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SCUTTLEBUTT 2220 – November 9, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). ANOTHER TRI CAPSIZES (The Daily Sail subscription website has a posting about yet another Route du Rhum trimaran capsize and the subsequent heroic rescue. Here’s an excerpt.) Newcastle orthodontist Ross Hobson, racing the Class 3 trimaran Ideal Stelrad in the Route du Rhum capsized Tuesday night at around 2300GMT, 1,760 miles from the finish line. The skipper immediately set off his distress beacons but has been unable to communicate. At the time Hobson was just clipping the north side of the secondary depression with the wind shifting 180° from the south to the north over a very localized area. Considering this weather situation has been in situ in this area for almost a week now the sea state is likely to be exceeding rough and confused. The Race Committee have been liaising with the CROSS Gris Nez, the MRCC in France, who have diverted two cargo ships to assist Hobson. At 0500GMT the Race Committee were informed that Hobson had been successfully rescued and had been brought on board the cargo ship Carmen. The ship is bound for Spain where she is due to dock on 12 November. -- http://www.thedailysail.com HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? (Ross Hobson talks about the capsize of his trimaran from the safety of his rescue vessel.) “It was blowing about 40 to 45 knots, I just dropped the mainsail and I was under the storm staysail when a very big gust caught me on the foredeck. I was trying to get in the cockpit to release the staysail when the gust turned the boat on me, just a slow capsize over the bow. I guess I was netting around onto the hull upside down, opened up the safety hatch and cramped inside and then activated the safety EPIRB. And basically settled down to wait. Unfortunately, the satellite phone got wet and at the same time I destroyed the satellite phone back up, so I was not able to ring anybody to let them know that I was safe. “Race Committee and US coastguard diverted the vessel Carmen to come and collect me. Their seamanship was fantastic because there were a 4-5 meters sea running with big winds. The skipper was able to come alongside and I stepped onto the pilot ladder. It was very easy. I think my boat is definitely lost at sea. She's just too far away from land to try to do a rescue of her. She's probably in recoverable conditions but just too far away for anyone to make it worthwhile going to get her, unfortunately.” TRIVIA QUESTION The Columbia won the America's Cup for the U.S. in 1899 and again in 1901. After she was scrapped in 1913, what part of the boat has played a prominent role in the community of Forest Hills, which is a neighborhood in the central part of the New York City borough of Queens? (Answer below) ISAF ANNUAL CONFERENCE The ISAF Event Committee and the Offshore Committee met in Helsinki, Finland Wednesday as the major topics of this year’s ISAF Annual Conference came under the spotlight. The debate centered around the Olympic Games and a potential World Cup series for the Olympic Classes. The report from the Format Working Party – covering feedback from sailors, coaches, race officials, event organizers and the media – brought broad agreement on the current Medal Race format. A major emphasize of the working party report was to improve the media coverage of the Medal Race. Although they rarely make the headlines, Race Officials are a crucial part of the sailing world. Increasingly, officials are playing a more prominent role on the water, in particular because of the introduction of the Medal Race format. This year the Committee reflected on the challenges this presents. 'We gave ourselves a bit of time to look where we’re going,' explained Race Officials Committee chair John Doerr. 'We’re concerned about a lack of race officials of the right levels. Our age profile doesn’t look very healthy, but sailing’s a sport that people continue doing for a long time… So the transition from doing to officiating happens a lot later than in other sports and that pushes the age range up.' -- http://www.sailing.org/ WE LOVE A CHALLENGE When the Farr 40 class approved a masthead kite and longer spinnaker pole, Hall Spars & Rigging immediately developed a new pole and a kit for extending our existing pole. Both can be seen online in our Farr 40 department, along with a selection of high-tech halyards at the new length. And when the Mumm 30 needed a new class-approved vang they chose the original Hall QuikVang, available online in our Mumm 30 department. Need something for your boat? Try Hall first. Visit our online store or challenge our expert sales staff. http://www.hallspars.com THE SECOND TIME AROUND In 1984, Annie Nelson won the silver medal in the boardsailing exhibition event in the Olympics. At the time, Nelson was considered one of the world's premier women sailors just at the time when the Olympics were being opened to women's sailing. She was a five-time world champion in boardsailing and Hobie Catamaran sailing. She also was considered one of the world's premier women sailors when it came to driving a big boat in international competition. Nelson skippered an all-women's crew in the 1981 and 1982 Southern Ocean Racing Conference. But 20 years ago, Nelson faced a decision many women sailors her age faced. Campaign or children. “Few people outside sailing realize how time-consuming any type of sailing campaign is,” Nelson said over the weekend. “It's hard to balance sailing and family. And if there's a job involved ... ” So Annie Nelson made her choice. With the major exception of 1995 – when she was the trial-horse skipper on the Mighty Mary America's Cup team, won the Hobie Cat Worlds and won her first Women's One-Design championship – Annie Nelson stopped sailing. “I stepped out and I'm glad I did,” said Nelson. “I was a full-time mom and I loved it. I ran the carnivals and talent shows. I coached soccer and Little League. I took a huge break from sailing. “I don't have any regrets.” But with her two children in high school and heading toward college, the former wife of naval architect Bruce Nelson has resumed her sailing career. Recently, Annie Nelson skippered San Diego Yacht Club's entry to a second straight victory in the Women's One Design Championships in Long Beach. Two months ago, she claimed a bronze medal in the Hobie Cat class at the ISAF World Sailing Games. Last weekend she sailed in the Hot Rum Series. Next weekend she will be sailing in the Women's Match Racing Nationals. And friends are encouraging her to get a sponsor and put together a campaign in the international Farr 40 class. “It's fun to think about sailing again,” said Nelson. “Like I said, I'm glad I made the decisions I made. I made the right decisions and some were made for me. But I've wondered, 'What if?' “I'd love to be 20 again and going for the Olympics in a windsurfing class.” She is now 48. “I'm taking baby steps back into sailing,” she said. “The best part for me has been the kids' (Bobby is 17 and Chelsea is 15) reaction and support. “I'm getting back into it more and more. It's getting easier. Opportunities to sail are coming to me more than I have been seeking them out. And that has been part of the fun.” -- Excerpt from a story by Bill Center in the San Diego Union Tribune, full story: http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20061107-9999-lz1s7boat.html OVERHEARD AT THE PRO-AM At the recently completed Pro-Am Regatta sponsored by vineyard vines at the Bitter End YC in the BVI, one of the guests made the following statement after stepping off the IC 24 she sailed on as a crew for Russell Coutts, "Russell Coutts has to be the nicest person in the world." When the Curmudgeon mentioned the quote to Coutts, his face lit up with a huge smile and he said, "Put that in Scuttlebutt -- I think you may find a few Kiwis who will disagree. Well -- it's a thread we really do not want to open up in the newsletter, but those with opinions on the subject are welcome to comment in our Forums Section: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/coutts BIG PAYDAY In its second year the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia has gained prominent status on the World Match Racing Tour by offering the richest prize purse for a sailing event, MR1 million (approximately $275,000), an increase of more than two and a half times last year’s purse, with the winner set to earn MR250,000 (approx. $68,000). The Nov. 29-Dec. 3 event will be the last ISAF Grade WC match-race regatta before next year’s Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup and the last opportunity for crews to gain practice and interact with the on-water umpires. Monsoon Cup 2005 winner and 2006 World Champion Peter Gilmour, skipper of PST, is back to defend his title against the likes of Ian Williams and Team Pindar, the current World Championship leader. There also are four Cup syndicates in the mix, including Alinghi (Peter Holmberg), Luna Rossa Challenge (James Spithill), Areva Challenge (Sébastian Col) and Team Shosholoza (Paolo Cian). A total of 12 teams are planned with races held in the Foundation 36, designed by Brett Bakewell-White. -- Sean McNeill, http://www.WorldMatchRacingTour.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SCHEDULE FINALIZED There were no surprises in either the dates or locations of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Sailing announced by US Sailing -- they pretty well correspond to the dates and locations of the recently completed pre-trial events held for the 11 events selected for the 2008 Olympic Regatta. However, in the Yngling class, two separate non-Olympic Trials events have been designated to determine the sailors to be nominated to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team - Sailing - June 28 - July 13, 2007: International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Combined Olympic Class World Championship, Cascais, Portugal; and February 9-15, 2008: Yngling Women's World Championship, Miami, Fla. For the 2007 trials, only sailors who are eligible to represent the USA at the Olympic Games are able to compete. US Sailing has created a qualification system for the Laser, Laser Radial, and Star events to determine the athletes eligible to compete in the Trials. Upon approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the athletes who win the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Sailing will be named to the U.S. Olympic Team and will compete in the Olympic Regatta, to be held August 9-21, 2008 in Qingdao, China. For additional details: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics ULLMAN SAILS-GULF COAST Ullman Sails International is pleased to announce that West Wind Sails in Mandeville, Louisiana (a New Orleans suburb) has joined the Ullman Sails group. Owners Julie and Dave Bolyard recently celebrated West Wind’s 25th anniversary, with their prominent full-service Gulf Coast sail loft enjoying a clientele that includes offshore and one-design champions, world cruisers, and local recreational sailors. The staff includes their son David and journeymen sailmakers with years of experience, and whose customer service is second to none! Ullman Sails-Gulf Coast contact information can be found in the “Loft Locator” section of the Ullman Sails website: http://www.ullmansails.com SAILING SHORTS * American Matt Smith, 38, is the latest new recruit to Victory Challenge. This will be his fourth America’s Cup campaign - his first with a foreign syndicate. He sailed as grinder when Dennis Conner sailed Young America as the defender in San Diego 1995, and as mastman for DC when Stars & Stripes finished third in the challengers’ series, the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000 in Auckland. In the last America’s Cup he was pitman for Oracle BMW Racing (now BMW Oracle Racing). Oracle went to the Louis Vuitton Cup Final. * Nine teams started racing Wednesday in Governor’s Cup 21s in the ocean off of Newport Beach California for the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship at the Newport Harbor YC. Lack of wind caused a two hour postponement, but racing finally started in about 5 knots of breeze. The RC got off two and a half flights before the fog came in and visibility dropped to about 100 yards -- accompanied by a substantial drop in temperature. Liz Baylis from San Francisco is leading the event with three wins. -- Shala Lawrence, http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswmrc/ * A close battle is being fought between Kojiro Shiraishi and Mike Golding, the second and third placed skippers in the Velux 5 Oceans. Both crossed the Equator last night and are now separated by just 51 miles. Bernard Stamm, the race leader continued to show excellent form overnight extending his lead over the entire fleet, and with less than 8,000 miles to go he is one-third of his way through the first leg of the self-proclaimed Ultimate Solo Challenge. - http://www.velux5oceans.com * There are three hot new video postings online at http://www.t2p.tv/ - the Bitter End Yacht Club Pro Am Regatta sponsored by vineyard vines; the IRC East Coast Championship; plus an interview with bowman Jerry Kirby. * The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is offering grant funds up to $4,000 for non-profit groups to develop projects that educate boaters about clean water issues and environmental stewardship of our waterways. While projects involving the reduction of trash and other foreign marine debris in our waterways will receive extra consideration this year, applicants are encouraged to submit any proposal that strives to improve the marine environment. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2007. -- http://www.BoatUS.com/foundation/cleanwater/grants TRIVIA ANSWER The mainmast of Columbia lives on. After the Columbia won the America's Cup for the U.S. in 1899 and again in 1901, she was scrapped at a boatyard on City Island in 1913. However, her mainmast was saved and became a flagpole in a Forest Hills Gardens park two years later. - New York Daily News, full story: http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/467725p-393603c.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forums. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Harold Wainwright: While it was nice to see Paige Railey honored as the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, it was also surprising considering that she finished a mediocre 18th at the Laser Radial European Championships and a dismal 45th at the Laser Radial Worlds in California -- flagged three times for kinetics violations. Hardly the consistency one might expect from someone singled out as the best female sailor in the world? * From John Conser: It was great reporting on Orange Project's accident. It is of real interest to read the experience of Steve and his rescue. It brings back vivid memories of my own experience on Double Bullet in the 84 Transat. Two items of safety gear, survival suits and a good distress beacon were our salvation too. The fact that we were on a multihull that gave us a safe platform after the boat turned over was the major factor in our save rescue. My mates, Bob Hanel, Bob Baker, Cree Partridge, Randy Bishop and Eric Whitte were on the capsized hull for over 18 hrs 800 off Newfoundland before rescue. I agree that the most terrifying part of the whole experience was the rescue. Organizing rescue with the nearest ship an 800 foot freighter 200 miles away and 20 meter seas was a very dangerous experience. Oh dear Lord you sea was so vast and our Double Bullet so small. Glad to hear all went well for Steve. I am sure it will be an experience he will never forget. I remember my experience with Double Bullet and American Pioneer like it happened yesterday. I still have the hair on the back of my neck stand up and a cold tickle go up my spine when a dark night and big ship comes into my life. Thanks for calm head, good safety gear and a great multihull. * From Phil Garland (edited to our 250-word limit): Arthur Ransome's exact quote from Swallows and Amazons (first published in 1930) was: "Better drowned than duffers if not duffers wont drown". The classic series of books of kids having adventures on land and sea was what got me started sailing. They are books about kids messing about in boats, camping, birding, fighting "pirates" - complete with maps. Author's Note from 1958: I have often been asked how I came to write Swallows and Amazons. The answer is that it had its beginning long, long ago when, as children, my brother, my sisters and I spent most of our holidays on a farm at the south end of Coniston. We played in or on the lake or on the hills above it, finding friends in the farmers and the shepherds and charcoal-burners whose smoke rose from the coppice woods along the shore. We adored the place. Coming to it, we used to run down to the lake, dip our hands in and wish, as if we had just seen the new moon. Going away from it, we were half drowned in tears. While away from it, as children and as grown-ups, we dreamt about it. No matter where I was, wandering about the world, I used at night to look for the North Star and, in my mind's eye, could see the beloved skyline of great hills beneath it. Swallows and Amazons grew out of those old memories. I could not help writing it. It almost wrote itself. A.R. * From Jordan J. Dobrikin: The existing "System" does a very good job with Juniors; a so-so job in Interscholastic (High School); a good job in Intercollegiate; a lousy job in Young/Middle Age Adults; and is improving in Middle Age/Mature Adults, PHRF/ IRC Handicap Racing. What sail racing lacks is a good middle ranks, development infrastructure that can be found in other more popular sports. What is needed is a System that encourages and supports participation of many Teams, (Boats/Crews) so as to many boats 15 to 25 boats on the Start Line for many, most, if not all Local & Regional, Races Regattas and/or Series. If the Olympics is going to have 30 to 40+ starters on the line then it would be good to have a similar # at Olympic Trials and training Events and Regattas. Where do other Amateur and Olympic Sports find, and recruit, athletes? "Messing about", on the IceRinks, Track & Field Stadiums; local Gymnasiums; local Parks Department Tennis Courts? I think not! We, butters, should be working at the grass roots, volunteer level, to have well run, easy /economical to enter/participate, local and regional races, regattas and series, so as to build a/the infrastructure needed to attract and develop athletes/ participants to the sport of sail racing. CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM The only two things we do with greater frequency as we grow older are urinating and attend funerals. Special thanks to Hall Spars & Rigging and Ullman Sails. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
