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SCUTTLEBUTT 1586 - May 19, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. MUST-SEE TV: JOBSON'S '25 YEARS OF SAILING' - Rich Roberts The title, "25 Years of Sailing," may not excite the masses. Even a young Ted Turner states in an opening film clip from the eve of the U.S.'s loss of the America's Cup in 1983: "I wouldn't say the nation's prestige is at stake. It's just a sailboat race, really." But a sneak preview of Gary Jobson's one-hour special on ESPN Classic tonight (6 and 9 p.m. PT, 9 p.m. ET) reveals it as more than just a sailing show, skipping from highlight to highlight. There are plenty of those, but this is just for sailors like "Seabiscuit" was just for horse racing fans. Jobson, who produced and narrated the program, instills the heart, soul, evolution and emotion of the sport into the production, ranging from kids sailing Optis to pros winning America's Cups and braving the Southern Ocean. In the best circumstances it could not have been as easy task. Jobson, 54, is in the second year of his personal struggle against lymphoma. But this time he has outdone himself, drawing deeply from his own life as the sport's top TV personality. He was there, at Newport, R.I. in '83, when Alan Bond and skipper John Bertrand turned the America's Cup on its ear. Jobson dug up what he says is aerial footage "unseen in 21 years" showing the desperate downwind jibes by Dennis Conner's Liberty trying to fight off the wing-keeled Australia II. He was at Fremantle in 1986-87 as lead commentator for a fledgling network called ESPN whose staples were kick boxing and cheerleading contests when Conner faced off with his unfriendly rival, the late Tom Blackaller. One press conference exchange was more memorable than their battles on the water. As they discussed New Zealand's first venture into the AC with fiberglass 12-meters, Conner said: "Since '78, 12-meters [have been] built all in aluminum, and so if you wanted to build a glass boat, why would you do it unless you wanted to cheat?" Blackaller: "Woop! Ooooh, I don't think he should have said that . . ." Conner (smiling): "I take it all back." But it was out there, for all time: DC had called the Kiwis cheaters---and then had the last laugh. He brought the Cup back to America and his hometown of San Diego and, in the process, Jobson says, "revolutionized the America's Cup game." * At the end Jobson lists his personal choices for the best five sailors of the quarter-century, but you won't see them here. You'll have to watch the show. You'll enjoy it. - Rich Roberts, for YachtRacing.com, full story; www.yachtracing.com Curmudgeon's Comment: '25 Years of Sailing' airs tonight on ESPN Classic at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, and re-airs again three hours later. 2012 It's the United States vs. Europe for the right to host the 2012 Olympics. New York and four European capitals - Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow - were picked as finalists Tuesday by the International Olympic Committee which trimmed the field from nine bidders to five. Missing the cut were Havana; Istanbul, Turkey; Leipzig, Germany, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The decision by the IOC executive board kicks off a 14-month race that ends with the selection of the host city by the full IOC assembly in Singapore in July 2005. Tuesday's biggest loser might have been Rio de Janeiro, which had been seeking to become the first South American city to host the Olympics. Brazil is still likely to get soccer's World Cup in 2014. Paris came out on top of the IOC report based on 11 criteria, including infrastructure, transportation and security. Madrid was a close second, followed by London, New York and Moscow. Then came Leipzig, Rio, Istanbul and Havana. Following the IOC decision, British bookmaker William Hill listed Paris as the favorite at odds of 11-10, followed by London 5-4, Madrid 7-1, New York 8-1 and Moscow 20-1. Geography favors a European city for 2012 after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Asia (Beijing) and 2010 Winter Games in North America (Vancouver, British Columbia). - Stephen Wilson, AP Sports writer, Yahoo News, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2m4o9 BUSINESS IS GOOD Boat manufacturers from around (the State of) Washington will converge on Anacortes on Friday to network and swap ideas on how they can best use local resources to train their workers in specialized boat-building skills. It seems that with all the people out there looking for jobs, there still aren't enough with the specialized skills needed in marine manufacturing. Judging by the continued surge in boat sales in the Northwest, the demand for skilled, trained workers isn't going to let up anytime soon. Washington boat dealers report a 17 percent increase in sales during the first quarter of 2004 compared to the same period last year, according to a report by the Northwest Marine Trade Association. Statewide, recreational boating is big business. The industry contributes $2 billion each year to the state economy. Based on taxable sales in 2003, retail sales of new and used boats totaled $577 million. - Kasia Pierzga, Skagit Valley Herald, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2a2ye DECISION TIME Isn't it time you had real information from the instrument system on your boat? Ockam instruments are accurate, responsive and reliable. Upgrade to the amazing Tryad processor, swap your tired fluxgate compass for the compact powerhouse Teeter-Todter 3D compass, replace that stubby, stiff bearing masthead sensor with a tall Airys wand, display target speeds and angles from OckamSoft 4. These and a wide range of further enhancements will significantly boost your system's performance and make a real difference on the course. Let's race. Find out what you can do at http://www.ockam.com MORE OLYMPICS LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Transexuals will be able to compete at the Olympics if they have had appropriate surgery and are legally recognized as members of their new sex, the International Olympic Committee said on Monday. The rule will cover both male-to-female and female-to-male cases and will be in place before the Athens Games in August. The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) medical commission drew up a list of criteria and said transsexual athletes could compete, providing: "Surgical anatomical changes have been completed, including external genitalia changes and gonadectomy. Legal recognition of their assigned sex has been conferred by the appropriate official authorities. Hormonal therapy appropriate for the assigned sex has been administered in a verifiable manner and for a sufficient length of time to minimize gender-related advantages in sport competition." Hormone treatment must have ceased at least two years before competition, IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. "This has been something of an open door," added IOC medical director Patrick Schamasch. "We needed some rules and regulations in place." Some people contend that transsexual athletes have a physical advantage against other women. Men have higher levels of testosterone and greater muscle-to-fat ratio and heart and lung capacity. However, doctors say, testosterone levels and muscle mass drop after hormone therapy and sex-change surgery. - Yahoo News, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2msx9 INVEST 30 MINUTES Next time you have a spare half hour, treat yourself to a relaxed visit to Christian Fevrier's BlueGreenPictures website. You'll find page after page of magnificent water-oriented photos cataloged in such a way to make your journey effortless. There's even a very efficient search engine for those in a hurry. Even if you don't like sailing, you'll discover separate sections for Nature/ Wildlife, Travel and Adventure plus Marine Miscellaneous - with water being the common denominator for all sections. There are three full pages of surf photos; four pages of powerboats, tall ships and lighthouses; five pages of marine mammals & reptiles and of sailing disasters, plus six pages devoted to extreme sailing. Oh yea - there are lots of racing photos and a ton of America's Cup images: www.bluegreenpictures.com SWEDISH MATCH TOUR The next event of the 2003-'04 Swedish Match Tour schedule, the ACI HTmobile Cup, May 24-29, in Split, Croatia. Founded in 1987 and featuring a prize purse of $40,000, and $12,000 for the winner, the ACI HTmobile Cup is one of the oldest events on Tour. Tour leader Peter Gilmour will be challenged by Sweden's Magnus Holmberg, placed second on the Tour, and New Zealand's Gavin Brady, who is placed third. They trail Gilmour by 48 and 52 points, respectively. The list of skippers also includes Denmark's Jes Gram-Hansen, (third overall on last year's Tour), Team New Zealand's Kelvin Harrap, Italian Paolo Cian, Bertrand Pacé (France), Mattias Rahm (Sweden), Staffan Lindberg (Finland), plus a pair of Croatians, Franco Brate and Mate Arapov. Racing will be conducted in Jeanneau One-Design 35s, designed in the early 1990s by Daniel Andreiu for Jeanneau Yachts. Racing will consist of a double round-robin, followed by semifinals, final and petit final. - www.SwedishMatchTour.com WEAR LESS. PACK LESS. DO MORE! Imagine rounding the weathermark and not having to remove layers or your foulie top to keep from overheating on the downwind leg. That's what it's like when you wear a Henri Lloyd Neo N2S Top. Great when changing weather and activity levels are too varied for traditional foulies. Made of Gore's N2S material, a three layer, ultra light material with a sandwiched laminate (eliminates the need for separate wicking and wind-blocking layers). N2S is waterproof, yet highly breathable. Warmth is retained due to superior wind resistant properties. Anatomic shaping and a technical fit further enhance the jacket's efficiency. http://apsltd.com/HenriLloydN2SNeoTop HARKEN LASER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP The International Sailing Federation's insistence on completing the major Olympic class championships in Europe by the end of this month has taken a toll on the Laser World Championships in Turkey. Yesterday's penultimate day at Bodrum was cancelled after a fruitless wait for decent conditions. Recent championships for the 470s, Ynglings and, in particular, the Stars have all been affected by adverse conditions after being scheduled too early in the season. - Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/ywbgy Gold Fleet standings after eight races with one discard (73 boats): 1. Robert Scheidt, BRA, 14 pts 2. Michael Blackburn, AUS, 18pts 3. Mark Mendelblatt, USA, 27pts 4. Hamish Pepper, NZL, 37pts 5. Andreas Geritzer, AUT, 38pts 6. Karl Sunneson, SWE, 52pts 7. Tom Slingsby, AUS, 62pts 8. Peer Moberg, NOR, 66pts 9 Paul Goodison, GBR, 71pts 10. Gareth Blackenberg, RSA, 74pts Event website: http://www.laserchampionships.org/worlds04/ J/22 WORLDS Annapolis Maryland, USA - Six races amongst two fleets were completed today in 8 - 12 knots on the Chesapeake Bay. With an upwind flowing current, several teams were assessed a Z-Flag penalty moving them well down the score sheet. Qualifying for the Gold fleet continues tomorrow with racing concluding on Friday. - Ray Wulff Standings after three races (130 Boats, Seven Countries): 1. Legally Blonde, Alec Cutler, USA, 10 2. Team VC Performance Rigging, David Van Cleef, USA, 11 3. Nile Dutch Africa Line, John den Engelsman, NED, 13 4. Matt Beck / Scott Snyder, USA, 13 5. Margo, Terry Flynn, USA 14 Regatta Web site: http://www.j22.org/worlds Images: http://www.timwilkes.com/ NEWS BRIEFS * Yacht designer Merfyn Owen recently completed the 1000 mile Calais to Fastnet to Calais race onboard Mike Golding's Open 60, Ecover. In an article posted on the Owen Clarke website, he presents his reflections on the race and of how his boat performed: http://www.owenclarkedesign.com/default.asp?m=da&id=11478 * Nautica International, Inc. will be the "official apparel supplier" for the 2004 US Sailing Teams. Nautica will outfit the 130 members of the US Sailing Team, US Disabled Sailing Team and US Youth World Team with a complete dress and sportswear wardrobe for men and women. Members of the US Sailing Teams will be dressed in their Nautica wardrobes for the Golden Spinnaker Gala, a May 18 fundraising event supporting the athletes going to Athens, organized by the Sailing Foundation of New York and hosted by the New York YC in Manhattan. - www.nautica.com "MAN OVERBOARD!" Words no crew wants to hear, especially at night, in poor visibility or cold waters. SeaMarshall personal rescue systems can mean the difference between successful recovery and tragedy. For information on how SeaMarshall automatic marine beacons and direction finder receivers fit into your safety plan, contact Chip Barber: admin@chbarber.com, http://www.seamarshall-us.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Brian Kent, New Zealand: I read with amazement the ongoing results of the Harken Laser Worlds. To see the name Hamish Pepper near the top of the leader board is inspiring . Is this the same guy who has had his selection to the New Zealand Olympic Sailing Team legally-challenged in the last several months? Is this the same person who was indicted by the media (and others) here at the time for bearing a large part of the responsibility for the failed NZ America's Cup defense in his role as tactician when retrospect has proven this not the case? What character and passion he must possess to move forward and achieve. I have never crossed paths with the man, but if I do, I would have nothing but the greatest respect for him and his achievements * From Gerard Sheridan: Regarding the discussion here about the ongoing upward adjustment in the Transpac upper rating limit in lock step with the development of each new Roy Disney boat, I believe for a sport to evolve and for it to take into consideration the advances in materials and yacht design, such adjustments are perfectly reasonable. Disney is widely regarded in our sport as one of the good guys and it's through people like him and his investment in new designs and boats that ultimately we will all benefit. Think of the investments Formula 1 Grand Prix racing teams have made in race car technology that have eventually made their way into every day cars - ABS breaks springs to mind if I'm not mistaken. Also, these boats race in a different class to most boats and are heavily handicapped so big deal! As some other reader already mentioned, there is only ever going to be a handful of boats that can realistically compete for the Barn Door trophy and the rest of us will compete with ourselves and each other. I, for one, was really excited to see the likes of Mari Cha III compete in the 2002 PacCup as it added another layer of interest in an already exciting project of my crew and me. * From Steve Schupak (In Reference to Mr. Casey's comments regarding Transpac): Setting aside the fact that Roy Disney is one member of the Board of TPYC, I would conclude that without adjustment to the racing rules (done every four years), speed limits (imposed by some race organizers), and classes eligible to race in any particular race (Transpac noted), we'd all still wooden planked schooners. As members of the racing communities enthusiasts we need to embrace the technological advances (CBTF, carbon fiber, mylar, maxi cats, Z86's, skiffs...)and encourage them on the race course. Otherwise we risk the sport dying out in a bunch of worn out 30 year old PHRF boats. I applaud Roy for getting the rest of the TPYC board to increase the speed limits. Records were ment to fall. Keep pushing the limits!!! * From Count Enrico Alfredo Ferrari: The future of sailing is all around us but, after looking at the web site provided by 'Butt 1585 on the "fastest boat on the planet", I am amazed at the difference that 30 years has made in that title! In 1974 the IOR was making the bulby boats with pointy ends that looked wicked fast compared to a Cal 40, but… The 12 meters were the playground for the gear and sailmakers. Big boats were lead mines back then but they were the fastest things we had then. The dinghies were the closest evolved to this new design of boat, but lacked several speed components that were developed in competitive events over the years... roller furling, asymmetrical chutes, canting keels, high aspect foils and all the carbon this and that. Most of us will not be able to sail on Fast Pelt (the current fastest boat) but all sailors can appreciate the ride. Those of us who read about and compete in competitive sailing have contributed to this current pinnacle of design. If the hotrods didn't have some one to beat out on the race course what is the point of building something faster? I think this yacht is a testament to all those boats and crews that are cannon fodder and regularly finish after the 'gun'. * From Howard Bentley (Edited to our 250-word limit): The classification code might be the best available but it is lacking, arbitrarily age discriminatory and unfortunately about money. Indeed a code is needed to help create a level playing field in mixed pro/am events. But creating a level playing field is about skills not cash. I have been designated a category 2 because over the course of two years I tried to better my skills by taking on any role in which I might learn to be a better sailor because as we all know skills do not come overnight and take years of time and opportunity to hone. Conversely, they do not disappear overnight as well. Therefore, a designation as a category two's forces one to compete for spots on crews with the likes of full time professional sailors. Should a receptionist at a sail loft, a ship's captain or a travelift operator be regarded in the same competitive light as a full time pro sailor? Absolutely not, but they are. US Sailing and now the ISAF tell you that an individual who has pro sailed for eight years, done two America's Cups, but takes a couple of years off is an amateur. Yet an individual not exposed to competitive sailing until after age 24 cannot feed himself, because if he takes the requisite time and gets any money while learning the myriad of necessary skills to be a proficient crew, is subject to exclusion. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS It's a sure sign that you've 'grown up' when your house plants are alive and you can't smoke any of them. |
