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SCUTTLEBUTT 2414 - August 20, 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 the support of its sponsors. “DROWNING IN HOSPITALITY AND GASPING FOR WIND” (August 19, 2007) This was the report from American Yngling sailors, with all racers commenting on how great the on-site support has been at the 2007 Olympic Test Event, but after five days the original race schedule has been thrown out the window as light winds dog the 2008 Olympic waters in Qingdao, China. So far, here is the daily report: Day 1 - August 15th - Only 49ers and 470 Women raced (2-4 knots) Day 2 - August 16th - All 11 classes raced (6-8 knots) Day 3 - August 17th - No races (winds too light) Day 4 - August 18th - All 11 classes raced (4-8 knots) Day 5 - August 19th - No races (winds too light) In spite of the frustrating conditions, British team meteorologist Libby Greenhalgh is confident the situation will improve over the next few days. “Things should get better from now on,” said Greenhalgh. “There’s a typhoon to the south that will slowly fill and track north, which should provide us with a gradually increasing south-easterly breeze as the week goes on.” Regarding the lack of racing so far, British Olympic Manager Stephen Park commented: “Unfortunately these are the conditions that we’re beginning to expect in China and it will now be interesting to see how the regatta progresses, and whether or not the organizing authority will utilize the reserve days at the end of the regatta to try and increase the number of races in the series.” Eleven races are scheduled for each event except for the 49er, for which 16 races are scheduled. Of the 11 (16) races, 10 (15) are scheduled as opening races and one as the medal race. Racing at the 2007 Olympic Test Event is scheduled through to Thursday, August 23rd. -- Event site: http://www.2007qdregatta.com Preliminary Results – Top Three plus North Americans in Top 10 RS:X Women 1. GBR - Bryony Shaw, 1-2-1-3, 7 2. FRA - Faustine Merret, 4-1-3-1, 9 3. CHN - Jian Yin, 3-3-2-4, 12 17. CAN - Nikola Girke, 18-17-16-15, 66 RS:X Men 1. CHN - Yuan Guo Zhou, 1-6-1-1, 9 2. NZL - Tom Ashley, 3-2-3-2, 10 3. FRA - Julien Bontemps, 2-8-4-7, 21 11. MEX - David Mier Y Teran, 9-13-11-14, 47 Laser 1. GBR - Paul Goodison, 3-4-1-10, 18 2. ARG - Julio Alsogaray, 12-2-9-1, 24 3. SWE - Rasmus Myrgren, 8-3-6-14, 31 6. CAN - Michael Leigh, 4-6-18-11, 39 Laser Radial 1. NZL - Jo Aleh, 9-1-3-1, 14 2. BEL - Evi Van Acker, 1-2-8-8, 19 3. MEX - Tania Elias-Calles, 4-13-7-4, 28 4. USA - Anna Tunnicliffe, 7-19-1-3, 30 Finn 1. GBR - Ben Ainslie, 1-2-1-2, 6 2. CRO - Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic, 3-3-7-3, 16 3. DEN - Jonas Hoegh-Christensen, 4-4-8-5, 21 9. CAN - Chris Cook, 10-14-9-12, 45 470 Men 1. AUS - Mathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page, 13-1-6-1, 21 2. ISR - Gidi Kliger/Udi Gal, 2-13-3-4, 22 3. GBR - Nicholas Rogers/Joe Glanield, 4-5-5-9, 23 10. USA - Michael Anderson-Mitterling/David Hughes, 14-14-13-2, 43 470 Women 1. JPN - Ai Kondo/Naoko Kamata, (9)-2-1-4-2, 9 2. AUS - Elsie Rechichi/Tessa Parkinson, 1-5-(8)-3, 10 3. SWE - Therese Torgersson/Vendele Zachrisson, 4-1-2 -(12)-11, 18 10. USA - Amanda Clark/Sara Mergenthaler, 5-12-(18)-10-12, 39 Star 1. SUI - Flavio Marazzi/ Christoph Christen, 7-1-1, 9 2. FRA - Xavier Rohart/ Pascal Rambeau, 3-3-4, 10 3. NZL - Hamish Pepper/ Carl Williams, 4-6-2, 12 11. USA - John Dane/ Austin Sperry, 6-10-14, 30 Tornado 1. AUT - Roman Hagara/Han Peter Steinacher, 3-2-1, 6 2. AUS - Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby, 1-9-2, 12 3. GER - Johannes Polgar/Flarian Spalteholz, 2-4-7, 13 10. USA - John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree, 13-13-4, 30 49er 1. ESP- Iker Martinez/Xabier Fernandez, 1-2-2-(15)-1- 8, 14 2. USA - Morgan Larson/Peter Spaulding, (15)-3-5-2-5-3, 18 3. AUS - Nathan Outteridge/Ben Austin, (18)-6-6-1-4-2, 19 Yngling 1. GBR - Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson, 2-1-1-7, 11 2. USA - Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Capozzi, 1-3-2-5, 11 3. RUS - Ekaterina Skudina/Diana Krutskikh /Natalia Ivanova, 5-4-4-2, 15 Complete results: http://www.2007qdregatta.com/node/node_8874.htm CUP CHASE From supplying the spars to the current TP 52 MedCup leader to building the mast that won THE CUP, Hall Spars & Rigging is must-have equipment for teams serious about competition. Hall’s seamless, one-piece carbon spars are unparalleled in strength, stiffness and light weight, and deliver extraordinary quality whether your goal is the Verve Cup, the Superyacht Cup, or the local bowl, mug, decanter, or tumbler. Our standing and running rigging packages are built to the same high standards. So grab a cup of joe, sit down at the computer, and begin your cup chase at http://www.hallspars.com CONTROVERSY AT IMS WORLDS Hankø, Norway (August 18, 2007) – After racing on Friday was cancelled due to strong winds, the IMS World Championship finished Saturday with German winners both in Class 1 and 2. However there was some controversy over the winner in Class 1, the J/V Evento 36, «Beluga Racing Team» whose skipper Christian Plump persisted he had completed the proper course during the long ocean race on Tuesday, despite the electronic tracking system, witnesses and his own admission to a local sailing magazine suggested otherwise. It appears he sailed on the wrong side of a mark indicating course limits, which he and the skippers of «Fram XV», Unique» and «Obnoxious Too» all mistook as being the rounding mark off the Norwegian South coast town of Kragerø. As opposed to his competitors, who were subsequently disqualified, Mr. Plump did return to round the proper mark correctly, thereby losing valuable time and distance, but apparently having sailed outside course limits, many of his competitors felt that Mr. Plump and his team also deserved to be penalized. Having said that, «Beluga Sailing Team» was clearly the fastest boat on the water, and therefore it seems a pity that the crew inflicted this situation upon themselves. Protests against the German boat were thrown out for formality reasons. -- Complete story, photos, and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0819 WORLD TOUR – ST. MORITZ MATCH RACE St Moritz, Switzerland (19 August 2007) -- There’s a new ‘King of the Mountain’ after Ian Williams and his Team Pindar nipped past Mark Mendelblatt’s Team Kaenon in the fifth and deciding match at the St. Moritz Match Race. World Match Racing Tour leader Williams carried a perfect scorecard to reach the final, remaining undefeated in the round robin, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. While Mendelblatt’s road to the finals had more drama, the experience he held as a two-time winner of the event pushed Williams to the brink before succumbing to the scrappy match race veteran. The ‘first to three’ Final went down to the last race and indeed, down to the final seconds. Despite occasional rain showers, the grandstand was full with crowds lining the shore. All even going into the final race, Mendelblatt carried a narrow lead onto the last run to the finishing line, but a great spinnaker hoist by Williams and his crew brought Team Pindar into an overlapped position. As he moved to make a quick double gybe, Williams fooled Mendelblatt into gybing himself. Now holding the starboard tack advantage, Williams watched as the Umpires penalized Mendelblatt just meters from the finishing line. Team Pindar crossed the line to win the match and the series. “Mark sailed very well all through the Final and really showed us how to handle the boats,” Williams said after the win. “But I think we maybe understand the way the Umpires are thinking a bit more with our experience on the World Tour. He picked up three penalties over the course of the Final and that last one coming into the finish is what decided it.” There are now only four events remaining toward the season championship, and this win extends Williams lead over Mathieu Richard (FRA) to 24 points. -- Complete event report: http://www.stmoritz-matchrace.ch/en/media/index.htm?4&0 Overall results, St. Moritz Match Race 1. Ian Williams (GBR) - 35 000 Sfr (approx $29k) 2. Mark Mendelblatt (USA) - 22 000 Sfr 3. Eric Monnin (SUI) - 18 000 Sfr 4. Paolo Cian (ITA) - 15 000 Sfr 5. Mathieu Richard (FRA) - 13 000 Sfr 6. Jochen Schuemann (GER) - (Peter Evans - NZL) - 11 000 Sfr 7. Sébastien Col (FRA) - 9 500 Sfr 8. Matthias Renker (SUI) - 8 500 Sfr 9. Michael Hestbaek (GER) - 6 000 Sfr 10. Matteo Simoncelli (ITA) - 5 000 Sfr 11. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) - 4 000 Sfr 12. Evgeny Neugodnikov (RUS) - 3 000 Sfr * This is one event on the Tour where you really need to see the boats. The Streamline is a 23-foot open 3-man keelboat, weighing 1300 ponds, and relying on the two forward crew to ride trapeze wires as the wind builds. Unlike all other Tour events, the winner in St. Moritz will first need to master the high performance nature of the boat before they can exhibit their match-racing prowess. Photographer Max Ranchi was on the scene, and his images capture both the uniqueness of the boat, but also, the charm of this renowned holiday resort that lies 5624 ft above sea level. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0818/ ARE YOUR SAILS LOSING THE BATTLE AGAINST MILDEW? Team McLube’s Sailkote PLUS Anti-Mildew Formula will win this battle for you. Keep your sails and canvas mildew-free, cleaner, and drier with this long-lasting hydrophobic coating. Reduces friction when furling, sails roll up 35% tighter (upgrade to larger sail area or heavier cloth within same circumference), and 50% less water absorption means lighter sails and faster drying. Proven successful by the most respected names and brands among cruisers and racers alike. Click http://www.mclube.com/sailkote to see our video and check out our authorized professional spray facilities across the USA. Get your free quote today and win the battle against mildew. A CLOSE SECOND (The Daily Sail subscription site talked to Ken Read about his close second place in the Fastnet Race onboard Rambler and the latest news from his Volvo Ocean Race campaign.) Leading US sailor Ken Read skippered George David's maxi Rambler, the 90ft Reichel-Pugh design and former Alfa Romeo. While small, older and with water ballast rather than a canting keel, Rambler gave Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard 3 a run for her money when she led the giant brand new maxi around the Fastnet Rock by three seconds. "That was a huge shock for us, but a pleasant one," Read admitted to us. "The boys all worked hard enough for it, but they must have had a couple of things go wrong because the boat is significantly faster than our boat. Right around the Rock they powered through us and we never saw them again. Leopard looks like a nice boat, but we like our boat too. As an IRC boat, with the other two big boys [Leopard and Alfa Romeo] it wasn’t a line honours race for us unless something bizarre happened and sure enough it nearly did." Read gave some insight on the difficulties in sailing such a large machine, particularly in the big conditions Rolex Fastnet Race competitors experienced. "There was plenty going on, especially that first night when it was really squally, even coming in here [to Plymouth] it was squally. It is hard on boats this big, because you have to prepare so far in advance because everything is so bloody big. We worked really hard at trying to be not just minutes, but hours, ahead of what the next move would be and I think in a couple of different spots it paid off. But it is hard, it is scary sometimes when you are caught out a little, because it is just big stuff and it is hard to get it down." -- Complete story: http://tinyurl.com/25x8bs THE QUEST FOR THE CUP OF WOE There is a challenge that has humbled some of the world’s richest men. It has led to fortunes being squandered and giant egos brutally crushed. It was once described as having the “fascination of sin”, and its history is littered with deep intrigue and high drama. Next month, a self-made businessman – the son of a factory worker – will join the list of multimillionaires who, over the years, have declared their intention to win the world’s oldest, most exclusive and most elusive sporting trophy – the America’s Cup, the “holy grail” of yachting. Britain, the world’s foremost maritime nation, has, paradoxically, never won sailing’s most prestigious competition. Having masterminded London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics, the entrepreneur Sir Keith Mills, who made a fortune founding the Air Miles and Nectar loyalty schemes, now intends to deploy his considerable wealth, energy and talents into setting that right. His Team Origin is already being talked about as offering the most credible challenge for several generations. “Lunatics like me constantly put themselves at risk,” he says. “But I would not do it if I did not think we have a great chance of winning.” -- Times Online, full story: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/sailing/article2264751.ece RIDING A NEW WAVE OF POPULARITY Montreal-area yacht clubs, including at least one that was sinking toward bankruptcy less than a decade ago, are riding a new wave of popularity -- so much so that some of them are turning away business. There are waiting lists at clubs in Laval and Hudson, while an Old Port club, in its first full season, is already almost three-quarters full. Yachting, often perceived by the uninitiated as the sport of the very rich, appears to be enjoying a revival led by people of more modest incomes. Timothy Brown, executive director of the Canadian Yachting Association, based in Kingston, Ont., suggested that despite the impression that sailing is an activity of people who own 100-foot yachts, the rich are, in fact, "the vast minority." With the increasingly prohibitive costs surrounding big power boats, which Brown likened to aquatic sports utility vehicles, he said he is seeing a move back to sailboats. Relative to golf memberships and children's hockey, sailing is affordable, he said. "Once you get the boat, the wind is free." -- National Post, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2hcom9 100 FISH CONVERGE IN NEW JERSEY The 2007 Sunfish Worlds are being decided this week at the Brant Beach YC in New Jersey. Vanguard Sailboats supplied the 100 specially designed boats for the event that ends Friday, August 24th. Check out what racing a Sunfish is all about and keep up with the results at http://www.teamvanguard.com SAILING SHORTS * Thirty-one boats competed in the Shields US Nationals on August 15-18, where only six points separated the top five, and one point was the difference between first and third. Peter Denton/Will Welles came out on top of the heap, where the 7-race series was held in Newport, RI. Photographer Amory Ross was on-site, and provides a sixteen shot gallery showing the fleet in close quarters and big breeze. For photos and results: * Thirty-one boats competed in the Shields US Nationals on August 15-18, where only six points separated the top five, and one point was the difference between first and third. Peter Denton/Will Welles came out on top of the heap, where the 7-race series was held in Newport, RI. Photographer Amory Ross was on-site, and provides a sixteen shot gallery showing the fleet in close quarters and big breeze. For photos and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0818a * US Sailing is seeking nominations for their slate of Training awards, with presentations to be done at the October Annual General Meeting (Phoenix, Az.) and the January National Sailing Programs Symposium (St. Petersburg, Fla.). These annual awards include the Timothea Larr Trophy, Captain Joe Prosser Award for Excellence in Sailing, The Sail Training Service and Support Award in Honor of Virginia Long, The Marty Luray Award, and the Community Sailing Awards, and intend to recognize those individuals and organizations that have contributed on a high level toward sailing education. Details at http://www.ussailing.org/training/awards * Newport, RI – August 19, 2007 The Hinman Masters, more formally known as the Invitational Team Race Regatta for the Commodore George R. Hinman Masters Trophy, was sailed at the NYYC’s Harbour Court this past weekend. The team-racing event is for those on the shady side of 40. After four complete round robins, or 48-total races, the team from the host New York Yacht Club won the event with 12 points. In second place was Noroton Yacht Club, which beat Larchmont Yacht Club on the tie-breaking. Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was fourth; St. Francis, fifth and Southern Yacht Club, sixth. -- http://www.nyyc.org * Neustadt, Germany (August 19, 2007) -- Jim Richardson from the United States is the first overall winner of the Rolex Baltic Week 2007. The owner and helmsman of "Barking Mad" and his team have won the Farr 40 competition as well as the European Circuit, a grand prix series of this prestigious international class comprising five separate regattas. Richardson was rejoined for this event by his long-time tactician Terry Hutchinson, who will be onboard with Richardson for the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds in Copenhagen, Denmark when racing begins August 29th. -- http://www.regattanews.com/pressrelease.asp?pid=1698&langid=1 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Cory E. Friedman: The Olympic test event write-up that Issue 2413 linked to had a line on the Stars stating, "The winner of the race was Flavio Marazzi and Christoph Christen (SUI) in their specially designed boat for these conditions." Do you have any news on what they are talking about? Stars have generous tolerances, so it has to be legal, but the details would be interesting. * From Stephen Fein: (regarding a report in Issue 2413) The first Irish boat to win the Fastnet race was Full Pelt Irish Independent 20 years ago. We did not win the cup because we were sponsored, but we won the race! * From Torrie Wilson: (regarding sports drinks in Issue 2413) For my drink on the boat, I stick with water. I sail dinghies, and it is not uncommon for the saltwater on the sunglasses to need a squirt, or for the eyes to be rinsed out. Try to do that with anything but water and, well, you won’t try it again. * From Sue Bailey: I always thought how nice it was that the Optimist did not get established out west. There are plenty of talented juniors on the left coast, and the need to travel east at that age seemed hard to justify. Fortunately, the El Toro and Naples Sabot managed the situation nicely, as their non-existence east of Interstate 5 kept the kids at home. Well, now the Opti has found its way to San Francisco, and also into the Los Angeles area, it would seem that the temptation will only get stronger to move the So Cal kids to the Opti too. While the So Cal kids have proven that they are highly talented, and that their sabot scene easily overcomes the “Evolve or Die” concern, how long will it be before the Opti squeezes out this class too? * From Arnulf Nilsen: I was amazed to see the pictures from the 2007 El Toro North Americans. Not because they are featured on Scuttlebutt but because they highlighted in vivid fashion how kids have changed. The boat designed in the 30’s to be a tender and a trainer is now officially only for big kids. The El Toro being one of the main stays of junior sailing on the west coast (SF Bay) for many years has now been overrun by the Big Kids. Come on Dad, let junior have a chance. Curmudgeon’s Comment: Both the El Toro and Naples Sabot classes out west have very active senior events, and it just so happens that the photos we received were from the adult championship. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION You might be a sailing bum if the local boat yard's phone number is number one on your speed dialer. Special thanks to Hall Spars, Team McLube, and Vanguard Sailboats. |
