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SCUTTLEBUTT 2366 - June 15, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). RULES CHANGE? Would the New York courts allow Team New Zealand to introduce a nationality rule? The escalating division of opinion, both inside and outside ETNZ supporters, concerning America's Cup nationality rules, raises the question of the legal implication of any attempt to re-impose such rules, which were first introduced into the America's Cup almost 130 years ago. The Deed of Gift of the America's Cup has to be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New York and any proceeding for amendment or interpretation of such terms and conditions have to be brought before the courts of the State of New York. Is it likely, that - in the presence - of competent barristers, who fully understand the implications of the America's Cup Deed of Gift, an attempt by ETNZ to bring back nationality rules (introduced as late as 1980) could succeed? -- Read on: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=10289 SECOND BIGGEST EVER New fast racing machines, some intriguing double-handed hopefuls and a pair of youthful crews are among 77 boats on the final entry list for the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii. With entries now closed, there are six boats from four foreign countries---three from Japan. The others represent nine states, including six that will be racing home to Hawaii. Two former rivals are going in new modes. Roy E. Disney will be sailing his 16th Transpac on the radically modified Pyewacket, while Philippe Kahn, who won consecutive first-to-finish Barn Doors in 2001 and 2003 but couldn't beat the record Disney set in 1999, will be racing double-handed on his latest Pegasus, an Open 50. New boats in their first Transpac will include Jim Madden's canting keel Reichel/Pugh 66, Stark Raving Mad III; Roger Sturgeon's STP 65, Rosebud, and Lew Beery's seventh It's OK, this one an Andrews 50 in partnership with Andy Rose and Tom Purcell. But the best proven long-range commodity among all of the above will be Doug Baker's Magnitude 80, an Andrews 80 that was the smallest and fourth of five boats that broke Pyewacket's record in 2005. Alongside Kahn's double-handed bid will be Tango, a J/133 to be sailed by owner/skipper Mike Abraham and crew Philip Rowe of Newport Beach. Abraham is 70; Rowe will turn 70 the day they start on July 12. They also sailed the 2001 race double-handed on a Sabre 402, Watercolors. It took them nearly 14 days and they swore as they stepped off the boat they would never do it again. But, Abraham says now, "When you're older you forget how miserable it was." -- Rich Roberts, http://www.transpacificyc.org/ YOUTH MUST BE SERVED While youth has always been the focus of Walt Disney Pictures upcoming 'Morning Light' documentary film about this year's Transpac Race , the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac will be aboard the 1D35 'On the Edge of Destiny' when the race starts next month. The crews is: skipper Sean Doyle, 19, navigator Justin Doyle, 18, watch captains Cameron Biehl and Ted White, ages 19 and 23 respectively, and medic Roscoe Fowler, 20. Their average age of 19.8 years makes them the youngest ever to sail in Transpac, beating the previous record youngest crew age average of 22.57, set in 1969, by almost 3 years. Although the 'On the Edge of Destiny' crew has not enjoyed the months of training that has been a part of the 'Morning Light' film program, the five young men have an impressive combined resume that includes national and world competition in a variety of different racing classes, from dinghy to offshore to ocean racing. The boat is Dan Doyle's 1D35 (formerly 'Two Guys on the Edge') based at the Waikiki Yacht Club. It has sailed in a number of prior Transpac races. Curmudgeon's Comment: It's hard for me to picture Pepsi Cola and 7-Up as the primary beverages at the fun-filled Hawaiian welcoming party that each Transpac competitor receives. MOUNT GAY RUM QUICK DRY SHORTS AT THE PIRATES LAIR Cruise on by The Pirate's Lair webstore to buy our new sailing shorts available with the Mount Gay Rum logo. See them up close at Long Beach Race Week, Level Regatta, and others this summer, or give us a call to order shorts and gear with your regatta logo on them. For info, call (888) SAIL-BUM or go straight to the store at http://www.pirateslair.com/store VIDEO OF THE WEEK There is something very "Je ne sais quoi" about the French and sailing. Maybe it is their "Laisser-faire" approach, or their sense of "Joie de vivre." Whatever it is, they seem to have "Carte blanche" in the types of boats they sail and design. Simply said, everything seems very edgy, and this video (3:42 minutes) is a reflection of this. Watching the high-speed ocean-going monohulls, catamarans, and trimarans, plus windsurfing and kiteboarding, mixed with the song 'Absolutely Everybody' by Vanessa Amorosi, will leave you feeling very. French. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week's Video of the Week. Click here for this week's video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/0611 A DAUGHTERS TRIBUTE TO HER DAD (Scuttlebutt received the following story last month from Maggie Erwin, who wanted to provide a tribute to her dad. It is a great story, and while iceboating season is a bit behind us, we thought it was appropriate to wait until the Father's Day weekend to include it. Enjoy!) For some Midwestern sailing enthusiasts, iceboating is the chilly-day equivalent to the competitive sailing that takes place during the warmer summer season. Yet this comparatively less popular form of sailing does little to soothe its sailors: sub-zero temperatures, a face-numbing wind-chill, the threat of undiscovered holes or ice heaves and the constant search for an unblemished, snow-free lake proves too great an obstacle for many to overcome. Though finding such an enthusiast can be difficult, finding one who's a former champion is even more so, and finding a former champ who competes using his own hand-crafted parts is even harder still. I bought the hull, and then I built the mast, springboard, runner-plank and the boom," my dad responds rhythmically as he sits legs dangling from the edge his workbench. "The hull has an extra-long cockpit so I can fit in it," he adds. His legs now kicking slightly as they skim the sawdust-sprinkled cement floor, breaking finally from the awkward formality he thought appropriate to convey out of respect for his daughter's wishes for a "serious" interview. It wasn't until now that I actually put forth an effort to see my dad as others must see him. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0614 AC RIG DEVELOPMENT - IT'S MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE While the winner of the 32nd AC is clearly unknown, one thing is certain - we all stand to gain from this Cup. Many of the major AC developments have happened above the waterline where rigs and sail plans have seen big advances. These advances will undoubtedly filter through to other racing and cruising rigs. Having built ETNZ's rig and two other LV semi-finalists, Southern Spars has published a review of AC rig technology on its website, written by two of their Rig Designers currently working for AC teams. For more on AC Rig Development, visit http://www.southernspars.com SAILING SHORTS * A top official from the UAE Marine Sports Federation will be leading a four-member delegation to Valencia to sell the concept of Dubai as an alternate venue to host the America's Cup. Saeed Hareb, Managing Director of the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), who will be heading the UAE delegation to Spain, is hopeful that the America's Cup will one day be staged in Dubai. "We have an exchange programme with Emirates Team New Zealand, while Alinghi has a first-hand experience of our facilities when they set up their winter base here," Hareb said. -- Alaric Gomes, Gulf News, full story: http://www.gulfnews.com/sport/Sailing/10132515.html * Two good races in brisk conditions on the second day of competition at the Trofeo Alicante, the first regatta of the 2007 Breitling MedCup circuit, and it is the new Reichel-Pugh designed Patches, owned by Eamon Conneely with Ian Walker calling tactics and Tim Powell driving, which tops the fleet of 23 TP52's. Patches lead by three points from Russell Coutts and a high calibre team on Torbjorn Tornqvist's new Judel Vrolijk designed Artemis. Artemis scored a runaway win in the first race of the day. The coastal race, which counts for double points, is scheduled for Friday. -- http://2007.medcup.org/index.php?idioma=2 * Pretty amazing! Although the 2008 Pacific Cup 'Fun Race to Hawaii' is still more than a year away, and the 2007 Transpac Race has not even started yet, a remarkable early turnout -- 46 boats --have tossed their names in the hat, and entry chair Jim Gregory is telling us that a pretty good additional number of boats are about to join the fray! - http://pacificcup.org/ * Rolex SA and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) have announced the new Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Race - set to take place in late November. Promoted by the International Maxi Association (IMA), the race which goes from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten is open to monohull yachts with a minimum overall length of 18 metres (59 feet) that are in compliance with the IMA's five division regulations (Racing, Cruising, Wally, Spirit of Tradition, Mini Maxi). -- The Notice of Race is available online: http://www.yccs.it * Limassol, Cyprus -- There was a straight fight for podium places in both the men's and women's divisions of the RS:X European Championships sailed in around ten knots of shifty breeze. Final standings: Men: 1. Przemek Miarcznski, POL, 41; 2. Piotr Myszka, POL, 42; Nicolas LeGal, FRA 45. Women: 1. Marina Alabau, ESP, 23; 2. Allessandra Sensini, ITA, 43; 3. Blanca Manchon, ESP, 52.8. -- http://www.rsxclass.com/europeans.html * The 'History of the America's Cup Races 1851 - 2007,' will air on ESPN Classic on Saturday, June 16 at 11:00am and again on Friday, June 22 at 11:00pm EDT. Narrated by Walter Cronkite, this special features interviews with Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli, BMW Oracle Racing Chairman Larry Ellison, past America's Cup champions Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts, Bill Koch, Halsey Herreshoff, Gary Jobson, Tom Whidden, David Elwell, designer Olin Stephens, journalists John Rousmaniere and Peter Montgomery. This one hour documentary follows America's Cup highs and the lows from 1851 to Valencia in 2007. ASSISTANT CLUB MANAGER NEEDED OCSC Sailing, the premier sailing school on San Francisco Bay, is seeking an experienced sailor with a talent for sales and customer service. Sell our award-winning program; Counsel, mentor and delight our students/ members; Guide OCSC's daily operations. Additional information: http://www.ocscsailing.com/About/Our_People/Join_Our_Team.htm Resume and cover letter to mailto:anthony@ocscsailing.com 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 Tim Patton, Bermuda: My response to Fred Finkle in his complaint to Roy Disney's optimizing his boat for the Transpac is, that if you don't like Classes which evolve around their rules, race a one design. More particularly, I am amazed that anyone would sledge a man who has committed so much to creating such an amazing international team of youngsters, who may win the Transpac, at Mr. Disney's own expense. Curmudgeon's Comment: We asked Roy Disney about the film's funding, and he told us, "First I would personally thank Tim Patton for his nice words about the ML Project and our terrific team of young people ... they really did themselves (and us) proud at the Hoag Regatta last weekend! As to the funding of the film, it is in fact a co-production between Walt Disney Pictures and my company, Pacific High Productions, with an agreement that Disney will release it theatrically as a "True-Life Documentary" sometime next year (hopefully in the Spring)." * From Suzi Beatie: 'Betcha Fred Finkle wouldn't turn down a chance to go on a nice fast sail on this new Pyewacket he calls a "grotesque freak." * From John Greene: I second Frank Betz's (Scuttlebutt 2365) comments re scuttlebutt taking an America's Cup nationality poll. I agree that Ernesto is sounding a little paranoid right now. After all, he knows he bought the cup. Things are just starting to get interesting in the Am Cup village. Hopefully the rhetoric will keep ramping up from here on in. Curmudgeon's comment: We promise to dig into this next week when our webmaster returns from 'holiday.' * From Peter Bowker, Fort Lauderdale: Sorry Alex but your Jeopardy answer ('Butt 2365) was incorrect! Sumner A. (better known as Huey) Long never numbered a series of yachts he named Ondine. This apparently confused the Australians when the 1968 version (now Atalanta) showed up for the 1968 Sydney Hobart Race, and they dubbed it Ondine II to distinguish it from the 60ft. Ondine that had won the race in 1960, ignoring the fact that it was actually number three! The original Ondine had perished on Anegada Reef in the late fifties. It also occurs to me that Ondine/Atalanta started out as 72 footer, as she was built to the CCA Rule which at that time mandated a maximum overall length of 72 * From Bruce McPherson, Hyannis Port: Jack Engel wonders where the Swiss came about their sailing prowess! Back in the 60's, and more importantly, in the 70's, when it was part of my job to keep track of the latest ideas in yacht design, I quickly learned that those best at thinking outside the box were the Swiss sailing on Lake Geneva! True, it took some careful reading of the German, Italian, and British sailing journal's back pages to get the latest! Metre boats and planning sailing craft have a very established history there; no shortage of forward thinking people, or, more important, aggressive intelligent people willing to build and experiment with fairly large prototypes! Many of the boats I've had a part in designing can trace their heritage to ideas I gleaned reading of the sailing advances on Lake Geneva! * From Anton Huggler: I take issue with Jack Engel's comments in Butt 06/13 which state the Swiss did not accomplish much in sailing. Sure, our palmares doesn't reach back as far as the American's or the British, but give us some slack, we are a nation of only 7 million people - landlocked. The numerous comments I read re ACT's and Valencia, have me believe that Ernesto Bertarelli and his team accomplished to raise the America's Cup event to a level above what it was before. Public interest and sponsorship certainly increased. You may recall that Pierre Fehlmann and his crew accomplished to win the Whitbread (Volvo) Race. More recently Bernard Stamm has accomplished to win the latest singlehanded round the world race. He is Swiss just like Laurent Bourgnon and Dominique Wavre, also accomplished single handed sailors. The Swiss yard Decision has built several "Alinghi" amongst other high tech boats. Years back another yard - Egger - built Baron Bich's "France". This is not a comprehensive list. You may also accept, that Rolex - a Swiss company - is a major sponsor in sailing, you might be a beneficiary...? I also like to mention a Swiss photographer, who for several decades has been amongst the very best to record sailing events throughout the world: Daniel Forster. So - "net. net." - you might wish "the traditional sailing powers to return to prominence" but you will have to deal with the Swiss even if you consider us not prominent enough - yet. * From Doran Cushing, St. Petersburg, FL: We're always looking for ways to promote sailing, right? We should be very thankful for the great job that Versus is doing, and for their sponsors to fund their broadcasts of the Cup. Some time ago I switched to Mt. Gay from whatever rum was on sale/ caught my interest when I was shopping. It's a win/ win. Fine rum, and support for one of the largest sponsors of sailing world-wide...all for the price of a couple of dollars. My small contribution to sailing. * From Russell Painton: Paul Jacobs (letter in Issue 2363) makes a common error when he notes that the location of the wind shadow of a downwind A/C boat depends upon the direction of the apparent wind, as viewed from the trailing boat. I think not. The apparent wind direction only affects the sails on the boat that is creating it. Actually it is the true wind direction that counts, and it is not dependent upon the speed of the boats in question. Take this extreme example. Assume two boats, sailing down wind, with the trailing boat running its engine, with its sails up. In this situation, if the apparent wind was the culprit, then assuming the trailing boat, with a motor, was going, say, 6 knots (downwind) in a three knot wind astern, his apparent wind would be three knots, on the nose. With Paul's analysis, the wind shadow would be astern of the trailing boat! Clearly not the case (actually, there would be no wind shadow, as the trailing boat is not obstructing the true wind flow at all). CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity. Special thanks to Pirate's Lair, Southern Spars, and OCSC Sailing. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
