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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 830 - June 6, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
HANDICAP RACING The IRC divisions, supposedly for the massed ranks of the cruiser racer fleet, were as you might expect populated with a rag-tag and bobtail of boats representing every design genre from the overweight old Swans to the latest lightweight fliers. All it seems had a chance of winning if sailed well. The really big question it seemed to me was what were boats like Nokia Communicator doing in amongst the Beneteaus and X-Boats? The answer in the Case of Nokia was clear for all to see. She was winning. The point is this: IRM has not yet taken off. For sure there were two divisions of IRM boats at the event but in reality the majority were waifs and strays from the one design classes with IC45s taking the top two places. The simple fact as born out by this event is that the majority of owners would rather take their chance with the vagaries of the secret IRC rating system than an even bigger chance with an as yet unproved rule. So what does the RORC have to do to ensure the success of IRM? Nobody would argue that the boats are not pretty close to the mark for an exciting yet sensible type-form. The cost of commissioning a designer and having a boat built is either pretty sensible or unrealistically extravagant depending on your viewpoint. The stumbling block must be the old problem of nobody wanting to commit until a fleet is established and a few owners buy boats. - Peter Bentley, madforsailing website. Full story: www.madforsailing.com
COLLEGE RACING Widely considered one of the deepest teams in college sailing, Georgetown used eleven different sailors en route to their 18-3 record. Leading the charge was skippers Ryan Costello (Fairhaven, Mass.) and John Camera (Duxbury, Mass.), both seniors, and Brian Bissell (Newport Beach, Calif.), Curtis Flood (Richmond, Ky.), and Ward, all juniors. Georgetown's crews were seniors Baye Emery (Greenwich, Conn.), Dana Scalere (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and Gavin Weiss (Greenwich, Conn.), junior Leah Williams (South Dartmouth, Mass.), sophomore Shelly Wentworth (Centerville, Mass.) and freshman Eliza Ryan (Marblehead, Mass.). Final Standings in the Consolation Division: UCSB 15-6, Washington 12-9, Texas 9-12, Michigan 6-15, Eckerd 3-18, Minnesota 0-21. - Derek Webster, www.collegesailing.org
DRY SHORTS
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Jackson R. Michaels (In Regards to the 48 degees article/salespitch for the Seattle America's Cup Syndicate): This article seemed a sad plea of salesman jargon, and came across as a "candy coated" ad for a "hand me down syndicate". It will be quite interesting to see which person (who is considered intelligent enough to be responsible for 20 million dollars) will actually take this kind of bait. Perhaps money isn't the reason that Mr. McCaw doesn't want to finish what he has started? We may never know. However, it is a bit of a stretch to compare this syndicate in any way to the Prada syndicate. One; it is foolish to compare what Prada spent to the so called "bargain" a sponsor could pick up this hand-off for; and two, Mr. Bertelli seems to start what he finishes and doesn't place advertisements for sponsorship. No, it doesn't make a good comparison in this article, but to a naive buyer, it might make perfectly clear sense. * From G. E. Kriese: The Curmudgeon is right, Bruce Knecht's book on the 1998 Sydney Hobart race, "The Proving Ground", is excellent. The fact that Knecht is a sailor and had unprecedented access to Larry Ellison and other participants comes through in the first pages. It's very well written and a real page turner.
COMPLEX Modern football - pretty complex sport, huh? But every game is played on the same size field in the same amount of time against the same amount of players week after week after week all over the country. Now, try to imagine that every field was different in size and that the boundary line moved constantly during the game. Further to that, the playing surface varied largely in different areas of the ground. Some areas were smooth, other bits had rough ridges a metre high, and there were some icy and muddy patches. These areas of irregularity were also moving randomly about the field. The air density is also a factor. It is so thick in places that the players look to be moving in slow motion and are having difficulty breathing. In other areas, it looks as if the VCR is on fast-forward, the players are moving so quickly. When kicking out from full-back, the player must predict what the ground condition and air density will be before he kicks, as they will change in all areas before the ball comes down from the sky. He uses his skills developed over years of watching the wind over the surface of the turf, weighs up the options and percentages and then bombs away. At the other end of the ground, just as your side lines up in front of goal, the wind changes and your team goes from kicking a certain goal to having three kicked by the opposition, solely because of a natural force. Some games last twenty minutes, while others go on for three days. There are still intricate offensive and defensive set plays taking place, but rather than having up to eighteen people to fill the specialist roles, we have anywhere between one and ten people. All of the specialist tasks are executed by these small teams (ie: rucking, roving, muscle work, deft skill, blinding speed, defending and kicking goals). There is no interchange when players get tired, sick or injured. There is no coach in the grandstand coordinating the play and monitoring opposition strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes your team has one opposing team. At other times, they have up to sixty or seventy other teams out on that pitch, all doing battle for the pill. Furthermore, there is no referee. There are no instant decisions on highly technical rule infractions. No, they are noted down and dealt with after the game in a court-room scenario in front of a panel of people who more often than not, were not watching the game. - Andrew Palfrey, bluemanna.com Full story: www.bluemanna.com.au
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
NO CHICKEN TENDERS
GETTING GOOD STARTS The key to consistent starting is to prioritize properly the essential goals of the start. We've all fought for the pin when it's favored by 10 degrees, but the risk-reward equation of that behavior rarely pays off. To start well consistently, sailors need to learn to avoid the clustered territory and hunt for good clean lanes. I have three goals at every start: - I want to be moving at full speed, on the line, with clear air for the immediately foreseeable future. - I want to be sailing toward the favored side of the course with a wide lane of clear air. - I want to start as close to the favored end of the line as safety and logic allow. Most sailors are surprised by how far down on the priority list the favored end is. The favored end, of course, is that end of the starting line that is farther upwind. In a race with no windshifts and no current disparities anywhere on the course, a boat starting at the favored end will sail less distance to the windward mark than a boat starting at the unfavored end. Of course it's unlikely that any of us will ever see a racecourse like that. * Once you have started the race and you are sailing at full speed, it is time to point the boat in the right direction. Remember that a good start only works when it's done in conjunction with your upwind strategy. Before the start you should determine a game plan-an idea about which side of the racecourse is favored, where you want to go, and why. If you want to go left, continue on starboard tack after you start. If you like the right side, start to look for opportunities to tack to port and get out to the right. The great advantage of finding a less crowded spot on the line is the freedom it gives you to follow your game plan. - Zack Leonard, SailNet website Full story: www.sailnet.com
SANTA MARIA CUP FOLLOW-UP In the semi-finals, Sertl faced round-robin fourth-placer Dawn Riley and defeated her in straight matches in the best-two-of-three series, while Betsy Alison and Paula Lewin fought through three matches before Alison emerged the victor at 2-1 over Lewin. As Sertl took on Alison in the final series, she again won in straight matches, leaving Alison in second place overall, while in the petit-finals (consolation round) Riley bested Lewin 2-0 to earn third place overall. - Jeff Borland.
Final Results:
THE CURMUDGEON'S DEFINITIONS |
