|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2385 - July 10, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. LAST MAN STANDING I'm resigned to leaving Valencia with one question unanswered: Would Alinghi have dumped the old AC class—the one that gave us such thrilling racing this time around—if Team New Zealand hadn't given them a scare? I believe Alinghi skipper/tactician Brad Butterworth 100 percent when he says that the sailors (at the top) are ready for a new type of boat. The other side of the coin is that these guys are talents, and the boat is only a platform, and the world around doesn't really care (and can't tell) if a different boat is 4.3 knots faster. Finally we had come to a point at which start-up teams could bring credible boats and teams to an America's Cup contest and put up a bit of a show. So what's the hurry to change boats, especially if there's a chance of racing again in two years in Valencia? Unless, of course, you're designing the new rule in-house and giving yourself a head start. The familiar AC rule was created in the wake of the big boat/ catamaran debacle of 1988 and drew upon a confab of international naval architects. The process by which the new rule will be developed was not clarified in last week's press conference, but I got the distinct impression that Alinghi has the task in hand and I needn't worry my pretty little head about it. So I won't. As near as I can tell, I'm the last man standing in the press corps, and that's possibly the last dog swinging from the lamppost yonder, and America's Cup history is rife with examples of defenders finding ways to give themselves an edge. There's nothing new there. -- Kimball Livingston, Got Live, full story: http://sailmagazine.blogspot.com/2007/07/last-man-standing.html * Arrivederci: The Cup in Europe website quotes the Italian news Ansa that Francesco de Angelis and Luna Rossa Challenge have now jointly decided to divorce. "It's a normal alternance", explained the Italian syndicate in a very laconic statement. "Sport is cycles. Some are opened up when others are finished". -- http://www.cupineurope.com/NewsEN/2007/LunaRossa.htm * Replay: CBS Sports will air an America's Cup recap on Saturday July 14th at 2-3:00 pm ET FROM TEXAS TO HAWAII Corpus Christi, TX -- Sailing is his passion, so that's what Steve T. Hastings' wife dubbed his sloop.For more than a year, the 51-year-old Corpus Christi trial attorney has been preparing Passion, his 1981 50-foot Santa Cruz sailboat, and his crew to compete against 76 sailboats bound for Honolulu in the Transpacific Yacht Race. "It's one of few classic ocean races this boat was designed for," said Hastings, a native of Waco. "We're going hard." Passion's crew will engage six sailing yachts from four foreign countries - three from Japan - and the others representing nine states, including six racing home to Hawaii. The 10- to 11-day, more than 2,200-mile, staggered-start competition begins Monday in Los Angeles under the signal of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hastings' is the only single-hull sailboat from Texas that is competing. His sailboat will leave Thursday. The 2006 commodore of the Corpus Christi Yacht Club won't talk about the cost of having a new racing hull added, keel bolts checked, hydraulics rebuilt, a new refrigeration system and sideband radio installed or the transportation cost for the boat and 10 crew members to Los Angeles. "I didn't set a budget and don't really want to add it all up," Hastings said. "But it's expensive." - Houston Chronicle, full story: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4949699.html * Long Beach, Calif. (July 9, 2007) Okay so far, the first 23 starters in the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race must have been thinking as they sailed off into uncertainty in a balmy 7-knot westerly breeze under sunny skies Monday, but what lay ahead for the next 2,225 nautical miles to Hawaii was anyone's guess. The forerunning fleets included nine Division 6 racers and 14 Aloha A and B division boats. Divisions 4 and 5 and nine vintage Santa Cruz 50 and 52s start Thursday, followed by Divisions 1, 2 and 3 Sunday, all starting off Point Fermin in nearby San Pedro after sendoff ceremonies at Rainbow Harbor, Transpac's mainland home port in Long Beach. Weather experts have been talking about unsettled conditions a day or two out. -- http://www.transpacificyc.org/ THREE REASONS TO BUY A 12-METER In a recent AC eNewsletter, I described the history of the 12-Meter Class, which celebrated its 100th anniversary with a regatta in Valencia, Spain. This international gathering begs the question, "Why do owners continue to put so much effort and expense into these dinosaurs?" The 12-Meters and other, smaller survivors of the International Rule avoid extinction because they have their own attractiveness: they bear out the value of vintage. While other classic yachts disappeared from the racing scene, 12-Meters remain thanks to their durability, "upgrade-ability," and suitability for racing and daysailing alike Because of its age, the 12-Meter Class has a few distinct generations, each offering its own motivations for ownership and use. The divisions were set according to two notable performance breakthroughs in the Class-- the separated rudder plus trim tab of Intrepid in 1967 and the winged keel of Australia II in 1983-- and allow like yachts to compete against one another when there are enough 12-Meters present. -- David Pedrick, Sailing World, full story: http://tinyurl.com/28pu5k FAMILIES WIN IRC AND PHRF AT BIRW “You know you’re in the hunt for something big, when something big hunts you,” said Randall Baldwin after the 66-foot “Blue Yankee” tacked on top of his Taylor 42. Topping IRC-5, Baldwin’s “Cabady,” using UK-Halsey FST sails, still won Best Overall in IRC at Block Island Race Week. Better still, Baldwin’s son Matt was driving. But, absolute family winner was John Storck, Jr. whose J/80 “Rumor” won PHRF Overall. Storck sailed with his daughter (who drove) and three sons. “Sailing with my kids is the fulfillment of every sailor’s dream.” Let UK-Halsey make your family a little faster. 800-253-2002, http://www.ukhalsey.com ISAF WORLDS Cascais, Portugal (July 9, 2007) The first of the 11 Worlds titles have been decided at the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships. Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) are crowned Star World Champions and gain a Gold Star, whilst Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz (ESP) win the 2007 Tornado World Championship. It has blown an absolute hooley all day long in Cascais, with fierce winds causing the abandonment of every scheduled race. Just after 19:00 the breeze did drop slightly and the Stars went out to sail their Medal Race, but the conditions worsened again and the fleet was sent back to shore. The forecast indicated strong winds on Monday, but not the 35-knot blasts that swept across Cascais bay, climbing well over 40 knots on the outer race courses. With the Medal Races abandoned, the positions at the beginning of the day stand as final. The schedule will continue as planned, with medal races set on Tuesday for the Laser and Laser Radial classes. The North American contingent will be shut out of the Laser finale, but will be ably represented in the Laser Radial by Tania Elias Calles Wolf (MEX) and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA). -- Complete event report: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j1qFnij72&format=popup Top Three and Top North Americans Tornado (49 boats) – Final 1. ESP - Fernando Echavarri/ Anton Paz, 9-8-1-(11)-4-3-6-3, 34 2. BEL - Carolijn Brouwer/ Sebastien Godefroid, 5-10-3-3-8-(18)-5-6, 40 3. NED - Mitch Booth/ Pim Nieuwenhuis, (15)-13-2-5-1-15-3-2, 41 10. USA - John Lovell/ Charlie Ogletree, 23-2-9-8-17-(25)-15-9, 83 Star (62 boats) – Final 1. BRA - Robert Scheidt/ Bruno Prada, 2-4-3-1-1-1-(29)-1-2, 15 2. FRA - Xavier Rohart/ Pascal Rambeau, 3-1-1-2-3-3-(7)-2-4, 19 3. GBR - Iain Percy/ Andrew Simpson, 1-8-2-5-2-2-4-8-1, 25 12. USA - Mark Reynolds/ Hal Haenel, 5-6-17-11-14-6-18-7-14, 80 Laser Radial (106 boats) – Medal race on Tuesday 1. GER - Petra Niemann, 9-9-2-5-5-6-1-(12), 37 2. MEX - Tania Elias Calles Wolf, 3-11-2-6-1-1-15-(49), 39 3. ISR - Nufar Edelman, 4-2-13-2-(15)-5-5-8, 39 Laser (149 boats) – Medal race on Tuesday 1. AUS - Tom Slingsby, (21)-1-1-2-1-1-16-9, 31 2. CRO - Mate Arapov, 2-2-7-9-10-2-11-(12), 43 3. EST - Deniss Karpak, 8-(DNF)-12-1-7-6-8-3, 45 12. CAN - Michael Leigh, 16-2-7-9-4-25-(40)-31, 94 470 Men (112 boats) - Eliminations 1. AUS - Nathan Wilmot/ Malcolm Page 1-6-2-2, 11 2. USA - Stuart McNay/ Graham Biehl 3-7-5-6, 21 3. ESP - Francisco Sanchez/ Alejandro Ramos, 3-11-3-5, 22 Yngling (35 boats) - Eliminations 1. GBR - Sarah Ayton/ Sarah Webb/ Pippa Wilson, 2-3-4-2-3-(13), 14 2. GBR - Shirley Robertson/ Annie Lush/ Lucy MacGregor, 1-2-3-9-10-(20), 25 3. USA - Sally Barkow/ Carrie Howe/ Deborah Capozzi, 8-5-1-1-(DNF)-12, 27 Finn (73 boats) - Eliminations 1. GRE - Aimilios Papathanasiou, 1-1-(12)-3-2, 7 2. NED - Pieter Jan POSTMA, 5-(13)-1-1-1, 8 3. ESP - Rafael Trujillo, 3-2-(15)-4-1, 10 4. CAN - Chris Cook, 1-6-3-(8)-2, 12 49er (78 boats) - Eliminations 1. GBR - Stevie Morrison/ Ben Rhodes, 1-2-1-1, 5 2. FRA - Morgan Lagraviere/ Stéphane Christidis, 7-1-4-1, 13 3. UKR - Rodion Luka/ Georgiy Leonchuk, 5-1-6-1, 13 4. USA - Morgan Larson/ Pete Spaulding, 1-6-3-4, 14 470 Women (64 boats) - Eliminations 1. NED - Marcelien De Koning/ Lobke Berkhout 4-2-1-2, 9 2. ITA - Giulia Conti/ Giovanna Micol, 5-3-5-1, 14 3. SWE - Therese Torgersson/ Vendela Zachreisson 3-5-3-3, 14 11. CAN - Jen Provan/ Carol Luttmer 9-14-7-8, 38 RS:X Men (113 boards) - Eliminations 1. POL - Przemyslaw Miarczynski, 1-1-12-1-1, 4 2. BRA - Ricardo Santos, 2-5-1-3-1, 7 3. POL - Piotr Myszka, 2-2-1-2-5, 7 36. CAN - Zachary Plavsic, 11-18-15-7-14, 47 RS:X Women (73 boards) - Eliminations 1. POL - Zofia Klepacka, 1-1-6-3-1, 6 2. FRA - Lise Vidal, 3-5-3-1-20, 12 3. ITA - Alessandra Sensini, 1-1-5-8-7, 14 41. CAN - Nikola GIRKE, 16-25-15-19-17, 67 Complete results: http://www.cascaisworlds2007.com/home.php?content=resultadoGeral.php * Sail TV will be broadcasting live coverage of the Medal Races for two hours daily on July 9-13. The channel will be providing two modes of coverage from Cascais, with a daily news update which is free to view, and live programming coverage of the event will be available for a fee. Details at http://www.sail.tv OLD RACE – WONDERFUL PLACE Marblehead, MA (July 9, 2007) - The sailors of the Marblehead to Halifax, Nova Scotia ocean race overcame a massive wind shift and a crowded starting line Sunday as the 360-nautical mile race got underway, featuring over 120 boats and 1,000 sailors in 11 fleets. Just seconds after the first gun was fired, the wind completely died, forcing three fleets to converge on the line together. As the fleet floundered, the wind finally kicked in from the southwest, featuring some spectacular, fast racing as the sailors set spinnakers and pushed their way north. This historic yacht race, founded by the Boston Yacht Club of Marblehead and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron of Canada, has been in existence for 102 years. It is growing in stature as the top contenders from the professional racing circuits have arrived in bigger numbers as well as many amateur sailors in smaller crafts. "This is one of the classic races and a great one not to miss if you live in the area," said top sailor Jack Slattery of Marblehead who is the helmsman aboard the Farr 60 "Hissar" owned by Edgar Cato. "Races like this are fantastic because you end up in a wonderful place like Halifax; there is a lot of tough competition and the conditions are difficult." Slattery and "Hissar" were among a strong professional fleet in Class IRC-1 which includes the Reichel-Pugh 66 "Blue Yankee" owned by father and son Bob and Farley Towse of Connecticut. On board "Blue Yankee" is America's Cup sailor and television commentator Peter Isler who flew from Valencia, Spain two days before the race to participate. -- The Salem News, full story: http://www.salemnews.com/pusports/local_story_190094044 * For race updates: http://www.marbleheadtohalifax.com HOBART EXTREME SHORTS These shorts are perfect for everyone...from the yacht racer to the day sailor, from the kayaker to the mountain climber. The new nylon fabric is lightweight, yet made for the abuse. It has a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish that dries quickly and has a UV rating of 40+. The Hobart Extreme Technical Shorts are the lightest shorts on the market, weighing in at a mere 9 ounces. Offset side seams reduce chafing and the improved design, with a clean relaxed profile, gives you extreme flexibility. Lightweight Code Zero shirts, pants, etc. So go and get some at http://www.camet.com/?Click=417 NOT GOOD ENOUGH We are not going to make this complicated. When you host a national, continental, or world championship event, you need to have a strong Internet presence. By that we mean - at a bare minimum - event info needs to be online before the event, and results need to be posted promptly during the event. Daily reports would be nice too. The latest event that seems to be falling short of this standard is the Optimist North Americans in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. As this is the same town that ran the 2007 J/24 Worlds, and also failed to meet this minimum online standard, we are wondering aloud if the Opti NA’s will get it together in time. Here is a letter received Monday at Scuttlebutt from Bill Elmer: “In some recent letters, the poor updates on event websites was lamented. The Optimist North Americans started Monday, qualifier major IODA event, 200 kids, worldwide participants, 30 US kids and as of this morning, they had not even posted the List of Competitors. I suspect less than stellar daily finish reports. Sad being in the States and not being able to see how your kid is doing.” In fairness to the Opti NA organizers, Scuttlebutt has yet to see their website, as when we try to log-in we get “The webpage cannot be found” message. Nice! -- Scuttleblog, http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2007/07/not-good-enough.html CHARTER FEE: $1.00 -- MEMORIES: PRICELESS CORK, Sail Kingston, home of the largest freshwater regatta in the World and, incidentally, the 1976 site of the only Olympics ever sailed in freshwater, is making a move to attract even more international entries to its event. In what must be an unprecedented move by a regatta organizer, CORK has obtained the use of the 29ers that are being used in the ISAF World Youth Championships in Kingston and is offering these boats to overseas competitors and North American teams traveling more than 2000 miles. The boats are being chartered, with sails, for the princely sum of $1.00, and that’s not a misprint! Couple this with the low room rates of CDN $26.75 per night at Queens University’s Royce Hall, which is within walking distance, and you have the makings of an extraordinary chance to sail in the 29er, and the 29erXX, in their North American Championships without the hassle of boat transportation or the normal cost of a charter. -- Full details: http://www.29ernorthamerican.org/2007/CORK/charter.asp SAILING SHORTS * (July 9, 2007) Weather conditions at the Tasar World Championship in Phuket, Thailand have varied from strong to monsoon-like for the 58 entrants. With the race schedule revised to complete the event on Tuesday, Americans Jonathan and Libby Johnson-Mckee hold a slim lead over Robert and Nicole Douglass from Austalia, a country that currently holds 8 of the top 10 placings. -- Event website: http://www.tasarworlds.com * (July 9, 2007) In 15-18 knots of wind Basilica, skippered by Robert Greenhalgh dazzled her competitors winning five out of the six races held today and firmly winning the iShares Cup, Marseille, taking her tally to two events out of the four event series. While the entire fleet chose to reef their mains for the first race, Basilica struck out on her own, hoisted a full sail and carved a trail to victory stepping onto the podium ahead of Groupama and Holmatro. -- Complete report: http://tinyurl.com/yrdpcc * Junior women sailors interested in gaining keelboat sailing experience are invited to participate in the 2007 Next Step to Rolex Program. The three-day learning experience takes place November 9-11 and is held in conjunction with US SAILING’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC), November 14-17 at the Houston Yacht Club (HYC), in La Porte, Texas. This year’s program features instructional clinics with hands-on practical learning in J/80 keelboats. Junior women sailors, 13 to 17 years old, can apply online at http://www.ussailing.org/riwkc * Max Fraser and David Liebenberg were crowned US 29er National Champions over the weekend, where 23 teams competed in Santa Cruz, CA. Oliver Toole/ Willie McBride and Alex Bernal/ Hunter Williams rounded out the top three. A scoring glitch with the Regatta Network event management service has kept the results from being complete, with only 7 races posted now: http://www.29ernorthamerican.org/2007/results/USNationals.html * The 2007 Melges 32 U.S. National Championship is taking place on July 13-15, in conjunction with the historic 23rd Annual Newport Regatta in Newport, Rhode Island will not be without international flair. There will be competitors from Australia, Italy and the UK in addition to teams from the United States. Racing will begin on Friday, July 13 and will continue until Sunday, July 15. -- http://www.melges32.com FROM KINGSTON TO CASCAIS The best of the best compete this week. Some of the best youth sailors in the World converge in Kingston, Ontario for the 2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, July 12-21st. Vanguard is proud to be a sponsor and supplier of the event. For reports and results visit http://www.teamvanguard.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 Jim Capron (jury member, Cascais Worlds 2007): Regarding Eric Robbins question in SB 2384 about Brad Funk's DPI in race 4, the infringement was for a breach of SI 20.1 (Safety Regulations) which requires a boat to check out before departing the harbor and check in after racing. This particular SI is important to the organizers due to the cold water and strong offshore breezes that we have seen here. It was reported that a USA coach boat with a breakdown was rescued last week quite a distance from the racing area. Before racing started, the International Jury established recommended "discretionary" penalties for its own use in dealing with various breaches of sailing instructions. The "DPI" penalty for breaking SI 20.1 is two points applied to the nearest race. A second breach of this SI would be much more severe. * From David Spinelli, Sammamish, WA: As much as I respect the accomplishments by the Alinghi team and Brad Butterworth as an individual, as a fan of the America's Cup I am terribly disappointed with the decision to change the yacht class for the 33rd America's Cup. During this past regatta, I was in parallel re-reading Dennis Conner's book 'Comeback' and it was easy to compare why the 1987 and 2007 were such great events. The commonality between these two events was that the regatta was focused more on on-the-water tactics and seamanship because the yachts utilized were mature; designers measured improvements in the 12 Meter and the AC Class boats in fractions of a knot. This made for close match racing and therefore exciting events. The sailors themselves determined the winner and not the designers. What a concept! So where are we now? Back to regattas where the America's Cup is more focused off the water as design competitions. The results of the previous three regattas - all 5-0 - bored me and speak for themselves; it was a non-event since the outcomes were pre-determined. So here we go again . . . be prepared for another 20 years of big-bucks / arms-racing off the water where the America's Cup becomes a design competition followed by a regatta where the winner is pre-determined. Shame on the lack of foresight and leadership by Alinghi and Mr. Butterworth to flush the excitement of the event these past few weeks down the toilet. * From Bill Seifert: Now that 100 boats have been built and differences in speed among boats are minuscule, why not start over with new design parameters? Hopefully designers will take a look at history and save a lot of design time. The 2007 ACC yachts look more and more like a Star Class hull (designed in 1911): hard chine, narrow beam, thin foil with a bulb of ballast on the bottom. 2007 sail plans with square topped mains are reminiscent of gaff rigs. * From Frederic Berg: I wonder if Jim Brady and Scott Tobin (in Issue 2384) are giving the designers enough credit in the advances they have made over the past several years in optimizing performance of a given rule. Granted we may only have 2 years to generate new boats, but let's give designers the benefit of the doubt. I'm optimistic by nature and predict we will have close racing for the next America's Cup. * From Antonio Vettese, editor Vela e Motore: Regarding Trapani (which hosted Acts 8 and 9), I'll be very surprised to know that an Italian town can easily spend 120 million euros for the right to host the Cup and be ready in two or three years after spending other money. I think they all are joking to squeeze better wallet from Rita Barberà, the Valencia mayor. Trapani can hope for another Act, not more. Curmudgeon’s Comment: It is so cool when editors from other magazines write in to Scuttlebutt. Thanks Antonio! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Never buy a car you can't push. Special thanks to UK Halsey Sails, Camet International, and Vanguard Sailboats. |
