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SCUTTLEBUTT 2590 - May 6, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. THE BRANDING OF SPORT The open-air ballpark that’s home to the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball has had a few names. The park opened in 2000 as Pacific Bell Park, which was changed to SBC Park, which is now AT&T Park. The Mumm 30 class is now called the M 30, and rumors are that it could change again. Then there is the name of the America’s Cup challenger series, the Louis Vuitton Cup. What will that be called now with the departure of the fashionable luggage company. College students the world over learn about branding pretty early on in their marketing studies, but the world of sponsorship must be adding some chapters to the book. How about the website factor, and the use domain names that incorporate the sponsor’s name? When the sponsor moves on, and the site must be renamed, gone are all the search rankings and links that had been built up? The M 30 class can still be found at mumm30.org. Google “Louis Vuitton Cup” and you will get 209,000 listings. Adios, amigo! The value of sponsorship is another discussion. This one is about branding, and a recent event to join the fray is the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association's (CBYRA) Junior High Point Regatta Series, a long-time annual summer racing tradition, which has entered the realm of "Cup" racing. Venerable Swiss watch maker CORUM, has partnered with CBYRA, offering a minimum five year sponsorship commitment that includes a perpetual trophy and multiple college scholarships for the Champions in the Laser Radial and 420’s classes, skipper and crew; total valued equaling $2000.00 for each sailor. For a minimum of five years, The CORUM Cup will be talked about by sailors throughout the Chesapeake. Maybe longer. However, the odds are good that when these junior sailors grow up and talk about the good old day, about the events they did, they will remember the CORUM Cup, and then have no idea what they call it now. While there is no reason to suspect that the new partnership between CORUM and the CBYRA is anything less than a win-win for all concerned, it does make you wonder where tradition fits in. -- Scuttleblog, http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/05/event-branding.html OLYMPIC THOUGHTS By Bob Fisher, Sail World The Olympic Games brings out the best, and the worst, in a variety of people. In certain areas, it is all about winning, and ONLY winning. I hardly think that was what Baron Pierre de Coubertin had in mind when he formulated the Games back in 1896. But that's what seems to have driven the agendas of many at the ISAF Annual Conference at Estoril, Portugal, last November when the Multihull event was ousted from the 2012 Olympics. Olympic medal counts seemed to be the all pervasive factor on the Councilors' minds and collectively they didn't see the Tornado as a medal winner for their masters. Mention of the Tornado brings back memories of 41 years ago when, given a summer off from my job at the BBC, I was concentrating on preparation for the Little America’s Cup with Lady Helmsman. While time consuming, it did allow me to work with the Tornado’s designer, Rodney March, and builder, Reg White, on the rig for the prototype. It presented a new set of challenges, but they were overcome with sufficient lead time for us to take the boat to Sheppey, on the north Kent coast, for the IYRU trials to select suitable boats for international classes for two-handed and single-handed boats. Reg and I sailed the standard Tornado while Terry Pearce and the designer sailed a similar boat but with a wing-mast una-rig. They had a slight speed edge on us until the mast fell down, but it was close. The wing mast would, undoubtedly, have clouded the selection issue, but the two Tornados were well ahead of the rest and the Tornado’s selection was almost automatic and the class has gone from strength to strength, at least until last November. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/3v6znv TIME TO PLAY JUDGE In the May Issue of Seahorse Magazine, columnist Paul Cayard provided his latest theory regarding the America’s Cup, and it has to do with an interpretation of the Deed of Gift that might become the next fodder for the New York legal system. The crux of his position focuses on whether the complete boat must be constructed within the country being represented, or just the hull. Modern America’s Cup rules have required that hulls be built in the country of their club, with masts, sails, hardware, etc. able to come from elsewhere. Cayard believes that since the 34th America’s Cup match between the Swiss Alinghi team and the American BMW Oracle Racing team will be following the strict terms of the Deed of Gift, that everything - winches, cordage, instruments - will need to come from their respective countries. Here is how the DoG reads: “Any organized yacht Club of a foreign country… shall always be entitled to the right of sailing a match for this Cup with a yacht or vessel propelled by sails only and constructed in the country to which the challenging Club belongs, against any one yacht or vessel constructed in the country of the Club holding the Cup. “ We suspect this is a non-issue for the Americans, but can the same be said for the Swiss? When asked for their interpretation, the American team agreed with Cayard, while the Swiss team declined to comment. What do the ‘buttheads think? Cast your vote here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/08/0505 *Information on Seahorse magazine: http://www.seahorsemagazine.com THE FIRST MELGES 20 Melges just released photos of the very first Melges 20 hull. You can catch these on the official website - melges20.com. Many boats are sold and the excitement level is high! Expect to see the Melges 20 sailing in the near future. -- http://www.melges20.com FROM AN ERA OF INNOVATION As a 15-year-old truant from a posh school in New York, the would-be pilot Woodbridge Brown washed Charles Lindbergh’s aeroplane, Spirit of Saint Louis, and waved his hero off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, on his historic 1927 flight to Paris. The teenager had spurned his wealthy family home, slept on cold hangar floors and mopped up oil leaks just to be close to the era’s romantic new flying aces. It was the start of a lifelong fascination with wind and water that was to turn Woody Brown, who has died at the age of 96, into a record-breaking aviator, sailor and designer who built the first modern catamaran. Above all, he will be remembered as a legendary surfer. He said of the surf in Hawaii, where he lived for more than 60 years: “I loved to get just as close to death as I possibly could and then dodge it. That was my thrill in life.” Brown was a vegetarian from his youth, after looking into the eyes of a chipmunk he had wounded with a shotgun. A pacifist, he was a conscientious objector during the war but later served as a US government surveyor on Christmas Island. There he was fascinated by the speed of the Polynesian natives’ twin-hulled outrigger canoes. Back in Hawaii he adapted the idea, used lightweight hulls, added huge sails and built, in 1947, his Manu Kai, or Sea Bird, probably the fastest sailing boat in the world at the time and now seen as the first modern, ocean-going catamaran. He was too busy taking tourists on fun rides from Waikiki Beach to patent the idea. Californian surfer Hobie Alter, who had sailed on the Manu Kai, did so and later made a fortune. -- Excerpt from complete article here: http://tinyurl.com/3lyxk3 SOLIDIFYING THE STATUS OF WOMEN’S OLYMPIC MATCH RACING When it comes to debating the Olympic events for the 2012 Games, the multihulls have taken the spotlight. However, lying in the shadows is the Women’s slate, and in particular, the one vote difference between Keelboat match racing and the Two person dinghy high performance. Only four events could be selected, and these two events finished fourth and fifth in the voting. Now with the ISAF Mid-Year meeting this week putting the event list for both the men and women under review, it appears that the women’s keelboat contingent is not taking any chances. The Yngling class, currently used as the equipment for the women’s keelboat event at the 2008 Olympics, would like to be considered for the 2012 games. They have compiled a report that discusses the boat’s favorable boat handling aspects for match racing, the class’s ability to help ISAF supply the boats (a condition of the event), how worldwide availability is guaranteed by six Yngling builders around the world, and how the most recent World Championship attracted sailors from all six continents. They noted what changes could be made to the boat to improve it for match racing, such as replacing hobbles and harnesses with normal hiking straps, and limiting the rig trimming possibilities, and how these changes could make the boat even more affordable for the Olympics. The Women’s International Match Racing Association (WIMRA) is also very keen in solidifying the Olympic status of the keelboat match racing event, and has distributed a paper by the ISAF Match Racing Committee of their preliminary recommendations for the event. Some items of interest include how there is a charitable foundation under the direction of Mr. Terry Kohler that is prepared to cover the cost of designing and building the boats to be used, in conjunction with contributions of equipment (spars, poles, booms, hardware, etc. from Harken and Southern Spars and sails by North Sails). They are considering a 12-team event and a four person boat, which is the crew size used on the women’s match racing circuit, and that the boat be 6.5-7.5 meters in length. -- To read complete reports by Yngling class and WIMRA: http://tinyurl.com/3tazkx CONDITIONING, CONDITIONING, CONDITIONING If you wondered what kind of training goes on with an Olympic-level Star crew, here is an excerpt from a recent report by American Olympic representative Austin Sperry from the US Olympic Training Facility in San Diego, CA: “This place is awesome! It’s over 150 acres and has everything you can think of! Track, pole vault, state of the art weight room, BMX track (yes, BMX bikes are now an Olympic Sport) – everything. On Friday evening, I picked up my personal strength and conditioning coach Chris Herrera from the San Diego airport. Needless to say we came home and crashed. On Saturday, we woke up at 7am went to the on campus restaurant (which has great food that is healthy) had a big breakfast and headed to the gym. This is not an ordinary gym! It is state of the art – not your local health club! What I found to be the coolest thing in the gym was all the 60” plasma TVs around the weight room. They are used for play back and run on 30 second delayed loop. This means, I could do a power clean and power snatch, then watch myself on the big screen to make sure my form was in line and that I did not hurt myself. “It’s cool walking around this place. There are real athletes here, fit and focused it’s really motivating. When you’re here all you want to do is train. We live in a dorm type apartment, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, no kitchen but a small fridge next to a small desk near the front door. I have been riding my road bike a bit, yesterday we were in the gym lifting for more than 4 hours over two sessions. After the last session, I put my bike costume on and Coach Herrera got in my rental car and followed me while I hit the road. Basically, I thought Chris was there in case I crashed or got a flat tire. Nope, he had other ideas. Ideas called intervals!” -- Complete report: http://austinsperry.com/blog/5609 HIGH PERFORMERS There are many variables that go into performing well at a regatta. Some are controllable, some are not. Clothing is a controllable variable. Therefore, when looking for high performance clothing the Code Zero quick dry shirt from Camet is a perfect choice! Made with a double circular knit lightweight fabric that is designed to wick away moisture, dry fast, be comfortable and have maximum UV protection. This high performing shirt is perfect as a single warm weather layer or as an under layer for cold weather. Camet is our source for Padded Sailing Shorts, Pants, Vest and so much more… http://www.camet.com/?Click=738 SAILING SHORTS * A review following the close of Strictly Sail Pacific, the largest sailboat show on the West Coast, found that the 12th annual show hosted over 200 exhibitors and some 70 boats, with over 13,000 showgoers (a 15% decrease from 2007). Difficulties with the show location this year due to adjoining construction led to a decrease in space for exhibitors and boats, but show organizer Sail America has announced that the Strictly Sail Pacific will be back to Oakland's Jack London Square in 2009, with additional exhibit space planned. -- http://www.sailamerica.com * (May 5, 2008) The leading French multihull design firm of Van Peteghem/ Lauriot Prévost (VPLP) are working with BMW ORACLE Racing’s design team in developing its new mulithull boat for the America’s Cup Deed of Gift match, the team confirmed today. Firm principals Vincent Lauriot Prévost and Marc Van Peteghem are integrated with the BMW ORACLE Racing core design team for the project. VPLP are the lead designers in conjunction with the BMW ORACLE Racing team, led by design coordinator Mike Drummond. BMW ORACLE Racing’s Michel Kermarec heads up the performance prediction and appendage design. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/3wdtul * San Diego, California, has recently been designated as the site for the 1st National "Summer Sports Clinic" for America's disabled veterans, with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and San Diego's Challenged America program as co-sponsors and host. Scheduled for Monday, September 29 to October 3, 2008, from the Downtown Manchester Hyatt Hotel, the "Summer Sports Clinic" (SSC) for veterans will host more than 100 severely disabled veterans, introducing them to therapeutic sporting activities, such as sailing, surfing, and kayaking on San Diego's waters. -- Full details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0425 Update from Urban Miyares, Challenged America: Thanks so much for mentioning the upcoming "Summer Sports Clinic" for disabled veterans in San Diego, but I need to let you know that the information you received is not entirely correct. The Department of Veterans Affairs has yet to sign contracts with the hotel, and the one mentioned in the preliminary, sample poster is incorrect, as of now. My mistake as I was under the impression that the VA had confirmed everything, and just discovered that they are still in negotiations with 3 hotels in the San Diego area. So as of this writing, the Summer Sports Clinic venue has not yet been confirmed, but Challenged America has been working on this 10 years...and it is going to happen. LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From David Munge: (re, Olympic Irish Star selection in 2589) As soon as subjective selection takes place, unfortunately the question of the relationships of the judges to the selected and not selected becomes an issue, and in addition the ability of the judges, based on their knowledge and experience to make the subjective decisions is questioned. In many cases investigation in both of these areas develops considerable mistrust in the subjective system, in particular, where the non-selected team of Treacy/Shanks appears to be the team that won on the water. * From: Andrew Palfrey: In response to Stevan Johnson's comments in Issue 2589 regarding Stars being non-athletic… is he being fairdinkum? He must be kidding. I have just got home from the gym and am preparing my road bike for a ride later today. This is in preperation for sailing the Star in Qingdao later this year. I am not sure of Mr Johnson's agenda in being critical of the part the men's keelboat event plays in the Olympics, but can we please attempt to keep the debate factual. Sailing a Star boat at the highest level is very physical and the more athletic you are, the better the boat goes. * From Peter Grimm Jr.: (Regarding Brad Butterworth's comments Butt 2589) If the catamarans are anything like NASCAR, will there be "Rubbing" (rubbing is racing), Bump Drafting at say 30 Kts, Four Tire Changes vs.. Two Tire changes (a whole inventory mid race vs. just a headsail change), Fuel and Go, Burnout doughnuts after the race? Who will be the Tony Stewart and who will be Jeff Gordon? Color commentary from guys like yourself? * From Rob Mundle: I'm with 'The Fish' ('butt 2589) when it comes to the thought of two 90ft multihulls racing over a short course to decide The America's Cup. It has the potential to be one of the most spectacular and exciting sailing events the world has seen. It might be so good that we won't see monohulls racing for the cup ever again!!!! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Life is sexually transmitted. Special thanks to Melges Performance Sailboats and Camet International. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
