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SCUTTLEBUTT 2827 - Tuesday, April 21, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsors are Hall Spars & Rigging, North Gear, and Ribcraft. WHAT DOES THE AMERICA'S CUP NEED RIGHT NOW? Like it or not, the America’s Cup is THE iconic event of sailing. Occasionally, it even makes for good spectating. Our eyes were opened during the 1987 match, with the 12 meters on display, thriving in the big breeze of the “Fremantle Doctor” in Western Australia? The 2007 match delivered again, as parity in team speed and the varying winds of Valencia assured that no lead was safe, and on any given day an upset could occur. The event felt like it was on a roll, with competition getting tighter, and television coverage getting better. Then, ugh, the legal impasse… and all the delays. Finally, this week the Defender and the Challenger of Record (COR) will meet to decide the future of the event. Huh? What about the rest of us? Does anyone care what we want? It is time for the ‘buttheads to say what we want. But let’s not base what we want on what is good for commercial sponsors, or what is good for professional sailors. Let’s not base what we want on what is good for our favorite team. Let’s base what we want on what will help the America’s Cup event earn back its iconic status. To keep the poll simple, please choose between these two options: - The Defender and COR racing in multi-hulls. - The Defender and a multi-challenger field racing in monohulls. Vote and comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0420 * MEETING: The representatives attending the meeting in Geneva, on Thursday April 23, to discuss the 33rd America’s Cup, will be for SNG/Alinghi: Brad Butterworth (Alinghi skipper), Lucien Masmejan (Alinghi General Counsel) and Fred Meyer (SNG Commodore); and for GGYC/BMW Oracle: Melinda Erkelens (GGYC Board member & BOR General Counsel), Richard Slater (BOR Racing Rules Advisor) and Manolo Ruiz de Elvira (BOR design team). -- BYM News, http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=53608 HALL AROUND THE WORLD Through our newly redesigned website, Hall Spars & Rigging is available "virtually" anywhere in the world. Read about our latest high-tech projects and Hall customer successes. Like the new STP 65 Luna Rossa's impressive win at the highly competitive Hublot Palma Vela in Spain. Or how Telefonica Blue is leading Leg 6 of the Volvo Race from Rio to Boston. Or how our field team is in Italy, stepping Seamless masts on three spectacular new Wally Yachts. All around the world, Hall gets you online with superior spar and rigging products and services. -- http://www.hallspars.com LEADING THE CHARGE For the 2012 Olympics, there will be a new event: Women’s Match Racing. Among those leading the charge for the Americans is Genny Tulloch, currently the top ranked member of the US SAILING Team Alphagraphics. Here Genny provides Scuttlebutt with an update: * Have you committed to an Olympic campaign? Genny Tulloch: “Yes, definitely trying for the 2012 Olympics. Timing is pretty perfect for me, I'm 24 now, did a brief campaign in 470s after graduating (from college in 2005), I was with Morning Light (documentary), and then spent a brief time last year in the Yngling to help Sally Barkow’s team train for the 2008 Olympics. I feel I've matured a lot in my sailing and my understanding of the sport on all levels, and am also happy with the bigger boat experience that I've been involved with in the last couple years (and that I'm continuing to be involved with) - something which a lot of people miss if they go straight from college to an Olympic campaign.” * Why match racing and not one of the other women events? Genny Tulloch: “I'm choosing match racing for a lot of reasons. First, I like the mental aspect and skill involved in the sport. You have to think about many of the factors of a typical fleet race and combine match racing tactics in as well, so it's pretty mentally involved, and I like that. I learned to team race in college and was on one of the best team racing teams in the nation (Harvard won the Fowle Trophy for best college sailing team 5 yrs in a row), so I learned the discipline really well, and really enjoyed it. I am able to apply a lot of the team racing skills to match racing, so have learned and picked up the sport really quickly. Second, I actually like the fact that all the match racing sailing is in keelboats, as I've branched out into keelboat sailing more in the last couple of years, compared to only dinghy sailing growing up and in college. Yet the Eliot 6m (boat to be used in 2012 Olympics) looks like it might be a great mix of the two, a very responsive little keelboat that practically sails like a dinghy.” * How do you see training for the match race event differing from the other women’s events? -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0420/ => Curmudgeon’s Comment: If you were at Charleston Race Week, you would have seen Genny hiking for Simon Strauss aboard the Melges 24 ‘Simplicity’. Look for our interview with Genny to be continued in Scuttlebutt 2828. REELING IN THE LEADER (Apr. 20, 2009; Day 10) - The compression has started among the Volvo Ocean Race fleet. The culprit is the effect of a high pressure ridge linked to the Azores which Telefonica Blue has encountered. It will hamper the rest of the fleet over the coming days as they too lose pressure. Said Telefónica Blue navigator Tom Addis, “It’s never enjoyable being the lead boat when the fleet is compressing on you, but there is not a lot we can do about it, but we are fine and we are pushing the boat as hard as we can.” “Now the Weather Gods are smiling in our favour a little bit and pushing Telefónica Blue into lighter air and allowing us to tighten up the gap,” said PUMA’s skipper Kenny Read. However, notes Delta Lloyd’s navigator Wouter Verbraak, you must be careful what you ask for. “The weather models look so horrible that I am contemplating making lots of coffees for the guys, going on deck to help out, check clouds etc. Anything to get me away from the computer and the horrible stuff it is spitting out at me,” Verbraak said. Telefónica Blue is now on the same latitude as Puerto Rico and aiming at Boston, while the threesome of PUMA, Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 are parallel with each other and nearly bows even, positioned behind T-Blue, PUMA 54 miles to weather of E4 with E3 in the middle. -- Excerpts from race website Crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Leg Six from Rio de Janiero, Brazil to Boston, MA, USA is 4,900 nm, with the finish estimated on April 27th. Current positions (as of Apr. 20, 22:15 GMT): 1. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 1,898 nm Distance to Finish 2. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 51 nm Distance to Leader 3. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 52 nm DTL 4. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 53 nm DTL 5. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 87 nm DTL 6. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 92 nm DTL 7. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 118 nm DTL Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, Did Not Start Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 WOW MOM THIS MOTHER'S DAY! Looking for the perfect gift for Mom on her special day? (Hint: Mother's Day is May 10...) How about surprising her with a bag from North Gear! We've got Totes and Duffels made of recycled 3DL sails; traditional handbags in the latest Spring colors; re-useable Market Totes for a greener trip to the grocery store and more! And check out the deals for every member of the family in Clearance. When performance, style and value matter, head North! -- http://www.northsailsgear.com/store/?c=44 LIGHTNING CLASS UNVEILS FLEET DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE Many one-design classes are bemoaning the dramatic decrease in activity due to the economic downturn, but for the International Lightning Class Association (ILCA), the situation has spurred the class to action. “The Lightning class has two main builders. Boat orders are down and it would be all too easy to foresee that one or both of them might not weather the economic storm,” according to John Faus, Treasurer of the ILCA. ILCA Executive Board Fifth Member Victor Lobos of Concepcion, Chile, agrees, “Without boat-builders, even a vital class like the Lightning could fade into history.” But can a class association save not one but two businesses? The short answer: maybe, if they can help generate new boat orders. Moving with unprecedented alacrity, the ILCA Executive Board has approved a new program to encourage development of fleets outside of the U.S. and Canada. The program will offer assistance for overseas shipment of new and nearly new Lightnings in the form of advice, boat “matchmaking,” and funding to defray shipping costs. “I think everyone is concerned about what will happen in the next couple of months,” said class Secretary Rob Ruhlman. “It’s probably better to take action sooner rather than later.” -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/cqexds BACK ON SCHEDULE IN HYÈRES Hyères, France (Apr. 20, 2009; Day 2) - Racing in the Semaine Olympique Française, the fourth of seven International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup events, got back on schedule with extra races sailed in all classes. Despite the rain, the Easterly wind reached a maximum of 15 knots to allow racing to start on time. It wasn’t easy sailing with clouds creating uneven pressure in the racing area requiring the sailors to stay focused. For most of the top North Americans, it was moving day toward the podium, but none more so than Americans Stu McNay and Graham Biehl in the Men’s 470. The team added a 3-1 to Monday’s 1-9 score card, moving now into the lead as they start to show signs of consistency that has often been missing from their events. Other Americans helping themselves were Anna Tunnicliffe, who moved from sixth to third position by rolling a 15-5-9; Andrew MacDonald/Brian Faith now just two points off the lead in the 6-boat Star fleet; and Brad Funk rolling an 8-9 in the Laser, moving up from 73rd to 38th but still needing a drop race to eliminate his BFD. For 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist Paul Tingley (CAN), an OCS-3-1 today moves him down to fifth. -- Event website: http://sof.ffvoile.net SAILING SHORTS * (Larchmont, NY) - Danny Pletsch and Kari Sachs of Larchmont Yacht Club won the 2009 Interclub National Championship this past weekend at their home club, capping a dominant weekend at the event for Larchmont. The Pletsch-Sachs boat breezed to victory in four of the 11 races held over the two-day regatta. Their performance wasn't alone among the host club's highlights. Theirs was one of six boats from Larchmont Yacht Club to place in the top 10. In total, 29 of the 55 boats in the field were from Larchmont, which hosted the event for the first time since 2003. -- Story and results: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7325 * (Marblehead, MA) Boston Yacht Club held the 10th anniversary Jackson Cup Team Racing regatta this past weekend, which after two days of round robin racing saw Seawanhaka Corinthian best the New York Yacht Club in a tightly fought final. Joining the field of eight clubs were the Royal Thames Yacht Club (London) and The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (Halifax). Boston Yacht Club beat out The Royal Thames for third. -- Complete report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7343 * Unless disaster strikes at the Bermuda Race Week in the first race Tuesday, Somers Kempe has the A Series in the IOD class locked up already. In the Etchells class, Ed O’Sullivan (San Diego, CA) moved into first place with a 1-4-1 on the day. Tim Lynch broke Sunday’s tie and leads the J/24 class by one point (1-3-2-1-2) over Lance Fraser (2-2-3-2-7) and is three points ahead of last year’s Bermuda champ Trevor Boyce (3-6-1-4-3). -- Daily reports: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7346 * The entry deadline for the 62nd Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race is April 21st at 5 p.m. As of April 16th there are 268 boats entered. For the start this Friday, spectators on Balboa Pier at the new start line will have a front-row look at the two-hour sequence of starts beginning at noon. Former NOSA commodore Jerry Moulton will offer explanatory commentary from the roof of Ruby's restaurant. -- http://www.nosa.org/nosa-N2E.html * The International 470 Class announced the expansion of its Sailor Development Programmes with the launch of the “You Can Help” programme and the continuation of the “International 470 Solidarity Programme”. The “You Can Help” programme aims to secure donations of 470 equipment for sailors from emerging sailing nations. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7341 * Transpacific Yacht Club has announced the Transpac Weather Symposium, a one-day seminar for 2009 Transpac participants to learn about the intricacies and impact of weather planning for the 2,225 mile journey across the Pacific. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7342 * With Earth Day’s arrival April 22, the BoatUS Foundation plans to honor those who have made a significant contribution towards improving waterway health and educating boaters on how to minimize their environmental impact. Any group, organization, company, marina or individual who has worked hard to make a difference is eligible for the 2009 BoatUS Foundation Environmental Leadership Award. The recipient also receives $1,000 to help continue their environmental efforts. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2009. -- Full details: http://www.boatus.com/news/PR_Full.asp?ID=379 * Hinckley Yachts in the US said that it intends to lay off 26 workers at its facility in Trenton, Maine, and that more layoffs could come through July. Local news reports quoted company officials as saying that if the economy does not improve, Hinckley may shut down its facility and move its powerboat production elsewhere. Hinckley CEO James McManus told WABI.com that it had enough orders to keep the facility operational through next February. According to the website, this will be the third round of layoffs at Hinckley since last October. About 100 people have been laid off. -- IBI Magazine, full story: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20090320153827ibinews.html COACH BOAT, RACE TENDER, OR A JUST FOR FUN BOAT? No matter what you’re in the market for, the RIBCRAFT line of rigid inflatable boats, ranging in size from 15’ to 30’, will meet your every need. There’s still time to place an order for a summer delivery. Contact RIBCRAFT today or visit http://www.ribcraftusa.com to learn more. MAKE APRIL 22ND ROBIN KNOX-JOHNSTON DAY by Adam Turinas OK, so many of you will be reading this and thinking, "Hey Dummy, April 22nd is Earth Day". Well of course it is, but it is also the 40th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's completion of the first-ever single-handed solo non-stop circumnavigation - 30,000 miles, 313 days at sea, most out of touch of humanity, in a 32 ft teak ketch. Nine people entered the Sunday Times, Golden Globe Race in 1968 to be the first to accomplish this. Only one, Robin Knox-Johnston made it finishing on April 22nd 1969. Six abandoned, one sank (Nigel Tetley), one decided to keep sailing (Moitessier) and one was driven mad (Crowhurst). Sailing round the world single-handed non-stop is called the Everest of Sailing. One difference: over 1,500 people have climbed Everest. Less than 100 in 40 years have achieved a non-stop solo circumnavigation. Robin Knox-Johnston's feat is worth celebrating on April 22nd even though it conflicts with Earth Day. (BTW: I thought that maybe we could make RKJs' birthday RKJ Day but that's March 17th and St Patrick’s day and that's way too much of a conflict!) Join me in celebrating the 40th anniversary by making April 22nd Robin Knox-Johnston Day on the Web. There are four ways you can show your support, click here to find out more: http://tinyurl.com/April-22-2009 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Why has everyone started mumbling? Special thanks to Hall Spars & Rigging, North Gear, and Ribcraft. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
