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SCUTTLEBUTT 3735 - Monday, December 10, 2012Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: Hall Spars & Rigging and Kaenon Polarized. TAYLOR CANFIELD WINS MONSOON CUP Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (December 8, 2012) - Wildcard entry Taylor Canfield from the US Virgin Islands has won the most coveted event on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, the Monsoon Cup, after defeating Kiwi Phil Robertson in a dramatic, sudden death final. Canfield, skipper of USone, who also won the penultimate Tour event, the Argo Group Gold Cup, said: "This win is the best we have achieved in our careers so far and the guys I'm sailing with, Hayden Goodrick, Mike Rehe, Dan Morris and Rob Dawson did a fantastic job here today. We're the second US Virgin Islanders to win this after Peter Holmberg in 2006. This is a great way to finish the season and sets the bar for next year." Asked if he hopes for a Tour Card in 2013, he added: "We definitely want a Tour Card and if this doesn't prove [what we can do] I don't know what does. Whatever happens, we'll put in a strong effort next year." Ian Williams, who claimed his record-equalling fourth ISAF Match Racing World Championship in the Quarter Final, had to settle for third place after defeating Peter Gilmour in the Petit Final. An emotional Peter Gilmour, who now bows out of professional match racing, said: "We really had a good time out here. It was another wonderful event." Sailed in the Foundation 36, the Monsoon Cup offers the highest prize purse on the Tour, MYR 1.475 million (approx USD 475,000), with the winner set to earn MYR 310,000 (approx USD 100,000). Racing is available to watch online at http://www.wmrt.com/live.html -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/a58knah STRAIGHT LINE SPEED RACE CONTINUES (December 9, 2012; Day 30) - British Vendee Globe skipper Alex Thomson continues to mount a serious challenge for third place among the fleet leaders as the straight line speed race continues east towards the Amsterdam ice security gate. In a building breeze today Thomson has been increasingly able to retain the high average speeds that have long been his trademark, twice earning him 24-hour world speed records. Despite being armed with an older generation design, Hugo Boss' speed king Thomson has been so far been the fastest in the fleet though the second half of Sunday. Over the 750 miles which remain to the third security gate of the course it is unlikely that any new speed records will be set, but the skipper of the silver hulled Farr design went head to head for third today with none other than Virbac-Paprec 3's Jean-Pierre Dick, who by setting a mark of 502.53 miles on 1st December, has now twice surpassed 24 hour distance records previously held by Thomson. Hugo Boss rose from fifth to third today, initially passing a frustrated Bernard Stamm who had spent a period slowed on board his powerful Cheminées Poujoulat to deal with a pressing number of small maintenance issues, including replacing broken battens in his mainsail. But the Swiss skipper, who like Thomson has yet to finish a Vendée Globe, was back up close to maximum speed during the afternoon making 20kts. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/a4htmhq Tracking: http://tracking2012.vendeeglobe.org/en/ Top 5 of 20 - Rankings as of Sunday, December 9, 2012, 20h00 (FR) 1. Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA), Banque Populaire: 15876 nm Distance to Finish 2. Francois Gabart (FRA), Macif: 32.3 nm Distance to Lead 3. Alex Thomson (GBR), Hugo Boss: 96.9 nm DTL 4. Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Virbac Paprec 3: 105.7 nm DTL 5. Bernard Stamm (SUI), Cheminees Poujoulat: 120.8 nm DTL Full rankings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html BACKGROUND: Twenty skippers began the Vendee Globe, a solo, non-stop around the world race in the IMOCA Open 60 class. Starting in Les Sables d'Olonne, France on November 10, the west to east course passes the three major capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn before returning to Les Sables d'Olonne. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) set the course record of 84 days in the 2008-9 edition. -- http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ DECK THE HALLS …and Hall your rig! The holiday season is the perfect time to think ahead to the sailing season. As you raise your holiday twinkle lights up to the top of the mast, take a quick look around. How is the halyard holding up? Is your rigging due for inspection or replacement? Is it time to upgrade some of that underperforming hardware? If the decorative glow is highlighting your boat's deficiencies, we've got you covered. From the Windex to the winches and everything in between, delight yourself or the sailor in your life with a gift from Hall Spars & Rigging. http://www.hallspars.com LUCAS TAKES FIRST AT AUDI MELGES 20 WINTER SERIES EVENT 1 Miami, FL (December 9, 2012) - Day three of the 2013 Audi Melges 20 Miami Winter Series hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club remained consistent with light air conditions prevailing for the final day of racing for Event No. 1 in the series and resulting in no races. Although the weather conditions were not perfect for sailing, the teams raced for two days and completed four races. Competition was intense for the forty-two boats in attendance, enjoying numerous lead changes and struggling with the challenging light air conditions. Congratulations are in order for Russell Lucas and crew of Harry Melges III and Federico Michetti on Shimmer who took home the coveted first place trophy for the event. The Eagan family (Marcus, Marc and Andrew) on Cajun Underwriting finished with a well-deserved and highly respected second place trophy. They also were named top Corinthian. John Kilroy on Samba Pa Ti rounds out the top rankings clinching third. The International Audi Melges 20 Class Association (IAM20CA) and Coconut Grove Sailing Club will host Event No. 2 of the Audi Melges 20 Miami Winter Series February 9-11, 2013. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/anwba52 USA'S BARKOW WINS 5TH ANNUAL CARLOS AGUILAR St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (December 9, 2012) - USA's Sally Barkow played the 'comeback kid' by defeating USA's Dave Perry 3-0 in the Finals at the 5th Carlos Aguilar Match Race (CAMR), presented by Ulysse Nardin/Trident Jewels & Time. Barkow, who has raced this regatta four times, took second last year after a narrow defeat by Finland's Staphan Lindberg. The sorrow of that defeat made this year's win for Barkow and her crew Annie Lush, Alana O'Reilly, Erik Shampain and Maggie Shea all the sweeter. "We worked hard as a team in these last few days and it paid off," says Barkow, who is ranked 6th in the Women's and 31st in the Open match race ranking's divisions as of December 5, 2012. A rainsquall blowing across the Charlotte Amalie harbor just minutes before the start of the Finals left light and shifty conditions in its wake. This didn't deter Barkow who handily won the first two matches against Perry. In what proved the final match of the Finals, Barkow lead at the start and stretched her advantage to 8 boat lengths by the windward mark. She lengthened her frontrunner position into a commanding 10 to 12 boat lengths by the finish even though her team battled through a kink in the spinnaker that cost them a few seconds in boat speed in the last downwind run. "It was so shifty," says Barkow. "It was easy to get it either so right or so wrong." This match-up of teams in the Finals was an interesting one as Perry, who is the author of Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012, has served as Barkow's match racing coach. "For me it was a win-win," says Perry of his team's second place finish and his student's first. "Sally's team is really good and they have evolved their game well. I was impatient. I had some advantages and gave them away. This either put me behind or put me further behind and Sally took advantage of that." Two past America's Cup skippers went head-to-head in the Petite Finals. Ultimately, USVI's Peter Holmberg won 2-1 over USA's Dave Dellenbaugh. Thus, Holmberg finished third and Dellenbaugh fourth in the final standings. -- Full story: http://www.carlosmatchrace.com OMANI DOUBLE FOR 2012 EXTREME SAILING PODIUM PLACES Rio, Brazil (December 9, 2012) - The most closely contested finish ever in the six-year history of the Extreme Sailing Series, today saw The Wave, Muscat clinch the final Act victory in Rio de Janeiro by the smallest of margins, just 0.2 points ahead of the French Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. Coming into the Act, The Wave, Muscat was the hot favorite to win the Series. With three Act wins already under their belts they just had to play it safe and finish sixth or above which they did. The battle was for second place and in true Extreme Sailing Series style it came down to the final double points race. With only one point between each of the first 3 teams, it would not be clear until the final minute who would get the result they sought - one minute, the Austrian Red Bull Sailing Team led, the next Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and in a blink it could be an Omani boat. In the end it was Pierre Pennec who finished the regatta on a high, winning the final race which bringing his tally for the Act up to an impressive 10 race wins, securing his French team second place in Rio and third place in the 2012 championship. In his first year on the Series, Morgan Larson (USA) and his Oman Air team have proved themselves a force to be reckoned with, with Act wins in Muscat, Oman and Cardiff UK. A fifth place in the final race today was enough for the Omani team to finish third in Rio and second place on the overall leaderboard, making it an Omani double for 2012. "It was a challenging day, and as I said to the guys, it is a testament to the characters of the people on the boat that they're all fighters and they kept fighting even when things didn't go our way," said Larson. "In the end we are really pleased. We have a bright future." The sixth year of the Extreme Sailing Series closes after 209 races staged across 7 venues and 11 months of global touring this year. The 2013 Series begins in Muscat, Oman on the 5th March with 8 teams (6 returning and 2 new) set to fight for ultimate victory. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/a56fj9t THE GIFT GUIDE FROM KAENON POLARIZED At www.kaenon.com we will help you find something special for everyone on your list, and at every price level. Whether it's our newest Holiday releases Kat-i and the sophisticated metals Driver and Ballmer, or our most popular frame styles such as Burnet, Georgia and Hard Kore in a wide range of color options, or our stocking stuffers of cool hats and T's, Kaenon Polarized will bring smiles and superior vision to everyone on your list. We wish all of you a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. Available in Prescription. http://www.kaenon.com SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SAILING SHORTS * Auckland, New Zealand (December 7, 2012) - With a limit of only 30 days of sailing until February 1st allowed in the AC 34 rules and the clock abruptly ticking down the days left for Emirates Team NZ on the water, it was time to push the AC72 further than it has been pushed so far. For Team NZ, day 28 just happened to coincide with one of the most destructive days of weather Auckland has seen in some time, giving them an opportunity to really put their AC 72 through its paces. Said Grant Dalton, CEO ETNZ, "It's the hardest we've ever pushed it.s" -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/afs5uod * Melbourne, Australia, December 8, 2012 - At the ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne, in the Men's 470 fleet, capitalizing on a great week, it was Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) who sealed victory and their gold medal with an emphatic display to increase their lead at every mark rounding. Brendan Casey (AUS) cleaning up the course in the Finn, while Tom Burton (AUS) collected Gold in the Laser. Florian Gruber (GER) and Ariane Imbert (FRA) each won gold in Kiteboarding. -- Full story: http://www.sailing.org/news/33686.php * On Tuesday, December 11 at 6:30pm, at the Manhattan Sailing Club's floating clubhouse, all boating enthusiasts are invited to meet one of the world's greatest ocean racers Giovanni Soldini. He has won the single-handed Round the World Race as well as many trans-Atlantic and other major events and is currently preparing to challenge the New York to San Francisco sailing record on his boat Maserati. Admission is free but RSVP is required because of limited space. -- Info at: http://tinyurl.com/acrxpjx * The International Rolex Regatta, one of the world's greatest yacht races, will be sailed March 22nd - 24th, 2013. The Regatta is scheduled a week earlier this year to accommodate some holistic changes on the Spring Caribbean regatta schedule. Hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club, the International Rolex Regatta will celebrate its 40th year in 2013 with Rolex a partner since the very beginning. -- Read on: http://www.rolexcupregatta.com/index2.php * Miami, FL (December 9, 2012) - The 2012-13 Etchells Jaguar Cup Mid Winters Series kicked off this weekend with the Piana Cup (Dec. 8-9). "The Jag", as it has come to be known, is a series of four regattas between December and March. Hosted by Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, fifty-two Etchells hit the start line Saturday for temps in the mid 70's, lots of sun but light winds. The fleet rolled through three races, with winds on Sunday failing to offer any racing. Winning the Piana Cup was La Tormenta, skippered by Flipper Wehrheim with his crew of Kurt Oetking and Brad Boston. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/aru6kjd * The Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta, which attracts an international roster of the world's best young sailors, ages 8-18, comes to Miami from December 27th- 30th. This year over 600 sailors from all over the world - England, Italy, France, Mexico, Peru and Curacao - will invade the shores of Biscayne Bay, competing in 3 different classes: Optimists (Optis), Lasers and 420s. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/aaq55qb PRO BONO The Scuttlebutt website allows marine companies to post their personnel, product and service updates. For free. As a bonus, each week the Scuttlebutt newsletter includes some of the recent updates. Are you in the marine industry? Post your updates in the Industry News section of the Forum. EIGHT BELLS Thomas Gilchrist Allen III, 81, of Amherst, N.Y., husband of 56 years to Anne Smither Allen, passed away on December 6, 2012 in Amherst. An entrepreneur, boat builder, champion sailor and a passionate lover of the Buffalo Canoe Club and his summer home in Bay Beach, Ontario, Tom will be remembered for his uncanny ability to build and sail boats. He attended the Nichols School in Buffalo. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Albion College and graduated in 1953, followed by two years in the Navy where he was a member of the swimming team. In 1961 he founded the Allen Boat Company in Buffalo, N.Y. where he built sailboats, but most notably, the Lightning class sailboat. Initially, his boats were built of wood but over time their construction switched to fiberglass. He became the largest manufacturer of the Lightning class boat in the world. At the time of his passing Tom was still affiliated with the Allen Boat Company, which is now run by his son, Thomas Allen. Tom's sailing record is legendary. Over the span of his life he has won four Lightning World Championships, eight North American Lightning Championships, a Flying Dutchman North American Championship, the Albacore Nationals, a gold and silver medal in the Pan American Games, and was an alternate member of the U.S. Olympic Team in the Flying Dutchman class for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. He has won so many races that it is difficult to portray the extent of his success. A celebration of Tom's life will be held Saturday, December 15, at 10:30 AM at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 4007 Main St, Amherst, New York 14226. -- http://www.lightningclass.org/resources/news/2012/tomallensr.asp GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From George W. Carmany III: A great post from Bruce Kirby regarding the famous Gretel win in '62 (SB 3734). I was there as well. The other part of the story is that it was not just Columbia's spinnaker at work. Gretel wore a Hood main that day which came with Vim when she was purchased by Frank Packer as a trial horse for Gretel. That main was treasured in Australia because it was grandfathered and at one point was recognized on the boom of Southern Cross while trialing in Perth in 1973. This all resulted in the introduction of "made in country" requirements for subsequent matches. * From Ned Hall: Bruce Kirby refers to "Regarding the history report in Scuttlebutt 3734," but he must have meant another one. Any chance I could see that one because I must have missed some history you or someone else referred to. I was on the foredeck on Weatherly in that race in 1962. * From Charles J. Bertrand: Lost: Mount Gay Red Hat, Key West, 1998 I live in Sea Bright, NJ. Similar to thousands, I've lost my boat, car, and home. Almost as important, I lost my red hat during the storm. If found, please return. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/a93xbuu * From Mark Weinheimer: I can't remember who put forth the idea, but it may merit reiteration...run a W/L fun race wherein the entire fleet turns downwind wherever they are on the course when the first place boat rounds the windward mark. Repeat at the leeward mark. The trick is to have the course long enough for the fleet to remix with each rounding - challenging for the top of the fleet as they have to make their way back through the crowd and it gives the back markers a turn at the front defending. Prizes could be awarded for the boat with the most mark roundings, the most boats passed...and a sandbag award for the most egregious trophy hunter. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION When you need to knock on wood is when you realize that the world is composed of vinyl, naugahyde and aluminum. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Hall Spars & Rigging - Kaenon Polarized - North Sails - APS J Boats - US Sailing - Ultimate Sailing - Point Loma Outfitting Ullman Sails - Southern Spars - North U - Henri Lloyd Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
