|
SCUTTLEBUTT 3363 - Wednesday, June 15, 2011Scuttlebutt 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: APS, Gowrie Group, and US SAILING. EXPERIENCE IN BOTH WORLDS When the decision was made to eliminate the multihull from the 2012 Olympics, the noise from the sport was deafening. With the limit of sailing events capped at 10 for the Games, choosing which ones is never easy. However, there was broad agreement that the multihull should be one of them. Now with the multihull reinstated for the 2016 Olympics as a mixed (one man, one woman) event, two of the most notable female Americans that have experience in both the Olympics and multihull sailing share their comments: PEASE GLASER, long time Tornado campaigner with her husband Jay Glaser, and an Olympic medalist in 2000 with JJ Fetter in the Women’s Doublehanded dinghy event: “For the multihull to be a mixed event is really not different than if the event was mandated to be all men or all women. The restriction, when compared to an open event, simply reduces the potential population of people to sail with. “A long time ago, I was against any women's only events. I was wrong on that as the opportunity to train at a high level in women's Olympic events allowed women to get good enough to move on and compete at high levels in open events. I'm sure the mixed will offer the same opportunities.” CARRIE HOWE, who represented the U.S. in the Women’s Keelboat event at the 2008 Olympics, and a three-time winner of the F18 North Americans with Mischa Heemskerk: “It is difficult to place sailing into 10 events and at the same time abide by the number allotments, gender equality, accessibility etc. There are many factors and influences going into these decisions, but the "creative" solution of making a mandatory mixed catamaran event is a bit of a stretch for a political middle point. I think either include a class or not. Don't do it half way. “To put it in a simpler way, I think it is fantastic that catamarans are back in the Olympics. But to be honest, mixed catamaran sailing is not a common practice; maybe 1 out of 20 boats are mixed... so why should it be awarded as an Olympic event. I think it can work but the type of boat chosen and logistics become a bit tricky.” DEBATE: The selection of equipment to be used for the 2016 Olympic sailing events is required for the Men's and Women’s Sailboard/Kiteboard, the Women's Skiff, and the Mixed Two Person Multihull, with the final decision at the 2012 ISAF Annual Meeting. It is widely believed that the choice of multihull will be the hardest as mixed racing is not common, and the size of boat will dictate the crew weight and skills needed to successfully compete. ONBOARD: In reaction to the election of a mixed-multihull event (one man, one woman) for the 2016 Olympic Games, the catamaran culture is already adapting. The organization of the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race 2011, the world's biggest catamaran event, has added the division to their race. With over 500 boats expected for the 100 km race around this Netherlands island on June 25th, the event is eager to show their support. Said Edwin Lodder, Race Co-ordinator, “As the leading multihull event, it is important to show the world that we fully support the choice of mixed-multihull sailing and that we wish to promote it.” Race website: http://www.roundtexel.com/en/default.asp NEW RULES ABOUT SUNSCREEN CLAIMS (June 14, 2011) - After 33 years of consideration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took steps on Tuesday to sort out the confusing world of sunscreens, with new rules that specify which lotions provide the best protection against the sun and ending claims that they are truly waterproof. The F.D.A. said sunscreens must protect equally against two kinds of the sun’s radiation, UVB and UVA, to earn the coveted designation of offering “broad spectrum” protection. UVB rays cause burning; UVA rays cause wrinkling; and both cause cancer. The rules, which go into effect in a year, will also ban sunscreen manufacturers from claiming their products are waterproof or sweatproof because such claims are false. Instead, they will be allowed to claim in minutes the amount of time in which the product is water resistant, depending upon test results. And only sunscreens that have a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 15 or higher will be allowed to maintain that they help prevent sunburn and reduce the risks of skin cancer and early skin aging. The rules have been under consideration since 1978, when “Boogie Oogie Oogie” was a hit on the radio and most beach lotions were intended to encourage tanning, not protect against it. But federal regulators said they had yet to decide whether to end an SPF arms race in which manufacturers are introducing sunscreens with SPF numbers of 70, 80 and 100 even though such lotions offer little more protection than those with an SPF of 50. Still, dermatologists said they were thrilled. “Now, we’ll be able to tell patients which sunscreens to get,” said Dr. Henry W. Lim, chairman of dermatology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology. -- NY Times, read on: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/science/15sun.html?_r=1&hp HOT STRIPPERS ONBOARD! What's with this unseasonably warm weather? Are you so hot you're stripping off your clothes to jump in the water on the downwind leg? APS, The World Leader in Outfitting Performance Sailors, wants to save your dignity and keep you on the boat. It's a race after all! Presenting Musto's Evolution Race Tech Shirts - they're SPF 40, antibacterial, lightweight, stretchy, and fast wicking. What's more, they're perfect for team gear decoration! 3, 2, 1...Puff on! http://bit.ly/MustoRace HELP GROW PARTICIPATION IN SAILING If you’re racing the weekend of June 18th, maybe at Block Island Race Week, Marion to Bermuda Race, Cleveland Race Week, Hobie Alter Trophy in Long Beach or any other venue around the world, you’ll have another chance to win by signing up for the 2011 Summer Sailstice global sailing holiday. Now in its 11th year, Summer Sailstice is connecting sailors around the world in a shared celebration of sail and gives all sailors signed up and sailing a chance to win from over 400 prizes donated by marine suppliers. Grand prize is a BVI charter with Footloose Sailing Charters or you can win a Hobie kayak or from the long list of numerous other prizes. One of the great challenges in presenting sailing to the non-sailing public is creating a cohesive picture of the diverse and eclectic nature of sailing. Let’s face it; if you ask someone ‘do you want to go sailing’ you have no idea what they might be picturing. Could it be a Caribbean charter? A seasick ocean voyage? A white-knuckle, rail-riding bash to weather? Or maybe helping you varnish the toerail. But this weekend offers a chance to unify it all. Summer Sailstice is carving out a date on the calendar when all members of the sailing community can showcase their unique niche within the world of sailing, i.e. beach cats, bluewater cruising, kiteboards, handicap racing or whatever kind of sailing it is that you do. By collecting all these different ways to sail on one weekend it will help create a ‘critical mass’ of sailing activities allowing sailors to broadcast a fuller picture of how most people sail, most of the time. By including your event participants as part of the Summer Sailstice holiday you can help demonstrate to the broader public the full menu of sailing options. It’s likely once they see all the different ways of participating they’ll gravitate towards an activity that suits them best - trailer sailing or ocean crossing. The diversity of ways to participate in sailing is one of its biggest curses and blessings. The curse is it’s very hard to easily describe sailing but the blessing is it’s hard to imagine that there isn’t some aspect of sailing that wouldn’t please almost anyone. If you waterski you might like kiteboarding, if you’re a history buff you might like tallships. Read on: http://www.summersailstice.com/articles/viewarticle/559/ Sign up: http://www.summersailstice.com/users/signup/ FREELY PURSUING ALL TYPES OF SAILING By Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt This past week I was privileged to have won the Etchells World Championship in San Diego, CA. When Bill Hardesty asked if I would sail with him, he warned me that we would be putting in the training time needed to be fully prepared. I agreed, knowing that being physically, mentally, and technically ready would be vital for success. After four days of racing, our team was reaping the benefits of our preparation, having won four of the first seven races in the 81 boat fleet. There was a party that night, and I had just collected another daily first trophy. As I was leaving, I met a nine year old girl who had also been racing in the regatta. I hadn’t realized someone that young was competing, but I thought it was pretty cool, and without much thought I gave her the trophy. This week I received a note from her dad: “Thank you for giving your daily first trophy to my 9-year old daughter at the Thursday night Etchells party. It made her week and she has it prominently displayed in her room. She could not stop talking about it, and it appears that she is completely hooked on sailboat racing now (started sailing school this week in her newly acquired Optimist), which in turn will hook her 7-year old sister.” Thinking back to the regatta, there were a few young people competing, but not many. I am now 48 years old, and the sport for young people has dramatically changed during the past 30 years. There was not such a division between youth sailing and open events for me as there is now, so my experience growing up included IOR boats, MORC boats, Hobie 16s, Snipes, Santana 20s, etc. While today’s young sailor has more opportunities now to compete against their peers in many different venues, they are lacking the diversity in boats and adult interaction that help them really connect to the sport. The Worlds was an exhausting week, but meeting the young sailor and offering her that award was one of my personal highlights. I believe that seeing the handful of young people at the Etchells Worlds is something to build on, and I hope that parents allow their children to freely pursue all types of sailing, and not just what is offered on the youth sailing menu. -- Scuttleblog, http://tinyurl.com/Scuttleblog-061411 I KNOW, SUCKS BEING ME By Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt After nearly two weeks of training and competing in the Etchells World Championship, I have some catching up to do in the office. As a result, I had to decline the offer by the America’s Cup Event Authority to come to San Francisco this week for a ride on the AC45 (I know, sucks being me). Hopefully I will get a chance again when the America’s Cup World Series comes to San Diego, but in the mean time I will let my friend Stuart Streuli at Sailing World describe the experience: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Maybe Russell Coutts was saying, “Hey, what do you think of this cool custom carbon tiller extension? Did I show you how they inlaid my initials in gold? What a nice gesture by the guys at Core Builders.” Or perhaps he was trying to get me to notice how light a touch on the helm it took to drive the AC45 catamaran in typically blowy San Francisco Bay conditions. But where I come from when someone looks you in the eye and then points to the tiller, it means only one thing: “Do you want to drive?” And when the boat in question is an AC45, the hottest, fastest, coolest, course-racing boat on the planet, there’s only one way to answer: “Hell yeah!” Actually, that’s not how I answered. Heading upwind at 17 knots in 25 knots of breeze meant that there was somewhere north of 35 knots of apparent wind screaming over the deck. You could only hear someone if you were right next to them and screaming. And even then it would be a toss up between: “Of course I want to drive?” and “Worst spot to have a hive.” And like switching between boats in a rough sea, this was no time to be tentative, or misunderstood. So I didn’t bother to open my mouth. I tried to let my actions talk for me. As quickly as I could move - which is fairly slow when the surface is a very spare rope mesh bouncing over a choppy sea at a ridiculous speed - I climbed from the spectator position behind the aft crossbeam to the helm station, a distance of about 10 feet, grabbed the aforementioned tiller extension, and held my breath. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/SW-061411 GOWRIE GROUP GOES WAY BEYOND MARINE We know your life is complicated - whether you're at home, managing your company, or out on the water. No matter where you are, no matter how complex the risks you face, Gowrie Group is ready to protect you and your homes, vehicles, boats, businesses, and interests. Gowrie Group is the leading independent marine insurance specialist in the US, and is one of the top providers of personal and commercial insurance solutions in the country. Let Gowrie insure your lifestyle. Request a complete insurance review now at: 800.262.8911, http://www.tinyurl.com/gowriereview (use code: Scuttlebutt). QUOTE / UNQUOTE Dirk Kramers, Oracle Racing designer, discussing the transition from the AC45 to the AC72 which will be used in the 34th America’s Cup in 2013: “The first AC72 will probably be launched in about a year from now, so between now and then there’ll be a lot of speculation and intrigue on your part and a lot of hard work on our part to see what these boats will be like. Imagine the AC45 spectacle but with rigs about twice as high and five times as powerful. We’re just really lucky we get to play with them - they’re really exciting boats.” -- SailBlast, full story: http://tinyurl.com/SB-061411 POST YOUR INDUSTRY UPDATES HERE The Marine Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum was created so companies could get guaranteed exposure by posting their own personnel, product and service updates online. In addition to website traffic, Scuttlebutt editors randomly select updates each week to include in the Thursday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to post Industry News updates: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news FREE AD SPACE RAFFLE The Scuttlebutt newsletter is donating an advertisement space to a business or organization eager to promote something to the Scuttlebutt readership. Would you like a free ad? Details here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=11901 SAILING SHORTS * Tuscany, Italy (June 14, 2011) - The perfect conditions continued on day two of the Finn World Masters in Punta Ala in Italy, with eight more heats across two courses for the 273 competitors representing 28 countries. Both Allen Burrell (GBR) and defending World Masters Champion Michael Maier (CZE) keep their perfect scores, winning both their heats, while Uli Breuer (GER) stays in third after another first and second. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/Finn-061411 * (June 14, 2011) - After two days of competition, Matheus Dellagnelo (BRA) now leads the 72 boat fleet at the Sunfish World Championship in Curaçao. Sixteen countries are represented. Racing concludes on Friday. --Event website: http://www.sunfishworlds2011.com * The Detroit Yacht Club is a new addition to the National Register of Historic Places. The club, which was founded in 1868, is noted for its history and architecturally significant clubhouse. The club is located on Belle Isle and is the 12th oldest yacht club in the U.S. The clubhouse, completed in 1923, was designed in a Mediterranean style. -- Boating Industry, read on: http://www.boating-industry.com/output.cfm?id=2772235 * While approximately 450 people prepare to compete in 68-foot yachts for the 40,000 mile Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race that begins in August, plans are already underway for the 2013-14 edition of the race. The search has begun for 12 skippers to take on the challenge of leading the teams of non-professional sailors during the 12 month competition. Successful candidates will have the opportunity of being the first to circumnavigate on board a brand new fleet of 70-foot yachts being built specifically for the race. For details contact Sir Robin by email at sirrobinknoxjohnston@clipper-ventures.com US SAILING’S 2011 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Ready to test yourself against the best? US SAILNG’s 18 National Championships embody every aspect of the sport including one-design, multihull, match racing, team racing and offshore. Adult and youth championships are hosted by sailing organizations around the country. Visit http://championships.ussailing.org for more information. GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Gregory Scott: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3562) In reply to the potential designation of styrene and significant impact on all FRP (fibre reinforced plastics) industries that can have, I have the following comment; I was an employee in that industry during the transition from cowboy land to serious air quality control measures for all workers. In North America, FRP work is relatively safe because of those significant and continued advancements. If we are going to ruin another North American industry through onerous regulation, let’s ensure no FRP products are imported from any country without equal or greater regulation. I am willing to speculate China has less stringent styrene regulations (that are enforced) than will be imposed here. * From John Sangmeister: Monday's article in the SF Examiner (and in Scuttlebutt 3592) omitted noteworthy milestones the America's Cup Organizing Committee (ACOC) has achieved in a very short time. Specifically: - The ACOC became operational 60 days ago. The organization's tax-exempt status application was submitted to the IRS in April of this year and is under standard review. - Even without the exemption in place the ACOC has raised $2 million in direct donations and commitments from a handful of very generous ACOC members. We expect the IRS exemption to be granted by late summer and the campaign will expand significantly this fall. The ACOC is ably led by Mark Buell (Chairman), Kyri McClellan (Executive Director) and Lucy Jewett (member of the Board of Directors). They're extraordinary stewardship is more than up to this challenge and the event's future remains bright. * From George Morris: I spent a couple of hours watching the Women’s' Match Racing in the Skandia SailforGold regatta using their excellent tracker system. Absolutely fascinating - except or just one thing; in the vast majority of the races you knew who was going to win 30 seconds after the start. Formula 1 used to have this problem but has gone some way to enabling overtaking by installing a Drag Reduction System (DRS) which gives the overtaking car a temporary advantage during overtaking maneuvers. Could not some rule be devised which required the leading boat to sail a bit further at the leeward mark, say, or perhaps limit the number of tacks in a tacking duel to enable a split to develop? This might prolong the length of the period when the result was in doubt. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Ability is like a check. It has no value unless it is cashed. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Quantum Sails - BIC Sport - North Sails - Gowrie Group LaserPerformance - APS - Morris Yachts - US SAILING Ullman Sails - IYRS - Gladstone's Long Beach - USSTAG - Harken Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
