|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2701 - Monday, October 13, 2008Scuttlebutt is published each weekday, and is a digest of major sailingnews, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Today's sponsors are: MyBoatsGear.com, PredictWind.com, and LaserPerformance. KEEP THE BLINDERS ON AND GO FORWARD (Oct. 13, 2008) - The five day US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD this past weekend is an immense gathering of marine industry leaders, presenting the best products for the sailing public at the front end of the boat show season. The hot topic coming into the show had everything to do with the quality and quantity of show attendees, and whether the problems with the economy would interfere with the passions of the sailor. When studies show that boat shows are an integral part of the buying process, the thinking was that if this show was going to be a clunker, than the 2009 season was going to be a clunker as well. Following the close of the show today, there will be an accounting of attendees and show exhibitors to get a better sense of which way the wind is blowing. Until that data comes, the industry gatherings were at least upbeat, and there was general optimism among the show exhibitors and their seat of the pants feel from the talk on the docks. As industry icon Peter Harken remarked, these are not times to retreat, but to “keep the blinders on and go forward.” While the industry was going to need to be smart, these were not times to run and hide, but to seek out the opportunities and stay the course. -- Scuttleblog, read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/10/us-sailboat-show.html * For marine accessories, Scuttlebutt partner MyBoatsGear.com was walking the aisles to scour the new and exciting solutions available, and will soon be providing the ‘buttheads with a complete report. If you were at the show, post your comments here: http://tinyurl.com/Comments101208 SAILING WORLD ANNOUNCES 2009 BOTY NOMINEES For the past quarter-century, the sailboat industry has recognized the best in sailboat building through Sailing World and Cruising World's annual Boat of the Year awards. Over the weekend at the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., the two magazines announced the latest nominees for the '09 BOTY awards. Boat models introduced to the North American market between the 2007 and 2008 Annapolis Shows were eligible to be nominated. First-round nominating judges scrutinized the latest boats at the Newport International Boat Show in Rhode Island and earlier this week before the U.S. Sailboat Show got underway; over the next week, nominees will be evaluated by independent judging panels during dockside inspections and sail testing on Chesapeake Bay. Sailing World has nominated 16 performance-oriented models for its awards as follows: Archambault 35, Archambault 40, Andrews 28, Bavaria 38, BC 27, Bug, Dufour 40 Performance 40 +, Grand Soleil 43, Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200, Melges 20, Open 6.50, RS Tera, Santa Cruz 37, Summit King 40, Summit MD 35, and the X-34. -- Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/SW101208 MARINE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES? Our communications category has had several new additions lately. See them here; VHF, SSB, Satellite, Wifi, Cell and Bluetooth connections (http://myboatsgear.com/electronics/index.asp?catSubID=co). We look at the best of the communications from all manufacturers, used by the professionals and amateurs alike. Browse through the selection to see what products are on the market. MyBoatsGear.com will help you find the best gear, by reviewing hundreds of boating products and bringing the best ones to you. MyBoatsGear.com stores product information for access anytime, anywhere, and organize them into 200 plus easily-accessible categories. -- http://myboatsgear.com/mbg/index.asp FIRST CALAMITY COMES QUICK FOR VOLVO OCEAN RACE Alicante, Spain (Oct. 12, 2008) - The long-awaited start of leg one of the 10th running of the Volvo Ocean Race dawned grey and very windy in Alicante on Saturday, delivering a strong north-easterly breeze of 25-30 knots for the fleet to sail an initial upwind leg to round a turning mark before heading out to sea. First around was Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) who rounded the windward mark ahead of PUMA (Ken Read) and Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander) in a surprise third place. From there, the teams set spinnakers and enjoyed a blistering pace toward the Straits of Gibraltar, the next target before turning left down the Atlantic Ocean toward a scoring gate off of Brazil, and then to the finish in Cape Town, SA. American skipper Paul Cayard, race winner in 1997-98 and second in 2005-06, once said, “You can’t win the Volvo Ocean Race on the first night, but you can certainly lose it,” and these wise words were likely echoing onboard Telefonica Blue as skipper Bouwe Bekking’s team became the first to endure problems. Just 20 miles into the first leg, Bekking reported they had broken a tiller arm and were down to one rudder, and while their cautious course along Spanish coast proved advantageous in the softening breeze, the team officially suspended racing near Gibraltar at 18:53:26 GMT Sunday night to undertake repairs, a decision that will cost them a 12-hour penalty before they can resume racing. Also, taking the northern route out the Mediterranean Sea were the two Ericsson boats, helping them to build a 30 mile lead in front of the fleet as they passed by Gibraltar on Sunday. However, since entering the Atlantic, the Ericsson boats have slowed considerably, providing a near even race amongst the top five teams at press time. The length of Leg One is 6500nm, with teams expected to finish by the first week in November. Standings (as of 1:00am GMT) 1. Ericsson 3, Anders Lewander, 6158 nm distance to finish 2. Ericsson 4, Torben Grael, 1 nm distance to leader 3. Telefonica Black, Fernando Echavarri, 1 nm DTL 4. Puma, Ken Read, 2 nm DTL 5. Green Dragon, Ian Walker, 4 nm DTL 6. Team Russia, Andreas Hanakamp, 18 nm DTL 7. Delta Lloyd, Ger O'Rourke, 48 nm DTL 8. Telefonica Blue, Bouwe Bekking, No data Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org * Ericsson Racing Team was informed last Friday night that the International Jury would not reopen the case involving the keel fin of Ericsson 3. The boat was refused a measurement certificate when it was found that the fin keel did not abide by the rule stating that it must be solid. Race administers are permitting the team to compete but are applying a one point deduction for each in-port race day, one point for each scoring waypoint and two points for each offshore leg. Ericsson Racing Team has now confirmed that they currently have a new keel in construction in Italy and are striving to ensure that it is ready for the Second Leg from Cape Town to Cochin, India. -- http://www.ericssonracingteam.com FLYING A KITE INTO THE RECORD BOOKS Lüderitz, Namibia - The Lüderitz Speed Challenge 2008 finished last Thursday, and it was a triumph, both for the competitors, who broke almost every record there was to break, and for the organisers, ESF Events, who not only proved that the speed strip in Lüderitz is one of the best speed sailing destinations in the world, but that a world-class, WSSRC sanctioned event could be successfully run here. The Lüderitz Speed Challenge 2009 is already being planned, and will likely run over four weeks in October next year. “This event has been fantastic in every way. We achieved what we came to do – to break the 50 knot barrier and set a new world record in Lüderitz. We also saw every competitor sail faster than they’ve ever sailed before. The speed strip here has massive potential – we have only just started. We are looking at new ideas for the chop killer, other strips that can provide windsurfers great sailing, and getting a better idea of how the wind and tides work here to get the best possible conditions to take us to the 100kph level and beyond,” said Fred Dasse of ESF Events. Among the records set during the Luderitz Speed Challenge was the world outright record by kiteboarder Alex Caizergues (FRA) with 50.57 knots and the women’s outright world record by kiteboarder Sjoukje Bredenkamp (RSA) with 45.20 knots. -- http://www.luderitz-speed.com/default.aspx TAMING THE BEAST The BMW Oracle Racing team’s BOR 90 - aka their Deed of Gift challenging trimaran - has been relocated from its initial trialing location in Anacortes, WA to San Diego, CA, and began testing again on October 7, 2008. Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck joined the team on October 11th to see firsthand what all the ruckus is about. Here is his story: I’m not sure what I was expecting when I walked into the San Diego BMW Oracle Racing camp, but I was not quite prepared for the dead serious, down to business, “full court press” atmosphere that prevailed. Forget Kenneth Grahame’s oft-quoted line about the joys of “… messing around in boats." What I saw were professional sailors putting in long hours conducting the sea trails on a nasty looking, incredibly physical and powerful multihull that may never become fully tamed. For the sailing team, the days begin at 7:15 AM at the gym where the syndicate’s health and fitness guru, David Abercrombie, focuses on the ‘hardening’ process. You quickly see that it takes a lot of strong, hard bodies to do anything on the syndicate’s 90-foot trimaran. Nothing happens easily, and every person, except the driver, takes his turn spinning the handles on one of the winch pedestals. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0909 PROFESSIONAL WIND FORECASTS: FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS! Want a competitive edge in your next regatta? Get a forecast from PredictWind.com - the worldwide specialists in high resolution weather modeling. For the first time ever, you can access a forecast using a model that calculates the wind at an incredible 1km resolution for your local area. High resolution equals better accuracy. The web based forecasts are easy to use, and available in maps, graphs and even a text format that is accessible on your mobile phone. It is the system that champion sailors rely upon, and until January 2009 the forecasts are free of charge: http://www.PredictWind.com A SPORT WITH NO RULES Gurra Krantz will simplify the sailing sport; he wants to arrange a race without rules! An experienced Swedish sailor with an America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race behind him, Krantz wants to renew the sailing sport. He believes there's need for simplification. He has clear views on how sailing can be developed to be more understandable to the public and more interesting for sailors. "Remove all rules," said Gurra Krantz. "But if there is contact between the boats, disqualify both." Krantz plans to try and arrange such a race in Sweden next year. "Something must be done to lift the sailing sport," he said, referring to the upswing in interest that hockey has had since someone dared to change the format. "It is impossible to compare sailing and hockey in all aspects," he said. “But from being fairly interesting, hockey is now the most interesting of all TV sports. Something must be learned from that," he claims. Krantz will make it so that it is allowed to touch marks, he will remove rules on mark roundings and the basic keep clear rules. "Everything is allowed, except for the collision. Then both will be disqualified," he said. "If that doesn't work, we begin at the other end and enter simple rules that we need." -- Excerpt from post on Racing Rules of Sailing: http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2008/10/no-rules.html => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Why do I have this feeling that Gurra’s idea is how the sport began, but slowly rules were needed to legislate against the few that would mess things up for the masses? BERNTSSON BRINGS HOME BERMUDA GOLD (Oct. 12, 2008) - On yet another spectacular day of match race sailing on Hamilton Harbor, Johnie Berntsson (SWE) and his Berntsson Racing Team has defeated Adam Minoprio (NZL) and his Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch team in a decisive 3-1 Final for the prestigious King Edward VII Gold Cup presented by Argo Group. 'This was a fantastic event for us,' said Berntsson, 'because not only did I feel we sailed really well, but we also really had fun.' Winning must have certainly played a part in having fun, as Berntsson’s overall win-loss record of 15-3 in this long competition was indeed impressive: on his road to the Finals he led his group of eight skippers on a 6-1 Round Robin record into the Quarter-finals, then beat third-ranked Tour regular Mathieu Richard (FRA) and his French Match Racing Team/French Spirit 3-1. He then defeated fellow Swede Mattias Rahm and the Stena Bulk Sailing Team 3-0 in yesterday’s Semi-Finals before winning today 3-1 in the Finals. In Petite-Final action, Ben Ainslie (GBR) and his Team Origin held off an aggressive Rahm to win the first-to-three point series in three straight matches, using the same smooth style he’s displayed all week with excellent timing and calling of shifts with help from fellow Olympian Iain Percy. -- Complete report: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/89064 Final Results (top 8 of 24) 1. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team $50,000 2. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing $20,000 3. Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin $10,000 4. Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team $7,000 5. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar $5,500 6. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing $4,000 7. Sebastien Col (FRA) French Team/K-Challenge $2,500 8. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Team/Team French Spirit $1,000 Complete results: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/88686 Current World Match Racing Tour Leaderboard (top ten teams) (After Stage 8 of 9) 1. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar, 92 points 2. Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge, 88 3. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team/ French Team Spirit, 77 4. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing Team, 53 4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, 53 6. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge, 51 7. Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team, 46 8. Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza, 43 9. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Alandia Sailing Team, 40 9. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team, 40 SAILING SHORTS * Palermo, Sicily - Ethan Bixby and Erik Boothe led a US charge in the 505 Europeans, with three of the top six places in the 69 boat fleet held by Americans. This event was the warm up for the 505 World Championship that continues from Oct 11-17, with 16 US entrants and one Canadian on a competitor's list that includes 124 boats from 12 countries. -- http://www.505worlds2008.com/web/index.php * (Oct. 12, 2008) - The inaugural Portimão Global Ocean Race got underway today from the seaside town of Portimão, Portugal for the four Class 40 doublehanded teams and two Open 40 solo entries. The race is a new around the world event designed to fill a niche in the realm of offshore ocean racing, where the opportunities for non-professional sailors to participate in these kinds of events was practically non-existent. The five legs of the race include stops in Cape Town, South Africa; Wellington, New Zealand; Ilhabela, Brazil; and Charleston, USA before returning to Portimão, Portugal. -- Event website: http://www.portimaorace.com * Trieste, Italy (October 11 2008) - Patrick de Barros and Russell Coutts won the Friuli Venezia Giulia RC 44 Cup, closing the margin on tour leader Patrick de Barros’ Team Banco Espirito Santo with only one event remaining, the Puerto Calero RC44 Gold Cup in the Canary Islands on December 10-14. -- http://www.rc44.com/en * (September 25, 2008) - Confident Captain/Ocean Pros, Rhode Island's premier professional mariner training facility, today announced that they have become an approved training center for the UK based Royal Yachting Association. The RYA's training certification allows Confident Captain/Ocean Pros to instruct all RYA courses from Competent Crew to Day Skipper as well as the much sought after Coastal Skipper and for the truly elite Yachtsman, the prestigious Yachtmaster certification. -- http://www.confidentcaptain.com * A new winter training opportunity now exists for Canadian sailors looking to further develop their sailing skills outside the Canadian sailing season. The new Port Tack Option Sailing Development center will be opening their doors for the first season this winter in Mexico. Situated on the Pacific Coast in the small quiet town of Melaque, the PTO center will offer Laser, Radial and Bic Techno 293 windsurf rentals. The center is hosted by two CYA Orange / level 3 coaches. And as a member of CYA, PTO will be able to evaluate and certify sailors who wish to obtain their levels. -- Details: http://www.sailing.ca/feature/2008/09/pto.html FREE GEAR FROM LASERPERFORMANCE! Purchase a new LaserPerformance boat before December 31st and receive your choice of a Seitech dolly, Storm boat covers or a Magic Marine gear package. Take delivery before October 31st and get a Free Blade Bag! For more details and to find your local dealer, visit http://www.laserperformance.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Peter O. Allen, Rochester, NY: (re, story in #2699) It seems likely that, along with a loss of all common sense, the skipper of Stand By also experienced a loss of the wind and thus control as he sailed into the wind shadow of Maltese Falcon. It seems like an improbable way of getting to meet Tom Perkins. * From Matt Princing: (re, letter in #2700) I would emphatically second Todd Hiller’s maverick nomination of Greg Fisher for Rolex Sailor of the Year. Greg has historically been a top notch sailor in many classes including J/22’s, Thistles and Lightning’s and has many major championships under his belt including this year’s J/22 Worlds. Greg is a great example of who we need in our sport, a great and approachable ambassador who is always willing to give a hand. * From Douglass Sisk: Congratulations on Scuttlebutt #2700. No double-zero anniversaries should go unremarked. My math comes out so something greater than ten years now that we've been enjoying the news (even if we're sometimes distressed by it), gossip, discussion, and witty repartee in our email boxes every weekday morning. Thank you for keeping us all informed. Please keep up the good work. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATIONS Speed is life. Altitude is life insurance. Special thanks to MyBoatsGear.com, PredictWind.com, and LaserPerformance. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
