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SCUTTLEBUTT 1424 - September 29, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. GUEST COMMENTARY The sweetest victories in life are those hardest won. There are some days when the challenges of building a C Class catamaran for the Little America's cup seem a bit daunting. To be honest if I had known what I was getting into when Ian Jenkins and I first met in a yacht club bar and the conversation turned to the Little America's Cup, I might of considered changing the topic, well only for a second. Growing up in Australia when I was boy, the Cats of Lindsay Cunningham and before that Miss Nylex were the on water Ferraris of the day, these boats were and are intoxicating. While the Little America's Cup may be at the fringes of main stream sailing, it is also at the limits of our materials and construction, at the edge of our ability to design and create, and firmly in the dreams of many sailors throughout the world. C Class Catamaran's and difficult to design, build, sail and maintain. This seems to have been one of the reasons to return our challenge. This misses the point. It is because it is difficult that we continue. If the mountain is too hard to climb you continue until you find a way to the top. Giving up and looking for a hill diminishes the achievement. The opportunity to design and create an award-winning piece of piece of sailing technology as we have done, is a rare privilege that I am proud to be a part of. Australian Catamaran Challenge understands this is the kind of inspirational project that dreams are made of. We want to thank the sailing public for their support. and put Steve Clark and Duncan Maclean on notice. Better watch out, the bloke's from the land down under are coming and you'd better be ready for a good blue! - Damien Smith, Project Naval Architect, Australian Catamaran Challenge ETCHELLS WORLDS Newport skipper Ken Read aced six out of eight races, leaving 95 other boats in his wake, to win the MasterCard International Etchells World Championship in Greenwich, Connecticut (USA) last week. University of Rhode Island sailing coach Scott Norris and Karl Anderson of Massachusetts were his crew. "We just had one of those weeks where everything we touched turned to gold," Read said. "Every shift that we anticipated worked in our favor. We got good starts, really good starts, and we were just plain old fast. We really worked hard on the boat this summer, and we worked hard on getting the sails and the rig right." The largest one-design championship fleet faced shifty and variable breezes throughout the regatta. "In every kind of condition, we were never slower than equal to the best boats, and when the breeze came on, we were quite fast," Read said. "When you're fast, you sail smarter and sail better because you're not worried about your boat speed and you tend to look outside the boat more." - Tom Meade, projo.com, http://tinyurl.com/oy60 Final results: 1. Ken Read, Karl Anderson & Scott Norris, USA, 8 2. Jud Smith, H. Frazer & A. Wills, USA, 57 3. Cameron Miles, P. Smidmore & J. Mayjor, AUS, 93 4. Cameron Appleton, P. Merrington & P. Gudmunson, NZL, 104 5. Bill Lynn, T. Erskine & D. Sabin, USA, 112 6. Stuart Childerley, S. Russell & R. Marino GBR, 118 7. Dennis. Conner, P. Burton & T. Rey, USA, 118 8. Dirk Kneulman, D. Smithers & H. Lammens CAN, 122 9. Hans Fogh, R. Cheer & T. Fogh, CAN, 97 10. Ched Proctor, B. Kinney & G. Stevens, USA, 130 Event website: http://www.etchellsworlds2003.org/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Ken Read "This boat has been my way of relaxing after finishing the America's Cup," - NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/27/sports/othersports/27yacht.html TAKE THE WHEEL OF "STARS & STRIPES!" Next Level Sailing invites you to take the wheel of an 80-foot America's Cup yacht! Take a breathtaking 2.5 hour excursion on the Bay ($89/person), or sign-up for a one-day or five-day lesson program. Corporate charters, team-building, and special yacht club programs also available! Call 800-644-3454 or visit: www.nextlevelsailing.com 2004 OLYMPICS As a result of the performance in the ISAF World Sailing Championships in Cadiz, Spain, the USA has now qualified teams for all classes in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens with the single exception of the 470 Women. The last chance to gain that qualification will be at the 2004 world championship regatta at Zadar, Croatia on May 7-16 - six months after the US 470 Olympic trials. The athletes who qualified the U.S.A. for the Olympics may not be the country's ultimate representatives to the 2004 Games as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Sailing are a "winner takes all" competition. Only the first-place finisher in each event earns a spot on the U.S.A.'s 2004 Olympic Sailing Team. - Media Pro Int'l For information on the US Olympic Trials: www.ussailing.org/Olympics NEWS BRIEFS * Lightning National Champion Allen Terhune has won US Sailing's 10-race Championship of Champions regatta for the Jack Brown Trophy held in Melges MC scows at the Lake Geneva YC in Fontana, Wisconsin. MC Scow champion Justin Hood finished second, nine points back, with Snipe champion Andrew Pimental in third place. - http://www.lgyc.com/ * Will the Newport-based New York Yacht Club mount an America's Cup challenge for 2007? "We don't know," said Lawrence S. Huntington, new commodore of the NYYC. "The answer is, if a member came to us and said, 'I really want to do this and I'm ready to fund it,' we would very seriously contemplate such a thing. But the emphasis is on the "I". - Newport Daily News, http://www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2003/09/26/news/news4.txt * On Saturday, 67 boats started 2700-mile leg of the Mini Transat Race from Lanzarotte to Bahia, Brazil in 15 knots of wind that built to 30 knots during the night. Overnight there were several dismastings, a broken rudder and two broken booms. On Sunday at 1500 GMT, Jonathan McKee's Team McLube was in sixth place, 20 miles behind the leader, Armel Tripon's Moulin Roty, who finished fourth on the first leg of the race. Leg one winner, Samuel Manuard is in 13th place, 31 miles behind the leader. http://www.transat650.org/ * During the last Cup, Areva's €15m support for Le Défi Areva has angered activists in France and in the Pacific but Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, director of communication and spokesman for the Areva Group, said he is convinced that the Areva Group's involvement in yachting was very successful. "Our expectations concerning our commitment to this campaign have been exceeded by far", he explained. "According to the French financial newspaper Les Echos, the Group is currently in the process of negotiating a new support with Loïck Peyron's syndicate." - The Cup in Europe website, http://www.cupineurope.com/LatestNews/2007TF-LN.htm * Toronto Canada - Terry McLaughlin's Team Defiant from the Royal Canadian YC's holds a 3-1 lead in the Canada's Cup match race series in Farr 40s against Bob Hughes' Macatawa Bay YC Team Heartbreaker from Michigan. There is still a lot of racing ahead for these two teams. http://www.rcyc.ca/Special/index.htm * Over twenty people have used the "sign-up to crew" feature on the Scuttlebutt event calendar to help themselves get crew jobs for Key West Race Week. Click on any calendar event to access the sign-up list or to find out who is available for regattas on your schedule: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar * The Clipper 2002 Round the World Yacht has finished Saturday in Liverpool's River Mersey. In stark contrast to the gale stricken race start eleven months ago, the final sprint of the 16-race series from Holyhead to Liverpool was shortened due to a total lack of wind. Final overall standings: 1. Jersey, Simon Rowell, 97.5; 2. Bristol, Richard Butler, 95.5; 3. Liverpool, Adam Kyffin, 74; 4. Hong Kong, Justin Taylor, 71; 5. Glasgow, Rupert Parkhouse, 65; 6. London, Rory Gillard, 57.5; 7. New York, Ross Daniel, 55; 8. Cape Town, Roger Steven-Jennings, 30. www.clipper-ventures.com * Safety at Sea (Australasia) Ltd is recalling all the BFA Liferafts that they have sold since January 1999 as they have a major concern about the potential to prematurely inflate. Many of these rafts are now scatterred around the world. The BFA brand of liferafts was bought by Zodiac in 1999 and Zodiac is not in support of the recall. However, SAS believes their is a high risk of premature inflation if in hot climatic conditions +30C (86F). - L.K. Klee, For more information: http://www.safetyatsea.com/bfarecall.pdf MARI CHA AND MUSTO The Mari Cha team has once again chosen Musto to supply the crew protection for Mari Cha IV. Musto also supplied the technical clothing to Mari Cha III, which has done some real damage to the record book over the past few years. Teams like this only come back to a supplier if the product has done its job well the first time around. At Musto it is a compliment we are very used to. You don't need to attempt to break transatlantic records to experience Musto. Give it a try next time. http://www.musto.co.uk HURRICANE MARTY Hurricane Marty, the most destructive storm to ever hit the cruising fleet in Mexico, traveled the 700-mile length of the Sea of Cortez September 21-24 with winds reportedly as strong as 120 knots. She left dinged, damaged, and destroyed boats on both the east and west shores of the Sea, as well as on the islands in the middle It's impossible to come up with hard numbers of the damage, but it seems that about 35 boats were sunk or driven ashore, a dozen were dismasted, and more than 100 suffered over $10,000 in damages. In most cases, the damage was to cosmetics, bow rollers, unfurled jibs and dodgers. The Sea is popular with retired cruisers, and for many their boat is their most valuable possession. And probably half of these boats are not insured. The greatest and most concentrated destruction took place at Mac and Mary Shroyer's Marina de La Paz, and the adjacent Marina Abaroa. Both, according to Neil Shroyer, are 95% destroyed. Virtually all of the 100 boats in the former, and 40 boats in the latter, suffered somewhere between extensive cosmetic damage and complete destruction. Another spot with concentrated destruction was Puerto Escondido, 115 miles north of La Paz. The almost entirely enclosed one mile by three-quarter mile bay is a popular place for cruisers to leave their boats unattended during the hot summer months. Steady 65-knot winds, with reported gusts to 85, combined with six-foot chop, causing boats to drag left and right. Seventeen boats were sunk, driven ashore, or blown out into the Sea. - Excerpts from stories posted on the 'Lectronic Latitude website. There is much more, plus photo posted: http://www.latitude38.com/LectronicLat/LectronicLat.html MULTI HULL CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The Hobie 14, Hobie 16 Women's, and Hobie 16 Jr. North American Continental Championships took place last weekend at the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association in Dewey Beach, Delaware. Eleven races were sailed in the 14's and the 16 Women's and seven in the Jr's. After a neck and neck series Jim Sajdak from California took the Hobie 14 Championship by three points after winning the last two races of the regatta. In second was Sandy Takacs from Rhode Island with last years champion, Bill Jeffers, from New York in third. After the first two days of racing in 15 to 20 knots, Rosarito Martinez and Kamil Berrios, from Puerto Rico, established a big lead in the women's championship. Last year's Women's Champion, Susan Korzeniewski sailing with Diane Bisesi, from New York, closed the gap on the final day in lighter breeze, but it was not enough to beat the Puerto Ricans. In third were Lynn Myers and Beth Andrews from New Jersey. The Hobie 16 Jr. Continentals was also won by Puerto Ricans.Francisco Figueroa and Martin Roldan won the event followed by Jorge Murrieta and Kelly Wood from Mexico. Jake Sailer and Clifton Neff form California were third. The Hobie 16 North American Continental Championship begins on Monday September 29th, with racing through Friday October 3rd. at the same venue. Fifty-nine teams have pre-registered for the event and the final number is expected to be in the seventies by the end of registration on Monday. Full results: http://www.hobie16cc.com/ PRO-AM REGATTA Not surprisingly, the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gordo in the BVI is nearly sold out for its Dry Creek Vineyard Pro-Am Regatta during the first week of November. Having the opportunity to crew for Russell Coutts, Ed Baird, Andy Burdick, Dawn Riley, Peter Holmberg, Kenny Read, Lowell North, Keith Musto, Rod Johnstone, Butch Ullmer or even the curmudgeon could have been the incentive - or was it was the opportunity to skipper a boat in the Musto Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship Regatta which runs concurrently at Caribbean paradise? Although there are only a few rooms left, special rates still apply for SSC members (that's you), and further discounts for team bookings of three rooms or more. - http://beyc.com/todo_act_regatta_proam.asp LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Suzanne McFadden: Congratulations on Scuttlebutt's sixth anniversary! But there's one lot of people you forgot to thank - your contributors! Curmudgeon's Comment: Suzanne is spot-on. I cannot think of any news medium with a larger or more talented (or less well compensated) staff. As many of you know, Suzanne is a journalist from Auckland, who has certainly written more copy for Scuttlebutt than I have, and was a major contributor during the huge growth Scuttlebutt experienced during the 1999-2000 Louis Vuitton and America's Cup series. * From Dick Rose, Chair, US Sailing Racing Rules Committee (In response to Bruce Thompson and his questions about proposed changes in the racing rules): The International Sailing Federation will consider proposed changes to the racing rules at its annual meeting in early November in Barcelona. All the proposed changes (called "submissions") are available for anyone to read and study on the ISAF web site (www.sailing.org). Simply click on 'Meetings', then under 'November 2003 ' click on 'Submissions'. Be warned, there are lots of proposed changes so working through them will take some time. The US Sailing Racing Rules Committee will be reviewing the proposed changes to the racing rules, as well as the existing US Sailing prescriptions to the racing rules, during US Sailing's Annual Meeting in St. Louis on Friday, October 17th. Comments will be welcomed from anyone attending that meeting. If you are not attending and would like to comment, please e-mail your thoughts to rules@ussailing.org prior to October 31st. * From John McBrearty: I see that you have declared the heavy weather racing thread "dead" however, all the 'litigation" talk prompts me to write. When have any of you heard, first hand, of a successful lawsuit against a race committee/ yacht club concerning the conduct of a race in blustery conditions? I know in California, and I would be surprised if it was different in any other jurisdiction in the USA, that such actions are barred by a legal maxim called "assumption of risk". Simply stated, "you go out there, you take your chances". It's your choice-kinda like climbing Everest. Why do you think US Sailing's insurance for regatta organizers is so cheap? Maybe someone from US sailing could tell us how many claims they have paid under that coverage. My educated guess would be none! Curmudgeon's Comment: John appears to have successfully figured out a way to start a new thread. * From Dean Hubbard: I could not help but notice that it will take Mari Cha IV more than twice the waterline and twenty-five times the manpower to wrest the West to East transatlantic title from Bernard Stamm's Around Alone effort. It would seem only fair that Mari Cha IV be required to claim Stamm's record only if they make it in half the time and with forty-eight hands tied behind their backs * From George Backhus: It occurred to me today that if one is standing on the North Pole, the wind is always a southerly. * Peter Huston: How many more "coaches" are going to run over other coaches or sailors in Olympic class regattas before ISAF does something about this trend? While I prefer a minimum of regulation in the sport, clearly, there are too many "coaches" who obviously can't properly operate a motorboat on the race course. One questions the sailing capabilities of these who can't safely operate a coach boat. Maybe the time has come that there should be no coaches allowed on the water in any Olympic class event. Or if there must be coaches afloat, perhaps ISAF should mandate the type of boat and propulsion that is used. I suggest that ISAF allow only one type of coach boat, an Opti powered by one small paddle. Curmudgeon's Comment: We've been down this path much too recently to start the thread so soon again. This thread is officially put back to sleep - again. * From Wayne Bruce: As yacht clubs and organizing bodies make proposals to host their major events, like North American and World Championships regattas, shouldn't they have to commit to provide prompt and complete website information as a part of the package? CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Only rarely do you find a not a complete idiot - most have some parts missing. |
