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SCUTTLEBUTT 2232 – November 29, 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 support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). YESTERDAY THE ATLANTIC – TOMORROW THE WORLD (In Issue 2231, Scuttlebutt carried the story ‘Green Power’ which revealed how a solar-powered Swiss catamaran was undergoing preparations for a record-breaking Atlantic Ocean crossing from Spain to New York. Not to be outdone, Scuttlebutt received the following announcement of a solar powered craft that is determined to circle the globe. Read on.) Planet Solar’s objective is to achieve the first round the world sea voyage powered by solar energy. The attempt will be made on board a 30-meter long trimaran covered with 180 square meters of photovoltaic solar panels. Planet Solar is committed to sustainable development and is particularly motivated by the necessity to develop alternatives to fossil fuels; which are in limited supply and causing measurable negative environmental impact. Planet Solar’s first round the world voyage will be on an equatorial route, foreseen in 2009. The Planet Solar trimaran is equipped with a 30 meter long main hull, the “wavepiercer; “ which is very narrow yet quite buoyant, and its fibre composite “wings” are covered by the photovoltaic solar panels. Envisioned by the MW-Line Ltd. Company, the design will take from their successful fleet of Aquarel Boats now running on Lake Geneva (Switzerland), as well as the solar powered catamarans used at the 2002 Swiss national exhibition, Expo.02, and the solar powered catamaran Sun 21; currently crossing the Atlantic Ocean and powered by solar energy. The first objective is to successfully complete a round the world route with stopovers along the equator, where the maximum amount of sunlight is available. The over 40 000 km voyage should take place within 120 days and will be sailed at an average speed of 10 knots. Both navigators aboard Planet Solar will cross through the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal (following a detour to New York), the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and finally the Suez Canal, crossing the finish line at the “start off” point in the Mediterranean Sea. -- Planet Solar website: http://www.planetsolar.org/planetsolar.en.shtml SCUTTLEBUTT POLL: RULE 69 REVIEW (Nov 28, 2006) When Scuttlebutt received the facts found from a Rule 69 case (Allegation of Gross Misconduct) immediately following the incident at the Laser Pacific Coast Championship, held July 22-23, 2006, we were interested not because of the people involved, but because details from such cases are typically not disclosed so early after the occurrence. Given that there is usually a lengthy period of time to determine what, if any, penalties are justified, we were intrigued in the notion of providing publicity to the event on the front end in hopes that it may stir up the kind of interest that helps to prevent the kind of behavior that occurred in the incident. It is now four months later, and the case remains in the hands of the US Sailing Review Board, which has yet to decide on its outcome. After four months, is this too long a period for a decision on an incident that involves “a gross breach of a rule, good manners or sportsmanship, or may have brought the sport into disrepute?” The protested skipper continues to sail, which the current system of justice allows during this period of review. Considering that the punishment could be very harsh, it is imperative that sufficient time is taken to insure a thorough investigation is completed. The question is, however, how much time does that take. Take the survey, and add any comments to the forum thread: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/06/1128 PLAYING WHERE THE OUTLETS ARE (The November 2006 issue of the BoatU.S. magazine has an article titled ‘The Last Child in the Boat?’ where author Richard Louv discusses the research that led to his recent book concerning how today’s children are facing “nature deficit disorder.” Below are some excerpts.) “Today kids are well aware of global threats to the environment but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature on a day-to-day basis is fading,” says Louv, whose book (Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder) is raising storm flags everywhere, from child psychology circles to the conservation community to the outdoor recreation industry. As a fifth-grader put it: “I like to play indoors because that’s where all the electrical outlets are.” “My generation is the last to build a tree house or float around on a hand-made raft,” says Louv, who also believes that while team sports have their place, they can’t replace the kind of outdoor experiences that will be necessary to reverse the nature deficit trend. It’s the unstructured play time in a grove of trees or splashing on the shore of a lake that will ultimately secure the future of outdoor activities like boating…-- Here is the link for the complete article, which can be found on Page 22-23: http://my.boatus.com/boatus_mag/pdf/bmag1106.pdf TWO DAYS LEFT TO SAVE ON NORTH SAILS North Sails' seasonal pricing ends Thursday, November 30. If you are looking for sails that will deliver quality and dependability cruising from port to port or durability and speed on the race course, head North now to take advantage of our best prices of the year! Some restrictions apply. Contact your North Sails representative in the US or Canada today to take advantage of our seasonal pricing: http://na.northsails.com HELPING THOSE THAT NEED IT If you have been paying attention, Scuttlebutt is now in its third week of 6-weeks of holiday gift giving, where each week we select a lucky ‘butthead and award them a $50 gift certificate. Last week’s winner, Tom Weaver, introduced SantaButt to the Box of Rain program, which is a charitable effort that Tom’s wife is heavily involved in. Box of Rain is based in Annapolis, MD, and is designed to teach life building skills through maritime experiences for local youth-at-risk, targeting kids 9-14 years old. The program was launched in May 2003 to honor the memory of Lee Griffin, whose life and passion for sailing and his community is celebrated in the program Box of Rain is a year-round program designed to inspire and encourage Annapolis area youth, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to gain self-esteem and to develop life skills that lead to positive contributions to the community. As with most programs like Box of Rain, it relies heavily on contributions from the community. Tom wanted to get the word out that if the Scuttlebutt readers - either businesses or individuals - would like to make a Christmas donation, it would be much appreciated to send gift certificates to Box of Rain. If you are looking to do something helpful during the holidays, this might be the spot. -- http://www.boxofrain.org -- Here are the Scuttlebutt suppliers, many of which offer gift certificates: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers VELUX 5 OCEANS * (Nov 28, 2006) Switzerland's Bernard Stamm may be the forgotten man of the Velux 5 Oceans solo round-the-world race but he is the defending champion, has led virtually from the start in Bilbao five weeks ago, and despite suffering damage yesterday, has opened up an advantage of almost 1,000 miles. Stamm has scarcely put a foot wrong and, after passing the Kerguelen Islands deep in the Southern Ocean yesterday, can start looking towards the final 2,500 miles of the 12,000-mile leg one stage to Fremantle. -- by Tim Jeffery, Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/y374cd * (Nov 28, 2006) Sir Robin Knox-Johnston reports from his blog: “The biggest event was the consumption of the last of the whisky. It's taken 4 and a half weeks to consume 4 bottles which seems pretty abstemious. I had not allowed for medicinal usage and when it came to clean and dress the toe I decided the manoeuvre deserved a tot. Well 3 tots in fact. But it seemed silly to leave just a small sensation in the bottom of the bottle and it would have been an great tragedy if the cork had come out and spilt it, so better to drink it and avoid the potential disaster.” -- Full posting: http://tinyurl.com/y9dchk -- Velux 5 Oceans race website: http://www.velux5oceans.com SAILING SHORTS * Despite the rebuilding of Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, LA, the membership recently hosted 216 entries at the Optimist Midwinters. Lucky for us, photographer Onne van der Wal was also in attendance, and the Scuttlebutt website now has a photo gallery from the event. With temperatures dropping into the 50’s for the event, there is no shortage of drysuits and beanies amongst the group. Congrats to Raul Rios from Puerto Rico on the win. Enjoy these great event images: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/1128 * Thirty-one Mumm 30’s representing nine countries will be racing this week from Wednesday to Saturday in the Mumm 30 World Championship, held in Miami, FL. -- http://www.mumm30.org/content/section/9/46 * Racing for the Monsoon Cup, Stage 6 of the 2006-’07 World Match Racing Tour, will begin Wednesday, Nov. 29th in Malaysia, where entrants will compete for the world’s richest sailing event prize purse of approximately $275,000. 12 teams will be competing, including the reigning ISAF Match Racing World Champion and event champion, the current leader of the ISAF Match Racing World Championship standings, five of the top eight in the world championship standings, six of the top 10 in the ISAF Open Match Race Rankings, and six teams representing syndicates for the America’s Cup, including defender Alinghi. -- Event website: http://www.monsooncup.com.my * (Portsmouth, England - Nov 28, 2006) The mass appeal of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 reached a total global cumulative television audience of 1.8 billion viewers, race organisers announced today.The eventual audience figure will break through the 2-billion mark with the screening of the end-of-race documentaries, which air globally over the coming months.The 2005-06 race figure represents a 121 per cent increase on the 811 million achieved in 2001-02 event. It puts the Volvo Ocean Race in the top echelon of global sports coverage, with news output and the weekly programmes broadcast in over 190 territories. -- Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/yyhgt8 * Congrats to the Scuttlebutt readers who were quick to jump at the offer provided by Ronstan for free samples of FSE Robline Racing Sheet. The limited supply was promptly snapped up, so better luck next time for those that missed out on this new product that Ronstan is now importing into North America. -- http://www.ronstan.com/marine/default.asp * Shifty winds varying form 5-15 knots out of the East Southeast set the tone for the third annual VI Laser Championships on November 24-26, 2006 in St. Croix. The event attracted sailors from throughout the Virgin Islands for a fun, entertaining and rewarding regatta. Preceding the Regatta was a Laser Racing clinic coached by Ryan E Minth, a former National Champion, and Olympic Class contender. Winners were Beecher Higby III, St. Croix, USVI (Laser Standard), Chris Schreiber, St. Croix, USVI (Laser Radial), and William Bailey, St. Thomas, USVI (Laser 4.7). -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/1128.htm * The Long Island (New York) Catamaran Sailors Club (LICSA) has reformed and is looking for members. The club, in existence since 1989, but dormant the past five years, met in mid-November to reorganize. LICSA’s focus is on racing, cruising and promoting and practicing multihull sailing in any and all of its formats. Anyone who sails a multihull and is interested in joining - or finding out more about LICSA - can contact the new commodore, Greg Gove at mailto:glidergove@optonline.net SANTABUTT LOVES SHARON Santa chooses the Ultimate Sailing Calendar for the active and arm-chair sailors on his list.... and you can too. Sharon Green presents the 25th anniversary edition featuring 24 spectacular images from the sport. $18.95 for one, $16.94 for two or more. Order at http://www.ultimatesailing.com 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 Nevin Sayre: Totally agree with Jim DeSilva (2230) and Paul Mitchell (2231) that kids need (and want!) the windsurfing path in Junior Sailing Programs. It’s starting to happen. This week the prestigious American Yacht Club joins the other thirty JSPs who have added windsurfing to their programs in the last 18 months. The race track is developing with the Techno 293 board as the ISAF youth “trainer” for the new Olympic RS-X. The second East Coast Jr. Windsurfing Champs is being held on Martha’s Vineyard, MA July 6-8, 2007. But the real reason JSPs are adding windsurfing is because, A) the pure sailing fun is keeping kids in their programs; B) modern windsurfing gear is easy and; C) you can get a fleet of 8 windsurfers (+ 14 rigs) for under $10k. For more info, JSPs are encouraged to attend the National Sailing Symposium Jan 17-21 in New Orleans, or contact Bic Sport directly at mailto:info@BicSportNA.com * From Steve Adkins: In response to Jim DeSilva's letter (Butt 2230). We all seem to forget that when windsurfing really exploded in the early 80's the sport was simplicity in itself. You could jump into a brand new board for $700. Our local club held demo's every month and within 2 years we had 30+ boards in racks. Within 2 years hi-tech had entered the arena with RAF quivers and multiple rigs, sinkers, floaters etc and what used to be a 5 minute rig and go turned into 30 minutes of muscle and weight training. The sport got too complicated, not to mention expensive! Want to revive it? KISS - Keep it Simple, Stupid... * From Tony Nunes: Your blurb on BMW Oracle's team building its second new boat in today's Scuttlebutt (Issue 2231), led me to the realization that the Americas Cup this time around has been relatively non-controversial regarding court battles (unless I have just not been reading the right reports). I guess with the event now only 6 months away, the inevitable squabbles and lawsuits will start. I know this is a negative thing to say, but the squabbles in the past have left me jaded and taken the luster off the whole event in my mind. Am I the only one who thinks this way? * From Roger Marshall, U.S Editor, The Yacht Report: It seems that the "Sun21" catamaran is taking the long way round to reach New York (as reported in Issue 2231). From Spain to New York is about 3,900 miles, not 8,015 miles. Maybe it's going to do the trip twice to make sure it can. * From Russell Painton: This is in response to Whitney Rugg (a letter in Issue 2231), who endorses professionals racing against amateurs, a situation that, to my knowledge, is not allowed in any other sport, and who says, in essence, if you don't like the folks who you are competing against, go find another group. Whitney, they are, in droves, hence the demise of yacht racing, leaving what was once a widely practiced sport, to the almost exclusive domain of the rich, who are the only ones that can afford to, and who actually want to, pay their crew, and their skipper, to race their boat for them. Why not simply have pro-am events for those who want to race against pros? I have watched many classes destroyed by pros in my 50 years of one design and big boat racing. * From Brien Welch: (re David Fagen’s letter in Issue 2229) Imagine a golfer carrying a pro's bag in a tournament, then running up at the awards ceremony and grabbing the trophy as though he or she were the one that played the game! This happens all the time in sailing. What is wrong sailing at your skill level? If you want to improve your skills, sail more, practice, train your crew or attend the seminars and training sessions that are available. Most of all enjoy the sailing for Pete's sake. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "Women might be able to fake orgasms, but men can fake a whole relationship." ~ Sharon Stone This issue of Scuttlebutt provided by North Sails and Ultimate Sailing. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
