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SCUTTLEBUTT 2655 - Thursday, August 7, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. MORE COMPETITIVE THAN EVER Olympic competition has never been more intense among sailors, according to several experienced coaches at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. "I love looking around the boatyard during these days. You see some big changes in people. It's great drama," says USA 49er class coach Skip Whyte, who raced in the 470 class for many years and coached 470 sailors to a gold, three silver and a bronze medal over five Olympics. German Star class coach Mark Reynolds (USA), who won two gold medals in four Olympics, said: "It is so much more professional now. I can remember taking three weeks off from work to sail the trials. Now Olympic-class sailing at this level is a full-time job." Tornado competitor and multiple medallist Mitch Booth (NED) agrees. "Sailing has become more professional," he said. "There are more full-time sailors. We used to sail two or three regattas that took place immediately before or after the World Championships and that would be our programme for the year. Now the Olympics are the highlight of an on-going programme." The sailors are now in their final stage of preparation and making last-minute adjustments. "It's too late to worry and too early to cry," said Rod Davis (NZL), who won gold in the Soling in 1984 for the USA and silver in the Star for New Zealand in 1992 and is now the Olympic Director for the New Zealand team. - Read on: http://www.sailing.org/olympics/24627.php OLYMPIC SAILING - WHY THIS MATTERS by Dean Brenner, US Olympic Sailing Team Leader I've been Olympic Chairman for nearly four years now, and anyone who knows me knows that one of my primary responsibilities is to raise the profile of Olympic Sailing in the US, and use that raised profile to increase our support for the athletes in our program. And over the last four years of shamelessly stumping for Olympic sailing, one of the questions I get asked consistently is "Dean, I care about our sport, but why should I care about Olympic sailing?" Well, I wish I could use a little 1960s-era Star Trek technology to beam everyone who has ever asked me that question over here to Qingdao. Because anyone who has ever spent five minutes with the athletes on the 2008 Olympic Sailing Team will never ask that question again. I've been embedded with our team over the last few weeks. We eat together, we play foosball together, we work out together, we live on the same floor of the hotel, we crowd into the same small room to go online. And it's a little known secret that I also provide a team-only haircut and salon service. That's a long way of saying that I have a front-row seat to witness the character and work ethic of this team. And I can say without hesitation that if you care about our sport, you need to care about this team. -- Read on: http://xrl.us/dean080608 WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? U.S. SAILING issued a press release (this week) about the upcoming U.S. Singlehanded Championships for the George O'Day Trophy. As part of the usual PR puff they chose to mention four previous winners of the O'Day, including a certain Mr. Brodie Cobb who won the trophy in 1984 and 85. The problem? Mr. Cobb is currently suspended (by U.S. SAILING) from "participating as either skipper or crew member in any sailing competition in the United States" because of what was euphemistically described by the U.S. SAILING Review Board as an incident involving physical contact between two sailors. Or if you want the gory details, here are some of the "facts found" by the jury who heard this case... http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=2901 Couldn't U.S. SAILING have found a better example of a former O'Day winner to enhance the reputation of the event in their press release? What were they thinking? -- Proper Course Blog, http://propercourse.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-were-they-thinking.html => Curmudgeon's Comment: Mr. Cobb is suspended until December 31, 2008. GOOD LUCK 2008 OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC SAILING TEAMS! LaserPerformance would like to wish all our athletes competing in Qingdao the best of luck. We have been proud to support Anna Tunnicliffe (US - Laser Radial), Andrew Campbell (US - Laser), Paul Goodison (UK - Laser), Penny Clark (UK - Laser Radial) and Team Seven (US - Yngling) in their campaigns. We have dedicated a portion of our website to showcase these athletes and will be posting updates on their progress once the games commence. To check out the Countdown to Beijing, visit us at http://www.laserperformance.com THE BLUE JAY: A DYING CLASS? The numbers don't lie. The amount of Blue Jays on Long Island Sound have slowly, but surely, been dwindling. There were a record low of 2 boats at Blue Jay Champs this year. It makes one think: is it even worth holding Blue Jay races next year? We have heard our fair amount of complaints on this boat class but they have definitely done more for sailing than they get credit for, particularly in the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island (JSA) region. According to the International Blue Jay Class Association, "The Blue Jay continues to be one of the leading one-design, sloop-rigged sailboats in existence today." We're not quite sure how accurate that statement is today, but it was definitely designed to mimic the Lightning, which we all know to be a highly competitive class. This boat has been the feeder for some strong sailors and provides a firm base for every basic sailing skill such as spinnaker work, working with a crew, and learning how to operate a heavy piece of boat. Unfortunately for this class, the general consensus claims that the Pros outweigh the Cons. So what do you guys think? Should we scrap Blue Jay races altogether and let the Pixel progress, or should we keep this rich piece of history sailing in our waters? Leave us comments, take the poll, or e-mail JSA. We would really like to hear your reasoning on why the Blue Jay is so awesome, or why it belongs in a bonfire. -- http://www.jsablog.com *At the 2008 Pixel/Blue Jay Championship, hosted by Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, CT) on August 1 - 2, there were 23 Pixels and 2 Blue Jays. OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN: 2 DAYS TO GO * Ships visiting or leaving the port of Qingdao, venue of the Olympic sailing event in east China, were under strict safety checks, an official said here Wednesday. Cargo vessels, especially passenger ships, were undergoing intensified examinations while passing through the port. Local maritime affairs authority has dispatched 62 patrol boats to monitor or provide maintenance services in the water area. -- Read on: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/06/content_8988061.htm * From Derby Anderson, US media rep: "Here at the village we've seen sunshine two out of eleven days, and I've heard that up in Beijing they are shooting rockets into the clouds to disperse some chemicals that make it rain and clear up the smog. Pretty impressive technology!" -- http://xrl.us/derby080608 * From Andrew Campbell, US Laser rep: "Just outside the security fence are towering skyscrapers and millions of people, nearly nine million in Qingdao alone hustling through the streets and going about normal Chinese lives. The culture shock is quite real, unlike any other place I have been. The language is fluid at times and choppy at others and all the while completely incomprehensible to somebody without any training. Even in Europe you can at least get around thanks to the commonality of English's Latin roots. Let's just say that if you get lost in a cab here, it could be hours before you're able to direct the driver to a known landmark with little more than finger pointing." -- http://campbellsailing.com/index.php/2008/08/06/village-idiots * From Carl Williams, NZL Star rep: "Wednesday was the very typical Qingdao conditions that we are all used to racing in from last year's Pre-Olympic regatta. Light winds of 4-7knts with plenty of tide which causes a real mess of a sea state. It makes sailing upwind a balancing act while still trying to stay in phase. It makes sailing downwind a real battle to sail fast and avoid flopping and flapping your self to pieces out there caught between the tide pushing hard against the breeze."-- http://carlwilliams30.blogspot.com/2008/08/practice-race-day.html * The clear skies from earlier in the week have been replaced by the overcast that drastically reduces visibility. Here are a couple photos of US RS:X Women's rep Nancy Rios in the haze: http://xrl.us/nancy080608 * The American audience for Olympic Sailing will view the racing online, as there is no television coverage planned. According to Gary Jobson, who will be providing race commentary for NBC at their New York studios, there will be one featured class for each race, wherein there will be approximately two cameras on the course, three competing boats with onboard cameras (should be the top three in the standings), and one camera in the air. Daily online coverage will include the featured races in their entirety, plus a short highlight video that Jobson will produce. It is unknown at this time whether shows will be archived for later viewing. -- Schedule: http://xrl.us/nbcsked * WEATHER FORECAST - Qingdao Olympic Venue: Light winds for Thursday, August 7th increasing to 10 knots by the end of the day. Wind direction from ESE with no major trends in direction. View maps/graphs at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/olyweather - to get the animated hour by hour forecast map images, sign up for free worldwide forecasts at www.predictwind.com AMERICA'S CUP: POINT - COUNTERPOINT * From Vincenzo Onorato, Mascalzone Latino (ESP): Now that there is only one last chance left for an appeal, last week's decision by a New York court to re-instate CNEV as Challenger of Record puts the whole future of the America's Cup at risk. For if their decision stands, our sport's premier match will come to an end as a genuine sailing competition. What we will have instead will be a regatta that just pretends to be the Cup. Predictably, we have heard panicky cries for a multi-challenger event at all costs. It is almost as if the rules don't matter. But what sort of event will it be when a sham COR has already connived at ensuring the defender can't lose? In case you've forgotten, let's recall the protocol Alinghi now brazenly promotes as its "vision." -- Read on: http://xrl.us/vincenzocomments * From Captain Sarno, Team Shosholoza (RSA): The question has become now a personal issue and even worst a battle between lawyers and advocates which mean an endless legal battle based on the technicality. BMW Oracle has never been genuine and has pursued only their own interests. As everybody knows the 33rd first protocol had to be considered a draft as I did. Myself and my technical representative, together with the other Teams worked a lot specially to clarify rather than to change some points and I think that we succeeded in this. The last 33rd Protocol was even better than the previous one. -- Complete interview: http://xrl.us/sarnocomments "TIAMO" DOMINATES J/80 NORTH AMERICANS Bruno Pasquinelli and his crew on "Tiamo" took the title at the 2008 J/80 North American Championships last weekend in Marina del Rey, CA. The team dominated on the race course, allowing them to win the event without sailing the final race. Pasquinelli's team, competing with an Ullman Sails mainsail and jib, skillfully handled the light conditions, consistently finishing in the top four of every race. Dropping their final score, the team finished 8 points ahead of second place in the 14-boat fleet. For the Fastest Sails on the Planet, contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com SAILING SHORTS * Long Beach, CA - The Alamitos Bay Yacht Club is hosting the 2008 International Laser Class U.S. National Championship this weekend on the waters just beyond the break wall of Long Beach Harbor. Over 150 sailors from throughout the country are expected to attend the event. The Laser Full Rig, Laser Radial, and Laser 4.7 are the three classes that will be racing for their respective national championship. Many of the top junior, high school, collegiate, and professional sailors will be vying for their chance to claim the title. -- http://www.abyc.org * The 36th running of the International Rolex Regatta is planning to build on its successes last year, which included the addition of IRC racing and joining with the BVI Spring Regatta to offer the inaugural Virgin Islands Race Week. Scheduled for Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29, the event is part of the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series but also hosts classes for CSA (or "Caribbean Rule") racing as well as one-designs, beach cats and large multihulls. -- http://www.rolexcupregatta.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Here are a few of the events that are coming up: Aug 8-9 - Beaver Island Race - Harbor Springs, MI, USA Aug 8-9 - Flip Flop Regatta - Boston, MA, USA Aug 8-10 - 2008 U.S. Laser National Championship - Long Beach, CA, USA Aug 9-10 - Optimist Dinghy West Coast Champs - Cascade Locks, OR, USA Aug 10-15 - Down East Race Week XIV- Blue Hill Bay, ME, USA Aug 10-12 - Interlake Nationals 2008 - Traverse City, MI, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar VIDEO OF THE WEEK It has all the critical features that draw an audience: bitter rivals, huge sums of money, speed and danger, spectacular crashes. With the threat of multihull racing in the next America's Cup, and the ongoing litigation between cup defender Alinghi and the BMW Oracle Racing Team, much had been made of the two teams meeting at the iShares Cup Extreme 40 catamaran event at Skandia Cowes Week in Cowes, UK on August 2-4, 2008. When challenging conditions of brisk winds and confused sea played havoc on the fleet, it made for great viewing as the dividing line between being in control and not proved to be too narrow for some. Event highlights from each of the three days gives us what we want: the good, the bad, and the bloody. Also, 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/08/0804 * Scuttlebutt affectionately refers to its readers as 'buttheads, but in this video, here's an example of someone taking the reference to a whole new level: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/08/butthead 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 Paul V. Oliva: Thank you for posting the Women's Jr. Doublehanded video. My daughter is 8 years old and in her second year of Junior Sailing at South Beach Yacht Club (San Francisco, CA). She just watched it and said of the girls, "Wow, can I meet them? It would be great to show them our club and what we do." It was really terrific to be able to show her such a well-made video about such a professionally run event. As I'm on the board of SBYC, it's also a tremendous inspiration for me about how our club can evolve youth sailing. (Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m64AtfSTVCc) * From Captain Michael J Dailey, Fort Lauderdale, FL: Let the Swiss have it their way. They can have their venue of choice, their timing, their rules, whatever Ernesto wants. Then let them find new challengers because any one of the previously declared challengers who would have actually participated under the "New Bertarelli Rules" would have been ejected for one reason or another had they actually presented a clear threat. If the real challengers stayed away, so would the sponsors. So if no one showed up to play that would leave the Swiss playing with .themselves. Being a yank, it is an embarrassing look at our Justice system as well. Cory Friedman shouldn't feel bad about his predictions; I would still rather read him than the court! * From Tim Dick, Honolulu: Imagine baseball (or basketball, football, soccer, tennis, take your pick...) if... The season champion was allowed, at the end of the season, to rewrite the rules of the game including on the court and sponsorship, rule on which stadiums could have games (and which don't), when the season starts and ends, how many players on the team, how big and what shape the court is and how you score, how many games and what format the season will entail, and have same ratified by the runner up. And if the runner up disputed the winner's changes of any or all of these rules, the dispute would be fought out in the New York Court system, and until that dispute was settled, no games would ensue. Would any players, sponsors, spectators, or stadiums sign-on to such nonsense? Your move Alinghi: how about joining with GGYC to amend the Deed of Trust to establish an independent administrative body before this train wreck goes over the cliff? CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION It's not the dying that bothers me; it's the not being here anymore. Special thanks to LaserPerformance and Ullman Sails. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
