|
SCUTTLEBUTT #428 - October 28, 1999SPORTS MEDICINEAmerican Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) and SailSportMed, have joined forces with sailors and clinicians from all eleven America's Cup syndicates to conduct a landmark study on sports medicine injuries in sailing. One of the world's oldest and most prestigious athletic pursuits, sailing has received surprisingly limited research on injuries, treatment, or prevention. With the newly announced study on America's Cup sailing injuries, ASMI and SailSportMed aim to aid competing teams and sports medicine clinicians in general, in the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of sailing specific injuries as well as to assist the sailing athlete in prevention of such injuries. Dr. Anne Allen, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, is SailSportMed's founder and director of the new study. Dr. Allen explains, "For highly competitive world-class yacht racers sports injuries are a part of life. In 1995, we conducted a benchmark study on sailing injuries with the help of Dick Dent and the America3 team. For America's Cup 2000, we have expanded the study significantly under the guidance of ASMI's Dr. James R. Andrews, Dr. Kim Fagan, and Glenn Fleisig. It is our hope that the information we are gathering on sailing injuries during America's Cup 2000 will be helpful to not only the top America's Cup sailors, but to sailors at all levels of endeavor." Dr. Anne Allen advises that the information collected from the eleven teams competing in America's Cup 2000 will be made available to all syndicates as well as to the general public. "We value the support and assistance of the sailing athletes, the syndicates and other interested parties as the information gathered from this Cup match will improve the health and wellness of all of those who love to sail," Dr. Allen concluded. -- DJ Cathcart VOLVO OCEAN RACE Mark Rudiger, a Bay area native and Professional Ocean racer, announces this week his official team entry into The Volvo Ocean Race Round the World at the San Francisco Yacht Club.Often called the "Mt. Everest of sailing," this premier event is the world's most watched sailboat race. Mark was the navigator of the winning program in the last race aboard EF Language (1997-98), the first victory by an American navigator in the event. Today, Mark announces his entry into the Volvo as head of his own two-boat race program. Mark and his wife, Lori, will seek program sponsorship from technology companies with global branding and marketing objectives. Mark will provide contributions to all areas of the program, including navigation, tactical planning and co-skipper responsibilities. Several key ocean racing professionals have committed to Mark's program already. Mark plans to begin boat design and testing early next year. Mark and Lori have registered their program with Volvo's Event Management as TeamRudiger. For more information: http://www.TeamRudiger.com OFFSHORE SAILING There is a lot of stuff you need (and really should have) when sailing offshore. And that list grows when you're racing under ORC 0-4. But not to worry -- you can do all of your shopping online at the West Marine website. It's all there -- charts, flares, communications gear and even the life raft(s). You probably will also want to look at the personal strobes, EPIRBs, harnesses, jack lines and maybe even a survival suit. They even have a small, portable, manual watermaker in the section with other safety gear: http://www.westmarine.com/ AMERICA'S CUP * After a late night jury decision, two of yesterday's races are to be resailed this afternoon. The matches involve Stars & Stripes against Young Australia, and Luna Rossa against Abracadabra. Both Young Australia and Abracadabra requested redress after the Race Committee wouldn't grant them postponements due to gear failure before their races. The International Jury granted their requests. Today's other matches involve AmericaOne races that have been postponed to allow the team to repair damage from a collision last week. In the morning, AmericaOne will race Young Australia, in the afternoon, they line-up against Young America. The decision also means the Stars & Stripes crew will be out on the water today, instead of preparing for any boat changes they may have planned before Round Robin Two. No team can make significant changes while races are still being sailed, but teams may prepare the boat for work. Being required to sail sets Team Dennis Conner back by nearly a full day. The forecast is for good racing in winds building towards 20 knots. The boats and crews should be challenged by gusty conditions, and heavy seas. -- -- Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ * The Louis Vuitton Cup First Round Robin finished with a whimper today, after equipment damage prevented a much anticipated match-up. AmericaOne and Young America were scheduled to sail in the afternoon to determine the top U.S. challenger behind Prada. But AmericaOne couldn't raise its mainsail in the afternoon and started the race under jib alone. Cayard and his team eventually retired. All racing is now complete barring protests. The Italian Prada Challenge sailed to an unblemished ten win record in the first round. It will be the team to beat when racing resumes with Round Robin Two on 6 November 1999. RACE 10 AMERICAONE BEAT YOUNG AUSTRALIA 2000 DELTA 01:32 Young Australia (AUS-29) had a one second lead over the AmericaOne (USA-49) at the start. Both boats were on opposite tacks. Just after the start Spithill was in the lead and maybe could have crossed ahead. But Paul Cayard on AmericaOne had the favoured side of the course and went around the top mark first leading by fifty-three seconds. Young Australia 2000 did relatively well. They worked hard to stay in touch but never had a chance to control the match. AmericaOne finished with a man up the mast fixing a batten popping out of a pocket RACE 11 LUNA ROSSA BEAT ABRACADABRA - DELTA 02:02 In the pre start Abracadabra (USA-54) was in control of Luna Rossa (ITA 45) with only 30 seconds to go to the start. Then the Italians showed their winning form of Round Robin One. Within seconds they managed to turn the tide. From an unfavoured position they found overdrive, pointed higher and positioned themselves ahead and to windward of Kolius. On the start line the Italians forced Kolius to tack away. Delta, nine seconds. Especially when going upwind, Prada showed better speed, tactics and pointing ability. At the first top mark Prada was leading. Delta 01:10. Prada went on to win the race and remains unbeaten for Round Robin One. STARS & STRIPES BEAT YOUNG AUSTRALIA DELTA 01:07 Once again, Young Australia (AUS-29) skipper James Spithill earned respect for his start against Stars & Stripes (USA-55). Spithill held his own, nipping a windward position thirty seconds from the start. As Ken Read brought the American boat up, Spithill tacked away, and both boats crossed the line at the gun, the Americans sailing out to the left, the Aussies to the right. They had several good approaches on the early part of the leg, Read tacking into a lee-bow position several times before he was finally able to cross in front. Stars & Stripes built its lead on every leg, finally finishing 1:00 ahead of Young Australia. YOUNG AMERICA WINS, AMERICAONE DID NOT FINISH This match was eagerly anticipated, as both Young America (USA-58) and AmericaOne (USA-49) have shown they have the speed to be around in February. But the match fizzled when AmericaOne couldn't fix a mast problem incurred during the morning. AmericaOne started under jib only, with a man up the mast, and Young America sailed away. AmericaOne fought on, sailing one full windward and leeward leg without a mainsail, before retiring at the bottom mark. Young America finished the course alone to collect a valuable point. -- Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ STANDINGS at the end of Round One:
* Half point penalty imposed by International Jury for boat contact. * Oh my! There is a line drawing of the underbody of the Swiss boat on the Louis Vuitton Cup website. The rudder on Be Happy appears to be attached to the trailing edge of their aft keel. Two keels, two bulbs -- too weird! http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/lvcup.sps?section=home&subsection=home&page=d efault.sps * During today's first race with Young Australia, AmericaOne suffered some damage to the mast and we decided to take it easy during that race as to not further aggravate the damaged area. We were able to make a repair between races but then "the next link in the chain" broke. As soon as this happened we radioed the Race Committee and asked for a postponement. They dispatched the umpires to have a look. By this time Curtis was up the rig and the main was on its way down. The call came back from the race committee that the schedule would not be moved and they fired the warning signal four minutes later. Obviously frustrated by our inability to confront one of our strongest opponents, we intended to ask for redress due to the decision of the committee. The race was a non-issue as AmericaOne was never able to raise her main. We sailed the first lap of the course just to make sure that Young America would not have a worse breakdown and then we peeled off and headed for our base. Upon further reflection I decided not to request redress, with the hope of re-sailing the race. Last night there were flurries of requests for redress and many of the other teams were out there again today re-racing yesterdays races. However, I think this "opportunity" has gotten pushed too far. You have to be ready to race. If you are not ready and another yacht is not at fault, then you don't deserve to be in the race. So we will not seek redress. The round is over and we will be better prepared in Round Robin 2. -- Paul Cayard, http://www.americaone.org * Gateway New Zealand has signed on as a corporate sponsor of the New York Yacht Club/Young America Challenge. As part of the sponsorship, Gateway New Zealand is providing the America's Cup team with computer hardware that is being used both by the land-based shore support team and the on-the-water science team. The science team bases itself on the 68-foot support vessel Weetamoe which is equipped to receive telemetry from the racing boats. Young America Test Manager Dave Hulse monitors Young America's performance with the Gateway equipment on board the Weetamoe. The flat panel screens display the boat parameters while testing. Gateway hardware also allows team meteorologist Chris Bedford to conduct predictive analysis on the race course. Bedford continually monitors and updates his custom forecasts from his mobile weather station on board the Weetamoe. The data collected on the water is readily available to the design, sailmaking and test analysis teams from a central server. -- Jane Eagleson, http://www.youngamerica.org LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (tomleweck@taitech.co.nz) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But you only get one letter per subject, so think it through carefully. -- From Jack King -- Coincidence? I don't think so. Every time Dee Smith gets on a boat, that boat just seems to go faster. He was the tactician/navigator on the Dutch IMS 50 Innovision 7, and they won the Admirals Cup, the North Seas Regatta and the IMS Worlds. And when he was on the maxi Alexia they were overall winners of the Troeo Comde de Godo' and second overall in the Fastnet Race. On Katie in the Tour de France de Voile, he drove in addition to being the tactician /navigator, and they also won. Doug Baker's Turbosled Magnitude was first to finish the Puerto Vallarta Race with Dee as the navigator, and he navigated RX Sight to second in this year's Pineapple Cup. And Smith races on small boats too. Dee was the tactician when the 1D35 Roxanne won the Verve Cup. The only thing Dee Smith lacks is a Rolex watch, but US Sailing will undoubtedly give him one early next year when he's named 1999 Yachtsman of the year. -- From Bruce Hollis, Sydney, Aus. -- Howie Hamlin and Mike Martin have been competing in the Giltinan Shield on Sydney Harbour over the last few years. They have added to the media interest in the event by being very competitive - they are talented sailors and technicians and their achievements in the 505 are tremendous. Howie and Mike are good blokes. There are many people here who would enjoy seeing two such down to earth gentlemen formally recognised by their sports' national authority. -- From Charlie McKee -- Mike Shoettle's comments on Morgan Larson, Kevin Hall, and the rest of the 49er fleet are right on the mark. Our group in the US came about not because people wanted to chase Olympic glory, but because the boats, the racing, and the people made getting together and racing a really neat experience for all. In fact, there were some concerns from the fleet when the Olympic selection was announced, bringing visions of too-serious racing, rivalries, and not enough fun. It is a credit to the character of Morgan, Kevin, and the entire fleet that none of the negatives came to pass. Virtually the entire fleet considers each other best of friends, and everyone shares information, advice and support. Even throughout the tensest moments of the trials, people would sail over to us after a finish, say "nice race guys", and we knew that they meant it. For Morgan and Kevin to be able to write what they did right after what had to be such a disappointing moment shows their true class, as well as epitomizing the spirit and camaraderie of the entire group. Jonathan and I feel extremely honored to be able to represent such a fantastic group of sailors at the Oympics. Their support and friendship over the past years and throughout the coming year are the reason that we keep at this great sport of sailing. From Mark Michaelsen (With regard to Dick Lemke's assertion that sailing loses great numbers of junior participants due to expense and that the attrition rate exceeds that of other sports) -- I beg to differ. Perhaps the area I live in is atypical of most of America but here in Newport Beach, CA the cost of a juniors program is actually quite reasonable in comparison to other sports. There is NO YACHT CLUB membership required at most of the clubs for a junior or at the most a VERY* nominal fee. The boat runs $400 or less if you do your looking early in the season and will be sold for the same when you are done at the end of the season. The cost of the program is 1/10 that of regular daycare and runs from 8:30 AM to noon or 2:30 PM depending on the age of the junior. Yes, you will need a lifejacket so add $30.00 and maybe some gloves so add another $20.00. Your snowboard one day lift ticket will run $30.00 for a junior EVERYDAY of the class or at least $10.00 a day if they package the program with the mountain. Let's face it, sailing is pretty cheap. It's not as much about money as it is about sailing's inability to effectively market itself to "the next generation" and keep them interested. I hate it when I read stuff like this (a bunch of my own finger pointing) without solutions so--go to http://www.cisasailing.org to learn more about how a clinic and some grass roots efforts can make a difference in your area. -- From Bruce B. Nairn -- (re " Robin Baker's comments about, "Our sport...Keep it out of the hands of the professionals.") It was not the "professionals" who created the new rules. Better that we check and see who did. As far as I know it was "us" read: Pro, Amateur and the twos in between. I have never liked rules that allow for a lot of "wiggle room" for the burdened yacht. The anti barging rule change of years ago is a classic example of this, and we all know how well this rule can been exploited. As far as I'm concerned it should be changed to mirror the same burden that the "hunting rule" creates: Burdened vessel beware. Yes, that's right, and you'll have to think ahead too. Further, we should go back and reinforce the "anti collision" rule. Those who are the "hitters" who create any damage get chucked, regardless of who is in the right, period. In my experience there's virtually no instance where the collision couldn't have been avoided. Those sailors who may be a little "shakey" on the racecourse would thereby be protected from the nasty pros who would rather spear them than get on with the race. This would promote good, safe sailing. I think we would all be happy to see an end to the last two decades of "bumper car" yacht racing. -- From Hogan Beatie -- Peter Gilmour knows the difference between Sparcraft, Gibb, or Tylaska shackles, and I'll bet he even knows which type is in use on board Nippon. My experience has shown that these types of shackles (all manufacturers, all materials) will open when subjected to extreme loads, but cannot be " neglected to snap properly" as in that case, they would not be closed at all. As far as the "hunting" issue goes, the rule makers simply legalized a manuever that had been used for years, more so in large fleet races than in any other areas of the sport, Close the thread... Curmudgeon's Comment: I agree with Hogan (again). The hunting thread is officially dead. From Andy Besheer -- Is it just me, or do other 'buttheads get the sense that there are alot of Kiwis laughing their backsides off right now at the chaos occurring on the Louis Vuitton Cup challengers course. Once upon a time, I thought that the challenger series would be an advantage in prepping the best boat and ensuring it was ready to bring back the cup (to NY, 'Frisco, Milan, SD or wherever). Don't think so any more following the follies of the first round where we've already seen more sailovers, requests for postponement, men overboard, serious contact between yachts, injuries and blown gear then in most whole seasons (or for that matter even more than Idler had at the Admiral's Cup!)...and all in 20 knots or less! And through it all, the guys in the red socks and black boats punch their timecards and tote their lunchbuckets through daily practice rounds like they were born to it. Maybe they were. -- From Russ Lenarz -- After reading all the latest reports from Aukland concerning the troubles that some of the AC boats had in sailing in 18 knots and above, one must wonder if this is really the top level of our sport. What is going to happen if the Cup is won by one of the San Francisco teams? If 18 knots is the limit then it would take forever to run the entire event due to all the delays. Let us remember that it takes wind to make the boat move and most of the sailors I know like to see the wind reach the double digits. People were complaining that San Diego was not a good venue for Cup because of all the light. Now there are complaints that 18 knots is too much -- From Robert Bethune, Editor, Freshwater Seas -- Give a gun to a grizzly! Support your right to arm bears! ISAF WOMEN'S MATCH RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Just a note to let you know that we are underway and racing in Genoa. The 24-boat fleet from 16 countries has been divided into four groups; two got races off yesterday, two today. It has been extremely light air (5 knots is a BIG puff) and challenging, to say the least. Betsy Alison (USA) has won all five of her first round robin matches; there are several other teams with 4 wins. We are supposed to finish the first round robin tomorrow (five races for each group) and start the second, which will be the top four split into four separate groups again. We are hoping for better conditions. -- Carol Newman Cronin COASTAL & INSHORE SAILING They're absolutely ideal for coastal and inshore sailing. And they look and feel great onshore too! Check out Gill's new Tradewinds Jacket and coordinating Trousers. As part of Gill's "O2" line of breathable foul weather garments they feature lifejacket/safety harness attachment tabs, a peaked hood that stows in the collar pocket, a fleece-lined collar, and internal and external cuffs. The Tradewinds Trousers have a high cut back, reinforced seat and knees and Velcro ankle adjustment tabs, wide braces, an inner pocket and elastic waistband. The jacket's suggested retail price is only $195.00 while the trousers are $145.00: http://www.douglasgill.com/gillusa.htm CONGRESSIONAL CUP 2000 Congressional Cup chairperson Camille Daniels has made it official: to avoid conflict with the Steinlager Cup at Auckland March 20-26 and the Australia Cup at Perth March 27-April 2, the Congressional Cup has moved out of its usual March slot to April 8-14. The Down Under events moved previously to avoid conflicts with the America's Cup, which could run into early March if both the challenger and defender defy recent tradition by sailing competitively in the best-of-9 Match. Also, the Congressional Cup has boosted its prize money to $25,000 from $15,000 each of the past two years. It will continue to have the ISAF's blessing as a Grade 1 event on the world match-racing circuit. The two-time defending champion is Peter Holmberg of the U.S. Virgin Islands, currently competing in Auckland as tactician for Team Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes. -- Rich Roberts, http://www.lbyc.org THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The only time the world beats a path to your door is if you're in the bathroom |
