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SCUTTLEBUTT EXTRA - February 14, 2010Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors, providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.An update to supplement Scuttlebutt 3028 (and Extra 1 and 2) SCUTTLEBUTT EXCLUSIVE - BENNETT RISES ABOVE RIFF By Cory E. Friedman, America’s Cup analyst Valencia, Spain (February 14, 2010) - By now many ‘Buttheads know that challenger USA 17 crushed defender Alinghi 5 in both races to win the 33rd America’s Cup. However, reliable sources tell Scuttlebutt that even when you thought it could not get any worse - it did. The defense club - Société Nautique De Genève’s (SNG) - had their Race Committee actually go on strike and refuse to start Sunday’s race ordered by ISAF approved PRO Harold Bennett. To begin the second race of the Match, Bennett was forced to draft Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) observer Tom Ehman and a Guardia Civil cop on board the RC boat and ordered them to run the flags as Bennett counted down himself. Sunday was the last day a race could be run before several days of strong winds and dirty weather struck. Unlike previous days, even though conditions were not suitable for a race, Bennett got the boats out early and they sat on the course all day with the 4:30 pm cut off for a start looming. Around 4 pm the wind had shifted and filled in and Bennett started preparing for a start. SNG’s race committee just did not want to start, claiming that the waves were in excess of 1 meter - Alinghi’s sea state tolerance. Bennett ordered the AP down and the Race Committee flat out refused. A major row ensued and both sides held their ground. Luckily, prior to the first race, with questions about SNG’s RC’s ability to overrule Bennett swirling, Bennett had requested an observer from GGYC. GGYC appointed Tom Ehman, SNG bête noire, which lit SNG up and the solution was to bring along an SNG observer and minder for Ehman. Bennett lived up to his reputation for even handed officiating in Race 1, when he resisted SNG’s pressure to start the race before the wind filled in. In the face of the SNG RC’s intransigence, Bennett’s solution was to draft Ehman and the Guardia Civil cop and order them to run the flags. The race was started at 4:25, just 5 minutes before the deadline and over the SNG RC’s strike. Without Bennett’s decisive action, the Cup would still be on hold for days, if not weeks. The result is history as USA crushed Alinghi and brought the Cup home to the United States of America. More details to follow in subsequent reports - right now it’s party on. America’s Cup reports: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/ MONDAY HOLIDAY The President’s Day holiday in the United States will be observed at Scuttlebutt World Headquarters on February 15, 2010, so look for the Tuesday edition of Scuttlebutt to have the America’s Cup wrap up and much more. |
