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SCUTTLEBUTT 3500 - Friday, January 6, 2012Scuttlebutt 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: Summit Yachts and North U. SEEKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Most in the US sailing community are aware of the tragic drowning of 14-year old Olivia Constants in a club-supervised practice in Annapolis in June, 2011. Olivia and her skipper were part of their club's Club 420 Travelling Team that raced against other clubs in the Chesapeake Bay area. The drowning was caused by Olivia's trapeze gear becoming "caught on something," which held her underwater. Noted sailing author John Rousmaniere presented a detailed report of the accident at the US Sailing Annual Meeting in late October 2011. In that report, John mentioned Long Island Sound Coach Steve Keen as having had similar but not fatal experiences. Steve is the Director of Sailing for LISOT - the Long Island Sound Youth Sailing Team, and its head 420 Coach. Coconut Grove Sailing Club hosted its 49th Annual Open Orange Bowl Regatta this past December 27-30. 29ers, International 420's and Lasers were the invited classes, of which the first two are trapeze classes with young sailors. Consequently, in view of the timing as the first major trapeze class event following release of the US Sailing report, it was appropriate to present the latest thinking about trapeze safety to the entrants, their coaches and parents. Coconut Grove Sailing Club's Safety Clinic was conducted in association with its 49th Annual Open Orange Bowl Regatta on Monday, December 26th 2011 at 4:30 pm on the Lawn at the Club. Attendance was mandatory for 29er and I-420 entrants in the CGSC Open OB Regatta. Their coaches and parents, the entrants in the Club 420 Class Coral Reef YC OB International Youth Regatta and their coaches and parents were also invited. The event was very well attended, with seating on the lawn and also on the upper deck of the Clubhouse behind the railing facing the Lawn. Coconut Grove Sailing Club Commodore Ron Rostorfer welcomed the attendees and stated that the reason for the Clinic was the tragic fatality involving Olivia. The attendees then stood and observed a moment of silence in respect for Olivia. Ron proceeded to briefly discuss the evolving nature of both safety and performance-related sailing equipment and the need to thoroughly vet the purposes and potential side-effects of both safety and performance equipment before committing to their use. He then mentioned Coach Steve Keen as perhaps the most advanced trapeze dinghy performance and safety person on the continent in terms of experience and thinking, and proceeded to introduce Steve to carry out the Clinic. Steve's presentation took about 45 minutes and totally held the attention of the attendees. It was a real achievement in an effort to "stand down" and think about safety while racing in youth-oriented trapeze classes. Steve's presentation is highlighted as follows: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/12/0105/ ON THE HOME STRETCH (January 5, 2012; Day 44 - 23:45:00 UTC) - Loick Peyron (FRA) and his team on the 131-foot maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V are on the verge of setting a new non-stop circumnavigation Jules Verne Trophy record (48 days 7 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds). Averaging 713.8 nm over the past 24 hours, they are now 1505.5 nm ahead of the record with only 708 nm remaining to the finish. Helmsman/trimmer Brian Thompson provides this update from the home stretch: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It's down to the great unknowns - equipment breakage and unseen floating objects, that could scupper our dreams now. We are being as prudent as possible, sailing at a good pace, but in control at all times, so we hope that will cover most of the risk of breakage, The other is in the lap of the gods to a large extent. The speed of this boat is very deceptive, when you are below, or in the cuddy on deck, or even on the helm looking forwards, it all seems relatively tame. But a couple of times today I have been reminded that 35 knots is very, very fast indeed. Earlier I went to the leeward side, to look at the gennaker trim, and watched the wake firing off the leeward hull. It's unbelievable how fast that looks, and how strongly you get the impression of the boat hurtling through the water. The second time, I was steering, and Chab was standing by me to take over. We both looked away from the bow for an instant, and BAM! We were hit by a block of water that had been thrown into the air by the bows. That block had hung in the air, motionless, for an instant, and then the beam, 30m back, and our upper bodies drove into it at 35 knots. It was like lying on the floor and a 25kg flour sack being dropped on your chest from a 4m height. Chab thought he had been punched in the head, though fortunately, he did not think it was me! Normally when a watery wrecking ball like that comes through you crouch right down in a fast, reflexive move, but this time we missed it. However, it was extremely funny at the time, and I was glad to have had a good hold of the helm, to not get knocked off it. -- Full report: http://brianthompsonsailing.blogspot.com/2012/01/day-44.html Tracking: http://tinyurl.com/BP-JV-Tracking-2011-12 TIME TO START DREAMING OF 2012 Winter is just starting, but thoughts of spring sailing can't be far off. Strictly Sail Chicago will be running from January 26-29, and Summit Yachts will be there. Come and speak with Barry and George about the exciting Mark Mills designed boats. See what we can build for you and your crew to create your dream yacht. In the meantime, check out the great products at http://www.summit-yachts.com ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN (January 5, 2012) - While five of the teams in the Volvo Ocean Race are enjoying some R&R in Abu Dhabi after yesterday's Leg 2 finish, Team Sanya is left wondering when they will get to enjoy the same privilege. They spent their port stop in Cape Town repairing a cracked hull from Leg 1, and have been stuck in Madagascar since December 19th after their rigging failure on Leg 2. Now seventeen days since they were forced to suspend racing, Team Sanya have hit the water in Madagascar in preparation to rejoin the Volvo Ocean Race. After stepping the 31-metre mast on Wednesday, the team is now carrying out tests that they hope will allow them to resume racing by Friday night or Saturday morning. Sanya's shore team manager Nick Bice said the trials had been a success in spite winds of around 25 knots. "The rig was great, and we did as much as we could with the weather we had," he added. "It would have been nice to test the new rigging in less breeze but with the forecast set to build over the next few days, we had to do what we could." "After looking at the general forecast for the next few days, the consensus is to leave as soon as we can," said Bice. Assuming Team Sanya reach the safe haven port under racing conditions, they will collect four points for sixth place for the first stage of Leg 2 and then automatically add one more under race rules for the second stage and a further two points for the Abu Dhabi In-Port Race. They would then rejoin the rest of the fleet for the second stage of the Abu Dhabi to Sanya third leg, targeting a triumphant homecoming to their home Hainan Province port in China in early February. - Race media Overall leaderboard after Leg 2 1. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 6-1-1-1, 66 pts 2. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 3-2-2-2, 58 pts 3. Groupama (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 5-3-5-4, 42 pts 4. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 2-DNF-3-3, 28 pts 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 1-DNF-4-5, 19 pts 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 4-DNF-6-6-SUS**, 4 pts ** Suspended Racing. Assuming Team Sanya reach the safe haven port under racing conditions, they will collect four points for sixth place for the first stage of Leg 2 and then automatically add one more under race rules for the second stage and a further two points for the Abu Dhabi In-Port Race. Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos Course details: http://tinyurl.com/Piracy-121111 RACE SCHEDULE: The five teams will have one week to rest in Abu Dhabi before the Pro-Am Race on Thursday (Jan. 12), the In-Port Race on Friday (Jan. 13), and the start of Leg 3 to Sanya, China on Saturday (Jan. 14). As in Leg 2, Leg 3 will be similar with a Stage 1 short sprint to meet the ship which will transport the five boats to the safe haven port. If all goes to plan, Team Sanya will join the fleet there, and all six boats will compete in Stage 2 to Sanya. - http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles of the world's most treacherous seas via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com ATHLETE OBLIGATIONS AT THE 2012 OLYMPICS The London 2012 Olympic Games Sailing Competition will take place at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy and Portland Marina, located in Dorset on the South Coast of England and will feature 380 athletes competing across 10 events. Racing is scheduled to take place from 29 July to 11 August. The Notice of Race for the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition has now been released, stating the key conditions for the 10 sailing events and includes details on the rules, regulations, entry and qualification guidelines, format, scoring, schedule, venue and courses. With the emphasis on broadcasting the sailing competition, among the items listed in the Notice of Race is titled 'Media rights, cameras and electronic equipment'. The requirements in this section state: 1. The Athlete Media Guide will set out athlete media obligations for the event. 2. By participating in the event, athletes automatically grant to the Organising Authority and its sponsors the right in perpetuity to make, use and show, from time to time at their discretion, any motion pictures and live, taped or filmed television, audio and other reproductions of the athlete during the period of the competition without compensation. 3. Boats may be required to carry cameras, sound equipment or positioning equipment, as supplied by the Organising Authority. 4. Athletes shall pass through the mixed zone (ie, media interview area) on return to shore after racing. 5. All medallists shall be required to attend a media conference after the medal race. Top-ranked athletes in preliminary stages may also be required to attend a media conference at the end of the day's racing. 6. Athletes may also be asked to be available for interviews outside the formal mixed zone and media conferences, on either training or competition days. Full report: http://www.sailing.org/37654.php SAILING SHORTS * A California Maritime Academy instructor has been named California Educator of the Year by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. Susan "Charlie" Arms, who has served as Cal Maritime's director of sailing since 1999, received the award for her commitment to boating education. She was the only recipient in California to receive this year's honors. -- Times-Herald, read on: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_19607236 * Napier, New Zealand (January 5, 2012) - The final day of team racing at the Optimist World Championship saw the top 16 of 40 nations advance to the ladder segment. The 2010 World Champion Thailand breezed through the first three rounds, but was knocked to the loser bracket by Singapore. The win put Singapore into the finals, with the remaining finals slot to be between Thailand, Netherlands, Brazil, and Peru, with the later emerging. Singapore won the World title by 2-1. The USA team (Martina Sly, Sean Brennan, Wade Waddel, William Marshall, and Russell Clarida) advanced to the final eight before being stopped by Netherlands. Fleet championship resume on Saturday. -- Event website: http://www.optiworldsnz.org.nz/ * In 2011, the International Sailing Federation announced the 10 events for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, also selecting the equipment (ie, type of boat) to be used in seven of the events. While ISAF has yet to resolve whether the board event will be sail or kite, they are seeking to determine the equipment for the new Women's Skiff and Mixed Multihull events to be held in 2016. An evaluation will be held March 17-25, 2012 at Prince Felipe High Performance Sailing Centre, Santander, Spain., wherein representatives must post an application fee and provide two complete boats for review. Details here: http://www.sailing.org/news/37604.php RACING, CRUISING, WEATHER, INSTRUMENTS North U is offering a full slate of Seminars, Webinars, CDs, DVDs, Clinics, Coaching & Race Weeks through the winter and spring of 2012. You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better sailor. Accelerate the process at North U: 800-347-2457, http://www.northu.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include weed check, Yngling Worlds, Fireball Worlds, southern tease, bad omen, January computer calendar, and diversification. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0106 BONUS: The popular Christmas present for top youth sailors is a trip to the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta in Miami, FL on December 27-30, 2011. Here are holiday photos by John Payne and Tim Wilkes: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0105/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK Iceboating requires ice...good ice. And when the ice goes bad, bad things can happen. This week's video comes from Geoff Evans, whose iceboat outing on New Year's Eve Day 2011 on Lake Minnetonka went seriously bad for some fellow sailors who found a hole in the ice. Click here for this week's video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/12/0106/ BONUS: This video comes from the "be careful what you ask for" department. It was announced this week that the Italian Optimist class had won the bid to host the 2013 World Championships on Trentino Garda, Italy. If your country would like to someday bid for the right to host 200+ Opti sailors and their entourages, here is the video that helped the Italians win the bid: http://youtu.be/MhfBrB3NDk4 BONUS: By Saturday morning, Loick Peyron (FRA) and his team on the 131-foot maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V will have completed their mission to lower the non-stop circumnavigation Jules Verne Trophy record, which is currently 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds. If you're curious what it might be like to see BP buzz your at 30 knots, this video show it: http://www.voilesetvoiliers.com/les-videos/banque-populaire-v-vu-du-lagoon/ BONUS: "World on Water" Jan 6, week 1.2012, Global sailing news report features the exciting finish of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Australia, the Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 yacht transfer at the "secret safe haven" to bypass the Indian Ocean pirates, the start of the RPAYC Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race Australia, the 2012 Optimist World Championships New Zealand, the last weeks of the Banque Populaire V record Jules Verne attempt and in our weekly "action" segment "Fresh to Frightening" we show Race 3 in the Sydney 18 Footers Championships when in 25 knots plus winds there were many capsizes and sailing legend John Winning had one that put him in hospital. See it on http://www.boatson.tv at approx 1200 GMT or 0700 EST. SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Jane Eagleson, America's Cup Race Management: In reply to Chuck Lantz' comment (in Scuttlebutt 3499) on the proposed America's Cup course in San Francisco Bay, Chuck can be assured of still getting great AC photos - and yes even from shore - and he can count on enjoying dynamic challenging racing complete with reaching. The course offers a reaching start that is normally at the most difficult angle say 90-120 True Wind Angle and then we will have a reaching finish on most occasions down to Pier 27/29. There will be plenty of REACHING excitement as the AC72s tussle to get the advantage at the first mark! The design of the courses is to provide the boats with an equal amount of time going upwind and downwind. The first reach enables us to maximize viewing by allowing us to place the mark close to shore at a location of choosing. Bringing the action to the spectators on shore has been a key component of the planning from the beginning, and our team continues to work closely with the City of San Francisco to make that goal a reality. Chuck, we don't think you will be disappointed! * From Jim Champ: There are some interesting nuances in what John Rousmaniere said in Scuttlebutt 3499: "The clearest and most succinct rule I know is RRS 1.1: 'A boat or competitor shall give all possible help to any person or vessel in danger.' This admirable 'shall' is crippled if a jury is empowered to second-guess sailors' safety decisions and even impose a penalty." It's very foolish of me to cross horns with Mr Rousmaniere, who knows far more about the rules than I, but "shall" is surely mandatory, and I don't believe there's an exception for "unless the person or vessel in danger says they don't want help because of rule 41"... Does that mean if you don't give aid when asked not to you are liable for DSQ under the fundamental rule? There are obvious problems of course if a boat is required to drag someone out of the water against their will! On Rule 41 itself, I'm not sure it's a good thing for a boat not to be disadvantaged if they drop a crew member overboard and they are recovered by someone else: they are at a considerable advantage to a boat that recovers the crew member themselves. Maybe the normal part 2 alternative penalties should apply if a person in danger is rescued by outside assistance? * From Antonio Sanpere Some of the international regattas in the Caribbean have youth sailing competition at the same time as the big boats. This exposes the young ones to big boat racing. The St. Croix International Regatta has a special award for the best place boat that has young sailors on board. I remember that in Marblehead a person under 16 did not count for total crew allowed. I started racing by going to the dock in St. Thomas looking for a ride. My wife started racing in Chicago by hanging at the fence where the Rhodes 19 were stored and asking for a ride. I have always looked for young sailors to race with me and this season I have two young teenagers in my crew. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rob Moore - Rest in peace. We loved you. More in the Monday edition. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION New Year's Resolution for 2012: I resolve to, uh, get my, er... I resolve to, uh, get my, er, off-line work done, too! SPONSORS THIS WEEK Morris Yachts - Doyle Sails - Soft Deck Point Loma Outfitting - North Sails - Amazon.com Ullman Sails - Team One Newport - Summit Yachts - North U Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
