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SCUTTLEBUTT 1417 - September 18, 2003Powered 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. WOMEN'S MATCH RACING The 2003 Bermuda International Women's Match Racing Championship is scheduled for October 18-21, where sailors from the U.S., Denmark and Sweden will compete for $15,000 in prize money. The winner and runner-up of the Bermuda International Women's Match Racing Championship will advance to Round One of the Investors Guaranty Presentation of the King Edward VII Gold Cup (October 22-26), the second event of the Swedish Match Tour 2003/04, where they will compete for another $100,000 in prize money. Defending champion Paula Lewin, ranked 17th in the world in match racing will be joined by Sweden's Jenny Axhede (crew of current #1 world-ranked skipper Marie Bjorling), and Klaartje Zuiderbaan of the Netherlands, who is ranked #12 in the world and placed third in last year's event. American Betsy Alison, who is ranked #8 and a past world match racing champion, will make her debut in Bermuda with this event, along with Americans Deborah Willits (# 16), Elizabeth Kratzig (#25), Sandy Hayes (#21) and Sally Barkow, who competed as an unseeded skipper in 2002. The Bermuda International Women's Match Racing Championship is in its second year of offering women sailors elite-level competition and a significant prize purse. Additional information is available at http://www.kingedwardviigoldcup.com TRIVIA QUESTION What four countries won their first Olympic yachting medals in the 1996 Olympics in Savannah, Georgia, USA? (Answer below) ISAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Day Seven ended with the first confirmed Gold medal of the ISAF World Championship, as Siren Sundby of Norway won the Europe division with a day to spare. There are still silver and bronze medals to be decided so Thursday is the final day of racing for the Europe class. The first day of racing in the Finn Class saw a few upsets with several new sailors showing their faces at the front of the fleet and several sailors normally at the front, picking up some large scores. Race one got underway in 8 to 12 knot easterly with small waves, with race two starting under a black flag in an increased breeze of around 15 to 18 knots. Overnight leader is Belgiun Sebastien Godefroid while defending champion, Ben Ainslie, is perched just behind in fourth. Racing continues for the Finns tomorrow. The Tornado, 49er, Laser and 470 (M & W) will begin their racing on Thursday, which will be a lay-day for the Mistral before the men's fleet is split into Gold and Silver for the final three days of racing, and the women continue with races seven and eight of their series. For the Star fleet, which were scheduled to have their reserve day, they will use Thursday to conclude their qualification series to split into Gold and Silver fleets. Editor's note- Some classes use their early event scores to split the entrants into Gold and Silver. Other classes remain undivided throughout their series. For those classes that are split, only the Gold fleet competes for the championship. Results (top three plus top NA entrants) Europe (10 races - 1 drop): 1. NOR, Siren Sundby, 31 pts; 2. CZE, Lenka Smidova, 54; 3. FIN, Sari Multala, 61; 4. USA, Mary Gaillard, 71; 23. MEX, Tania Elias Calles, 168; 27. CAN, Magalie Bonneau-Marcil, 182. Yngling (6 races - 1 drop): 1. GER, Schuemann/ Buelle/ Lippert, 32 pts; 2. USA, Swett/ Touchette/ Purdy, 32; 3. USA, Swanson/ Sertl/ Kratzig, 33; 8. BER, Lewin/ Lewin/ Lopez, 48; 28. CAN, Ross/ Crampton/ Leger, 118. Mistral-Women (6 races - 1 drop): 1. ISR, Lee Korsitz, 15 pts; 2. AUS, Jessica Crisp, 23; 3. FRA, Faustine Merret, 26; 20. USA, Lanee Beashel, 95; 46. CAN, Dominique Vallee, 202. Mistral-Men (6 races - 1 drop): 1. POL, Przemek Miarczynski, 5 pts; 2. FRA, Julien Bontemps, 15; 3. POR, Joao Rodrigues, 15; 44. USA, Pete Wells, 104; 47. CAN, Alain Bolduc, 108; 86. MEX, David Mie y Teran, 192. Star (5 races - 1 drop): 1. GBR, Percy/ Mitchell, 5 pts; 2. FRA, Rohart/ Rambeau, 8; 3. ITA, Bruni/ Vigna, 10; 8. BER, Bromby/ Siese, 20; 9. CAN, Macdonald/ Bjorn, 23; 12. USA, Cayard / Trinter, 25; 53. BAH, Lowe/ Higgs, 89. Finn (2 races): 1. BEL; Sebastien Godefroid, 3 pts; 2. IRL, David Burrows, 7; 3. DEN, Jonas Hoegh-christensen, 7; 14. USA, Kevin Hall, 41; 15. CAN, Richard Clarke 42. Full story: ISAF website, http://www.sailing.org Complete results: Event website, http://www.cadizworlds2003.com BRIDGE THE GAP For you club racers and cruisers who want the advantages of high tech running rigging without the high cost, Samson Rope Technologies has the product for you - XLS Extra. Constructed of a Dyneema blended core and braided with a durable 24-strand polyester cover, you get good strength and elongation characteristics with a durable cover. What a great combination, plus, a price that won't make your head spin. Ask you rigger or dealer about XLS Extra and bridge the gap from low tech to high tech. http://www.samsonrope.com MOËT CUP Larry Ellison, the Oracle BMW Racing team owner, showed that his practice sessions over the past month were well worth the time as he sailed a very strong race on Wednesday, to beat Alinghi, and take a 2-0 lead in the Owner-Driver series at the Moët Cup. The America's Cup winning Alinghi team found no relief in the Pro-Driver race either, as Oracle BMW won its third consecutive race to take a 3-1 lead in the seven-race series. The weather conditions were spectacular once again on San Francisco Bay, with 15-20 knots across the bay. The local sailing fans responded with a 70-boat strong spectator fleet, and big crowds lining the sea wall and breakwaters along the race course. Quotes of the day: Chris Dickson (Oracle BMW Racing) on the action close to the shoreline: We were sailing up the city front in one of the races today…and I think we may have scraped two or three people off the pier! There were some big eyes and some people taking steps back. I think we went about 10-feet from the pier and then Alinghi went about 10-inches from the pier. So my suggestion for people would be, if they're on the city front, be careful. They don't need to come to us, we're coming to them! Warwick Fleury (Alinghi) on why his team has lost four races this week: It's probably a little bit of everything. Oracle BMW have done a great job of preparation and that just shows that yacht racing is all about preparation. I wouldn't say that our crew changes are any part of it. We've been sailing with a few new people and that's working out really well. The racing is close, and in some of the races it's a one-way track where if you get behind, it's very hard to get back. But we're battling out there, and in the next couple of days I'm sure we'll win some races. Racing for the Moët Cup continues on Thursday afternoon, with two races scheduled, one in each of the Pro-Driver and Owner Driver series. - Peter Rusch, Golden Gate YC website, full race recap: http://ggyc001.securesites.net/moet MINI TRANSAT The dual between Sam Manuard and Jonathan McKee remains close as they near the finish of Porto Calero on the south side of Lanzarote. Tuesday afternoon Manuard had taken back the lead from McKee, which he has slowly increased. At their current rate of 6.5 knots average, a Thursday finish for the leaders remains eminent. Standings on September 17 at 15:00 (TU): Protos- 1. Samuel Manuard, Tip Top Too, 130.3 miles from finish; 2. Jonathan McKee, Team Mc Lube, 139.9 mff; 3. Armel Tripon, Moulin Roty, 159.4 mff. - Event website, http://www.transat650.org ATLANTIC ROWING RACE A fleet of sixteen double-handed teams are entered in The Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race, which will start from La Gomera, Canary Islands on October 19th and will row 2,900 miles across the Atlantic to Port St Charles in Barbados. Now in its third generation, a total of 111 people have successfully rowed across the Atlantic as part of Challenge Business's Atlantic Rowing Race, the 111th being Debra Veal, who, in 2001, rowed into the hearts of people around the world when she successfully completed the crossing alone after her husband was taken off the boat early on in the Race, due to illness. New Zealanders Rob Hamill and Phil Stubbs currently hold the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic of 41 days, set in 1997. - Event website, http://rowing.challengebusiness.com/en NEED WORK? Job postings for sailing instructors, sailmakers, mast builders, riggers, etc. are now up on the Scuttlebutt website. Companies like Hall Spars, North Sails, Quantum Sails, Doyle Sails, J-World, Yale University, etc. are looking for exceptional people: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/classifieds NEWS BRIEFS * The Antarctica Cup will offer an opportunity for competitors, participating countries and a global audience to experience the event through an on-line educational program that will build a wider understanding of the environment, the wildlife, scientific research and the history of exploration. The program will allow teachers and students to follow the whole journey or select components relevant to other lessons being learned. The program duration will be between 8-10 weeks and will feature numerous on-line and off-line exercises and 'edutainment' modules aimed at children aged 8-12. For information contact rwilliams@antarcticacup.com or the event website: http://www.antarcticacup.com * Racing begins September 27th in Toronto for the XX Canada's Cup, a match racing series that pits Canada against the United States. The Cup was first contested for in 1896 and has crossed the border on a regular basis since then. This year as in 2001 the series is being raced in Farr 40's with Bob Hughes' Heartbreaker (Macatawa Bay Yacht Club) challenging Terry McLaughlin's Team Defiant from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. This will be a rematch of the last Cup, which Terry won by a 7-5 margin. - RCYC website, http://www.rcyc.ca TRIVIA ANSWER A record 436 sailors representing 77 countries participated in the 1996 Olympic Regatta, where Hong Kong, Japan, Poland and the Ukraine won their first-ever yachting medals COOL FALL SAILING? STAY WARM AND FLEXIBLE! Quadroflex™, a 4-way stretch fleece, offers thin thermal, water friendly, layering that is non-bulking, body conforming and stretches when you do. Perfect for the active sailor who does not want to be over bulked yet seeks warmth and breathability. Offered in farmer johns, pants and shirts. Ideal for drysuits!! Breaker Sailing Long pants are breathable Supplex sailing trousers with double knees and butts! Knees pads and butt pads are optional and insertible. The perfect watch-pant and fall regatta gear. Find them all at Sailing Angles: http://www.sailingangles.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 Merritt Palm: Lesson learned from Hurricane Andrew: tie your boat down securely to the trailer. I remember helping out at the US Sailing Center in Miami right after the hurricane. The 13 ft. surge picked up and moved almost every boat. The boats tied to their trailers landed safely while those that floated off their trailers were pretty badly damaged. * From Bill Goggins: Good article on preparation for Hurricane Izzy. Just an extra little tip for those pulling out their trailerable keelboats: I was sailing the 210 Nationals in Marblehead in the early 90's when we were hit by Hurricane Bob. The entire fleet pulled our boats and kept the bailers closed. The added weight of the water inside the boats really helped keep the boats upright & stable on the trailers during the peak winds. Try & park the trailer away from trees too!! * From Adam Loory: Race committees on Long Island Sound are fostering poor seamanship by not running races in winds over 20 knots. Last weekend was one more example of good sailing wasted: the Greenwich Cup race committee abandoned racing because of a stiff easterly blow (steady 20 knots with gusts to 24). Two years ago Manhasset Bay YC canceled a day of racing in similar conditions and last year the American YC did the same for a day during their fall series. These three events are major regattas on the YRA schedule, not informal beer can races. As a result, boats on Long Island Sound are evolving into lightly built, over canvassed hybrids that don't carry heavy weather sails. In two of the three abandoned days I went out to sail anyway. On both occasions the winds were never above 30; we sailed with a No. 4 genoa and small 1.5 oz. spinnaker to get some practice in winds stronger than Long Island Sound's normal drifting conditions. Learning to handle a boat in heavy air is a safety issue -- as well as fun for those who are prepared. Sooner or later everyone gets caught in a blow and when it happens, those with experience and confidence will weather storms better. By sailing in heavy air my crew learned a lot about surfing waves, jibing the chute, and we found a problem with the spinnaker pole where the jaw under high loads releases the afterguy. I heard that the Greenwich Cup race committee was concerned about the waves and chop and about being able to anchor in the wind and waves. Many committees in windier parts of the world would have considered the conditions routine. Fellow Express 37 owner Richard duMoulin told me about a team race he did on the Solent in borrowed Sigma 33s where one day it blew 35-40 with gusts up to 50. Everyone sailed with triple reefed mains and storm jibs. According to Rich, "It was a wonderful day of sailing." It's all what you are used to. I think sailors would be better seaman if they sail in a wider range of conditions. * From John C. Wade: Why is it important to have lots of media coverage? Why is it important to have "spectators"? Why should any sailor care whether or not someone on shore can see him sail? It is totally irrelevant to the activity and its enjoyment. As a youngster I found that sailing was a mystical activity that few people knew anything about, and that was one of its intangible attractions. I have never understood why anyone would want more and more people sailing. What advantage is it to sailors or sailing? None!! It's only advantageous to those who have something to sell to sailors. More sailors mean more crowed marinas, more crowed anchorages, more crowed parking lots, more cars, more restrictions, more regulations, higher costs. What sailor needs that? The sponsors of such "advances" are trying to create a baseball mentality in our sport, so they can sell tickets to someone. If that's what they want, let 'em play baseball, but leave sailing alone. * From Michael Silverman: In my mind, the best way to promote the sport of sailing is not through the press... it's through yourself. Tell fun stories to those who know nothing about the sport, then bring them out as 'rail-meat' when you can. Hopefully, when they see your enthusiasm for the sport, it'll rub off on them! * From Steve Orosz: Magnus Clarke, in 'Butt 1416 has a good idea to increase TV viewership of sailing, but I can go one better. The penchant for reality shows should work perfectly for getting sailing to a wide TV audience. All I need is a wealthy sponsor, a cast of the usual appealing/disfunctional reality contestants, a camera crew and a nice big boat. Send them out to sea and imagine the mix of Fear Factor, Survivor, et al. If the sailing alone doesn't provide enough drama, the clash of personalities trapped on a small boat will. Imagine how the accusations and recriminations will fly when someone comes on deck and announces that "someone" has clogged the head! Again! Picture the crew facing their first nighttime squall. Be repelled as the crew discovers their reefer has failed and they have to choose between eating spoiled food and emergency rations of stale twinkies. Revel in the teamwork or the total breakdown of all civility as the crew works together (or doesn't) to make it back to port. Join in the frustration of sharing night watches with an inveterate whistler. Watch as the crew, in the middle of the ocean, finally votes off the boat the person who used up the last of the fresh water washing their socks. Oh, the possibilities are endless. . . That would be gripping TV! Oh, and if there are any wealthy sponsors out there who want to take me up on this project, I get to keep the boat! CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground? |
