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SCUTTLEBUTT 2876 - Tuesday, June 30, 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 Atlantis WeatherGear, North Sails, and Gladstone's Long Beach. KEN READ: “FOR NOW I AM SIGNING OFF” Scuttlebutt is a North American publication, and as we followed the 2008/9 Volvo Ocean Race since its start in Alicante, Spain on Oct. 4, 2008 to its finish in St Petersburg, Russia on June 27, 2009, we secretly hoped that the Newport, RI based PUMA team would give the continent something to cheer for. Invariably they did, finishing second overall, but what they may have excelled at most was in sharing the experience of their adventure. PUMA media crew member Rick Deppe was judged to have made the best overall contribution to race coverage within this new crew position, but if there was an equal award among the skippers, his teammate Kenny Read likely would have won as well. Here is Kenny’s final report: “So... I really don't know what to say other than - ‘It's over’. This unbelievable adventure of a lifetime is over. I can't believe it. To be honest, I am a bit dazed right now. No work list for the boat. No crew briefing planned. No sail upgrade list. I am guessing the primary goal of the next few days is to get plenty of the local Vodka supply down our gullets in celebration of this extraordinary feat. “We just sailed around the world. I have never uttered or written that sentence before. I never thought it would be something that was on my personal agenda. In fact, I remember personally promising a few times that I would never do this race. We did it, along with an amazing team that I am indebted to for the rest of my life. A group of individuals that came together as a sailing team and shore team, and most importantly - a cohesive team. And not a moment too soon, I might add.” -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/adios-mf * Here is Rick Deppe’s final report: http://tinyurl.com/RD-adios RECLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN When Terry Hutchinson won the 2008 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award, the only event during his epic year that fell below his standards was the Farr 40 Worlds, where his tactical prowess aboard Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad could do only as well as 8th overall. Having not won the Worlds since 2004, the team successfully re-climbed the mountain last week (June 22-26) to win the 2009 Worlds in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Scuttlebutt checked in with Terry following their win: SBUTT: Were the Worlds any different than you anticipated? TERRY HUTCHINSON: “No, not really much different than expected. Nerone, Mascalzone, and Joe Fly were all very well prepared and fast. Probably the biggest surprises were the fact that TWT and Calvi were not at the front as they were very fast in Capri. We did have slightly different conditions though, so maybe that had something to do with it. Other teams that showed a lot were Americans Alex Roepers’ Plenty and Helmut Jahn’s Flash Gordon. Both came on strong at the end.” SBUTT: Barking Mad was able to stay in the top 6 for all ten races. Only Joe Fly (third overall) came close to that level of consistency, but they still had a 19th. What were the main factors that helped you avoid the big score? TERRY HUTCHINSON: “Boat speed. We were bloody quick and inevitably in the situations that were tough to hang our boat speed carried us. I always banged on about being as smart as we are fast and this was one of those situations/regattas. Next was the fact we started well, conservatively away from traffic. A lot of the times we were giving up line bias to guarantee we could go straight off the line. But again that goes back to the fact that we were confident in our speed. Final point would be that our team work was as consistent as the result. Inevitably it takes all the pieces and the team was rock solid.” SBUTT: How is the class doing? TERRY HUTCHINSON: “The 2009 Worlds saw 26 boats and 10 countries represented in an economic environment that nobody seems to be very positive about. To me that speaks volumes about the class, the owners, and the competition.” -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0629b/ DISCOVER: A WAY TO STAY DRY AND SUPPORT THE TEAM With its unmatched combination of performance, fit and style, the new 2009 Aegis collection is catching on quickly in the grand prix sailing world. Now, just in time for Independence Day, the new Aegis jacket comes in a US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics edition with the team logo embroidered on the left bicep. World class performance in a great-looking package. Check it out at http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com/PodiumCollection Discover the choice of some of the best sailors in the world. Discover your Atlantis. SPOTLIGHT RETURNS TO SWEDEN Marstrand, Sweden (June 29 2009; Day 1) - The beautiful island of Marstrand located an hour north west of Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg, plays host to Match Cup Sweden, the 5th stage of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, this week. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Swedish sailing with the Volvo Ocean race pitstop here in Marstrand and the 9th leg finish in Stockholm both of which drew huge crowds to welcome the round the world sailors and see them off on their final leg to St Petersburg. The Match Cup Sweden format sees the 14 teams split into two groups of 7 for a round robin each, the top three of both groups go to the quarter finals, the rest go into a repechage round to select the final two for the knockouts. From there follows the usual semi finals and finals with the finals scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The ladies will race a double round robin followed by semi finals and culminating in the finals on Saturday afternoon. It was a good day for the French Teams with all four taking 2 wins. Also starting well was Torvar Mirsky (AUS) and his Mirsky Racing Team, fresh from his victory at Portugal Match Cup the runner up here last year, Mirsky clearly happy to be back and wants to go one better this year. Current World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) and the Bahrain Team Pindar crew also had a solid start to the event and returned a 2-1 scorecard for the day. -- Full report: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/98678 Match results: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/mcs09results TROPHIES UP FOR GRABS AT U.S. YOUTH CHAMPS Greenwich, CT (June 29, 2009) - All the trophies at the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship are up for grabs for the field of 78 boats amid four fleets. With the breeze fluctuating between 2 and 10 knots on Monday, the large leads in the Laser and 420 fleets have completely evaporated. Chris Barnard had his 10 point Laser lead cut to one, while Kevin Laube/ Reece Bernet took a three point lead over previous Club 420 leader Stephanie Hudson/ Rebecca King. Anne Haeger, who was previously tied with Nevin Snow, is now tied with Christopher Stocke while Snow remains only two points back in third. In the 29er class, the team of Julia Paxton/ Samantha Childers bumped Antoine Screve/ James Moody from the lead by a point. Much heavier air is expected for Tuesday's final day of racing. -- Full report and results: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7729 NEW FLEET THROUGH REVIVAL While the IMS rule has moved on, the Farr designed Mumm 36 and the Nelson/Marek 36 were trendsetters during that era, and now there is a contingent on the Great Lakes that is seeking to revive interest in these boats, and have formed the Great Lakes 36 fleet to facilitate racing. In the last year the LMPHRF rating has changed for the Mumm 36 making it the same as the Nelson Marek 36 at 51. The boats share the same sails, mast, boom, and rigging. The differences in the boats are mainly in the hull shape (the N/M is 18" narrower than the Mumm), keel and rudder configurations. With nine boats on Lake Michigan, one on Lake St. Clair, and two on Lake Erie, the hope is to create the opportunity to race these boats in a one-design fleet. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7710 THINK GREEN, BUY BLUE! Recycling isn’t just for bottles and cans. Now is your chance to save 25% off a new North sail when you recycle your old sail. Simply fill out North's 'Think Green, Buy Blue' form on our Web site and you will automatically qualify for 25% savings toward a new North sail, which must be purchased by August 31, 2009. We will also pay the UPS shipping charges so you can send your old sail to North’s Recycling Center - for free! Available in NA only, restrictions apply. http://na.northsails.com/tabid/14647/Default.aspx GROWING THE SPORT At first the words were foreign: jib, spinnaker, mainsail, windward, leeward, tack, keel. But after three hours on the water, the rookies were speaking fluent sailor-ese, even helping trim the sails and guide a large and fast J/105 sailboat down the Severn River. "I feel like I've been on an adventure today," said Maureen Mitchell of Curtis Bay, who was among the latest group of sailing newbies who took part in a free sailing program in Annapolis. That's right: Free. A confederation of sailing-related organizations, working together under the banner of Annapolis Community Boating, has been offering free beginner sailing lessons on Sunday afternoons for about two months. The FreeSails have been popular, spurring a waiting list and forcing organizers to put out a call for more boats and more volunteers. -- The Capital, read on: http://tinyurl.com/ACB-6-29-09 * Great video on the event: http://tinyurl.com/ACB-video SAILING SHORTS * Scott Easom and crew took top honors when the Moore 24 class took their 2009 National Championship up 7000-feet to Huntington Lake in the High Sierras of Central California. -- Photos and report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0629 * (Brant Beach, NJ) - Eighty-eight sailors competed June 24-25 at the Brant Beach Yacht Club for the New Jersey State Optimist Championship, coming from as far away as Florida, Virginia, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Seven races were completed in mixed and trying conditions as the entire Mid-Atlantic region continues to have rain, clouds, and variable winds. Jonathan Lutz was the overall winner. -- Photos and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0629a * (Charleston, SC) - Jonathan Martinetti of Ecuador beat out 75 other entrants to win the Sunfish North American Championship, hosted by James Island Yacht Club. Martinetti also won the Junior Division. -- Results: http://tinyurl.com/Sunfish-NA-09 * The 29th Annual C Scow National Championship saw 71 boats travel to Pewaukee Lake, WI, making it the largest event since the class’ famous centennial event in 2006. For all three days, trying conditions tested the fleet, which including an eye popping 15 junior skippers. After six races, Augie Barkow along with crew Jeff and Amy Niedziela won. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7727 * Twenty teams came to Lake Winnebago for this weekend’s 2009 U.S. National Class A Scow Championship, hosted by the Oshkosh Yacht Club. After four races, the winning team was led by John Porter from Lake Geneva Yacht Club. -- Results: http://www.oshkoshyachtclub.org/raceresults/NCASA_2009.htm * The form book is wide open going into the Finn Gold Cup at Vallensbæk, near Copenhagen in Denmark on July 3-11, as there has been a different winner at each major European event this year. Post Olympic years are normally down in numbers, but with 98 entries from 30 countries so far, this event has attracted the largest post Olympic turnout for 24 years - apart from 2005 when 100 boats were supplied in Moscow. Ten qualification races are scheduled between July 6-10 with the medal race and the final race for the rest on July 11th. -- http://tinyurl.com/lj77lb * Nearly 100 teams from 27 nations will race in the open 2009 Star Class European Championship July 6 to 11 on the Outer Kiel Fjord, eleven years since the last continental championship for the Olympic Star Class was held off Schilksee. Among the 98 entries are eleven out of the top twelve teams on the ISAF world ranking list. Five teams from North America are entered, including Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube (USA) who recently won the Kiel Week event, which was the fifth event of the ISAF Sailing World Cup circuit. -- http://www.regattanews.com/event.asp?id=211 * Zac Sunderland, 17, is finally in the home stretch. He made his final stop (if the sailing gods comply) last week in the Puerto Vallarta area, where the 36-foot Intrepid underwent extensive repairs. His return to Marina del Rey, from which he departed on June 14, 2008, on a quest to become the youngest person to solo-circumnavigate the planet, probably will occur toward the end of next week. -- LA Times, read on: http://tinyurl.com/lmpuc8 * BoatU.S. has launched the Guide to the Boatiest Colleges in America, which helps students find the top marine programs and extracurricular boating activities offered by four-year schools. View here: http://www.boatus.com/colleges * VOTE NOW: Hosted by ESPN, the annual ESPY Awards commemorate the past year in sports. Among the 37 categories, 2008 Paralympic sailing gold medalist Maureen McKinnon-Tucker is one of the four nominees in the "Female Athlete with a Disability" category. There's not another sailor in any other category. Finalists are determined by fan voting. There is no easier way to support the sport of sailing than to vote for Maureen. Additional details here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/06/2009-espys.html CLUB TRANSPAC IS OPEN It's taken 30 years, but leading maxi yacht skipper Neville Crichton (NZL) has returned to the Transpacific Yacht Race at the helm of his Reichel/Pugh 100-foot Alfa Romeo, and he's determined to win. The 2,225-mile (4120 km) course from Los Angeles to Honolulu is USA's answer to the Rolex Sydney to Hobart, but it’s nearly four times longer and heads out into the Pacific Ocean with nowhere to come ashore in case of problems. Become a fan of the race and follow all the action online at http://tinyurl.com/Transpac-Pier * Come see this magnificent yacht up close and enjoy a great meal and "Celebration Libation" at Gladstone's Long Beach: http://www.GladstonesLongBeach.com * (June 29, 2009) - The 2009 Transpacific Yacht Race got underway today for the 12 boats in Divisions 6 and 7. This was the first of three starts for the 48 entrants in the 45th running of the Transpac from Los Angeles to Honolulu. The remaining fleets will start on July 2nd and July 5th, with the arrival time for the first finishers to be sometime between July 12 and July 15, depending on the weather conditions that the fleet encounters during the 2,225 nautical mile race. -- http://www.transpacrace.com SEATTLE CREW PREPARES FOR TRANSPAC CHALLENGE The boats have gotten bigger, faster and downright futuristic, at least the ones that have a shot at taking home the big trophy. But one thing hasn’t changed in the more than 100 years since the Transpacific Race to Hawaii started—the grueling course. It’s approximately 2,225 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean, where the closest piece of land is straight down and big waves, big winds and big trouble are a constant threat. On July 2, a crew of eight mostly middle-aged guys from the Seattle area will climb aboard a middle-aged racing boat named Artemis with every intention of pushing it as hard and fast as it can go. Are they crazy? Absolutely not, says owner and skipper Louis Bianco. This is the third Transpac for the lifelong sailor, who spends his life ashore as an executive vice president at the Seattle-based biotech company Cell Therapeutics. “If you like distance racing, it is the race to do,” Bianco said. “It’s just being out there, being offshore, getting away from all the pressures of the job and just focusing on winning.” -- Three Sheets Northwest, read on: http://tinyurl.com/3NW-6-29-09 RECESSION AND LOW DOLLAR KILL LINE 7 A famous Kiwi company with links to the America's Cup has gone into receivership, blaming economic hard times and the volatile kiwi dollar. Line 7, known for its quality sailing and outdoor gear and, in recent years, men's and women's casual wear, made its name on the back of Emirates Team New Zealand's success. Line 7 has a chain of 11 stores selling its casual wear, employs 110 local staff and exports to Australia, Britain, the US and the Caribbean. Its manufacturing is done mostly in China. Owner and director Ross Munro - who bought the business out of receivership 19 years ago - said Line 7 had been caught by the economic decline and he had failed to read the market accurately. "It's just bloody sad, to be fair, but it's my fault, it's nobody else's." -- NZ Herald, full story: http://tinyurl.com/Adios-Line7 OLYMPIC PLANS BLOCKED BY COUNCIL (Portland, Dorset, UK) - Plans to create a £1 million Olympic sailing park at Portland Port to help foreign sailors prepare for the 2012 Games have been blocked by the local Council. The proposal to build training facilities for overseas teams - including American, French and Australian squads, who would be among Britain's main challengers for medals when Weymouth and Portland hosts the sailing events in 2012 - would have meant demolishing dilapidated buildings on their land, some of which date from the nineteenth century. The Port does not need permission to build the park, but do from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to get rid of listed buildings, and the Planning Committee refused those consents by a 5-3 vote at a meeting. -- Yachting World, read on: http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20090529100807ywnews.html CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it." - George Bernard Shaw Special thanks to Atlantis WeatherGear, North Sails, and Gladstone's Long Beach. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
