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SCUTTLEBUTT 3722 - Monday, November 19, 2012
Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,
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and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
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Today's sponsors: Doyle Sails and International Rolex Regatta.
NEW WORLD RECORD
VESTAS Sailrocket 2, piloted by Paul Larsen (AUS), set a new outright world
speed record of 59.23 knots (subject to ratification) on Walvis Bay,
Namibia.
Sailing in moderate conditions of around 25 knots of wind on Friday,
November 16, VSR2 pushed the mark significantly past the record of 55.65
knots set by American Kite Surfer Rob Douglas in 2010. The record run had a
peak speed of 62.53 knots while maintaining an average speed of 59.23 knot
over the 500 meter course.
The team, which has been in pursuit of the record since 2002, then went out
on Sunday, November 18 and pushed the record even further.
"Just in after the most incredible run," reported Larsen. "A whole nautical
mile dipping well into the 60's on each gust. We peaked near or over 64
knots and beat our previous 500 meter average. I don't think we cracked 60
knots as a 500 meter average though. But anyway, we smashed the nautical
mile record."
Here is the data, which must still be ratified by the World Sailing Speed
Record Council:
Outright record (500 meters): 59.38 knots
One nautical mile record: 55.32 knots
Peak speed: 63.98 knots
The previous one nautical mile record of 50.17 knots had been set in 2009
by Alain Thebault (FRA) on the foiling trimaran Hydroptere in Hyeres,
France.
VSR2 was launched in March 2011, and had returned to the waters of Walvis
Bay in September with a new hydrofoil package which has proven to be the
difference maker.
Here is a video of Friday's record run: http://youtu.be/wnjyusAgk8I
Team website: http://www.sailrocket.com/
IS SPONSORSHIP KILLING SAILING?
The Volvo Ocean Race recently released a 133 page report into the previous
edition. Much of that report was dedicated to the return on investment
received by sponsors of the race.
One of the findings of the report was that sponsors of sailing can get
better returns than other sports because the brand-name is mentioned more
than the names of the athletes. The report says:
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The Volvo Ocean Race occupies an exceptional space in the sporting world as
a major property that is universally referred to with a brand name in the
title, while offering similar opportunities for sponsors backing individual
teams.
The fact that sailors on board are not generally household names across the
world can actually help sponsors too. There is little option for media
covering the race but to refer to several brand names whereas in other
sport, news organisations work hard to avoid making such references. With
the Volvo Ocean Race, such avoidance is not realistically possible."
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While this sounds good for sponsors, it doesn't sound like something that
is good for the sport in the long term, especially if sailing wants to
create long term fans.
Fans follow athletes or teams, they don't follow brands, which makes the
situation that the Volvo Ocean Race is currently in a bit strange. Race
organisers have announced the first entry for the next race. The entry has
a sponsor, but it has no skipper and no team - so where are the fans going
to come from? -- YachtSponsorship.com, read on:
http://www.yachtsponsorship.com/2012/11/is-sponsorship-killing-sailing/
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT
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COLLEGE MATCH RACE NATIONALS
Fort Worth (November 18, 2012) - Ten teams competed in the 2012
Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Match Race National Championship (Nov.
16-18), hosted by Fort Worth Boat Club on Eagle Mountain Lake.
Wind conditions on Friday varied from calm to light, allowing the
completion of only 6 of the 9 round robin races on the opening day.
Saturday proved to be a little more cooperative and the final three races
of the round robin were completed, advancing the top eight teams to the
quarterfinals. The best of five quarterfinals were completed with St.
Mary's College, Tufts, Georgetown and Yale moving on to the semifinals.
The winds on Sunday picked up to the 10 to 20 mph range for the best of
five semifinals. Tufts, skippered by Will Haeger, was the first to advance
to the finals with three straight wins over Georgetown. Yale, skippered by
Chris Segerblom, prevailed over St. Mary's in the fourth race of their
series to make it an all New England final. Because of limited time, the
finals were now reduced to a best of three series.
Yale won the first race and Tufts won the second to set up the decisive
third race. Tufts started from the starboard end a little late, allowing
Yale to escape over them and the race committee to the right side of the
starting area. After several dial ups and circling, Tufts led Yale back to
the start, forcing Yale to start behind them. Tufts tacked over Yale
multiple times during the first windward leg to stretch their lead to three
boat lengths, which they opened further to the finish to take the title.
The winning Tufts team was Will Haeger, David Liebenberg, Paula Grasberger,
and Solomon Krevans.
The Petit Finals was an all San Diego Yacht Club final, with Georgetown's
Nevin Snow beating St. Mary's Jake LaDow to take third place. Results:
http://regattanetwork.com/event/5464#_newsroom
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
"I never contact sailors before they contact me, and I never try to
convince them to come to Georgetown. I want them to be convinced on their
own. I keep up on results from junior championships to high school regattas
to know who the best sailors are. If sailors contact me, I'm happy to tell
them all about Georgetown and what the sailing team is like; but I never
try to sell our sailing program in my recruiting talk. I want students to
come to Georgetown because of what the school offers not what the sailing
team offers, because sailing is not a reason to choose a school." -
Georgetown University head coach Michael Callahan, full interview in
SpinSheet: http://issuu.com/CDeere/docs/nov_ss_2012/67
NEXT STOP ...THE EQUATOR
(November 18, 2012; Day 9) - Now entering the second week of the Vendee
Globe, the 20 starters have been reduced to a field of 16 skippers heading
south along the African coast. Moderate winds have clocked around to the
north east, providing ideal broad reaching angles on port gybe as they take
their aim south to the equator.
"I've just sailed past Cape Verde," said leader Armel Le Cleac'h on Banque
Populaire. "The next step is the Doldrums, it's a landmark in the race, and
a difficult area to sail through, too. And then the equator! I'm checking
my charts and maps at least twice a day to determine what my strategy is
going to be. Even though there weren't really strong winds, it's been a
tough beginning in the race. And it's been quieter for the past 2-3 days.
This is just the beginning of a marathon, there's still a long way to go."
The winter of the North Atlantic has been replaced by the approach of the
southern hemisphere. "It's weird, conditions seems to have gone from fairly
reasonable to very hot quickly," observed Alex Thomson on HUGO BOSS. "I
think it's because we came down the Atlantic on the back of that depression
and relatively cold winds and bang suddenly we were into the trade winds.
It's hot and muggy but it's not too bad."
RETIRED #3: After his collision with a fishing boat off Portugal Wednesday
morning (Nov. 14), Louis Burton (Bureau Vallee) was heading to Les Sables
d'Olonne to repair and cross the start line before the Tuesday deadline.
But a damaged port shroud allowed for starboard sailing only, and when the
weather conditions changed Burton was forced to withdraw and divert to La
Coruna, Spain on Friday.
RETIRED #4: Following her dismasting on November 15, Samantha Davies was
expected to arrive in Funchal, Portugal on Sunday. Davies, who finished
fourth in the 2008-9 Vendee Globe, dismasted in a depression with a 35
knots of wind and treacherous cross seas. She waited until the wind had
eased before cutting away the mast and rigging.
TIME-OUT: After 32 hours of sailing without a mainsail, Javier ''Bubi''
Sansó was forced to anchor on Friday (Nov. 16) in the lee of the Canary
Islands on to recover the main halyard on Acciona 100% EcoPowered. Sanso
was able to resume racing on Saturday.
KEEL: In the night between Saturday and Sunday, a key part of the keel -
the hydraulic jack - broke on Maitre CoQ. Since then, Jeremie Beyou has
been forced to divert to Cape Verde to seek shelter and try to find a
solution to this major technical issue. Beyou was expected to reach the
Cape Verde islands by Sunday night. Beyou's boat is the old Foncia which
Michel Desjoyeaux used to win the last 2008-9 Vendee Globe.
PROTEST: The race committee is protesting nine skippers for an alleged
infringement of the collision regulations in Traffic Separation Scheme off
Cape Finisterre. The protest was first raised by Hugo Boss' Alex Thomson
who observed the competitors tracking through a restricted area that he had
purposely avoided. Yachting World's Elaine Bunting reports:
http://tinyurl.com/YW-111812
Tracking: http://tracking2012.vendeeglobe.org/en/
Top 5 of 20 - Rankings as of Sunday 18 November 2012, 20h00 (FR)
1. Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA), Banque Populaire: 21532.3 nm Distance to Finish
2. François Gabart (FRA), Macif: 62.0 nm Distance to Lead
3. Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Virbac Paprec 3: 69.9 nm DTL
4. Bernard Stamm (SUI), Cheminees Poujoulat: 78.2 nm DTL
5. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB: 102.5 nm DTL
Full rankings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html
BACKGROUND: Twenty skippers began the 7th edition of the Vendee Globe, a
solo, non-stop around the world race in the IMOCA Open 60 class. Starting
in Les Sables d'Olonne, France on November 10, the west to east course
passes the three major capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn before
returning to Les Sables d'Olonne. In the 2008-9 edition, Michel Desjoyeaux
(FRA) set a new race record by completing the course in 84 days. --
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/
40th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL ROLEX REGATTA - MARCH 21-24, 2013
Come to the first regatta ever sponsored by Rolex, Geneva. Two rating
systems, IRC and CSA. One design racing in Melges 24's and Melges 32's.
Charter one of our local IC-24's (converted J-24's) for the best and
easiest racing of your life. Island courses around the "rocks". We are the
"friendly" Caribbean regatta! Housing at condos near club, drop a hook in
Cowpet Bay, free launch service 0700-2400, pick up crew lunches each
morning with free continental crew breakfast daily.
Email Bill Canfield with any questions: stycisv@gmail.com
Registration and other event information: http://www.rolexcupregatta.com
SAILING SHORTS
* Jacksonville, FL (November 17, 2012) - John Mollicone's 11th Hour Racing
team emerged victorious at the 29-boat J/24 North American Championship in
Jacksonville, FL. Comprised of Mollicone, Tim Healy, Collin Leon, Geoff
Becker and Gordon Borges, the Newport team credited their consistency and
team work during the nine races as the keys to their success. Canadian
Rossi Milev on Clean Air and placed in second overall with Travis
Odenbach's Honey Badger in third. -- Full report:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14801
* Pensacola, FL (November 18, 2012) - Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and
Kenny Pierce (Hialeah, Fla.) capped a perfect week by to win the 2012 U.S.
Multihull Championship, hosted by the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club. By
winning all 14 races, not only were they undefeated, but Newberry made
history by becoming the first woman skipper to claim the U.S. Multihull
Championship for the Hobie Alter Trophy, a US Sailing National
Championship. -- Full report:
http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/2012/USMHC_12_FINAL.htm
* Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) held its Annual Meeting on
November 9 in Long Beach, CA, reporting a record year with 465 high schools
registered for the 2011-2012 school year, a 30% growth in high school teams
over 5 years. The 2012 High School Sailing Annual Report can be viewed
here: http://www.hssailing.org/documents/2012_annualreport.pdf
SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR
Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
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 Paul Henderson, past ISAF president:
Sailors by nature are complainers and believe that through their local eyes
the world of sailing can be run. Think of the complaining that goes on at
your Yacht Club or with/at US Sailing where everyone usually speaks the
same language, race a few classes, and only drink the local beer. Then try
and get your head out of your local boat and see what ISAF has to cope
with.
Over 120 nations speaking every known language, administering the multitude
of international classes, put up with the regional politics and on top of
this try and fit into the Olympics with their regulations made for 7 Winter
and 28 Summer sports but not especially for Sailing. If a Martian appeared
and you tried to convince him that Windsurfing, 49ers, Stars, America's Cup
Cats, Dragons, Kites, 50 ft cruising boats, Lightnings and on and on were
the same sport he would ask what weed are you smoking here.
How easy it would be to by the head of Soccer where they have the same
field and same number of players kicking one ball. The person who has the
fortune to be elected ISAF President has the most complicated and rewarding
challenge in sport. Having said that, I never met a stupid sailor - only
sailors who do stupid things. What a great honour to be President of this
unique and diverse sport and I am sure new ISAF President Carlo Croce will
serve us well.
* From Adrian Morgan
Curious to learn more about the candidates for the ISAF presidency I
googled the ISAF website as Mark Bergin suggested (in Scuttlebutt 3721)
and, after 10 minutes, gave up. The search facility was useless, even when
I put in the words Carlo and Croce. No mention of David Kellett, at least
that I could see before my patience ended.
So I had a look at the blog, to discover what the girls at the front desk
were eating for lunch while they waited excitedly for the sub-committee of
the sub-committee of the centreboard and moveable appendages committee's
deliberations behind closed doors.
So I turned to the 'Latest ISAF news', to find it was dated 4 November, and
talked about a training and development seminar (presumably for the new
ISAF executive committee to learn how to manage the sport's governing
body).
Appears that the ISAF website accurately represents the chaotic internal
workings of the body it supports. Muddle and confusion, under a smooth and
urbane veneer.
I did however find: "Executive Committee members will act as a mentor to
the allocated committees and departments and will be responsible for the
representation to the Executive and Council." whatever that gobbledygook
means and also "Biographies of the Executive Committee Members including
details of their areas of responsibility will be available here soon."
I wait with bated breath...
* From Teki Dalton:
As a 30 year member of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and one-term
member of the offshore committee of the Australian Yachting Federation (as
it was called then), I had the opportunity to observe David Kellett in
action representing the offshore sailors of Australia - difficult as that
was.
When I saw that David's bid for president of ISAF had been defeated, my
first thoughts were that this was a big blunder on behalf of the other
voting members of ISAF.
On reflection, my advice to David is (not that he needs it from me) now you
are well out of it! ISAF have shown how Euro-centric it is and in my view,
will always be. The simple decision of ignoring all the advice to keep
match-racing in the Olympics, one of the most popular events of 2012, shows
how out of touch they are.
* From David Polan, Cambridge, MA:
I was very disturbed to see that photo (Scuttlebutt 3721) of a dog in the
O'pen BIC without a PFD! Incredibly unsafe for the poor pooch in such a
boat and it seems to this dog lover, at least, to be in the realm of
cruelty to animals. I frequently take my terrier out in a JC9, but she
always has on a PFD and is additionally kept on a tether attached to my own
harness. I'm all for canine sailing, but for goodness sake do it safely and
sensibly!
SCUTTLEBUTT ADVERTISING IN 2013
Scuttlebutt provides a limited amount of text ad slots in each newsletter,
and we are now taking ad reservations for 2013. Most of these ad slots will
be booked by November 30, so if you are interested in advertising, contact
us for details: 619-299-5678 or advertising@sailingscuttlebutt.com
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
Getting old means restaurants may ask for their money before the meal.
SPONSORS THIS WEEK
Doyle Sails - International Rolex Regatta - Ultimate Sailing - North Sails
New England Ropes - Atlantis WeatherGear - Ullman Sails - J Boats
Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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