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SCUTTLEBUTT 3295 - Thursday, March 10, 2011
Scuttlebutt 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.
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Today's sponsors: Ullman Sails and JK3 Nautical Enterprises.
SAILING’S TRUE VALUE ISN’T FOUND IN BOAT SALES
By Bill Sisson, Soundings editor
Sailing has always left a disproportionately large footprint for the number
of new units it cranks out a year. And to trying to measure the impact of
sailing by that metric is too myopic - it misses the larger point, the
greater value.
When was the last time you saw a boater signing autographs? Thought so.
Doesn’t happen very often.
I watched it take place two weeks ago in the model room at the New York
Yacht Club in Manhattan, a place where tradition still means something.
There was Anna Tunnicliffe, 2010 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, signing away
after winning the prestigious sailing award (and another engraved Rolex) for
a record third consecutive year.
Tunnicliffe is a great ambassador for sailing. For boating. For sports.
Young, fit and confident, the 28-year-old won a gold medal in the Laser
Radial at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Her current goal: winning a second
Olympic gold in the 2012 Games in London.
The English-born world champion, who now lives in Plantation, Fla., spends a
good deal of time working with youth sailors, serving as a mentor and role
model. Understandably, the kids are wowed by the gold medal, which
Tunnicliffe often lets them hold or put around their necks. That’s
inspiration, folks.
Fifteen or 20 years down the road one of those kids, who are 11 or 12 today,
will be at the helm of a large yacht - or a large company. And looking back,
he or she will say something to the effect: “I remember the day Anna visited
our sailing program. And I got to hold her gold medal.” Count on it. -- Read
on: http://blog.tradeonlytoday.com/tradetalk/?p=179
ORACLE RACING’S KOSTECKI & BURNS TALK UP AC45
(March 9, 2011) - Four new AC45s are now in final assembly/fit out in
Auckland by America’s Cup teams and as announced Tuesday, Swedish-flagged
Artemis Racing has taken ownership of one of these boats, which they are
busy assembling and will likely begin testing next week on the Hauraki Gulf.
A draw during the Competitors Forum for the first three available boats
(after the prototype) determined delivery priority. Artemis drew first and
got boat 1, a yet undisclosed team drew boat 2 and ORACLE Racing drew boat
3. Mascalzone Latino received boat 4 which was available slightly late. The
draw was among those who had purchased the first four boats, as the first
batch of boats available after the prototype were just four in total. The
next boats come on line in April as production continues.
A major benefit to getting a fleet of AC45s out on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf
is that the teams will quickly start testing the new rules and trial match
racing the new cats which they're undoubtedly looking forward to. SailBlast
recently spoke with John Kostecki (tactician) and “Fresh” Burns (design
team) from ORACLE Racing about the AC45, match racing, and the differences
they view between the AC45 and the Extreme 40.
“We started the AC45 by looking closely at the X-40,” Fresh explained. “At
one stage we considered using that for some our very early testing to sail
with it or even for a circuit but decided to go to a purpose built design.
We looked at the features that were good in the X-40 and also the failings
of those boats. Thank goodness we did because the 45 turned out brilliantly.
It’s a great platform for racing, a great all-round performer and a great
way to introduce the wing sail into multi hull racing.”
Kostecki said the biggest difference - and most obvious - is the wing sail
on the AC45 versus the X-40 with soft sails. Additionally, the AC45 is a new
design so it’s a lot more modern, for example, he said, it has significant
hull shape refinements. -- Read on: http://sailblast.blogspot.com
J/80 “LE TIGRE” CLINCHES TWO EVENTS SO FAR
Ullman Sails customers Glenn Darden and Reese Hillard have kicked off their
2011 season in good form. Sailing on their J/80 “Le Tigre” with tactician
Max Skelley and trimmer Karl Andersen, the team captured the J/80 Midwinter
Championships at Key West Race Week. In the closely contested series, “Le
Tigre” won the event by one point. The team promptly followed their
Midwinter title with a win in Texas at J/80 Southern Circuit Stop #1,
February 26-27th. Powered by Ullman upwind inventory, the team showed their
dominance on the racecourse in Texas with a 13-point lead over second place.
http://www.ullmansails.com
LEADERS FIGHT LIGHT AIR IN SOUTH ATLANTIC
(March 9, 2011) - The battle continues in the light airs of the high
pressure in the South Atlantic as Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron on
Virbac-Paprec 3 try to escape into the oxygen of the south easterly trade
winds, but still through the early part of Wednesday the gains of Spain’s
Mapfre have carried on.
The gnawing tension on board both boats was barely hidden during this
morning’s Audio and Visio-Conference, linking skippers live with Race HQ in
Barcelona. Both skippers spoke of the logic and modelling predictions, but
both Iker Martinez and Jean-Pierre Dick confirmed that they were struggling
to track the movement of the centre of the high, and to know when they would
be getting out of the honey-pot of light winds.
Mapfre’s tactic remains to attack the centre directly, sailing at faster,
reaching angles which have earned them more miles, but on this afternoon’s
1400hrs ranking the differential between the two seems to have evened and
the tipping point might have been reached with 132 miles between the top
two. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/48k9fkw
Race Tracker: http://tracking.barcelonaworldrace.org
Standings (top 5 of 14 as of 1400 hours)
1. Virbac-Paprec 3, Jean Pierre Dick/Loick Peyron (FRA/FRA), 5106 nm DTF
2. Mapfre, Iker Martinez/Xabi Fernandez (ESP/ESP), 156.9 nm DTL
3. Renault, Pachi Rivero/Antonio Piris (ESP/ESP), 1221.7 nm DTL
4. Neutrogena, Boris Herrmann/Ryan Breymaier (GER/USA), 1501.6 nm DTL
5. Mirabaud, Dominique Wavre/Michele Paret (SUI) 1644.2 nm DTL
Full Rankings: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/ranking/
BACKGROUND: This is the second edition of the non-stop Barcelona World Race,
the only double-handed race around the world. Fourteen teams are competing
on Open 60s which started December 31st and is expected to finish by late
March. The 25,000 nautical mile course is from Barcelona to Barcelona via
three capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn, Cook Strait, putting Antarctica to
starboard. Race website: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org
RYAN BREYMAIER'S TOP 10 SAILING ESSENTIALS
Ryan Breymaier is participating as the lone American in the Barcelona World
Race. Now halfway around, he shares the top 10 must-have items for an
around-the-world voyage.
10. A Good, Fast, Strong Boat
We cannot overstate how nice it is to have a boat which is a proven
performer, and strong enough that we do not worry about every creak and
groan. If we could go on a little diet, we would have the perfect boat.
9. Plenty of Dried Meat
It is cold, and we are in the high latitudes. Eat what the Eskimos eat. Beef
jerky is good stuff, and lots of protein in a small package. What's not to
like?
8. My Wedding Ring
Firmly in place to remind me of what is important in life. When it's all
said and done, if it wasn't for my wife, Nicola, none of this would have
been possible for me. Behind every successful man there is a good woman.
7. Drytech Freeze-Dried Food
This stuff comes from Norway, where it is sold to the Norwegian military. It
is THE BEST freeze dried I have ever eaten, and I think I have tried them
all. I would not go offshore without it.
6. A Small Nuclear Reactor for Power
Our biggest reason for not having creature comforts on board is a lack of
lightweight electricity to power them. If only there was a nuclear reactor
small enough that could replace all our other sources of power and give us
heat as well! Just a dream for the moment...
Read on for Ryan’s Top 5: http://tinyurl.com/4u96syu
UP NEXT: WEST COAST’S INTERCOLLEGIATE BIG BOAT REGATTA
San Pedro, CA (March 9, 2011) - Emily Frost was easy to find in the Los
Angeles Harbor Cup/Cal Maritime Invitational Intercollegiate Regatta last
year. She was the sailor wrestling with sails on the bow of the U.S. Naval
Academy entry that finished fourth out of 10 boats. Look again: Now she's
the skipper.
Max Hutcheson couldn't be found at all. He was still in high school in San
Diego when USC was winning the event. Now he's driving the boat for the
defending champions.
Friday through Sunday they'll be testing their upgrades among nine
competitors in the fourth annual event sponsored by the Port of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Yacht Club is the organizing authority and California
Maritime Academy of Vallejo is the inviting school for the West Coast's only
intercollegiate big boat regatta.
The nine teams will compete in as many as 10 ocean fleet races over three
days, as conditions permit. The coed crews will sail Catalina 37s chartered
from the Long Beach Sailing Foundation.
Cal Maritime, second last year, had won the U.S. Collegiate Kennedy Cup to
earn the right to represent the U.S. in last October's World Student
Yachting Championships at La Rochelle, France, where they placed fifth among
14 teams from 12 countries, behind England, Switzerland, Portugal and Italy.
The rest of the field this year features two-time winner Maine Maritime
Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the
University of Hawaii, Cal State U. Channel Islands of Camarillo and two new
participants: UC Santa Cruz and the State University of New York (SUNY)
Maritime Academy. -- Event website: http://layc.org/tp42/page.asp?id=221297
SCIENTISTS FIND GENE FOR LOVE OF THE SEA
(March 8, 2011) - What did Thor Heyerdahl, Captain Ahab, and Odysseus have
in common? They all may have shared a common variant of a gene for love of
the sea. Researchers at Mystic University in Connecticut have identified a
gene associated with seafaringness, according to an article to be published
tomorrow in the journal Genetic Determinism Today.
Patterns of inheritance of the long-sought gene offers hope for “sailing
widows,” and could help explain why the sailing life has tended to run in
families and why certain towns and geographical regions tend historically to
have disproportionate numbers of sea-going citizens.
The gene is a form of the MAOA-L gene, previously associated with high-risk
behavior and thrill-seeking; another form of the gene, found last year, made
news as the “warrior gene”. The current variant, dubbed 4C, was found by a
genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 290 individuals from Mystic, CT, New
Bedford, MA, and Cold Spring Harbor, NY - all traditional nineteenth-century
whaling villages. Residents showed the presence of the 4C variant at a
frequency more than 20 times above background in neighboring landlocked
towns. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/4dhsfeh
GET READY FOR THIS SUMMER’S REGATTAS WITH JK3!
Summer is quickly approaching and with a regatta every weekend, there’s no
place you should be other than on the water. JK3 has a wide selection of
quality brokerage racing sailboats. We have a pristine J/125, the new
speedster J/111, a J/145, 2 - J/105s, 2 - J/109s, 2 - J/120s, and a J/80. We
also have a highly modified 1D35 and a race ready TP 52. Also available is
the 75’ Tripp Maxi Dolphin Bella Pita; a sleek and sexy sailing yacht who
boasts reaching speeds of 27 knots. Whatever your style or budget, we have
the perfect boat to get you out on the water this summer! For a complete
list of brokerage yachts, visit http://www.jk3yachts.com
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine)
Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free,
self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and
sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this
weekend:
Mar 10-13 - Mardi Gras Race Week - New Orleans, LA, USA
Mar 11-13 - Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup - San Pedro, CA, USA
Mar 12-13 - Lightning Deep South Regatta - Savannah, GA, USA
View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATES
The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum provides an opportunity
for companies to announce new products and services. Here are some of recent
postings:
* Farr 400 all carbon, one design racer
* Global online portal to find all your yachting and maritime information.
* SailingPerformance software package
View and/or post Industry News updates here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news
SAILING SHORTS
* (March 9, 2011) - Australian champions Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and
Trent Barnabas gave a faultless exhibition in Thurlow Fisher Lawyers to win
Race 4 of the Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on
Sydney Harbour today. The win gives the Thurlow Fisher Lawyers team the
outright lead in the series on 9 points, three ahead of defending champion
Seve Jarvin and his Gotta Love It 7 team of Sam Newton and Scott Babbage.
Americans Howie Hamlin, Fritz Lanzinger and Paul Allen on CST Composites are
in third overall. -- Report at: http://tinyurl.com/45vm473
* (March 9, 2011) - On Day 3 of the Bacardi Cup, today’s sharp increase in
wind speed was a welcome change for the 89 teams racing in the headline
event of the Bacardi Miami Sailing week. With the midpoint in the event
reached, the overall standings continue to reflect a close contest at the
top of the fleet. Sweden’s Fredrik Loof and Max Salmiren have moved into the
overall lead with three points, Guillaume Florent and Pascal Rambeau
(France) are now second with four points. Early series leaders Eivind
Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen (Norway) dropped two places and stand
third overall with five points. -- Full story:
http://www.miamisailingweek.com
* (March 7, 2011) - American Brad Van Liew has extended his lead at the top
of the VELUX 5 OCEANS rankings after picking up maximum bonus points for the
fastest passage between the ocean sprint three speed gates. During the
sprint from Wellington to Punta del Este the American ocean racer sailed his
yacht Le Pingouin between the gates, set at longitudes 135º W and 115º W, in
two days, 14 hours and 48 minutes. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/4gj8hft
* (March 9, 2011) - The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) announced that
it has signed an agreement with BoatU.S. to launch a cooperative group
program giving ABYC members more than 26 additional benefits and services at
a reduced rate. As part of the BoatU.S. Cooperating Group program, ABYC’s
domestic and international members will receive a 50% discount on their
annual BoatU.S. membership dues either as a new or renewing member along
with access to numerous other services. -- Info at: http://www.abycinc.org
* (March 9, 2011) - US SAILING, the National Governing Body of the sport,
and Old Pulteney, a leading single malt Scotch whisky brand, have formed a
new partnership that names Old Pulteney as a sponsor and the “Official
Scotch of US SAILING.” The sponsorship agreement includes direct financial
support for the organization, including support for select US SAILING Adult
National Championships and Speaker Series events. Old Pulteney will be
present for on-shore social events and cocktail receptions during these
Adult National Championships and Speaker Series programs. -- Read on:
http://tinyurl.com/4uyqbnd
* (March 9, 2011) - With more high school sailing teams around Boston than
anywhere else in the country, even so, until now this hasn't included most
of Boston Public's 40+ high schools (the exam school, Boston Latin, has been
the one exception). Now, Courageous Sailing and Boston Public have teamed up
to launch Boston Public's own high school sailing team, a composite team,
allowing kids from any of Boston Public's high schools to participate and
compete within the Mass Bay League. If you live near Boston, you’re invited
to a special "Cocktails for Courageous" fundraiser Thursday March 10 at the
Boston Sail Loft to help get this team off the ground. All proceeds will go
directly to supporting the BPS team. -- Full story:
http://tinyurl.com/4jgr2hn
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 Larry Suter:
Great post on the Olympic Classes in Scuttlebutt 3294. Sailing is an
Experience Sport, and is all about balance, getting sails, rig, hull and
blades to work together. I have coached all the Olympic Classes, but love
working in the Star and 470 the most because of the complexity required to
be the best. They are true Olympic Classes.
The Star, 470, and Finn are also the only Olympic Classes to have multiple
builders as opposed to the monopolies the rest of the class builders enjoy.
We all know that if you have competition, you make money by building a
better product. If you have a monopoly, you make money by building a cheaper
product, like the Laser masts that are still bending after 40 years, or the
49er hulls that still fall apart, and masts that break (15th revision), etc.
* From Rob Hahn (re, Scuttlebutt 3294):
I agree with your assessment of the Olympic boat choices. Some important
points are often lost in Olympic design choice discussions, namely the fact
that a speedy boat type doesn't necessarily improve the racing in a
one-design fleet. If it's hard to wring out that last tenth of a knot that
puts you on the podium, that's a good thing. I don't pretend to know the
difficult politics involved in the Olympic arena, and I'm aware of the
concerns regarding drawing young sailors to our sport - I can certainly see
that these challenging boats provide fantastic close racing, and that the
world's best sailors continue to come out of these well-tested fleets.
Greg Sieck, WSFB, Crew 8088 (re, Scuttlebutt 3294):
* Great post. I have sailed the Star since high school (class of 74) because
it is hard, technical and the sailors are tops. I don't care about the
Olympics and I would like to sail a moth. But I race Stars, because they're
hard.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
Dare to be average.
SPONSORS THIS WEEK
West Marine - Gowrie Group - Camet
North Sails - North U - Quantum Sails - APS
LaserPerformance- Ullman Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - IYRS
Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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