|
SCUTTLEBUTT No. 563 - May 5, 2000GUEST EDITORIAL - Russell Belden, CEO of the Seattle Challenge for the America's CupLately I have found myself named as a possible conspirator to "steal" the crew from New Zealand. This is completely untrue. We have not been involved in any attempts to "buy up" Team New Zealand, nor have we hired someone to carry out such dealings on our behalf. It is a shame that reporters for the most part have failed to contact us here at the Seattle Challenge to verify these rumors. The mission of our Challenge is to represent the Pacific Northwest and the United States in the spirit of the "perpetual Challenge Cup for friendly competition between nations." I believe with the technology, innovation, skills, and sailing know-how we have in the Pacific Northwest and the USA, we are fully capable of mounting a challenge to win the Cup. We are firmly committed to compete with an entirely American Crew. Sailors who have represented a country other than the USA in America's Cup competition will not be considered. As Mr. Koch mentioned in Scuttlebutt, the America's Cup should be fun. I realize that we are newcomers, and there are many who seem averse to us joining in the fun but I can assure you that we are coming, and with the best team we can field. But hey - don't worry too much, after all, no first time Challenger has ever won the Cup, right? As a new Challenger, I hope that our team can add fresh interest, enthusiasm and honor to the event. I embrace the spirit of the Deed of Gift and am excited to engage in a sportsmanlike, friendly rivalry between countries. Let's save the maneuvering for the course and not tarnish the silver we all want to have. I was surprised to hear that Mr. Koch questioned my grasp of reality - I am sure he was not aware that the former Il Moro is to be used only as a PR and training boat and that it will never stack up to the legend of America3. My advice to the Kiwi Sailors - stay in New Zealand! I want the chance to race against the best, and you guys showed you are. I hope to see you in 2003! - Russell Belden Website: http://www.seattlechallenge.com/ AMERICA'S CUP During a recent conversation with the curmudgeon at the California Yacht Club Kiwi yacht designer Laurie Davidson related an interesting story. A few weeks earlier, Davidson had been in Auckland where he presented the trophies for the New Zealand Etchells Championship. After he handed Dennis Conner his first place prize, DC announced to everyone in attendance that he was willing to pay Davidson a million dollars more than any other syndicate if Laurie would design Conner's next America's Cup boat(s). When I asked if that was a million US or a million Kiwi (there's a big difference), Davidson replied, "As far as I'm concerned, it was a million US." For the record, Davidson has a home in the Seattle area and has had duel citizenship for many years. He currently hold a US passport as well as one from New Zealand. A LOOK AT THE AMERICA'S CUP FROM DOWN UNDER It is said the New York Yacht Club and the San Francisco, St. Francis Yacht Club are planning a super challenge. Are we to see the days of old and the interesting interpretation of the rules? One thing I'm proud of as a Kiwi, is the way Sir Peter Blake and others clear the Cup up with regards to all the protests - lets keep it that way and see how good we are on the water not who has the best lawyer. Talking today with Peter Kingston, Commodore of the RNZYS, Peter told me the new protocol does not permit a super challenge and they would protest out anyone who tried. One needs to keep in mind as a challenger, the spirit and integrity of any challenge and be good roll models for the younger sailor to come. The possibility of the two teaming up for a super challenge puts all sorts of infighting pictures in my mind. It is alleged that the two Commodores don't get along. Can you imagine the politics? What is wrong with Corporate America? When a country of 70,000,000 sheep can win the cup, come on you yanks. And for the poms reading this, you're not off the hook yet either. In the words of Tom Hopkins G.O.Y.A. (get off your arses). So who will be at the next Cup? 1. Spanish challenge? 2. Le Defi - the French, this I am looking forward to. 3. The Poms - Richard Matthews of Oyster Marine has bought Chris Dickson's old Tag Heuer, but we haven't heard any thing out of the poms yet - what's going on boys? 4. Sweden? Unconfirmed as yet, would be nice to see more European challengers. 5. Young Australia - Syd Fischer backing them, I hope they turn some heads 6. Benetton? Yet another Italian Challenger unconfirmed. 7. Prada - no question there. 8. Dennis Conner - the man all kiwis love to hate. 9. Nippon have said they are coming back - Never say quit. 10. America One - we have seen Paul Cayard working hard 11. America True - hope they come back, now they have more confidence. 12. New York Yacht Club - that remains to be seen 13. Aloha Racing - with their artistic challenge 14. Fast 2000 - had funding trouble, let's hope that can be worked out. 15. Seattle? Team NZ will have to do it alone again. Brad (Butterworth) said after the first few races, "it's like inviting them around for dinner and they won't eat what you have cooked them." It will be the Kiwi focus thing again and all minds on the job at hand. Keeping the right attitude is one of the TNZ strong points. Even if Team NZ loose a few people, the bond that has been built is still very strong and I for one can't see things falling apart as much as people might think. We should judge them by the people they keep, not lose. - Allan Johnston, Sailsail website Full story: http://www.sailsail.com/news/news-article.asp?Articleid=387 BERMUDA RACE WEEK George Szabo and Carol Newman Cronin (3.75pts:1,1,1,1,1,2) won the 31 boat Snipe Class Bermuda Race Week series to take the 350th Anniversary Trophy. The duo combined great starts with smart, fast sailing to win the series. Second place went to Henry Filter and Lorie Stout with 12pts (3,3,3,3,6,1). Szabo and Filter are tuned and ready for the six-race Snipe North American Championship series to be sailed Thursday through Saturday. Kevin Farrar (Mystic CT) with 8pts (2,2,2, 5,2) put a boat between himself and Bill Widnall (Lexington, MA) finished ahead of Widnall (9.5pts 1,4,1,4,4) by 1.5 points in the International One Design (IOD) Class for the Bermuda Race Week Championship "A" trophy. Farrar sailed to consistent 2nd places in four of the five races and threw out a 5th for a total of 8pts. Widnall had two 1st places and three 4th places and ended with 9.5 points. - Talbot Wilson Event website: http://www.rbyc.bm SNIPE NAs Spanish Point Boat Club Pembroke, Bermuda - After a great 6 race series for International Race Week there was a glorious start to the 2000 NA's, 2 great races in 12-18 knots of steady breeze. Lee Griffith/Lisa Griffith took the first race with George Szabo/Carol Newman Cronin in second, Henry Filter/Lori Stout following and John/Maggie Manderson behind them. After a longer than hoped delay for Cruise Ship traffic, the second race was won by Filter/Stout, Szabo/Cronin again in second, Griffith/Griffith took third and the Mandersons ended the day with another fourth. Tomorrow the wind forecast is for 15-20 knots from the North. Complete results: http://www.snipe.org/regattas/results/2000/na2000.html MORE SZABO & CRONIN Though separated by some 3,000 miles, George Szabo and Carol Newman Cronin have found a way to make the ideal connection. Indeed east coast up tight and west coast laid back have combined to mesmerise and befuddle all who would challenge this unlikely pairing, one which ran away with the Snipes Class championship at this year's International Race Week Sponsored by Bacardi. Szabo, the classic surfer dude who refuses to grow up, and Cronin, all business all the time, present quite an unusual recipe, but results do not lie and thus far the finished dish has been nothing less than delectable.Five straight wins to begin the week - they were second in the final race, rendered meaningless via the earlier results - sent out an audible warning to the 31-member fleet. And with the North American Championships starting today the Szabo-Cronin tandem stands as the one for all to shoot for. "Socially I tend to be pretty serious and not a big drinker or big partier and he tends to be a bit more of the go-and-have-a-good-time (type) and I think I keep him a little more on the straight and narrow there. At the same time he lightens me up, so it's a give and take thing. Then tactically on the race course he really likes to play the centre while I prefer to test the edges. "I have a nickname back home, which is the Queen of Leverage. I like to get up on people's hips and he likes to tack back to the centre, so we kind of talk about it and balance each other out there." Their backgrounds collide in that both were born into sailing families, however they deviate again, with Cronin affectionately describing how she used to go out on nice cruises with her family during her youth and later got into serious racing, while Szabo's early experiences represent something out of an action adventure movie. "My dad sailed Star boats forever and from when I was three years-old I was dumped into a boat," said Szabo, a sail maker whose last name is Hungarian, but describes himself as `a mudbreed' with a little German, some Polish and some other stuff mixed in. "So I used to go sailing a lot and then at nine years-old you get a Laser and go out sailing...but forget about racing, let's get ten friends on board and go capsize the thing. "You're around the water all the time and just keep sailing for fun and eventually decide `Okay, racing's fun too'." Certainly, the tacks taken may have been different, but results speak for themselves. These have not gone unnoticed with Szabo recently nominated for the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Award and Cronin similarly for Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. - Patrick Bean, Royal Gazette Limited Full story: http://www.accessbda.bm/01/01010401.htm#10201S SOLING OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS QUALIFYING EVENT Platinum Point Yacht Club, Punta Gorda, Fla - (19 boats) Standings after eight races with one throwout (top eight boats go to the match race trials): 1. Baird/ Brenner/ Burnham (13 pts) 2. Horton/ Herlihy/ Buttner (14) 3. Madrigali/ Healy/ Jordan (21) 4. Mendelblatt/ Anderson/ Richardson (28) 5. Brown/ Guthrie/ Thorpe (33) 6. Galloway/ Mauk/ Chard (45) 7. Gladchun/ Norris/ Smith (48) 8. Medley/ Hulbert/ Williams (58) 9. Gochberg / Culver/ DeLisser (62) 10. Hoeksema/ Hoeksema/ Williams (67). Compete results: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/olympictrials/puntagorda.htm LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But only one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Bert Brown (hastily edited to our 250-word limit) - In 'Butt 560 Mr. Rose's said "Sailmaking would still be in the dark ages" and to illustrate that patents serve the public by providing a means for inventors to disclose their invention to the public and still keep some protection. Society, as a whole, benefits from this process because other researchers, even those in other fields of endeavor not related to sailmaking, can use these disclosures to leapfrog technology. Sailmaking could hardly be in the "dark ages" with inventors and manufacturers exchanging ideas and concepts! We should not confuse "using his invention in public" with the patent concept of "full public disclosure". Simply using or selling the sail in public is not providing to the public the knowledge behind the invention. Mr. Rose admitted he did not teach the public all he knew about how to make his invention, which is a fundamental requirement before a patent is granted. Again, as he stated previously in 'Butt, "it was ten years after we had built the first "Starcut" spinnaker before any other sailmaker had successfully implemented the idea." Obviously, Mr. Rose practiced a trade secret and used his knowledge to dominate a particular market because of his know-how. That was his right, and my hat goes off to him. The concept of patents has been a part of society since the time of the Greeks. Patents don't have to be about greed. Patents are about the dissemination of information and advancing society as a whole. -- From Bill Cook - Regarding Mr. Koch's comments in #562, I would say only that it is odd for him to say that he has never met nor spoken with Russel Belden, and then go on to say that he thinks the guy needs a dose of reality. My guess is that the Italian boat makes an excellent platform for taking sponsors out and increasing visibility in the community, and that it was available at a very reasonable price. It is wide, stable, solidly built, relatively easy to handle, and I believe has been used for this purpose in recent times by another American group. She is therefore already set up to handle this kind of thing. -- From Tom Gadbois- I get tempted to leave this sport when I hear about things like an American Syndicate offering to buy all the New Zealand firepower to win the America's Cup. This is an embarassment to our country and a personal affront to the many great sailing talents and designers in this country. To think we don't have the ingredients to win an Am Cup here is ludicrous. To outright bid to "Buy the cup back" is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard. I just hope it's not true. Maybe we should have these businessmen submit their bids on Jerry Springer. -- From Bruce Schwab - Even as a US sailor, I must admit I was very satisfied to see Team NZ retain the cup. If one views the AC as a grounds for development, the fact that even as defenders they had the guts to go with several progressive ideas. Different winglet position, progressive hull shape, and most impressively to me (as a professional rigger) a very exciting rig. Oh, and they sailed better. Careful observation of the whole picture will improve our US teams and eventually bring the cup home. Even though TNZ won the cup, the model for how a sponsor can get the most out of the AC was made by "Prada"! What was the other name of the boat? Bertelli had the guts to put his company name on the boat and go down fighting. By comparison, American sponsors came aboard late and cautiously put logos on booms and sails. Isn't our country the home of brave risk for a large return? We have the sailors, designers, and economy to support several large teams. They only need an early commitment from sponsors in return for full branding rights. They need to have the guts to go with innovative ideas no matter what the computers models say. And given an early start, I'm confident the teams of Paul Cayard, Dawn Riley, and others can hold there own on the water. The rumours of American backers buying up TNZ sailors is a bad barometer of the intestinal fortitude of American business as a whole. -- From Casey Woodrum - The more I read about the A-cup, the more Sir Peter Blake's move to the Cousteau Society makes sense. -- From Tom Donlan - The story of mysterious billionaires trying to hire away the NZ Cup crew is a priceless demonstration of the problem with professional sailing, and some of the Buttheads' reactions are scarcely less risible. I particularly admired the gentleman who opined that we all should "grow up" and realize that the America's Cup is about money and power, not about whatever it is that amateur yachting is about. He said "let's take off the gloves, stop being so nice and bring the Cup back where it belongs." How true, how true, but under those conditions it belongs in the New York Yacht Club, not Seattle. Maybe it's the people who think that spending $100 million to win the Cup is a worthy thing who have some growing up to do. It would be shameful, but somehow just, if the rules of national origin that were distorted to give other countries a chance to win the Cup were employed so that Americans could win it back. We could just snap back to the old days: Who would like to try winning the Cup without sails built in America? The powers that be should write a rule change that won't bring the Cup and its pursuers further into the disrepute they earn in each interval between the actual races: Require each entrant to field a crew of its citizens on a boat designed by its citizens, with equipment, such as sails, line and hardware available for purchase in its country, whether imported or not. JUNIOR OLYMPIC SAILING FESTIVAL More than 100 young sailors will head for the shores of Savannah, Georgia May 5-7, 2000 for this year's first USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival. Over 50 volunteers are preparing to welcome participants, up to age 19, and their families from North and South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia and Ohio. Boats being raced are Lasers, Laser Radials, Optimists, Sunfish, Club 420s and JY15s. Following a highly successful third year, US SAILING's Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals will expand in 2000 to 20 regional festivals, held a yacht clubs across the country. Run in cooperation with the U.S. Olympic Committee, the program was introduced in 1997 with six regional events, attended by 1,400 youth sailors, ages 7-19 US SAILING developed the program to boost grassroots participation in junior sailing. As part of the Junior Olympic programs, US SAILING honors exemplary youth sailors by naming them to the US Junior Sailing Team. The 2000 team will be comprised of the winners of this year's major national youth sailing championships, including the US Junior Women's Singlehanded & Doublehanded Championships (Leiter & Ida Lewis trophies), US Junior Sailing Championships (Sears, Bemis & Smythe trophies) and the USA Junior Olympic National Sailing Championship. The Team will also include US representatives to the 2000 ISAF World Youth Sailing Championships who are not already named above. US Junior Sailing Team members are role models for younger sailors and may be considered for future Olympic campaigns. USA Junior Olympic Sailing events are an element of US SAILING's Olympic Path, which was started in 1997 to enhance youth development opportunities in the US, and to provide a head start into Olympic sailing. It's a grass-roots youth development program that defines a path for youngsters to become involved in sailing and develop their skills, with a goal of making sailing a life-long sport. The United States Olympic Committee Junior Olympic Program involves more than 3,500,000 participants in over 20 sports annually. - Penny Piva Additional information: http://www.ussailing.org HIGH SCHOOL RACING * LONG BEACH, California - Featuring the top 20 teams from around California and Hawaii, the 2000 High School Pacific Coast Championships (PCCs) was a dramatic two-day event. Serving as the qualifier for the 2000 High School Nationals, the PCCs saw Newport Harbor HS level the field with a win by 55 points, while local team Wilson HS just made it under the wire to qualify for the Nationals. With perfect conditions on both days of the regatta, more than 100 spectators were treated to competitive sailing at its best just off of the Belmont Pier. The elite of the 66-team strong Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association, the top West Coast teams battled hard over the course of the event for one of the five berths to the Nationals. The Nationals, with the country's top 20 teams vying for the prestigious title, will be held May 13-14 at the United States Sailing Center. Newport Harbor HS, a perennial favorite, won decisively, with B Division skipper Tyler Haskell and crew Paige Thompson winning their division by 67 points. Corondo HS, The Bishops HS and University of San Diego HS also qualified with relative ease, taking second, third and fourth respectively. But the battle for the final spot came down to the last race for Wilson HS and Santa Barbara HS, with the two teams tying for fifth and Wilson HS winning the tiebreaker. Hosted by the United States Sailing Center, the 2000 PCCs served as a perfect practice regatta for the five West Coast teams as Nationals approach in two weeks. With brand-new boats and sails, and a crack race committee, the United States Sailing Center has once again proven itself to be one of the best spots to hold a regatta on the West Coast. - Michael Segerblom FINAL RESULTS: 1. Newport Harbor HS (111 pts) 2. Coronado HS (166) 3. The Bishops HS (188) 4. University of San Diego (206) 5. Wilson HS (242) * MADISON, WI - Orono High School of Minneapolis and Grosse Point South High School of Detroit won the two qualifying spots for the ISSA Mallory Fleet Racing Championship at the Midwest Qualifier held April 29-30 at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Fifteen teams from across the upper Midwest enjoyed racing on Lake Mendota in mostly light air on a delightful spring weekend. Orono and Grosse Point Teams that will be competing in Long Beach for the National Championship on May 13-14. - Dierk Polzin OVERALL STANDINGS (A + B Divisions, 18 races sailed): 1. Orono, MN, 45 points; 2. Grosse Point South, MI, 55; 3. Loyola, IL, 106; 4. Hill-Murray, MN 118; 5. Minnetonka, MN, 123. To find out more about Interscholastic Sailing: http://www.highschoolsailingusa.org, or http://www.missa.net THE CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have become really good friends. |
