|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1500 - January 20, 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. TNTKW04PBN KEY WEST, Fla. - Maspero Giovanni and his Joe Fly crew from Lecco, Italy, won the first Farr 40 race they ever sailed Monday and smoked that tough crowd with first and fourth-place finishes in the opening day of Terra Nova Trading Key West 2004, presented by Nautica. At the same time, Philippe Kahn and his 14-year-old world champion son Samuel (a.k.a. Shark) from Santa Cruz, Calif. and Hawaii are first and third among 58 Melges 24s. They are separated by Britain's unheralded John Pollard in second. The Joe Fly guys also sail a mean Melges 24 (fourth here a year ago) and a Mumm 30 on the European circuit, but they hadn't seen their new Farr 40 until last week. They got in four days of practice, then went out Monday for real. "The difference with the Farr 40 is that it's easy," said Giovanni, who was at the wheel in the owner-driver class, with Luca Santella matching tactical wits with a flock of superstars. In the second race, with the wind building to 15 knots, they were 15th at the first mark but picked off enough boats to put four points between themselves and three-time Key West winner George Andreadis' Atalanti XII (Robbie Haines), followed by Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (Terry Hutchinson) and defending champion Alexandra Geremia's and helmsman Scott Harris' Crocodile Rock (Vince Brun). For sheer elegance, the Swan 45s stepped out in style for the first time with an eight-boat fleet and, appropriately, the Nautor's Swan brothers swapped wins as the elder Leonardo emerged atop the fleet on the day, while Massimo stood fourth. San Francisco's Dee Smith, tactician for Craig Speck's second-place VIM from Newport, R.I., liked the ride. "All the boats seem to go the same speed," he said, "although it's too early to tell after two races. They're great boats to race against other Swans." Four boats, including both Corsair trimaran leaders, had perfect days. Bob Harkrider, Augusta, Ga., sailed his Corsair 28R Bad Boys to a pair of firsts, as did Robert Remmers, Des Moines, Iowa, on Breaking Wind. Mike Rose's J/133, Raincloud, from Kemah, Tex. and Jim Hightower's Farr 37, Hot Ticket, Houston, Tex. also was unbeatable in PHRF 3 and 8, respectively. - Rich Roberts. Complete results: www.premiere-racing.com/04_KW_Results/kw_2004_releases.htm Check out the great photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/keywest/ AMERICA'S CUP * According to the last edition of the Italian newspaper "Gazzetta dello Sport", the change of position for Patrizio Bertelli is now finalized and, in its second incarnation estimates about €80 million, a new Prada Challenge will be there in 2007. Currently, active negotiations are in place with potential new members and "a victorious puzzle" will be assembled in the next few weeks said Antonio Marrai, Logistics and Services Manager for the new challenge. From April-May, with the summer season approaching in the northern hemisphere, the team's activities will relocate to Spain where they will start to build a new base in Valencia in March or April 2004. - Cup in Europe website, http://www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007PradaLN1.htm * "I have personally decided that this Cup will be my last America's Cup as sailor", Russell Coutts said in December in an interview with the Spanish Website Masmar.com. After his victory as skipper of Alinghi in the 2003 America's Cup, Russell Coutts is now the most successful skipper in the 152-year history of the America's Cup. He won 14 races without a loss, adding the five wins of 2003 to the nine he earned with Team New Zealand in the 1995 and 2000 campaigns, surpassing Dennis Conner for total victories and Charlie Barr for most without a loss. His third consecutive America's Cup victory ties him with Harold Vanderbilt and Charlie Barr. - Cup in Europe website, http://www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007-Alinghi-EN5.htm TEAM ONE NEWPORT AT KEY WEST One of the best proving grounds for all the cool new gear is at the Terra Nova Trading Key West regatta. Team One Newport has their base station at the A & B Marina parking lot alongside Aramid Rigging, where staffers are available before and after racing to provide gear advice or replacement items. During the day, however, they will be on the water testing the best gear for 2004. If you are not at Key West but looking toward Acura SORC in February, contact them for crew uniforms or your technical gear needs at 800-VIP-GEAR or http://www.team1newport.com CROWD PLEASER The hottest seats in London Sunday night were at the Schroders London International Boat Show, UKWA versus PWA indoor windsurfing championship. The sold out show was 'The' place to be in London and those fortunate enough to have tickets were treated to a sensational evening of extreme windsurfing. With 25 fans sending 30 knots of wind screaming across the pool, action was fast and furious throughout with slalom, freestyle and jump ramp competitions sending the crowds wild in appreciation at the spectacular display. Against the deafening noise of the 25 huge fans, the non-stop extreme action continued with hot freestyle. Each sailor was given four chances to speed down the pool and pull off a move, with their best two maneuvers counting towards the overall score. The jump ramp show in the evening was the one everybody had been waiting for, with the level literally going through the roof since the first session on Thursday night. Each of the fourteen sailors were given two attempts at the jump ramp with their best jump counting and the top six advancing through to the grand final. After a tense wait while the judges totted up the scores from all three disciplines Kauli Seadi (AHD, Naish of Brazil emerged as the overall winner and walked away with a winners check and a brand new motorbike presented by Honda. The Indoor windsurfing at the London Boat Show has proved to be a huge success and sponsors have already indicated that they want it back bigger and better for next year! ISAF website, http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=6235 Full results: www.pwaworldtour.com NEWS BRIEFS * A Maryland sailor had a fatal heart attack Sunday while his boat was returning to the harbor after practicing for Terra Nova Trading Key West 2004. Marty Dwinell, 45, of Edgewater, Md., was a foredeck crew member on the J/24 Rumblefisch, which skipper Chuck Collins of Deale, Md. had chartered for the event. Dwinell died despite a heroic effort by an unidentified paramedic who jumped off another boat and swam to Rumblefisch to give Dwinell CPR. The incident occurred on a day of sailing in turbulent seas with winds to 18 knots and shortly before a heavy rainstorm blew through the area. * Jaguar /Land Rover of Annapolis has signed on as title sponsor of the 2004 J/22 Worlds hosted by the Annapolis YC. World class sailor, television commentator and author Gary Jobson is the event's honorary chairman. http://www.race.annapolisyc.com/j22worlds/sponsors.htm#jag * After more than three years of hard work and anticipation more than 200 Crew Volunteers gathered together on Saturday (17th January) to learn who they will be racing around the world with in the Global Challenge 2004/05. At 18.00 Sir Chay Blyth, executive chairman of race organizer, Challenge Business revealed the composition of the 12 teams. Now the hard work of building the team, developing winning strategies and sailing the yacht as a race crew begins. - www.challengebusiness.com * The Notice of Race for the Southern California Yachting Association's 75th Annual Midwinter Regatta is now on-line. The regatta, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, February 14-15, regularly draws in excess of 600 boats. Twenty-eight SCYA clubs and associations run races on 29 different racing venues stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego and including Arizona. Competition is held for one-design classes, both monohull and multihull, as well as PHRF, Portsmouth and ORCA handicap classes; racing for predicted-log racers, landsailors and radio-controlled sailboats is also included. - http://www.scya.org/midwintr/mw_nor2004.pdf. CREW GEAR FOR KEY WEST The ideal crew gear is one of the new Camet High Tech Breathable Polo shirts and the Camet fast drying padded shorts. The shirts are made out of a microblend fabric that moves the moisture away from the skin through the fabric and into the air. The unique patented microblend makes it lightweight, resistant and soft to the touch. Designed to be washed and worn. High UV protection. The Camet shorts are made of a breathable fast drying Supplex, with a reinforced Cordura seat pocket for optional foam pads, available in several models and different colors. http://www.camet.com CODE YELLOW Following an excellent weekend of overnight testing and sail training in which Cheyenne's crew put the 125' maxi-cat through all her paces (including helicopter-borne film cameras and still photos), the team arrived back at dock at Plymouth Yacht Haven Sunday afternoon to find that the weather prognosis has now improved, and a possible RTW start as early as Saturday 24th January is on the cards. "Fantastic sail," said watch captain David Scully. "Wind strengths from flat to 40 knots made it a great weekend for practicing catamaran manoeuvres. Every sail in the inventory got an airing, and although temps were low, spirits were high. It was a pleasure to see this expert crew mesh, and confront the challenges that sailing this monster machine poses. No breakages, and no accidents, and a relatively short list of tweaks, which is good, as we hope to be leaving on the record next weekend." Skipper Steve Fossett added, "With the passage of a Cold Front, High Pressure will build this weekend. That will give us the Northwest winds we want to launch our Round the World record attempt. If the start proves to be Saturday instead of Sunday, we would leave the dock in Plymouth late on Friday afternoon to allow time for a leisurely overnight sail to the start line off of Ouessant Island, France." - www.fossettchallenge.com MATCH RACE RANKINGS Last week the first ISAF World Match Racing Rankings were released and posted on the ISAF website. With this latest rankings release, there is not much ostensible movement, although in the short term, Jesper Radich (DEN) has regained second place behind Karol Jablonski (POL), long-time leader of the rankings. Ed Baird (USA) has dropped to third. The rankings are based on a rolling 365-day cycle, with events either placed in the most recent 365-days (year) or the second 365 days, depending on when they happened. There is a higher points weighting on events in the first 365 days. A skipper's ranking score is calculated as the best four events from each year. But James Spithill (ranked #5) and Peter Gilmour (#17) had some time off from the match racing circuit in 2002 to compete in the America's Cup, so they both only carry two events in the second year of their score, a situation that is likely to change over the next few months. Spithill returned to the circuit early in the summer of 2003 and had a fantastic run of results from ISAF Grade 1 events - winning the Cento Cup, second in the ACI HT Mobile Cup, and third in the Congressional Cup. All three of these events will move into his second year score by the rankings released on 24 June. Gilmour came back to the circuit late last year, but with victories in both the Nippon Cup, and the King Edward VI Presentation of the Bermuda Gold Cup, he has a strong basis for a good move. Gavin Brady (#20) is another big mover at the beginning of 2004, making a first appearance in the top twenty since March 2003. He will need to pull off some good performances in 2004 if he is to continue to climb. This rankings release is important for the Women's circuit, as it determines who are likely to be the 16 skippers who will battle Malin Millbourn (SWE) for the title of 2004 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Champion to be held in J/22s in Annapolis in June. . For complete rankings: http://www.sailing.org/matchrace/marranking.asp PUT ACURA SORC ON YOUR WINTER CALENDAR Escape the winter doldrums…Join us in South Beach for the 2004 Acura SORC, February 25-29. Register online at the website for the 63rd edition of the Acura SORC, featuring ocean racing with shore side activities headquartered at the Miami Beach Marina. Sign-up before February 1 to avoid late fees. http://www.acurasorc.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 William F. Cook: With all due respect to John Riise, I don't find anything silly about 'Live Free or Die', as it is a way of life that drove the founders of this country. And to answer his later question, children under 12 are not qualified to make life or death choices. I thought that was obvious. I wear a PFD on small boats. I often do not on larger boats. The simple fact is that on the Chesapeake Bay in August when it is 96 degrees out with 90% humidity and we are racing in conditions with winds so light that cigarette smoke goes straight up and there is still a remarkable washing machine of choppy seas out there, wearing a PFD is incredibly uncomfortable and arguably unnecessary (a cynic could say the same thing about the racing, but that's not the point). That choice should be left up to me. * From Dieter Loibner (In response to John Riise and Live Free or Die): John's assessment is very accurate and reflects an observation made by many boating journalists. But pitching machismo against the law is always tricky. Therefore, let me propose a commercial idea, inspired by the reluctance of Italian drivers to wear seat belts. That country's more inventive street vendors capitalized on this vice by selling white T-shirts with a black diagonal stripe (choose driver or passenger model). You know where I'm headed. Life is about illusion and a PFD T-shirt is just what a die-hard (or die-dumb) PFD opponent needs. If it works for the Carabinieri it might also work for the Coasties. Just practice your excuse in case you get boarded. * From Dustin Romey: "...sailing is an inherently risky activity..." Let's be real here. I take a much greater risk everyday when I get in my car and drive to work, or walk across a busy intersection. I haven't looked at the statistics in a year or two; however, I clearly remember that the number of deaths that occur on sailboats and could have been prevented by a PFD is very small. Yet the numbers of deaths that occur on powerboats and could have been prevented by a PFD is quite large. Our job as sailors should be to educate the USCG, and the public, on how safe our sport really is and show them how we currently govern our own safety (ORC Regs, Class Rules, SI's). We've already regulated ourselves and are quite safe, now we just need to make sure the Coast Guard and our state Marine Police understand that. And then we need to stay out of their way as they regulate power boating where the real problem * From Craig Coulsen: In respect to the comments by Tucker Strasser, it is time either the RRS Basic principle is rewritten or National Authorities start banning people who breach it. When was the last time some body retired after an infringement when you requested them to? Likewise when was the last time you saw someone retire of their own accord? Why shouldn't a person who clearly infringes or causes serious damage and refuses to retire when requested yet loses the subsequent protest cop 30 days in the "sin bin" so to speak for their misconduct and breach of the Basic Principle. The whole point is there is far too much needless boat damage occurring because people are not taking their obligations seriously enough while at the same time ignoring basis rules. * From John M. Diggins: I agree with ISAF Opinion that Appendix A 5 does not limit when or how the Race Committee can score without a hearing, but I cannot accept the conclusion reached. The Race Committee knew that there were three boats O.C.S. at the start, but could identify only two of the three, both of which corrected their error. Ashore,( after the results were posted ?) two boats filed a protest against the third O.C.S.boat in accordance with RRS 61.3. At this point in time, the Race Committee had no jurisdiction over the document. The Protest information was the property of the Protest Committee and was subject to RRS 63. I believe that a hearing was mandated, and the Scorer could not be directed to change the posted results without a Hearing and Decision of the Protest Committee. It appears that the Principal Race Officer was also the Chairperson of the Protest Committee, and simply forgot to change hats at the appropriate moment. ISAF seems to have overlooked this element when writing their Opinion. The result is, in my view, that the competitors wind up in the dark as to how the system should operate, and gives the appearance of arbitrary and capricious race management. These incidents lead to the gripes which Scuttlebutt publishes ad nauseum regarding the R.R.S. and their application. * From J. D. Stone: Not to take anything away from Augie on winning the Rolex, and the comment that he did it alone, without a pro on board, but over my 30 some years of sail boat raceing, I've benefited tremendously from the advice, assistance, explanations and willingness to help of professionals in this wonderful sport of sailing. My first lesson came from a guy named Perry Lewis - a North rep who taught me the finer points of main sail trimming on a gusty day - what to do in the puffs and lulls and why it worked. As a member of the Etchells class, I've also benefited greatly from the assistance of both Ched Proctor, and Jud Smith who, even if I'm using the other guys sails have offered tons of advice on mast tuning, sail trim and weather predictions. Yes there is some pride to "do it yourself" with no pro on board, but without the pros, I think our sport would not have advanced as far as it has in the last 30 years. Thank you to all who have made this sport their livelihood, keep up the good work! * From Big Mike Howard: A toast to Dick Pennington. The only man in the world who could go to meetings, run his business and end up at the Jolly Roger wearing two totally different pairs of shoes for the day. When called on the carpet by a group of his mates come up with the answer, "I can't believe it - they don't even look a like. Bartender - a round for the boys." That was Dick. One of the great owners and helmsmen I have sailed with. Great starter and finisher. He will be missed by all of us who were blessed to share the oceans with him over the years. I am not sure that God is ready for our good mates who have passed on over the past year. Heaven I am sure is out of control. Dick, Goose, Fang and the rest of you, keep it down up there. We mortals are trying to sleep. Bless you all. CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL If you are getting run out of town - run to the front of the crowd. Make it look like you're leading a parade. |
