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SCUTTLEBUTT 1429- October 6, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. BARKOW WINS RIWKC Annapolis, MD - Sally Barkow of Nashotah, Wis., and her crew of Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Annie Lush (Bournemouth, England), have won US Sailing's 2003 Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship. Going into the final races, Barkow's team held a 20-point lead over the 66 teams competing. In light 8-10 knot breezes, the foursome once again showed command of their boat-handling skills and the scoreboard. With finishes of 3-8, they maintained a healthy lead on the fleet and became champions in what has become one of the world's most prestigious women's sailing regattas. "It feels awesome to have won," said the 23-year-old Barkow, a two-time college All American from Old Dominion University (class of '02) who only started sailing keelboats one and a half years ago. "We approached today with confidence just like we approached every other day. We didn't worry about the more mature teams, because they can make mistakes just as easily as us. We have learned a ton here, from communications, to boat handling to mentally focusing for five days. They were big lessons. We'll take those with us. It was a big step for our campaign." Barkow, Capozzi and Howe are on the US Sailing Team and hope to be the USA's representatives in the Yngling class at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. - Media Pro Int'l, http://www.ussailing.org/ 1. Sally Barkow/Team Seven, 44 2. Paula Lewin/Team ACE Group, 58 3. Carol Cronin/Team Atkins, 60 4. Mary Brigden/Team San Diego, 71 5. Nancy Haberland/Team VC Performance Rigging, 80 6. Karleen Dixon/The Lion Foundation, NZL, 84 7. Dominique Provoyeur/Team Orion, RSA, 100 8. Betsy Alison, Newport, R.I., 101 9. Lorie Stout/Team Stoutgear, 113 10. Phebe King/Team Legal Source, 116 For some truly awesome RIWKC photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/ FOR THE RECORD The 140-foot monster boat, Mari Cha IV is currently on course to smash the west to east transatlantic record. At 0038 UTC Monday, (79 hours after the official start) their speed over the ground was 18.6 knots and their average speed for the trip so far has been 17.62 knots. Mari Char IV has already covered 1567 of the 2925 miles of the course. Report by owner/skipper Robert Miller:" The boat is performing beautifully. She is very very fast, sensitive and quick on the helm. Below deck she is spartan and at speeds of over 20 knots her carbon hull resonates like a drum making sounds like a racing locomotive. Awesome at first, but you soon get use to it. We have now passed (hopefully) the trickiest part of the weather and will soon be able to increase our speed and try for the 24 hour world record. Fingers crossed! Food? Well hard to believe that a 3oz packet of freeze dry food when hydrated and heated can provide a meal for three men. Our best meal so far was last night - Beef Stroganoff." http://www.mari-cha4.com SPAIN SAYS THEY'LL CHALLENGE "One of the yachts who will challenge Alinghi in the next Cup will be Spanish", said Agustín Zulueta, a former member of the Desafio Español and now Sports Director for Team Spirito Santo. "Our project is ambitious. We started to work in november 2002, a long time before Alinghi won the Cup", he said. "Our goal is to reach a €50 million budget, some is the next venue". For this campaign the new Desafio was successful in attracting several partners, "including a famous sport clothing company" but is still looking for the main sponsor who would be ready to invest 30 or 40 million in the campaign. To develop a new Team, the new Desafio Español wants to recruit the best of Spanish sailors, including the Doreste brothers (Luis and José Luis). Members signed up to date include José Luis Doreste, Laureano Wizner and Dimanche Manrique. José Luis Doreste seems to hesitate, affirming that "many issues still remain to be negotiated". - Cup in Europe website, full story: http://www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007Desafio-LN.htm MOËT CUP: BEHIND THE SCENES The Moët Cup in San Francisco saw Raider RIB's from the 30' Cabin 900 with twin 225hp, 6' 4" head room, a fresh water shower and enclosed head, to the 26' Center Console and Cabin models 790 with 225hp, removable rear seat and enclosed head, plus the new 22' Raider 665 with 115hp. This new center console boat, complete with motor trailer, even has an enclosed head with special introductory pricing. Quality made affordable. Test drive in San Diego, San Francisco or eastern US. Call for details at (877) 772-4337 or view online at http://www.raiderboat.com ROLEX COMMODORES' CUP The Royal Ocean Racing Club has announced the details for the 2004 Rolex Commodores' Cup to be held in Cowes, Isle of Wight from July 25 - August 1, and will consist of the usual mixture of inshore and offshore races. The IRC rating system will be used and each teams must consist of three boats - one from each of the following rating bands: Class 3 0.995 - 1.059 Class 2 1.060 - 1.149 Class 1 1.150 - 1.325 Another significant change for 2004 is that only National Authorities may lodge Challenges. Each National Authority may enter up to four teams, which should allow sufficient scope for NAs to pick from recognized regions, if appropriate. Also, the crew of each boat entered needs to be made up of at least 50% nationals or residents, and must have a minimum 50% Group 1 sailors under the ISAF Competitor Classification Code. A Group 1 sailor will be required to helm throughout the inshore series and at the start of the offshore race. The Notice of Race will be available in November. www.rorc.org COMMENTARY In the September 26 Offshore column of Yachts and Yachting magazine, Andi Robertson stated, "unless RORC build IRM into a major event in the near future it will simply wither away next year, which would be a tragic waste". The hope from the IRM class association was that the Rolex Commodores' Cup would include the rule, but three IRC classes have been chosen. :-( Yachts and Yachting website: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/default2.asp NEWS BRIEFS * St. Francis YC, San Francisco, CA - Masters Regatta, final results: 1. Malin Burnham, 22; 2. Bill Buchan, 23; 3. John Scarborough, 4. Bruce Munro, 28; 5. Keith Musto, 31. http://stfyc.org/ * The Notice of Race for the USA's 2004 Paralympic Team Trials-Sailing, as well as competitor registration, is now online. The US Disabled Sailing Team, created in 1998 to develop athletes for Paralympic competition, annually recognizes the top-three ranked sailors in the two Paralympic disciplines -- 2.4 Metre and Sonar. The 2004 Paralympic Regatta is scheduled for late August, in Athens, Greece, following the conclusion of the the 2004 Olympic Games. http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/Paralympic/ * Challenged America, a San Diego-based nonprofit providing free sailing education and rehabilitation programs, recently received the California "Catalyst of the Year" award for service to the disabled community. The annual Catalyst of the Year Award honors people and/or organizations that go above and beyond what is necessary to help people with disabilities. With hundreds of volunteers assisting more than 500 people with disabilities learn-to-sail yearly, the Challenged America program includes small and big boat, family and youth programs, as well as therapeutic and recreational rehabilitation instruction for professionals in healthcare. www.ChallengedAmerica.org HOBIE 16 NAs Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association, Dewey Beach Delaware - Paul and Mary Ann Hess (Napa, CA) posted more three single-digit finishes in the final day of racing at the Hobie 16 Continental Championship, to win the event with a comfortable 28 point margin. The Hesses were the only team in the 69-boat fleet to score all single-digit finishes in the 13 races that were sailed in a wide variety of conditions. American pre-qualification spots for the coming World Championship in Mexico went to the top 13 US finishers. 1) Paul Hess and Mary Ann Hess, 61pts. 2) Armando Noriega Jr. and Rodrigo Achach, 89pts. 3) Wally Myers and Tyler Myers, 96pts. 4) Bob Merrick and Eliza Cleveland, 129pts. 5) Rich McVeigh and Diane Fisher, 146pts. Complete results: www.hobie16cc.com/ BIG BOAT BUILDER Five owners and managers (sailors all), composite wizards, and builders of extremely fast and complicated power boats looking for owner and designer who wish to build big fast custom racing yachts. 60' and up. Call Paul at 360-385-6632 or email paul@townsendbay.com. http://www.townsendbay.com MINI TRANSAT Jonathan McKee's 50+ mile lead in leg two of the Mini Transat has been whittled down to just 3. Over night McKee and chasing Frenchman Armel Tripon have crossed gybes and McKee is now heading for the Doldrums on a course further west. Over the last 24 hours McKee has covered 180 miles to Tripons 220 miles. Both boats are close to the great circle route to the finish in Salvador de Bahia. Also in the running are third placed Pierre Rolland, well out to the west and Spaniard Alex Pella, whose flier on the extreme right of the race track seems to have paid off - he's now rocketed up to seventh place. This sudden catch-up one can only assume is due to McKee's Team McLube not liking the conditions as much as the Frenchman's Mini. - The Daily Sail website, full story: http://thedailysail.com Standings at 1500 GMT Sunday: 1. Jonathan McKee, Team McLube, 1499 miles to finish. 2. Armel Tripon Moulin Roty, 1502 mtf 3. Pierre Rolland, Extrado, 1534 mtf 4. Samuel Manuard Tip Top Too, 1552 mtf 5. Willy Garcia, Ceylan Diamantes, 1559 mtf Event website: http://www.transat650.org/ LITTLE AMERICA'S CUP Newport RI - For the first time since 1976, the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy series would come down to the final match in this best four-out-of-seven finals before the champagne could be uncorked and "The Little America's Cup" awarded. In that race, defenders John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree won the start and then 'hung on' to squeeze out a nail-biting, five second victory over the challenging Italian team of Daniele Saragoni and Teo Di Battista, representing Club Nautico Rimini. "Saragoni definitely had an edge with the boat," Lovell said. "This is only my third time in an F-18HT, which is much narrower than a Tornado, making it harder to gybe downwind and less stable in general." Comparing the differences between the F-18HTs used for the Little America's Cup, and the Tornado that the two-time Olympians spend most of their time racing, Lovell also noted the difference in their teamwork required by match racing in catamarans. "The crew does most of the work, I mostly steer while Charlie drags me around the course." - Media Pro Int'l Complete scores and background on the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy, better known as "The Little America's Cup," can be found online at www.icct2003.org or www.littleamericascup2003.org Be sure to check the great action photos at: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/ LASER MASTERS WORLDS Centro Nautico Elcano, Cadiz, Spain - US and Canadian sailors had a great showing at the 2003 Masters Worlds: APPRENTICE: Rudolph Ratsep - 13th; Calum Semple - 29th; Nigel Clarke - 50th; MASTERS; Chris Raab - 2nd; Augie Diaz - 6th; Tracy Usher - 8th; Had Brick - 9th; Barry Tee - 25th; Ken Brown - 30th; Gary Orkney - 43rd; Robert Hodson - 44th; Alain Vincey - 56th; ; GRAND MASTERS; William Symes - 5th; John Dawson-Edwards - 12th; John Bentley - 23rd; Derek Stow - 32nd; ; GREAT GRAND MASTER; Peter Seidenberg - 1st; Heinz Gebauer - 4th; Robert Spillman - 19th; ; RADIAL GRAND MASTER; Alden Shattuck - 1st; ; RADIAL MASTERS; Bruce Martinson - 2nd; Stephen Reichenfeld - 20th. - North American Laser website: http://www.laser.org/m/_general/reports_body.asp?riIDReport=111 Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/ptms WEATHER HAPPENS…OFF-SHORE & OFF-SEASON Weather you're headed south or braving the winter in the north, improve your inshore and offshore sailing skills in the off-season with the help of WxAdvantage.com - a comprehensive weather information resource created by Bill Biewenga. Bill, a veteran ocean racer and weather router is available to coach you, your crew, or club; provide custom weather routing for offshore passages or to personally oversee the professional delivery of your yacht. Bill brings 320,000 ocean miles and 17 years of weather routing experience to every project. For more information, email billbiewenga@compuserve.com today or visit http://www.wxadvantage.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Bob Zwissler: ISAFs inclusion of pot on the anti-doping list is nothing short of political correctness at its worst. Nobody would ever claim that pot is performance enhancing. The list was originally created (I believe) to prevent some atheletes from having a chemical enhanced competitive edge. Including pot on the list has nothing to do with sport and everything to do with political correctness. If the issue really is impaired performance, then we better include alcohol on the list. Let's leave law enforcement to the proper authorities and concentrate on our sport and keeping it fair. * From Jeff Spicoli (re ban on Cannabinoids): Dude, this is a total bummer. * From Ed Price: As one follows the activity concerning the planning for next America's Cup Defense one has to wonder if the America's Cup isn't degenerating into a for money Media and Spectator event rather than a serious competition between Nations. * From Michael Panosh: Ever wonder why Americans enjoy Olympic track and field but not professional track and field? Pretty simple, the Olympics attract the lure of nation versus nation competition, whereas professional track and field does not. The elimination of nationality rules will only further the demise of the America's Cup, as it simply is not as exciting as when it was a nation versus nation competition. Just as I could care less who wins the next professional track and field event, I find myself glued to the television during the Olympics. * From Robert D. "Dan" O'Brien: As I recall there as a very large law suit involving the Sydney Hobart Race Committee where so many lives were lost. The suit was brought by the family of one of the persons lost. The claim involved the balance of the persons life income that was lost. Basically the family was suing everyone in sight. The allegation was the Race Committee was at fault when it knew of a potentially life threatening storm was going to cross the race course, and did not postpone the start. I don't know what the disposition was or who was involved, but the story was certainly in all the magazines a year or two back. It is the sort of thing that makes you very nervous if you have more than three nickels to rub together and are involved in race management. * From Ed Furry: It's interesting how the Canada's Cup was Terry vs. Bob and not Defiant vs. Heartbreaker or even Canada vs. USA. I may be wrong but it takes one boat from Canada and one from the US to compete. And I am pretty sure the Farr 40 takes more than just one person to sail. In fact there were a lot of big names on both boats including John Kostecki, Andy Horton, Dave Scott, Bill Bennett, Geoff Moore and Wally Cross. In fact there were two yacht clubs involved too in Royal Canadian YC and Macatawa Bay YC. If I was on one of the teams I think I would want a little more respect thrown my way. No disrespect to either sailors but sailing is a team sport and getting funding is half the battle. It is a regatta between two nations and for it to grow it should be treated that way. * From Mary DeVries, PMP, Project Manager for Team Heartbreaker. I'm sorry W.C. Rugg was disappointed by the media coverage of the Canada's Cup 2003. From the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club side, we had been informed by the major newspapers and TV stations, that if it didn't have a bat and ball, they weren't interested. I can tell you that the coverage from Sailhead.com was excellent and up to the minute. I received many phone calls and emails from people thanking us for a job well done. There were over 140,000 hits to the website! * From D.A Sligh: I must respond to W.C. Rugg's letter re Canada's Cup coverage. While I cannot speak for the Defiant (Canada) website, I almost lost my job because I was so entranced by Sailhead.com. I spent 4 days straight waiting patiently, sometimes not so patiently, for the "Live Update" to reload itself. It was fantastic having sailors on the water reporting in so that we in our office's could get up to the minute information as to what our friends and competitors were doing. Tough coverage to beat for any regatta. I found Sailhead.com and Bowmansunion.com coverage to be excellent. CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on it's shoes." - Mark Twain |
