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SCUTTLEBUTT 3343 - Tuesday, May 17, 2011Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: West Marine, Atlantis WeatherGear, and Interlux. MIAMI IN 10-CITY VOLVO OCEAN RACE CIRCUIT Tory Read was just a grade-schooler the last time her dad got the crazy idea to race around the world in a 70-foot carbon fiber yacht. I don't think my daughter was old enough to figure out, every time I left the dock, 'Hey, this could be the last time I see Dad,'" Ken Read said. But Tory is now approaching high school, and Ken - skipper of the Puma-sponsored Mar Mostro - knows there is no truth-hiding any longer. Death is only a crashing wave away. That's the bargain made by all that participate in the Volvo Ocean Race, an eight-month, 39,000-mile competition whose 10-city circuit includes a stop in Miami next May. This most-extreme sport is not for those that possess "sanity," at least in the traditional sense. Most boaters stridently avoid storms; Read and his 10 crewmates will seek them out. "I do not claim to be the brightest person on the planet," said Read, in town last Friday for a Volvo Ocean Race media event that included Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. "It's going to be cold, wet, hot, miserable, lousy food, and I can't think of anything I'd rather do," Read added. "It's incredibly fulfilling." Fulfilling, yes - but also demanding. Between Oct. 29, 2011, and the following July, at least six yachts will spend roughly 130 days and nights on the seas. They'll start in Alicante, Spain, take the southern route past South Africa's Cape Town, Asia and Chile's Cape Horn before heading back north to Europe, making a stop in Miami on the way. Miami will be the race's lone North American port city. Miami officials plan to turn the stopover - expected to run May 6-20, 2012 - into a two-week cultural festival at Bicentennial Park. "Miami should be the sailing capital of the United States," said Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who was a critical player in the city's bid to lure the Volvo Ocean Race. "This event will put us on the map." -- Read more: http://tinyurl.com/MH-051611 MORE: The Miami stopover team has started to shape the 14-day festival - Volvo Ocean Race Miami 'Beyond Water' - which will take place at Bicentennial Park in May 2012. Beyond Water will consist of dynamic entertainment, interactive pavilions and wrap-around events all located in an international race village. This festival will also include an exciting In-Port Race for the Volvo Open 70 fleet along with the Volvo Ocean Race Academy programme, which is a series of youth sailing regattas. The Inter-Collegiate Semi-Final National Championship, water sports exhibitions, sail boarding, kite sailing, wakeboarding and an educational programming will also be packed into the busy schedule of events for the festival. -- http://www.volvooceanracemiami.org/ CALIFORNIA TEAMS TAKE BULLETS AT MELGES 24 WORLDS Corpus Christi, TX (May 16, 2011) - After weeks of training in near extreme conditions, the forecast for the first day of the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship was for light to medium conditions to prevail. The first race was sailed in an oscillating 7-10 knot breeze and saw Alan Field at the helm of USA 811 WTF, take the win after overtaking the initial leader, Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr just before the second windward mark. By the time the second race got underway the wind had clocked significantly to the right and built in strength up to around 14-16 knots. Kristen Lane steering USA 812 Brick House 812, led around the first mark, and despite letting her grip on the race loosen for a while on the second beat, she came back strong to retake the lead at the final top mark. From then on she was totally in control, and after sailing a tactically astute second run, she eased home to take a well deserved race win. With a more familiar local weather system now appearing to establish itself, there is a good chance that Tuesday will see the full arrival of the Corpus Christi thermal breezes. To give the wind its best chance to develop, the start time for racing on Day 2 has been pushed back to 13.00. Racing continues through until Saturday May 21, with two races per day scheduled. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/M24Worlds-051611 Day 1 Standings - Top ten of 32 1. Conor Clarke (IRL), Embarr, 2-5, 7 2. Lorenzo Bressani (ITA), UkaUka Racing, 6-2, 8 3. Eivind Melleby (NOR), Full Medal Jacket, 5-3, 8 4. Kristen Lane (USA), Brickhouse 812, 8-1, 9 5. Flavio Favini (SUI), Blu Moon, 3-6, 9 6. Andrea Racchelli (ITA), ALTEA, 4 -7, 11 7. Alan Field (USA), WTF, 1-11, 12 8. Eiichiro Hamazaki (JPN), Esprit, 11-4, 15 9. Alec Cutler (BER), hedgehog, 9-8, 17 10. Riccardo Simoneschi (ITA), AUDI, 7-12, 19 Full results: http://tinyurl.com/M24-Worlds-2011-Results RECOGNITION: 2011 Melges 24 World Championship Regatta Chair Teri Ficken was presented with a special award as Most Valued Partner by The Convention and Visitors Bureau of North Padre Island in recognition of the work she has done in bringing to Corpus Christi an event expected to net in excess of US$70,000 in revenue for the city. LIVE UPDATES: Here are two sources that will keep you close to the action... http://www.melgesworlds.com/index.php/the-event/event-news/ http://www.sailingupdates.com/view/42/ 2 DAYS ONLY - 10% OFF SITEWIDE AT WESTMARINE.COM What can we say? You caught us in good mood. The sun is starting to make appearances in many places, races are going on around the country, we're all in the outfitting frame of mind and anticipating a great Memorial Day weekend. We invite you to take 10% off sitewide at westmarine.com, Tuesday and Wednesday, May 17 and 18. This is a two-day offer, so be sure to jump on it quick. Use coupon code SAVE10 at checkout. This offer is good online only. Please visit westmarine.com for complete details. -- http://bit.ly/SB051711 ADAPTING TO THE VENUE While training in advance of the 2011 Melges 24 Worlds, tactician's job has been to learn how to adapt to the sailing venue of Corpus Christi, TX. After seeing a lot of days with strong winds, and noting the steep chop that kicks up on the shallow race course, top tacticians Richard Clarke (Alec Cutler, Hedgehog) and Steve Hunt (Alan Field, WTF) share their observations: Richard Clarke: "Biggest issue here is figuring out sail selection and rig tune, because starboard tack is straight into the waves and with them hitting on the side on port tack. You need to tune to rig asymmetrically. We've also been tweaking our sail designs to cope with the strong winds." Steve Hunt: "The faster you go in a boat, the less maneuvers you want to make because of the difference in speed between tacking, jibing and hauling the mail around the course, so yes, there will be less maneuvers than normal here (when it's windy). Also it's so choppy it is tough to find a flat spot to tack through upwind. Part of the tactician's challenge will be figuring out if the gain from playing a shift will outweigh the loss from the additional maneuvers." CLASSIFYING BUILDERS, DEALERS AND BROKERS The ISAF Classification system is a service to classes and events who want to define who they want to sail. If there is a limit on the number professional sailors that can participate on a boat, the Classification Code is the system that must be used. The challenge of the Code is to fairly determine what types of activity warrant a sailor to be classified as Group 3 (professional), and what is permitted within the Group 1 (amateur) classification. One of the tools of the Code is a list of over 120 frequently asked questions (FAQs), with their answers helping to define Group 1 and 3. Here are the FAQs for Builders, Dealers and Brokers: Q. An employee or owner of a company whose sales include boats that race never races with the clients. Is he Group 1? A. Yes, he is Group 1 Q. Is an employee or owner of a company that only sells boats that do not race Group 1? A. Yes. Q. A sailor has paid work that includes selling boats that race and races with the customers. Is he Group 3? A. Yes. Q. A broker sells a boat to a client and races on her for many years. Does he remain Group 3 throughout? A. No, he is Group 3 for the first 24 months as his paid work in this period has included supplying a boat that he then raced on. [Code 22.2.2(b)] He must then go through the timeout period before becoming Group 1. This is 24 months and will date from his last race in the initial 24 month period. If he sells another boat and races on it he must go through the whole cycle again. However if the boat sold and on which he races is being used to market, demonstrate or in any other way influence the purchase of a boat by other customers (whether or not he then races with them) he remains Group 3 as Code 22.2.2(a) applies. Q. An employee or owner of a company that sells boats races on a boat that is owned by that company. Is he Group 1? A. No, he is Group 3. Q. A sailor owns a boat that is built by the company he works for and races on it. Is he Group 1? A. No, he is Group 3. Q. A sailor works for a dealer and owns and races a boat sold by the dealer. Is he Group 3? A. Yes. ISAF Sailor Classification Code: http://tinyurl.com/ISAF-CODE-0111 ISAF Sailor Classification Code FAQS: http://tinyurl.com/CODE-FAQS-0111 CONVICTED * John W. Graham, 37, of Seattle, Washington was indicted May 11, 2011 by a federal grand jury for three counts of making false statements related to phony reports of a vessel in distress. On November 18, 2009, Graham transmitted a signal to the Coast Guard on the International Hailing and Distress Frequency (VHF Marine Band Channel 16), in which he falsely claimed he had heard and was relaying a distress call from a sailing vessel that was taking on water with three people on board south of Friday Harbor, Washington. The U.S. Coast Guard scrambled two choppers and a boat to search for the vessel. Graham will be arraigned May 26, 2011. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/CG-051511a * Larry L. Deffenbaugh, 59, formerly of Virginia Beach, Va., has been convicted of conspiracy and communicating a false distress signal to the Coast Guard. According to trial documents and testimony, Deffenbaugh, also known as "Mike Meyers," was boating on the Chesapeake Bay, May 10, 2009 with his brother when he led his brother to believe that he had fallen from the boat and into the bay, thereby causing his brother to contact Coast Guard authorities seeking help. As a result of the allegedly false distress call, the Coast Guard deployed resources in an effort to save Deffenbaugh's life, even though he was not in any peril. Despite an extensive search, the Coast Guard search team could find no trace of Deffenbaugh. Deffenbaugh is scheduled to be sentenced, Sept. 19, 2011. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/CG-051511b DISCOVER: A NEWFOUND LOVE FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS Blowing dogs off chains. Oysters off the rocks. Tinkers off their wives. Whatever you call it, extreme conditions call for the best gear, and the new Aegis Ocean Smock is designed to deliver when it's all on. This new addition to the Aegis line is the piece of gear you need when water's coming at you from every direction and you need to be on your game - the gear you need to stay dry, warm and focused on sailing. Check out the gear and the new Ocean Smock video at http://www.atlantisweathergear.com/products/Aegis-Ocean-Smock.html. Discover Your Atlantis BRAGGING RIGHTS As of this week 119 teams from 15 nations have committed to the 2011 ORC International World Championship in Cres, Croatia to be held June 18-26. This is the highest and most diverse turnout of any ORC championship regatta in its 40-year history, an event sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) as the sole official offshore World Championship. While most entries are from the Adriatic region, the event has also drawn interest from the USA. Alice Martin and her team from Chicago are taking a break from racing their Sydney 38 at home to charter the Salona 34 One for the Worlds. "Every year we try to look for an out of town sailing adventure," said Martin. "Last year it was the Newport-Bermuda Race, and this year we will bring much of the same team to Cres. What attracted us to come here is the beauty of the area, the timing in our schedule, and having the opportunity to compete at a World Championship. This all gives us a lot of bragging rights at home!" -- Full report: http://www.orc.org/news/2011/110516.htm#news0 SAILING SHORTS * Venice, Italy (May 16, 2011) - The Lauderdale Yacht Club's Optimist team race squad won the XXV Trofeo Marco Rizzotti International Optimist Class Team Race held May 12-15. Arguably the most prestigious international team race regatta for the class, this year's event featured teams from Singapore, France, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Switzerland, Holland and Italy. Sailing for LYC was recent U.S. team trials champion Wade Waddell, along with twins Alie and Liza Toppa, Sophia Reineke and Mack Fox. Competing against mostly national teams or regional all-star teams, the Ft Lauderdale, Florida team defeated Italia in the finals. -- http://www.rizzottisail.it/wordpress/ * Following the offshore race from NYC to Newport, the inshore portion of the Atlantic Cup took place May 14-15 on Narragansett Bay in Newport, RI. In its first year, this professional event for Class40 teams combined both scores to determine the overall winner. In second after the offshore race, the team of Rob MacMillan/ Ryan Finn on the Owen Clarke designed Cutlass/11th Hour Racing overcame the deficit on the inshore races to win the title and the top prize of 7,000 from the $15,000 prize purse. -- http://www.atlanticcup.org * Newport Beach, CA (May 15, 2011) - Hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club, the Ahmanson Cup fielded 43 boats that competed in the Farr 30, Farr 40, Schock 35, PH Fast 40, PH Fast 50+, and i52 classes. Winning the event perpetual trophy that's awarded to the winner of the largest one-design fleet was Jeff Janov, who led his Dark Star team over the 10-boat Farr 40 class. -- Event website: http://tinyurl.com/NHYC-051611 * Santa Barbara, CA (May 14, 2011) - Steady wind allowed for new course records to be set in the Hardway Race. Dr. Laura Schlessinger established a new course record for the 67 nautical mile course from Santa Barbara to Ventura the hard way, around Santa Cruz Island, in 7 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds aboard her new Custom 47 yacht Katana. In the multihull ORCA division, the 47 nautical mile course around Anacapa Island also saw a new course record set by Bill Gibbs aboard Afterburner, a 52 foot catamaran, with the time of 3 hours, 25 minutes and 56 seconds. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=11853 * Charleston, SC (May 16, 2011) - Since the start of the 3,600-mile sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS from Charleston, USA, to La Rochelle, France, on Saturday, the four boat ECO 60 fleet has been battered by thunderstorms, 50-knot winds and confused seas. Now trailing the fleet, Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski was forced to stop his boat completely for four hours after breaking three cars at the top of his mainsail as well as picking up a fishing net on his keel. Overall race leader Brad Van Liew and young gun Chris Stanmore-Major are dueling for the lead. -- http://www.velux5oceans.com/ FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Do you need to post an ad? Scuttlebutt editors will randomly select some of the ads to include in the Wednesday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads INTERLUX ON YOUTUBE For yacht paint product info and application how-to's, tune into the Interlux Yacht Paint Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/interluxyachtpaint GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Chip Pitcairn: (re, report in Scuttlebutt 3342) As to the lack of "family friendly attractions" at the Melges 24 Wolds, Corpus Christi can't match Chicago or San Diego for non-sailing activities. But we do have lodging and dining at a more modest rates than the bigger cities, with at least six hotels and numerous restaurants within walking distance of the marina. We have space to contain all shore side activities and docking within the same area, which includes trailer storage, parking for cars, and storage for equipment. The race course is close to the dock but free of most land induced shifts. Our race committee and regatta organization is almost identical to the group that a few years ago won the St. Petersburg Trophy for excellence in regatta management for the J/80 World Championship. As to family activities, we have the Texas State Aquarium and the Aircraft Carrier Lexington. Our world class Art Museum of South Texas is currently hosting a Norman Rockwell exhibit. There is a fine museum of natural history; it's not the Field but it is interesting. The Padre Island National Seashore has 50 miles of beach you can drive on. The King Ranch is nearby and offers tours. We are well known for our birding and fishing. Kayak tours are offered in several locals close by. How about a Segway rental and tour of the marina and downtown? I'm sure we can match Tallinn, Estonia, site of the last Melges 24 World Championship for activities. The sailors I have spoken to at previous regattas talk of Corpus Christi's hospitality and all have said they would return for another championship. COMMENT: I haven't spoken to anyone at the 2011 Melges 24 Worlds that hasn't raved about the venue, conditions, and hospitality. But the problem remains that this is a very low turnout Worlds (32 boats) for the most prominent international sportboat class. -- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt * From Ted Beier: In Scuttlebutt 3340, Jim Champ, apparently from the UK, states that, "sailing everywhere else isn't like the scene (in North America) you are used to, and it seems very hard to really appreciate that". If Mr. Champ were to explain why this is so in his opinion, instead of being rather arrogant and dismissive, perhaps I might 'appreciate that'. Otherwise, I agree with Andrew Campbell, Carol Cronin, and other of our Olympic aspirants, and believe that ISAF remains totally screwed up. I always thought that one of the great things about competitive sailing was that one could continue to compete at high levels well into, and beyond, middle age. Can't folks outside the "land of the free and home of the brave" appreciate that? COMMENT: British Olympian Ben Ainslie, who won his four medals in the Laser and Finn, said last week he was very disappointed the Men's Keelboat event would be eliminated after the 2012 Games as he was considering a move to it from the Finn. This is not uncommon, as many of the current crop of top Star sailors had transitioned to the class from smaller boats. When the slate of events for the 2016 Olympics was being debated, the anti-keelboat coalition questioned whether the Olympic events should provide a path that 'aging' athletes could continue on. I guess we know who won the debate...this time. -- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt * From Jim Champ: Craig Fletcher wrote in Scuttlebutt 3342 that the ISAF Classification system be simplified to state that "If you are paid in any form to race sailboats (including prize money), you are a professional sailor." But in the days when sailing was an amateur sport with no professionals allowed at all, there were an amazing number of "sailmakers" who never seemed to go into a sail loft and spent an awful lot of time sailing, as amateurs, on boats which by some strange coincidence had complete inventories of sails from the "sailmaker's" employer. Now you may believe that in this modern age no-one would seek to evade the rules like that for competitive advantage but I fear some of us old fogeys are rather more cynical. The reason the categories are as complex as they are is because of all the evasions that were used in those days. * From Barry Ault: Craig Fletcher and I often find ourselves on opposite sides of issues but this time he beat me to the punch - word for word. The ISAF system is moronic and designed to keep bureaucrats employed. Craig's simple rules nail it. CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth. 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