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SCUTTLEBUTT 2778 - Tuesday, February 10, 2009Scuttlebutt 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.Today's sponsors are Summit Yachts, Camet, and Newport Shipyard. FEEL THE TRENDS IN OUR SOCIETY by Paul Cayard, World Yacht Racing Forum “I would embrace what’s new. I think we might hear some conservative comments, but I think the iShares Cup is on the right path. I think we need to make sailing more exciting at the top end. We need to have an event that lasts for 25 minutes that the average guy who doesn’t know anything about sailing can sit there and look at that and just go ‘holy cow that is incredible’: Action, lead changes pitchpoling - whatever. “Kiteboarding - I’m really glad to hear International Sailing Federation ratified the speed record. It may just be a fashion, a fad, but it’s cool. I can tell you that it’s going off in San Francisco Bay big time. So I think sailing should embrace kiteboarding. The Moths are cool. Multihull sailing is cool – I think multihull sailing is probably going to be a much bigger part of sport in the next century than it has been. “So I think we need to embrace those things again as part of change looking forward – feel the trends in our society: skiing became snowboarding, biking became mountain biking. We can kind of see where things are going see what the kids want, if you want to grow the sport, see where the kids are seeing, what their interests are and let’s make sailing something that’s exciting and interesting to that group.” * The transcript for the 2008 World Yacht Racing Forum is now available. This event took place in December in Monte Carlo and was a never-before-seen gathering of those involved with the business of yachting as a sport. Details here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7006#7006 YOUTH PERSPECTIVE - IT’S NEW... IT’S SEXY... IT’S A SKIFF Paul Cayard is not alone in wanting to embrace what’s new. When Scuttlebutt 2777 reported on the selection of the U.S. team for the International 420 World Championship Regatta, it prompted Max Bulger to provide a youth perspective: “Great news about the youth athletes headed to Garda to rep the USA in International 420s, and congratulations... but I don't care. I'm an 18 year old sailor (and trust me we are in short supply) and I'm not alone when I say I'm tired of hearing about the I-420. I'm sure it's a great boat and all, but why is everyone dropping to their knees and hailing the resurgence of this class like it was the second coming of Jesus? It's an antiquated boat, and, while I'm sure my dad enjoyed racing his, it's barely different than the Club 420 (and GOD knows we see enough of that boat... most of us have seen the inside of it more than the back of our eyelids). But, wait- isn't the I-420 lighter, faster, more fun, easier to pop on a plane and more technical when it comes to boat speed?? “No. Anyone who thinks that has never sailed a 29er and probably never seen a skiff. The two-nine is new. It's sexy. It's a skiff. It's growing. It appeals to youth and has unlimited to potential to update the identity of sailing for the 21st century and maybe, just MAYBE, revive it in the minds of youth. It's technical. It's tactical. It teaches kids how to care for their equipment more than any other youth class. The growing class is competitive, friendly and FAR more Corinthian than any collection of C420 sailors- I've sailed in both classes extensively, and I don't think many 420 sailors even know /how/ to spin.” -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7007 KING 40 WINS ITS CLASS The King 40 “Soozal” is the newest of these successful Racer/Cruisers by Summit Yachts. She led the competition at Key West Race Week in the IRC 2 class to win overall class honors. Also showing a strong performance was “Act 1” (Newport). “Soozal”, owned by San Francisco sailor, Dan Woolery, was fast right out of the box in her first ever regatta. The very competitive IRC 2 class included a mix of the best custom and production designs under 46 feet. Check out the King 40, the md 35 day sailer, and our newest model, the Summit 35 Racer/Cruiser at http://www.summit-yachts.com GUILLEMOT LOSES KEEL (Feb. 9, 2009; Day 92) - Marc Guillemot, who had just overtaken Sam Davies for third place in the Vendee Globe when his route to the east of the Azores High proved better than her western tactic, now must complete the final 976 miles of his race on Safran without a keel. Guillemot’s team reported early Monday morning that trouble with his keel, which had been bothering him since the Azores, had got worse. Since Sunday the keel had been moving in the fore and aft plane and giving the skipper cause for concern. Early this morning it had slipped several centimeters down into the keel box and he was forced to try to make a fix by securing it with ropes to the mast and a winch, but early this afternoon he realized suddenly that the ropes were slack. He no longer had a keel. Similar to the situation with Roland Jourdain, who had to halt his race for the same reason in the Azores, which are 300 miles or so to the SW of Safran, Guillemot now believes that his keel loss is a delayed consequence of a collision he had with a sea mammal on the evening of December 17th near the Kerguelen Islands. Guillemot says he is determined to reach the finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne, France in whatever place he ends up in. He now has full windward ballast tanks and says he is taking it as easily as possible. Conditions are choppy but he has around 12-13 knots of wind. Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (30 entrants; 11 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, Finished Feb. 1, 15:11 GMT (84:03:09:08) 2. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, Finished Feb. 7, 08:41 GMT (89:09:39:35) 3. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 922.4nm Distance to Finish 3. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB, Dismasted - Redress Given 4. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 934.6 nm DTF 5. Brian Thompson (GBR), Bahrain Team, DTF not available Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en ERICSSON 4 EXTENDS LEAD IN VOLVO OCEAN RACE Qingdao, China (Feb. 9, 2009) - Volvo Ocean Race skipper Bouwe Bekking may have been first to pop the cork on his champagne, but Torben Grael had the broadest grin at the end of the Qingdao in-port race. After two consecutive days of cancellations, Grael dominated the day with a first and second, giving Ericsson 4 the day’s spoils to grow their lead at the top of the leaderboard by half a point, leaving them four ahead of Telefonica Blue, who finished second overall with a fourth and a first. This region, as shown in the Olympics, experiences light and shifty winds in addition to a strong current and today was no exception. In fact, just seven knots were on offer in the day’s first race and less than five greeted the fleet in the second. Coupled with changes in wind direction – it veered by as much as 25 degrees – it was tricky. Third for the day was PUMA with two thirds, and fourth was Green Dragon with a 2-4. The other four boats that did not compete, Ericsson 3, Telefónica Black, Delta Lloyd, and Team Russia, received no points. -- Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Leg Five from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will start February 14th, is 12,300 nm in length, with the finish estimated on March 20th. Current Standings after Qingdao In-Port race 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 49.0 points 2. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 45.0 points 3. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 41.0 points 4. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 30.0 points 5. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 24.0 points 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 21.0 points 7. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 12.0 points 8. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 points Note: If Ericsson 3 is able to complete Leg 4 following her repairs, she will receive 4 points as a fifth place finisher; otherwise she will receive 2 points for a Did Not Finish. CUP RACERS ARE READY FOR CHALLENGER SAIL-OFF Auckland, NZL (Feb. 9, 2009) - Racing in the Challenger Sail-off stage of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Cup takes place on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour Tuesday following the completion of Gold Fleet competition today. Two sudden-death races will be sailed to decide which boats will go through to complete the lineup for the challenger quarter finals. Switzerland’s Alinghi completed her sweep of the second round by a convincing win against the Italian boat Luna Rossa. Newcomer Damiani Italia Challenge scored an upset victory over British Olympic medalist Ben Ainslie on TEAMORIGIN after he broke the start line and had to return to restart. Host team Emirates Team New Zealand sailed in their final race before taking their place as a Louis Vuitton Pacific Series finalist next Saturday but succumbed to their old nemesis Russell Coutts at the wheel of BMW Oracle Racing. TEAMORIGIN will race tomorrow against France’s seventh-seeded Pataugas K-Challenge to decide the quarter finalist to meet Damiani Italia Challenge. In the other match, Luna Rossa will race against sixth-seeded China Team for the right to race against BMW Oracle Racing in the other quarter final. -- Daily report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7005#7005 Event website: http://www.louisvuitton-pacificseries.com Video coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO6 Audio coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO7 BUY HER SOMETHING SHE WILL WEAR! Forget about buying her lingerie that ends up sitting in the top draw...buy her something she well wear! The Camet Women's Wahine Shorts are the perfect gift for anyone on your Valentine's list. From its sexy new cut to its outstanding performance, the Wahine is what she really wants! While you're at it, get something for yourself. For all the best sailing gear go to http://www.camet.com/?Click=1111 AMERICA'S CUP COURT CASE SAILS INTO FINAL SHOWDOWN This isn't quite what billionaire sailors and one-time pals Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli had in mind when they spoke in recent years about modernizing the stodgy old America's Cup to the point that even landlubbers would embrace it. More than a year and a half after the spinnakers were doused following one of the most riveting regattas in the 158-year history of the America's Cup, the future of the oldest trophy in international sports will be decided not by sailors splashed by sea spray, but by seven judges in a stately, columned courthouse in upstate New York. Oral arguments are scheduled for Tuesday before the New York State Court of Appeals in Albany in the bitter case between San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club, which backs Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing, and Societe Nautique de Geneve, the Swiss club that backs Bertarelli's two-time defending America's Cup champion Alinghi. -- Bernie Wilson, AP Sports Writer, read on: http://linkbee.com/EHA7 * A reminder that the final round of the America’s Cup heavyweight legal bout featuring Golden Gate Yacht Club vs. Société Nautique De Genève will be on Internet TV Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 2:00 pm EST, State of New York, Court of Appeals, Web Channel: http://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps (and follow links). Parental guidance is strongly advised. * The National Public Radio sports show "Only a Game" ran a segment on the court case over the weekend, which included an informative interview with John Rousmaniere: http://linkbee.com/EHA8 QUOTE / UNQUOTE Emirates Team New Zealand leader Grant Dalton about Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth: "(He) unites New Zealanders as no politician can. Everybody hates him." -- Sailing World coverage: http://linkbee.com/D1DL DETAILS FROM THE DEFENDER Ernesto Bertarelli and Brad Butterworth, head and skipper of Alinghi respectively, met with the press on Monday morning in Auckland. Here are a few excerpts from Valencia Sailing website: * If Alinghi wins the court case a mutli-challenger conventional event will be held in Valencia in 2010. If, on the contrary, BMW Oracle prevails, Bertarelli clearly stated the Defender will not use any further legal means to prevent a one-on-one race. * According to Bertarelli, Alinghi will organize two regattas in Valencia in 2009, one in July and another in October, regardless of the outcome of the court case. However, in clear contradiction with Alinghi's statement last month, these races will not be compulsory for the 18 challengers that have entered the 33rd America's Cup. * Although many times Bertarelli talked about racing in Valencia, an agreement is not in place between the defender and Valencia, with the city apparently waiting to see if Alinghi wins the court case. -- Full details: http://linkbee.com/EHA9 CLUB CLOSES AFTER 135 YEARS On Jan. 20, the board of the Knickerbocker Yacht Club voted to close the club and sell the property located in Port Washington, NY. The club was founded in 1874. Citing declining membership, overhead costs and debt, Commodore Dr. Brian Raskin wrote in a letter to the members that there was "no other option." He explained that the biggest problem the club had was the reduction in membership. "Four yacht clubs on the bay is just too many," and he noted that there is half the number of boats in the harbor as in the '80s, and that there are more options for local residents than ever." -- Port Washington News, read on: http://www.antonnews.com/portwashingtonnews/2009/01/30/news * It is unclear what will happen with the Knickerbocker Cup, an international match racing event that KYC hosts, and is scheduled for August 26-30 in Manhasset Bay on Long Island Sound. The Knickerbocker Cup is a qualifier on the World Match Racing Tour for the King Edward VII Gold Cup event in Bermuda. -- Event website: http://www.kyc.net/cup.asp BE MY VALENTINE In boatspeak that means think as warmly about us as we do about you. With love, Newport Shipyard. -- http://www.newportshipyard.com SAILING SHORTS * Forty boats competed at the 2009 J/24 North Americans, hosted by the Club Náutico Valle de Bravo in México on Feb. 2-5, where Team Glaceau Vitamin Water held onto the lead they took control of on the second day of the five day event to win the title. Led by Jorge Xavier Murrieta (MEX), Team Glaceau Vitamin Water finished with 26 points, 13 less than second place Chris Snow (USA) over the ten race, one throw-out event. -- http://www.j24mex.com/northamericans/index.html * (Feb. 9, 2009) - Rosebud/Team DYT (STP 65) crossed the Montego Bay finish line at 01:33:35 this morning missing the Fort Lauderdale to Montego Bay (Jamaica) race record by just over one hour. Even though they did not get that last bit of breeze or shift to finish before 00:30, their achievement is amazing given the conditions. The weather for the first third of the race was far from record setting and for her to make up the time in the bottom half of the course was a great accomplishment. -- http://www.montegobayrace.com/index.html * British Olympians Sarah Ayton and Pippa Wilson, who won the gold medal at the 2008 Games in the Yngling class (alongside teammate Sarah Webb), have decided to campaign together in the two-person 470 class for the 2012 Olympics. Ayton, who is expecting her first child in June, plans to begin training with Wilson in November. Other changes for the Skandia Team GBR squad include Beijing Laser Radial representative Penny Clark also moving to the 470 class, where she will helm for Saskia Clark who had teamed at the 2008 Games with Christina Bassadone, who has now moved to the Laser Radial class. -- Complete story: http://linkbee.com/EHBA * CORRECTION: In Scuttlebutt 2777, somehow Liz Hall’s name was omitted in the story about the 2009 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Team Racing World Championship. To get right, here we go again: Representing New York Yacht Club, reigning Team Racing World Champions Clay Bischoff, Lisa Keith, Colin Merrick, Amanda Callahan, Pete Levesque, AND Liz Hall defended their title over the weekend by winning the 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship. Photos of the winning team: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/tr LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Jamie Foley: On behalf of the U.S. Virgin Islands, I wanted to respond to the recent Scuttlebutt story (in Issue 2774) regarding an alleged mugging in St. Thomas of the Alfa Nero crew. Officials of the USVI have investigated all possible reports, spanning from police and marine records to those of the hospital, and we have no records of such incident or of the Alfa Nero docking in USVI waters on or around the posting and implied incident date of February 3rd. We do, however, have information which suggests that Alfa Nero will be visiting St. Thomas on February 10. * From John Hindhaugh, Radio Show Limited: First may I thank you for the mention in your story titled ‘Alinghi’s No Show Shuns Sailing Fans Worldwide’ (in Issue 2777). You do, however, have me at a disadvantage. I can understand you knowing about the "For the Fans" ethic, but I was extremely surprised to see my name (spelled correctly) and an accurate description of what I do (that is, a Le Mans Radio announcer). I take it you are a sportscar or motorsport fan as well as your sailing interests. By the way I completely agree with the thrust of your argument, but I should point out that not all forms of motorsport are as near fan friendly as the ALMS. I remain, however, completely non-plussed on the attitude of Alinghi. I hope that this will not be swept under the carpet - the sport - indeed all sport - deserves a better example to be set by those at the highest echelons. This could be a very dangerous precedent. * From John Harwood-Bee: Why did I stick my neck out (in Issue 2772) in praising the incredible atmosphere and the sportsmanship of the LV Pacific Series when knowing that Alinghi were involved. It has been interesting to read the various media responses to their ' no show'. With the exception of BYM (a self-confessed Alinghi supporter) who published an interesting 'spin', the consensus is that the 'Swiss' team have once again shown their true colours. What is it about them that demonstrates such an arrogance and disregard for the local fans and the sailing fraternity in general? Do they not have a serious PR representative to advise them about such things or do they really not care what the majority think of them. Whilst it may be within the rules to refuse to race against ETNZ it most certainly was not in the spirit of the series or sportsmanship. If the jury have any points redress at all please send them to the back of the pack. * From John Rumsey: (re, windward mark gate) I was on Biscayne Bay last weekend watching the Etchells fleet round the weather marks gate in one of their races on Sunday and noticed a problem with weather gate system. With the large 60 boat fleet approaching the marks, the lead boats at the port rounding (right mark) were unable to head down the course until they cleared the long line of starboard tackers on the lay line to both marks. However, the starboard mark rounders (left mark) were able to go down the course as soon as they cleared the offset mark. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION "Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." - Tommy, age 6 (Hint: Valentine’s Day is Feb. 14th) Special thanks to Summit Yachts, Camet, and Newport Shipyard. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
