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SCUTTLEBUTT 2127 - June 30, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.YOUTH SAILING CHAMPIONS Grosse Pointe, Mich. (June 28, 2006) - The wind finally came in on Wednesday, the last day of racing at US Sailing’s 2006 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats and Nautica and hosted by Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. In three of the four classes raced in the regatta, it came down to the final race to determine a winner. For Royce Weber (Surf City, N.J.), Wednesday turned out to be a terrific day, as he won the Laser fleet and earned himself a spot on the US Youth World Team to compete in next month's Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship Weymouth, England, site of the 2012 Olympic Regatta. Going into the final race, Weber was locked in a tie with Zeke Horowitz (Sarasota, Fla.). When the final race had to be abandoned due to weather, Weber won the tie-breaker to take home the Robert L. Johnstone III trophy. This will be Royce Weber's second chance at a World Championship title: he also qualified for last year's US Youth World Team and finished just outside of medal-range in fifth place at the 2005 Youth Worlds. Meanwhile, in the highly competitive Club 420 fleet, 2005 U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Champions Rebecca Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) and Leigh Hammel (Warren, Vt.) were also in a close contest going into the final race, with only one point separating them from Taylor Canfield and Nathan Rosenberg (both from St. Thomas, USVI). At the same time, four other teams were nipping at both teams' heels with only six points separating the leader from sixth place. In a thrilling final race, it was Dellenbaugh and Hammel who finished a consistent second place and won the entire regatta and US Sailing’s Manton Scott Trophy. This is Leigh Hammel's second consecutive win of this trophy after winning it last year with Rebecca Dellenbaugh's younger sister Emily. In the 29er class' inaugural appearance, Chris Vetter and Kelsee Connon (both from St. Petersburg, Fla.) took the initial lead and never let it go. With five wins out of eight races, the two demonstrated that their experience in the Club 420 allowed them to do well in the 29er, a boat they've just recently started to sail. -- http://www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp MORE THAN JUST TOURISTS Rather than just sit around pools and play tourist for months on end, many of the wives and partners of America’s Cup personnel in Valencia decided to get involved in the community … and to give something back. To do that, they formed Agua Limpia -- a non profit organization focused on raising the awareness of the importance of clean marine water. They go to schools and present information to classes about the sea, and about what can be done to keep it clean. They also make it possible for young students to attend workshops offered by L'Oceanografic, Europe's largest aquarium. “The workshops focus on the conservation of the marine environment and its inhabitants, the importance of clean oceans, the causes of sea pollution and the potential solutions,” explained Agua Limpia Director Libby Johnson McKee. “We strongly believe that by educating young children to respect water and the marine environment, it is possible to reach out to the adult generations, too.” At this point, Agua Limpia has members from almost every AC team and from the Valencia community. Throughout the last two weeks, the members have increased the awareness of the Agua Limpia project within the city of Valencia - by distributing leaflets in the Turia Park and the Malvarrosa beach, by talking to the people in the street and by encouraging their own neighbors to join the project. To date, these ambitious volunteers have raised 3,000 Euros (US$3760) by selling T-shirts and wristbands “Ten Euros makes it possible to send one child to Oceanografic,’ McKee stated. “Should you see a blue wristband on one of the sailors during the America's Cup regattas, you can be sure that person is supporting Agua Limpia,” -- http://www.agua-limpia.net/. VIDEO OF THE WEEK This week's video caught our eye out of curiosity, which showed a 36-foot catamaran that unfolded from 8’6” trailering width to a 24’ beam while in the water. It is the prototype from a start-up company that hopes to appeal to folks who love catamarans, but seek solutions for land transport and narrow passages. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/#media SEMI-FINAL LINEUPS The three division winning skippers have chosen their opponents for the semi-finals of Louis Vuitton Act 12. Division 1: Emirates Team New Zealand vs. BMW Oracle Racing Luna Rossa Challenge vs. Alinghi Division 2: Desafío Español 2007 vs. Team Shosholoza Mascalzone Latino Capitalia vs. Victory Challenge Division 3: Areva Challenge vs. China Team +39 Challenge vs. United Internet Germany The semi-finals begin on Friday and continue through the weekend. The first team to win two points will be the winner of each semi-final, and advance to the division final. The loser moves to the division petit final. You can listen to all of the exciting action online as host Richard Simmonds and expert commentators Andy Green, Geordie Shaver, and Matthew Sheahan describe the matches live from the water. -- http://www.americascup.com SAILFLOW.COM - WEATHER WHERE YOU SAIL! SailFlow, the leader in real-time and forecasted marine weather, announces the completion of a new website. By collecting all public weather data (buoys, forecasts, warnings, satellite/radar, etc), SailFlow's new FREE service eliminates your need for multiple weather bookmarks by giving you everything in one convenient location. Plus SailFlow operates a network of proprietary weather stations placed right where you sail and uses their own computer model to forecast conditions. A recent addition is a revolutionary weather graph that scrolls between current, past, and forecasted conditions without having to reload the page. -- http://www.SailFlow.com/new PRACTICALLY UNASSAILABLE With the three Irish teams still holding on to the top three places, they now hold a practically unassailable advantage over the rest of the teams in the Rolex Commodores’ Cup with one inshore race and the long double points scoring 36 hour offshore race to come tomorrow. Fourth placed GBR White, in comparison, is 30 points off third closely followed by France Bleu. While the Irish seem all but assured of victory the question remains - which of the three Irish teams will come out on top following the final high scoring offshore race? Only 10 points separate the three teams. Two years ago the Irish challenge fell away on the last race. The teams are determined not to let that happen again. The five top teams are: 1. Ireland Green, 37 2. Ireland Orange, 45.5 3. Ireland White, 47.25 4. GBR White, 78 5. France Bleu, 80.5 Complete standing for the 13-team event: www.rorc.org/comcup/index.php TOTALLY UNASSAILABLE The eighth and final stage of the 2005-’06 World Match Racing Tour, the Locman Cup - Elba Island, is scheduled July 11-16 on Italy’s Elba Island. But regardless of the outcome, the 46-year-old Peter Gilmour will be awarded his third consecutive World Tour championship and fourth World Match-Racing Championship at the conclusion of the event. Gilmour, skipper of the PST crew, secured the honor by winning Match Race Germany earlier this month. He’s 39 points ahead of second-placed Staffan Lindberg of Finland. With 25 points awarded for first place, Gilmour’s position is unassailable. Gilmour will be awarded a BMW X3 3.0i (valued at $45,000) from World Tour partner BMW AG, a $30,000 cash prize from the Tour and the official World Championship trophy. The 100,000€ (approximately $125,000) Locman Cup – Elba Island will features three of the top five skippers on the World Tour leaderboard: Gilmour, Lindberg and Ian Williams of Great Britain. Event organizers are aiming for a lineup of 12 crews. Gilmour will sail in Elba with Rod Dawson, Christian Scherrer, Kazuhiko Sofuku and Yasuhiro Yaji. -- Sean McNeill, http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/ TRIVIA QUESTION What American event became the largest gathering of maritime craft in the world’s history? (Answer below) MARITIME MAVERICK When I first placed the coffee table book, ‘Maritime Maverick - The Collection of William I. Koch,’ on my coffee table I was a bit embarrassed that I didn’t have a nicer coffee table. The book is without question a thing of beauty, totally in keeping with the beauty that lies within its covers. To say that Bill Koch is an art collector is an enormous understatement. He admits to being obsessive about it, and to collecting what he likes and what makes him feel good. Viewing his collection in this magnificent book will make many others feel good as well. I have no idea how many plates are in this heavy, six pound book, depicting Koch’s collection of art, his models and his nautical artifacts, but there are lots and lots of them. And those plates are truly works of art. My first trip through the book was just to absorb the beauty contained in those plates. My next trip took a bit longer -- I wanted to absorb all of the words describing the art, its origin and its place in history. Both trips were very satisfying. One day I’d like to meet Bill Koch and to visit one the homes in which his art is displayed. That will probably never happen, but nonetheless I’ll always have the joy and the warm feelings that this outstanding book published by David R. Godine have brought to this very appreciative curmudgeon. -- http://www.godine.com/ SAILING SHORTS * For a second time, a Code Orange alert has been issued for Bruno Peyron's Transatlantic record attempt from New York to England. The crew is on their way from France to Newport, R.I., where the 121-foot maxi-catamaran Orange II is ready and waiting. Peyron plans to leave Newport midday Saturday, July 1, on a direct course to Ambrose Light (New York), the official start of his transatlantic run. If the weather holds, the start itself should occur sometime after midnight Saturday. The existing record is 4 days, 17 hours, 28 minutes and 6 seconds held by American Steve Fossett's Playstation. -- http://www.orange-sailing-team.com * The 2006 Comet Class North American Championship Regatta was contested on the Chesapeake Bay, and graciously hosted by the Tred Avon Yacht Club, on June 24-25. Dick Harmon, with crew Judy Harmon, won his fourth NAs, while Mark Hess/ Anne Filbert took second and Bermudan Rudy Bailey finished third. Complete results and photos can be found on the Comet Class website, which also features some recently added historic photos and articles about the illustrious history of the Class: http://www.cometclass.com * Vincent Riou, 2004/05 Vendée Globe winner, and Sébastien Josse, fresh from his excellent showing as skipper of ABN Amro 2 in the Volvo Ocean Race, will sail together in the two-handed, Barcelona World Race which begins November 11, 2007. Riou was the winner of the last Vendée Globe. His new Farr designed IMOCA 60 monohull, PRB, will be launched this August. The two skippers have already accumulated four circumnavigations between them. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com * From a report on the 2007AC Forums from regular contributor Cheryl, who monitors the media in New Zealand for that top AC discussion site: "In an interview with TVNZ's Martin Tasker, Dean Barker said the choice of USA-87 was driven by the desire to get more performance data on USA-87. ETNZ is still finalizing the design of their second boat and believed they could learn more from racing against USA-87 than against Luna Rossa or Alinghi. The choice was not based on who they thought was easiest to beat." -- http://bmworacleracing.twoday.net/ * Free video of the conclusion of the Volvo Ocean Race plus a feature on the attempt of Orange II to set a new Transatlantic Record are now online at: http://www.t2p.tv: GOING THE DISTANCE Ockam celebrates fantastic performances in the Centennial Newport to Bermuda Race. Congratulations to Richard Schulman’s Temptress for finishing 1st in fleet (ORR) & 2nd in fleet (IRC), and to Ockam clients Christopher Dragon, Brown Eyed Girl, Mabuhay, Sagita, Glucklich & Lora Ann, Blue Yankee & Googleplex for podium finishes in their classes and in the Onion Patch Series. What do these winning yachts have in common? Ockam Instruments! We go the distance by providing superior processing power and graphical display technology for a distinct competitive advantage. At Ockam, we have race winning solutions for everyone. For information, contact mailto:lat@ockam.com TRIVIA ANSWER The largest maritime event in the world’s history occurred on July 4, 2000, when 26 tall ships, 300 military vessels from 20 different nations, and over 30,000 pleasure crafts paraded up 16 miles of the New York Harbor as part of Operation Sail (OpSail) 2000. The route headed up the Hudson River from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn, to the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan in celebration of America’s 224th year of independence. This was the fourth OpSail since 1976. The first commemorated the nation’s bicentennial, the second, in 1986, honored the 100th birthday of the Statue of Liberty, and the third, in 1992, paid tribute to the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage. - http://www.cbp.gov/custoday/aug2000/opsail.htm 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. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thought at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Bob Fisher (With reference to the Carbon Comments): A highly loaded commercial puff for Multiplas - I have to take up the cudgels for Russell Bowler, to whom Gilles Ollier refers as: "He is just a designer, what he lacks is the practical every day experience in the workshop." As one who has known Russell for many years, I can attest that this is far from the truth. Russ is a highly qualified structural engineer, versed in many fields other than naval architecture in addition to his specialist knowledge in this field and has a history of hands-on workshop practice. I just thought the French should know this. * From Jim Champ: Craig Fletcher seems upset that, “Chris and Larry do not represent America-- they represent Chris, Larry and the corporations.” Oh right, so completely unlike the glory days of say 1983, when the US boat was designed by a Dutchman who're previously worked for the British syndicate, and the Australian boat had a Kiwi chief sailmaker. Or maybe you're thinking of the thirties when crew on the US boats tended to be Scandinavian fishermen or what? And of course back in 1983 Messrs Bond, de Savary etc were quiet figures in the background spending all the money for patriotic fervor, with no thought of self-aggrandizement or business connections, just like the Vanderbilt, Sopwith and Lipton before them... Or is it. perhaps. much the same way its always been but with a little more honesty? * From Rod Tekowitz (Regarding Craig Fletcher’s comments that AC boats should not be referred to as “the American boat” or “the Italian boat” due to corporate sponsorship and the crew not all being from the country of registry of the boat): Should we inform other professional sports of this issue? The NFL for example. The Minnesota Vikings have few if any Minnesota natives on the team, the corporation that owns the team is out of Arizona and I can assure you that none of the players are in fact Vikings. So, I will patriotically cheer on “the American boat” in Valencia… after all we bought a great team. * From Dennis Palmer: Regarding Craig Fletcher's comment in 'butt 2126 "there is not patriotism left in the America's Cup", I respond: so what? There are many sports with participants or teams that do not represent nations, but none the less, they are exciting sports that have many ardent fans. Formula One auto race teams are not national teams, but there is a huge, loyal following of fans for that sport. Most professional cycling teams have members from many nations, and while their commercial sponsors may be based in a certain country, their fan bases come from all over the world. The teams that competed in the recently concluded Volvo Ocean Race had members from all over the world, and the fact that they were not "national teams" did not keep the event from achieving record breaking media exposure and fan support. I happen to be from the US, but I am rooting Luna Rosa in the AC because I happen to know a couple of the crew members. The fact that the America's Cup teams are no longer from one nation in no way diminishes the event. * From Tim Patton, Chairman, International Board of Governors for thr International Etchells Class: There has been some correspondence in recent days with respect to some controversy with Stuart Childerly's recent win in the European Championships. This issue is very much alive and the allegations are being dealt with in the manner laid out by the Class rules and the RRS. For the record carbon fiber tillers are not legal in the International Etchells Class. Further, with respect to the suggestions that to be successful in Etchells racing, one must join an arms race. It should be noted that many major regattas are being won by fairly old boats. 2006 Jaguar Cup -- won by a 9 year old boat 2005 Worlds -- won by a 14 year old boat 2006 Europeans -- won by a 12 year old boat The Etchells Class continues to grow and continues to attract some of the very best sailors. One of the main reasons they find the Class attractive is the very strict adherence to the principals of One Design. * From Frederic Laffitte: The Etchell class rules are not at all ambiguous. "If it is not specifically allowed in the rules, it is illegal" Therefore the carbon tillers are illegal, therefore these guys should have been kicked out. I came into the Etchells class from the J/24, specifically because the J/24 class had become loaded with professionals that needed to win at all cost which included a number of irregularities. The Etchells Class however was clean and self policing, sailors won with their skills not with their check books. Unfortunately in the last 3 years the class has started to suffer from the same input from professionals that have to win at all cost ... modification of boats, multiple boat programs, multiple outside help from tenders before and sometimes during races and now... carbon tillers. In my opinion the Race committee did well by disqualifying these boats, if nothing else it is a warning that the Class will not tolerate infringement on the rules and winning will remain a sailing affair and not a dollar race. * From R. G. Newbury: I cannot let Barry Ault's comment that the Etchells Class "allowed builders to significantly move and effectively lengthen the keel." to go unanswered. This is just plain wrong. In 1996 the Class had three new keel moulds made by CNC machining and each and every one of the tolerances regarding size and placement of the keel was tightened. Every Etchells since has used those keels and met those tolerances. Keels cannot be longer: the tolerance was reduced from 40mm (1130-1170mm), down to 9 mm (1141 to 1150mm). Keel shapes are tightly fixed: template excess went from 8mm down to 3mm all round. You cannot be further aft: the minimum distance from the heel of the keel to transom corner 3600mm was not changed. So you cannot have a new keel as long as an old keel, nor can you have it further aft. * From Anson Stookey:Congratulation to the Pyewacket crowd - Roy Disney, Robbie Haines, et al - for putting together the Morning Light project. What a great way to put all their experience to work. This effort, the ABN Amro 2 crew, the women's teams, Challenged America and a few others that slip mind are great for the sport. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATIONS “A person is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.” -- John Barrymore Special thanks to SailFlow and Ockam Instruments. |
