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SCUTTLEBUTT #496 - February 3, 2000ROLEX YACHTIES OF THE YEARPORTSMOUTH, R.I. (February 2, 2000) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has announced the final list of nominees who will be considered for the 1999 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize outstanding on-the-water achievement in the calendar year just concluded. They are widely perceived as the highest individual honors in sailing in the United States and have been bestowed upon such sailing luminaries as Paul Cayard, Betsy Alison, Dennis Conner, JJ Isler, Ken Read, Randy Smyth and Ted Turner. This year's slate of nominees consists of nine men and seven women, representing a broad scope of talent and geographic diversity. Seven of the nine male nominees are winners of world championships, and the female nominees have performed impressively in a variety of national and international competitions. The nominees, determined by the membership of US SAILING, will be presented to a panel of noted sailing journalists, who together will discuss the merits of each nominee and vote by secret ballot to determine the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. The winners will be announced at a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in New York City, on March 15, 2000, where they will be presented with Rolex timepieces. The Rolex Yachtsman will receive a steel and gold Rolex Submariner, and the Rolex Yachtswoman will receive a Rolex Oyster Lady Datejust, also in steel and gold. Nominees for the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year are: Melges 24 World Champion Vince Brun (San Diego, Calif.); Mumm 30 World Champion Ed Collins (W. Dover, Vt.); Star World and North American Champion Eric Doyle (San Diego, Calif.); 470 Men's National Champion and Olympic Trials winner Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas); 505 World and North American Champions Howard Hamlin (Long Beach, Calif.) and Mike Martin (Seal Beach, Calif.); Lightning Pan Am Games Gold Medalist and Lightning North American Champion Andy Horton (Shelburne, Vt.); World and North American DN Iceboat Champion Ron Sherry (Detroit, Mich.); Alter Cup, Worell 1000 Champion and 1982 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Randy Smyth (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.); and Snipe North American and National Champion George Szabo (San Diego, Calif). Nominees for Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year are: Pan Am Games Gold Medalist and Mistral Women's Olympic Trials winner Lanee Butler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.); ISAF World Youth Bronze Medalist Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.); Rolex International Women's Keelboat Champion Pat Connerney (Middletown, R.I.); Snipe Women's National Champion Carol Newman Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.); Adams Cup Champion Joan Hurban (Palisades, N.Y.); Santa Maria Cup Winner Dawn Riley (San Francisco, Calif.); and third-place Santa Maria Cup finisher Dru Slattery (Marblehead, Mass.). Race record of the nominees: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/YYshort.htm LOUIS VUITTON CUP FINALS The unpredictable Hauraki Gulf continues to confound the best weather forecasters. The predicted 15-knot southwesterly breeze failed to materialise, and today's seventh match between AmericaOne and the Prada Challenge was postponed until tomorrow after more than an hour of listless drifting under leaden skies. Tomorrow the two finalists, deadlocked at 3-3 in this best-of-nine challenger final, will try again. "I personally was not looking forward to a lottery," said AmericaOne skipper Paul Cayard. "I think it would be better to race a good hard race with at least eight knots of wind, which gives some kind of stability. One knot more wind or a 10-degree shift is huge in light air." The two teams reported to the racecourse as scheduled, but never raised a sail. Instead, the crews had t-shirts off and ate a relaxed lunch aboard their respective boats. The only action on the Gulf was a small pod of porpoises dancing at the bows of spectator crafts as the vessels proceeded to the starting line area. In the past few days, the capricious Hauraki Gulf has served up first-rate, if shifty, breezes, giving us thrilling races. But today the Gulf showed us the other side of its split personality. The breeze never got close to the five-knot minimum needed to start a race -- a far cry from the 20-plus knots and two-metre seas of Saturday's race. Today the shore breeze and seabreeze butted heads, cancelling each other out. Tomorrow's forecast is for a southwesterly 10- to 15-knot breeze -- but time will tell. -- Larry Edwards, Quokka Sports, http://www.americascup.org/ ESPN2 TV SCHEDULE Race 7 - Friday, 2/4/00 12:30am (Thursday, 2/3/00, 9:30pm PT) Race 8 - Friday 2/4/00, 11:30pm (8:30pm PT) Full schedule: http://www.jobsonsailing.com/tvsched.html PEER PERSPECTIVE * I continue to enjoy the loose tactical style of Torben and Francesco as they seek to gain the advantage by wind shifts and good boat placement. Paul, as we expected, continues to have the upper hand when the dogfights occur. However, Francesco is now experiencing so many close encounters that his match-racing skill level is charging ahead. Certainly whenever Prada sails loose, they gain. Whenever they get into a tight situation, the race tends to be evened up or result in a gain to AmericaOne. Crew work is going to be vital as both afterguards are really exhausted, and need the positive reinforcement that quality manoeuvres give to the team. -- Peter Gilmour Full story: http://www.americascup.org/ * The Prada team is a solid package. Nothing flash or absolutely brilliant, but everything capable of getting the job done. I think that tactician Torben Grael is a very independent operator. He seems to go strictly by his intuition and judgement on the day. You could say he was bold and more of a risk taker than a conservative tactician. As far as that style working here in the Hauraki Gulf, every day is completely unique so you can't make a definitive statement based on one race. But I can't argue much with his open style. It seems to suit the Gulf. That confidence and degree of risk he's willing to take will be a benefit in the end so long as he doesn't lose track of the fundamentals and adds a bit of conservatism to his style. AmericaOne, on the other hand, has some advantage points, but also some distinct weaknesses. Patch those weaknesses, and they will be tough to beat; but leave them exposed, and the well-oiled Prada team will get the job done. There's a tremendous amount of talent aboard AmericaOne. I like the balance between Paul Cayard, John Kostecki and Gavin Brady. They each add something to the overall package. As long as they harness it and formulate a game plan, they'll be a very difficult team to beat. To predict the winner from this point would be difficult. It depends on the conditions and how that plays into each of these teams strengths and weaknesses. It also depends on the biggest variable of them all, the human factor. A high-wire act with 16 people on a bicycle, anything can happen. -- Peter Holmberg Full story: http://www.americascup.org/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE "There's no shame to be had. It's been fought and fought, day after day. Whoever comes out at week's end will be a worthy contender. There will be disappointment for the loser, but no shame." -- Justin Clougher, a backup crewman on AmericaOne who sailed with Cayard in his winning Whitbread 'Round-the-World campaign two years ago. (From a story by Angus Phillips in the Washington Post, http://washingtonpost.com) LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But only one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Don Becker (Re: Charles Wray's comments) -- The America's Cup has never been and hopefully never will be a "strict, true one-design event". -- From Ken Morrison -- Hay professional sailors! Don't forget the Kenwood Cup Hawaii International Offshore Series, July 31 to August 9. -- From Scott Mason -- Race 6 was match racing at its best, and pressure packed to the competitors and spectators (except perhaps Steffi). Two topics: 1) There is an awful lot of armchair QB'ing going on, i.e. why doesn't A1 cover when ahead, how come Prada shrimped the kite, etc. Looks pretty easy from the Lazy-boy, but the bottom line is that the sailors know their boats and the race course, and the loads are phenomenally high! Don't think the lazy-boy team could have stripped the kite either--this is just great racing! 2)A1 technical protest, for Prada crew being outside sheerline. Dumb rule, would there also be technical protest if man overboard? Seems like rule should allow for these areas, since there are only 2 or 3 instances that could possibly apply. Don't know about the rest of the 'buttheads, but I look forward to the 2 out of 3 series that has shaped up--and to getting caught up on my sleep. O'NEILL WORLD RANKINGS (Official ISAF world rankings of Olympic classes - Issued February 1, 2000) 49er 1 Francesco BRUNI / Gabriele BRUNI, ITA, 2 Marc AUDINEAU / Julien FARNARIER, FRA 3 Michael HESTBAEK /Jonathan PERRSON DEN 6. Adam BEASHEL / Teague CZISLOWSKI AUS 7 Chris NICHOLSON / Daniel PHILLIPS AUS 9 Jonathan McKEE / Charlie McKEE, USA, 19 Morgan LARSON Kevin HALL USA Laser: 1 Ben AINSLIE, GBR 2 Michael BLACKBURN, AUS 3 Kalle SUNESON, SWE 15 Mark MENDELBLATT, USA 31 John TORGERSON, USA 32 Bill HARDESTY, USA Men's 470: 1 Gildas PHILIPPE / Tanguy CARIOU, FRA 2 Alvaro MARINHO / Miguel NUNES POR 3 Johan MOLUND / Mattias RAHM, SWE 7 Paul FOERSTER / Bob MERRICK USA 32 Steven HUNT / Michael MILLER, USA Women's 470: 1 Ruslana TARAN / Olena PAHOLCHYK, UKR 2 Sofia BEKATOROU / Emilia TSOULFA, GRE 3 Natalia VIA DUFRESNE / Sandra AZON, ESP 19 Whitney CONNOR / Elizabeth KRATZIG,USA 20 Tracy HAYLEY Louise / VAN VOORHIS, USA 28 J J ISLER / Pease GLASER, USA Soling: 1 Roy HEINER\Peter VAN NIEKERK\Dirk DE RIDDER, NED 1 2 Sergei PICHUGIN\ Sergei TIMOKHOVVlad KOROTKOV, UKR 3 Paolo CIAN F COLANINNO\Pierluigi FORNELLI, ITA 16 Jeff MADRIGALI \Craig HEALY\Hartwell JORDAN, USA 21 Andrew HORTON \Andrew BUTTNER\Andrew HERLIHY, USA 23 Tony REY \Dean BRENNER\Tom BURNHAM, USA Men's Mistral: 1 Przemek MIARCZYNSKI, POL 2 Aaron MCINTOSH, NZL 3 Lars KLEPPICH, AUS 34 Mike GEBHARDT, USA Women's Mistral: 1 Faustine MERRET, FRA 2 Alessandra SENSINI, ITA 3 Lisa VIDAL, FRA 21 Lanee BUTLER, USA Finn: Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ, POL 2 Fredrik LOOF, SWE 3 Iain PERCY, GBR 44 Darrell PECK, USA 45 Eric OETGEN, USA Europe: 1 Shirley ROBERTSON, GBR 2 Sari MULTALA, FIN 3 Melanie DENNISON, AUS 21 Meg GAILLARD, USA 45 Amanda CLARK, USA Star: 1 Colin BEASHEL / David GILES, AUS 2 Mark REYNOLDS / Magnus LILJEDAHL, USA 3 Vincent HOESCH / Florian FENDT, GER 9 Eric DOYLE /Tom OLSON, USA 12 Peter VESSELLA / Kevin MURPHY, USA 19 Howard SHIEBLER / Rick PETERS, USA Tornado: 1 Darren BUNDOCK / John FORBES, AUS 2 Roland GAEBLER / Rene SCHWALL, GER 3 Roman HAGARA / Hans STEINACHER, AUT 13 John LOVELL / Charlie OGLETREE, USA 17 Robbie DANIEL /Jacques BERNIER, USA 19 Lars GUCK /P.J.SCHAFFER, USA Complete rankings: http://www.sailing.org/iyru/worldrankings.htm PROFESSIONAL SAILING The 2000 Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour will feature eight events from the match race circuit, spanning eight countries. Swedish Match AB, Octagon Worldwide, and the Match Race Association (MRA) partnered to combine these professional sailing events into an overall championship series. No United States events were included on the tour. In addition to over USD 400,000 in individual event prize money, the Swedish Match Grand Prix will award USD 150,000 to the top eight sailors on the Tour. The overall winners will be determined by a point system that is based on a sailor's best six finishes during the eight Grand Prix Sailing Tour events, with the first-place skipper netting USD 50,000. Top skippers are expected to compete in the Grand Prix Sailing Tour including Paul Cayard (USA), Russell Coutts (NZ), Peter Gilmour (JPN), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Bank (DEN), Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and Gavin Brady (HK). New, talented skippers including Andy Green (UK), James Spithill (AUS) and Dean Barker (NZ) will also have the opportunity to gain experience and compete for points and the overall prize purse. Events Schedule:
In addition to 30 hours of host broadcast television coverage, the Grand Prix Sailing Tour will distribute eight, half-hour programs worldwide through a partnership with Octagon/CSI. -- Julie Segel NEW ENGLAND BOAT SHOW Bostonboating.com is pleased to announce their partnership with North American Expositions in providing an online guide to the 44th Annual New England Boat Show. Starting on February 19 and ending February 27, the Bayside Exposition Center in Boston will play host to the premier Boat Show in the New England area. Over 600 boats on display. Both power and sailboats ranging from dingy's to 45' yachts, along with every conceivable accessory for your new purchase or your present boat. -- Darren Thurman Exhibitors, floor plan, times and dates: http://www.bostonboating.com THE DARING YOUNG MEN Funny what goes through people's minds in times of crisis. Greg Prussia, battered and bruised from his misadventure atop AmericaOne's mast, had just returned to the deck. "I took off my foul-weather gear and my harness," Prussia said, "and as I was leaving the boat I had this surreal thought that, gosh, this is like the dead man's cowboy boots. You take them off and leave them for the next victim." That would be Ralf Steitz, the backup bowman, known affectionately in the yachting world as "Ralfie the Bionic Bowman" because of his short, muscular stature. He arrived on board via helicopter and chase boat just in time to start Race 3 against Prada in the challenger finals last weekend. Steitz actually replaced mid-bowman Curtis Blewett, who took Prussia's place. "I said to Curtis, 'Well, this is what it's like back sailing in the America's Cup again, right in the middle of one of these lousy dogfights,'" Steitz said in his heavy German accent. Wednesday's nine-second victory that squared the series at 3-3 was only Steitz's fourth race since the completion of Round 1. Steitz, 36, who lives in Port Washington, N.Y., is no stranger to this level of competition. He sailed on Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes at San Diego in 1992 and '95 but soon learned that it was nothing like this. "Usually in a series you have one or two races that are this intense," he said Wednesday. "But with these six races, every one of them has been intense. That is just mind-blowing. Today, for the first time, I felt totally comfortable." AmericaOne is fortunate that Steitz was available. "I was, at one time, on the verge of leaving," he said. "I couldn't sail in the second round because of the eligibility problem." AmericaOne had neglected to list Steitz, a native of Germany but a U.S. resident, as an eligible crew member. He sailed seven races in Round 1 before sitting down. The team paid a NZ$1,183 fine. "I was very frustrated and not very happy," Steitz said. "I'm used to sailing on the number one boat. I decided to stay only after talking to Paul [Cayard], who said, 'Hang on, we really do need you.' "I helped out on the B boat in the afterguard and made sure we kept that boat going to its best ability. We had Gavin [Brady] and his 'mafia' there -- awesome sailors. We had a lot of fun and were pushing the A boat as hard as we could." -- Rich Roberts, Quokka Sports Full story: http://www.americascup.org/ THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected? |
