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SCUTTLEBUTT 1562 - April 15, 2004Powered 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, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. PHIL TRINTER The thing that got to (American) Phil Trinter was not hearing the national anthem. Last August, he and Paul Cayard, sailing in the Star class, finished second to a boat from Brazil during a pre-Olympic regatta in Athens, Greece. "Paul and I were happy with second place," said Trinter, 35, who grew up in Lorain, OH. "But that evening, when they had the medal ceremony, it was a little bitter not hearing our national anthem." The two focused their efforts, and this summer, Cayard, 44, of Kentfield, Calif., and Trinter will have a chance to hear the national anthem played in the real Olympics after qualifying for the U.S. team earlier this month in Coconut Grove, Fla. It was the fourth attempt at making the Olympic team for Cayard, who served as an alternate in 1984. It was the third try for Trinter. The two have been sailing together for the past two years after meeting during the 2000 America's Cup. "Paul is kind of the Michael Jordan of sailing," Trinter, who currently lives in Long Island, N.Y., said. "He is a very, very accomplished sailor." Of course, Trinter is no slouch. He won the 1993 Star World Championship, quite a surprise for the former football player who graduated from Indiana University in December 1991. - Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2kuun FIRST BID * Looks like the ball is rolling for hopeful America's Cup team the Sausalito Challenge and their efforts to attain sponsorship via live auction on the eBay Motors site. Their revised package began on Tuesday with the bidding starting this time at $18 million. While they do not disclose their reserve price (a minimum price for which they agree to accept), their first bidder did open at the $18 million mark. - eBay Motors, http://tinyurl.com/2j2b7 * One of three unidentified companies says it's willing to spend $18 million to sponsor a San Francisco Bay yacht to compete for a bid to represent the United States in the 2007 America's Cup. John Sweeney, co-founder of the Sausalito Challenge, which will begin sailing trials for the Cup campaign this year on San Francisco Bay, says three companies, two of them "household names" and the third a worldwide company that would like to raise its marketing profile, have prequalified to bid in the auction. The bidding will continue through April 23 and could include more bidders if they are pre-qualified, he says. "EBay has told us this is their highest-priced auction ever and we had our minimum bid in the first 12 hours," he says. Mr. Sweeney says the winning bidder will need to ante up a lot more than the $18 million now on the table. He declined to say how much but the eBay "buy it now" price is $35 million. - San Jose Business Journal, http://tinyurl.com/2yhba FOR THE RECORD The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran continues her laborious return through the Atlantic close-hauled. Her inability to hug the coast of Brazil too closely because of a counter current is also losing her precious sea miles every day. She must also make headway to the East at all costs if she is to release her full potential in the trade winds under gennaker. As they wait, the gennakers are still in the sail locker, like skis slung over a skier's shoulder, as the crew uses the staysail like a pair of crampons to climb the slope. Everyone is looking forward to the descent. It still seems likely that the Doldrums will shrink dramatically towards the end of this week, which would be good news. At the moment, the Doldrums cover an area larger than France. - http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com ULLMAN SAILS AT THE PRINCESS SOFIA TROPHY REGATTA Ullman Sails congratulates John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree as they continue to string together victories. These talented Olympians won the Tornado class at the Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta in the Bay of Palma in Spain. They took the lead early and remained on top throughout the week. In a fleet of 53 Tornado's, it is impossible to ignore the outstanding performance of this team. Ullman Sails is proud to bring the fastest sails and outstanding service to talented sailors, worldwide. Please visit our website at: http://www.ullmansails.com GARY JOBSON Terry Hutchinson is one of three former winners competing in the Long Beach Yacht Club's 40th Congressional Cup next Tuesday through Saturday, along with Australia's Peter Gilmour and New Zealand's Gavin Brady. All three have found a good living in sailboat racing and, Hutchinson says, they can thank Gary Jobson for that. Jobson, the sport's most respected international TV commentator and author, won't be in Long Beach, as planned. For his contributions to the sport, he was scheduled to receive an honorary Crimson Blazer emblematic of victory in the prestigious match-racing event but was forced to cancel because of recurring health problems in his year-old battle with lymphoma. Jobson wrote in an e-mail, "You can't imagine how disappointed I am to miss the Long Beach event. I was really touched that LBYC thought of me. This most recent setback has been the toughest of the past year because it was unexpected. I'm now working with a physical therapist to get walking again. What a tough road. But I fully intend to recover." "We're feeling the benefits now of the impact he has had on our sport," Hutchinson said of Jobson. "He's always been a mentor for me. Every professional sailor has him to thank in some way . . . paving the way to be a professional sailor, to put it on TV and to show ESPN that this was a viable sport to market." - Rich Roberts SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Porto Azzurro, Italy - The most decorated skipper in the history of the America's Cup, Russell Coutts (NZL) of Switzerland's Team Alinghi, highlights a dazzling array of Swedish Match Tour veterans and America's Cup Class sailors who have accepted invitations to compete in the third annual Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman, scheduled May 3-9. Joining Coutts in Elba are Swedish Match Tour aces Peter Gilmour (AUS) and his Pizza-La Sailing Team, Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and his SeaLife Rangers crew, and Jesper Radich (DEN) of Team Denmark. Gilmour heads the Swedish Match Tour Championship Leaderboard with the high score of 65 points. Holmberg, second on the leaderboard and 20 points behind Gilmour, is the defending champion of the Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman. Holmberg defeated Australia's James Spithill 3-2 in last year's final after he rallied from a 2-1 deficit. Radich is the reigning champion of the Swedish Match Tour. He won the 2002-'03 Tour with a 15-point cushion, and is placed third on the 2003-'04 leaderboard with 35 points. The third annual Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman is event No. 5 of the Swedish Match Tour. With sponsorship from Locman watches and the Toscana Region of Italy, the week-long regatta features a prize purse of Euro 100,000 (approximately $120,000), with Euro 35,000 (approximately $42,000) slated for the winner. The Toscana Elba Cup features one of the biggest boats on the Swedish Match Tour, the IMX 40 from X-Yachts of Denmark. The 40-foot, masthead-rigged sloop requires a crew of seven. Before the Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman the Swedish Match Tour will visit Long Beach, Calif., for event No. 4 on the 2003-'04 Tour, the 40th annual Congressional Cup, Apr. 19-24. - http://www.SwedishMatchTour.com ZUSE INC. Get the real gear for the real races with the real logos Zuse has got them all: Newport to Bermuda Race 2004, Block Island Race Week 2004, Newport Race Week and every Mount Gay Rum event ever. Get real gear for your crew. Contact Zuse today: 800-840-9335, ted@zuse.com, http://www.zuse.com WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS * Tornado Worlds (Palma de Mallorca, Spain): Day 2 of the Tornado Worlds started with shifty conditions on the water. The 2 races were very difficult and the boats had to wait for more than1 hour before the wind direction was stable enough to start racing. Southeast to east - 14 knots and gusty. The Dutch team Mitch Booth/Herbert Dercksen had a very good day with a second and a first. British McMillan/Bulkeley had 2 thirds and are currently the leaders. "The races today weren't easy. Really shifty and we tacked and jibed at least 10 to 12 times on each leg", says Mitch. The boat park and the Jury Room were busy the previous night. While the competitors were repairing their boats, the Jury had 7 protests to hear. Out of the 7 four were dismissed and one was considered invalid. "The sailors do not seem to understand the requirement to fly the red flag when protesting and that's why some protests were not heard", explains International Jury Chairman Pat Healy. Results after four races: 1. GBR, Leigh McMillan/Mark Bulkeley 22 pts 2. ARG, Santiago Lange/Carlos Espinola 24 pts 3. USA, John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree 30 pts 4. AUT, Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher 30 pts 5. FRA, Xavier Revil/Laurent Guillemette 38 pts 16. CAN, Oskar Johansson/John Curtis 69 pts Event website: http://www.cnarenal.com/regata.php * 49er Worlds (Athens, Greece): First racing day saw carnage after the wind increased from 15knots to 25-30 knots, sending the fleet in after the first race. After this day, Iker Martinez (Esp 890) is leading. He had stopped for knee problems but now it seems that this Spanish team is back on fight! Results after first race: 1. ESP, Iker Martinez/Xabier Fernandez 2. GBR, Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks 3. NOR, Christoffer Sundby/Frode Bovim 4. GER, Markus Baur/Max Groy 5. SUI, Christopher Rast/Christian Steiger 13. USA, Tim Wadlow/Pete Spaulding Event website: http://www.49er.org/index2.php TOP HOTTY The editors of Yachts and Yachting, one of the UK's popular sailing magazines, had the courage to initiate a Top Totty competition (American translation: attractive person). The competition, run as a fun poll, attracted a host of nominations, and votes flooded in for the final shortlist of 20, 10 male and 10 female sailors. No surprise that 80 per cent of the votes went to the girls. For the full story (with pictures): http://tinyurl.com/22vbr NEWS BRIEFS * Record breaking solo round the world yachtswoman, Emma Richards, today (Wednesday) announced Sophie Luther as the winner of the Pindar Sailing Scholarship. Sophie, 23, from London was selected from over 500 entries worldwide. Sophie will get to sail alongside Emma Richards learning and competing on the world stage and participating in some of the leading ocean races as part of an intensive three-year sailing programme. The judging panel also announced three further candidates from the final 10 that it recognised as highly commendable: James Bird (UK), Jeffrey Lamont (US) and Sean McCarter (UK). - Pindar, http://tinyurl.com/yq7v8 * If you're going to Pacific Sail Expo today you really should set aside some time to attend the reception at the Bitter End Yacht Club's booth (#208) to enjoy some Dry Creek Wine and learn the details of the Musto Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship Regatta. The SSC Championship runs concurrently with the BEYC's Pro-Am Regatta - November 30 to November 6 - where once again the 'Buttheads will have a chance to crew for some of our sport's biggest names. The Curmudgeon is speaking in Area A at 6:00 PM and the reception follows immediately thereafter. - http://www.beyc.com * A new magazine, BoatWorks, produced by the editors of SAIL, is written for the hands-on sailor, and it's packed with expert insight on everything from structural repairs to servicing winches to finding the right boat. - http://www.sailmag.com/boatworks/ SAMSON: SEE OUR EXCITING LINE-UP AT PACIFIC SAIL EXPO Samson, the "Line of Choice" for every sailor ranging from the high tech racer to the club cruiser, can be seen this week at Pacific Sail Expo, the West Coast's largest sailboat show. The show is held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA April 14-18, 2004. You can view Samson's entire line all in one place. Catch a sneak preview of new products like "XLS Extra T" and other Samson products that you'll have to have. Join us in Tent B - Booth #643 or visit us on the web at http://www.samsonrope.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Clipper Ventures, Southampton (Re: the suggested confusion surrounding round-the-world racing): Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's Clipper 05-06 Race differs greatly from record attempts like the Jules Verne or the ultimate fastest circumnavigation, which are crewed by professionals. The next Clipper race takes a circuitous route, down the Atlantic, across to Australia, then up to Asia, across the Pacific, through Panama and back to the UK with a likely US stop on the way. As Knox-Johnston has said, sailing has given him so much that he wanted to make the ultimate sailing experience, a circumnavigation, available to everyone - including amateur competitors. A new fleet of ten 68ft yachts is being built at Shanghai Double Happiness Yachts in China for the next race, which starts from Liverpool on 18th September 2005. Just back from Shanghai, Knox-Johnston commented that the first impression is of the Dubois 68s' sheer size. These are big boats and their shape gives the promise of some spectacular speeds. Whilst the race won't break any of the records currently under discussion, it will certainly widen the achievement horizons of all who take part. - http://www.clipper-ventures.com * From Dave Kirkpatrick, Performance Product Manager, Vanguard Sailboats (edited to our 250 word limit): Regarding the item on Safety and 420 masts in Scuttlebutt #1561, Vanguard has often been asked by institutional customers to supply some sort of foam in Club 420 masts, similar to what CCYC has done (www.corinthian.org/junior/Retrofitting420Mast.html). We recommend against doing this, particularly on boats built in the last 8 years. A design change in mast hardware in 1996 produced a sealed mast top cap. Older Club 420s may have an open mast head top, which is easily retrofit to the newer style mast top cap. From the pictures on the CCYC web page, it is unclear whether their boats were built prior to the introduction of the closed mast top or not. If they have an open mast cap, I would recommend that they replace their mast caps with the new style and thus seal their masts. Due to the external halyards on the Club 420 and the closed mast top cap, the intrusion of water into the mast is, at worst, very slow indeed. In most capsizes, the mast does not collect water at all. Since air is more buoyant than any available resource (more buoyant than foam, for certain), it is best to keep as much air in the mast as possible. The CCYC web page does identify the greater cause of repeated capsizes, which is failure to uncleat the sheets prior to recovery. * From Jeff Stall (edited to our 250 word limit): My recollection about "winged keels" is that the first one, in the modern era, was conceived and drawn by the late and great Lars Bergstrom and possibly with the help of his lifelong design engineer partner Sven Ritter, both of Sweden and Sarasota, FL. This was said to have occurred sometime in the 1960s and possibly while Lars was schooling or working in Wisconsin. Maybe the Harken brothers know something about the details. Lars died tragically flying one of his powered gliders several years ago and unfortunately only about a month after he had been invited by Halsey Herreshoff to mount a retrospective of his naval architect/engineering ideas and designs to be hosted by the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol. There are many America's Cup veterans and designers who feel that if you tilt or heel Australia II, that she, because of the new depth of the leeward wing on the keel, would not have measured in as a "12". It should also be noted that the NYYC had the right, under the rules, to inspect the challenger of record for '83 at the time of her measurement and certification and despite the "skirt" hiding the keel and all the secrecy that Jones and Bond promoted, the NYYC didn't even bother to appear. Ben Lexcen deserves nomination and election to the Am. Cup Hall of Fame. Period. THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Does 2000 pounds of Chinese soup equal won ton? |
