SCUTTLEBUTT No. 610 - July 21, 2000

SIMILARITY

There are few similarities between Naples Sabot mainsail and the #3 genoa for a ULDB 70. But there will be one dramatic similarity if both of those sails have an Ullman Sails tack patch - they will both be fast. The same applies to a 470 jib, a J/120 A-sail, the main for a 505 or a Schock 35 kite. Right now is the very best time to find out how affordable improved performance can be:

http://www.ullmansails.com/

IMS
(Andrea Falcon wrote a summary of the recently concluded Rolex IMS World Championships for Quokka Sports, which underscored the fact that there's no lack of controversy over the state of the IMS rule. Here's an excerpt from that piece.)

Geoff Stagg of Farr International, who sailed in the racer division aboard Peter Gordon's Gaucho, couldn't mask his discomfort with the IMS Rule. "These days," he said, "the only way to win an IMS World Championship is to have a brand-new boat like Onorato's, which is way too expensive."

In Stagg's opinion, this is a clear sign that IMS is losing interest with owners. He said he believes the scoring system is too difficult to understand. "Technically, it is a very good handicap rule - but also too complicated. The ORC should listen more to the owners and study a new rule just for racing boats. The way it is now, the IMS forces you into the cruiser/racer division."

Tweaks to the IMS Rule in recent years have helped improve the performance of cruiser/racers, which receive rating credits for design aspects that are believed to slow down a sailboat. The credits were intended to help older designs, built of fiberglass with full interiors.

Newer designs built to the IMS Rule tend to be lighter, especially when Kevlar is used in the hull and interior construction. This is why owners like Onorato build boats to the cruiser/racer specifications: They get a new boat and rating credits that make it hard to beat.

"The results of the IMS World Championship show that the rule is working well," said naval architect David Pedrick, chairman of the ORC's international technical committee, which oversees many of the rule's adjustments.

"The winning boats in the different classes are designed by different designers, and the whole fleet was a balanced mixture of racer and cruiser/racer boats of different sizes," said Pedrick. "It's true that the-long distance race favored the smaller boats, but in the races around the buoys, we saw up to six finishers within the space of one minute." - Andrea Falcon, for Quokka Sports

Full story: http://sailing.quokka.com/stories/07/SLQ__0720_s_ims_WFC.html

LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net)
Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) and to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.

-- From Dave Few - Regarding Gary's comments on tactician duties, they are excellent as usual---I have only one nit to pic--the tactician is often the skipper, if his/her ego can handle it, and the helmsperson is not. The helmsman/woman in my view should not have to do anything but steer the boat, watching the waves where possible, the sails and provide feedback feel to the skipper/tactician. Seems to work for the 3 or 4 of us that race together on our old Cal.

-- From Bruce B. Nairn - As a further wallowing in sanctimonious puffery may I offer the following observation on the Blom controversy:

Sailors knowing where the "bar" is, if queried, would rather answer in geographic rather than philosophic terms. To wit: Any day on an urban commute is, for an alarming number of people, an exercise in not getting caught "under the bar". That particular "bar" has been lowered to the point where incidents, short of road rage gunfights, elicit a collective public yawn.

It is truly unfortunate that Mr. Blom gets the dubious distinction of publicly defining our "sensibilities" under Rule 69. However, I don't think pretending that his actions are so far removed from our own relinquishes our need to know what he did to deserve his fate.

-- From Jerry Kaye (Re RRS 69) - It's too easy to say "If you don't know in your own head or heart where the bar is, I don't want you on the same racecourse with me..." The problem/question is how do you get rid of the Yahoos and SOB's in the sport??? Anything less than a major Rule 69 infraction is usually met with a "get over it!" from other racers or a blind eye from the Protest Comittee (understandably, no one wants to stick around for the fireworks).

There should be a Rule 69 type of Rule for lesser magnatude infractions of poor sportsmanship like cursing, physical threats, etc. I race with my wife and don't appreciate her being exposed to remarkably rude language. The filing could be relayed to the infringer's Commodore for a warning/hearing. When enough of them are received concerning that individual, HIS club can take action (including suspension!). Sometimes, the only way for certain jerks to know where the "bar" is is when it makes contact with their skull...but that's kinda how Mr. Blom got into this mess!

-- From Scott Greenawalt - I think what we may be missing something here. US Sailing should not publish the facts of such cases so that the sailing community knows how far the rules can be pushed. Rather, they should publish those the facts so that race managers know under what circumstances punitive action can be taken when unacceptable behavior occurs.

I was recently judging an event where a competitor verbally threatened another with physical violence in a pre-hearng. I think this is unacceptable behavior. But without guidelines (and precedent) I do know what penalty (if any) can be imposed.

CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: This seems like an excellent spot to 'pull the plug' on this thread. I now declare it to be officially dead. Onward!

MARK ROUNDINGS
(Often intimidating, the corners on a racecourse offer the chance for making big gains. Dan Dickison discusses mark roundings on the SailNet website. Here's an excerpt.)

Whether you're rounding an upwind mark, a leeward mark, or a jibe mark, the main objective is to maintain your speed and momentum. This starts with carving a smooth, gradual turn around the mark rather than an abrupt, tight turn. Remember, the more you move the rudder off centerline, and the faster you do it, the more the boat will slow down. So, for weather-mark roundings where you plan to execute a bearaway set-or even if you aren't racing with a spinnaker-try to position your boat slightly above the layline so that you can pass close to the far side of the mark as you turn downwind gradually and ease the sails. Even if the crew has a problem getting the spinnaker up, at least you've maintained your boat speed and are still making progress down the track.

The same principle of maintaining your boat speed should apply around the jibe mark and the leeward mark as well, though it's inevitable that you'll gradually slow down as you come up to a close-hauled course after the leeward mark. Remember to set up your approach so that you can round in a gradual turn without making abrupt course changes. The other important aspect about getting the most out of a mark rounding is to remember that rounding wide early in the turn and tight late in the turn will put you closer to the next mark of the course. Having boats around you, of course, will affect these maneuvers, so if there's any doubt about who has the right of way, or there is the possibility of a collision, err on the conservative side and maintain your speed by rounding wide. Fouling someone is always slow; it's better to lose a boat than to have to do turns to exonerate yourself from a penalty.

Of course nothing can improve your mark roundings more than a concentrated practice session where you go around upwind and downwind marks over and over again. - Dan Dickison, SailNet website.

Full story: http://www.sailnet.com/collections/racing/index.cfm?articleid=ddcksn251&tfr=fp

CALENDAR
* July 24-27 - USSA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival-Narragansett Bay, Bristol YC. Laser, Laser Radial, Sunfish, Optimist, Club 420, JY15 classes. http://www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jo/index.htm

* July 24 & 25 - USSA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival, Mid-Atlantic Championship, Island Heights YC. Laser Radial, Club 420, Byte, and Optimist dinghies. http://www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jo/index.htm

* July 29 - Aug 4 - USSA Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship for the Leiter Trophy, Ida Lewis YC. Laser Radials. http://www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jc/Leiter/index.htm

FAVORITES
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QUOTE / UNQUOTE
"Follow your dreams. If you believe in yourself just enough to be competitive and have fun at the sport, then you never know what might happen. You might end up in the Olympics, or you might end up doing a world championship." - Russell Coutts, as reported in Jennifer Mitchell's story on the Quokka website about the America's Cup champion's address to a junior sailing audience in Marblehead.

Full story: http://sailing.quokka.com/

BILL KOCH
Millionaire yachtsman William I. Koch is facing criminal charges after he allegedly punched his wife in the stomach and threatened to kill her and his son with a belt in their luxurious Osterville home.

Barnstable police were summoned to the sprawling estate in a gated community around 11 p.m. Monday by Angela Koch, who told arriving officers of her 60-year-old husband's attack, according to police. She also told police that Koch threatened ''to beat his whole family to death with his belt,'' Barnstable Deputy Police Chief Michael J. Martin said yesterday.

Koch was arrested at the house. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic assault and battery and threatening to kill, and was released on personal recognizance.

Angela Koch, 42, has obtained a restraining order against her husband, under which he must live in the estate's guest house or beach house while she is in the main house. He also cannot be at the couple's West Palm Beach house when she is there, under the order. - John Ellement and Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe.

Full story: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/202/metro/Koch_faces_assault_charges%2b.sh tml

THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS
The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.