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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 993 - January 25, 2002Scuttlebutt 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.
TERRA NOVA TRADING / YACHTING KEY WEST RACE WEEK In the IMS big-boat class, Idler, George David's Nelson/Marek 49 from New York, protested Isam Kabbani's C/M 60, Rima, but-alas-David did not slay Goliath. So now the Newport, R.I. entry has a small but seemingly insurmountable two-point lead going into the eighth and last race Friday. In the Farr 40 fracas, John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti protested George Andreadis' Atalanti XI and won but the former Athens banker emerged with an overall lead one point better (4) than he held a day earlier-and Atalanti XI still hasn't had a finish better than third. Two crews earned the luxury of becoming tourists on the final day: Chris and Kara Busch's 1D35, Wild Thing, from San Diego and Richard Perini's Mumm 30, Foreign Affair, from Sydney, Australia. Each clinched its one-design class with a race to spare Thursday and can afford to send Friday's final race to the discard bin and kick back. Wild Thing won the Yachting Magazine boat of the day award today. Foreign Affairs' crew was leaning toward sailing a meaningless race today. "It's a bit rude not to," boat captain Darren Jones said. "We'll just take a carton of beer and a stereo and have a good time." -- Rich Roberts See www.Premiere-Racing.com for complete results, reports and photos.
MELGES 24 WORLDS Overnight leader Flavio Favini (helming for Franco Rossini) consolidated his lead in race 7 with another impressive win but race 8 saw him cross the line 7th with a protest hanging over him following an incident with Brian Porter on the final run. Harry Melges meanwhile put in another solid day to take a 2nd and 4th keeping him safely in second place overall. As we go to press the result of the protest between Porter and Favini, which will have a significant effect on the standings is still awaited. What is clear is that regardless of the result of that protest the championship is still very much open and we can expect some great sailing again tomorrow and Favini and Melges fight it out for the Melges 24 World Title. -- Fiona Brown See www.melges24.com and www.premiere-racing.com
AUSTRALIA CUP OUT, CONGRESSIONAL CUP IN The Australia Cup, originally scheduled for March 12-17, was to have been the fourth event of Swedish Match Tour 2001-02. As a result, the Steinlager Line 7 Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, March 19-24, is now the fourth event on the schedule, with the Congressional Cup following two weeks later. The Congressional Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious match racing events in the world and is currently one of only two Grade 1 match race regattas in the United States. Organized by the Long Beach Yacht Club, the Congressional Cup is managed by club member volunteers. Previous winners of the Congressional Cup include Dennis Conner, Bill Ficker, Ted Turner, Terry Hutchinson, Chris Law, Peter Gilmour, Gavin Brady, Peter Holmberg, Chris Dickson and Dean Barker. The Congressional Cup will be the fifth event of Swedish Match Tour 2001-02.
TOMMY MERCER JOINS WEST MARINE RIGGING
FREE EXCHANGE
VOLVO OCEAN RACE LEG FOUR STARTS SUNDAY This is the leg of the race that takes the fleet around Cape Horn, a very symbolic landmark for seafarers, and back up into the South Atlantic, and it is the last of the long ocean passages. Wind is what the Volvo Ocean racers want, and plenty of it! They will search for the depressions and strong winds of the roaring forties and the screaming fifties. The most direct route would take the fleet to 65 degrees south, increasing the risk of icebergs and very cold weather significantly. Too far south and they run the real risk of being to the south of the depressions and finding strong headwinds. The sailing will be fast, with mainly following winds, until Cape Horn, where the seas and the wind will funnel between Tierra del Fuego and the Antarctic peninsular. The weather can feature some of the roughest conditions in the world before the fleet turns hard left and enters the South Atlantic. Once round Cape Horn and heading north, the winds become lighter and more variable. "You go from wild and cold to possibly very humid, hot and thundery" explains ASSA ABLOY skipper Neal McDonald. "You have to cater for all those conditions with sail selection, food, clothing. It's the leg that takes the most organization, and, statistically, it is the leg that causes the most carnage" he added cheerfully. The following crew changes were announced today for leg four:
Amer Sports One:
Amer Sports Two:
ASSA ABLOY
Djuice Dragons
Team News Corp
Team SEB
Team TYCO illbruck - No Changes Event site: www.volvooceanrace.org
WHAT FUTURE FOR THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE? Today the larger campaigns have budgets in excess of $20 million - twice what they were eight years ago. And it is certain that if the race maintains its present format it will not become any cheaper... it is hard to see how the race would be a sustainable route in the future in its present format. Today's budgets are on the verge of exceeding the amounts sponsors are prepared to foot for an event such as the Volvo Ocean Race. If budgets go up again then the Volvo Ocean Race is likely to become an offshore version of the America's Cup, where campaigns cannot deliver enough return to make commercial sponsorship viable and boats are backed solely, or at least partially, by wealthy individuals. Excerpted from James' Boyd's editorial on madforsailing.com: www.madforsailing.com/SAIL/Articles.nsf/LookUp/F6A9B340F1E3C7C480256B4B0000A8E0?OpenDocument
VOLVO OCEAN RACE ON ESPN2
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON -- (leweck@earthlink.net) * From Ralph Taylor: I applaud Decision's lending their boat to the Titan XI team after the collision which disabled Titan [at Key West Race Week]. No looking for excuses, no weaseling, just acknowledgement of responsibility and attempt to ameliorate the problem. Such sportsmanship needs to be recognized. * From Chris Johannessen: Regarding Peter Godfrey's past problem at an Indian Harbor YC run regatta where he had a competitor create enough controversy with a protest about inequities in scoring different divisions that started at different times as though they were one - I think he's missing the point. The beauty of using multiple rating rules is that we can have a variety of boats of different types racing TOGETHER. Starting together in a larger group, scoring together. Each boat that has a rating for a handicap rule supported by the regatta organizers could score under that rule. Maybe this would result in all boats scoring PHRF and some boats scoring Americap and IMS, with three sets of winners lists. Great! One real problem that Peter's issue does illustrate is how to equitably score boats of widely differing potential speeds. Whether boats are started together in one start or started at 5 or 10 minute intervals, the fleet will certainly be spread apart with the faster boats sailing in differing conditions from the slower boats. I only see three solutions to this and none are perfect: 1) Limit entries to a narrow speed or rating range; 2) Don't award "overall" trophies; 3) Just race level or one design! (sorry, couldn't resist). Sorry folks, the nature of handicap racing is that boats of different speeds WILL be sailing in different conditions, and in any given race one boat may find more advantageous conditions as a result (big boats finish, then the wind dies, etc). * From Dierk Polzin (edited to our 250 word maximum): Concerning the heated discussion and excellent report by Dan Winters on the current state of College Sailing in the US. Which can be accessed at www.topica.com/lists/icsa/read 1. ICSA Equity is not just a good thing.. It is a RIGHT!! The current system is abhorrent and has been discussed for years with no results. 2. I think an open discussion and a little embarrassing press related to this is a good thing to focus the discussions. Because it really has not been much of an issue with ICSA. I think current college racers from SEISA, NWISA and the others are more then a little bit intimidated about speaking out for more equity. Most current sailors don't remember that star sailors used to pick schools based first on academics. In fact probably more US Olympic medals have been won by sailors who had minimal coach hand-holding. McKee, Bourdow, Benjamin, all came from programs without coaches. 3. I think it is high time ICSA had a President from outside of NEISA and MAISA. In the 60 years of college sailing it has never occurred. Someone who will stand up for the little districts against the Eastern coaches. 4. ICSA should appoint an Equity Committee at the Winter Meeting representing students and alumni from across the country. A committee that publishes twice a year reports of what they are doing and thinking.
EDWARDS AND MACARTHUR TO GO HEAD TO HEAD? The intriguing aspect of her plans is that, if they come off, Edwards could find herself going head-to-head against MacArthur's attempt on the 71-day non-stop round-the-world record, which she announced at the London Boat Show and which will be sailed in an identical sister ship of Club Med. Both women are thought to be planning circumnavigations starting about this time next year. While MacArthur will skipper a mixed crew, Edwards will not sail on her boat herself but will manage the project from onshore. From Ed Gorman's article in The Times: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,4-2002037187,00.html
TALLSHIPS RACE AT ST.MAARTEN HEINEKEN REGATTA Whether seen from the shore or on the water, the Tallships will surely conjure up thoughts of seafaring in days gone by. The Scotiabank Tallship Race & Parade will take place on Sunday, March 3, 2002. The parade will start in Marigot followed by the race to Great Bay, Phillipsburg. See www.heinekenregatta.com
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * ISAF World Sailing Games, June 29 - July 10, Marseille France. The events and equipment are:
Single-handed Dinghy Male - Laser The entry deadline is April 1, see www.sailing-games.com.
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