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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 839 - June 19 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.
COLLEGIATE HALL OF FAME * The Lifetime Service Trophy, presented annually to an individual who has rendered exceptional service to the sport of inter-collegiate sailing and who has passed his/her 60th birthday, was awarded to James Rousmaniere (Southbury, Conn.), Harvard class of '40. One of the first undergraduate Presidents of ICYRA (now ICSA), and current chair of the Afterguard (the association of former college sailors), Rousmaniere has been an active supporter of college sailing for more than six decades. Rousmaniere was previously inducted in 1998. * Gary Bodie (Hampton, Va.) was recognized in the category of Outstanding Service/ Professional. A sailing coach since his 1978 graduation from the California Institute of Technology, Bodie spent eight years at Old Dominion University followed by ten years at the U.S. Naval Academy where his teams won numerous North American titles. Currently the Head Olympic Coach of the US Sailing Team, Bodie maintains an active interest in college sailing. * Thomas Farquhar (Marion, Mass.), MIT class of '60, was recognized in the category of Outstanding Service/ Volunteer. As ICSA's treasurer from 1987-2000, Farquhar helped guide the organization through the early years of sponsorship. Frequently serving as the coordinator of judges for the ICSA North American Championships, Farquhar has provided invaluable counsel on ICSA procedural rules and policies. * Michael W. Moes (Vermilion, Ohio) received the Student Leadership Award in recognition of his tireless efforts to improve college sailing at various levels, and in doing so, setting a standard for others to emulate. As Past Commodore of the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association (MCSA), Moes served with distinction on several ICSA committees. He is a two-time winner of MCSA's Sportsmanship Trophy ('98, '99). - Jan Harley
CHANGING TIMES Moreover, the Wally Division can be accepted as a separate Class in any racing event that include the IMA divisions in the Notice of Race. The Wally Division is officially ruled in compliance with the Wally regulations including the Wally rating system that reflects the real characteristics of the yachts, and will start to be effective in the 2002 racing season. This is a remarkable achievement for the Wally Yachts: they have reached the important status of being the new Maxis, having replaced the old ILC maxis as the largest fleet of yachts over 70 feet in the current yachting scene, as reflected by the participation to the Wally Class racing circuit (Zegna Trophy, Giraglia Rolex Cup, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, and Voiles de Saint Tropez). - Monica Paolazzi, www.wallyyachts.com
AMERICA'S CUP A pragmatist, Harrison readily identified the two sets of assets he immediately required: talented, committed people and the boats and equipment on which to begin training them. For the latter, he scored a bargain when for less than $3 million he purchased from the failed Japanese Nippon Challenge what amounted to an America's Cup starter kit: three Cup-class yachts and seven containers full of the sails and gear necessary to race them. And after that item was checked off, Harrison purchased a failed boat yard in Cowes, adjacent to the Solent, the channel between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight. It has become the campaign's base of operations. "With all that, we had something to get our guys started," he said. Harrison also hired two of the former Nippon engineers for his design team, and the former New Zealand Cup sailor, David Barnes, as the program's general manager. With the exception of those three foreigners, however, the majority of the 47-member GBR syndicate is made up of young, home-grown talent. Eschewing established Brit cup veterans like Harold Cudmore and Chris Law, Harrison hired the two- time Olympic dinghy silver medalist Ian Walker as the team's sailing manager. "I'm a practical guy," Harrison said. "We could get very lucky and steam through and win it in one go. But that's a high mountain to climb, and if you look at the Australians and the Kiwis, it took them a few tries. So the key thing as I see it is to be able to build on young people." - Herb McCormick, New York Times
Full story: www.nytimes.com
QUIZ
TEAM NEW ZEALAND In the past, the New Zealand syndicate has used an array of floating craft to get the yachts out to the racecourse. Last time, it used a crayfishing boat. With the help of Team New Zealand's designers, the mother ship has been specially drawn up with low sides and wide decks to carry sails out to the course. With its inflatable pontoons, it will be able to raft up next to the yachts without damaging their carbon-fibre hulls. The 18.3m-long boat, believed to be one of the largest built, will be powered by two turbo-charged six-cylinder engines. It will be able to tow two 23m Cup yachts out into the Hauraki Gulf at 12 knots. Ross Blackman, chief executive of Team NZ, said the rubber ducky would be a big asset: "Now we'll be able to keep up all the time. It's going to be an incredible boat. Efficiency on the water is another edge we need to be successful in 2003." Team New Zealand will be back on the water training this week, in a rare mid-winter testing session. - Suzanne McFadden, NZ Herald Full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Mark Mills: Ireland - Designer Mark Mills today formally asked Scuttlebutts secretive and reclusive editor (in Ireland anyway!) - The Curmudgeon - to note that the wonder yacht described in such glowing terms in 'Butt 838 for pulverising a 1735 boat fleet to win the prestigious Round the Island Race Overall does indeed have a parentage! The Mills Design 50 Mandrake, has been a real step forwards for us in our efforts to challenge the larger design offices. * From Ted Ferrarone (re: college sailing and scholarships - edited to our 250-word limit): I must respectfully disagree with George Peet's letter. There are few, if any "big budget, turn key programs" in college sailing, and fewer still at the Ivy level. The success of college sailing in New England (1-4, 5 of top ten at this years Nationals) is directly attributable not to the big budgets of a few dominant schools, but to the parity that exists within the division. The have's aren't separated from the have-nots; on any weekend, any school can show up, sail against the best, and if they have a good weekend, win. You don't need a huge program or a big budget to dominate, you need two skippers & two crews. That's it. Money that could be allocated to sailing scholarships (if it existed) could be spent on a new fleet of boats, adding to the roster of available hosting sites and growing the sport from the ground up, not the top down. TheYale team is almost fully funded by it's alumni and student-run operation of YCYC during the summer, not the "big-budget" university. Furthermore, the yacht club is open to the general public during the summer, hosts tons of college regattas, allows area colleges and high schools to participate in their practices and will take anyone interested onto the team. I hardly think this is advancing elitism in the face of parity. Need-blind admissions contribute to parity, not athletic scholarships, which is why they are expressly forbidden in the Ivy League and the ICSA. * From Tom Donlan (Re the discussion on college sailing and scholarships): Athletes and colleges would be far better off if NCAA sports had the same prohibition against pure athletic scholarships that intercollegiate sailing enjoys. The idea that colleges run training camps and minor leagues for the pros misses the point of sport in higher education. * From Donna S. Womble: The word "unfair" comes to mind when comparing the Notices of Race for the Adams and Mallory Cup Championships. J/22s will be used for both events, yet the International J/22 Class Rules are not being applied equally. For the men (Mallory Cup), there is NO crew weight limit, while for the women (Adams Cup) the class limit of 605 pounds applies. Also, unlike the class rules, the championship specifications require that the Mallory teams sail with 3 crew members, while the Adams teams must sail with a crew of 4. What is the justification behind the disparity in weight limits (or lack thereof)? Why the restrictions on the number of crew -- if one wants to sail with 3 women for the Adams Cup, why is this forbidden? Can anyone explain this to me? * From Kevin Hall: Short-course racing is fantastic: simplicity, purity, the fairness of boat rotation, and the social interaction. I loved college sailing, and I miss it, especially team racing. However, it does not prepare a sailor very well for the "real world" of post-collegiate sailing, whether Olympic, inshore, or offshore. The capable college sailor will be good at starting, being inside at the roundings, will have a good nose for shifts on a river highly-visible-current-line decisions. But when it comes time ship a boat to a far-away land, deal with a broken mast, chose a rake, prepare foils, find the windward mark when you can't see it, choose the early flood or hope there is some ebb left in the middle before layline, or to manage the risk-reward decisions necessary to prevail in a 100 boat fleet, even the most savvy collegiate champion will struggle for relevant experience. If the goal is for our sailors to go on to become champions after college, they should be reminded that college-style racing happens only in the US (and arguably Britain), and that after graduation they will need to show up with more than just a lifejacket and a fast roll tack to win an event. Congratulations to this year's collegiate all-americans. Now flip through the ALL the world's sailing magazines, and see what grabs your fancy - whether it's the Laser, the Mini-Transat, the 49er, the Volvo, or the match race circuit - and try it out, soon. * From Tad Springer (in reply to Tim Hogan's question of why West Coast High Schools Dominate and East Coast Colleges Dominate): Our West Coast High Schools have a very strong year round programs and have the support of parents like Tim Hogan and generous supporters like Roy Disney along with great coaching. The East Coast Colleges recruit heavily out of the West Coast High Schools. FYI Tim's daughter Casey was a four time all American at Dartmouth and currently Patrick and Scott are attending Dartmouth. Point made!
ANNAPOLIS TO NEWPORT RACE The Farr 60 Carrera finished the Annapolis to Newport Race at 7 a.m. this morning, crushing the race record set just two years ago by George Collins's Santa Cruz 70 Chessie Racing. Carrera topped Chessie's record by about five hours. About 23 minutes behind Carrera was Bob Towse's R/P 67 Blue Yankee, and roughly an hour behind them was Fred Detwiler's Andrews 70 Trader. Collins's latest Chessie, a Farr 52, also broke the 1999 record. (The pre-1999 had been 53 hours, 20 minutes and was set in 1987.) The breeze has been dying and it appears that the overall corrected time fleet leads of Chessie (PHRF) and Carrera (IMS) will be difficult for smaller boats to overcome. Carrera is owned by Connecticut sailor Joe Dockery, but the owner was unable to participate in the Annapolis to Newport Race. In his stead, the team was led by Annapolis-based professional sailor Chris Larson. Larson recruited a stellar team including Mark Rudiger, Whitbread-winning navigator in 1997-98 aboard EF Language, as well as Brunel Synergy skipper Roy Heiner. The two are co-skippers of the Assa Abloy Volvo Ocean Race team. Annapolis-based professional sailor Andrew Scott sailed aboard Carrera and reports from Newport, "We blasted down the Bay under spinnaker and reached Chesapeake Light in about 12 hours. From there we turned up the coast and jib reached in increasing northwest breeze." The fleet benefited from the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison which lingered off the mouth of the Chesapeake on start day and was compressed and pushed northeast by a cold front overnight Saturday and into Sunday. The interaction between the two features provided record-breaking conditions. Scott tells SpinSheet of strong breezes off the mouth of the Delaware Bay and off Cape May. The top recorded windspeed was 54 knots, and Carrera saw 48 knots-plus for an hour straight. During one five-hour stretch Sunday, Carrera sailed under storm trysail and storm jib. Once the big breeze backed off the team continued north and east in ever free conditions, finishing this morning in 17 knots of breeze under jib top and full main. Scott says that while a number of sailors spent time at the helm of the Farr 60 Larson and Heiner were by far the most active helmsmen. "They both did a great job," he says. "Heiner was unbelievable. When it was really nasty he was so much better than anyone else. I've never seen anything like it." The 15-person team aboard Carrera also included Pat Shaughnessy, a longtime designer with Farr Yacht Design. The rough conditions of Saturday and Sunday exacted a toll from the 63 boat fleet and several larger boats were on the "WDR" line including Jim Muldoon's SC 72 Donnnybrook ("shredded main") and Michael Brennan's 1D48 Sjambok (broken gooseneck bracket). - Dave Gendell, SpinSheet, www.spinsheet.com Event website: www.annapolisyc.com/annapolisnewport/
JUST PLAIN HUGE
QUOTE / UNQUOTE
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
RESCUE AT SEA
DICK ROBERTS
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
BT GLOBAL CHALLENGE Isle of Man in 3rd and BP in 4th have had the wind from a better wind angle that the yachts behind so they did not lose as much as the following pack. They look likely to hold onto their current positions but as only 11 miles separates them the race will be taken all the way to the finish line. - www.btchallenge.com
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
