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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 649 - September 19, 2000OLYMPIC RACINGSydney, Australia (September 19, 2000) - There was no action today on the Tornado course due to a third day of light winds plaguing the Olympic Sailing event at Rushcutters Bay in Sydney. The Mistrals managed one race, with Solings slipping in two races. After a decision last night by the Organizing Authority to replace supplied gennakers on the 49ers, that class sat idly ashore awaiting their new issues. For Soling sailors Jeff Madrigali (Novato, Calif.), Craig Healy (Tiburon, Calif.) and Hartwell Jordan (Discovery Bay, Calif.) today was both good and bad. They finished second in race one, but turned in a 15th in race two to wind up ninth in the overall standings. Tomorrow, previously a scheduled reserve day for the Solings, will be critical as it will be the last race day for the class to complete the fleet racing portion of this regatta before moving into match racing. "The first round robin is going to be harder to get out of than the third," said Madrigali, explaining that many of the fleet's finest sailors are in the middle or near the bottom of the fleet and boats with fleet racing finishes of 7-12 must participate in Round Robin 1. The three boats placing highest in this round robin will qualify for Round Robin 2, where they will face boats with fleet racing finishes of 4-6. The Quarterfinal Round Robin, then, will pit boats with fleet racing finishes of 1-3 against the top three boats from Round Robin 2. The four boats placing highest in this round robin will qualify for the Semifinals. "I'd rather be farther up in the standings, of course, because there's less risk," added Madrigali, the Soling Olympic bronze medallist from 1996. "There's good sailors ahead of and behind us. We're in the middle of this. About his overall approach to balancing training time between fleet and match racing, Madrigali said, "At the last Olympics, only six made it to match racing, now 12 out of 16 make it, so you figure you're going to make the cut, and your match racing skills are going to carry you through." One team shocking the sailors as well as the hordes of journalists here is Denmark, with Jesper Bank skippering. Currently sitting next to last, Bank has a Soling Olympic gold medal from '92 and a bronze from '88. As well, Germany's Jochen Schuemann, the Savannah Games' defending Soling gold medallist, only today pulled himself out of an early nosedive to the bottom of the fleet. He sits in eighth place, sharing USA's predicament of having little time left to work his way up to a more favorable position before the match racing begins on the 23rd. Mike Gebhardt (Ft. Pierce, Fla.) finished 17th today to keep his eighth-place position, which he shares with Poland. Tomorrow also will be critical in this class, as it will allow a drop if a fifth race is completed, which puts many of the best sailors--including Gebhardt--back in the medal running. Only Argentina's Carlos Espinola has had a series unmarred by races in the teens or worse. He currently leads with 21 points to Gebhardt's 49. "It was another day of bad wind," said Gebhardt, "but everyone's racing in the same stuff. I just didn't make the greatest decisions. If you don't get a good start, you don't get the first option on the first shift." Lanee Butler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) pulled herself up from 16th to a 13th overall with a sixth-place finish today. She fought back from a 12th at the first leeward mark to sixth at the second windward mark and stuck to it until the end. She was leading in a second race when it was abandoned at the first mark. "Several of the top women were deep at the time," said Butler's coach Pierre Jeangirard (Bishop, Calif.). "She's back in the groove, her confidence is high and she's sailing wise." - Barby MacGowan STANDINGS: 49er (after two races): 1. GER, 2. JPN, 3. ESP, 4(t) USA MISTRAL MEN'S (after four races): 1. ARG, 2. AUT, 3. GER, 8(t). USA MISTRAL WOMEN'S (after four races): 1. GER, 2(t). ITA, 2(t). NZL, 15. USA SOLING (after four races): 1. NOR, 2. NZL, 3. RUS, 9. USA TORNADO (after four races): 1. AUT, 2. AUS, 3. GBR, 4(t). USA For more information: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/2000 NO CHICKEN TENDERS With all the hot racing action going on this summer, you still can not help noticing the awesome new tenders beings used by many of the worlds top racers. From the rugged conditions of the Kenwood Cup to the short stormy chop in Newport, RI and even the biggest ebb tide in SF Bay, one boat stands above the rest in performance, stability and comfort, THE PROTECTOR! Built in New Zealand, Protectors are now being imported to the states and Europe by ProtectorUSA, For more information log on to www.protectorusa.com or call toll free 1.877.664.BOAT. Get onboard! OLYMPIC COACHING SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (September 18, 2000) - According to the US Sailing Team's Head Coach Gary Bodie (Hampton, Va.), there could be no better group of coaches or support staff assembled for the on-site benefit of USA's Olympic sailors in Sydney. That staff is nine strong and will be dispersed among the nine classes. Bodie will coach the Laser and Soling classes, while full-time US Sailing Team Coaches and Olympic coaching veterans Luther Carpenter (New Orleans, La.) and Skip Whyte (Warren, R.I.) will coach the 49er and 470s, respectively. Star World Champion Ed Adams (Middletown, R.I.) will coach the Star; match racing world champion and two-time America's Cup defender Russell Coutts (New Zealand) the Soling match racing; Jimmy Dey (The Dalles, Ore.) the Europe for the second time: wife Courtenay won the bronze with his help in '96; '84 Tornado Olympic Silver Medallist Jay Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.) the Tornado and 470 Women; national and world champion windsurfer Pierre Jeangirard (Bishop, Calif.) the Mistral Men & Women; and former Finn sailor and Whitbread/America's Cup notable Kimo Worthington (San Francisco, Calif.) the Finn. Bodie explained why the group of talent assembled here will be more critical than ever. "This is the first time in the Olympic Games that a country has been allowed its own coach boats instead of having to share with other countries. This also is the first time we can speak to our sailors before and between races. It will be more like a traditional international regatta in that regard." In addition to the coaches, the U.S. delegation incudes Team Leader Hal Haenel (Los Angeles, Calif.), who has sailed in three Olympics and won two medals as crew for Mark Reynolds in the Star; Team Manager Jonathan Harley (Middletown, R.I.), who has been US SAILING's Olympic Director for 20 years and marks his fifth trip to the Olympic Games; and Boatwright Carl Eichenlaub (San Diego, Calif.), who has been with the U.S. Team at every Olympic Regatta since 1976, except for the boycotted Moscow Games. Brad Dellenbaugh (Fairfax, Va.), Head Coach of Offshore Sailing at the U.S. Naval Academy, is lending his expertise as the Team's rules expert. "I'll be working with any team member who has rules questions or problems and will be available in protest situations," said Dellenbaugh, who also is an international judge and umpire. - Barby MacGowan, USOC Press Officer For more information: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/2000 TELLING IT LIKE IT IS (FYI - This is the main story posted on the always-newsy ISAF 'Breaking News' web page.) It seems the rest of the world of sport has closed down for two weeks while a certain major event takes place in Sydney. Details of major sailing events taking place elsewhere will of course continue to be posted here, but for now there is very little going on. Sit back and enjoy the Olympics! - http://www.sailing.org/today/whatsnew.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Mike Koster - If it wasn't for the IOC credentialing 21,000 journalists, there would not be 11,000 athletes in the Olympiad! This is Big Business after all. -- From Robert Spanfelner - Not to take away from the point made by Steven Levy, but I believe it is incorrect to classify Bill Buchan as a professional. One of the finest sailors and gentlemen around, certainly, but not a professional. -- From Donal McClement - Peter Isler's comments on "Pros" do not reflect the views of the vast majority of competitors at Ford Cork Week. As the first regatta in the world to introduce an "Eligibility Rule" (way back in 1986) I feel that we are singularly qualified to comment on the success of this approach to racing. After each event we send out a questionnaire to all Owners to ask for their views on the various aspects of the regatta and the overwhelming response has been to keep the "Eligibility Rule" i.e. ban the Pros. In recent years we recognised that perhaps the Owners of bigger boats may need some Pros to help sail these craft and therefore relaxed the rules for Class Zero. The response from a small number of entrants surprised us in that they did not want any Pros in any Class. We must be doing something right in that the Event has grown from under 100 in 1986 to nearly 700 in 2000. I believe it is important that the proposed new ISAF Eligibility Code is accepted at the November meeting and be implemented next year. Remember, event organisers do not have to use this code as part of their regatta, but those who wish to implement it would like to have a 'universal' one. -- From Howard Lapsley - The Farr 40 class has been extremely successful while limiting the number of pros and giving me, a weekend sailor, a chance to race on these boats and compete against and learn from the pros that are on board. While I agree that US Sailing is inconsistent in its categorization of sailors (especially for Non-US citizens), at least it's a step in the right direction. If the limits were removed, would it not raise the cost of one design sailing (through payroll) while limiting the opportunity for amateur crews to interact and compete with pros? I think so. -- From John Baxter, Doyle Sailmakers (edited to our 250-word limit) - While the Category selection of US sailing is not perfect, it is a starting point, and I know they are trying to take it to the next level. As unfair as it is, it is all we have at this point. The restrictions on pros has prompted many crew members to go out and purchase boats. It has also brought many owners back into the game who were turned off by the need to have a fully professional crew. There are a lot fewer pros than amateurs, and if we want to keep the sport of sailing on the Upswing, limitations on pros needs to be continued. There are arenas for all pro teams (Volvo, Americas Cup, Admiral's Cup etc.), and those are going very well right now. One has to remember that Sailing has to be fun for everybody. I would be willing to bet that less than 10% of the sailing world would support not having limitations on pros. These limitations have proven that they are good for the sport. Not to mention the fact that the pros have not only been able to further themselves, but they have helped the amateur sailors the have sailed with get much better. I can understand Peters comments, but at the same time he and other pros like him have done more for the sport and growth of sailing than they know by playing within these restrictions. -- From Mark Jardine- As a J/24 sailor in the UK and an amateur I would like to correct Stefan Lloyd a little on his comments about the J/24 class in the UK. Recently, the J/24 Class had it's UK nationals with 40 plus boats out, I really don't think that can be called vanishing as a class overnight! With regard to sailing against professionals I jump at the chance anytime I possibly can. A good way to keep 'the amateurs who just want to win' happy is have a non-professional set of prizes. If you sail against people of the same standard week in / week out your chances of learning new techniques are greatly reduced. -- From Jesse Deupree - Creating a select group of sailboats to use for competition sounds like a nice idea but will stifle innovation. Peter proposes a periodic review of new designs but who is going to create a new class and develop an innovative design if no one will use it prior to review. The tension between one-design and development is an old one, but we sailors need to be able to choose for ourselves where the boat we sail fits on that spectrum. Let classes achieve "royal" status the way the Star has, by excellent management. The track record of our sport's Authorities in this area is abysmal. USSA is increasingly dominated by the "professional" segment, and is out of touch with the average racer. They have been unable to control the cost of any Olympic boat other than the Laser- whose class structure was developed long before it was chosen. OLYMPIC TRIVIA - Jan Harley Exactly half of our 2000 Olympic Yachting Team is from California (9 out of 18). The San Francisco Bay Area has the largest representation with Russ Silvestri (San Francisco) in the Finn; and skipper Jeff Madrigali (Novato), with crew Craig Healy (Tiburon) and Hartwell Jordan (Discovery Bay) in the Soling. Southern California is home to crew Charlie Ogletree (Newport Beach) in the Tornado; Lanee Butler (Aliso Viejo) in the Mistral Women; skipper JJ Isler (La Jolla) and crew Pease Glaser (Long Beach) in the 470 Women; and skipper Mark Reynolds (San Diego) in the Star. - Jan Harley CONTEST Boats.com editor David McCreary has gone way out on a limb and published his picks for the sailing medallists. And he's gone a step further - if you can beat his medal picks you can win a free subscription to Seahorse magazine. Here are McCreary's picks: - 470 MEN - Gold: Tom King and Mark Turnball, Australia; Silver: Paul Foerster and Bob Merrick, USA; Bronze: Gildas Philippe and Tanguy Cariou, France - 470 WOMEN - Gold: Sofia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa, Greece; Silver: Jenny Armstrong and Belina Stowell, Australia; Bronze: Susanne and Michaela Ward, Denmark - FINN - Gold: Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Poland; Silver: Iain Percy, Great Britain; Bronze: Richard Clarke, Canada - MISTRAL MEN - Gold: Aaron McIntosh, New Zealand; Silver: Alexandre Guyader, France; Bronze: Lars Kleppich, Australia - MISTRAL WOMEN - Gold: Barbara Kendall, New Zealand; Silver: Jessica Crisp, Australia; Bronze: Lee Lai-shan, Hong Kong - EUROPE - Gold: Shirley Robertson, Great Britain; Silver: Kristine Roug, Denmark; Bronze: Margriet Matthijsse, the Netherlands - 49er - Gold: Chris Nicholson and Daniel Phillips, Australia; Silver: Santiago Lopez-Vazquez and Javier De la Plaza, Spain; Bronze: Jonathan and Charlie McKee, USA - LASER - Gold: Ben Ainslie, Great Britain; Silver: Robert Scheidt, Brazil; Bronze: Michael Blackburn, Australia - SOLING - Gold: Jochen Schumann / Ingo Borkowski / Gunnar Bahr, Germany ; Silver: Roy Heiner / Peter Van / Dirk de Ridder, Netherlands; Bronze: Jeff Madrigali / Craig Healy / Hartwell Jordan, USA - STAR - Gold: Mark Reynolds and Magnus Liljedahl, USA; Silver: Colin Beashel and David Giles, Australia; Bronze: Ian Walker and Mark Covell, Great Britain - TORNADO - Gold: Roland Gaebler and Rene Schwall, Germany; Silver: Darren Bundock and John Forbes, Australia; Bronze: Roman Hagara and Hans Steinacher, Austria To learn more about the contest: http://boats.com/content/sailing.jsp SOLUTIONS FROM SAILCLOTH.COM Wish your spinnaker would dry off after dunking, hold its shape after a few heavy air days of sailing, and resist tearing during complicated maneuvers? Next time, ask your sailmaker to use AIRX, a revolutionary new spinnaker fabric from Bainbridge International. AIRX is stronger, lower in stretch and has an ultra water repellent finish. With zero porosity and less tearing, it has a wide range of use for both racing a cruising sailors. AIRX is exclusively from Bainbridge International, where power and performance are cut from the same cloth. For more information, visit http://www.sailcloth.com J/22 EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS Thirty-seven J/22s from all over the East Coast descended upon Annapolis, MD and the Eastport Yacht Club this past weekend. Seven races were contested in conditions that ranged from 15-20 knot breezes on Friday, to shifty building breezes on Saturday and Sunday. Greg Fisher (Gahanna, OH) took three bullets in the racing on Friday, but was unable to hold the top spot, as Scott Nixon and his Annapolis team were able to hold a more consistent score line to win the regatta. - Jeff Borland / Raymond Wulff FINAL RESULTS (37 Boats): 1. Scott Nixon 20 pts, 2. Greg Fisher 23 pts, 3. Todd Hiller 24 pts, 4. Geoff Oxnam 29 pts, 5. Scott Batchelor 31 pts Complete Results: http://www.eastportyc.org/j22eastcoasts/sep17.htm Photos of the Regatta: http://www.spinsheet.com TEAM RACING After 38 races the Pequot Yacht Club emerged the winner of the 2001 Long Island Sound Team Racing Championships. The sixth yearly edition of New York Yacht Club InterClub Team Race for the YRA-LIS Glencairn Trophy was held at Larchmont Yacht on Friday, September 15 and Saturday, September 16 with teams representing six clubs: American Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club - winner in the last running in 1998, Noroton Yacht Club, Pequot Yacht Club and Sewanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club. Sailed in Ideal 18s, many well-known area sailors, class champions and former collegiate and America's Cup sailors were participating including: Jim Crane, David Dellenbaugh, George Hinman, Dave Perry, Ched Proctor and Butch Ulmer. In the finals, top-seeded Noroton faced off with 4th seed Pequot while New York and Larchmont sparred in the other bracket. Pequot and Larchmont both qualified for the finals with 2-0 scores. The finals went the full two out of three races with Larchmont Yacht Club winning the first and Pequot taking the second two. The finals saw very aggressive team races with the winning combination changing at least twice in each race. The Pequot varsity team, captained by David Perry who sailed with his wife Betsy, included David and Susan Dellenbaugh, David Rosow & George Gosselin and Richard Gresham sailing with Nancy Foote. Pequot Yacht Club received the Glencairn Trophy. - Steve Wolff MALLORY CUP Final results: 1. Area D - Robert B. Schmidt, David Bolyard, Hew Hamilton. - http://www.ussailing.org/ MATCH RACING * The York Cup, an ISAF Grade 2 Match Racing Event, has been run at The Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto since 1989. The event held in J24s and is designed to bring competitive match racers in from around the world to show their skills and to help to develop local talent. Toronto Harbour proved its ability to produce good winds in September. Competitors were greeted by 15-20 knot winds through much of the regatta. Two complete round robins were held over three days. There was some very close racing. The eventual winner Kelvin Harrap from New Zealand was undefeated through the first round robin. In the second round he gave up three matches to Andy Green, Andy Horton and Terry McLaughlin. This gave Andy Green a chance to catch up and the two skippers ended up tied on points when the regatta ran out of time on Sunday evening. The complicated tie breaking system provided in the sailing instructions kept everyone in suspense until the prize giving. Harrap was joined by his own bowman, Brad Webb and locally supported by Hans Fogh and Allan Megarry. Hans had been a skipper in the regatta many times in the past finishing second several times, but never managing to win. The winning team is entitled to an entry in the unceded round of Colorcraft Gold Cup at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in late October. - Andrew Alberti Final Results: 1. Kelvin Harrap, 2.Andy Green 3. Andrew Horton 4. Mark Campbell James 5. Terry McLaughlin 6. Patrick Langley 7. Oskar Johannsen 8. Mike Dinsdale 9. Andrew Cummings 10. Karen Johnson * The ROLEX Sail Newport Women's Match Race Cup - the third event in a series of Rolex-sponsored women's match race regattas, raced two days off of Goat Island, Newport, RI. Fourteen flights were completed, totaling seventy races. Saturday's racing was light to medium pressure with shifty conditions. Sunday provided us with 15 - 20 plus knots, which made for fantastic racing conditions. Hannah Swett with crew Melissa Purdy and Joan Touchette extended her winning streak by taking the ROLEX Sail Newport Women's Match Race Cup. Just last month, Swett placed first in the Rolex Thompson Cup, an ISAF Grade One event, and earlier this year, she also triumphed at the Rolex Alpena Invitational Women's Match Race event. Swett also qualified for the Rolex ISAF Women's World Match Racing Championship, to be held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in November. Jody Swanson finished second by a half a point behind Swett. Cory Sertl was third. Followed by Liz Baylis, Karen Lynch, Dawn Riley, Katie Pettibone, Colleen Cooke, Arabella Denvir and Suzy Leech. - Sandy Hayes THE CURMUDGEON'S OXYMORONS Sure bet |
