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SCUTTLEBUTT 1415 - September 16, 2003Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest 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 and personal attacks for elsewhere. MOET CUP In front of a spectator fleet of close to 100 boats, and with a sizeable crowd lining the shore and filling the VIP tents, America's Cup holder Alinghi and Challenger of Record Oracle BMW Racing staged a match-racing clinic on San Francisco bay Monday afternoon. In the first race of the day, Larry Ellison gained a measure of revenge for the Louis Vuitton Cup final. Ellison was at the helm of his Oracle BMW Racing boat (USA-71) to beat Ernesto Bertarelli on Alinghi (SUI-64), in the first race of the Moët Cup. With the win, Ellison jumps ahead 1-0 in the owner/driver series. For the second race, the pro-drivers took the helm. Oracle BMW Racing helmsman Gavin Brady appeared happy with his start to leeward of Alinghi and the teams began short tacking up the San Francisco shoreline, with Brady pushed right in along Fisherman's Wharf and the Aquatic Centre. The teams switched sides approaching the top mark, and with Brady in a powerful position on the right, the USA-71 helmsman simply ran out of room, the shoreline forcing him to tack before the port tack layline. Schuemann was able to get around the mark with a 10-second lead. Alinghi was fast downwind all day, and this race was no exception with the Swiss extending to a 14-second lead. The second lap of the course changed nothing, and Schuemann earned his first win as skipper of SUI-64. The Alinghi team takes a 1-0 lead in the pro-driver series, with the 26-second victory. Quotes of the day: Jochen Schuemann (Alinghi) on having to give 'sea-room' when the boats tack up the shoreline: For America's Cup boats it's not usual but in other match races it does happen often and we agreed from the beginning, because we don't want to risk any of our boats, that whenever the inner boat asks for water, we will give it and we did. There was no problem at all and it all worked very safely. Chris Dickson (Oracle BMW Racing) on his team's performance in the second race: We had more bad tacks than we would have liked this afternoon and we had a couple of small pieces of equipment on the boat that weren't working as we would have liked…we all get used to seeing these boats work perfectly and the reality is that there's a huge amount of crew co-ordination needed to sail these boats at a top level. Usually the guys make it look a lot easier than it really is. Today we had a 95% day on some issues instead of 99%. Ellen Macarthur, on her experience sailing as a guest on Oracle BMW Racing: I learned that you can't sail an America's Cup class boat by yourself…there's such a number of people working so hard. The race actually takes a long time but it goes just like that on the boat because everyone is so busy every second. It just shows how important the training is and how much time on the water you really need. That was the most impressive thing. Racing continues on Tuesday. - Peter Rusch, Golden Gate YC website, full story: http://ggyc001.securesites.net/moet Editor's note: The Moet Cup is awarded to the low point team with the best combined scores from both series. The winner of Series 2 (Pro Series) will be awarded a model of the Yacht America, a perpetual trophy. A reminder of The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) TV Schedule: September 16-19 at 7pm and 2am ET September 20-21 at 2:30pm ET ISAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Following a day of more strong, hot breeze, racing was completed in both Mistral fleets, and the Yngling fleet, who all had two races. Tomorrow in Puerto Sherry we shall be seeing the first qualification races for the Star classes after racing was cancelled today. The Finns continue measurement and hold a practice race, whilst racing carries on for the Mistrals and Ynglings. After a lay-day, the final series of races start for the Europe class as the competition really gets going. Measurement for the 470's continues in Rota, whilst in Elcano, the 63 nations competing in the Laser class, continue with kit allocation. Results (top three plus top NA entrants) Europe (6 races - 1 drop): 1. NOR, Siren Sundby, 10 pts; 2. NZL,Sarah Macky, 19; 3. CZE, Lenka Smidova, 22; 5. USA, Mary Gaillard, 27; 25. CAN, Magalie Bonneau-Marcil, 70; 27. MEX, Tania Elias Calles, 74. Yngling (4 races): 1. DEN, Jensen/ Jespersen/ Kiel, 30 pts; 2. USA, Swanson/ Sertl/ Kratzig, 31; 3. RUS, Skudina/ Diana/ Lartseva, 35; 4. USA, Swett/ Touchette/ Purdy, 37; 5. USA, Barkow/ Howe/ Capozzi, 41; 12. BER, Lewin/ Lewin/ Lopez, 57. Mistral-Women (2 races): 1. NZL, Barbara Kendall, 3 pts; 2. ISR, Lee Korsitz, 5; 3. POL, Zofia Klepacka, 9; 25. USA, Lanee Beashel, 49; 41. CAN, Dominique Vallee, 84. Mistral-Men (2 races): 1. POL, Przemek Miarczynski, 2 pts; 2. FRA, Julien Bontemps, 3; 3. FRA, Alexandre Guyader, 6; 45. USA, Pete Wells, 45; 56. CAN, Alain Bolduc, 58; 74. MEX, David Mie y Teran, 77. Full story: ISAF website, http://www.sailing.org Complete results: Event website, http://www.cadizworlds2003.com SWEDISH MATCH TOUR The Swedish Match Tour has announced the addition of the Nippon Cup 2003, November 17-23, in Hayama, Japan, to the Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004 schedule. Hosted by the Hayama Marina Yacht Club, the Nippon Cup 2003, the third event on Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004, will be raced on Hayama's Shinjuku Bay in Yamaha 30S racing yachts, offering a total prize purse of USD50,000. The format for the Nippon Cup 2003 will featured 12 teams, nine international skippers and crews and three Japanese teams, competing in a single round robin, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinal round to be followed by a first-to-three wins final. The addition of the Nippon Cup grows Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004 to eight events on three continents. - Shawn McBride, http://www.swedishmatchtour.com MIKE MOVES UP TO MUSTO Mike Golding will be flying the Musto flag on his new Owen Clarke Open 60 'Ecover' during the challenging 2004 Vendée Globe Race and the qualifiers leading up to the event. "Musto has a fantastic range of technical clothing, which will be a great asset and help to enhance my performance," says Mike. "Musto doesn't just wave you off and wish you luck. They're effectively with you all the way - which is a great advantage in a single-handed race!" You don't need to sail an Open 60 to experience Musto. Give it a try next time: http://www.musto.co.uk MINI TRANSAT In the lead in the protos, the race is a back and forth between Samuel Manuard, who resumed the top position, and Jonathan McKee who pushes at full speed. With a little less than 500 miles to Lanzarote and after six days of race, no one can say who will be the first one to cross the finish line. In fact, from the last one radioed position, some six miles separated Manuard and McKee. In command of the race since passing the first mark at Fort Boyard, on the day of the departure, the two skippers have increased the gap the last 24 hours with, Armel Tripon, directly behind them solidly in third place and staying close to the lead duo. Behind him, the fleet remains very grouped behind Cian McCarthy, classified fourth who continues to climb up one by one. Sail-Online, http://www.sail-online.com Standings on September 15: Protos : 1. Samuel Manuard, Tip Top Too, 494.3 miles from finish; 2. Jonathan McKee, Team Mc Lube, 500.1 mff; 3. Armel Tripon, Moulin Roty, 505.6 mff. - http://www.transat650.org VOLVO OCEAN RACE The race will start on November 5, 2005 from a southern European port, which is looking increasing likely to be Spain, on the Atlantic coast. Negotiations are ongoing and we expect to confirm the start port by the end of October 2003. Leg one start port to Cape Town Leg two Cape Town to Melbourne Leg three Melbourne to New Zealand (pit-stop) Leg four New Zealand to Rio de Janeiro Leg five Rio to Baltimore/Annapolis Leg six Baltimore/Annapolis to New York (pit-stop) Leg seven New York to Southampton Leg eight Southampton to Gothenburg Leg nine Gothenburg to Baltic finish port Each of the ocean legs will score full points and there will be a fleet restart from each of the two pit-stops (one in New Zealand and one in New York). Crew limits offshore legs: An all-male crew will be limited to nine; for a mixed crew of a least five women the number will be increased to 10 and an all-female team may have up to 11 crewmembers, plus, an additional person nominated by the skipper may supplement each team, defined in the Notice of Race as follows: "A crewmember nominated by the Person in Charge and who shall be an accredited media person, a sponsor's representative, the owner or owner's representative or other person as deemed appropriate by the Person in Charge." Crew limits in-port racing: crew limits will be extended, over and above the offshore limit, to allow for one extra crewmember, perhaps a member of the shore crew, a 'star' sailor, a fleet racing specialist or a local expert. In addition, three guests will be invited on board each boat, comprising a syndicate nominee (who could be the owner), a member of the media and a Volvo representative. We now have 25 preliminary entries from Australia (x3), Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands (x2), New Zealand (x2), Russia, Singapore, Spain (x2) UK (x5) and the USA (x3). Preliminary entries are teams who have paid their preliminary entry fee of £1,500. All but three of these teams wish to remain confidential at present, while negotiations are taking place with potential sponsors. - Lizzie Green, Volvo Ocean Race NEWS BRIEFS * The 20th J/35 North Americans were held this weekend at Etobicoke Yacht Club in Toronto, Canada. Fantastic weather on Lake Ontario for the 27 entrants, completing a total of eight races in varied conditions. The event was won for the third time by David Ogden and crew of Buckaroo Banzai. Full results: http://tinyurl.com/ngl4 * The Canadian Albacore National Championships were conducted out of the Outer Harbor Federation of community clubs in Toronto, Ontario on September 12, 13, and 14, 2003. An A and a B fleet sailed in Lake Ontario on separate courses. A total 47 boats competed with entries from the UK, Canada, and the United States. Barney Harris and David Byron posted a perfect series of eight bullets to win the A fleet convincingly. In the B fleet, Nona Johnstone and Teresa Mastracci prevailed over ten other teams in a ten race series sailed on a separate course from the A fleet. Full results: http://www.albacore.ca/2003canadians/2003canadiansres.html * Event management for The Antarctica Cup is providing two options for obtaining an Antarctica Cup Class Maxi Boat for the 100-day Antarctica Cup race regatta and the one-class Maxi-Boat series of races planned for the 20-month gap in between Antarctica Cup races. One option is to own the Maxi-Boat, total including race fees of Euros 4.625 million ($5.2 million US). The other option is to lease the Maxi-Boat for the 100 day Antarctica Cup Regatta - total including race fees of Euros 3.250 million ($3.67 million US). - http://www.antarcticacup.com ALWAYS THE BEST Camet International has the outstanding reputation of always being the best in design, quality and service. The Camet sailing shorts are the leaders in technology and comfort. They are made out of a breathable, fast drying Supplex ® with a UV rating of 40+ (blocks 97.5% of UV rays) and reinforced with a Cordura ® seat patch, to insert an optional foam pad. Camet has a variety of men's and women's shorts, pants and colors. Coolmax shirts, Neoprene Hiking pants, Mylar bags etc. Ask your dealers for the Camet products or visit the Camet website at http://www.camet.com Correction: In the 12-Metre Class North American Championships, the overall Modern division winner was Jack Curtin's US-22 Intrepid, not US-26 Courageous as previously reported. Also the correct event link is http://www.museumofyachting.org LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (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 Matthew Reid (edited to our 250-word limit): In a country that supposedly fosters individuality, self-reliance and independence, I am amazed at the lack of coverage in the media of sailing ...both of local, as well as, greater national and international events. This is a sport that epitomizes these characteristics, especially on long, blue water races, whether solo, or by some complement of crew. There is the complaint that TV coverage is boring and the masses don't respond to it. I rebut that with the comparison to the coverage of golf, bowling, poker, cooking (a whole channel), etc. Given that most people are naturally attracted to large bodies of water and the cultures they foster, it would seem easy to integrate general populace interest with the sport of sailing. The east coast, west coast, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Oz, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Dubai, Japan blue water crossings - these don't conjure up visions of food, fun and frivolity? There is much, if not more, that goes on around a regatta and it's venue/ finish that the race(s) itself/ themselves. The more interest that is generated, the more people will come and the more income will be generated. Newspapers have just as easy access to race results as the rest of us ... we just need to feed it to them at the local level. However, without dedicated advocates promoting and assisting the local media in their information gathering, I fear that cobwebs will continue to gather amongst the rigging of the media's coverage of sailing. * From Chris Caswell: As to Kimball Livingston's letter about SAIL being the only magazine to have a full-time staffer on the Left Coast, au contraire, mon ami. At a time when SAIL was but an itch in Bernie Goldhirsh's wallet, One-Design Yachtsman editor Bruce Kirby had the brilliance to hire a young Chris Caswell as full-time West Coast Editor. The magazine, of course, moved thru a variety of names in search of ads--One-Design & Offshore Yachtsman, Yacht Racing, Yacht Racing & Cruising, and now Sailing World. It also had the very capable Bruce Brown as a later West Coast editor. Yachting, while not a pure sail mag, had the illustrious John Rousmaniere as West Coast editor followed by the same Caswell. During all of those periods, West Coast racing got its share of coverage, which has sadly declined in most of the national mags. * From Stuart Lochner (captain of the old Ondine III - now Atalanta): I have to echo Brooks Magruder's praise for Latitude 38's coverage of sailing in the Bay Area (and the world for that matter). Though not glossy, the rag is the best anywhere at any price- and it's free in California! Editor Richard Spindler does what amounts to practically a sailor's public service in covering all aspects of sailing. A shrewd traveler can make fast friends distributing a couple of copies of "Latitude" to cruisers in almost any port in the world. As for Mari Cha IV and other new maxi's approaching the upper limits of speed, wasn't that the concept of the Max Z-86 boats? Forget theoretical hull speed- how big a hull can you build and still get it to plane and remain in one piece, within the limits of current technology (and to a lesser degree budgets)? In the right conditions shouldn't a Z-86 be able to beat boats like MC IV and Alpha Romeo? * From Ian Duff: To further comments by Ralph Taylor in 'Butt 1414, remember the 1976 OSTAR and Club Mediterranée, the 236 footer? Sailed single-handedly!?!?!? Alain Colas had his hands full. * From Peter Johnstone: The courses around the world, and for most major records are reaches. Did anyone watch the 1988 America's Cup (the nimble cat versus the kiwi dinosaur)? Why would anyone seeking records build a large monohull? The only records worth pursuing are the outright records. * From Rob Drury: I'm encouraged by Chris Little's (RORC Commodore and Chairman of Admirals Cup Management) quoted comments in the September issue of Seahorse magazine, regarding the need to restore offshore racing and in particular his (inferred?) reference to the Admirals Cup regatta. I'm disappointed though that he uses the phrase "One thing needed to restore offshore racing is a new rating rule"----why a 'rating' rule as this implies a handicap based system! Why not box rules, i.e. length divisions, no handicaps? Imagine an Admirals Cup with say, box rules of 40ft, 50ft and 60ft divisions with a national team comprising a yacht in each division, pitting yacht designer against yacht designer, sail maker against sail maker, builder against builder, national crew against national crew---now that would be a yacht race/regatta! With a box rule format, each length division would progress along the course in close company with other similar length boats and in the same weather conditions, thus eliminating the chance element of weather favouring a big/small boat as happens in rating based race formats. First across the line in each division wins! The result is known immediately. No more waiting around for days by the big boats till the little boats come in---and the media and sponsors would love it, I'm sure! And if the organisers want, there could be a weighting across divisions to give a group/national result! Forget handicap/rating based racing systems, they stink! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. |
