailing Review Board will decide whether further action is warranted, but only after any appeal of the protest committee’s decision is decided. The Review Board may then appoint a hearing panel, which will hold a hearing and make a decision. That decision may be appealed to the full Review Board. The protest committee decision or report provides information for the Review Board to decide whether to go forward, and if so, the protest committee decision or report is used in establishing the scope of any hearing. However, only the facts derived from the Review Board hearing will be used to decide the case. The process takes some time. The most common reason for delay is the difficulty in finding a date when all involved can attend the hearing. Also, a hearing may be postponed, those involved may not live in the same city and, as with appeals committees, obtaining needed information can be time consuming. There are pauses in the process while the Review Board is waiting for replies to requests for information and when extensions of time are granted to locate witnesses or gather evidence. US Sailing continually looks for ways to shorten the process. For example, a rule 69 appeal now goes directly to the US Sailing Appeals Committee, which puts it at the top of its agenda. From the initial protest committee actions until the Review Board makes its final decision, all proceedings must be conducted with the utmost care for the protection of the rights of those involved, including proper notice, fair hearings, and confidentiality. That level of care and confidentiality can sometimes be mistaken for evasion or even cover-up, and no news may fuel such speculation. Nevertheless, US Sailing has a policy to refrain from public comment on any current case. To open the door a bit, the Review Board publishes a synopsis of final decisions in a format that protects the rights of those involved. By the way, of an average of six Review Board cases decided each year, only one or two will involve misconduct by a sailor. Not a lot as other sports go, but still too many. -- Jim Capron, President, US Sailing * Link to the US Sailing Review Board: http://www.ussailing.org/art14/ NOT ON THE LIST When ESPN went about listing the top 60 most demanding sports, they identified 10 categories, or skills, that go into athleticism, and then assigned a number from 1 to 10 to the demands each sport makes of each of those 10 skills. By totaling and averaging their responses, they arrived at a degree-of-difficulty number for each sport on a 1 to 100 scale. That number places the difficulty of performing each sport in context with the other sports we rated. When the list was done, they found that Boxing (1) is the most demanding sport -- and that Fishing (60) is the least demanding sport. Where was sailing? It was not on the list. -- Scuttleblog, full post: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2007/01/not-on-list.html JANUARY, BECAUSE IT’S THE MONTH FOR SALES You brought your sails in for winter service. You ordered new ones for the season ahead. You contracted with the boatyard for a killer bottom job. But, what are doing to get yourself ready before the first start in 2007? Here’s a suggestion: tune up your understanding of the rules. One trip to The Room can spoil all the other steps you’re taking. In January, UK-Halsey will do our part to help: our Racing Rules CD is reduced to $40 (saving you enough for at least one latte while you review our animated situations ... and learn). 800.253.2002, http://www.ukhalsey.com JOINING THE RANKS Bowing to the inevitable, (San Francisco) Bay Area youth sailors are finally joining the ranks of the popular Optimist dinghy class, the boat in which the young people of the world learn to sail. The popular model is sailed today in more than 110 countries by more than 150,000 young people. The boat also has quite a resume. At the Athens Olympics, more than 60 percent of all the skippers, and 70 percent of the medal-winning skippers, were former Optimist sailors. But the Bay Area has been slow to go with the flow and join the move towards the little seven-foot long, square bowed boat, first built in 1948, that some call a "sailing bathtub." For decades in the Bay Area, where local pride and tradition run strong, sailing families shunned the "Opti." For their children's first boat, they chose instead a rival eight-footer called the El Toro, designed in the Bay Area and affectionately known as the "Bull Ship." Southern California families also steered clear of the Opti, remaining loyal to another small craft, the Sabot. -- by Jan Pehrson, Marin Independent Journal, full story: http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_4911922 SAVE ONE DESIGN Save the whales, the polar bear and save one design. I am as guilty as many looking for the new one design boat that will attract hundreds to the starting line. I continue to think there is a better answer to one design, yet the truth is we have a wonderful collection of different classes that will never go away. Just recently my friend Doug Scheibner decided to take his 27 year old Tartan Ten and get it completely reconditioned. I thought he was crazy to put more money in his boat than he could ever get once he tried to sell, yet then it hit me. He decided to take his twenty thousand dollar Tartan Ten and put another twenty into the boat to make it the best on the water. Even though the boat may only be worth thirty, he will have one of the best Tartan Ten’s on the water for much less than any of the newer one design boats. The boat is going to be beautiful, strong, and fast and race against forty other Ten’s during the 2007 NA’s in Detroit. The quality of racing is not better or worse, it is one design. -- Read on, where author Wally Cross describes the cost to own and campaign many of today’s popular one-design classes: http://tinyurl.com/yawfdd OPTIMIST WORLDS Singapore has won the Optimist Sailing Team Racing World Championships in Uruguay. After a victory over Puerto Rico in Round 1, they beat successively the strong opposition of New Zealand and Japan before overcoming three times gold medalists Peru in the final. In the repechage following the surprise victory of the Netherlands over strong favorites Argentina, Germany beat Japan to take bronze. Of the North American teams in the double elimination event, the US and Puerto Rico were 0-2 and Bermuda was 1-2. Commenting on the strong teamwork displayed by the sailors, SingaporeSailing ’s Executive Director Andrew SANDERS said, “The time and energy we have invested in the Optimist sailing programmes have planted the seeds for top level sailors for the next 10 years. This is an awesome achievement in the World’s biggest and most competitive junior class of boat.” Emerging as the top sailing nation at the recent 15th Asian Games, Singapore sailors has also clinched six World titles in the last 18 months, winning the 2005 Youth World Championships (420 boys), 2006 Byte World Championships (boys and girls) and 2006 Laser 4.7 World Championships (boys and girls). -- Results: http://www.optimistworlds.org.uy/results/team-races.htm * Subject to confirmation the Optimist World Championship is now mathematically a three horse race with one final race to be held on Monday. With the second and final discard taken, Griselda Khng of Singapore has a two point lead over Julian Autenrieth (GER). Edgar Diminich of Ecuador is still theoretically in contention. Stephanie Zimmermann (PER) and Rufina Tan (MAS) are the only sailors who can dislodge these three from the podium and there could be a record six girls in the top 20. Results: http://www.optimistworlds.org.uy/results/overall-results.htm VISIT US IN KEY WEST Don’t worry if you've got last minute purchases or any repairs during Race Week; West Marine will be there to help! For all your racing needs in Key West, visit our store at 725 Caroline Street (adjacent to race headquarters' 'Big Top' tent). On-site rigging will be available as well as all the latest and greatest gear from New England Rope, Harken, Forespar, tacktick, Gill, Sperry Top-Sider, and more. Come check out all the cool free stuff and door prizes, not to mention morning refreshments for the early birds. Open 7AM to 9PM during Race Week (Jan 15-19). SAVED (Punta Arenas, Chile) An American whose round-the-world journey was frustrated by a yacht-destroying storm reached land on Sunday, saying he did not regret attempting to sail solo nonstop around the globe. Looking relaxed and calm in a cloth jacket and jeans, Ken Barnes said he spent little time thinking about his situation when a storm left him adrift for three days more than 500 miles west of the southern tip of the Chilean coast. Barnes, who told reporters he was “doing very well,” was brought to Punta Arenas by aircraft after he was rescued Friday by the fishing trawler Pesca Polar 1, backed by Chilean navy aircraft. He said his immediate plan is to fly back home “and see my family.” The 47-year old from Newport Beach, Calif., told reporters in Chile's southernmost city that he did not regret trying to become the first solo sailor to circumnavigate the world nonstop from the U.S. West Coast. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ygvdrs US SAILOR OF THE WEEK (The US Sailing’s latest ‘Sailor of the Week’ recognition goes to the Jim Richardson, who is getting ready for a busy winter of sailing in Florida. Here is the report.) It’s not unusual that when you meet the winner of a world championship in a large class of boats sailed worldwide, that you find more championship titles in that skipper’s past. So here we have Jim Richardson, two-time winner of the Farr 40 Class World Championship, current class president, past nominee for US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, and owner of a Farr 40 and a Mumm 30, both called Barking Mad. Jim grew up on Cape Cod, first sailing Beetle Cats when he was about 8 years old. He then moved up to Cape Cod Knockabouts, where at a very young age he won that class’ “world championship.” It is no surprise that a competitive and well-respected sailor like Jim is a strong supporter of the U.S. Olympic sailing program, recently joining as a silver medalist. Jim and his Farr 40 Barking Mad will next compete in Acura Key West Race Week and we know his labrador Eloise will be cheering for him. -- US Sailing, http://tinyurl.com/ye9t6p SAILING SHORTS * North Sails has partnered with Sailing Weather Services to provide free weather forecasts for Acura Key West Race Week from January 15-19, 2007. To receive free daily weather forecasts and to view a Key West wind chart that is updated daily, log on to North Sails' online weather center at: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf * iShares, the world’s leader in Exchange Traded Funds, has been confirmed as Title Sponsor to a new series of Extreme 40 events across Europe, to be called ‘The iShares Cup’. The four events between May to October 2007 will take place in Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK, with the Extreme 40 class also competing in some additional events in other European destinations. The existing five Extreme 40 catamarans are all set to compete in ‘The iShares Cup’ and class manufacturer, TornadoSport, are planning production of up to another five boats in time for the start of the race season. -- http://www.extreme40.com/news.asp?id=5259 THE 2006 ORANGE BOWL HELD THE ANSWER What’s best for coaching? With countless RIBs weaving their way among the sailors at the Orange Bowl, it was obvious that a RIB is the ultimate coach boat. None proved themselves more than the Ribcraft. See what parents and coaches already know about the benefits of a RIB at http://www.ribcraftusa.com/sailing 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 Joanne Clark, Greenwich, CT: Perhaps Bruce Bates (letter in #2253) should re-check the resumes of the Morning Light crew now training to race the Transpac - and then he should check out the group of professionals doing the training. This is not a bunch of high school kids, it's a competent, experienced and most credible group of young adults and seasoned professionals working together to accomplish an extraordinary task. Some people do stupid things to prove a point. This project is anything but stupid - it's an opportunity for a very small group of highly motivated young adults to take their passion for ocean racing to the next level. And more important than the task, this is about the experience (away from a safe college campus), which will prove beneficial to the participants, coaches, ocean racing, and those on the sidelines watching the progress. Life is all about living, not waiting. * From Doran Cushing: In response to Scuttlebutt 2253, which has nothing to do with my conflated topic, I'd like to ask how a collegiate national bass fishing championship can get significant PR, funding, and actually be considered a sport? A Boat/U.S. press release (and I am not being critical of the messenger) today announced tens of thousands of dollars in prizes for college kids to go catch fish in a "competition." Let me expose my prejudice by saying bass fishermen, even world champions, are not athletes (as is implied by connecting their hobby to "sports"). I have to bite my lip not to rant about poker and ESPN. Back to the point - sailing isn't for everyone. It never will be NASCAR, poker, not even bowling. But somehow the manipulators of the easy money need to be convinced that truly athletic young men and women, coincidentally bright/ above average, maybe even "smart," could use the same kind of national attention, support, and a small pile of cash to go home with (as the rules permit, of course). It must be the drugs, but as an addicted sailor, I can't understand, like Rodney Dangerfield, why we don't get any respect. And if the issue comes back to TV/Cable exposure, how exciting is it to watch a bunch of teens messing about in unaffordable glitter boats trying to catch a small fish? * From Bruce Parsons, Newfoundland, Canada: (Re, the Observation in #2253: "We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true." - Robert Wilensky) My physics prof used to love debunking this old canard with the numbers; essentially the universe is not old enough for Shakepeare's work to have been generated by chance - which goes some way towards revealing that humans do not have very reliable intuition when it comes to large numbers. This ties into the ongoing discussion of the subconscious risk analysis that goes into deciding to sail out into a breeze from Sydney on Christmas Day, which is less risky than eating your fried eggs out of teflon lined pan, driving a car, or smoking even one cigarette ( 9 of 10 people who have one smoke become addicted). As the mountain climers have it - we don't go to sea to die, but to live. What is really revealing about the world wide web is just how many unsightly exhibitionists there are out there. * From John Rousmaniere: The first words that spring to mind about Wallace “Toby” Tobin are "hardy," “commanding,” and "able." He looked like a good Marine, he had a good Marine's intensity, and when he came on deck you felt like a good Marine and were tempted to give him a crisp salute. A fine writer, Toby laid out the basics of seamanship in many editions of "The Mariner's Pocket Companion," published by Naval Institute Press. Earlier he provided an unprecedented view of competing at the highest level in his thoughtful first-person reports about winning the America’s Cup in Columbia. When I told him how much those articles had impressed at least one young sailor, he changed the subject. That also was Toby. * From Michael H. Koster: Regarding Robyn Riley's comments, there are bigger fish to fry than the Sydney-Hobart Race. In 2005, 1,583 people died on Australian highways. Maybe everyone should stop driving in Australia. The nice thing about living in a free society is that if we wake up in the morning, we have choices. * From Larry Pierce: Regarding the Sydney Hobart discussion... I think it one of the Apollo 13 astronauts who responded when queried about the inherent danger in the mission, “There is more to life than just living.” Curmudgeon’s Comment: Robyn Riley’s article, ‘Sink This Silly Race’ in Issue 2251, stirred up our letter writers. You can read all the letters in this thread - both published and unpublished - and add your additional comments to the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3919#3919 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure. Special thanks to UK-Halsey Sails, West Marine, and Ribcraft RIBS. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
