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SCUTTLEBUTT 2910 - Tuesday, August 18, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are JK3 Nautical Enterprises, North Sails, and Speed & Smarts. TAKING THE CHI-MAC RACE TO COURT Somewhere near the beginning of most Sailing Instructions it will state that the regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing. When there is conflict during an event, the rules are there to direct the resolution. When a problem cannot be adequately resolved at an event, it gets pushed up the food chain in the U.S. to a regional level, and if needed, to the national level where US SAILING provides the oversight and structure to seek a proper ruling. So how did an incident at the 2002 Chicago to Mackinac Race find its way into the State of Illinois Circuit Court, and then to the Appellate Court of Illinois? It began with a boat owner chartering out his boat to an individual for the Chi-Mac, who then entered the boat into the race, amassed a crew, and successfully won the race. But when the boat owner sought to have the entry changed after the race so as to include his name as the winning skipper, things got messy. A 16-page document issued by the Appellate Court on July 24, 2009 details how this incident passed through the channels within the sport of sailing, and also through the channels of the U.S. Judicial system. The good news is that after US SAILING reviewed the facts of the case and made their determination, the U.S. Judicial system came to the same conclusion (which was not to change the entry and name of winning skipper). The bad news is that this ever happened. Here is the link for the court document: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0817 BOAT TRACKERS - HOW DO YOU FEEL? During the 2009 Chicago Race to Mackinac, onboard boat trackers were optional, and about 1/3 of the fleet opted out. For those carrying the trackers, their position in the race could be viewed by online race fans. and by competitors with internet access. As for the teams without the trackers, they were, as referred to during the Volvo Ocean Race, in continuous "Stealth Mode." Distance races have increasingly been leveraging the internet, and tracking systems have the ability to provide the spectator with the kind of information once available only onboard. But as event organizers consider the inclusion of tracking systems, the Scuttlebutt survey is seeking public opinion on how they should handle it. Here are the two questions: What is your opinion of GPS Boat Tracking? Favorable / Not favorable / No opinion If an event has GPS Boat Tracking, what level of requirement should it have? It should be mandatory / It should be optional To help gather information, please respond to the survey questions and provide your comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0814/ BROKERAGE SPOTLIGHT: JK3 NAUTICAL ENTERPRISES, INC. The 2002 J/160 "Syren" is immaculately maintained with a beautiful interior and many nice cruising features! This is the ultimate long distance cruising boat. The JK3 brokerage list also includes many other J/Boats such as the J/65 "Brand New Day". They're also featuring another J/160 along with a J/130, a J/124, a J/125, a J/122, 2-J/120's, 2-J/109's, a J/105 and a 1-J/32. JK3 is having another great year with many boats sold, and is always seeking additional listings or to help individuals find the boat of their dreams. "Syren" is located in San Diego. Call Jeff Brown at 619.709.0697 or his office at 619.224.6200; online at http://www.jk3yachts.com SOME INTERESTING QUESTIONS REGARDING RULE 33 By Butch Ulmer During a recent day race, the Race Committee signaled a course change to the right at the leeward mark. The change mark was not in the water at that time but the original mark was still in position because it was being used by other classes. The windward leg was short for the boats involved and the visibility was unlimited. Although the course change was reasonably significant, the short length of the leg meant that the new mark would not be very far from the old mark. As the leading boats neared the vicinity of the old mark, it was obvious that no new mark had been set. A mark boat with a mark in it was in sight but since the mark was in the boat, no one paid much attention to it. Just before the lead boats reached the old mark (having decided to race to it), the mark boat dropped the new mark about 200 yards in front of one of the trailing boats. The trailing boat continued on to the new mark, rounded it and was first to finish. The lead boats tacked back to port, reached off to round the new mark and finished well behind the boat that had been trailing. A request for redress was filed and after a short hearing, the Protest Committee granted redress and abandoned the race. In the protest hearing, the Race Committee representative, in defense of what happened, asked two questions of the protestor...read on: http://www.ukhalsey.com/blog/post/Some-interesting-questions-regarding-Rule-33 CONFUSING ACRONYMS Attending an annual association conference is reaching the pinnacle of involvement. These gatherings typically bring together people with the greatest passion and commitment to their trade or activity. And wouldn't it be a mess if you booked a trip to the wrong meeting? If you are planning to attend the 2009 US SAILING Annual Meeting, make sure you are heading to Texas in October and not somewhere else: USSA - United States Sailing Association Mission Statement: "To provide leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States". -- http://www.ussailing.org USSA - United States Superyacht Association Mission Statement: "To promote the superyacht industry of the United States and to serve as its voice". -- http://ussuperyacht.com/super-yacht COMING TO AMERICA While there are plenty of boat builders in the U.S. suffering, and with so much production shifting offshore, it was encouraging to hear that two prominent builders were coming back to America: * When the idea for the Melges 20 was launched, the production was sent to China where prominent builder McConaghy had a facility. However, times have changed, and with demand for the boat on the rise, and the capacity of the Melges Performance Sailboats' shop in Zenda, Wisconsin able to handle the build slots, the Melges team is bringing home the moulds to gain greater control of the construction to ensure higher availability and quicker delivery. -- http://www.melges.com/ * Summit Yachts was the brainchild of Barry Carroll and George Carabetta, and with the work of prominent designer Mark Mills and King Marine in Argentina, their first boat - the King 40 - has been the envy of IRC racing. This has led to the Summit 35, which will be showcased at the fall boat shows, but is being built in Edgewater, FL. Again, times have changed, and with shipping rates being high from Argentina, and the cost of importing construction materials to South America, Summit Yachts will now be building their 40 footer in Florida too, rebranding it as the Summit 40 after the keel and rudder will receive slight modifications. -- http://www.summit-yachts.com/ RECYCLE YOUR SAILS & SAVE 25%! Would you like to see your old sails recycled? From now through August 31, North Sails will pay for you to ship your old sail(s) to North's Recycling Center in Portsmouth, RI and as an added thank you, you will qualify for 25% savings toward your new sail purchase. (North America only, 50 feet LOA & under, restrictions apply, one design sails not included.) We will also send you a free tote bag made from recycled sail cloth by SEA BAGS, Inc! When 'thinking green' matters, head North: http://na.northsails.com/tabid/14647/Default.aspx U.S. MATCH RACE TOUR (Chicago, IL) - This week 11 teams from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Denmark, the US Virgin Islands and the USA will start three days of competition for the inaugural edition of the Chicago Match Cup, held over August 21-23. Organized by the Chicago Match Race Center (CMRC), this International Sailing Federation Grade 2 event will be the most international sailing event held this year in Lake Michigan. "This is regarded as a peak event for us," says CMRC Director Bill Hardesty, "because we'll have some very high caliber international match race talent here to do battle. For spectators and sponsors alike this is a unique opportunity to see some truly world-class match race sailing being put on right here in Chicago." CMRC's floating base of operations will be on its 70-foot houseboat moored at the North end of Belmont Harbor, immediately adjacent to the Belmont Yacht Club. Racing will be conducted in the CMRC's dedicated fleet of eight equally-matched TOM 28 class yachts, each with a team of four crew. This is the first event of a regional three event match race tour: * Chicago Match Race - Chicago Match Race Center (Chicago, IL) - August 21-23 * Knickerbocker Cup - Manhasset Bay YC (Port Washington, NY) - August 26-30 * Detroit Cup - Bayview YC (Detroit, MI) - September 2-6. Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8049 SAILING SHORTS * Throwing out a 3rd and a 4th in the 12 race championship, Taylor Canfield and Stephanie Roble dominated the 2009 Club 420 North American Championship hosted by the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, Holland Michigan. Fifty-six entrants raced over four days; initially in light to medium air but with a strong southerly with steep Lake Michigan seas for the final three races. Marlena Fauer and Christina Lewis finished second and top all female crew, fifteen points behind the winners with Deirdre Lambert and Tracy Doherty in third and top junior boat (16 and under) five points behind. -- Results: http://www.mbyc.com/420_nationals/pdf_docs/MBYC_2009_420_NAs.pdf * The first half of the Inland Lake Yachting Association (ILYA) Annual Championship has been completed at Green Lake Yacht Club in Green Lake, WI. Tim Krech (Minnetonka Yacht Club) took home the silver in the 46 boat C Scow fleet, Tom Burton (Minnetonka Yacht Club) led the way amongst the 40 E Scows, while the fleet of 17 I-20 Scows was won by Steve Scheck (Mendota Yacht Club). The event now moves on to the next portion of the regatta with the majestic A's and fast MC's taking to Green Lake. -- Results and video: http://www.ilya.org/content/view/339/264/ * GE Capital has issued the first dealer floorplan asset-backed security (ABS) under the Term Asset Backed Securities Lending Facility (TALF), a US government program that was designed to introduce liquidity into credit markets. Two weeks ago, GE brought US$500m in securitized floorplan loans to market under TALF through its GE Dealer Floorplan Master Note Trust. That includes floorplan loans for marine, power sports, and other industries. The marine component gained the largest share of TALF funds, since marine floorplan lending is the largest part of GE's floorplan business. -- IBI Magazine, read on: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20090717155745ibinews.html * Raymarine issued a brief statement August 17th confirming that it is in preliminary discussions with mobile navigation giant Garmin and other parties concerning the possible sale of the British-based marine electronics manufacturer. -- Trade Only, read on: http://tinyurl.com/qrmupy GET SPEED & SMARTS BY EMAIL! The world's best all-instructional racing newsletter now comes straight to your inbox! Speed & Smarts is a bi-monthly publication with 16 colorful pages full of practical tips on tactics, strategy, rules, boatspeed and much more! It's written by David Dellenbaugh, winning America's Cup tactician, and is available in paper too! http://www.SpeedandSmarts.com CONSTRUCTED IN COUNTRY As soon as the one-on-one America's Cup Match between the Swiss and American clubs became a reality, and that the Deed of Gift would be the tool used to organize this event, attention toward a simple line in the Deed has frequently bubbled to the surface: ". a yacht or vessel propelled by sails only and constructed in the country to which the challenging Club belongs." The American team, BMW Oracle Racing (BOR), with all the technology in the U.S., believed they had the Swiss Alinghi team on the ropes. BOR has opined that any unique and custom built part must be constructed in the country of origin, such as the hull, the spars, the sails, etc. While BOR could rely on Boeing, Hall Spars, and North Sails, who would the Swiss leverage? The only opening that BOR has allowed is in regard to commercially available parts, such as fastners or building materials, as those such items can be purchased from any country. BOR has already contended that the Alinghi team has not been faithful to the Deed, but has the BOR team also crossed the line? Yes, Tim Abady emphatically says, the BOR interpretation of the Deed is off base. Here he explains: "This is pretty simple really. The Deed of Gift says 'constructed' and as I have the 1887 edition of Webster's Dictionary (the year of the Deed), it defines the word 'construct' as follows: "'To put together in their proper place and order the constituent parts of; to build; to form; as, to construct an edifice.' Read on and post comments here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8050 ALINGHI STAND BY RAK CHOICE Brad Butterworth, the skipper of defending America's Cup champion Alinghi, has resolutely defended the decision of choosing Ras Al Khaimah as the venue for the next edition of the event in February 2010. "We believe in Ras Al Khaimah and in their ability to deliver on a world-class venue," he told Gulf News Wednesday. Butterworth was responding to a charge made by BMW Oracle Racing owner and software tycoon Larry Ellison on the safety of the venue. Said Ellison, "I think they [Alinghi] picked it because it's very light winds. I'm a little bit concerned because it's less than 100 miles from Iran, so we're all concerned about the safety of our crew and our shore crew and everyone setting up there." But Butterworth disagrees. "Our absolute priorities in making this decision is the prevailing weather conditions and the resulting safety that the venue brings to both teams," explained the Alinghi skipper. -- Full story: http://www.gulfnews.com/sport/Sailing/10339918.html * The group helping Ras al Khaimah prepare for the America's Cup in February says security in the Strait of Hormuz will not be an issue. The Ras al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA), which is organising the 33rd America's Cup yacht race, was responding specifically to the concerns of the challenging team, BMW Oracle of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, about the emirate's proximity to Iran and its vulnerability as a terror target. "I want to emphasise to anyone who has concerns over the race that RAK is part of the sovereign state of the UAE, which has been regarded as a peaceful and stable country since its creation," said Dr Khater Massaad, the chief executive of RAKIA. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/qtmj7s LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Mike Esposito: Just to add to the Chicago Verve Cup story, during the squall that moved through Sunday, wind gusts were clocked at 62 m.p.h. about three miles offshore at the Harrison Dever Crib (a water-intake structure a little north of Navy Pier). * From Cressida Robson: If they do hold the America's Cup there (Ras al-Khaimah) and it is an Islamic state, does that mean there will be no alcohol permitted and women will have to cover their arms, ankles and heads? -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates#Demographics * From Peter O. Allen, Sr., Rochester, New York: I have a suggestion that might make the next ACup more relevant to most folks in the world. Let's have the two principals sit down at opposing desks, set in a neutral TV studio. At the starting gun they would each start writing one million dollar checks to the charity of their choice. After ten minutes the finish signal would be given and the amounts of the checks written by each would be totaled, put in envelopes, and mailed to each charity, while the principals are treated for writer's cramp. The winner would be the one who wrote the most checks. I suspect this contest would be greeted by the public with favor, would be far more beneficial to the world, and would cost each of the "camps" far less money and would have far more "trickle down" benefit than the current, irrelevant, wasteful debacle. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION When you rearrange the letters of 'MOTHER-IN-LAW' you get 'WOMAN HITLER'. Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises, North Sails, and Speed & Smarts. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
