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SCUTTLEBUTT 3708 - Tuesday, October 30, 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, Ultimate Sailing, and KO Sailing. HIGH THRESHOLD OF WORTHINESS By Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt I have my causes, like I suspect most of us do. But my resources are limited, so the causes I contribute to need a high threshold of worthiness. And when it comes to causes within our sport, I have to admit I am skeptical of charitable foundations that help to fund the extensive travels of young sailors who come from families capable of funding their own young sailors. A fund that was brought to my attention was the Lauderdale Yacht Club Sailing Foundation, which provides small grants to any South Florida junior sailor who has qualified for a major national or international event. But what really caught my interest was how the foundation also reaches into its community to sponsor a contest in a local grammar public school. Here's what some of the kids at the grammar school had to say in their essays about the possibility of being chosen as one of the four annual recipients of a grant to the LYC Learn to Sail Summer Program which is open to the public: -------------------------------------------------------- "I am a 4th grader at Harbordale Elementary School, and I am excited about learning how to sail. I love sports but have never tried to sail. I think I would have fun meeting other kids this summer and learning a new sport. I promise to listen and try my very best." "Getting a sailing scholarship would make me feel like I'm at the top of the world. I would just sing all day and dream all night." "I love feeling the breeze in my hair, putting my hand in the water rushing through my fingers. The beautiful blue green water, with the fish swimming around. The boats speeding by like a cheetah." "Sailing can get me through survival. What if someone is stranded on a remote island? They could build and sailboat and sail away from the island knowing how to sail." "I would like to sail, because it's eco-friendly. Instead of polluting the beautiful amazing ocean, using gallons of wild life damaging fuel, how about having the wind as your motor? Open your sails, catch the breeze and go flying across the 7 seas." "Another reason I want to sail is to have fun. Here's an example: drop your anchor in front of an island and once you reach the land, start enjoying yourself, like build a sand castle, go snorkeling, fishing, maybe even collect seashells but watch out for hermit crabs! Little crabs that look like shrimp. Their claws are tiny but painful. I learned that the hard way!" "Splish, splash I can already feel the wind rushing through my hair. Sailing camp would be exciting to me. I think it would be challenging but fun at the same time." "I want to learn how to sail because I want to conquer my fear of being on a boat. I hope you understand why I want to learn to sail. It's because I want to conquer my fears." "It would make me scream out "BOO YAH!" in the middle of church if I found out I was going to sail." -------------------------------------------------------- This program passes my high threshold of worthiness...the sport could use a few of these kids. Here is the link to the LYC Sailing Foundation: http://www.lycsf.org EVERYONE'S A WINNER... ...But Team Russia took first place. The inaugural Nord Stream Race just wrapped up in the Baltic Sea, following a 750 NM trek from St. Petersburg to Greifswald. The fleet of Swan 60s representing Europe, Russia, Holland, France and Germany shared long days and challenging weather. As each boat made it swiftly and safely across the finish line, it was clear the regatta was a great success. A common factor? Each yacht was outfitted with a Seamless carbon mast, V-Boom and SCR discontinuous Airfoil rigging from Hall Spars! Visit the Facebook page and website to see why everyone's a winner with Hall. http://www.facebook.com/HallSpars http://www.hallspars.com TWO FEARED DEAD A search was under way Monday for two crew members of the stricken ship HMS Bounty, which sank off the coast of North Carolina after it was caught in Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Earlier Monday, two Coast Guard helicopters rescued 14 people from life rafts after they were forced to abandon ship. The 180-foot, three-mast ship issued a distress signal late Sunday after taking on water, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release. "It appears that two crew members didn't make it onto the life rafts," Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Michael Patterson told NBC News. The Coast Guard was speaking with the rescued crew members to find out more details. Coast Guard rescue pilot Lt. Jenny Fields told NBC News that the operation was a "challenging hoist" but that she was lucky to have a "skillful crew" on her Jayhawk helicopter. Fields said the crew appeared in "good spirits" and those rescued were "happy to be able to relax." Coast Guard rescue swimmer Randy Haba helped pluck several crew members off a 25-foot rubber life raft. He was also lowered to a crew member floating in the water alone. He wrapped a strap around his body, and raised him to the chopper. "It's one of the biggest seas I've ever been in. It was huge out there," Haba said. The two missing crew members were wearing survival suits designed to help keep them afloat and protected from cold waters for up to 15 hours, but so far the Coast Guard has not seen any sign of them. The director of the HMS Bounty Organization, Tracie Simonin, said the ship -- which was built for the 1962 Marlon Brando movie, "Mutiny on the Bounty" -- had left Connecticut last week en route for St. Petersburg, Fla. "They were staying in constant contact with the National Hurricane Center," she said. "They were trying to make it around the storm." After receiving the distress signal, the Coast Guard sent out an aircraft to speak with the crew, which reported that the vessel was taking on water and had no propulsion. The rescue took place in winds of 40 mph and 18-foot seas about 90 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. -- NBC News, full report: http://tinyurl.com/NBC-102912 HMS Bounty website: http://www.tallshipbounty.org/ COMMENT: "How can anyone qualified to be the captain of a boat the size of the Bounty be so foolish to have left New London, Connecticut last Thursday and head south to St. Petersburg, Florida when the path and enormity of Hurricane Sandy was already forecasted? Why did the owners not insist that Bounty stay in port, find a secure harbor, tie her down, send down all the sails and rigging possible to reduce windage?" -- D.M. Street Jr, esteemed yachtsman and Scuttlebutt reader, http://www.street-iolaire.com SCUTTLEBUTT TRIVIA How many hours would you estimate is required to build the AC72 being used in the 34th America's Cup? (Answer below) QUOTE / UNQUOTE "I wouldn't like to suggest that a day of testing the AC72 isn't exciting to watch, but it is amazing how quickly you do come to accept the extraordinary. When you are speeding along at 30 knots watching a marvel of design and technology flying above the water's surface supported on a couple of square metres of carbon fibre, and the most interest on the chase boat centres around whether or not there is a packet of lollies in the lunch box, you realise the human brain is a pretty fickle organ." - Emirates Team New Zealand photographer Chris Cameron, http://etnzblog.com/#!2012/10/48114 DETAILS ANNOUNCED When the plan for the 34th America's Cup was first announced two years ago, it included conditions for the Youth America's Cup. Since then, event organizers have been reluctant to discuss specifics about the event, but have now announced how they see the competition, scheduled for September 1-4, 2013, unfolding. "Prospective teams can enter the Red Bull Youth America's Cup in three ways," explains Iain Murray, the Regatta Director for the 34th America's Cup. "First, they can enter through an affiliation with a current AC World Series team. Second, they can purchase an AC45 and register a team. Or finally, they can apply and qualify through the Selection Series." The crew on all teams must be nationals of the same country. Currently there are over 20 teams from 17 nations who have applied in the third category and are eligible for the Selection Series Trials (Feb. 9-24, 2013). However, once entries close on October 31st, a screening process will confirm by early December which eligible teams are deemed qualified to participate in the selection series. At least four teams will advance from the selection series to compete in the Red Bull Youth America's Cup. The total number of teams competing in September will depend on how acceptable entrants are received through the other two channels. Full report: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=1007 Red Bull Youth America's Cup Event Notice and Request for Application: http://tinyurl.com/RBYAC-102912 RAD. PHAT. TUBULAR. THE 2013 ULTIMATE SAILING CALENDAR. For more than 30 years, the Ultimate Sailing Calendar has brought you the 'gnarliest' images of the '80s; the most 'bomb' photos of the '90s; the 'OMG' action of 21st century yacht racing. And the new 2013 Ultimate Sailing Calendar is no exception. Twelve months of 'sick' photography, from the Molokai Channel to the Mediterranean, showcased in this super-size 18 x 24" layout. Printed on high quality stock with superior processing, the 2013 Ultimate Sailing Calendar promises 365 days of inspiration and enjoyment; superb for holiday gift-giving too. 'Sweet!' Visit http://www.ultimatesailing.com to order yours. $22.95; two or more $19.95 each. HIDDEN DANGERS When the 20 solo skippers start the Vendee Globe on November 10 in Les Sables d'Olonne (France), their biggest enemy as the race around the world are the things that they cannot see and cannot predict. Among the unknown entities that inhabit the oceans are whales and containers. Whales can hear the propellers of motorised boats and so move out of their way but they cannot hear the 60ft grand prix racing yachts as they silently rocket through that water at 20-30 knots and therefore don't move to avoid their path. Of course, it is a tragedy when a sailing yacht at speed hits a whale because invariably it is the whale that ends up worse off. "It is always regrettable when a boat hits a whale. The ocean is the whale's home. I understand that they live in the ocean and there is nothing that we can do but, for me, containers are a real problem. There is no legislation about containers. They shouldn't be there but there is no rules to prevent them being there. I really don't like them." Said 2004 Vendee Globe winner, Vincent Riou. The containers are sized anywhere between 20ft to 45 ft long and 8 ft high. Occasionally, if the ship is caught in very bad weather the containers are lost at sea and are never recovered. Instead they float ad infinitum in the water. They present an enormous risk to the skippers and boats because to sail into a 40ft container at 20 plus knots could cause serious damage. Larger ships have sonar devices that enable them to track 200 metres in front of their bow and so can be used to warn the captain of any potential collision. However, according to Vincent Riou, sonar is not a practical solution for the 60 ft yachts in the Vendee Globe sailing fleet. "We did some research with an institute in France on a sonar system but it is not practical because it is half the weight of the whole boat and it uses lots of power. It needs a lot of energy and the boat is very fast and so to use sonar to predict 200m ahead of the boat when you are travelling at 20 knots you need a very powerful system and it's impossible to find one that is not too heavy. You have to be realistic these kind of devices are so impractical we are not going to install them and so we can't even consider them. It's too heavy and it uses too much power." -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/VG-102912 SAILING SHORTS * Representatives of 30 regatta organizers and Member National Authorities came together in St. Maarten last week to hold the Caribbean Sailing Association Annual General Meeting and Caribbean Regatta Organizers Conference. The gathering of key stakeholders around the Caribbean discussed management of the CSA Rating Rule, sponsor management, relationships with tourism authorities, the Caribbean Racing Calendar, and marketing challenges for individual events alongside the strategy of the CSA. Olympic medalist and match racing champion Peter Holmberg (USVI) was elected president of the CSA. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/CSA-102912 * La Rochelle, France (October 29, 2012) - Following two buoy races and one inshore race on Sunday at the 32nd edition of Student Yachting World Cup, the 14 international teams completed three more buoy races today. Leader Dalhousie University (CAN) posted a 8-1-6 to maintain their lead, holding a four point advantage over U C Dublin (IRL). Racing in the 31-foot one-design Grand Surprise continues through November 2. -- http://www.sywoc.org/ * At the Canadian Yachting Association's annual general meeting on October 27, a resolution was approved to change the organization's name to Sail Canada / Voile Canada, a move that brings the 81 year old entity in line with most of the other Canadian national governing bodies in the sport. The change, which was prompted by a renewed effort of collaboration with the CYA's provincial partners, will improve the branding and awareness opportunities in the key areas of training, coaching, officiating and high performance disciplines. -- http://www.sailing.ca * The Hillman Capital Management J/24 East Coast Championships hosted by the Severn Sailing Association (SSA) and Fleet 8 in Annapolis, MD featured mild temperatures, a shifty breeze that ranged between five and fifteen knots, and the impending arrival of Hurricane Sandy. After completing seven races on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 26-27), racing on Sunday was cancelled. Having just placed second at this year's J/24 World Championships in Rochester, NY, Tim Healy and his 11th Hour Racing crew dominated the event, having no finishes worse than fourth place in a fleet of 34 boats. -- Full report: http://www.j24eastcoastchampionship.com/docs/J24_ECCs_Final_Report.pdf TRIVIA ANSWER Following the launch of the Italian Luna Rossa AC72 on October 26, they said its construction involved 300 people for a grand total of 52,000 working hours - 12,000 to build the wingsail, 17,000 for hulls construction, and 23,000 to build the platform and foils. KO THE COMPETITION! The USODA Midwinter Championships (Team Trials Qualifier) and Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta are just around the corner, and KO Sailing has the charters, gear and everything else you need to stay ahead of the game. Coach boats available too! Learn more at kosailing.com: http://www.kosailing.com/charters/optimist-charters.html 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 Ralph Kelley: I believe that up until the late 20th century, the Coast Guard did rescue work that involved folks running out of gas, having engine problem and the like. The commercial interests put pressure on the Coast Guard and they changed to limiting rescue to where life and limb were in danger, letting private companies do the rest of the tow jobs. Back in the '50's I certainly did a lot of fishing boat rescues when I was on a cutter out of Eureka, Ca * From Mal Emerson: The quote that Richard Clark references in Scuttlebutt 3707 also caught my attention, but I looked at it as a positive. Obviously the America's Cup has come a long way. It is again the pinnacle of sailing in both technology and the physical and mental demands placed on the sailors and their teams. It's certainly not a slow, lead hauling monohull race in limited conditions any more. It has surly challenged the Kiwis and Oracle. But then if it was easy, I suppose anybody could do it. * From K. Johnson: In Scuttlebutt 3707, Richard Clark pleaded that the America's Cup "get away from the money race which has screwed every single sport and has created a legend of maniacal team owners. Let's focus on the original Deed of Gift. Let's get back to 'match' racing." What we need to do is closely read the original Deed of Gift instead of continually bleating that which they want it to say. When the original Deed of Gift was written there was no such thing as 'match' racing in today's terminology. A match is another English word to mean contest, duel trial of strength or any other such similar example. The deed proposes therefore a duel between whoever has the money to build a boat to compete in the said duel as a friendly competition between foreign countries. A rich man's game from the start. There is nothing in the deed about "match racing" - that is a much later invention along with most of the other things which people say are or should be part of the cup. From day one it was a rich man's design competition. It would still seem to be that way so let's leave it as it is and stop complaining. COMMENT: The irony is that the defender's plan for the 34th America's Cup was for it NOT to be a rich man's design competition, but rather put in place controls that could manage the cost to compete. However, with the late arriving Luna Rossa's budget announced at $90m, it now appears this may be the most expensive edition to compete in. -- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT The Scuttlebutt website provides a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. For free. As a bonus, each week the Scuttlebutt newsletter includes some of the recent ad postings. Have an ad? Post it in the Classified Ad section of the Forum. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." - William A. 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