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SCUTTLEBUTT 1379 - July 25, 2003
Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is a
digest 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.
FOR THE RECORD
American skipper Steve Fossett announced that he is targeting the 'Jules
Verne' Round the World record - the absolute record for the fastest boat
around the planet - for January, 2004, at the helm of his 125' (38.1m)
maxi-catamaran.
Currently holder of 10 of the 13 fastest World Record passages in sailing
(as certified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council), Fossett and his
crew made sailing history in October 2001 setting a new TransAtlantic
record of 4 days 17 hours - shattering the previous record by over 43
hours. Twice he has set the 24 Hour Record (1999, 2001), signifying the
world's fastest sailboat.
"We are going. I regard the Round the World as the most important of all
sailing records and it's the one we have never held. The time has come to
get committed. I aspire to join the list of the great Jules Verne record
skippers: Bruno Peyron, Olivier de Kersauson, Peter Blake and Robin
Knox-Johnston."
"Cheyenne" is the new name planned for the former PlayStation. The
catamaran is undergoing a refit in Norfolk, Virginia. An assault on the 24
Hour Record will be made during October with the goal of logging the first
700 mile day. The current record is 694.78 nautical miles by Maiden II in
June, 2002. The round the world crew will be named in September. Final
preparations will be made in southern Europe during November and December.
Over the past 11 years there have been 13 attempts to set the Jules Verne
Round the World record - with just 4 successful, the current record being
set by Bruno Peyron (France) and crew aboard the 110' catamaran 'Orange' in
2002 at 64 days 8 hours, 37 minutes, 24 seconds. - www.fossettchallenge.com
MATCH RACING
The ISAF has released updated world match racing rankings. Karol Jablonski
(POL) continues to top the leaderboard, a position he has held since
November 2002. Behind Jablonski, a small upset in the Danish camp as there
is a swap in positions, with Jes Gram-Hansen overtaking Jesper Radich, as a
result of his bullet at the ISAF Grade 1 Trofeo Challenge Roberto Trombini.
With no Women's match racing events since the previous ranking of 8 July,
it is not surprising that there is absolutely no change in the world's top
40 with Marie Bjorling (SWE) continuing her undisputed run at the top.
Open Rankings: 1. Karol Jablonski, POL; 2 Jes Gram-Hansen, DEN; 3 Jesper
Radich, DEN; 4 Ed Baird, USA; 5 James Spithill USA/AUS.
Women's Rankings: 1 Marie Bjorling, SWE; 2 Malin Millbourn, SWE; 3 Nina
Braestrup, DEN; 4 Marie Faure,; 5 Lotte Meldgaared Pedersen, DEN; 6 Liz
Baylis, USA; 8 Betsy Alison, USA; 16 Debby Willits, USA; 17 Paula Lewin, BER.
Complete rankings: http://www.sailing.org/matchrace/mrranking.asp
YOUTH WORLDS
Madeira, Portugal - The Fleets are now back ashore after the decision was
made on both the Laser and 420 courses to postpone racing after gust of up
to 30 knots threatened to decimate the fleet. And in one class, the World
Champion is decided. The Mistral course, slightly more sheltered than the
other two western courses, saw less wind and hence the fleet were able to
get two further races in on the penultimate day. This fact, coupled with a
series of seven first places, including a bullet in the final race of the
day today, has crowned Zofia Klepacka (POL) as the 2003 ISAF Youth Sailing
World Champion in the girls' boardsailing event.
American Paige Railey is in first place as the 2003 ISAF Youth World
Championship heads into its last day on Friday. Also in medal contention
are Zach Brown and Graham Biehl in the boys' 420 fleet. The boys are
currently in 5th place, two points out of a bronze medal position.
Results after ten races with two discards:
Girls Single-Handed - Laser: 1. USA, Paige Railey, 25; 2. AUS, Krystal
Weir, 25; 3. CRO, Gea Barbic, 30; 15. CAN, Nicole Bastet, 92.
Boys Single-Handed - Laser: 1. AUS, Ricky Ironmonger, 25; 2. POL, Norbert
Wilandt, 39; 3. SLO, Marko Sekardi ,47; 7. CAN, Alex Steele, 60; 19. USA,
Christopher Branning, 115.
Girls Double-handed - 420: 1. AUS, Elise Rechichi & Rayshele Martin, 15; 2.
FRA, Camille Lecointre & Gwendolyn Lemaitre, 21; 3. SIN, Liying Toh & Shiu
Wun S. Tam, 33, 9. USA, Caroline Young & Shannon Heauster, 65; 20. CAN,
Brooke Campbell & Anna Millar, 143
Boys Double Handed - 420: 1. AUS, Natha Outteridge & Ayden Menzies, 11; 2.
FRA, Loic Le Bacquer & Yannick Peduzzi, 30; 3. ARG, Lucas Calabrese &
Damian Saponara 56, 5. USA, Zachary Brown & Graham Biehl, 56; 19. CAN,
Andrew Costa & Robert Date, 119
Girls Mistral (11 races): 1. POL, Zofia Klepacka, 23; 2. ITA, Flavia
Tartaglini, 18; 3. ESP, Blanca Manchon, 31; 11. USA, Nancy Rios, 100
Boys Mistral (11 races): 1. ARG, Mariano Benitez, 23; 2. GRE, Biron
Kokalanis, 23; 3. HKG, Wing Ho Yu, 24; 17. USA, Philip Muller, 129; 20.
CAN, Hugo Vallee-Poliot, 158
Event website: http://www.isafyouthworld2003.com/
UNDER ONE ROOF
Ever notice how Kaenon, Sailing Angles, Camet and others mention that their
great products are available at APS? That should be of no surprise.
Annapolis Performance Sailing stocks all these and everything else you
could need. We're not just foulies, not just hardware and not just rigging.
We're the most comprehensive performance sailing store yet. If sourcing the
gear you need is a bigger drag than going shrimping with your kite, take a
moment to check us out. It's all under one roof, all on one website. See
pictures of our new shop too. http://www.apsltd.com/depts/dept3256.asp
YNGLING WORLDS
Warnemunde, Germany once again produced light wind for the 4th day of
racing at the Yngling World Championship. In the first race of the day, a
light sea breeze filled on the course for the fleet of 85 boats. American
team Challenge US (Betsy Alison, Lee Icyda and Suzy Leech) won the race in
a heated battle with Russia 4 sailed by Valery Zatsarinsky and Ulrike
Schuemann of Germany. Sally Barkow and Carol Cronin from the USA finished
4th and 5th respectively. In Race 6, Hannah Swett (USA) led from start to
finish in a nice display of textbook sailing. Fellow American Jody Swanson
took the second in the race followed by Trine Palludan from Denmark. - Team
Challenge US, http://www.challengeUS.org
Results after six races with one throw-out:
1. USA, Betsy Alison/ Suzy Leech/ Lee Icyda, 33
2. USA, Hannah Swett/ Joan Touchette/ Melissa Purdy, 41
3. AUT, Christoph Skolaut/ Georg Skolaut/ Wolfgang Riha, 41
4. NZL Sharon Ferris/ Joanna White/ Sara Winther, 52
5. DEN, Trine Palludan/ Christina Otzen/ Ida Hartvig, 54
6. USA, Jody Swanson/ Elizabeth Kratzig/Cory Sertl, 55
9. USA, Carol Cronin/ Elisabeth Filter/ Bridget Hallawell 61
13. CAN, Lisa Ross/ Chantal Leger/ Deirdre Crampton, 77
12. USA, Sally Barkow/ Carrie Howe/ Debbie Capozzi, 69
13. BER, Paula Lewin/ Carola Cooper/ Peta Lewin, 69
19. CAN, Lisa Ross/ Chantal Leger/ Deirdre Crampton, 89
http://www.yngling-worlds.de/Seiten/Reports-Photos.htm
505 PRE-WORLDS
Malmö, Sweden- Results of the International 505 Swedish Championship and
Pre-World Championship Regatta - Five races with one throw-out (43 boats):
1. USA, Howard Hamlin/ Peter Alarie, 8
2. USA Daniel Thompson/ Andrew Zinn, 19
3. DEN Per Larsen/ Martin Friderichsen, 25
4. GER Lutz Stengel/ Frank Feller, 25
5. GBR Terry Scutcher/ Christian Diebitsch, 34
9. USA Alexander Meller/ Jesse Falsone, 59
12. USA Macy Nelson/ Nick Nelson, 79
14. USA Andy Beeckman/ Ben Benjamin, 92
Complete results: http://mss.m.se/505web/resultsSC.htm
ALBACORE INTERNATIONALS
Through 3 days of racing in light to moderate conditions in Kingston,
Ontario, 59 Albacores have completed 7 races. Racing continues through
Saturday. Clear lanes off the starting line have been very difficult to
come by. Standings: 1. Barney Harris & David Byron. 16 points; 2. Tim
Broughton & Karen Marshall, 25 points; 3. Chris Gorton & Henry Pedro, 32
points; 4. Ian Brayshaw & Jeff Beitz, 33. points; 5. Kevin Smith & John
McHutchion, 38 points
Complete results: http://www.cork.org/ALB.HTM
AN ACTIVE LASER GATHERS NO MOSS
Close your eyes and think about the first boat that sparked your love for
sailing. Was it an Opti, Sunfish, or Laser that was fast and fun - before
something newer, bigger and brighter came along? Is that Sunfish now
gathering dust in the garage, or that Laser growing mold in the backyard?
At Layline we believe boat size doesn't matter! Call us; we'll help outfit
your old dinghy with new parts or great upgrades. Get out there on the
water and remember why you started sailing in the first place!
800.542.5463; http://www.layline.com
NEWS BRIEFS
* America's Cup yachting skipper Dean Barker and former hockey
international Mandy Smith are engaged to marry. Barker popped the question
last week while the couple were in Hawaii, where Barker had finished second
in his first race post-America's Cup, the eight-day Trans-Pacific Yacht
Race from Los Angeles. They are to marry within 12 months. As a "symbol",
Barker said, he bought a silver mood ring, the sort where the stone changes
colour according to skin temperature, before he left for the race. The pair
will shop for something permanent together. -
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/0,2106,2579485a6000,00.html
* There will be 52 Swans racing next week at the Swan American Regatta,
hosted by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) at their summer residence of
Harbour Court, Rhode Island. Although there will be entries from the
Netherlands, Italy, Australia and the UK, no foreign yacht has ever taken
overall honours in the Swan American Regatta. This year's entries include
six Swan 56's and the seven Swan 45's. - www.nautorgroup.com
* Whidbey Island Race Week has had three days of excellent racing! Six
races in 10 - 20 knots of wind and pure sunshine. Results:
http://www.whidbey.com/raceweek/wed.html
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 or a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From David F. Clinnin: Thankyouthankyouthankyou for the homage to the
Corinthian spirit in Scuttlebutt 1378's story on le tour de France. I am
reprinting that story for our sailing club's information book next year. I
had no idea the biking world behaved this way. How incredibly inspiring
this is!
* From Jamie Leopold: In yacht racing and sailing we used to refer to the
kind of actions reported in the 'butt 1378 article Winning with Honor as
Corinthian Spirit. It's nice to know that is alive and well somewhere. Too
bad it's not alive and thriving in yacht racing/sailing.
* From Ted Jones (Regarding your lead item about Lance Armstrong): Au
contraire, it has everything to do with yacht racing.
* From Dave Rosekrans, President, US Sailing: I read with great interest
the "Winning With Honor" article about the Tour de France posted in today's
Scuttlebutt. I wanted to take this opportunity to mention a great tool that
any organization can create to promote proper ethical behavior amongst the
future of our sport, our junior sailors. US Sailing, the Junior Sailing
Association of Long Island Sound, and Larchmont Yacht Club have developed a
poster on ethics guidelines. The poster can be displayed at any sailing
event, whether it's a sailing class or a race. The text was developed by
the junior sailors themselves and it is included below (please feel free to
copy). I highly encourage other youth sailing programs to take on a similar
project of developing sportsmanship/ethics guidelines:
Respected Sailors Always:
1. Know and abide by the Racing Rules. They promptly:
- Take a penalty or retire when they know they broke a rule, or
- File a protest when appropriate.
2. Obey event regulations, on and off the water, including housing rules.
3. Are organized, prepared and responsible for their own equipment.
4. Show respect to fellow sailors and those helping to run regattas and
programs.
Respected Sailors Never:
1. Swear at, intimidate or harass anyone, including teammates, on or off
the water.
2. Steal or borrow, without permission, anything that does not belong to
them.
3. Break laws related to alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs.
"You haven't won the race if, in winning the race, you have lost the
respect of your competitors." Paul Elvstrom (Four-time Olympic gold medalist)
* From F. Shan McAdoo: You should also perhaps point out that Ullrich is
rejoining the Tour de France this year after a suspension for blood doping
and the use of amphetamines. While I agree there is a great deal of
nobility in sport of cycling, it is also an extremely competitive sport and
they fight hard for their finishes and at the end of the day enjoy great
camaraderie. For the most part, the same can be said about sailing.
Another place where sailing can take a lesson from cycling is in how they
use sponsors and television. In the last 20 years professional bicycling
has truly evolved. Professional riders are well compensated at many levels
and corporate sponsors get great value for dollars spent. In addition,
television has figured out how to cover the sport in a manner that makes it
pretty compelling without fundamentally altering the sport. I think there
are some great ideas in cycling that we should sponsor. I think we are
getting close with the Americas Cup and the VOR, but we should find a make
competitive sailing more accessible.
There are many kids riding bicycles right now who want to be like Lance
Armstrong or Tyler Hamilton. Kids who sail need more access to high end
competitors in our sport. Our goal should be to make those competitors
accessible to those kids. This will allow our sport to flourish.
* From Paul Hansen: You're reference to the Tour de France incident is an
obvious attempt to stir up the debate over whether or not Alinghi should
have stopped racing on both or either occasions when NZ has damaged during
the last America's Cup. Jan Ulrich obviously has little doubt that he can
(not will) win this years Tour de France and he doesn't want to lose his
chance to win cleanly. Winning while taking advantage of another's
misfortune is the same as losing. Perception is very important in bike
racing (and sailing). Paul Elvstrom said that winning while losing the
respect of your competitors is no victory at all.
But, I think Jan may have reacted differently if Lance Armstrong or his
countrymen (read 'press') were not being as sportsmanlike as they should.
Lance has already proven his maturity in a similar occasion (although not
as critical to the final standings) and there is great respect between them.
My guess is that Alinghi wanted to get the AC over with and they were not
concerned with the perception of sportsmanship. They probably had a good
idea that dragging it out for 1 or 2 more races was not going to affect the
outcome anyway.
It must be thrilling for Jan Ulrich's sponsors to see this has caught the
attention of the world.
Curmudgeon's Comment: Sorry Paul, but the Alinghi incident never crossed my
mind until you mentioned it. And of the dozens of letters we've received on
this subject, yours is the only one that referenced that incident.
* From Mike Bersch: I just completed sailing in the Chicago to Mackinac
race under the new Americap rating. While nobody has really complained much
about the PHRF ratings in use for many years it seems that the Americap
ratings are sure being put to the test. The J130 I raced on scored 21 out
of 25 in her section with Americap. Farr 40's that would give us 27 seconds
per mile in PHRF give a lot less time in Americap. Sydney 38's that rate
even with us in PHRF are owed time in Americap.
When I got home I decided to see how we would have scored in the race if it
had been PHRF rated. We would have finished 8 of 25 in our section. An
improvement of 13 positions. Instead of finishing 88 over all- we would
have beaten the -75 PHRF rated Santa Cruz 52 Rosebud (4th overall,
Americap) by over 1 1/2 hours! Granted I only used PHRF to score about 30
of the boats, but it sure seems that the Americap system is a drastic new
system that needs a lot of gross tuning. I wonder if anyone has re-scored
the entire race in PHRF. I think the results would turn a lot of heads. The
old system didn't seem to be broken. Why was it fixed?
* From Peter Evans: Following on from Lance Robinson's comments about F1
and Americas Cup. The rumour mill was very active a couple of years ago
that the McLaren Mercedes F1 team were very interested in entering the
America's Cup. Team boss Ron Dennis reckoned it fitted in with the
cutting-edge design philosophy of McLaren, while Adrian Newey, acknowledged
by everyone in F1 as by far the best aerodynamicist in the sport, couldn't
wait to try turning from aerodynamics to fluid dynamics (yeah...I know air
is a fluid, but you know what I mean). And we know that there's no great
cash shortage at the top end of F1. They have the wind tunnels, the carbon
technology, most of the skills...could be very interesting.
* From Diane Swintal (Re: motorsports-related companies and sailing
sponsorship): As Tom Ehman discussed in 'Butt several years ago, there are
too many correlations between auto racing and boat racing to talk about
here. From the strategy and the tactics, the sophisticated machinery -
right down to the politics involved, there are so many similarities it's
scary. Unfortunately, that doesn't always translate to an understanding of
boat racing from companies involved in motorsports.
One auto manufacturer's public relations office doesn't see why they're
involved in the regatta that carries their name, even though their
worldwide motorsports presence is formidable. Even Oracle's success with
BMW didn't affect their lack of interest in getting more involved in
sailing, most notably the America's Cup.
The problem? I hate to bring this up again, but when it came to discussions
re the America's Cup, this manufacturer's advertising director brought up
two points both involved with the television coverage. With so few US
viewers getting OLN on their cable package, relatively small numbers of
people in the US would see the early rounds, so a sponsor virtually needed
to be guaranteed the team would make the finals to get any 'bang for the
buck.' Tough selling points. It will be interesting to see if Alinghi's
changes affect this attitude.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
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