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SCUTTLEBUTT #484 - January 18, 2000THE PREZ SAYS(The following is an excerpt from a report issued by ISAF President Paul Henderson) ADVERTISING CODE: When ISAF ExecCom decided to revamp the Ad Code after 12 years it was understood it would be a difficult task. ISAF pushed ahead endeavouring to bring the Ad Code into the reality of the 21st century. Even though Council had a majority agreement in Vancouver in the Spring some MNA's and Classes decided to redebate the issues. Much to the disappointment of the sailors the President had to delay the implementation. There will be presented to Council the following proposal so as ISAF can move positively ahead: 1) The front 20% of boats 7 metres and under and 15% for boats over 7 metres will be reserved for the recall #'s and the event sponsor. 2) The rest of the equipment including the sails will be left up to the sailor to assign as they wish. To their MNA, the class, personal sponsors or not at all if they so wish. Classes can go for Cat"A" or limited Cat"C" as selected by the majority of their sailors. 3) Supplied equipment will be left to the supplier and Windsurfers have their code already agreed. General: ISAF will wave all fees payable to them except for "Special Events". It will also be proposed and hopefully incorporated into class rules that Event Organisers must refrain from charging an extra fee for boats which carry advertising. AMERICA'S CUP: This AC is as exciting and as controversial as any of the recent past. Congratulations to America One and Prada for surviving through to the finals of the intense Louis Vuitton Cup. Fair Winds and Good Sailing to both syndicates!! The on shore installations in Auckland are spectacular. ISAF Jury and Umpires are being stretched to the limit by starting most mornings at 7h00 with pre-race briefings, then long days on the water making crucial instantaneous calls, back to shore for post-race debriefings for the competitors and press conferences. After all that they are confronted by the various protests and allegations which have always been an unsavoury part of the AC. Bryan Willis and Team ISAF have performed with integrity and expertise which is enviable in today's World of professional sport. It is sincerely hoped that the America's Cup organisers and combatants do not have to again be reminded of the major role ISAF plays so as this highest of profile Sailing competitions can proceed with "Fair Play". OLYMPIC CLASSES: This will again be a major issue in November. It now looks hopeful that Sailing will be left with 11 events but we maybe cut back a few entries for Athens. Although it is necessary to have some evolution in classes changing more than one class per Olympics is very disruptive to MNA's. Two changes are the maximum that can be handled. The concept to not pick a specific class for the Women's Match Racing but allowing any ISAF Class to be used appears to be a way to ensure a broad program for this discipline using existing equipment. The specific equipment should be chosen as close to the Games as the IOC will allow. WADA: The World Anti-Doping Agency met in Lausanne recently. This is a joint initiative of Governments, the IOC, National Olympic Committees and International Sports Federations. Sailing is well represented by Tallberg, Rogge and Henderson. It was clarified that the out of competition testing is only directed towards elite, international competitors and in no way is meant to be used to police those who compete purely in local or national arenas. ISAF should limit their testing to Olympic Classes and those preparing for the Games. Other "Special Events" can ask to be included in the program. ORC: The merger of the ORC and ISAF is moving positively ahead. I met the venerable Olin Stephens at the Royal Thames Y.C. and we agreed that there is nothing really wrong with the measurement aspects of the IMS Rule but the basis of the dissatisfaction is that there needs to be revisited the scoring system(s) which should be different especially in strong tidal waters like the Solent. (My sincere wish for everyone is that we can all be as sharp and alert at 90 as this wonderful and opinionated man is!!) KWRW Key West, Fla. (January 17, 2000) - Two Farr 40s have brought a rivalry that began last summer at the Farr 40 Worlds in San Francisco to the opposite corner of the United States. On the opening day of GMC Yukon Yachting Key West Race Week (January 17-21), John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti (Zuma Beach, Calif.) and Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino of Italy are tied in points in the Farr 40 class after two races. Kilroy edged Onorato out for a Worlds win this past summer, but Key West Race Week may be a payback opportunity for Onorato's well-honed crew from Itlay. Kilroy's finishes of 3-2 today match Onorato's of 4-1 for 5 points each as the 27-boat Farr 40 class enters the second day of racing. Onorato earned Boat of the Day honors today, a determination based on a formula that factors time and points differential, with a weighting factor for class size. It was a "Chamber of Commerce day," said Event Director Peter Craig of today's sun and 12- to 17-knot breeze. A cold front that hung over the island on the eve of Race Week -- bringing chilly climate and northerly breeze in excess of 20 knots -- faded today, bringing moderate winds to this 261-boat fleet from 12 nations. John Wylie, the San Diego-based skipper of the One Design 35 (1D 35) Tabasco, summed the day up: "It was a blast out there today, the conditions were perfect. Getting off the line with speed and then finding a clear lane immediately were so important." Wylie's tactician, Rick Merriman, did a nice job managing his starts as Tabasco jumped out to a fast 1-6 today, winning the first race by a single second over Virginia-based rival Avalanche, skippered by Sledd Shelhorse. The first six boats in this 21-boat class finished within a minute of each other in the first race. After two races, Kip Meadows' 1D35 Roxanne (Indian Island, NC) leads the 1D35 class. Opening day for the nine boat IMS-1 class was a pitched battle with CM 60 sisterships Highland Fling and Rima ending the day standing 1-2 respectively in the point scores. Geoff and Mary Stagg's Farr One Design 52 Scream, a new design launched about ten days before Race Week opened, is in third after taking a 3-4 in the opening two races of her career. Highland Fling, owned by Irvine Laidlaw, is defending her win as 1999 Boat of the Week winner. Another just-splashed design making a debut in Key West is Melges 32 Ceres Group, owned by Mike Nauert of (Lake Geneva, Wisc.). America's Cup veteran Buddy Melges lead his crew on this Reichel/Pugh design to an early lead in its 14-boat PHRF class. "I'd say we were victorious no matter how we finished," said crewmember Hans Melges, "because we had a good time - and we sailed very fast." Andrew Skibo's J/105 Plum Crazy (Ocean City, N.J.) took a 1-2 in opening day sailing in the 18-boat J/105 class. But Skibo's beginnings may not be as strong as they sound: this East Coast entry will begin the second day of racing with a slim one-point lead over the Naples, Fla.-based, Flame. Race Week is produced by Premiere Racing of Marblehead (Mass.). Competition concludes Friday, January 21. -- Cynthia Goss. SELECTED RESULTS. DIVISION I CLASS A - IMS (9 Boats) 1. Highland Fling (Isle of Man, England) 2-1--3 2. Rima (Newport, RI) 1-5 - 7 3. Scream (Annapolis, MD) 3-4 -- 7; CLASS C - Farr 40 (27 Boats) 1. Mascalzone Latino (Italy) 4-1 -- 5; 2. Samba Pa Ti (Zuma Beach, CA) 2-3 -- 5; 3. Barking Mad (Newport, RI) 6-2 -- 8; CLASS D - 1D35 (21 Boats) 1. Roxanne (Indian Island, NC) 3-2 -- 5; 2. Avalanche (Lake Wesley, VA) 2-3 -- 5; 3. Tabasco (San Diego, CA) 1-5 -- 6; DIVISION 3 CLASS A - Mumm 30 (26 Boats) 1.Trouble/Phil Garland (Barrington, RI) 3-5 -- 8; 2.Turbo Duck/Bodo von der Wense (Annapolis, MD 2-8 -- 10; 3.Blurr/J. Lindsay Clarkson (Cape May, NJ) 7-4 -- 11; CLASS B - Melges 24 (46 Boats) 1.Snickers Workwear/David Clark (UK) 3-3 -- 6; 2. Full Throttle/Brian Porter (Lake Geneva, WI) 6-1 -- 7; 3.RockN'Roll/Argyle Campbell (Newport Beach, CA) 2-6 -- 8; CLASS C - J/105 (18 Boats) 1.Plum Crazy/Andrew Skibo (Ocean City, NJ) 1-2 -- 3; 2.Flame/Doane Ltd. Partnership (Naples, FL) 3-1 -- 4; 3.Phanton/Geoffrey Pierini (Perth Amboy, NJ) 2-3 -- 5. Complete results and feature reports: http://www.Premiere-Racing.com MTN CAPE TO RIO RACE A new record in the MTN Cape to Rio still looks unavoidable. One can only wonder if the media representatives who are flying to Rio on Thursday morning will be in time to see the winning boat approaching Sugarloaf Mountain. It is also possible that Portugal-Brasil 500 can still sail the fastest time to Rio. They lost almost 28 hours when a broken boom forced them to return to Cape Town. When they turned back, Ingvall and his crew had already covered almost 400 nautical miles. If they did not have this setback, it would probably have been a battle of epic proportions between the three maxis. Light winds and further damage to the yachts can still change the picture considerably. It looks as if Portugal-Brasil 500 will finish third, with the two top South African entries, Maxtec Wizard (Jan Reuvers) en Greenwich Warrior (Phil Gutsche) right behind her. The contest for line honours will also be interesting. Brent Gray, skipper of Africa Group, may have a broken leg and spent the last few days in his bunk. Despite this setback, Africa Group is still a strong contender for line honours. -- Eben Human Leader's Positions: 1. Zephyrus IV Robert McNeil IMS 20 degrees 32' S 29 degrees 9' W 2. Sagamore Jim Dolan IMS 20 degrees 28' S 27 degrees 34' W Full story: http://www.capetorio.com ATTENTION REGATTA ORGANIZERS This is the time of year that 'checked-out' regatta organizers start planning for next season's big event. And if it's a really big event, they're considering hull and sail graphics, bow numbers, banners, backstay pennants and flags. And obviously, it all has to fit within the budget. Who can make that happen?. Well, the Mumm 30s, the Mumm 36s, the Corel 45s the Farr 40s, the Hobies 16s, the 49ers, the SoCal Volvo regatta and lots of others learned North Graphics was the best place to go. Why? Just call Whitney Gladstone and you'll find out: (619) 224-8667, http://www.northsails.com/graphics/ ON-BOARD UMPIRES? Will they, or won't they? Team New Zealand apparently wants them, while the Challengers aren't so sure. Will we see Umpires on board the boats during the America's Cup Match? The answer is still up in the air, but it isn't likely. Although Team New Zealand is on the record as being in favour of on board Umpires, the eventual Challenger would have to agree before the change is implemented. And at this point that isn't likely. "You don't test out new refereeing systems at the Superbowl," said Tom Ehman, Rules Advisor to AmericaOne before the Semi-Finals. "If you go to the Big Game you don't try something new just because the locals think it is great." AmericaOne tactician John Kostecki has said while he's sailed with them before, and can see some situations where it might be beneficial, he's not sure it would help a lot here. His counterpart in the Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Torben Grael is more sympathetic to the idea of on board Umpires. At a press conference over the weekend, Grael said it would be helpful to know what was going through the Umpire's minds as various situations developed. While having an Umpire on the back of the boat to relay rule information to the tactician could help prevent misunderstandings, it also creates some difficulties. First, if the eventual Challenger hasn't used them at all in the Louis Vuitton Cup, will it be happy to try on board Umpires for the first time in the match for the America's Cup. Team New Zealand has sailed practice races with Umpires on board, but the Challengers have no experience with the system. Further, the addition of an Umpire on board adds to an already crowded boat. There are no provisions in the rules for 18 people on an International America's Cup Class boat, so an addition may require an amendment to the rules. Bryan Willis, Chairman of the International Jury says the Challengers are expected to try a compromise system in practice racing this week. Both AmericaOne boats, and the two Luna Rossa's will be outfitted with radios tuned to the Umpire circuit. The Umpire won't be on board, but the afterguards will hear the Umpires call out overlaps and other rule applications over the radio. Depending on how well that system is received, it remains a possibility for both the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals and the America's Cup. -- Peter Rusch, Louis Vuitton Cup website Full story: http://www.louisvuittoncup.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But only one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Kimball Livingston -- Wise sailors aim to "win the regatta, not the race." In fleet racing, it is common for a series contender to cover one opponent more than another. Sometimes it makes sense to cover your most dangerous competitor, drive him down into the pack and accept a bad finish for yourself in the process, if that protects your standing in the series. I see no "moral" difference between these accepted tactics and the choices that match racers make (or may have made; I certainly can't claim to know) to help themselves survive an eliminations round. The folks who would like to impose a Balls To The Wall At All Times Under All Circumstances rule should review the first round of the America's Cup trials in Auckland to determine whether that standard would leave us any challengers at all. And are they really so confident of always distinguishing between a stupid-decision-with-intent-to-win from a stupid-decision-with-intent-to-lose? To win the America's Cup, you must have a grand strategy underlying all the other elements. For people who have been with the game a while, there's as much drama in watching that grand strategy unfold as in watching one more bullet-headed tacking duel. Come February, we will finally see an America's Cup match. One of the participants will be the boat that won the challengers' regatta ... -- From Max Rosenberg -- Why can't we all (Americans) get along? Why can't American teams help each other when WE need it? America True and America One need to advance the National cause and Help Team DC to a sail off against the Italians, not as it unfolded by America True defeating Team DC. Not nationalistic??? BS, the Americas Cup is about nations, not rock stars and America has one less chance to bring the Cup HOME. Sort of smells like Mr. Koch's poor sport wanking. -- From Rob Britton -- The gentleman, Bill Koch, would have said: "Go beat the Italians Dennis, use my boat if you like." The prospective sailors in the USA will lose interest quickly if it's the Kiwis vs. Luna Rossa. -- From Beau Gayner -- Fill me in. If America True had lost to Stars & Stripes (by NOT sailing), they would have forced a sail off between Prada and Stars & Stripes. America True had NOTHING to save, other than face. This could have possibly led to a guarantee that at least one American Syndicate would have been competing for the Cup. Why wouldn't they (America True) step aside and screw the Italians the same way they screwed NYYC? After all, the Italians seem determined to screw Stars & Stripes. What are they (Italy) afraid of...loosing? -- From Dave Clark -- Bruce Golison's statement that the AC is between people not countries is accurate. Although this year's competition at least slightly appears to be between nations it will be humorous to see the entry list for next Louis Vuitton if AmericaOne wins the AC. Go Zimbabwe True! -- From Mark Green -- On the subject of sportsmanship, sandbagging and sailing final races in the Louis Vuitton Cup, did anyone consider that these teams had already won the regatta? If your record is such that you don't have to sail the last race, you already won...you don't need to sail more races to improve a record that is already mathmatically superior. The complaining teams should have won more races earlier...before they got into the position of being eliminated by a race they are not in. -- From Francis Carter, Bermuda -- Concerning the America's Cup ESPN's coverage, many viewers must share my keen interest on the rationale of the Umpires Calls. I wonder if Gary Jobson could provide an umpires interface. And finally an AC Quiz 1) Name the AC skipper that you would nominate for an Oscar award ? 2) Name the new AC journalist that you would nominate for the SCRIBE's "Brown noser of the year" award ? 3) Which AC juror has perfected Protocol DoubleSpeak ? 4) Which AC challenger country has more lawyers per population than California ? 5) Who wrote " All the world's a stage and and all the men and women merely players" The America's Cup, it brings out the best and the worst in us and long may it continue. ETCHELLS WORLDS Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Australia -- Today, 18 January 2000, consistency pays off for Australian Cameron Miles with crew of James Mayo and Andrew Palfrey as they lead the regatta with a bullet today over the fleet of 68 boats. Michael Coxon, William McCarthy and Steve Jarvin were second and followed by Richard Coxon, Tony Hirst and Michael Coxon. The winds were 10 - 15 knots from the ENE for the 12.4 NM five leg course. The seas were 2 - 4 feet, with a shift just before the start made the boat end quite favored. The top seven finishers were from Australia showing a little local knowledge always helps. Other top finishers from their countries: Great Britain - Ante Razmilovic 8th, United States - Gary Weisman 10th, New Zealand - David Schmidt 41st, Hong Kong - John Elsden 47th and Bermuda - Tim Patton 49th. Top five after two races of six: AUS Cameron Miles (3), AUS Peter McNeill (10), USA Gary Weisman (14), AUS Andrew Hunn (15) and AUS Richard Coxon (15). Similar winds are expected for tomorrow's Race Three. -- Mike Hein Regatta website: http://www.rpayc.com.au/etchells/ CUP INSIGHT (The following is an excerpt from a recent story by Angus Phillips in the Washington Post.) The Cup was back to being fun again and you could almost hear a sigh of relief. It won't last. "This is only the beginning," said Sir Peter Blake, head of Cup defender Team New Zealand, which faces the winner of the Prada-AmericaOne finals for the Cup next month. "Just wait." Indeed, sources inside the Prada camp have said they have legal challenges waiting for every team in the regatta except Nippon. Now it's down to AmericaOne and Team New Zealand, both of which can expect trouble from the Italians if they get Prada on the ropes. Fueled by the fortune of Patrizio Bertelli, head of the fashion empire Prada and a competitor said to be obsessed with detail, Prada promises to play the game as hard as it has been played. With two boats, an essentially unlimited budget and one of the most experienced Cup hands in the world running operations--eight-time Cup competitor Laurent Esquier--Prada cannot be taken lightly. Prada has already taken some potshots at Cayard, who sailed for Italy in the 1992 Cup series as skipper of Il Moro di Venezia. He remains a hero in Italy for that, but his image took a pounding there last week when Prada suggested he would let Stars & Stripes win their last meeting to help Conner in his quest to overtake Prada. When AmericaOne sailed in after that race, Prada's shore crew donned Pinocchio noses and waved from shore, implying Cayard fibbed when he said he would try to win against Conner. The accusations clearly shook Cayard, who insisted he had raced to win. It's all part of the complicated game in the Cup, where psychological and legal ploys can turn out to be as important as skill on the water. Prada, whose skipper and tactician are in their first Cup campaigns, may need all the tricks it can muster to face down the five-time Cup veteran Cayard. -- Angus Phillips, Washington Post Complete story: http://washingtonpost.com/ STRONG, LIGHT AND GOOOOD LOOKIN' When you buy on-line at most website, they instruct you how to add items to your bag. At the website for Camet International, you'd be well advised to make sure you buy the bag too. Their rugged, high tech sport travel bags are made of Mylar laminated sailcloth, the same material used for the America's Cup boats, are accented with a waterproof, 600 denier Vinyl/ Polyester laminate. Featuring a unique, modern take on the classic look, these bags have the strength of steel and the weight of a feather. For blue-water sailing, camping, and traveling, these bags are a must. http://www.camet.com HYDROFOILS At the International Moth Worlds, recently concluded at Mounts Bay SC, Perth, Western Australia, two races were won by a boat using hydrofoils. To quote from the site report: "The most exciting development seen at the series was undoubtedly Brett Burvill's hydrofoils. He had only used them twice before the championships and spent much of the series learning how to sail with them. The boat was supported by two foils attached at the front of the wings and a very deep rudder with a large T foil at its base. The front foils were generous in size and were angled inwards by about 45 degrees (Bruce foils for the technically inclined). They were capable of lifting the boat out of the water in under 10 knots of wind. When going well in ideal conditions the speed Brett achieved was truly awesome - possibly comparable to a 49er! "The main issue with the foils was control. Sitting too far back in the boat caused the front foils to porpoise upwards and then stall, producing a usually catastrophic nose-dive. Heeling the boat excessively to windward would cause the leeward foil to come out of the water, the windward foil would then slide in on itself producing a sudden windward lurch and nose-dive. This behaviour was particularly a problem when sailing side on to waves (ie. on most of the legs of an M course!) when the leeward foil went into a trough. Upwind the foils were quite straightforward to sail, even in rough conditions. Quite unexpectedly it was found that the boat could be tacked faster on foils than without. It was not unusual for Brett to get to the top mark well clear of the fleet, but to have dropped many places by the time he reached the bottom mark." More information: http://www.freeyellow.com/members7/imca-wa/ THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong. |
