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SCUTTLEBUTT 1794 - March 14, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest 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, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. FOR THE FIRST TIME After reaching an agreement with Alcatel to increase the worldwide coverage of the Americas Cup races, and expressing delight at welcoming the Chinese as official financiers of the French Challenger Le Defi, the Americas Cup Management Committee yesterday stated that for the first time there would be three Italian Challengers for the 32nd edition of the Americas Cup Races that are scheduled to take place in Valencia in 2007. The 'Mascalzone Latino' syndicate has now confirmed that it has all the qualifications to enter the races, with a budget that is superior to 60 million Euros. This has been financed through the syndicate as well as its associated companies and three banks: the Banca di Roma, the Banco di Sicilia and the Bipop Carire group. The syndicate has currently offered a million dollars to buy the two craft that belonged to the Stars and Stripes syndicate of Dennis Conner of the United States - the USA-66 and USA-77 that are currently being stored in New Zealand. As a result of the three Italian syndicates, the Italian television station La7 will officially acquire the broadcasting rights for the Americas Cup races in Italy. The agreement is expected to be announced next week. Meanwhile, the Mascalzone Latino will participate in the first regattas of the Americas Cup that will take place in Valencia in June. www.valencialife.net WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT SAILING? "You make really great friendships. One thing I like is the team building aspect of it--learning to take a team and make them perform better than they really would have just as individuals. That's really important because it's one thing that's not only allowed me to do well in sailing, but also in my business. The other thing I like is the winning and loosing. I used to get so frustrated when I lost, and now I realize that sometimes you learn a lot more from losing. If you find ways to compete at a higher level, you get better, but you can't get better if everything comes easily. I'm not saying I like to lose, but on the other hand, I think you need to lose to be a good winner. You learn a lot from things being tough. I didn't appreciate this as much when I was younger." - Tom Whidden, president and chief executive of North Marine Group and recent inductee to the America's Cup Hall of Fame. From an interview in Forbes: www.forbes.com/sport/2005/03/10/cx_vg_0310exac.html THE STARS Miami, FL - Friday, Mar. 11 - Floridians Mark Mendelblatt and crew Mark Strube won the 2005 BACARDI Cup, a six-race series sailed annually in Biscayne Bay since 1962. Howie Shiebler of San Francisco, CA and crew Anson Stookey of Middletown, RI won Friday's Day Six race and keep their second place overall standing from Thursday. Two-time Bacardi Cup winner Peter Bromby and crew Rick Peters came in a disappointing eighth today, moving them down from first to third place overall. Defending Bacardi Cup champions Afonso Domingos and Bernardo Santos from Portugal keep their ninth place overall with a finish in 20th place Friday. Unlike the last three days of racing, there was little wind on the Bay for the 70 boats representing 10 countries. With a one-hour delay on the start, the fleet finally seized the five-knot gusts coming out of the south. The 10.5-mile course was changed slightly to take advantage of the wind shift to the SE and increase to 10-15 knots. Final results - six races with one discard races (70 boats): 1. Mark Mendelblatt / Mark Strube, 14 2. Howie Shiebler / Anson Stookey, 18 3. Peter Bromby / Rick Peters, 20 pts 4. Rick Merriman/ Brad Nichol, 26 5. John MacCausland / Brian Fatih, 31 6. Vince Brun / Doug Brophy, 33 7. George Szabo / Christian Finnsgard, 36 8. Andy Macdonald / Austin Sperry, 38 9. Afonso Domingos / Bernardo Santos, 44 10. Augie Diaz / Bob Schofield, 46 Complete results: www.starclass.org/search2.cgi?Action=results SAVE 50-75% ON JACKETS< BIBS< SMOCKS AND MORE>>>>>>>>> Check out outstanding opportunities on great Henri Lloyd discontinued clothing now, while the selection is good and spring weather is near. You'll find Jackets, Bibs, Spray Tops and Smocks, all with superior construction, incomparable fit, and exceptional details, everything you expect from Henri Lloyd, now at dramatic savings. Buy one or more and take them everywhere you go, but don't take too long to decide -- these web specials won't be around for long! http://www.henrilloydonline.com/scuttlebutt ACURA MIAMI RACE WEEK Sparkling south Florida waters and varied conditions over four days proved that tactical, smart sailing made the difference in a suspenseful finish to Acura Miami Race Week Sunday. Down-to-the-wire racing was among the highlights of a regatta that is a true renaissance event with 142 plus boats and 1200 sailors more than doubling the fleet from last year's former SORC. In the Transpac 52 fleet, "Bambakou" took first place overall after a strong team effort by owner John Coumantaros with tactician and America's Cup helmsman Ken Read, both of Newport, R.I., taking the top honors. Three top boats from Europe in the Farr 40 class dominated their event with lead reversals the order of the day with the final win going to Dutchman Peter de Ridder's "Mean Machine" who beat the young Greek team "Atalanti" owned by Stratis Andreadis of Athens, Greece. The Greeks had a strong debut performance after they had trailed the German team "Opus One" owned by Wolfgang Stolz of Germany until Sunday. In the PHRF-1 class, Dan Meyers of Boston led his "Numbers" to victory with America's Cup Hall of Fame tactician Brad Butterworth calling tactics after very close racing against the Tripp 47 "Cabaret" owned by Bob Limoggio of Newport, R.I. The J/105 fleet was very deep here in Miami this week but the undisputed winner of both the 2005 Florida Grand Prix trophy and class honors was "Masquerade" owned by Thomas Coates of San Francisco, CA who had four bullets over three days. - Laurie Fullerton, complete results: www.premiere-racing.com/ LESS THAN 50 DAYS? Since Friday lunchtime, the Orange II maxi catamaran has been heading northwards averaging 20 knots. On the western edge of the high, the southerly wind has strengthened and the maxi catamaran has been able to put on some more speed again. To achieve this, they are having to carry out a series of gybes to head due north, rounding the wind hole in the centre, as best they can, before catching the low-pressure system that will take them back to France. Bruno Peyron and his navigator Roger Nilson now have a clear picture in their mind of what is likely to happen between now and Tuesday 15th March, which looks increasingly likely to be the date, when they cross the finishing line off Ushant. If they finish before 11.00 GMT on the 15th March their time will be 49 days and XX hours. Any later and they will be into their fiftieth day. At 0158 GMT on Monday Orange II had covered 25,680 nm at an average speed of 22 knots, having sailed 463 nm in the previous 24 hours. Orange II is now 2803 ahead of the absolute record held by Steve Fossett's Cheyenne with only 1286 nm to go. - www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ ORYX QUEST 05 "I made a calculation of all RTW trips on maxi-multihulls and there has only been a 50% success ratio of getting to the finish without stopping or having a major problem. I guess this race is no different. We all have our fingers crossed that statistics can't lie, and that Daedalus and Doha 2006 make it back to Doha. For us that's over 8500 miles away and that's a lot of ocean to cross, and a lot more fatigue on the boat. We are still sailing as smartly and alertly as possible, but there is also now that extra element of caution, both in our choice of routing, and in how hard we push the boat. It's a marathon and we have to get to the finish line. That old adage, 'to finish first, first you have to finish', is never truer than for us right now." - Brian Thompson, navigator, Doha 2006, www.maxicatdoha.com Standings at 0133 GMT Monday: 1. Doha 2006, 7008 miles to finish, 2. Deadalus 3490 miles to leader; Retired: Geronimo & Cheyenne. - www.oryxquest.com/ RED HOT PERFORMANCE Congratulations once again to Tom and Dotty Hill and the crew on Titan XII for dominating the big boat division at last week's 2005 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. One great performance deserves another, and that's why they chose Ockam Instruments for their big red R/P 75. Titan XII utilizes Ockam's superior Tryad processing power and the amazing Matryx graphical display. Known around the world for performance, accuracy and reliability, Ockam Instruments are not just for Grand Prix yachts. We have instrument solutions for everyone looking for a distinct competitive advantage. For more info, contact Ockam. mailto:lat@ockam.com LASER MIDWINTERS -WEST Royce Weber from New Jersey qualified for the 2005 World Youth Championships in Pussan, Korea by being the top junior in the Laser Midwinters - West Regatta at the California YC in Marina del Rey, California. Nine races were completed in light to moderate breezes of 5- 10 knots. Weber finished seventh in the 65-boat full rig Laser fleet that was dominated by two Canadians. Dave Wright was the top boat - 15 points ahead of his Canadian training partner Bernard Luttner, who had a 29 point lead over the top Apprentice - Ned Jones. Jones finished third, one point ahead of Chris Raad, who was once again the top Master in the event. In the 61-boat Radial division, Mexico's two time Olympian Tania Elias Calles won seven of the nine races to earn a commanding a 25-point lead over Jennifer Spalding - a student from Vancouver, Canada. Leah Loepfner from Corpus Christi, Texas was the top junior in the division and took third place. On the final day of the regatta, Kathy Luciano from Venice, California somehow attracted the attention of a baby seal - and sailed all three races with the seal on the deck of her Laser Radial. "He seemed to enjoy the free ride," Luciano reported, "but he didn't hike very hard." - Complete results: www.calyachtclub.com NEWS BRIEFS * The Vendee Globe Race is officially now over. Early Sunday evening, Benefic skippered by Karen Leibovici crossed the finish line of this single-handed race. Her race time to make the 23,680 miles is 126 days 08 hours 02 minutes and 20 seconds at an average theoretical speed across the course of 7.81 knots.. Leibovici becomes the fourth woman in history to have completed the Vendée Globe after Catherine Chabaud, Ellen MacArthur and Anne Liardet. On Saturday, Raphaël Dinelli (Akena Verandas) finished at Sables d'Olonne - his first Vendee Globe finish in three attempts. - www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/ * Ten boats from six states race the Melges 24 Gulf Coast Championship at the Jackson YC in Jackson Mississippi, but Travis Weisleder from New Jersey turned it into a clinic by winning four of the five races. With big shifts and winds from 8- 30+, Texans Matt Mayo and Mark Bryan took the remaining spots on the podium. http://tinyurl.com/4wuts * NZL 38 - the boat that won the 1995 America's Cup in San Diego and moved the competition to the Hauraki Gulf - is now in Valencia where she is being modified for charter service. The boat was used by the Swedish syndicate for AC 31 and was stored in Sweden until last year. - www.saileurope.com * For over 50 years of outstanding service in the boating industry, San Diego-based Driscoll Boat Works has received the annual "Award of Excellence" by the American Boat Builders and Repairers Association (ABBRA) at its 2005 International Marina Conference. The "Award of Excellence" is one of four awards handed out by ABBRA, and recognizes a service or repair facility that demonstrates excellence in areas including customer service, quality of management and positive relations with both vendors and employees. ABBRA is a 250-member organization representing boatyards, repairers and industry related businesses in the United States and abroad. * Active and associate membership in Boating Writers International (BWI) has grown to 430 writers, more than 60 new members in the past year. The gain is partly attributed to BWI's widely promoted annual Writing Contest that presented awards to 42 winners at the recent Miami International Boat Show. BWI is a non-profit professional organization consisting of writers, broadcasters, editors, photographers, public relations specialists and others in the communications profession associated with the boating industry. - http://bwi.org/ SAIL TRANSATLANTIC & LEARN CELESTIAL NAVIGATION A seminar in deep-water navigation aboard luxurious full-rigged ship Royal Clipper. Sail from Barbados to Spain; 16 nights departing April 23rd. Practice sextant, sight reductions, and celestial calculators. Experience voyage planning, weather routing, and ocean track plotting. And much more. From $2,999/passenger for voyage/seminar; $1,811 for voyage only. Details: http://tinyurl.com/4czre LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (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 Eric Johnson: After reading the TP 52 weight limit program and the remembering the change in the Star Class rules, I have to ask "What it driving this?" I am finding more and more events are plugging in weight limits. While it is great to have the mass going upwind to lever the boat down, you have to carry the "railmeat" with you on the down wind where they are not as desirable. The usual response it that "We want to make the racing fairer." My response is "Fairer for who?" Is this some social program where the goal is to have 75kg as the norm for all sailors? At 95kg, I am being legislated out of a good section of the sport. Personally I think this is a conspiracy of the lightweights to limit competition and reduce the amount of food, water and libations they need to supply for events. * From Capt Marty: Late in the night after waiting for a lengthy protest decision at last years Etchell Worlds in Mooloolabah, Sir Jim Hardy one of Australia's favourite sailing hero's and winemaker extraordinaire offered some of the cuff advice to assembled concerned competitors about the weighing regime going on each day. "Drink lots of red wine with your dinner as it dehydrates you". One such borderline competitor followed Jim's advice and viola the next morning he was the lightest he has ever been and went on to win the next race. I think it also helps to develop tunnel vision were the helm can only manage to remain focused on the telltales. * From John Harwood-Bee: It is a shame that Skip Rockwell is so negative about the ORYX. It is acknowledged that it is not on a RTW record course and that the event was surrounded by plenty controversy. However, to dismiss the efforts of the yachtsmen involved and to criticize the vessels is disingenuous. Cheyenne is only 6 years old and has until now held the majority of sailing records. Geronimo is only 3 years old and supposedly at the forefront of current technology. Bullimore is one of the bravest sailors around and Brian Thompson has continued to demonstrate his world class abilities by staying ahead of the fleet despite having an older boat. This is about endurance racing, guts and determination. This racetrack is the toughest in the world and for the first time we have seen these giants battling against each other and the elements. I find that exciting and have followed the progress daily. When the event started most money was on Geronimo with Cheyenne a close second. Now they are out and it is the underdogs left in. The disappointment is that there were not seven boats in the race. As for prize booty, please explain what is wrong with that. If Skip wants boring perhaps he should watch Grand Prix car racing ,or worse, the Americas Cup. It's like watching paint dry. I'll stick with the excitement of these 'G' class yachts and 'Le Mans 24 Hr' thank you. * From Andrew Bellamy (In response to Skip Rockwell's comments on the Oryx Quest in S1793): If the idea of the maxi-multis racing around the world bores you Skip, keep it to yourself. I have been forced to watch Doha 2006 (formerly Club Med, then Maiden 2) sit in Ocean Village, Southampton since she finished The Race. Watching a boat like that sit unused in a marina is enough to make some racing sailors bow their heads and shed a tear. My respect for Tracy in grabbing the situation by the horns and getting it back on track is immense, and Qatar should be very proud to have rescued the most neglected offshore yacht racing fleet. So what if this race came together very late, and the entry list isn't quite what it could have been? Its what comes next - now that the Qatar people have seen these machines in action and realized what it could be - that could do so much for offshore maxi-boat racing. I also hope that this mail will form a prompt for an apology from Skip to everybody reading scuttlebutt. I am shocked that a member of the sailing community could wish another boat to cartwheel. You should be ashamed. I ask the race committee (Ed) to DSQ you on grounds of unsportsmanlike behaviour- Consider my red flag to be flying. To my friends on Daedalus and Doha 2006 - I am so very jealous and I hope to hear all of the stories in the bar on your safe return. * From Will Keene: You've now offended all guys over 60, if you offend a different group everyday then ultimately we will all be offended equally, and when we're not feeling offended we'll be laughing, Butt-- Since we're all offended equally you will be "Politically Correct." * From Mike Vining: I try and follow Scuttlebutt every day. On days when I'm traveling, I look forward to catching up a few days at a time. It's light hearted and keeps me in touch with a sport I love even when there is ice on the water outside my window. But lately, I don't think we need a grain of salt. We need some chill pills. On our boat when somebody "goes off" we usually administer a "chill pill" in the form of a can of beer. Can you figure out how we can administer a few electronic "chill pills?" Maybe it is the moon! Or maybe winter is dragging on too long in some parts of the country. Sheeeese! * From Peter O. Allen, Sr. (Regarding your observation One of the perks of being over 60 is that there is nothing left to learn the hard way0: I have found that refresher courses are still provided - also in the hard way. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Behind every successful man is a surprised woman. - Maryon Pearson |
