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SCUTTLEBUTT 2307 – March 23, 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). FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE THE AMERICA'S CUP (Stuart Streuli, Senior Editor at Sailing World Magazine, provides his thoughts on what sailing can learn from Mark Cuban, Britney Spears, and NASCAR.) I know what sailing really needs. It's not a made-for-TV professional circuit, a hot new one-design, a simpler set of racing rules, or a grand-prix rating formula that encourages fast, fun boats. Sailing could certainly use all those things. But it really needs something else. It hit me recently while trying to decide whether to open the latest issue of Star magazine—my wife bought it—and find about why Britney Spears has gotten two new tattoos, shaved her head, gone on an all-night bender, and checked into, out of, and back into rehab. What, you hadn't heard? She really did all that. And she did it in like two days flat. That's a lifetime of wrong turns for most people. But, is anyone surprised Britney has become the latest celebrity train wreck? She's a former child TV actor who was molded into an over-sexed teenage singing sensation not long after she hit puberty. At 25, she's twice divorced, with two kids by a do-nothing ex-husband who used her to get famous and now stars in commercials that lampoon the fact that he used his wife to get famous. To reignite her flagging career, she decided to pal around with Paris Hilton and flash her coochie to celebrity photographers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'd rather read about what isn't behind her recent mental meltdown. At least the article would be shorter…but I digress. Back to what sailing really needs. The sport needs to sharpen its edge. I know that's a little obtuse. What exactly is edge? And how do you sharpen it? Well, let me explain. While staring at Britney's half-shorn head—it was on the cover, I never did read the article—I had one of those peculiar fantasy moments where I wondered what if Britney were a professional sailor. What would her recent actions say about our sport? Well for one thing, that sailing is a stressful dog-eat-dog sport that drives its top participants to the edge of insanity. This would do wonders for sailing's street cred—which currently hovers just ahead of shuffleboard, in case you're scoring at home. When it comes to pulling in the American TV audience, street cred is essential. Sailors, especially those racing boats for a living, project an image that's too nice, too balanced, too, well, normal. It's a somewhat sad commentary on our society, but, hey, you can either adapt to the changing world, or get left behind. -- Read on; it gets funnier: http://tinyurl.com/38srgz GUEST COMMENTARY - Dean Brenner I’ve had a lot of feedback over the last two weeks on our newly formed US Elite Youth Development Sailing Team. Most of the feedback has been positive, but there are also clearly some misconceptions out there. Here are a few topics on which I would like to comment directly: 1. What is this program’s goal? Our goal is to reach a little further down into the world of developing sailors and give the next generation of young sailors a taste of international competition with elite coaching. We specifically looked for sailors who seemed to be only a step or two away from being competitive Olympic Class sailors. We want to give them the support and coaching they need to excel against the best in the world. 2. Why only Lasers and Radials? We decided to start with a very focused program. If we started with too broad of a focus, with too many sailors and too many types of boats, we would not have enough money or resources to make it valuable. We wanted to start focused and then grow the program over time. 3. How was the team chosen? We put out a request for resumes, received almost 60 and then made a subjective comparison of all of them. The field of applicants was extraordinarily well qualified. We chose the most competitive sailors, regardless of which part of the country they came from. Medals at the Olympic Games are not geographically distributed. Medals are given to the best sailors regardless of where they come from. 4. Will you grow the program? If it is successful and beneficial for the members, and we can generate support for it, then we plan to expand it. In response to the critics who say it is too small or should include more disciplines, we urge them to do more than criticize. Please support the program and help us grow it. For years, the US Olympic Program has been criticized for not having any real youth strategy. Well, we now have a funded, focused program for elite youth sailors. We believe this is a major step forward for Olympic Class sailing in the United States. -- Dean Brenner, Chairman, US Olympic Sailing Program SPRING HAS SPRUNG!! Happy Spring from Team One Newport. Check out the new gloves from Henri-Lloyd, Harken, and Gill. The fit is fabulous! Now with the warmer weather coming, check out all the new products at the website or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) for the 2007 Catalog. For the Junior Sailors look at the BRAND NEW Henri-Lloyd Junior Smock top, jacket, and bibs – great for the Opti sailor to the cruising kids! And the new Teva footwear has arrived – including the return of the improved Teva Helm!! A must for your sailing! Find it all at http://www.team1newport.com ONE REASON TO CHEER FOR ETNZ If you are American (or any other nationality but British), you might start cheering for the Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup challenge, as their success can have Olympic implications. Britain still considers their strongest Finn sailor to be Ben Ainslie, but he is busy right now helming the reserve boat for ETNZ. Looking at the schedule of the America’s Cup and the Finn Worlds, Ainslie’s participation in the Olympics may require the Royal Yachting Association to bend their qualification rules in order to get him to Beijing. If ETNZ goes all the way to the finals, they can conceivably be sailing through to the first week of July. As for the Finn Worlds, they are folded this year into the ISAF Sailing World Championship where measurement for the Finn begins July 2 and racing starts July 5. Unfortunately, if Ainslie is shut out from the Olympics, the British back-up plan is still pretty good, as Ed Wright is presently ranked third in the ISAF standings. -- Scuttleblog, http://tinyurl.com/34xblt * Top ranked American Finn sailor Zach Railey just sent Scuttlebutt this report from Italy: “Well if you checked the results from the Expert Olympic Garda regatta, I finished second in the event. I was very happy with the way I sailed and was especially happy with the medal race result that moved me from 3rd to 2nd overall. The medal race was very exciting as it came down to the last few feet at the finish. The boat in 2nd overall was in 8th in the race so I knew I had to finish 2nd to beat him. I was third at the last windward mark rounding going and had one downwind left to the finish to pass one of the two boats in front of me. “I sailed my way up to the two lead boats and we all three fought down the last downwind with the pumping flag up so we were all working very hard. At the finish I almost inched into first place and beat the third place boat by about half a boat length. It was extremely exciting racing which is what the medal race is all about. I am now in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, sailing the Jonas and it is very cold. It actually snowed Wednesday. Ill let you know how things are going later.” -- http://www.zachrailey.com RACING WITH THE PROFESSIONALS (March 21, 2007) Valencia, Spain - For a sports writer looking for an angle, there is no better place to be than in the stern of an America's Cup yacht sailing into a stiff wind. Angles are unavoidable when you are involved in a tacking duel that feels more like a fun-house ride as the 17 crew members make full use of their sea legs by navigating, steering, grinding, trimming and sweating with the elements moaning, the boat groaning and the deck feeling closer to a climbing wall than a level playing field. World-class sailors have long since perfected the fine art of the lean: looking stable and, above all, unconcerned no matter how much a knee has to bend to accommodate for the heeling yacht. And so the only person struggling to keep his balance on this blustery Tuesday off the coast of Valencia is me, the outsider on a boat full of deep insiders. I am on board in foul-weather gear at the invitation of BMW Oracle, one of the 11 challengers that, beginning next month, will compete for the right to face Alinghi in the America's Cup in late June. -- by Christopher Clarey, International Herald Tribune, full story: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/21/sports/clarey.php VIDEO OF THE WEEK The Panama Canal opened in 1914, with the 48-mile waterway now being used by more than 14,000 ships annually. A typical passage through the canal by a cargo ship takes around nine hours, though as you will note from this week's 1:02 minute video, they are going a bit quicker this day, which nicely details the mechanics of the locks. If you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/0319 E HO'A'O NO I PAU KUHIHEWA Andrew Lewis comes from the beautiful island of Hawaii in the South Pacific; there is an old Hawaiian proverb that sums him up exactly; “E ho’a’o no i pau kuhihewa” or in the other words; “Just do it!” Andrew Lewis is only twenty-four but he has already mounted an Olympic Laser campaign, competed in the Volvo Ocean Race and is currently racing in the America’s Cup. Louay Habib (Yachts and Yachting magazine) asked Andrew about his background and his relationship with the very top end of the sport. “When I was about three or four years old my Dad used to take me surfing, I wasn’t strong enough to push out through the surf, so I would hang on to my dad’s leash and he would tow me out that’s the way all the kids learn to surf in Hawaii. You get pounded a few times but eventually, if you persevere, you get the hang of it and before you know it you are out there on your own. “When I was about ten years old I was really into all kinds of sports; baseball, ice-hockey and surfing, hanging out on the beach that sort of thing. I got into sailing through my parents, they were sailors and they gave me the option of going to Summer school or joining the junior sailing programme. I didn’t want to go to Summer school so that was that; I did my first sailing in Toppers. I enjoyed it and had a lot of fun with friends, I have always loved the sea and capsizing was just part of the fun, I was used to it from surfing anyway, slowly I got more and more into it and started racing.” By the time Andrew was fourteen he was racing lasers and winning had become a habit, he was totally dominating the Waikiki Yacht Club Junior sailing programme. John Myrdal another Hawaiian was selected to represent the United States at the 2000 Olympics and he chose the teenager, Andrew Lewis as his training partner. -- Full story: http://www.bangthecorner.com/news/read/6261 THE SEASON’S ENDING – DOWN UNDER The stock C&C 115 “Crews Control” is the new IRC Champion down under for Western Australia. Second was the Beneteau 34.7 “Minds Eye.” Further north, Frank Pong’s 75-footer (the former Pyewacket) just won The Presidents Cup in the Philippines. All three have one thing in common: total UK-Halsey sail inventories. We offer a whole range of loadpath laminates and super downwind sails. So, before a new season shows your “old fast” has sailed away, give UK-Halsey a call at 800-253-2002 or get a quote at http://www.ukhalsey.com SAILING SHORTS * (March 22, 2007) Larry Lemieux took control of the Trinity Yachts Finn North American Masters Championships with three bullets today. With the drop race taking effect after today’s 5th race, he now is counting 4 points, with second overall John Dane just 3 points back. Racers enjoyed another great day in New Orleans, with 75-degree temperatures and 12 to 14 knots of breeze. Competition is expected to continue through the night, as the fleet plans to travel to the French Quarter to test their stamina in another way! Three races remain to be concluded by Saturday. -- http://tinyurl.com/3asfwc * As part of its ongoing commitment to keep sailing a dope-free sport, ISAF is continuing its In and Out-of-Competition Testing programme and urging sailors in the Registered Testing Pool to ensure their Sailor Location Forms are completed accurately and regularly. ISAF would like to emphasize to sailors in the Registered Testing Pool, and their respective Member National Authorities (MNAs), the importance of having accurate and up-to-date whereabouts information - a 2 hour block each day. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6~FnAzA~&format=popup * (March 22, 2007) The U.S. Paralympic Team Trials will be held October 3-14, 2007 in Newport, R.I. The Paralympic Trial events will be hosted by the Rhode Island Sailing Foundation, New York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport. Sailors will compete in the three events selected for the 2008 Paralympic Regatta in Qingdao, China: 2.4 Metre (Open Singlehanded), SKUD-18 (Open Doublehanded) and Sonar (Open Triplehanded). -- http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2007/paralympictrials.htm * The announcement in Issue 2306 regarding Goetz Custom Boats omitted their website address. Additional information can be found at http://www.goetzboats.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 Chris Buydos: (RE: Concern For Clubs - Don Finkle in Issue 2306; edited to the 250 word limit) While concerns may differ by region, this does seem to be a prevalent problem in the US. I’m among the 30 somethings that’d like to join a club, but I'm having a hard time finding one that meets my needs. I’ve just withdrawn my application from a club that’s a good example of this, where women were just allowed to become members last year, no family memberships are available, and only myself or another club member is permitted to operate my boat at the club. My generation’s time is precious, and while we’re certainly willing to put in the time, many new member club requirements would put many marriages in jeopardy. Participation within a club is critical for it's success, though for the entire membership, not just the new guys. Bottom line, we want to go sailing and the amount of time we have to do this seems to be shrinking. We don't want to get bogged down in club politics and outdated rules. I think many regions may soon see the creation of new clubs more in tune with the times. Also, you no longer need to join a club with fancy facilities to enjoy time with people who share the same interests. Two clubs in CT that seem to have it right are the Mystic River Mud Heads and Windjammers. Clubs willing to change will attract our generation. Until then I will be happy paying a little more at the local boat yard/ marina. * From Hal Smith: Don Finkle too quickly passed by the biggest challenge to club membership in "Concern for Clubs." That is overwhelming demands for our attention by other leisure distractions. Twenty years ago, we had three fuzzy channels to watch on TV, and now there are 100's in HD on plasma screens. You used to have to make a weekend of traveling to watch a pro sports game, and now there are twice the sports and minor leagues in the smallest of towns. Youth sports is a huge industry now, when years ago it was limited to a few high school football games. Travel is easier and relatively less expensive. And, who doesn't spend hours on the computer? Commercialization and profits drive much of this. Our water sites, bays, harbors and lakes, are much more populated than before. Many people enjoy the water from the comfort of their home rather than the rustic environment of a lean-to clubhouse. Sailing clubs must become attractive in the new demographics. Offer comforts and conveniences. We still have rich family opportunities. Nothing is better than a day on the water, especially shared with friends. Few things are more gratifying than feeling the wind in the sails. Once we had limited competition for people's time, but now we must advertise. It's a changed world. * From S. Carter Gowrie, President, Gowrie Barden & Brett, Inc.: As the manager of various US Sailing insurance programs, I would like to correct a statement made in one of today’s letters (in Issue 2306). Starting in 2005, we provided insurance coverage for many Transpac participants as part of our race boat program. Since then, we have insured many boats throughout the country with active racing campaigns. In addition, we do offer coverage for paid crew, as this is an exposure that many race boat owners have. We are still actively in the business and will entertain coverage for any boat that meets our underwriting guidelines. * From Euan Ross, Jakarta: Bruce Banks introduced quadrilateral, square-head mainsails back in the early sixties in the Merlin Rockets (a radical 14 foot restricted class sailed in the UK). The square-head, or ‘gaff-rigged’ main as we referred to it then, has endured and become emblematic of the Merlins. Originally, it was worth building these sails, even without the full-length batten later approved by the class rules. Getting the available area high up and the geometry’s’ excellent feathering characteristics (brought to a fine art with more modern materials by the Bethwaites in Australian skiffs) made the compromises in sail shape (inevitable at that time) worthwhile. I’ve never understood why all mainsails aren’t shaped like this. Curmudgeon’s Comment: The America’s Cup mainsails are showing what is possible when the gloves come off. Triangles: bad; elliptical or rectangles: good. Big, fat-topped mainsails are in, more so than ever, which is likely due to better cloth and batten materials. As for the rest of us, we are forced to exist within the measurement limitation of one-design and handicap rules, and/ or the practical limitation of the backstay. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION One of the signs that you've grown up is your friends marry and divorce, instead of hook up and break up. -- George Carlin Special thanks to Team One Newport and UK-Halsey Sails. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
