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SCUTTLEBUTT 2955 - Wednesday, October 21, 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 MyBoatsGear.com, Annapolis Performance Sailing, and LaserPerformance. SHOULD FUN BE THE UNDERLYING GOAL OF A SAILING PROGRAM? By Nicholas Hayes, Author of Saving Sailing We dressed the dog in school colors and I joined about a dozen other 'boosters' -- parents of kids in the high school who support team sports by fundraising to buy things like uniforms and equipment -- in the homecoming parade. I'm not a booster member, but they needed dogs, my dog needed walking and my oldest daughter was playing in the marching band, about 1/4 mile ahead. We would all meet at the school to watch the powder puff game. En route, a booster asked, "Do I know any of your children? Are they in soccer, baseball, track? I must know them if they are in any of the summer programs." "Actually, you probably don't know them. My kids are sailors," I responded, and thought to myself: "We all are." "How wonderful that they're learning a lifelong activity!", she exclaimed. I was stunned. There it was again: a non-sailing parent, a kids-sports cheerleader extraordinaire, seeing clear to one of the Grand Benefits of sailing (key themes of the book.) I wrote the book Saving Sailing in part because I hoped to find out more about the make-up of the important people with whom we are associated when we are kids, like coaches, teachers, and boosters. And I expected that one of the outcomes of the book would be that people who have taught or teach sailing would share their own experiences and perspectives. That is happening in every speaking venue, review and blog where the book is being discussed and it is a good thing. I am especially excited to see many terrific ideas being shared and many mistakes being averted because they've been made already, and needn't be made again. But candidly, the book also tackles the fundamental weaknesses in the kids-sports paradigm. Here's one: Let's call it the "make it fun" fixation. We're reading and hearing over and over that to get kids to commit to a program, it has to be fun. Of course it has to be fun. But are we trying to get our kids to agree to subscribe to a program, or are we looking to help our kids understand something about life, or the natural world, or the meeting of science and technology, or the behaviors (good and bad) of the people that they will meet? -- Read on: http://www.savingsailing.com/Home/Blog/Entries/2009/10/19_Just_Fun.html BRINGING SPORT TO THE PUBLIC When Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD won the bid to host the Melges 24 2009 World Championship on October 26-31, the class format required the club to also host the Melges 24 2009 North American Championship as a practice run for the Worlds. But organizers realized they needed more room. "That's when we used every inch of the Eastport Yacht Club," said Liz Filter, event chairwoman for the Melges 24 World Championship and a club member. To remedy the situation for the Worlds, the club partnered with Annapolis Sailing School to provide space for boats to pull in, unpack, rig up and get measured, and they originally planned to have the event based at the sailing school too. But city officials expressed interest in bringing the regatta to the center of the city, and maximize the public exposure of the event. As a result, the boats will be docked at City Dock, a premier public location that is right in the heart of town and allows for quick access to the shops, restaurants, pubs and atmosphere of this nautical town. "It needs to be there," said Mayor Ellen O. Moyer. "This is a sailing town. It's a major, major industry in this city." "Having it at City Dock was brilliant because people can watch what's going on," said Connie Del Signore, president and chief executive officer of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau. Organizers expect that the Melges 24 will be a boon to the local economy. They said the event should generate more than $500,000 as everyone from sailors to race officials spends money in restaurants, hotels, and bed and breakfasts. "A lot of these sailors travel with an entourage," said Nancy Noyes, press officer for the Melges 24 event and the Eastport Yacht Club. "They bring families, they bring coaches. One Italian team brings a personal chef." -- Source: The Capital, http://tinyurl.com/yzoyn3z * T2P.TV will be providing video coverage of all the racing action throughout the Melges 24 World Championship. Each evening a daily video show will be produced and broadcast online by 9PM EST at http://www.t2p.tv MAINSAIL HANDLING SYSTEMS At this year's Annapolis boat show, plus the last few years, we have been looking at the alternatives available for mainsail handing. Mainsails tend to be large and cumbersome and keeping them under control while raising and lowering can be a challenge. The newsletter 'Mainsail Reefing and Handling' looks at the various methods: slab reefing, Dutchman system, lazy jacks, mast furling, boom furling, plus car systems. RSS feeds are available at http://Myboatsgear.com * Newsletter link: http://www.myboatsgear.com/newsletter/2008115.asp ANNAPOLIS: LONG RANGE FORECAST While the spotlight in Annapolis, MD has been on the Melges 24 Worlds, the town will also be busy during the next two weekends hosting prominent events for the J/24, Etchells, J/105, and IRC. This report by Sailing Weather Services provides background information for the area, along with a long range forecast for the Melges 24 Worlds: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Annapolis is prone to a wide range of weather conditions in the early fall season. During late October, this region of the Chesapeake normally experiences a high temperature in the mid 60s F (17-18 C), a low in the low 40s F (05-06 C), and winds average 10 knots. October is also one of the drier and sunnier months of the year for the region. Thus far, this fall season has averaged slightly cooler and wetter than normal. The atmosphere is in great transition at this time of year so a wide-range of weather conditions are possible. Low pressure centers, called mid-latitude cyclones, tend to grow stronger and track further south across the continental U.S. as fall progresses due to the increased gradient between warm and cold air masses. This can result in chilly and stormy weather or mild and sunny conditions. Atlantic hurricane frequency is statistically in decline during early fall as November 30th is the official end to the season. The threat of a tropical system affecting Annapolis at this time of year is low but not out of the question. Typically, most tropical systems are in transition to extra-tropical cyclones when passing close to Annapolis in late October. These storms can still be formidable with gale to storm force winds and heavy precipitation. A great example of unsettled weather occurred in the 2008 season during the Melges 24 North American Championship held in Annapolis the first week of November. Low pressure strengthened east of the Delmarva Peninsula into a seasonably strong Nor'easter that tracked towards New England and the Canadian Maritimes. This storm started the event on a very unsettled note with periods of gale force winds, heavy downpours, and cool temperatures. A comparable situation occurred this past weekend as a coastal low pressure center followed a similar track to cause very unsettled weather. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/1020/ RULES QUESTION Last weekend there was a Star regatta which had scheduled three races on Saturday and two on Sunday. During the first race two Stars were way ahead of the rest and they collided (port-starboard) and the right-of-way boat broke his mast. The boat that broke its mast had already rounded the last mark and was on a close hauled course, while the second boat still had to round the mark. The boat on port acknowledged its mistake and left the race immediately and retired. As the first two races were sailed back to back, the Star with the broken mast replaced it as fast as possible, but missed the second race as well. It did sail, and win, the third race on Saturday. The damaged boat asked for redress for Races 1 and 2. We granted it redress: average points out of Race 3, 4 and 5 for Races 1 and 2. And then.... there was no wind on Sunday. So this boat won the event by just sailing, and winning, just one race. Did we make the right decision? (See answer below) CLIPPER VENTURES PUBLISHES ECO 60 RULES (October 20, 2009) - Clipper Ventures today published the inaugural rules and regulations in relation to the Eco 60, a new class of offshore racing boats who will compete for the first time in the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010-11. The rules, developed over the last 12 months by the Race Management and a dedicated team of experts, will ensure the safety of the skippers and the boats racing in their own competitive fleet, as well as introduce regulations to reduce costs and encourage a sustainable future for the class. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman of Clipper Ventures, concluded, "The Eco 60 Class is an exciting new concept that has proven to be extremely popular with skippers and sponsors alike, with ten entries now confirmed for the next VELUX 5 OCEANS. The race remains open to all offshore racing skippers with an Open 60 to compete in either our Eco 60 Class or our Open 60 Class." The VELUX 5 OCEANS starts and finishes in La Rochelle, France, begins October 17, 2010, and includes five ocean legs. The Eco 60 Class is open to all Open 60 class yachts launched before January 2003 that meet the class rules for safety and stability, and is designed to broaden the reach of singlehanded offshore racing. The Eco 60 Class is intended to provide a low cost platform for sailors with limited budgets to break into the world of singlehanded professional sailing, whilst also encouraging skippers to embrace renewable energy sources. Meanwhile, the Open 60 Class will be open to all Open 60s launched after January 2003 and will race alongside the Eco 60 Class over the five ocean sprints. -- Race website: http://www.velux5oceans.com THE SAILING CAPITAL'S MELGES 24 WORLD'S Now that we've got your attention...in case you didn't know, the Melges 24 World's start this Friday in Annapolis. While one can debate the city's self proclaimed title one thing one cannot debate is that APS' shop will be the place the world's top sailors head to find their M24 hardware and (warm) gear. We've got all the latest go fast goodies and last minute needs for Melges 24s and their crews. Oh, and beginning today we're running a special of 10% off Velocitek GPS units during the event. Take advantage of the deal even if you're not coming here: http://www.apsltd.com/M24Worlds SAILING SHORTS * Nassau, Bahamas (October 20, 2009) - After two days of racing at the 2009 Sunfish World Championship, American David Loring holds a narrow .2 point lead over Venezuelan Marx Chirinos in second. Seventy-two boats are competing, with racing concluding on October 24th. -- Event website: http://sunfish2009.nassauyachtclub.org/index.html * The registrants for the ISSA High School Singlehanded Championship for the Cressy Trophy include 18 sailors in each of the Laser and Laser Radial divisions. The event will be hosted by Corpus Christi Yacht Club October 30-November 01, 2009. View competitors here: http://tinyurl.com/yjgxwf5 * (October 20, 2009) - OC Events, owner and organiser of the award-winning Extreme 40 Sailing Series, today announced its title sponsor, iShares, has decided to end its association with the European Circuit due to a change in company ownership. OC Events has confirmed this will not adversely affect the European Circuit for 2010 or the recently launched inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia 2009/10. -- http://www.isharescup.com/en/ * After four months of assembly in Oman's southern most port of Salalah, skipper Paul Standbridge has been stretching the legs of Oman Sail's new Arabian 100-foot trimaran during sea-trials off the Omani coast. Now named Majan, after the ancient name for Oman, Oman Sail's new flagship is now operational and is heading into the Gulf and a tour of neighbouring countries. -- Read on: http://www.omansail.com/article.asp?aid=22359 IS RAK PERMITTED UNDER THE DEED OF GIFT? (October 20, 2009) - The America's Cup challenger Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) submitted to the New York Court today their latest filing on why Societe Nautique Geneve (SNG) cannot host the 33rd Match at Ras al-Khaimah. The hearing on this venue motion is on October 27, 2009. Here is the opening statement in the GGYC reply brief: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This motion presents a simple legal question - whether SNG's selection of the waters off Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates for a February match is permitted under the Deed of Gift. To demonstrate the necessity of bringing the present motion and to make clear what is at stake in this motion, GGYC offered evidence of the serious security concerns presented by SNG's selection of such a race course. SNG (and non-party Ras al-Khaimah) have gone to great lengths to seek to diminish the seriousness of the safety risks, submitting seven factual affidavits, a score of exhibits, and an amicus submission, none of which have any bearing on the limited question of whether SNG may select a Northern Hemisphere location for an America's Cup race that is to be conducted in February. As discussed below, those efforts are unpersuasive and indeed only serve to confirm the security risks. In the end, however, this Court is not being asked to determine whether the race course SNG has designated is safe enough, but only to resolve the narrow question of whether SNG's designation is permitted under the Deed of Gift. As discussed herein, it plainly is not. Complete reply brief: http://tinyurl.com/yk7vekr Exhibits filed with the reply brief: http://tinyurl.com/yk32vq5 => Curmudgeon's Comment: Scuttlebutt's legal analyst Cory Friedman has reviewed the information that both GGYC and SNG have submitted to the court. Look for his analysis in the Thursday issue of Scuttlebutt. Here is the link for all of Cory's previous reports: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/ RULES ANSWER There's an ISAF Q&A on this subject. It states that for no more than half of the races can redress be given. The score of the boat should at least half be calculated from actual sailed races. In this case the Star should have been granted redress for Race 1, scored DNC in Race 2 and given its actual sailed score in the third. (Information provided by the LTW rules blog: http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2009/10/ltw-readers-q-31-redress-in-short.html) LASERPERFORMANCE'S FREE GEAR PROMOTION IS ON! From now through December 31st buy a boat from LaserPerformance and get a dolly or covers PLUS a Ronstan Race Watch or Gill Dry Bag and Floatable Sunglasses - for free! It's that simple. It's that great a deal. Some restrictions apply. Contact your local dealer or go to http://www.LaserPerformance.com for all the details. LETTERS AND FORUM Please email 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 John Glynn: In Scuttlebutt 2953, Mr. Wilcox raises a good point. His Father introduced him to sailing, not by putting him in an Opti and saying have a nice day (Optis weren't around in those days). Rather he took him sailing, I'm guessing first as a crew, and later letting him skipper. We don't see nearly enough of that these days. Once a Summer (or more), every club should designate a day: Parent-Child Day. Could be a regatta, could be a fun day, Mom or Dad skippers, or Junior skippers (depending on age/skill). There have been studies done about the effects of "Little League Parents," and the resulting fall off in interest (all sports). Sailing has the unique ability to put parents and children literally in the same boat. I can't tell you how much fun, and how rewarding it was this past Summer to have my 11-year-old daughter race an Ideal 18 (her driving, my wife and I crewing) against 8 other Parent-child teams. And I think (hope) it was the highlight of her season as well. * From Wayne Pignolet: I know there is a great debate about the sailing capitol of the world, either Newport or Annapolis. I submit there is another sailing capital that needs to be part of the debate, the whole state of Ohio. My case is based mostly on the quality of the sailors from OHIO. At the recent Championships of Champions who won going away? Skip Dieball from Toledo OHIO. One of Skip's crew was Tom Starks who lives in CLEVELAND, OHIO. Second place at that same CofCs was Greg Fisher who may live in Annapolis but is most definitely a BUCKEYE having grown up in COLUMBUS, OHIO. Hell, these guys are so good they beat Paul Cayard. As it goes Greg's crew is not from OHIO but his crew did just recently win the 2009 Lightning World's sailing with MATT Fisher (yes Matt and Greg are brothers). Matt too grew up in OHIO and for some reason still lives in COLUMBUS. Congrats Greg, Skip and Matt you made a former Buckeye proud. => Curmudgeon's Comment: I can also personally attest to the people Wayne listed as being some of the nicest members in this sport too. * From Neil Harvey: I remember back in '73 & '74 when we were training off Fremantle & Yanchep, every time 'Blinky' Bob Miller (aka Ben Lexcen) saw a porpoise (dolphin - not the Mahi Mahi type) he used to get all excited & proclaimed to us that for its size, that was the fastest fish in the water and "one day, I I I I'm gonna d d d design a boat shape like that, but upside down." He used to elaborate that all the other fast fish had tails that went from side to side to propel them, but the porpoise's tail propelled it by going up & down. I always knew that one day, he would design a sailing yacht with a keel & apertures that resembled a porpoise - upside down - as he was amazed at what that animal's fins could do. Long live the genius of 'Blinky' and may one of the things he'll always be remembered for is creating the boat Australia 11 - and its revolutionary winged keel. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. Special thanks to MyBoatsGear.com, Annapolis Performance Sailing, and LaserPerformance. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
