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SCUTTLEBUTT 3090 - Wednesday, May 12, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt Today�s sponsors: Summit Yachts, Harken, and Quantum Sails. WINNING THE WILSON By Adam Roberts, Team Extreme The Wilson Trophy is well known as the world�s premier annual team racing event, collecting 32 of the most talented teams in the world in West Kirby, England to do battle. This year was the first year I was able to make it to this prestigious event, and no doubt, it lived up to its reputation for being one of the best-run events accumulating over 350 races in just three days! Team racing is one of the most unique forms of sailboat racing. You are not just responsible for getting yourself around the course but also your two other teammates, and doing so faster than the opposing team. To do so, there are plays, moves and loads of strategy, making every race very interesting. The races themselves average around 10 minutes, thus the races are very fast paced and the quick and coordinated teams come out on top. I joined up with long-time friend from San Diego, Zach Brown and fellow 470 sailor, Stu McNay and their crews for the event. Crewing for me was my legendarily talented sister, Melanie Roberts and all together we were Team Extreme for the weekend. As Team Extreme we had quite a good run for the event. After day one we lead the 32-team field with an undefeated record. A re-sail against the last year�s Wilson champs, the West Kirby Hawks took away one of those wins, but we stayed focused and continued to improve out record. We managed to stay on top of the leader board through day two, but knew that we by no means had we sealed the deal. The final day of the event the top 8 teams are seeded and put into a knock out round. It was a best of three races, and the loser is done for the event. The final day of the event is truly a spectacular scene. It is unlike anything I have ever seen in sailing. We are on a small manmade lake (pond really), that you can sail right up to the walls without running aground. The course is as close to the shore as possible, and the whole town comes out to watch and cheer on their local heroes, and boo at the outsiders. The event even sets up grandstands for all the spectators, and has live commentating on the races as the pass. -- Read on: http://www.teamrobertsmartin.com/blog/post/show/id/25-Wilson-Trophy Daily event reports: http://tinyurl.com/2010-Wilson Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0510/ SEATTLE NOOD ORGANIZERS �PRAYING� FOR WIND Organizers of the third annual Seattle NOOD regatta are hoping this year�s event differs from last year�s in one key way - more wind. Last year�s National Offshore One-Design Regatta (NOOD) in Seattle was hampered by light winds over three days of racing, prompting some races to be canceled. This year�s NOOD is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, May 14 to 16, on Shilshole Bay. �I�m praying for more wind than what we had last year,� regatta chief George Brengle said on Monday. �I�m looking at the forecast and it looks like a carbon copy of last year.� Northwest racers, familiar with the region�s variable conditions, tend to sign up later than racers in the eight other NOOD regattas held around the country. As of Monday, there were about 165 boats registered in 22 classes, compared with 204 boats in 26 classes last year. There were about 25 last-minute entries in the 2009 Seattle NOOD, and Brengle was anticipating the same this year. �If that�s the case again this year, we�ll be down (in the number of boats registered), but not by that much.� -- Three Sheets Northwest, read on: http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/archives/9610 WORK PROGRESSES ON THE NEW SUMMIT 40 Construction is moving forward on the New Summit 40. This updated design of the original King 40 IRC racer/cruiser, arguably the most successful 40 ft boat in worldwide competition, will be even more competitive. The new boat will feature a new keel, rudder and interior, as well as a full carbon rig, built by Southern Spars. Look for the introduction of this new model at the Newport International Boat Show in September. Check out the new Summit 40 as well as the Summit 35 at http://www.summit-yachts.com * Soundings has an online article about the boat building team behind the Summit 35 and 40: http://www.soundingsonline.com/component/content/article/253932/253932 THE WETASS CHRONICLES: ADVENTURE LOST By Tim Zimmermann, Sailing World When Jessica Watson set out from Sydney, Australia last October to sail non-stop around the world, solo and unassisted, I was - how shall I put this? - extremely skeptical. It wasn't her age - just 16 - so much as her inexperience, though that is age related. It didn't help that she collided with a freighter before the start. I thought her parents were idiots. Mostly, though, it was my perception of solo, Round-the-World (RTW), sailing as an epic, dangerous, and lonely challenge, requiring superhuman discipline, an ability to survive on little sleep, and the capability to fix, invent and jury-rig your way around the globe. I got that perception from devouring the RTW sailing literature from the early days: Robin-Knox Johnston, Bernard Moitessier, Miles Smeeton, and many others. Also, from following the inspired craziness of the Vendee Globe. This canon elevates solo, RTW sailing to world-class adventure, matching anything you can find in mountaineering or exploration. But now that Jessica is cruising serenely toward Sydney on her S&S 34 Ella's Pink Lady, about to conclude her voyage successfully and become a marketing superstar, I realize that it's time to update my perception. I don't want to take too much away from her accomplishment. Any solo, RTW voyage is a big deal, and I sincerely doubt I would have fared as well. She was knocked down multiple times, slugged her way through gales and headwinds, and at least early in the voyage sometimes appeared on the verge of tears. But after following her voyage I was struck by how much the nature of this sort of adventure has completely changed. It just doesn't feel very "solo" or "unassisted" anymore, and that takes the blood and guts out of it. Think of all the time Jessica spent on the sat phone, talking to her family and shore team. Problem with the autopilot or generator? Get on the horn with the manufacturer for step-by-by step repair instructions. Feeling lonely and blue? Call up your Mum for a chat and some bucking up. Need an emotional lift? Read the comments on your blog. And then there is weather. Without doubt, the most challenging element of early voyages was a nearly complete inability to know what weather lay ahead in time to do anything about it. So part of the deal was having the snot knocked out of you on a regular basis. In the Southern Ocean, you got the snot AND the crap knocked out of you, and that was why it was such a hoary, intimidating place. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/25m56jl COLLEGE NATIONALS The 2010 Inter-Collegiate Spring National Championship will be held in Madison, WI on Lake Mendota May 25 - June 3 to decide the Womens, Team Race, and Dinghy champions. The seven Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) districts have held qualification events to determine the championship entrants, with the Dinghy event hosting on May 1-2 a Semi-Final round where the top 36 teams from the seven districts competed to determine the 18 teams that would advance to Madison. The ICSA Women's National Championship begins the schedule, and is the only event of the three titles that hosts an elimination round during the championship week. The top nine teams from district qualifiers are pre-seeded for the championship finals while 18 additional teams will compete in the semi-finals. The top nine teams from the semi-finals will join the pre-seeded teams for the finals May 25-26: ICSA Women's Semi-Finals (top nine advance to Finals) MAISA - (4) William Smith, Old Dominion, Navy, Pennsylvania MCSA - (2) Wisconsin, Minnesota NEISA - (5) Boston College, Connecticut College, Tufts, Yale, Dartmouth PCCSC - (2) University of Southern California, Hawaii SAISA - (3) Charleston, University of South Florida, Florida SEISA - (2) Texas, Tulane May 26-28: ICSA Women's National Championship Finals (pre-seeded teams) MAISA - (2) St. Mary's, Georgetown MCSA - (1) Michigan NEISA - (2) Brown, Harvard NWICSA - (1) University of Washington PCCSC - (1) Stanford SAISA - (1) Eckerd SEISA - (1) Texas A&M Galveston May 29-31: ICSA/APS Team Race National Championship MAISA - (3) Georgetown, St. Mary's, Navy MCSA - (2) Wisconsin, Northwestern NEISA - (3) Boston College, Tufts, Yale NWICSA - (1) University of Washington PCCSC - (2) Stanford, Hawaii SAISA - (2) Eckerd, Charleston SEISA - (1) Texas A&M Galveston June 1-3: ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy Championship MAISA - (7) Hobart and William Smith, Navy, Old Dominion, St. Mary's, Georgetown, New York Maritime, King's Point MCSA - (0) NEISA - (8) Tufts, Boston College, Yale, Harvard, Brown, Salve Regina, Roger Williams, Vermont NWICSA - (0) PCCSC - (1) Stanford SAISA - (2) Charleston, Southern Florida SEISA - (0) District list MAISA - Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association MCSA - Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association NEISA - New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association NWICSA - Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association PCCSC - Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference SAISA - South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association SEISA - Southeastern Intercollegiate Sailing Association Nationals website: http://2010nationals.collegesailing.org GREAT CREW GEAR When your crew is comfortable they can focus on sailing, so get some flash gear for your crew this season. The new Harken Sport line includes jackets, fleece, shirts, dry bags, and more with features and styling your crew will love. Men's and women's fits are available, and items that can be difficult to customize come with features like zippered lining access so you can back team embroidery with waterproof tape. Check it out at http://www.harkensport.com/us BEAUFORT SCALE - WIND AND SEA CONDITIONS '..so there we were in a Force 8..' 'A what?' '..a Force 8, and the winch jammed...' 'What's a Force 8 mate?' 'It's a bloody big wind - where do you come from?' 'Australia.' 'I see old chap - that explains it. Now can I get on with my story?' The Beaufort scale has long been a bit of a mystery to those who don't have occasion use it very often, and, as many forecasts from certain parts of the world are given using the Beaufort Scale, if you're not familiar with it, it's a good idea to have the translation pasted up above the chart table. The scale was created in 1805 by, surprise surprise, Sir Francis Beaufort, an Irishman who became a British admiral. He created the scale to attempt to standardise the descriptions that naval officers made to each other, and eliminate subjectivity. This was so successful that by the 1830's the standard was accepted throughout the Royal Navy. The Beaufort Scale describes in a visual way the Sea State and relates that back to wind speed. Usually, this works (not always) the sea state can be associated with certain wind strengths. It is most accurate in an open ocean, and particularly when the sea is well developed by the present wind, so the Beaufort scale numbers are traditionally associated with a certain range of wind speed. However, a rapid wind change or an area of little fetch, will naturally not provide an alignment between the visual sea state and the wind strength. Here's a brief summary of the scale, with accompanying wind speed: http://www.sail-world.com/USA/Beaufort-Scale---wind-and-sea-conditions/68433 SAILING SHORTS * South Florida PBS station WPBT2 and TheSailingChannel.TV are working together to develop a new television series for sailing enthusiasts. "Adventures in Sailing" is a 10-part series that will feature classic and critically-acclaimed films that capture the essence of the sport. Each half-hour show will be hosted by Tory Salvia, president of TheSailingChannel.TV. -- Soundings, read on: http://tinyurl.com/28ea9fm * In this edition of Volvo Sailing Podcast, triple Volvo Ocean Race winners Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne discuss their new signups for the next race with Puma and Camper - Stu also chats about his Melges 32 campaign with the US�s Samba Pa Ti. Russell Coutts outlines BMW Oracle�s plans for America�s Cup 34, and Matt Sheahan comments on the America�s Cup and TP52s. Listen here: http://tinyurl.com/28yyk97 * (May 11, 2010) - The first day of the Finn European Championship in Split, Croatia was lost due to insufficient winds. The final tally confirmed the largest ever turnout for the event, with 97 entries recorded from 26 nations including 25 juniors. Three races are scheduled for Wednesday starting an hour earlier at 11.00. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9830#9830 * While photos can�t translate the tension of an event, they certainly can translate the temperature. So when the Interscholastic Sailing Association Double Handed Championship were held last weekend in Greenwich, CT, the gear was on as the heat was off. Despite the inclement weather, a team from sunny San Diego took the crown. Enjoy these blustery pics from PhotoBoat.com: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0511/ * A report into the destruction of the IMOCA 60 BT's coachroof and near sinking in last year's Transat Jacques Vabre race has concluded that a combination of the material's stiffness and an unusually large, or rogue wave - "a hydrodynamic event of significance" - caused the failure. BT was being raced two-handed last November by Sebastien Josse and Jean-Fran�ois Cuzon and was around 210 miles north-west of the Azores in 30-50 knots of wind when the boat was struck by a huge wave. -- Yachting World, read on: http://tinyurl.com/24bernf QUANTUM SAILS POWER RESULTS AT ANNAPOLIS NOOD. Quantum sails ruled the J 80 fleet with Terry Flynn aboard B-Team defeating 35 other boats as well as garnering overall honors. Adam Burns proclaimed �The Quantums are awesome�� after he and his amateur crew sailed his Melges 24 to first place with a full Quantum inventory. http://www.quantumsails.com * The TP52 Audi MedCup begins Wednesday, with the first of the five event season getting underway in Cascais, Portugal. Observing the fleet, Paul Cayard notes, �There are 11 teams here competing in what is one of the most competitive professional sailing circuits in sailing. The list of helmsmen/tacticians is very impressive; Team Origin: Ben Ainslie (3 Gold medals), Iain Percy (2 Gold); Luna Rossa: Robert Scheidt (2 Gold, 1 Silver), Torben Grael (5 Olympic medals); All4One: Jochen Schumann (3 Gold), John Cutler (1 Silver); Emirates Team New Zealand: Dean Barker/Ray Davies (America's Cup winners); Quantum Racing: Terry Hutchinson/Adrian Stead and the list goes on.� Look for video updates from the circuit on the Quantum Racing YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/quantumsails 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: [email protected] -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Doug Mills, PHRF SoCal President, 1998: In Southern California, the PHRF System rates the boat and not the crew or skipper. In practice, this discourages new racers who quit after being hammered their first few times out. I have seen this many times, and we are losing racers because of this. Our valid list continues to slowly atrophy as time passes. We do have flexibility. We have local area ratings, which are distinct from the base ratings used commonly in longer races and major events. The former are employed primarily in club races. Why can't PHRF SoCal give a big break to newbies by giving them a great deal of time in the local area ratings? Current rules limit deviation between base and local rating to plus or minus twelve seconds but this can be changed. We should give the new people a very big break on the local area rating, and reel them in slowly if they start to perform. The base rating can be based on the boat; if you want to play with the big dogs you have to get off the porch. I have suggested this numerous times over the years, to be shut down firmly. The guys who run PHRF -- great people for sure - -have no sense what it is like to show up for your first few races to end up at the bottom of the sheet every time. We have to change and bend in the current era, when very few at our trophy presentations are under the age of sixty. * From John Wade: There is nothing in the PHRF system that attempts to rate performance of the sailors. The "P" in PHRF refers to the performance of the boat, in optimum racing condition, sailed by competent sailors. It is an attempt to put the PHRF sailors in the same condition as one design sailors; and as in one design sailing, there is always going to be someone in first and someone in last place. There is no place on the PHRF rating form that asks for sailor experience or competence. PHRF rates boats, not people. * From Laurence Mead: A few years ago an enterprising and innovative member of our Etchells fleet put together a years worth of results and came up with a personal handicapping system that ranked everybody ready for the new season. It was a great piece of work that was purely statistically based. The screams of horror from those skippers who didn't �like� their numbers meant the project was never used to score a single race..........enough said! Great idea though. * From Ryan Stotland: A friend of mine Jack Lee from Montreal, Canada, is currently sailing around Britain (3000 nm) and expects to finish his trip at the beginning of July. During his quest he is raising funds for two charitable causes that are applicable to his trip...the Marine Conservation society and the Heart and Stroke foundation. He has already raised 30,000 dollars in funds but hopes to raise over 100,000 by the time the trip is completed. As a friend of his, I am trying to spread the word so that he can accomplish his goal of raising money for these two important causes. His website is tracking his progress with updates on his blog and more info about the causes and his life story. I hope that you might find this to be an interesting story to include in Scuttlebutt. His website is http://www.sailbritain.org * From Amy Tayler In celebration of Earthday last month, the Antilles High School Sailing Team (USVI) started the 1st Annual Recycling for Regattas fundraiser. The team collects used gadgets, such as; cell phones, ipods, digital cameras, & laptops, to be recycled for money. It is win-win for everyone; the team raises money to help send them to off island regattas and the donors can feel good about their old gadgets not ending up in our landfills! For more information go to http://antillessailingteam.gazelle.com or email [email protected] CURMUDGEON�S OBSERVATION �A consultant is someone who can sell motion as progress.� - Ned Rowland Special thanks to Summit Yachts, Harken, and Quantum Sails. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
