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SCUTTLEBUTT 1577 - May 6, 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. GETTING READY Four hundred athletes in eleven events using nine classes will be counting down the days of their final preparations for the 2004 Olympic Sailing Competition, which starts racing on 14 August from the purpose built, Agios Kosmas Sailing Centre in Athens. But behind the scenes, that first day of racing will represent the culmination of years of planning and preparation that will make the Competition an event to remember. Under the organizational control of ATHOC Competition Manager Dimitrios Alevizakis, and the watchful eye of ISAF Technical Delegates Goran Petersson and Jerome Pels, every aspect of the event has been meticulously planned, researched and practiced at one, if not both, of the Athens Test Events. All the four courses in the field of play on the Saronic Gulf, have been sailed in by athletes and tested by race officials to the extent that nothing will come as a surprise when the Games begin. Since 1987 Alevizakis has participated as a member of race committees in the majority of International Sailing events that were held in Greece, as well as in intra-club regattas and national championships. In 2001, during the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) conference, Dimitrios achieved the status as an ISAF Race Officer. He worked as Field of Play Manager during the Athens 2002 Regatta and was selected for the position of Sailing Competition Manager by the Organizing Committee for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in November 2002. Fifty-eight National Technical Officials and approximately 48 International Technical Officials will be required to conduct the Sailing competition, these include measurers, Judges, Umpires, Course Officials and Race Officers. As well as overseeing the racing, these officials will also control the shore side measurement, protest hearings, and logistics. The shore side venue, after it is officially opened on 30 July 2004, will be the daily home to all 400 sailors in Athens for over three weeks, as well as a base for hundreds more team officials, supporters, spectators and officials. One of the first Olympic venues to be completed, and built in such a way as to leave a legacy for the future of the sport in Greece, the venue is 14 km from the centre of Athens and has a land surface are of nearly 400,000 square metres. As well as individual bases for each one of the participating NOC's, there are lounges, spectators facilities, as well as space for over 200 members of the international media. 700 ticketed spectators can be facilitated daily inside the venue, with many more taking to the water in specially controlled spectator boats to watch the drama unfold. - ISAF website, full story: http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=7029 Athens 2004 website: http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/ SORTED OUT Following some problems with the scoring of the Star World Championship that delayed the final results, results have now been released and those nations who have qualified for an entry to the Olympic Sailing Competition confirmed. Although still to be ratified by ISAF, the following four nations have qualified: Spain, Denmark, Germany and Canada. The ISAF ratification will confirm that the athletes who qualified the above nations meet the nationality requirements as set out in the Qualification System for the 2004 Olympic Sailing Competition. The results mean that Spain and Germany now join Australia, France and Great Britain as the only nations to have qualified in every sailing event in Athens. They will be sending a full team of sailors along with Greece, who as host country automatically qualify in every event. - http://www.sailing.org/ To see a full list of currently qualified nations: http://tinyurl.com/3hxbm TRIVIA QUESTION Of the eighteen sailors on the 2004 US Olympic Team, which state do most of them consider as home? (Answer below) MOVING HEAVEN AND EARTH Well, actually, just earth. On May 4, Hall Spars & Rigging broke ground on our new 70,000 sq. ft. Manufacturing & Engineering Center. We're responding to ever-increasing demand for our high-performance carbon rigs, the likes of which powered most of the big-boat racing fleet at Antigua Race Week. Congratulations: Pyewacket, Morning Glory (1st in class!), Titan 12, Atalanta II, Equation, Chippewa (1st in class!), Starr Trail, Leopard of London, Sojana, Rosebud (1st in class!), Lolita, White Wings. Watch the progress of our building at http://www.hallspars.com SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Porto Azzurro, Italy - Poland's Karol Jablonski holds sole possession of first place at the Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman with a perfect 4-0 record after winning his two matches today at the Swedish Match Tour event. New Zealand's Gavin Brady, helmsman for Oracle BMW Racing, the America's Cup Challenger of Record, and Denmark's Jesper Radich, the reigning Swedish Match Tour champion, are also undefeated at 2-0. After too much wind to open the event yesterday, today's weather continued to wreak havoc on the event. Principal Race Officer Giorgio Laura postponed, started and abandoned matches due to the ever-changing winds. The day's racing ended around 7:30 p.m. "The conditions are tough. Not just for us, but the race committee also, said Jablonski." The regatta schedule calls for a 22-flight round robin followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and final. After the first two days only six flights have been completed, putting the schedule in jeopardy and turning tomorrow's scheduled lay day into a race day. Tomorrow's forecast is the worst of the week. A series of low pressure systems have been sweeping across the Mediterranean Sea, and tomorrow they're predicted to produce Force 7 to 8 southwesterly winds, between 28 and 40 knots. Jablonski, a successful sailor with multiple world championships to his credit, including the match-racing worlds in 2002, has yet to win on the Swedish Match Tour. In 11 events his best finish is a second at last year's Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand, Sweden, which helped him place fifth overall on the Tour. - Sean McNeill Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman Standings (After 6 of 22 scheduled flights) 1. Karol Jablonski (POL/Toscana Challenge) 4-0 2. Gavin Brady (NZL/Oracle BMW Racing) 2-0 = Jesper Radich (DEN/Team Denmark) 2-0 4. Magnus Holmberg (SWE/SeaLife Rangers) 3-1 5. Paolo Cian (ITA/Italian Challenge) 2-2 6. Peter Gilmour (AUS/Pizza-La Sailing Team) 1-1 = Bertrand Pacé (FRA/Team France) 1-1 8. John Cutler (NZL/Mascalzone Latino) 1-3 = Michael Dunstan (AUS/OzBoyz Challenge) 1-3 = Philippe Presti (FRA/le Défi) 1-3 11. Ed Baird (USA/Team Musto) 0-2 = Russell Coutts (NZL/Alinghi Team) 0-2 Event website: http://www.swedishmatchtour.com/ SAILMAKERS' SPEAK * Broadseaming: cutting panels on a curve or sewing panels with a variable overlap to create depth in a sail; shape is also created through curve in a sail's luff * Film: a polyester sheet, commonly referred to by brand name Mylar * Membrane/string/load-path: names for laminate sails constructed of film and high-strength fibers. Load-path typically refers to sails with yarns running corner to corner, along the paths of the greatest expected loads * Modulus: resistance to stretch * Scrim: grid of large, unwoven, straight yarns bonded to a layer of film, typically in laminate sails for tear resistance * Taffeta: a woven substrate usually made of polyester and used as the exterior layer on some sails for increased durability and chafe resistance * Vacuum bagging: pressurizing and thereby compacting a laminate during curing * Yarn: high strength fibers of aramid, carbon, etc. Curmudgeon's Comment- The above terminology is courtesy of the May issue of Sailing World, and you can apply this information in their article, "Changes in Racing Sails and Sailmaking." - http://www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=33336&typeID=397&catID=607 COCA COLA HOBIE 16 WORLDS Barcelo Maya Beach Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico - Big wind and seven-foot waves provided great conditions for the first two races of the Hobie 16 Worlds. Masters and Grand Masters Standings (58 boats): 1. Juan E. Maegli/Jose Daniel Hernandez, GUA, 3pts 2. Rod Waterhouse/Jason Waterhouse, AUS, 6 3. Jens Goritz/Simone Monreal, GER, 8 5. Mike Montague/Kathy Ward, USA, 15 26. Carlos Armando Noriega/Armando Noriega, MEX, 51 Womens Standings (18 boats): 1. Belinda Zanesco/Nicky Souter, AUS, 6 2. Marie Duvignac/Pauline Thevenot, FRA, 6 3. Lauren Pelen/Lea Jeandot, FRA, 7 5. Annie Gardner Nelson/Eliza Cleveland, USA, 10 7. Pamela Noriega/Martha Noriega, MEX ,13 Youth Standings (32 boats): 1. Jerome Legal/Vaik Delevaux, FRA, 2 2. Axel Silvy/Pauline Jupin, FRA, 5 3. Yann Rigal/Emeric Viaris De Lesegno, TAH, 8 18. Jorge Xavier Murrieta/Santiago Ramirez, MEX, 33 20. Jacob Sailer/Clifton Neff, USA, 38 Results, pictures and commentary are up on the event's excellent website: http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2004/default.asp DUBARRY FOOTWEAR - NEW STYLES FOR 2004 Following the successful launch of the Fiji and Coral Aquasport models last year, Dubarry have added four new models for 2004. The Outrigger and Conquest performance moccasins and the Maldives and Waterline dedicated women's models. For Dealer information and full range details visit http://www.DubarryNA.com TRIVIA ANSWER With the games beginning in approximately three months, the US team is training hard in preparation for the 2004 Olympics. However, if they have the chance to head home during a break, California is where most of them go: Paul Cayard (Star), Kevin Hall (Finn), Tim Wadlow (49er), Peter Wells (Mistral Men) and Lanee Butler Beashal (Mistral Women). Interestingly, all five are also skippers. OLYMPIC WINDSURFING EQUIPMENT EVALUATION EVENT Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy - Day two started out with light drizzle and about 12-15 knots of Peler blowing. The Race Committee set a windward-leeward course with two races planned in the morning session followed by two further races in the afternoon session. In ideal conditions for the Formula boards, both the Gaastra and Neil Pryde equipment rounded all marks clear ahead of any other equipment. Despite not being able to point quite as high as the IMCO and other daggerboard equipment, their sheer speed and power enabled two wins early in the evaluation. In the afternoon the Evaluation Panel wanted to test the light wind performance of the equipment, and therefore decided to move the course closer into the shore where the dying "Peler" made for tricky and light conditions of 3 - 7 knots. This time it was the turn of the daggerboard boards to shine, in particular the IMCO boards with both the MOD and the new Olympic design leading the pack to the top mark. In fact the vulnerability of Formula boards in light winds was shown up even more when all of the IMCO boards had finished before any of the Formula boards had reached the top mark for the first time! - ISAF website, full story: http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=7030 NEWS BRIEFS * Free samples - the Weather4Sailors website has a free Flash video sample of their new online seminar to familiarize racers with how these interactive "webinars" work. To try out this virtual classroom: http://www.weather4sailors.com/SeminarSamples.htm * Former Team New Zealand member Sean Reeves will appeal against the High Court decision which ordered him for the second time to hand over more than $1.6 million for his involvement in an America's Cup yachting secrets scandal. The High Court in Auckland backed a United States judicial order that Reeves compensate OneWorld Challenge for breach of contract over allegations he tried to sell the Seattle-based syndicate's secrets. - http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2898483a11,00.html 2004 YACHTING CUP IN SAN DIEGO Ullman Sails congratulates Dennis Case and crew on "Wings" for winning the 27-boat J/105 Class. Ed Cummins finished second. David Voss' "Piranha" won the Schock 35 class; Ray Godwin and Jeff Janov were 2nd & 3rd. John Carroll on "Arana" won PHRF 2. Scott Taylor's B32 "Defiance" won PHRF 3 and John Staff placed second. In the J/120's John Laun's "Caper" placed 2nd and Jed Olenick finished 3rd. John McBrearty was 2nd in PHRF 4 and Armando Silvestre placed 3rd in the Beneteau 40.7 class. For the "Fastest Sails on the Planet", call the nearest Ullman Sails loft. http://www.ullmansails.com PROPER YACHTING Over Easter weekend, the Antigua Yacht Club hosted the fourth annual Mega Yacht Challenge, a series of three pursuit races open to yachts of over 100ft. The yachts Sariyah - 136ft ,Cambria - 123ft, Zingaro - 112ft, Destination Fox Harbour - 134 ft, Kokomo - 132ft, Salperton 174ft , Unfurled - 112ft, Ipanema - 112ft and Sojana - 115ft. The magnificent 174 ft Salperton, a ketch with fully battened main and mizzen, glided over the start, whilst on her aft deck luxurious tables and chairs were set out as though for evening cocktails - racing in style! The overall First Place winner was Sariyah; Second was Kokomo; and Third was Cambria - a 76 year old yacht, showing some of the newer yachts how it used to be. 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 Peter Huston: This whole debate about the need for a universal big boat rule is sort of like saying we only need a single one-design dinghy. So what if there are multiple big boat rating rules ... local rules for local reasons. Besides, we are ignoring history here with IOR. Back then, there wasn't any of this "democracy" within the sport, and a it was easy for RORC/ ORC/ IYRU to jam a rule down everyone's throat, mainly because there wasn't any way to really respond. Further, IOR started out producing nice dual use boats. Now, nobody seems to really care about that at the top end. Anyone want to go cruising on Pyewacket or Morning Glory? So, somehow the discussion about these factors needs to be injected into this thread..... * From Jamie McWilliam: Bravo Magnus Wheatley for giving us his angle on the medal prospects in the Star Class at the Olympics this year. It is nice to finally read some honest opinions about the personalities involved rather than the usual mumbleswerve about fierce competition and how brilliant everybody is. This was a report which finally read a bit like it really feels going into a regatta you're racing in yourself - you know who the favourites are but don't really want to say it. Nice to get that angle on a regatta the majority of us can't get to. I certainly saw So Magnus may have laid himself open to attacks of cluelessness and subjective reporting, but he does seem to like "getting in the ring", and I like reading it. * From Ian Parkes: I too thought Magnus Wheatley's commentary on the Star Olympic contenders was exactly the kind of thing we needed more of in sailing. This kind of analysis is fundamental to media coverage of most other sports, if not always so erudite. It's rich new material for our own expert commentaries down the pub, adding a whole new dimension to the meagre insights to be gleaned from raw results. (Can I just add here that I'm always happy to read in Scuttlebutt how American sailors have fared in international competition, but occasionally, if they haven't come in first second or third, I'm left wondering who did.) Anyway you can imagine my surprise to see Mr Wheatley taken to task. Mark Lammens says assessing the mental approach of competitors should be off-limits. Why, for heaven's sake? Boring! But I enjoyed John Church's comment the most. Firstly for assuming that calling someone an "old man" is an insupportable insult. How terribly ageist! But mostly because he ticks off Magnus for an imagined ad hominem attack (when it was clearly just robust comment), cites the Curmudgeon's warning against such rudeness then wishes on him a thorough egging. I do love Scuttlebutt. * From Andrew Palfrey, Australian Star Class competitor: Just on my way home from the Star Worlds. Been reading the letters, etc. with regards to the reporting from the Worlds in Gaeta, Italy. An earlier piece from Mr. Wheatley described the weigh-in fiasco very well. I had noticed some subsequent letters attacking Mr. Wheatley for the perceived criticism of event volunteers. I would just like to say that the volunteers at the Star Worlds were top drawer. A fantastic regatta atmosphere was created in the regatta village with all manner of activities, many of which involved local school kids. The Gaeta people put on a great event. * From Count Enrico Ferrari: Thanks for the Valencia and Auckland photos and commentary. Infrastructure for yachting is fascinating and indicative of the overall interest in the sport. There may be some concern about what happens after the Cup has happened and possibly taken away but I am sure that developers and city officials would rather have the opportunity to do this project then sit on the sidelines and watch another city do it. If the Cup is retained by Alinghi, does Valencia get regatta hosting rights? The rendering on your web site makes it look pretty cool and fancy. Have you heard if there is a tunnel from the Super Yacht Island to the shore? A couple of calculations show that the new and soon to be built channel will need a bit more than 300,000 cubic meters hauled out and put somewhere and at 30 minutes a trip, working 360 days a year, 8 hours a day one would only need three dump trucks to get it all done in two years. Curmudgeon's Comment - Here's the link to those photos and the drawing: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/0504acup/ THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off. |
