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SCUTTLEBUTT 2452 – October 12, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. US OLYMPIC TRIALS (October 11, 2007) U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing is ongoing with four courses in California and two courses in Rhode Island. 176 entrants have been competing in 13 of the 14 classes (Yngling has a separate system) for berths to the 2008 Games. The Trials began October 6th, with racing now continuing for all classes each day through the final day on Sunday. Here are the reports from Thursday, the sixth day of racing: * For the east coast trials in Rhode Island, Nick Skandone/Maureen Mckinnon-Tucker in the SKUD 18 are the only leaders with some breathing room at the top, as the average points lead in the other four classes is just over two points. The top two in the Laser and Radial traded punches that left their points difference unaffected, though a sidestory to the Laser class was a protest between Funk and Campbell that was not heard based on it being filed too late. The Paralympic classes saw light winds while the Laser/Radial fleets enjoyed 12-15knots. There are only 5-6 races remaining in each of the five classes to complete their schedules. -- Complete report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1011e.htm * Light winds affected all courses for the west coast trials in California, with the only class leaders holding a comfort margin are 2004 49er Olympian Tim Wadlow/ Chris Rast, and 470 Men Stu McNay/ Graham Biehl, while all the other classes remain poised for a photo finish. Both the Mens and Womens RS:X classes are too close to call, and there will be a Tornado watch on for Friday to see if Robbie Daniel/ Hunter Stunzi have officially broken free of the tie they have been in for the previous four days. Big day on the Star course, where one favored team may have unofficially taken themselves out of contention, while George Szabo/ Andrew Scott have moved up to gain a share of the lead following their double bullet day. Zachary Railey’s scores (3-8) brought him back to the Finn pack, while Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving continue to chip away to make the 470 Women’s division very, very interesting. -- Complete report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1011w.htm * Note: For all classes except the 49er, a 16 race series is planned, with only three races needed to constitute a series, and one throwout permitted after the completion of eight races. For the 49er, 24 races are planned, with only three races needed to constitute a series, and one throwout permitted after the completion of eight races, and two throwouts permitted after 17 races. Olympic Trials West - preliminary results Star (19 entrants; after eleven races) 1. Mark Mendelblatt/Magnus Liljedahl, 3-3-1-8-1-3-6-2-5-(10)-4, 36 2. George Szabo/Andrew Scott, 2-1-(11)-7-3-4-9-6-2-1-1, 36 3. John Dane III/Austin Sperry, 1-10-6-2-8-1-5-4-(12)-2-3, 42 49er (13 entrants; after sixteen races) 1. Tim Wadlow/Chris Rast, 1-2-1-1-3-1-(4)-3-3-1-1-1-1-1-3-3, 26 2. Dalton Bergan/Zack Maxam, 2-4-3-4-1-2-2-2-(14*)-3-4-3-4-3-2-2, 41 3. Larson/Spaulding, (14*)-1-2-2-9-14*-1-1-1-2-2-2-5-2-1-1, 46 * OCS Tornado (6 entrants; after ten races) 1. Robbie Daniel/Hunter Stunzi, 1-(2)-2-1-1-2-2-1-1-1, 12 2. John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree, 2-1-1-2-2-1-1-2-(4)-3, 15 3. Colin Merrick/John Sampson, 4-3-(5)-3-4-4-3-4-3-4, 32 Finn (42 entrants; after eleven races) 1. Zachary Railey, 1-2-(12)-1-1-1-1-1-1-3-8, 20 2. Geoffrey Ewenson, 2-3-(10)-4-3-2-2-4-3-1-3, 27 3. Darrell Peck, 4-4-1-3-2-3-4-3-4-(6)-5, 33 470 Men (8 entrants, after ten races)* 1. Stuart McNay/Graham Biehl, 2-2-2-2-1-2-4-1-(6)-4, 20 2. Mikee Anderson-Mitterling/David Hughes, 5-1-6-3-4-4-1-5-5-(7), 34 3. Adam Roberts/Nick Martin, 6-6-(9)-4-8-5-6-6-4-1, 46 * 470 Men and Women race and get scored together 470 Women (5 entrants; after ten races)* 1. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler, 4-3-1-(6)-3-3-2-4-1-5, 26 2. Erin Maxwell/Isabelle Kinsolving, (9)-7-5-5-2-1-5-3-3-2, 33 3. Molly Carapiet/Molly O'Bryan, 7-8-4-7-7-8-7-(9)-9-8, 65 * 470 Men and Women race and get scored together RS:X Men (7 entrants; after ten races) 1. Benjamin Barger, (8/RAF)-1-2-1-2-1-3-2-2-1, 15 2. Michael Gebhardt, 2-(3)-1-2-1-2-1-3-1-2, 15 3. Robert Willis, 1-2-5-3-(6)-3-2-1-4-4, 25 RS:X Women (6 entrants; after ten races) 1. Farrah Hall, (4)-1-4-1-3-3-1-1-2-3, 19 2. Nancy Rios, 2-(4)-1-3-2-2-4-4-1-2, 21 3. Lisa Kremer, 1-2-2-4-4-1-(5)-2-4-5, 25 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Olympic Trials East - preliminary results Laser (33 entrants; after ten races) 1. Brad Funk, 3-2-2-(9)-4-2-1-1-2-1, 18 2. Andrew Campbell, 4-4-1-(20)-1-1-2-5-1-2, 21 3. Trevor Moore, 2-9-7-3-5-7-5-(16)-6-9, 53 Laser Radial (22 entrants; after ten races) 1. Anna Tunnicliffe, 1-1-1-(3)-1-1-2-1-3-1, 12 2. Paige Railey, 2-2-2-1-2-2-(3)-2-1-3, 17 3. Sarah Lihan, 3-3-3-4-4-6-1-(11)-2-2, 28 Paralympic Trials - preliminary results 2.4mR (4 entrants; after eleven races) 1. Mark LeBlanc, (4)-2-1-1-3-3-1-2-1-3-2, 19 2. Mark Bryant, 2-1-2-3-2-1-2-1-4*-2-(5/OCS), 20 3. John Ruf, (3)-3-3-2-1-2-3-3-2-1-1, 21 * Protest Sonar #674 SKUD 18 (5 entrants; after ten races) 1. Nick Scandone/ Maureen Mckinnon-Tucker, (3)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2-1, 10 2. Karen Mitchell/ JP Creignou, 1-(4)-2-2-2-2-2-3-3-3, 20 3. Scott Whitman/ Julia Dorsett, 2-2-3-3-3-3-(4)-2-1-2, 21 Sonar (6 entrants; after eleven races) 1. Rick Doerr/Tim Angle/Bill Donohue, 1-3-1-1-(7/DSQ)-3-2-4-4-2-1, 22 2. Paul Callahan/Roger Cleworth/Tom Brown, 4-(7/DSQ)-2-3-1-1-4-3-3-1-3, 25 3. Albert Foster/David Burdett/Jim Thweatt, (5)-1-3-4-2-5-1-1-1-5-5, 28 => Complete Results: http://tinyurl.com/38sxec => Complete Report Index: http://tinyurl.com/3cwatb => Photos: http://tinyurl.com/2kmaoj => Jobson Video Reports: http://tinyurl.com/38hdh7 => Star Video Interviews: http://tinyurl.com/2k4efa * Scuttlebutt’s typical distribution time of 6pm PT may be delayed during the course of the US Olympic trials so as to provide the most current information from each day. MEXORC NEWS Nuevo Vallarta - The Mexican Sailing Federation has chosen to partner with Vallarta Yacht Club in hosting the 2008 Mexican Offshore Racing Circuit (MEXORC). The dates for MEXORC are March 1-8, 2008, and will follow the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta International Yacht Race, hosted by San Diego YC on February 18-29, 2008. MEXORC race headquarters, and all on and off water support, will be provided by Vallarta Yacht Club, with racing held on adjacent Banderas Bay. On the announcement, Jeff Brown, PV '08 Regatta Chairman comments, “I am elated to hear the announcement that MEXORC will be hosted by Vallarta Yacht Club. I was there when the club hosted the J/24 Worlds in 2007, and they did an outstanding job both on and off the water. I believe that MEXORC will benefit greatly from Vallarta Yacht Club's ability to host another world class event." Details at http://www.sdyc.org/pv GARY JOBSON: ONE TOUGH RIVALRY I've been making the rounds at the U.S. Olympic Sailing Trials over the past week. I enjoyed immensely watching the intensity in the Laser Radial class, where Paige Railey and Anna Tunnicliffe are competing. After the races on Tuesday I interviewed both sailors. Tunnicliffe was bright, feeling very good about her performance and looking forward to the upcoming races. Railey, on the other hand, seemed distraught. She had tears in her eyes. Apparently she was upset with her downwind performance. Railey seems like a person who is more concerned about the final result than a specific race. Through the course of our interview she talked herself into concentrating on one race at a time. For me, it was interesting to watch the transition, and I think this regatta is still up for grabs. Back in third is Sarah Lihan. At 6'1", she has a distinct advantage in heavy wind over both Railey and Tunnicliffe. My impression is deep down she's hoping the two leaders will get into a match race, allowing her to get into the top spot. But Sarah realizes just how special her two rivals are. -- This is an excerpt of a story by Gary Jobson on the Sailing World site: http://www.sailingworld.com/blog.jsp * The grass is not always greener: To qualify for the German Tornado class berth, sailors have to participate in a February regatta in New Zealand, a March regatta in Spain (Mallorca), and another one in April in France, Hyeres. All in the year 2008, of course. The logistics, traveling, and money are formidable, let alone maintaining one’s health throughout that time period. -- http://sailracing.blogspot.com/2007/10/this-one-i-cannot-believe.html ANNAPOLIS BOAT SHOW: PRODUCT REVIEW The US Boat Show in Annapolis last week is likely the most prominent show in the states, both in terms of industry brass in attendance, and cutting edge boats and products on display. Courtesy of the MyBoatsGear.com website, which is proving to a valuable source of unbiased information, they have assembled for Scuttlebutt a list of interesting products they saw at the show, along with photos, descriptions and links back to the manufacturer. At the show they found carbon wheels, high tech rigging solutions using the latest materials with old-fashioned techniques, a shore power cord storage that saves time and effort, and a 12-volt air conditioning that takes little space and does not need 110 but watch out for those batteries. On deck they have Harken’s new Mark IV furler, an Electric Winch which has no parts below deck, a very well designed Foldaway boarding ladder, and the ATN gale sail is a way to fly a storm jib over your roller furler. For the navigator they looked at the new B & G 3000 and Garmin BlueChart g2 Vision's remarkable features, Weems and Plath navigation aid for nighttime navigation, plus how to get the most current Charts printed. View all the information at http://myboatsgear.com/newsletter/20071015.asp UH OH - I DID IT AGAIN SAIL’s Kimball Livingston figures that he accumulated about six hours of Ernesto Bertarelli’s time during the defender's recent PR push in the USA. Here is his report: “Hemingway said to never trust a man whose story hangs together too well, and I thought that might help me understand Ernesto Bertarelli, because his story doesn't hang together for me, eloquent though he is in the telling. More than once now I've heard Mr. Bertarelli explain that the defender needs to sail in the challenger trials because the protocol does not allow a boat of the proposed 90-foot class to line up and speed test against another 90-footer and therefore, lacking racing experience, a defender would have no speed comparisons at all and would be a sitting duck. But as to how a defender, guaranteed a pass to the Cup, could mix with a challenger fleet without biasing the outcome - that I don't get. And if the defender influences, or could influence, the challenger selection, how do we consider that to make a challenger? “All the Cup sailors I know are ready to move to a new class, but more than that they want to see the Cup cranking along. And for the sake of the public, for the sake of growing awareness—even for 99.9 percent of the sailors who actually understand what's going on—the type of boat is irrelevant. All sailboats are slow. More than one of the players in this drama—including challengers under the July 2007 protocol—now find themselves current-bound between a rock and a hard place. By Ernesto's account, the 90-foot switch would not actually cut costs, but by eliminating two boat testing might succeed in holding costs at about the present level.” -- Kimball Livingston, SAIL West, full story: http://sailmagazine.blogspot.com/2007/10/uh-oh-i-did-it-again.html * It has been revealed that unless Americas Cup Management succeeds in obtaining nine challengers for the next set of races, it may well have to pay back some of the money it has demanded from the Valencian Government and Valencia Town Hall. As a a result of the current court case, there are now four official challengers, whereas for the previous edition of the Cup, there were twelve - a record number. In addition it now appears that the Valencians were aware that due to the dispute between Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing could possibly lead to the next edition of the Cup being staged in 2010 or 2011 if no agreement was reached relatively quickly in order to maintain 2009 as the initially-projected date. -- Valencia Life Network, publisher@valencialife.net WORLD TOUR – GOLD CUP Hamilton, Bermuda (Oct. 11, 2007) -- Bermudians Glenn Astwood and Blythe Walker joined four others in advancing to the Quarterfinal Round of the $100,000 King Edward VII Gold Cup match race regatta in Hamilton, Bermuda. On Thursday, all three groups completed their initial rounds robin racing, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Afterwards, the first three flights of the Repechage Round were completed. The second-chance round features the third- and fourth-place finishers from the three groups, and the top two advance to the quarterfinals. Walker, last year’s third-place finisher, won Group A with a 5-1 record. In the quarterfinals he will meet the second-place finisher from the repechage. Walker thrilled the locals when he defeated America’s Cup-winning skipper Ed Baird of the U.S. in his last race of the round robin. The exciting race saw Baird get a penalty on Walker in the pre-start, but Baird gave away his advantage when he started the race early. Baird caught up halfway through the match, but then Walker opened a big enough lead in shifty winds to be able to complete his penalty turn on the finish line and score the upset. In the repechage, two Swedes are trying to write incredible comeback stories. Sweden’s Björn Hansen and Magnus Holmberg are both in the mix, along with Finland’s Staffan Lindberg and Brian Angel of the U.S. In a surprising development, England’s Ian Williams of Team Pindar, the world’s No. 1-ranked match racer, likely will not have a chance to defend his title. Williams placed fourth in Group A with a 4-2 record, but has lost all three matches in the repechage round, mathematically eliminating his team from progressing to the quarterfinal round. -- Full story and results: http://www.bermudagoldcup.com/ Quarterfinal Matches Blythe Walker (BER) vs. Repechage No. 2 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) vs. Repechage No. 1 Paolo Cian (ITA) vs. Ed Baird (USA) Mathieu Richard (FRA) vs. Glenn Astwood (BER) QUOTE / UNQUOTE Bermudian Glenn Astwood on his quarterfinal match against Frenchman Mathieu Richard, “He’s in a no-win situation,” Astwood said of Richard. “If he loses, he loses. And if he wins he’ll have 60,000 people chasing him off the island.” NOW AVAILABLE Make your next sailcloth bag that much more special by personalizing it with your initials, or those of a family member or relative, sailing partner, business colleague or company client if you are gifting a bag. True Wind now offers monogramming services where you can embroider letters onto any one of its premium sailcloth duffel, tote, or accessory bags. Made in the USA, True Wind bags are made exclusively with new Dacron sailcloth and feature a nautically inspired design that is truly original. View the collection at http://www.truewindusa.com * Scuttlebutt publisher Craig Leweck had the chance last week to meet with the True Wind team at the US Boat Show in Annapolis, and to take a look at their gear. These are very genuine people, producing really nice gear. These are not swap meet priced items, but the quality is evident in both how they look and how they operate, which is likely why they have been able to connect with some pretty schwanky clients. We like what they are doing, and we’re not just saying that because they gave us a hat. LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (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, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Dick Rath: I read with dismay of the untimely passing of my friend John Stewart (in Issue 2450). John worked for many years as part of the team that first represented Barient, and later Lewmar, in the Northeast and, while his group represented a wide variety of marine manufacturers, I never once felt that John was not giving 100% of his efforts to the two companies whose sales in the Northeast I was personally responsible for. John’s easy way and wry sense of humor stood him in good stead in his chosen career in marine sales, but he was also an extremely knowledgeable yachtsman and a fine sailor. Additionally, he was industrious, diligent, reliable, hard working, generous to a fault, completely honest, and above all, a true gentleman in every sense of the word. John was a very real asset to all of the companies his firm represented as well a shining example of the value of character in an industry and a sport that sometimes may lose sight of its importance. Yachting, the sport as well as the industry, has lost one of its very best. We'll miss you John. * From Andrew Vare: After reading the regatta announcement for the 2007 505 N.A.'s (in Issue 2451), I have come to realize two things. First, these guys have the right set of priorities. Second, any class that secures a lingerie shop as a regatta sponsor trumps the America's Cup, any day. Do we have anything better to think about (or look at...) than Larry whatshisname in court for the umpteenth millionth time? Please end any and all AC coverage immediately and go live-feed with the 5-oh NA's. It's the right thing to do. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Scuttlebutt is all about balance, and we were thrilled to find the 505 stuff. The big difference is that we receive countless stories about the ACUP, and we have to dig to find info like the 505. Hopefully, in each issue, there is something for everybody... at least that is what we try to do…and any help from our readers to achieve this goal is greatly appreciated. * From Lee Tyler: The Canada's Cup is a great event, and perhaps I'm not the only greybeard who remembers the good ol' days, when boats were custom designed and built specifically for the event, and tough trials were held for the right to be the defender or challenger on both sides of the border, as the case may have been. And of course, it was as a result of successful Canada's Cup designs that eventually led to the formation by George Cuthbertson and George Cassian of C & C Yachts... so for some, racing for the Cup today, in Farr 40s, isn't quite... what it used to be. And although Alan Block should be honored for his enthusiasm about the event, to say "the Canada's Cup is the most prestigious sailing trophy in the United States today" seems, perhaps, a trifle... hyperbolic? Maybe others might like to nominate other events as the most prestigious? * From Cary Phillips: Nice to see that Alan Block was able to put so many words together, such as those in his Canada’s Cup report (in Issue 2451), without them being laced together with profanity. His writing elsewhere on the web is a bit ‘rough.’ Maybe there is hope for him yet. * From Damian Christie, Melbourne, Australia: So Ernie Bertarelli and his ACM cronies are whining that the next Cup defence may have to be postponed. GGYC’s litigation aside, a 2009 defence was always a ridiculous pipedream - especially in new 90-foot boats! The challengers need time to assemble personnel, court sponsors and design yachts. For some teams, it could take up to 12 months just to secure basic funding! The shortened timespan also does not justify ACM’s draconian protocol. Although Ernie claims he is striving to reduce costs with more frequent racing and a leaner, meaner yacht, the recent history of the Cup disagrees with him. The first generation of IACC yachts in 1992 were 10 times more expensive than the last generation of 12-metres in 1987! Even when competitors were limited to two boats, the costs of Cup campaigns quickly snuck back to 1992 levels. The new AC90 boats will be just as prohibitive. Far from being a disaster, a postponement of the Cup defence until 2010 or 2011 is welcome. The defender and challengers could then jettison the current protocol and put more time and thought into the new boats and a fairer competition. It will also save the America’s Cup brand from the danger of being too quickly diluted. It is better to maintain the Cup’s prestige (as Louis Vuitton encouraged) by hosting it in three or four year cycles than risk turning it - as Magnus Wheatley so eloquently puts it - into a second-rate Admiral’s Cup! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today. Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises and True Wind. |
