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SCUTTLEBUTT 1839 - May 16, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. UK AND HALSEY-LIDGARD SAILMAKERS MERGE UK Sailmakers and Halsey-Lidgard Sailmakers have merged to form of UK-Halsey Sailmakers, an organization with 51 lofts and service centers in 20 countries. Although UK-Halsey will now become one of largest sailmaking operations in the world, the stated purpose of this merger was, "…to share each company's unique and complimentary expertise, giving customers the advantages of both and broadening service coverage around the world." UK Sailmakers, based in City Island, New York, where the combined operation will be headquartered, is known as a leader in loadpath laminate construction, having pioneered Tape-Drive sails and, more recently, introduced UK Ultra grand prix sails. Halsey-Lidgard brings to UK-Halsey an engineering expertise which has produced sails for Steve Fossett's record-breaking Playstation (now Cheyenne) and more than a dozen other 100+ foot sailboats. Under the terms of the merger, all the UK-Halsey lofts around the world will be able to provide their customers with laminated loadpath sails manufactured in a dedicated facility in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Charles R. "Butch" Ulmer, President and founder of UK Sailmakers, will remain as President in the new organization while Andy Halsey, President and owner of Halsey-Lidgard, becomes Chief Sailmaker. Halsey's role is to ensure that all lofts in the expanded organization use the latest engineering and sail designs, that lofts share information effectively to advance the entire group's services to customers and that his mega-yacht and ultra high-speed boat expertise is made available throughout the company. A new website has been launched for the new entity: www.ukhalsey.com LOOKING FOR AMERICANS IN THE AMERICA'S CUP When Alan Bond's winged-keel Australia II ran off from Newport, R.I., with the America's Cup 22 years ago, five U.S. teams followed the tracks to Fremantle to get it back, like a posse after the Dalton Gang. And, when Dennis Conner returned in triumph waving the Auld Mug, that's when the aircraft carrier off San Diego should have flown the "Mission Accomplished" banner because it really meant something then. The 1986-87 America's Cup was mainstream news. Americans who didn't know port from starboard stayed up late to watch an unknown commentator named Gary Jobson describe the wild and windy action for a fledgling cable TV company called ESPN. It would never be the same again. Conner's Stars & Stripes team brought it back for the San Diego Yacht Club for two conventional defenses, but those followed an aberration involving a big, beautiful New Zealand boat against a 60-foot catamaran. After umpteen trips to the New York Supreme Court to thrash out the dispute, nobody outside of sailing seemed to care. Conner wasn't even the main player anymore. Along came a quirky Kansas oil tycoon named Bill Koch, the forerunner of a revolution that would return the America's Cup to its 19th-century origins when rich guys ran the show. Now it's in Spain scheduled for 2007 and with the table already set. The Yuan Is in the Mail No, the defenders of Alinghi are not Spanish; they are Swiss, but they aren't exactly Swiss either, unless you count the billionaire owner and a couple of grinders, and they're having it in Spain because Switzerland is landlocked. Valencia won the European lottery. This month the list of challengers was posted so that those who take national pride in international competition will know for whom to root. The teams - or at least the yacht clubs claiming them - are from the U.S., New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, France, Sweden, Germany, and Italy, which has three entries, thus tripling its chances of success from zero to, uh, zero. An entry from China also was announced, although it's not on the official list yet because, I was told, "A challenge dossier from China Team arrived [April 29] shortly before the deadline and must now be closely evaluated by the Société Nautique de Genève, the defending yacht club, before the team is fully accepted as a challenger." I think that means, the yuan is in the mail. As for a red, white, and blue rooting interest, Americans on Ellison's crew, representing San Francisco's Golden Gate YC, include Californians John Kostecki and Eric Doyle and ... uh, wait a minute, is this the complete list? - Rich Roberts, The Log, full story: www.thelog.com/columnists/columnistsview.asp?c=158764 REGATTA T-SHIRTS, POLOS, FLEECE AND GRAPHICS Trust the leader in nautical graphics and printing to cover your regatta apparel needs. It's never too early to start planning. For a free catalog or quote, email mailto:info@pirateslair.com or log on to http://www.pirateslair.com/sailing SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Langenargen, Germany - The first and third-placed skippers on the Swedish Match Tour leaderboard are among the four semifinalists at Match Race Germany, Stage 6 of the 2004-'05 Swedish Match Tour. Third-placed Peter Gilmour (AUS), of Pizza-La Sailing Team, won the Quarterfinal Round with a 6-1 record and will meet Bertrand Pacé (FRA), of BMW Oracle Racing, in one semifinal match. It is a rematch of last year's Match Race Germany championship, which Gilmour won 3-2. Tour leader Ed Baird (USA), of Team Alinghi, will square off against Jesper Bank (DEN), of United Internet Team Germany, in the other semifinal match. Bank and Baird each finished the quarterfinals with a 5-2 record, but Bank defeated Baird in Flight 9 to win the tiebreaker. Pacé just barely advanced to the semis. He finished the quarterfinals in a three-way tie that had more permutations than the weather on Lake Constance. Pacé tied with Ben Ainslie (GBR), of Emirates Team New Zealand, and Sten Mohr (DEN), each at 3-4. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, but that didn't resolve it because they beat each other at least once. The next tiebreaker pits each skipper against the winner of the round. Gilmour beat all three, so that didn't solve it. The next tiebreaker pits each skipper against the runner-up of the round. Bank beat all three, so that didn't solve it. In the end, it was Pacé's victory over Baird in today's Flight 7 that put him in the semifinals. Sunday's racing again was beset by fluky winds. Racing was interspersed with several long postponements as the wind came and went. When it blew, it was mostly from the northwest, and the strength ranged from 0 to 10 knots. - Sean McNeill, www.SwedishMatchTour.com Quarterfinal Round Standings 1. Peter Gilmour (AUS) Pizza-La Sailing Team, 6-1 2. Jesper Bank (DEN) United Internet Team Germany, 5-2 3. Ed Baird (USA) Team Alinghi, 5-2 4. Bertrand Pacé (FRA) BMW Oracle Racing, 3-4 5. Ben Ainslie (GBR) Emirates Team New Zealand, 3-4 6. Sten Mohr (DEN), 3-4 7. Ian Williams (GBR), 2-4 8. Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 1-6 DISPLEASURE During Friday evening's press conference at Match Race Germany, Peter Gilmour, the reigning Swedish Match Tour and Match Race Germany champion, firmly expressed his displeasure with the event's format. Match Race Germany splits its 12 teams into two groups of six. Each group sails a five-race round robin. The top four in each group advance to the Quarterfinal Round, which can either be a round robin or a knockout series, while the bottom two in each group are eliminated. The four teams eliminated were Ian Ainslie (RSA), Team Shosholoza, Jan Eike Andresen (GER), Sebastian Col (FRA), K-Challenge, and Mathieu Richard (FRA). Two of the teams represent America's Cup syndicates. The four teams sailed a one race sailoff for places 9 through 12, but they're all young and inexperienced match-racers who would've rather kept racing. Gilmour favors a double round robin, followed by semifinals and final. "That way the cream rises to the top," said the veteran match-racer. - Full story: www.swedishmatchtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=18765 IT'S OFFICIAL Last Friday, China Team received its official confirmation from the Defender, the Société Nautique de Genève, that it has been accepted as a bone fide challenger for the 32nd America's Cup. The full line-up of competitors for the America's Cup is now confirmed with 12 teams from 10 nations. China Team represents the Qingdao International Yacht Club, and is the first Chinese team in the long history of the America's Cup. The team is led by Chaoyong Wang, the chairman of a leading Chinese venture capital firm. He has formed a partnership with Le Défi, a French challenger in the last two editions of the America's Cup to acquire their knowledge base and assets, including two America's Cup Class boats from the last event. China Team will need to work quickly. The first races of the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts 4&5 begin in just over one month. CHN 69, the boat the China Team will race, is already in Valencia, undergoing modifications to conform to the newest update to the class rule. The team will begin sailing in Valencia at the end of May in preparation for racing. - www.americascup.com ISN'T IT TIME! It's that time of the year again, to start thinking about the improvements you can make to your boat to enhance the performance for the 2005 season. Just imagine the advantages of upgrading your outdated or inadequate Brand "X" system with Ockam's proven Tryad based system. And since backward/forward compatibility is a mainstay of Ockam's design, it is simple to update your older Ockam system to current specs. We even offer trade in credits! Ockam's proven performance means your race winning decisions will be more reliable than ever. Break away to the front of the pack! Contact Ockam: mailto:lat@ockam.com SAN DIEGO YC RECAPTURES LIPTON CUP This past weekend, 11 of the top Southern California yacht clubs sent their very best racers to the Balboa YC to vie for the 92nd running of Lipton Cup Challenge Cup Regatta. After a two year absence, the trophy has returned to the San Diego Yacht Club. Sailing in J/105s, Bill Hardesty and his crew of Kyle Clark, Betty Sherman, Brian Janney, Kelly McKeowne, Maria Stout and Eric Shampain dominated an otherwise tightly bunched fleet. SDYC scored an eight point victory over the team from Bahia Corinthian YC headed by helmsman Mike Pinckney, who won the second place tie breaker from the California YC's team lead by Bob Little. The defending Balboa YC team, co-helmed by Jack Franco and Dave Ullman, finished fourth in a five race, no throw-out series that never saw more six knots of breeze. - Complete results: www.balboayachtclub.com/ NEWS BRIEFS * Every yacht participating in the 2005 Rolex Transatlantic Challenge will with a capability never dreamed of when the Great Ocean Race of 1905 was held - the ability to speak to an emergency physician 24/7 during the race. The New York Yacht Club with the cooperation of the Royal Yacht Squadron are providing each participating yacht access the MedLink services of MedAire, Inc. in the event any crew member becomes ill or injured. MedLink operates as a hospital-based global-response center with communication specialists and board-certified emergency physicians working to provide medical guidance and assistance to people in remote environments. - http://nyyc.org/index.cfm?menu=270&openitem=270 / www.medaire.com * 71-year-old Japanese Minoru Saito, in quest to become oldest person to sail around he world solo without stopping, is crossing the equator after more than 200 days at sea in his boat Saito-san/Shuten Dohji II . He should arrive in Japan in early to mid-June. For the story and complete log of his journey, go to www.tspsjapan.org/Minoru_Saito.html * Twenty years ago, Simon Le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran, nearly lost his life when his yacht capsized during the Rolex Fastnet yacht race. Now he's back to try again, on the same yacht. Le Bon sold the 77-foot yacht, Drum, to Scottish car dealer Arnold Clark who renamed the boat Arnold Clark Drum. Clark has agreed to loan the boat to Le Bon for this year's Rolex race which starts August 7. They will raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the group who rescued Le Bon the first time. - www.luxist.com/entry/1234000923043276/ * Last Friday, ISAF presented its most prestigious award, the ISAF Beppe Croce, to Paul Henderson, ISAF President from 1994-2004. Being awarded the Beppe Croce Trophy is an honor reserved to a few great names who, with their voluntary commitment and devotion, have contributed in an outstanding way to the growth and evolution of sailing over the years. Paul Henderson culminated 34 years of work for ISAF and its predecessor, IYRU, in November 2004. As ISAF President, the past decade alone was marked by his determination and devotion to his ideals. - www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6qFhy?kC&format=popup CONTEST UPDATE This is the final week of the latest Scuttlebutt contest: 20,000 by the 20th. During this subscription drive, a big push is needed this week from all Scuttlebutt readers to make the goal of 20,000 subscribers by this Friday, May 20th. If every butthead gets just one of their sailing pals to subscribe, everyone will be a winner with special offers available from West Marine, Harken, Team One Newport, and Hall Spars & Rigging. To help send out info to your friends, click on the "Just Do It" button on the contest details page at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/contest/20000 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Geoff Becker, Head Coach - Washington: I grew up sailing the Naples Sabot in Southern California and now I live in the East where the opti is king. I have coached in sabots, optis and also coached college sailors that grew up sailing both. I feel confident in saying that the opti is an excellent boat to teach a young sailor how to sail and even to learn to race. That said, the sabot is probably a better boat to expand a sailor's, young or old, technical expertise in the sport. Sabots are by design (leeboard) difficult to sail and require a more fine tuned sense of technique and feel. Another side effect due to the limited racing possibilities of the sabot is crossover. You see many top level sabot sailors crossing over into other types of boats, like FJs, 420s, Lasers and even optis much earlier than from the opti class. Opti sailors, often sail exclusively optis until they either age out or size out. The crossover in the sabot class allows sailors the opportunity to experience more of the sport at a younger age and become more complete sailors much sooner. High school sailing shows this where So Cal sailors seem to do well each year because they have already been sailing the boats in high school for several years. During a recent practice with a local high school, a member of the HS team, a top opti sailor in the region, mentioned that it was his first time skippering a double-handed boat. * From Alan Blunt: There are some pretty convincing arguments that the Opti produces the best sailors. Numbers, organization and facts like 70% of last years Olympic medalists came thru the opti ranks. I'd like to deviate slightly from this thread and get some opinions on which boat is the best trainer. My vote would be the JY Trainer.Its injection-molded, indestructible, dirt cheap, ands has all the good points of an Opti, plus it's self bailing and has a sleeve luff. * From Cory E. Friedman: Until kids are ready to move to Laser 4.7's, Radials, Club 420's and FJ's, there probably is no real difference between Opti's, Sabots or similar craft. They all teach the essential sailing skills -- like having fun on the water. All those classes should live and prosper. What is unfortunate is the demise of double-handed sailing for that age group. Those that did not want to sail single-handed used to be able to learn on N 10's (Turnabouts), Blue Jays and the like, which, unfortunately, are no longer as widely distributed as they used to be. Rather than arguing about prams, someone ought to design an inexpensive self-rescuing, double-handed boat for those kids. * From Butch Ulmer: In response to Graham Kelly's comments, I offer the following: The situation we use for each of the rules quizzes is designed to give some framework and relative speed to the incident so in most cases, we specify the boats involved. If you look through the quizzes you'll see we've used a variety of different boats. Many of the incidents have actually occurred and such is the case here! If Mr. Graham had clicked on the "View Video Clip" box in the answer to Quiz 19, he would have seen two America's Cup boats going through the motions shown in the animation including leaving a windward mark to port. Since they used to do it that way, perhaps he needs a little more seasoning! However, the situation says nothing about "a race in the America's Cup" (quotes provided by Mr. Graham) nor does it say that it happened during a match race. He assumed that, we never said it. The objective of our quizzes is to help people learn the racing rules not the match racing rules so we did not apply them here. We try to pick situations that are interesting and that sailors have a good chance of running into on the race course. This seemed like some good action at a windward mark and we thought people would enjoy seeing it in real life as well as in an animation. * From Mort Weintraub: One can sympathize with Messrs. Bulman and Kirstiansen about their costs in getting IRC certificates. On the other hand, perhaps some prior planning on their part might have lessened the pain. Last Fall, a baker's dozen boats were measured and weighed in one day at the McMichael yard in Mamaroneck. Costs were: $150 each measurer's fee, $11 per foot for the lift ($407 for Troubador), and under $200 for the application and endorsement charge. Working cooperatively, in one day we were able to weigh and measure 13 boats, ranging from Soverel 33 to Santa Cruz 52. Once each boat was stripped of sails and superfluous gear, it took 45 minutes to do the in-the-water measuring, and another 45 minutes on McMichael's single point lift to pull, weigh, measure and refloat. Our best estimate is that if we had each done the work separately the process could have been completed in a half day. If endorsement is not wanted, owners can complete the form without much hassle. The sailmaker can do the main, biggest jib and 'chute. Let me add, now that Trip Estabrook is at USSA and devoting his efforts to IRC, questions get answers quickly. Finally, allocating the charges over a few seasons brings the cost per year to a manageable figure. I'm convinced that the price is consistent with the value of racing under an internationally accepted rating rule. * From Chris Shining: I find it pretty incredible that some yacht owners are constantly squawking about the cost of a measurement certificate. They are more than eager to fork over countless dollars for goofy looking crew gear, alcohol, and various non-performance racing items. If you have a 35+ foot yacht or larger $1500.00 seems to be a pittance when it comes to the overall cost of competition. Could it be that many of the largest complainers don't want the rest of the fleet to find out how out of 'certificate' compliance their PHRF yacht has actually become over the years????? IMHO any rule that gets the rating process out of the hands of the current interested parties is a plus for the racing community. Its time to get out of the dark ages and quit running our sport for the lowest common denominator; "it floats therefore you have to give me a rating that is competitive." CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Rum can get you through times of no wind much better than wind can get you through times of no rum. |
