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SCUTTLEBUTT 2146 - July 27, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.THE REAL GATES OF HELL -- Peter Huston Last night in a "casual" "fun" weeknight race, a young sailor rounded outside both leeward gates. The race committee just chucked the youngster from the race - doing so without a hearing. It can only be presumed the RC scored him as a DNF because he rounded outside both gates, rather than between them. No competitor protested the young sailor. The notion of "casual" and "fun" races is always interesting - but it also depends on who is defining "casual" and "fun". In this particular series, there seems to be no printed NOR's or SI's. Try to find that info on the club website - it's not there..well, there's nothing much about anything on that particular club website either. So, absent printed, or digital, forms of the documents that are suppose to lay out the terms of competition, how is a young sailor (or any sailor?) suppose to know exactly the course designation? There is nothing in the Racing Rules of Sailing that specify that when leeward gates are used, you are required to pass between them. While the young sailor may have been wrong - the RC was definitely wrong to just score him as a DNF. This is a clear violation of Rule 63.1 "A boat or competitor shall not be penalized without a protest hearing, except as provided in rules 30.2, 30.3, 30.3, 67, 69, A5 or P2." None of these rules apply in this particular case. In my opinion, this matter should be brought before the club protest committee. The Race Committee should lose, because no protest form was filed in a timely manner, and given the absence of written and available NOR's and SI's, the default failing time limit is designated under rule 61.3, which is two hours. As there was no protest form filed, then there can be no hearing, and the Protest Committee should reinstate the young sailor with his recorded finish position in the race in which he was incorrectly scored DNF. Protest hearings are no fun - but neither is a race that is run in an arbitrary manner. And we wonder why teenagers want to play lacrosse and soccer with their peer group, rather than compete in sailing. -- Peter Huston's blog, complete commentary, http://peterhuston.wordpress.com/2006/07/26/the-gates-of-hell/ MAYDAY Wednesday, July 26, Honolulu, Hawaii -- Four people who abandoned a damaged sailboat north of the Big Island yesterday were expected to arrive in Honolulu sometime today. The crew of the 40-foot Mureadrittas XL abandoned the vessel at about 9 a.m. yesterday after it apparently collided with whales. The Mureadrittas was about 450 miles north of the Big Island at the time. (Nick Barran) the master of the vessel notified the Coast Guard at about 9:45 a.m. that everyone was safe and in a life raft. But the Mureadrittas was badly damaged and eventually sank. A Coast Guard C-130 was sent to fly over the life raft and monitor the situation. But with no Coast Guard vessels in the area, Coast Guard officials put out a plea to vessels in the area to come to the aid of the crew. The cargo vessel Maersk Darwin, which was on its way to China, was about 90 miles away and changed its course to help out, said Coast Guard Petty Office Michael De Nyse. The Maersk Darwin reached the four crew members last night and was scheduled to transfer them to the Cammie M, which was headed to O'ahu. "The crew members had safety gear on board. They had their life raft. They had food and water. They had a meridian phone and they were located by EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon)," De Nyse said. "That just goes to show that good planning and having the proper safety gear aids you greatly in being rescued." -- Curtis Lum, Advertiser Staff Writer, http://tinyurl.com/zypct Curmudgeon's Comment: Nick Barran was bringing his J/N 41 "Mueriadrittas XL back to California after the West Marine Pacific Cup Race to Hawaii. THREE MEN IN A BOAT (Donald Shaw wrote the following essay for a college English course and received an A. His instructor said that it was good enough to be published, so we thought we would oblige. Enjoy!) Not that 'Three Men in a Boat', this is a different 'Three Men in a Boat'. That story, by Jerome K. Jerome, is a brilliantly written comedy whose setting is in a place far away and at a time far removed from my story. My story took place just about a year ago, and it was at a lake only a few miles west of Redding, California. Okay, technically, it's more like 'Three Men in a Boat', and 'This Other Guy in His Boat', but that is a really long title, so we'll just stick to 'Three Men in a Boat'. I had decided that I wanted to learn how to sail. I could visualize the billowing sails and cruising through the gentle breezes over calm waters. A person could be justified in believing that this was a harmless aspiration. At least you would think so. I had bought and studied several books, like Sailing for Dummies'. In hindsight perhaps I should have held out for a book entitled 'Sailing for Inept Dummies', and bought a few extra copies for my friends. I had studied the books, downloaded the sailing demos, read and reread Horatio Hornblower's life story, as well as all of the Captain Jack Aubrey books. I felt that I had a better than average shot at getting started on the right foot. Did I mention that no one has ever accused me of being very bright? - Read the complete story at http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2825#2825 TRIVIA QUESTION How many years has the Key West Race Week regatta been in existence? (Answer below) "SINN FEIN" WINS WITH ULLMAN SAILS Congratulations to Peter Rebovich and crew on his Cal 40 "Sinn Fein" for their success in the 2006 Newport Bermuda Race, where they captured eight trophies, including Overall Performance Trophy in ORR, 1st in Division, and the best corrected time of any boat in the entire fleet. How did Ullman Sails help? "Sinn Fein" was powered by a full inventory of Ullman Sails. According to Peter, a longtime customer, Ullman's outstanding performance sails produce great results! If you and your crew are ready for the "Fastest Sails on the Planet," contact your nearest Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com 9ER CHAMPIONSHIPS Day 3 of the 29er World Championships brought more of the same light winds. By the end of the day all fleets have finished 8 races and the 105 entries have been split into Gold, Silver and Bronze. Fleet vetrans Silja Lehtinen (FIN) and Scott Babbage (AUS) are tied with locals Paul Brotherton and Mari Shepard for the top spot. Cameron Biehl and Matt Noble lead the North American contingent currently standing in 9th. Young San Diegans Judge Ryan and Hans Henken just snuck into gold fleet finishing 23rd in the qualifying rounds. By the finish of the racing day the weather has turned more towards the usual British summer as clouds cover the sky, a sight that hasn't been seen now for at least 2 weeks. The rumor is that the winds will be stronger tomorrow. The 49ers are racing their European Championship at the same event. American Tim Wadlow sailing with Chris Rast currently sit in 9th while Morgan Larson / Pete Spaulding are in 12th and Canadians Gordon Cook / Ben Remocker are in 21st. There are now three days of racing remaining. -- Jennifer Morgan Glass, rResults can be found at http://www.9erchamps2006.com/ CREME DE LA CREME Marina del Rey, Calif.---Like little white leaves in a storm, 88 boats sailed by the world's best women Laser Radial sailors blow into Santa Monica Bay this weekend, advancing their Olympic dreams one step closer to an ultimate showdown at Qingdao, China in 2008. The 2006 Laser Radial World Championships are a major step toward the class's introduction as the Olympic singlehanded dinghy class for women. The fleet will include 19 of the top 20 women in the current rankings by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), led by defending champion Paige Railey, 19, and Anna Tunnicliffe, 23, of the U.S.; Laura Baldwin, 26, of the UK, and 2004 world champion Krystal Weir, 21, of Australia. They will be among 90 women competitors from 31 countries racing Sunday through Friday, following a practice race and opening ceremonies at the host California Yacht Club Saturday. The first six races will be a qualifying series to determine a split into Gold and Silver fleets for the final six races. The women will share the race course off the beach west of Los Angeles with 74 men from 21 countries contesting the men's Radial championship, to be followed the next week by the Radial Youth Worlds Aug. 5-12 for 181 boys and girls ages 15 to 18. If, for a change, sailing's spotlight falls on the women, it's their talent level and significance of their competition that draws it. The Laser Radial, with 5.76 square meters of area in its single sail, has joined the Laser (7.06) in the Olympic Games, replacing the Europe as the women's singlehanded dinghy. The Laser became an Olympic men's class at Savannah in 1996, but the men in this event will sail Radials without Olympic implications. The switch from Europe to Laser Radial has turbocharged the class, and most of the top women Europe sailors---including Railey, Baldwin and Weir---have made the leap to the Radial. -- Rich Roberts, http://www.calyachtclub.com/ SAILING SHORTS * Peter Gilmour (AUS) and Claire Leroy (FRA) remain top of the pile in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings, as the dominant pair begin to take root in the World number one spots. Behind them it is a month of consolidation with just one new entry in either of the top tens. -- Full story and rankings: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6fFh`Akr * After three races in the CSC 505 Pre-World and British National Championships, Californians Howard Hamlin and Jeff Nelson have a four point lead over Boris Herrmann/ Julien Kleiner (GBR). There is an armada of USA boats at this 55-boat event at the Hayling Island Sailing Club in England and Tyler Moor/ Jesse Falsone are presently in sixth place with Ali Melle/ Mike Coe in tenth. -- http://hisc.co.uk/openresults06/505nationals.htm * Sarah Lihan from the Lauderdale Yacht Club has a two point lead after three races over Claire Dennis from the San Francisco Yacht Club in the 56-boat U.S. Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship for the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy hosted by the Houston Yacht Club. Ann Haeger from the Lake Beulah Yacht Club is in third place. http://users3.ev1.net/%7Ebhuckaba/web/leiter/JWS2006.html * The Box of Rain Foundation program, based in Annapolis, Maryland, will be featured in a segment of the CBS Network Evening News Weekend Edition this Saturday, July 29, 2006 at 6:30pm EDT. The Box of Rain program is a year-round course designed to inspire and encourage Annapolis area youth, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to gain self-esteem and to develop life skills that lead to positive contributions to the community. The means to success are based on a variety of maritime experiences which include Chesapeake Bay sailing, boating, water safety, environmental and cultural studies as well as learning trade skills. http://www.boxofrain.org * The BMW Oracle Racing blog has posted a very creative audio slide show of the action leading up to the German Sailing Grand Prix Kiel. It's certainly a much more interesting approach than photos and captions. -- http://www.bmworacleracing.com/blog THE TOP IS NICE, THE BOTTOM IS EVEN BETTER... What do you get when you cross Nike technology with Quiksilver style? Olukai brand footwear. Unlike any other option before it, the premium Olukai sandal provides support like a shoe but with epic styling. Any serious waterman (or woman) will appreciate the design and ergonomics these sandals provide, and all with non-marking soles. View the 2006 line from these leading retailers: Annapolis-Performance-Sailing (apsltd.com/sandals) and the Sailing Pro Shop (sailingproshop.com/olukai.htm). Dealer inquiries invited: (562) 301-8334 or mailto:OlukaiSandals@aol.com TRIVIA ANSWER 2007 will mark the 20th anniversary for Key West Race Week (aka, Acura Key West 2007). Each year the event comes to the southernmost point of the US in January, and with no host yacht club or facility, the regatta organizers (Premiere Racing since 1997) bring in their trucks and create the event structure needed to host the event (see interview on Scuttlebutt website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/03/pcraig/) EIGHT BELLS Grant Baldwin, the radio "voice of Transpac" for the last 14 races over 26 years, has died after a long fight with cancer. He was 79. Baldwin passed away at his home in Balboa, Calif. Every skipper and crew that sailed Transpac since 1979 was intimately familiar with Baldwin's deep, clear, crisp voice, accompanied by his dry sense of humor. They heard it once or twice a day asking for position reports or just as host of a lighthearted evening "happy hour" chat session among the boats that made lonely sailors feel less alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Baldwin would serve as commodore of the 1989 Transpac Race, while continuing to oversee race communications. Baldwin, born in Ann Arbor, Mich. and was a past commodore of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. He sailed his first Transpac as a crew member on Ira Fulmor's Staghound in 1951. He also was a certified international racing judge. Baldwin is survived by his wife Jody, seven children and 10 grandchildren. Arrangements for a memorial service were pending. -- Rich Roberts LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thought at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Tim Patton, Chairman, International Etchells Class Board of Governors: Contrary to the position held by the International Etchells Class, the ISAF Technical Committee have ruled that our Class rules are not clear enough with respect to outlawing carbon fiber tillers. The Class is working with the ISAF to correct this wording so that there is no question that the use of carbon fiber is illegal. In the mean time, it would seem appropriate for everyone who accused Stuart Childerly of cheating by using a carbon tiller in two recent regattas, to apologize. Whilst it is the Class's position, at this time, that carbon fiber tillers are illegal, there has never been a suggestion that Stuart and his crew won the British Nationals and the European Championships for any reason other than, they sailed better. * From Richard Clark (re Adrian Morgan's letter): "Go Dude" is a well known phrase when Kiwis go to America, fall in love, become dual citizens, it's like winning the Lottery of Life, the best of both worlds and well earned I might add. Please kill this thread before I really make a complete fool of myself . . . :) "Go eh" doesn't quite translate, except for Canadians. Curmudgeon's Comment: Done - this thread is now officially dead! * From Alfred Poor: I checked out the photos of Alinghi's new black mainsail that you reported on in 'butt 2145. This "unfrozen caveman sailor" has one possibly irreverent question prompted by this item: at what point do we stop calling these mains with their squared-off tops "Marconi rigs", and start calling them "gaff rigs"? Everything old is new again? (Photos posted on http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/) CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Marry not a tennis player. For love means nothing to them. This issue of Scuttlebutt presented by Ullman Sails and Olukai footwear. |
