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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 554 - April 21, 2000OLYMPICS* Athens is in danger of being stripped of the 2004 Olympic Games. International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch has launched a scathing attack on the lack of preparations being made in the Greek capital for the event. And he insisted that unless there was a drastic improvement in planning for the event, the 2004 Olympics could be taken away from the spiritual home of the Games. Officials in the South Korean capital Seoul, which hosted the 1988 Games, have indicated they would step in if the problems persisted. "We are facing many problems," said Samaranch, who explained there were three possible phases during the preparation of a Games: green, where everything was going well, yellow, which meant problems and red - which meant danger. "We are coming to the end of the yellow," he said. IOC executive board member and head of the co-ordination commission Dr Jacques Rogge said he was concerned about the preparation to date. He said there needed to be major changes made to the Greek management team in charge of organising the Games. -- BBC World Service Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sport/newsid_720000/720631.stm * The International Olympic Committee has given a vote of confidence to the organisers of this year's Olympic Games in Sydney, despite a series of problems. Presenting a report to the IOC in Switzerland, a senior official Jacques Rogge said he was confident that everything humanly possible had been done. Potential problems include the threat of action by aboriginal activists and environmental campaigners. In addition, the rowing and canoeing courses have been invaded by a floating weed. -- BBC World Service Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_718000/718721.stm AMERICA'S CUP The Seattle Challenge for the America's Cup, sailing under the burgee of the Seattle YC, officially announced last week that they intend to be in Auckland in 2002 to challenge for the America's Cup. According to the syndicate's founder, 26-year-old, Russell Belden, a Seattle native, and businessperson, this challenge is no half-baked effort. "So many people in Seattle were complaining that we didn't have any challenge even though there was so much talent and so many resources here," says Belden. "I got tired of hearing people complain, so I decided to do something about it. If an American team had won in 2000, I wouldn't be here doing this, but I felt that America's best face wasn't put on the Cup. We had teams that did a very good job, but something new needs to be tried, and that's Seattle: new people, new blood, and new ideas. "We definitely have the resources and the capability to get there," adds Belden. "And we're at an advantage in that we have nothing to lose. There's no heavy burden of expectations on us, so we will be going in with all guns blazing and nothing holding back." The "we" to which Belden refers is actually "his" challenge-a project that he's been developing for nearly three years. In the next two weeks, he says, he'll be joined by 12 local industry and civic leaders, which will make up the syndicate's board of directors, as well as five (himself included) executive board members. His challenge model is for a $42 million, two-boat effort that would be supported by two complete sailing teams. -- Dave Reed, Grand Prix Sailor Full story: http://www.sailingworld.com NO MAXIS The ILC Maxi's will probably be absent this year from this year's Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup but Wally Yachts will be back in strength. Monica Paolazzi from Wally Yachts expects 12 to race in the cruising division. Now an annual event - always held in Porto Cervo, Sardinia - this year's regatta will run from 3rd to 9th September. The event is organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in conjunction with the International Class A Yacht Association (ICAYA), and with the support of Rolex. Sailed on a mix of coastal and island courses, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2000 fleet will race in three divisions. An IMS division will include both cruiser/racer and racing yachts, with either an IMS or an Offshore Racing Council (ORC) Club certificate. While the Light and Heavy Displacement cruising yacht divisions will both use a special handicap system run by the ICAYA. As well as trophies for each division there will be prizes for the ICAYA Championship winner, the top scoring Wally yacht and Nautor Swan yacht, along with the top scoring Vintage, Classic and Spirit of Tradition yachts. -- Susannah Bourne 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 Olin Stephens -- I can't help sticking my oar in from time to time and I want to say that I was happy to see the recent comments of Ken Rose in Scuttlebutt, on the subject of patents. I wish Peter Conrad and Tom Whidden had thought his way long ago. Their controversy leads me to free again a trial balloon I tried to fly at a meeting some time ago: namely that patented arrangements or devices of any kind have no place in yacht racing and should be disallowed by the authorities. We should take racing as a free learning process. This was not taken seriously then, but I am encouraged now to try once more. -- From Neil W. Humphrey -- It was a very welcome sight to open up my "Scuttlebutt" & to see a sailmaking legend, innovator & expert like Ken Rose speak out on Sobstad vs North. I was one of those competitive enthusiasts who learnt the trade of sailmaking in my early years of 34 years of racing that Ken talks about in his article. Hence, I thoroughly relate to Ken's personal views in his great article & support his commentary on this great sailmaking patent debacle. -- From Colin Case -- While this information is third hand, Peter Sutter was building radial head spinnakers in 1963. He built one for 'American Eagle' for the 1964 America's Cup Defender Trials; it appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Around the same time, perhaps a little later, a loft named Ohara sails in Japan was producing tri-radial spinnakers. One of them surfaced at Sutter's loft for a repair (it came with a Thunderbird that was imported from Japan.) This was a surprise to Pete and everyone in the loft, since they had talked about it, but never tried to build one. This is not to take anything away from Mr. Rose or Mr. Banks. To the contrary: great minds think alike. -- From Bert Brown -- Mr. Rose misses a very important point. One reason behind the patent system is to get new ideas out to the public so that other "great minds" can take those ideas and make further developments and improvements. An important part of the patent system is that the inventor is given a 17-year monopoly in return for providing a FULL DISCLOSURE of his invention. Note the emphasis on "full disclosure". If an inventor does not make a full disclosure, the patent is invalid and will not be upheld. On the other hand, if any inventor keeps his idea to himself and protects the concept, he is practicing a "trade secret". Anyone is well within their rights to do this, just as Mr. Banks did. Instead of taking a shot at Peter Conrad for being unable to "exploit the potential of his own product", I would instead commend Mr. Conrad for sharing his idea with the entire world. Mr. Banks took the other path with the tri-radial and was not willing to share his knowledge. Since it took the world 10 years to catch up (according to Mr. Rose), just who is trying to hinder progress? -- From Bill Menninger (In response to Ken Roses discussion of the North Patent infringement.) -- Are UK Sailmakers naive for paying Sobstad a royalty for the past 10 years to develop Tape Drive when they really had no assets to risk? I believe North is the greatest of the sailmaking innovators, but at the same time they are definitely searching for a monopolistic advantage to ultimately raise their prices, margins, etc. (as any good business should). Like Microsoft, North innovation inspires accolades but their arrogance inspires ire. If you like North Sails, it's more likely and appropriate to like the people at North that work hard to deliver a product and teach you how to best use it. If you don't like 'Big Blue,' you most likely have distaste for their practice of marketing products they haven't fully developed (may I remind you of the vertical cut genoa, the frisbee main, the C Cut), to test products at the expense of the customer and ignore competitor's patent without even considering paying a royalty or negotiating a common ground. As an old North Sails employee, I wish all of my friends at North the very best. But after working for UK for a number of years, I wonder if Butch should be reimbursed for paying his royalties if you believe North is not at fault. The joke is, by the time this thing finds a final solution, we'll be off patent and it won't matter. This should have been decided years ago. -- From Doug Weitz - While it is clear that the legal thread of the Sobstad/North affair will not die for some time, Ken Rose's commentary in Butt #553 is certainly a fitting and proper conclusion to all the commentary I have read thus far. And yes, it has a familiar ring to it - there will always be those who resort to the protest room as a result their poor performance on the water. MORE OLYMPICS Sixteen years ago, Russ Silvestri had his Olympic dream within reach. Needing just to close out the Finn class trials to sail in the Games, the impetuous 22-year-old was tossed out of the regatta for unsportsmanlike behavior. This year the critics were ready to pounce again, lodging protests against him for talking with his coach on a cell phone and for the way he mounted hiking pads on his dinghy. That, plus an oncoming virus might've unnerved a lesser competitor. And while some resent Silvestri as an outsider -- he's a 38-year-old investment banker -- he's proven his capabilities. Last Sunday, the unrelenting Silvestri won a berth on the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team. He'll represent the U.S. in the Finn class. "Sometimes I thought this day would never arrive," Silvestri said after showering and giving the Olympic representatives a urine sample. "I've been really tight the last few days. I wanted this to be over a few days ago. I felt I proved what I had to." Silvestri said he had tightened up because he wasn't feeling well; he'd felt he was fighting a virus. Then there were the shoreside distractions: the numerous protests from competitors who were trying to destroy his focus and confidence. Twice during the 16-race trials for the Finn class Silvestri had to worry about protests over his use of a cell phone to chat with coach and longtime friend Kimo Worthington for wind and current advice before the five-minute preparatory gun. Silvestri weathered that drama, as well as a protest that the hiking pads on his 18-foot dinghy were illegally mounted. That protest lacked merit and wasn't even considered by the jury. "The distractions got old," Silvestri said. "A few years ago that might've ruined my concentration, but this time I knew how to handle it." Silvestri credited Worthington, who has been involved in the last three America's Cups, for helping him weather those tempests. "Without him I would've been more reckless. He tempered me," said Silvestri. -- Sean McNeill, Quokka Sports Do yourself a favor and read the rest of McNeill's compelling story. It's posted on the Quokka website: http://sailing.quokka.com/stories/QCMa4sail_s_silvestri_WFC.html CELESTIAL SHOW Whether you are offshore cruising or on that early hour watch this weekend, here's something to keep you awake: The oldest known meteor shower, April's Lyrid Meteor Shower, peaks on the morning of April 22. The early morning hours of April 22, between 3 a.m. and dawn, are the best times to watch for Lyrid meteors no matter where you live (these are the hours that your part of the Earth is on the "leading edge" of the orbit around the sun and consequently 'running into' the meteorites). The shower's peak is expected sometime between 2200 GMT (2:00pm PST) on 4/21 and 0500 GMT on 4/22 (9:00pm PST on 4/21). Some activity from this shower can be seen from about April 16th to 25th, but the rates will be much lower away from the peak. Bright moonlight may reduce the number of shooting stars that are easy to see. -- Robert E Vandervort More information: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast18apr_1m.htm TALL SHIPS OAKLAND, CA ~ The Indonesian tall ship Dewaruci, originally scheduled to dock in Alameda on April 28th, has expedited their Pacific crossing and destination to attend two days of Pacific Sail Expo at Oakland's Jack London Square. The Dewaruci, one of the world's great tall ships, was one of the most distinctive and endearing participants in last summer's California Gold Rush fleet. The ship will be open for public tours at Jack London Square Thursday, April 27, 10AM to 7PM and Friday, April 28, 2000, 10AM to 5PM. The 194' cadet training vessel is returning from Indonesia as part of an effort to raise public awareness of a needed $10 million restoration project and to participate on Opening Day on the Bay festivities. She is on her way back from Indonesia and heading to the East Coast to participate in Tall Ships 2000. Additional information: http://www.sailexpo.com E-SAILING There's a free e-mail newsletter will help you keep tabs of what's new on US Sailing's website. You don't have to be a US SAILING member to receive E-US SAILING. To sign up for this free weekly e-mail newsletter: http://www.ussailing.org/e-ussailing/ TRIVIA Tidy -- The word is derived from the tide hence the meaning of being well arranged and methodical as associated with tides. THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Motel mattresses are generally better on the side away from the phone. |
