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SCUTTLEBUTT 2488 – December 4, 2007
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features
and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published
each weekday with the support of its sponsors.
VO70 TRAINING WITH PUMA
by David Schmidt, SAIL Magazine
“Hey David, do you have a life-insurance policy?” Ken Read asks, poking his
head through the companionway of the Volvo Open 70 Puma Avanti as we pound
through small-but-growing seas near Ambrose Lighthouse off New York City.
Behind us, the evening glow of the Big Apple ignites, painting a prominent
reminder of humanity on an otherwise empty canvas of ocean. “No. Why do you
ask?” I reply. “Well, our bow is delaminating,” Read says calmly. “I’m not
sure how much longer it’ll hold together. You might want to get on your cell
phone and see if you can buy a policy real quick.”
A wink and a thin smile follow this remark, but the sad truth hangs over our
crew like the mare’s tail clouds that stretch across the sky: the bow is in
fact delaminating, and our agenda for a 48-hour offshore shakedown cruise
needs a quick reevaluation. Read is the skipper of the Volvo Open 70 Puma
Avanti, ex-ABN Amro II in the 2005–06 edition of the race and the boat that
currently holds the record for the most miles sailed by a monohull in a
24-hour period: 563. Read’s team purchased the boat to use as training and
testing platform until their new VO70 is launched in the spring of 2008.
Currently, Puma is the only U.S.-flagged entry in the 2008–09 Volvo Ocean
Race. -- Read on: http://sailmag.com/features/1207PUMA/
33RD AMERICA'S CUP - WHY IT WILL BE IN MULTIHULLS
Let's consider the situation for a moment. On one side, we have a terribly
disappointed Alinghi and ACM who have been putting the blame on Oracle for
putting the Cup into this mess - really it would be fair to say that Alinghi
pushed the rules with the 33rd protocol and were smart enough to find a
challenger able to sign it!!! But then who is to blame??? Alinghi or Desafio?
You are struggling with organizing an event after having lost your sponsors
and the momentum of the 32nd America's Cup.You are going to feel pretty
miserable sitting in front of the American team and negotiate with.... your
ex best mate Russell Coutts??
No way! So on the Swiss corner it will be tough to accept anything coming
from a team that showed so little on the water last summer ... but has been
so smart lately and declared a winner by New York Judge. Now let's look at
the Oracle side. If you were Larry Ellison, would you really order your staff
to work hard at a 'conventional' Americas Cup in a couple of years? Yes? Are
you Sure? Well let’s look at that for a second. -- Sebastien Destremau, Sail
World, read on: http://tinyurl.com/2ysz3y
* Scuttlebutt Poll: The poll regarding the preferred boat for the 33rd
America’s Cup will close on December 4th at noon PT, but early returns show
that the sailing public unilaterally disagrees with every decision that has
been made thus far. As for the comments section, holy smokes, there are A LOT
of comments that have been submitted. Check it out here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/07/1201
* Challenger Huddle: A meeting in Valencia on Monday evening was attended by
twenty-four representatives of 14 challengers either in person or by
telephone conference. Report at http://tinyurl.com/ywhvhj
* Crummy News: A rumor is being distributed that CNEV, the Spanish club
formerly known as the Challenger of Record, is considering appealing the NY
Supreme Court ruling. This may very well be the lone remaining advantage
defender Alinghi has at getting the challengers to sit up straight and
listen, as a Spanish appeal could put the brakes on the America’s Cup game
for awhile. It would be sad to think that Alinghi would orchestrate such a
move (or at least not prevent it), as the odds for the Spanish to win on
appeal are hardly measurable. This would be a case of the tail wagging the
dog, but really, only the last few hairs of the tail.
KNOTTY OR NICE?
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THE MOST TREASURED JOY I EVER HAD
(The following story comes from the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, which
is in the midst of fundraising drive to improve its facilities and programs
and increase its reach.)
The most treasured joy I have had sailing did not happen while winning a
race, crossing Lake Michigan, or enjoying a lazy afternoon with cocktails on
the water. No, it was during one of those afternoons where I volunteered to
take adults with disabilities out on an Ensign. I had a mixed boat of people
with learning disabilities, with one gentleman I will never forget. I’ll call
him Joe, and he could barely walk and he rarely talked.
It was a beautiful clear summer day with a nice breeze. Joe made it down the
sailing center steps with much help and arm holding, lurching at each step.
He did not want to take the time to walk to the other end of the dock to use
the ramp that would have been easier. Joe and his other crewmembers were
helped into an old Ensign and away we sailed. As we sailed into the harbor,
he sat in the boat with his thick glasses on, smiling a half toothless smile.
The drool ran down his chin and soaked into his PFD. I found myself doing
most of the chatting, as many of the crew did not speak well. We chased
seagulls and those who dared, took the tiller along with my hand. Joe was the
last to take the tiller. -- Read
on:http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5531
RC 44 CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR
As the BMW Oracle Racing CEO, Russell Coutts is spending considerable time
sorting out the details of the next America’s Cup. But he has found time in
2007 to help Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis team win the TP52 Breitling MedCup
trophy and Global Championship (to be called World Championship in 2008 as TP
52 is now an ISAF International Class). He has also been busy promoting the
RC 44, a class that he helped conceptualize and design.
After seven events in Europe, the RC 44 Championship Tour 2007 is heading to
the United Arab Emirates for their first overseas regatta. All RC 44’s have
been transported together, on their custom-made containers, for the final
event of the tour - the Dubai Gold Cup - December 13-16. The regatta will
reassemble eight teams representing eight nations. Both fleet and match races
are scheduled. The winner of the Dubai Gold Cup will be the team with the
smallest number of points in the combination of fleet and match races. The
teams involved (name of team, owner, pro sailor):
Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
Team ES Bankers Dubai, Patrick De Barros / Dean Barker
Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / James Spithill
Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Mateusz Kusznierewicz
Team Omega, Russell Coutts
Cro-A-Sail, Miroslav Reljanovic / Morten Henrikson
Team Hiroshi - Città di Milano, Armando Giulietti / Sébastien Col
Team Beecom, Isao Mita / Kevin Harrap
Full report: http://www.rc44.com/en/regattas/news/index.php?idContent=749
BARCELONA WORLD RACE
Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles)
(Day 23 - December 3, 2007) The Barcelona World Race fleet is enjoying fairly
stable, reliable conditions on their sprint to the south, and as such, there
hasn’t been significant movement on the leaderboard over the past 24 hours.
So the fleet is taking advantage of the rare conditions to ensure everything
is prepared for the southern ocean. Race leader PRB slightly extended its
margin over the rest of the fleet overnight, but during the day, the chasing
boats as far back as fifth placed Delta Dore negated that advantage. Second
placed Paprec-Virbac 2 has set itself up slightly to the west, a position
skipper Jean-Pierre Dick hopes will pay dividends over the coming days. --
http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com
Positions at 18:00 GMT - Distance to leader (+gain/-loss over previous day)
1-PRB, Vincent Riou (FRA)/Sébastien Josse (FRA), 19,474 DTF
2-Paprec-Virbac 2, Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA)/Damian Foxall (IRE), 11 mi (+25)
3-Veolia Environnement, Roland Jourdain(FRA)/Jean-Luc Nélias(FRA), 212 (+53)
4-Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson (GBR)/Andrew Cape (AUS), 341 (+50)
5-Delta Dore, Jérémie Beyou (FRA)/Sidney Gavignet (FRA), 402 (+36)
6-Temenos II, Dominique Wavre (SUI)/Michéle Paret (FRA), 516 (-1)
7-Mutua Madrilena, Javier Sanso Windmann (ESP)/Pachi Rivero (ESP), 639 (-51)
8-Estrella Damm, Guillermo Altadill (ESP)/Jonathan McKee (USA), 758 (-45)
9-Educación sin Fronteras, Bargués (ESP)/ Escoffier (FRA), 1042 (-23)
* (December 3, 2007) After ten days, Francis Joyon’s solo round the world
record attempt from Brest, France endures the heat of the southern climate,
but knows that cold days are ahead as he heads for the southern tip of the
African continent. Joyon’s pace has moderated significantly, with the 24-hour
speed average of 13.7 knots and distance covered of 329.3 miles being amongst
the lowest rates since the start. However, the important reference is Joyon’s
advance over Ellen Macarthur’s record pace in 2005, and that is now 796.7
miles, an increase of 17 miles from a day ago. --
http://www.trimaran-idec.com
* (December 3, 2007) The top eight of the fifteen Open 60’s in the 4,200-mile
Transat Ecover BtoB from Salvador de Bahia, Brasil to Port-La-Forêt, France
are already in the doldrums, or its beginnings at least, enveloped by somber
cumulonimbus, a watery sun if they're lucky, a slowly easing breeze, and
stifling heat. Elies Yann onboard Generali leads the fleet with 2983.8 miles
to go, with the top five all within 16 miles of the leader. American Rich
Wilson (Great American III) has separated to the left of the fleet’s
trajectory in a bid to be less hassled by the doldrums and hit the
depressions in the West Indies quicker, though the extra miles sailed for now
has him down in the standings. Canadian Derek Hatfield’s current position is
unknown as his communications systems have been down, and he has also been
unable to receive weather information to the boat as his routing software is
not opening. To make matters worse, the autopilots on the boat have not been
working properly and Sunday night put the boat into an accidental jibe,
causing a lot of damage to the boat and some to Derek as he was tossed about
during the maneuver. -- http://www.transatecoverbtob.com
S.O.S.!
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baskets around the living room? It’s Sans-Opti Syndrome, triggered by
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SAILING SHORTS
* North Sails has announced that Per Andersson, one of the most experienced
and talented sail designers in the world, has joined the North Sails team. A
native of Sweden, Andersson has thirty years of sailmaking experience
including working as principle sail designer for five Whitbread/Volvo Ocean
Race teams and three America's Cup teams. Since 1989, Per has been associated
with Sobstad Sailmakers in Annapolis and then Quantum Sail Design Group,
where he was Vice President and Senior Sail Designer. Per will be based at
the North Sails loft in Stevensville, Maryland. -- Complete announcement:
http://na.northsails.com/news.taf?_function=detail&news_uid1=373
* Sailing World, owner and organizer of the Sperry Top-Sider National
Offshore One-Design (NOOD) Regatta, announced the newest addition to its 2008
national schedule of nine regattas is a stop in Seattle. The Seattle NOOD
will be co-hosted by the Seattle Yacht Club and the Corinthian Yacht Club and
is set to take place on Puget Sound, May 16-18, 2008. Created by Sailing
World in 1988, the NOODs attract nearly 2,000 boats and more than 30,000
competitors and spectators annually. Each event in the series features three
days of sailboat racing for one-design models from 20 to 70 feet in
length. -- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood_regatta.jsp
* Chicago Yacht Club has published the Notice and Conditions of Race (NOR)
for the 2008 Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Lands' End,
which will start off Chicago's lakefront on July 19, 2008. This will be the
100th running of 'the Mac,' the world's longest annual freshwater sailing
distance race. The NOR is available on the official Race website at
http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/racetomackinac
* Sailing World's College Rankings as of November 28, 2007 have Boston
College and Yale remaining atop, respectively, the Coed and Women's
rankings. -- http://tinyurl.com/25gtwy
* The Binda Group, 100-year old Italian leader in the watch, jewel, and
accessory categories, has fallen in love with everything South African. First
they signed up actress Charlize Theron as their new ambassador, and now it is
the official sponsor of Team Shosholoza at the 33rd America's Cup. -- Full
story: http://tinyurl.com/ynlbzb
* Veteran British ocean racer Brian Thompson will skipper the Open 60,
Pindar, in the 2008 Vendée Globe. Starting from Les Sable d’Olonne, France,
on the 9th November 2008, Thompson is the seventh Briton and the 27th
pre-entrant for the sixth edition of this classic single-handed non-stop
round the world race. Following Pindar’s dismasting just a week before the
start of the Transat Jacques Vabre race, the boat is due to be back on the
water in early 2008, prior to the Artemis Transat, in which Brian will
compete. The transatlantic race starts from Plymouth, UK, on the 11th May
2008 and races to Boston, USA. http://www.pindar.com/teampindar
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be
edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words).
You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine
if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the
Scuttlebutt Forum.
-- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
-- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From Larry Tuttle: The ACC boat comments remind me of a quote attributed to
Carl Eichenlaub (as I understand it) 'if you got two dogs, you got a dog
race'. The boat just changes the challenges.
The Olympics for most sports is an intense athletic competition, and sailing
should be a similar challenge. Choose the best events and then figure out
real programs that get any country that wants to send a team. Coordinated
events, training/ coaching, loaned or donated boats, grants, maybe supplied
equipment at the games, and just enthusiasm to join. It may sound hopelessly
enlightened, but really is just self-interest. Most sailors do not like
racing alone for long.
So here's my list:
Single-handed men - A-Class cat
Single-handed women - foiler Moth
Team men - 18 ft. skiff
Team women - 49er (old rig)
Men & women - windsurfing in the pool
I suspect that media attention may be less of a problem. Some open gender
events may be better, but this is simple and follows the Olympic patterns. Of
course it does not represent all aspects of sailing. Downhill does not
represent all of skiing. It's the Olympics.
* From Bruce Thompson: I agree with Chris Ericksen (letter in Issue 2486)
that the Olympics are just a small part of sailing, but they are emblematic
of the larger issue of how US Sailing serves professional and/or Corinthian
sailors. US Sailing's designation as the NGB for sailing definitely has its
pitfalls, for example, government interference.
This professional/amateur difference in needs and desires runs throughout the
operation. Consider the issue of training. I serve as a volunteer junior
fleet instructor. My club knows me and my qualifications and is glad to have
my services. They will accept me as I am. US Sailing would recommend that I
get a Level 1 dinghy certification. That would require an investment of 4
days and $315 tuition to re-learn what almost 50 years of experience has
already taught me! For this Corinthian example, it's unnecessary. For a
summer camp looking to hire a college student as a sailing coach, the Level 1
certification makes a lot of sense. Obviously, there are different needs for
different audiences. The question is how to allocate the resources and adjust
the programs to best meet the needs of various proportionate segments of the
total membership.
US Sailing has tended toward a hierarchal model (which tends to be Newport
centric), the better to deal with its global partners in ISAF. Most of its
membership tends toward the Corinthian style, which would be better served by
more of an information network among peers, a distributed intelligence model
where knowledge is widespread. The result is dissatisfaction among the
membership.
* From Virginia C. Jones: Acting upon the suggestion of several members of
the Association for Yachting Historians (and yes, I am a member) I'm alerting
you of the following opportunity to acquire a truly unusual and very special
classic yacht. Venture, a 55-foot GL Watson gaff ketch launched in 1924, is
available at the Gannon and Benjamin Yard on Martha's Vineyard,
Massachusetts, as a restoration project. Unfortunately the owner's plans have
changed and he has given the boatyard instructions to demolish the boat
unless a qualified new owner can be found to take on the project.
We are hoping that you will include this project (a welcome antidote to the
machinations of the America's Cup and the ISAF) in your newsletters because
time is running out for this boat. She's in a space that must be allocated to
a new project if a potential owner does not surface in the next couple of
days. Hence the urgency. The chain saws aren't running but the chains have
been sharpened. Thank you very much. -- For more info and photos:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2007/11/avoiding-slaughterhouse.html
* From Andreas Stuven: (regarding the Piano Position) Well, we are back to
the thread of unseamanlike description on race boats. In Germany, I think
everybody knows the piano player. When my good friend bought an X79 in
Denmark, all jammers were marked in Danish and one said spiler (Danish for
spinnaker). In German, spieler is a player, so you figure what happened at
every windward mark: get the Player out.
* From Ken Guyer: Regarding the comments from Bruno Trouble in Butt
2486...Absolutely spot on! Myself, and many hundreds of America's Cup
followers, concur 100%.
* From Andy Kostanecki: Good on'ya Bruno (from Issue 2487). What an irony
that the best racing, the best spirit, and the best America's Cup event
disappeared with the Twelve Meters - for all sorts or reasons. And as much as
I admire the technology, I loath what has happened to an event that for over
a hundred years captured the imagination of the world.
Perhaps what was best about the Twelves was that the difference between the
fastest Twelve on the water and the slowest was the length of the foredeck
after sailing out to the lay line. Think what that did to tactics, strategy,
and boat handling. It was, in fact, the basis of conditions for an ideal
match race, two almost equally slow boats. It also made it ideal as a
spectator event whether on TV (where both boats were always within the
picture frame) as well as on the water (where anyone could tell who was ahead
and what the strategy would be as the race unfolded). What a shame!
* From Peter O. Allen, Sr., Rochester, New York: I agree with those who favor
an America's Cup design that will test the match racing skills of the
competitors, rather than their ability to spend money or get the boat
screaming off on a plane. Whatever the design, I fear that the "nineteenth
man" spot aboard the boats for the next edition of the America's Cup will be
reserved for an observing lawyer. The position will probably include a
watertight storage locker for the lawyer's briefcase and Blackberry.
ON YOUR HOLIDAY WISH LIST - KEY WEST!
'Tis the season for North America's premiere international regatta - Acura
Key West 2008, presented by Nautica (January 21-25). World-class competition,
IRC, One Designs, a PHRF National Championship, professional race management,
and incredible conditions. Don't miss the endless sun and unforgettable fun!
Hurry, entry deadline is December 14th. http://www.Premiere-Racing.com
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be
counted counts.
Special thanks to Camet International, Harken Yacht Equipment, and Premiere
Racing.
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