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SCUTTLEBUTT 2702 - Tuesday, October 14, 2008Scuttlebutt is published each weekday, and is a digest of major sailingnews, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Today's sponsors are Camet, North Sails, and J/Boats. PLAYING THE SHIFTS - AVOIDING THE FLYERS By David Barrow, Barrow International With regard to Peter Harken's interesting comments in Scuttlebutt 2701, I have always liked Peter for his open uncompromising style, what you see is what you get. It does not take a long conversation to hear the balance he conveys due to his many years of industry experience. And again, of course he is right (“Keep the blinders on and go forward”). So far I have been to three of the major European shows, and yes things look like they are going to get tough for everyone, but remember one thing, this whole financial debacle is based on one thing - confidence. You are only affected by the way you look at the market! Financial cycles always take the same process and we never listen. It starts with "things are bad, no one has any confidence"; then "the markets are looking good - let’s invest"; followed by "markets are getting better - greed takes over”; and finally "things are looking too good - when do we get out". I guess if we all had a good retrospective look at ourselves we would have kicked our own butts for not having spent more time to consider a strategy for a major downturn; we knew it was coming. However, having said that, there are still many positives for a lot of us. Sure big market dominating companies will have to make tough decisions on the amount of production they need for the immediate future. For small innovative businesses, this is a time of opportunity. Industry chat is that boat sales could be dramatically down; don’t listen to that, you are small, growing, quick on your feet, new to market, and you have 100% of that market to go for. The boating industry is not dead, just undergoing a leveling of what could not be sustained. I remember a man who, during a major recession, went home from a London boat show and had to lay off all of his workers, but he did not give up, and recently sold his substantial luxury yacht building company for many, many millions of pounds. The same guy once told me he never had problems… only opportunities. I agree with Peter, go for it! ATLANTIC OCEAN WELCOMES VOLVO OCEAN RACE (Oct. 13, 2008) - Calamities aside, the fleet of VO 70’s are now free of the Mediterranean Sea, having passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, and on the track down the Atlantic Ocean toward a scoring gate off of Brazil, and then to the finish of Leg One in Cape Town, SA. It was a day of broad reach true wind angles on starboard, though with the speed of these boats, all reaching is tight reaching. Leader Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) lived for most of this sunny day with its closest rivals on its windward hip, but as the PUMA (Ken Read) edged ahead to secure second position - showing good legs in the light to medium offwind sailing - E4 has consolidated its position, moving to windward so as to close the distance with the purring cat. Some of the drama from Sunday has concluded while some continues to linger. For Telefonica Blue (Bouwe Bekking), they paid their penance for a poorly constructed rudder arm, heading into a bay near Gibraltar for a replacement parts and a 12-hour penalty. Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp) problems may linger longer, however, as their first use of a new Cuben fibre mast top kite found it getting pushed too hard, with the resultant explosion providing the onboard sewing machine with its first test. Also, the team is dealing with failed ram boot seals whose job is to keep the ocean on the outside of the boat. While the problem doesn't mean imminent danger, as the boat is built in a way that the water ingress is manageable in the short term, it does require a solution as the flooding around the wetbox and the rams with some electronic bits won’t make it to the finish. The length of Leg One is 6500nm, with teams expected to finish by the first week in November. Current standings (as of Oct. 13, 1:00am GMT): 1. Ericsson 4, Torben Grael, 5950 nm distance to finish 2. Puma, Ken Read, 3 nm distance to leader 3. Ericsson 3, Anders Lewander, 5 nm DTL 4. Telefonica Black, Fernando Echavarri, 5 nm DTL 5. Green Dragon, Ian Walker, 18 nm DTL 6. Team Russia, Andreas Hanakamp, 30 nm DTL 7. Delta Lloyd, Ger O'Rourke, 59 nm DTL 8. Telefonica Blue, Bouwe Bekking, 80 nm DTL Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org * The U.S. government enacted a new regulation last week that is expected to reduce the number of ships colliding with whales – one of the deadliest threats to the U.S.’s dwindling right whale population. The new regulation calls for ships greater than 65 feet in length to reduce their speed to 10 knots within 20 nautical miles of key ports along the U.S. East coast. While it was unclear which ports would be affected, the VO 70 fleet is planning for their 6th leg to go from Rio de Janeiro to Boston, with the fleet expected to finish by April 27, 2009 in Boston Harbor. -- Complete story: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6523 ON THE BIG SCREEN Camet clothing goes Hollywood in the TV show “Morning Light: Making the Cut”. Thirty young sailors wear Camet Aruba shorts as they are put through their paces. Built to take abuse and handle everything thrown their way, Camet Aruba shorts (made of quick drying Supplex and reinforced with Cordura) exceed the crews and judges expectations. Camet Aruba shorts make “the cut”! Be part of the team at http://www.camet.com/?Click=1018 * Point Loma Outfitting, a new San Diego based retail and online store specializing in the best apparel for life on the water, recently posted an interview with Brian Camet of Camet International that discusses the thinking that goes on regarding their shorts. Enjoy: http://tinyurl.com/4et589 MEETING THE TEAM The Morning Light film opens nationwide on October 17th, and this week Scuttlebutt will be introducing the fifteen young people that were selected to participate in the project. Chris Branning, 21, of Sarasota, Fla., had extensive small-boat sailing skills, including offshore and buoy racing. “I grew up in Florida and have been on the water most of my life,” says Branning, who won two Laser National Championships and competed in three World Championships. The student at the United States Merchant Marine Academy says he learned teamwork during his first year of indoctrination as a Plebe. “The stress, hardship and challenges that faced us during those times made us stronger individuals,” he says. “We knew we could not make it on our own.” Graham Brant-Zawadzki, 22, of Newport Beach, Calif., is a Stanford University graduate. With less than two years’ sailing experience, he wasn’t sure if he’d make the “Morning Light” team. “It takes so long to get good,” says Brant-Zawadzki, who adds that he applied to the project “to learn everything and anything to improve and get on more boats in more races.” The Orange County native is applying to medical school and is interested in neuroscience. Chris Clark, 21, Old Greenwich, Conn., started sailing aboard his grandfather’s boat at just two weeks old. “I learned to walk by holding onto stanchions for stability,” he says. But it wasn’t his lifetime of sailing that earned his spot on the team. “There are a lot of people with sailing experience,” he says. “You really have to love the sport to get everything out of it that it has to offer.” Clark, who has a double major in geography and pre-med at University of Mary Washington, works part time as a firefighter paramedic. Charlie Enright, 22, of Bristol, R.I., is a graduate of Brown University and a veteran sailor in the College Nationals. The grandson of a boat builder and the son of an avid sailor has been sailing since he was 6. “Sailing is what I like to do,” he says. “It sets my schedule, it dictates my social scene and has a hand in every aspect of my life.” * Full details on the movie: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/Morning_Light_Movie_Announcements_C16/ RULES QUIZ QUESTION From Dave Perry's 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes: > In a valid protest the following facts were found: > Boat X is approaching a downwind finishing line in very light air. > There is a strong current moving across the race course. > Just before finishing boat X is swept by the current onto the anchor line of the race committee boat marking one end of the finish line. > By holding onto the line for about 15 seconds, the crew of X keeps her from touching the committee boat. > A slight puff of winds fills her sails, enabling X to gain forward speed and finish. Boat Y protests X for touching the mark. RRS 31. You are in the Protest Committee. What is your conclusion and how would you decide this protest? See answer below. PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE WORLD RACES * With eight high profile campaigns beginning the Volvo Ocean Race, the top photographers are sure to follow. Add the stormy weather that arrived for the start in Spain last Saturday, and capturing the action of the VO 70’s becomes second nature for this pool of shooters. When viewing these images, and seeing the waves crashing over the bow, the high speed surfing, and the loads generated from the masthead asymmetricals, keep in mind that this first 6500 nm leg to Cape Town is estimated to take over three weeks. Living the dream… http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/1011 * Photographer Ingrid Abery was in Portugal for the start of the inaugural Portimão Global Ocean Race last Sunday, where four Class 40 doublehanded teams and two Open 40 solo entries were competing in this new offshore ocean racing event designed for non-professional sailors. The five legs of the race include stops in Cape Town, South Africa; Wellington, New Zealand; Ilhabela, Brazil; and Charleston, USA before returning to the finish in Portimão, Portugal. Images: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/1012 * When the 30 Open 60’s line up for the start of the solo, non-stop around the world race in Les Sables d’Olonne, France on November 9th, it will likely be one of the most photographed moments the sport of sailing sees in 2008. Standing by…. http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en NORTH CONGRATULATES ENSENADA SAILORS! On October 3rd, 93 boats hit the start line for the 2008 San Diego to Ensenada International Race. North Sails' Jon Gardner is proud the congratulate the following North-powered boats for finishing in the top three in their respective classes: 1st - Stars & Stripes, 2nd - Peligroso (Maxi Class); 1st - Condor* (CRZS Class); 2nd - CC Rider (J/120); 2nd - Stark Raving Mad, 3rd - Bad Pak (PHRF-1); 2nd - T & Me*, 3rd - Sea Maiden (PHRF-4). (* Indicates partial inventory). When performance counts, the choice is clear: http://na.northsails.com NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LANDMARK ON FIRE San Francisco, CA (Oct. 13, 2008) - Hundreds of firefighters are making solid headway in their efforts to stamp out a wildfire that has ravaged more than half of Angel Island since Sunday night, using ground crews and water-dropping helicopters to ward the flames away from more than 100 historic buildings. Crews have contained 75 percent of the blaze, officials said this afternoon. White smoke is still billowing up from the canyons on the southern and western parts of the island, with the plume visible from around the shoreline north of the Bay Bridge. The fire has consumed more than 400 acres of the 740-acre island since it broke out at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. -- SF Chronicle, read on: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/13/BASR13G48J.DTL SAILING SHORTS * The Optimist Atlantic Coast Championships were held at the Brant Beach Yacht Club on Little Egg Harbor Bay in New Jersey, where 275 sailors completed 10 races over the two day series. Winds ranged from a brisk 15 knots on the first day to a lighter 5 knots on the second. The overall winner was Ian Stokes (USA) who was the recipient of the Charlie Fasulo trophy. Second place was Aponte Taboas (Puerto Rico), third Mas Simmons (USA), fourth Juanky Perdomo (Portugal), and Malcom Lamphere (USA) in fifth. The best performance in the Green fleet was Philli Schofield (USA). Complete results can be found at: http://www.bbyc.net/OptimistACCs/index.htm * The Lahaina Yacht Club and the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club have announced the 2010 edition of the Vic-Maui International Yacht Race will commence off Victoria, British Columbia, with the first division starting on July 1, 2010. The race will finish by July 22, 2010 near Lahaina, Maui, a great circle route distance of 2308 nautical miles. For more information, call Marlene Bolster at 1-360-739-3377 or go to http://www.vicmaui.org * US SAILING is currently conducting a survey specifically geared towards offshore sailors to help the organization and similar-affiliated sailing groups operate at their greatest potential. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete the survey. The results of the survey will be made public once they've been analyzed. Take survey here: http://www.prsurvey.com/USSAILING RULES QUIZ ANSWER Conclusion and rules that apply: > Boat X broke rule 42.1, Propulsion. She did not compete, using only the wind and water to increase, maintain or decrease her speed, by holding on to the anchor line of the committee boat. > Boat X also broke rule 45 for the same reason. She made fast but not to bail out, reef sails or make repairs. She did not anchor (herself) or stand on the bottom. > She is not penalized under rule 31.1. The anchor line of a mark is not part of the mark itself (see definition Mark). > Decision: Boat X is DSQ. Posted on the Racing Rules of Sailing blog: http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com J/105 IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN The new 2009 model J/105 from US Watercraft is more than just eye candy. With faired blades, composite tiller, molded in footrests and new-style European interior, she's ready to join the J/105 one-design tour - at home or on the road at Key West, NOOD, Block Island, Rolex Big Boat and more. http://www.jboats.com/j105 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Dan Meyers, Newport, RI: Thanks to the French Sailing Federation for a perfect example of what is wrong with Grand Prix sailing. After race three of the Voiles de St Tropez, the Federation disqualified 19 boats for having any type of sponsorship despite obviously ineffective notification. If there was appropriate warning how could 19 boats miss it? NUMBERS won all 4 races in a 41 boat class but with the DSQ, finished 6th overall. At the hearing the first question from the jury chairman to our representative was, "Are you American?" No, he was from New Zealand. The second question was "Do you know Ernesto Bertarelli?" "Yes, he is driving the boat." Then, "You are disqualified.” How can ISAF let this happen? Does the Federation know how much time, effort, and money it takes to bring 19 boats and crews totaling over 400 people to St. Tropez? The French didn't mind charging millions to house, transport, and feed them. But they hate sponsorship. Oh, hold on now, they LOVE sponsorship for themselves, promoting Rolex, Wally, Cegedim, Les Echos Serie limitee, Gaastra, Sillinger, Paris Premiere, Port de Saint Tropez, CCI, Regions Provenxe-Alpes-Cote d' Azur, St Tropez tourisme and Ville de St Tropez. They just hypocritically don't like sponsorship for the boats. No wonder the sport is shrinking. We will not return where we are treated so poorly. Adieu St Tropez. Too bad French federation officials have short memories about Americans. If it wasn't for General George Patton and the American Third Army, they might know the best places to get weiner schnitzel in their beloved St. Tropez. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Dan had chartered his Judel/Vrolijk 66 Numbers to Ernesto Bertarelli for Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, held September 27-October 4, 2008 in Saint-Tropez, France. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/1003a * From Gregory Scott, Kingston, ONT: (edited to the 250-word limit) While I applaud every person involved in sailing to push boundaries seeking new ways to allow sailing to develop and include more people, the idea expressed in Butt 2701 to race with no rules still requires a very critical element essential to all forms a sailing - a boat. Not to over simplify this but, borrowing from a famous quote, "It's The Cost Stupid!" Sailing has foolishly allowed the vocabulary of cost dominate the dialogue ... whether it's the squillions spent on AC racing ... the millions on TP52 ... the hundreds of thousands on Farr 40's or the $8,000.00 to buy a Laser ( not to mention the $30K for a 49er). What we have done is tell anyone that sailing costs a bunch of money, because racing new boats does cost a bunch of money ... pick any of the BOTY racing boats and the cost will shock you. What sailing needs is to promote racing in used Lasers, Albacores, etc. or older PHRF boats like the Shark and Santana 20 … the remarkable amount of fun that can be had in any one of these types of racing is dirt cheap compared to many other activities ... but here's the rub ... who will do it? If the entry cost is a J/105, we are in trouble. We need to get people hooked at the club level ... in older low cost boats ... adding revenue at the bar... and numbers on the start line. * From Bill Fastiggi: While there have been some other sailors with great performances this year, Allan Terhune Jr. also deserves recognition as a potential Rolex nominee. Allan dominated both the Lightning and Flying Scot North Americans and finished third in the Etchells North Americans. The Lightning NAs featured the deepest fleet in years, and both of these regattas were sailed in a variety of wind conditions. Allan also had some notable performances in finishing in the top 10 in both the J/22 Worlds and the Melges 24 Nationals. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATIONS If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion. - Robert A. Heinlein Special thanks to Camet, North Sails, and J/Boats. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
