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SCUTTLEBUTT 2216 – November 3, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt brought to you by UBS (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). OPENING THE DOOR TO THEIR YOUTH (November 1, 2006) They are all students of the country’s upper secondary sailing schools. As a part of Victory Challenge’s collaboration with the Swedish Sailing Association, six young sailors have now been chosen as trainees on Victory Challenge at America’s Cup base in Valencia. The six chosen are: Paulina Hammerö and Carl James from the upper secondary sailing school in Ängelholm, Victor Bergström and Lisa Ericson from Lerum´s upper secondary sailing school as well as Emil Malmström and Rebecka Harding from Motala upper secondary sailing school. They are all upper secondary students, goal-orientated and with a focus on becoming professional sailors. Many of them have already qualified for international competitions and are now getting the chance to train in the Swedish challenge for the world’s most prestigious sailing trophy. They will be working with Victory Challenge’s sailing team both on the water and on land. Victory Challenge will pay for the students´ trip, lodging and food. ” We have chosen a few of Sweden’s most promising upper secondary school sailing students, so that they will get insight to professional sailing at the highest level in the world. In doing so we hope to ensure the re-growth among Swedish sailors in the long term," says Stefan Rahm, tactician for Victory Challenge and just now on leave of absence from being Managing Director of the Swedish Association of Sailors. - Full report: http://www.victorychallenge.com/start.phtml?lang_id=1 TOO MUCH FUN There is fun… and then there is too much fun. When the Notice of Race for a college regatta includes a section called ‘Special Conditions,’ and it includes items listed below (wherein some specifics were modified to protect the event and its participants), odds are that the event has in the past had incidents of ‘too much fun.’ Special Conditions Special conditions and behavioral guidelines for racing in the BLANK Regatta were adopted by the BLANK Member schools at the annual meeting (2004) and drafted by the BLANK INDIVIDUALS and the regatta host. These conditions include the requirement of appropriate behavior of all teams, team members, coaches, and guests at all times while at the lake area and adherence to all recreation area (lake) rules. Prohibited activities include, but are not limited to: Any vandalism or tampering with other teams' equipment or any lake facilities; use of fireworks, flares, or other explosives; illegal campfires; unsafe, reckless (fast), or drunk driving; excessive or disruptive noise (including amplified music); being in the boat storage area or on the lake after dark; theft from community businesses. No individuals under 18 years of age (except ICSA eligible, competing sailors) are allowed to stay in the camp area after dark. Each participant is expected to maintain appropriate campground, Boat Park, and lake cleanliness. VIDEO OF THE WEEK Either the footage in this week’s video is all faked, or there are a lot of people in this world having trouble getting on and off boats... with them all getting captured on video. Set against the theme music from 'Love Boat', you'll enjoy these next 1:35 minutes, perhaps because you have done some of the things you are watching, but the camera wasn't there that day. Thanks to Dick Enerson (and everyone else) for sending in this week’s video. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/06/1030 * Also this week, there are five videos from the Allianz Cup posted on the Scuttlebutt website, each edited to just over a minute. Link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/06/1102 CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF ULTIMATE SAILING WITH US! Sharon Green presents 24 new and spectacular images that capture the heart of your favorite sport. A must for anyone who loves sailing. $18.95 for one, $16.95 for two or more. Order the calendars and our other products at http://www.ultimatesailing.com US SAILOR OF THE WEEK (The US Sailing ‘Sailor of the Week’ recognition goes to Drew Daugherty, who is likely resting this week after being the Chairperson for the recently completed Championship of Champions. Here is the report.) Drew Daugherty has been a sailor all of his life. The funny thing about that is that he's lived in Little Rock, Arkansas all of his life (except for a few years when he moved away for college). So, in case you were wondering: yes, there is sailing in Little Rock. For the past few months, Drew has been dedicating all his free time (and more!) to getting his hometown club, Grande Maumelle Sailing Club, ready to host a national championship, the U.S. Championship of Champions. The event went off without a hitch last weekend, mostly thanks to Drew's hard work and experience: he's been a two-time participant in the Championship himself. Drew not only knows how to run an event, he also knows how to win an event: he has won the Y-Flyer National Championship twice (after finishing in second place for three consecutive years). So he travels everywhere with his Y-Flyer. "And I've never driven home from a regatta wishing I hadn't gone," he says. Drew comes from a sailing family, his dad was one of the founding members and the first Commodore of Grande Maumelle Sailing Club, which is located on Lake Maumelle, the water reservoir for Little Rock (so there's no swimming allowed!). Meanwhile, Drew is passing along his family's passion for the sport to his young son. - US Sailing, link: http://tinyurl.com/yxb3fz FROM SCUTTLEBLOG: ALL IN A DAY Friday is clean-up day at Scuttlebutt World Headquarters; a chance to get caught up. With the next publishing deadline not until Sunday evening, Friday can also provide a chance to slip out of the office and check in with sport. Last Friday, with the Allianz Cup happening in San Francisco - marking the return of the World Match Racing Tour to the US - I decided to fly up from San Diego to check it out. Catching the first flight of the day to Oakland, I arrived at St Francis Yacht Club just in time for my ride with America’s Cup skipper Peter Holmberg in the scheduled Pro-Am races. These races are a frequent feature on the tour, where each boat is led by a Tour professional that has the task of directing a crew of sponsor personnel, raffle winners, and media folks (like me) around the course, spinnakers and all. These races do wonders to bring the excitement of the event to the people who are supporting it, actually getting them off the bleachers and exposing them to the onboard action. While some of the teams seemed a bit more focused on winning, Holmberg handled our boat more like a J/World class. He didn’t steer (most other pros did), and with the help of only one of his match race crew, they carefully handled the crew, and guided our J/105 upwind to the weather mark, and then downwind for the finish. After three races, we hadn’t done too well, but no one got hurt, and everyone got a chance to experience the type of sailing that occurs on the tour. - Craig Leweck, full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2006/11/all-in-day.html BORN WINNER Although at 27 he was already recognised as an exceptional talent in a variety of sailboats - he was a world champion, but that was in an 18ft Skiff Rob Greenhalgh had done very little big boat offshore racing, let alone experience the hardship and stamina required to race around the world in the fastest monohulls ever built. But Rob took his opportunity with both hands and trained and worked hard to succeed. Testament to his drive to succeed was evident in physical training and diet during training: his body weight went from 78kg to 90kg to give him the power required to be a force within the team. But Rob had one thing in common with his highly experienced team mates: he is a born winner and ABN Amro One went on to win the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 by a comfortable margin. We caught up with Rob at his home in Hamble near Southampton, England and asked him about his experience on the ABN Amro One team. Q: You had the least amount of offshore experience in the ABN AMRO ONE team. Was that a major issue for you? A: I joined ABN AMRO in February 2004 and skipper, Mike Sanderson was confident that I would fit into the team. He was right, but I was a little apprehensive as I had little experience in big boat offshore racing, but we did a lot of practice and training and everything came together well. I got into, got on with it and I really enjoyed the role. Full interview at: http://tinyurl.com/y94sjj WHAT MAKES OCKAM BETTER? Almost 30 years of research utilizing a scientific approach to perfect instrument accuracy. Ockam allows for the calibration of sensor inputs to ensure more reliable and accurate data. The proven high-speed Pentium-powered Tryad CPU processes information in 3D utilizing pitch and roll from an available 3-axis, rate stabilized compass. The new Matryx II graphical display provides a simple, clear way to view information, strip-chart data and control the system. Ockam Instruments’ superior processing and graphical display technology provide a distinct competitive advantage. We have instrument solutions for everyone. For more information, contact mailto:sales@ockam.com BERMUDA RACE ROLL OF HONOUR (Nov. 2, 2006) Six extraordinary sailors from the Newport to Bermuda Race’s 100-year history will be honored on November 13, 2006 at the Bermuda Race Centennial Gala at New York City’s University Club. The new Bermuda Race Roll of Honour, created by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in 2006 to recognize extraordinary achievement in the race, will induct Carleton Mitchell, George Coumantaros, Thomas Fleming Day, Bobby Somerset, Clarence Kozlay, and Sir Eldon Trimingham. - Full report: http://www.bermudarace.com/roh/background.php * A great photo of George Coumantaros and his Boomerang crew is posted on the Scuttlebutt website. The photo is a bit dated, yet many of the crew remain rather notable faces in the sport. A Scuttlebutt Sailing Club burgee goes to whoever can accurately provide the most names. See the photo and post your reply here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/1102 SAILING SHORTS * (Nov 2, 2006) Sailing World magazine has posted the latest College Rankings, as determined by their coaches' panel: Michael Callahan (Georgetown), Ken Legler (Tufts), and Mike Segerblom (USC). - http://tinyurl.com/t795u * The International Laser Class Association has not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement with club Neval de Cascais for the organization of the 2007 Laser World Master in Cascais, Portugal, and is now seeking alternative venues. Interested parties should contact Jeff Martin, Executive Secretary, by November 30, 2006 at mailto:jcm@laserinternational.org * As reported on the Valencia Life Network, the Valencian Government yesterday threw open a competition to design a logo for Alicante as the start point for the Volvo Ocean Race in 2008. This was one of the pledges undertaken by Francisco Camps, the President of the Valencian Community after Alicante was chosen. The competition closes on November 15, and the bases are available online at: http://www.adcv.com * The 2006-2007 ICSA/Vanguard Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded National Championship begins Friday, November 3rd, with racing through Sunday. Hosted by Roger Williams University, with racing in Bristol, RI, this year marks a new beginning for the men striving to compete for their division title. For each of the previous four years, Andrew Campbell had won the event for Georgetown University. But Campbell graduated last spring, and now the field is wide open. Last year’s women’s winner, Molly Carapiet of Yale, also has graduated. Scuttlebutt is pleased to be a sponsor for this event. - http://www.rwuhawks.com/icsa/ RACES IN PROGRESS * Velux 5 Oceans, a 30,000-mile solo race exclusively for the Grand Prix IMOCA Open 60 and Open 50 classes, is finishing up its second week. The race begins and ends in Bilbao, Spain with just two stops - in Perth, Western Australia and Norfolk, Virginia on the east coast of the USA. - http://www.velux5oceans.com * Route du Rhum race, the 3,500-mile solo race for multi-hulls and monohulls from France to Guadeloupe began last weekend, already there are reports of dismastings, capsize/sinkings, and container crashes amidst the fleet. - http://www.routedurhum.org FREE JOB ADS This time of year, most junior sailing programs are starting to think about next summer, and recruiting instructors is one of the big action items. The Scuttlebutt website hosts a free classified ad section that is heavily used for instructor job ads. To post your job ad, or to view the ads, go to http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/classifieds CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or space (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, there are no word or frequency limits on comments sent to the Scuttlebutt Forums. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Magnus Wheatley: I do sincerely hope that the ISAF delegates pass Proposal 79 at the upcoming conference and then proceed to go the whole hog in radically reforming the somewhat farcical state of the Olympic gear for 2012. Truly the only reflective boats of our era currently adopted are the Laser and the 49er and it's only the North American lobby that is keeping dreary un-TV boats like the Star and Finn classes in beer money whilst the asian lobby looks like the one cementing the totally out-moded 470 in the competition. The Yngling is a total farce and don't even start me on the Tornado...It seems to me that the sport of sailing wallows around in the middle ground, listens and condemns the left field (and its voices) before embracing new technologies at the behest of the money men under pressure to save the sport and their precious jobs. The yachting media too is more than culpable of being blind to the obvious preferring what they know (not a lot) and this ridiculous notion of not rocking the boat. Yes the Moth is a good choice for one maybe two Games but let's cut out the dross, expensive classes immediately, strip the competition down to its bare poles and start looking at kite surfing, ice surfing (thankyou Cam Lewis) for the winter games and start evaluating the raft of equalised, inexpensive dinghy classes on the market. And please ditch the match racing thought...not even the top yachting voices can explain that one to the average viewer and it will be the death knell of sailing in the Olympics. * From Keith Brown: Thanks for running the interview with Brian Angel (in Issue 2215). He may be the youngest of the Allianz Cup competitors, but he quickly proved himself not only to be a keen competitor and skilled match-racer, but one of the favorites on the Race Deck at the StFYC. His parent’s presence on the Deck and their enthusiasm quickly spread to the rest of us who were watching this incredible spectacle. Brian neglected to mention that while he finished with a 2-5 record, one of the wins included defeating Chris Dickson in his first match; no small feat! So, congratulations to Brian and all of the competitors in the event, and a huge thank you to each and every individual who played any role in bringing this event to SF Bay. We got a great show and hope to see more like it in the future! * From Charley Cook: When I first heard that the USOC planned to reduce the team members to 3 in each class, I too questioned the wisdom of doing so. I admit my bias. Like Scott Fox (he had a son and daughter competing in the 470 Pre-Trials), my son competed in the Pre-Trials. My son finished 8th in the Finns (7th American). Had the size of the team remained at 5, my son might have had an outside chance of making the team for 2007. At 3, that's highly unlikely. When I put aside my parental bias, I concluded the decision to reduce the size was really sensible, especially given the size of the fleets about which Scott complained. In classes with limited participation, supporting 5 teams would be a waste of limited resources and would hurt those teams with legitimate chances of success. What USOSC has done is pretty consistent with what I've seen around the World - support is given to a small number of teams with legitimate chances of success. * From John McNeill: Noted the commentary in Scuttlebutt (in Issue 2215) about the Tech being ‘too slow’. Frankly, although I grew up sailing in San Francisco, my time on the MIT team and the Charles in those ponderous dinghies is still one of the best learning experiences I can recall, over 40 years later. I learned some significant light weather skills from one Bill Widnall, for example, and would note that he went on to a notable career in Maxis, along with Billy Koch, another classmate who did not sail at the time, but certainly has placed MIT in the annals of yachting! Speed has little to do with development of sailing skills, and may in fact deter them as it obfuscates the fine handling needed to get the most out of any boat. * From Richard du Moulin (Storm Trysail Club and US-IRC Committee): Stuart Hebb raises a good question about the Gulf Stream Series. It is the intent of US-IRC and the sponsors of the Gulf Stream Series to be inclusive and get as many safe and seaworthy ocean racing boats involved as possible. We are thrilled that the introduction of IRC to America is causing resurgence in participation in many events, and the construction of many custom and stock IRC-oriented boats (such as the 35 New York Yacht CLub 42s now being delivered). There is no question that Stuart's Aerodyne 38, and other smaller boats, meet this requirement. What we cannot control is the availability of marina slips in Miami to support the Miami event. This is the cause of their cutoff of smaller boats. No other Gulf Stream events have that problem. We are now discussing whether we should amend the NOR to take this anomaly into consideration. Thanks Scuttlebutt and Stuart; we'll be back to you. * From Adrian Morgan: (from story in Issue 2215) Fell on his BOSS sunglasses, and they broke? Mr Thompson! What kind of endorsement is that for your sponsor's products? The PR people will be all a'twitch this morning, so I suggest a statement along the lines of: "Although badly crushed and broken, the BOSS sunglasses were within minutes fully repaired thanks to ShadeMagic, a technology developed by NASA astronauts, and are now firmly back on course, atop the skipper's nose..." (For that read "they were stuck back together with superglue and Sellotape like the ones Buzz Lightning jr broke on the Space Station last year...") And I was just about to invest in a pair. Dang... * From Ralph Taylor: (regarding Jim Champ’s letter in Issue 2215 about, "bring the girls and the boys will follow.") Not only that, the boys will behave better. When our group of junior racers includes at least one girl, the boys get down to business much easier and without so much horsing around. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION On a Maternity Room door: "Push. Push. Push." Today’s Scuttlebutt provided by Ultimate Sailing and Ockam Instruments. America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt is brought to you by UBS. |
