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SCUTTLEBUTT 2409 - August 13, 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. SEVERE WEATHER WARNING DELAYS START Cowes, Isle of Wight, England (August 11, 2007) -- The RORC Race Office announced at this afternoon's Race & Weather briefing that the Rolex Fastnet Race start will be postponed for 25 hours due to the continued severe weather warning issued by the UK Met office. The first start for the 300-boat fleet will be Monday 13 August at 1100 BST. The postponement is a first in the 83-year history of the race. The decision was made after consideration of the severe weather warnings issued by the UK Met Office, in order to ensure that the fleet is not in the exposed waters of the Western Channel and the Celtic Sea at the time that the predicted weather is expected. RORC Racing Manager, Janet Grosvenor said "it remains the RORC policy to start the race when it is safe to do so and the responsibility for a boat's decision to participate in the race or to continue racing is hers alone." -- http://fastnet.rorc.org/container.asp?id=8102 * Because of the postponement, the ORMA multihull class, in agreement with all the enrolled skippers, has cancelled their participation. With the Transat Jacques Vabre being the highlight event of their season this November, the fleet did not want to jeopardize themselves for this 4335-mile two-handed event from Le Havre (FRA) to Salvador de Bahia (BRA). Because of the speed of these 60-foot trimarans, the race postponement and forecast meant the fleet would have found themselves in the heart of the storm without an opportunity to take shelter. -- http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en/presse/communiques/mail_communiques.jsp * Records could be broken on this Fastnet Race, provided the handful of maxis get to the Fastnet Rock before Wednesday morning - and then hold together. But the rest of the 300-strong race fleet is about to face the biggest test of seamanship and preparation in almost 30 years. Weather forecasts are converging to show that a severe gale will hit the majority of the fleet on the way to the Rock on Wednesday. According to weather expert Mike Broughton, this will produce extremely rough and potentially destructive conditions similar to those encountered by the 1979 race fleet (where 15 lives where lost). -- Elaine Bunting’s blog, full report: http://www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/20070712150221blog_elaine_bunting.html WORLD TOUR –DANISH OPEN Copenhagen, Denmark (August 12, 2007) -- Danish eyes were smiling today at the Danish Open, as both finalists Jesper Radich (DEN) and Peter Wibroe (DEN) are products of the Royal Match Race Center here in Skovshoved and gave the enthusiastic crowd an amazing display of Match Race sailing. In a close fought battle Radich emerged victorious with a 3-1 score line and a cheque for 100,000 Dkr (approx. $18,000). After a full round robin, the format saw the top four teams move on to the semi-finals. It was there that both Jesper Radich and Peter Wibroe survived first match losses before beating their respective opponents, Ian Williams and Sebastien Col, 3-1. In the finals, Radich fought back after a poor start in race 1 to take the win, then in race 2 Wibroe came fast out of the blocks to take control of the race and level the score. After winning race 3, Radich picked up a penalty in the fourth match, but battled through and was able put enough distance between himself and Wibroe to shed the penalty right on the finish line and take the Danish Open. Ian Williams beat out Sebastien Col in the Petit Final to claim third, which also earned him enough points to pass Mathieu Richard (FRA) for the tour lead. There are six more events for the current World Match Racing Tour season standings, with the next event being the St Moritz Match Race in St Moritz, Switzerland on August 14-19. -- http://danishopen.kdy.dk/news_reader.php4?uniq_id=38&page=1 * St Quay Portrieux, France (August 12, 2007) -- When the semi-finalists were decided for the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, the schedule had Claire Leroy (FRA) and Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen (DEN), the top two skippers in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings, lining up against each other whilst Josie Gibson (GBR) faced Katie Spithill (AUS). Leroy and Spithill were both extended 3-2 to advance to the finals, where Leroy was declared the winner while leading Spithill 2-1 before it was too late for racing to continue. Petersen won the Petit Final versus Gibson (GBR), 2-0. -- Event site: http://maiarmor.free.fr/wwmr THEY’RE EVERYWHERE…. From California to New Jersey and Wisconsin to Texas, you’ve seen them on the race course setting marks, on the water coaching your children, or just hovering around the races. Ribcraft RIBs are everywhere this summer and are here to stay. This season alone, a record number of junior sailors are being coached from a Ribcraft coach boat. The same versatility, safety, and performance that make Ribcraft RIBs an excellent asset for any yacht club or sailing program is making them a favorite among sailors, parents, and boaters. Contact Ribcraft today to learn more about their Professional Grade RIBs. http://www.ribcraftusa.com YOUTH SAILING * It had been twelve years since the Naples Sabot Nationals had a back-to-back junior winner, but last week Jake Ladow of San Diego became the tenth sailor to claim the feat by winning the event in Newport Harbor over 120 entrants. Thanks to photographer Glennon Stratton, Scuttlebutt has both photos and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0810b * Gottskar, Sweden (August 12, 2007) -- ISAF Youth World champion Emily Dellenbaugh and Briana Provancha led an American sweep of the 29er European Championships, with Austen Anderson and Chris Price (USA) finishing in second. With 101 entries, Dellenbaugh/ Provancha took the title without needing to sail in the last race. -- Event website: http://29er2007ec.onsala.org * Scheveningen, Holland (August 11, 2007) -- With excessive winds forcing the postponement of racing on Thursday, and a 20 knot northerly and challenging waves remaining for Friday’s races, the final two races on Saturday in the Laser Radial Youth World Championship saw the antithesis with a 6 to 9 knot northerly wind under blue skies. Finland’s Tuula Tenkanen won the female division, with top American performances from Anne Haeger (4th), Claire Dennis (6th), and Emily Billing (11th). Dane Thorbjoern Schierup won the male fleet, with top North American finisher Philip Alley (USA) down in 34th. -- Results: http://www.laserklasse.nl/radial2007/results/ CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar WINDSURFING CHAMPS Racing small sail boats is a dynamic form of sailing, with close contact, high speed and lots of action. Racing the highest speed small boat, the windsurfer, is more akin to Formula One than pram racing but, each all depend greatly on tactics, overall speed and the experience of the driver. The 2007 US Windsurfing Nationals and North American Championships did not disappoint either the fans or the racers with high action racing at Crissy Field. The event was held under perfect San Francisco Bay conditions with wind 15-30 knots over the week long regatta and lots of racing. Course racing, long distance, and slalom disciplines were run with weighted scoring to decide the overall US Windsurfing Nationals winner. The Championships were well hosted by the St Francis Yacht Club. Sailors from all around the world competed head to head over 5 days of racing. – Full report, photos, and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0812 DEAR REGATTA LUNCH SNACK ORGANIZER: Thanks for giving up your free time to help run this regatta for us. I appreciate that you are a volunteer and that you are probably not a Laser sailor yourself. I really appreciate that the regatta organizers saw fit to spend some of our entry fees to buy on-the-water lunches for us every day and I want to thank you for volunteering to head up the team buying all the food and packing it in plastic bags for us and then handing it out to us on the water every day. Having said all that (and I do appreciate you, I really do, and I have been in your shoes and once made a huge mistake in this capacity myself) could I please offer one suggestion... -- You really must click through to continue: http://propercourse.blogspot.com/2007/08/uncrustables.html GET A PIECE OF THE REGATTA MANAGER $1.5M SPONSORSHIP Check this out...Regatta Manager, recently acquired by Compete-At, is offering a sponsorship package valued at $1.5 million. It’s available to any club using the Regatta Manager product in the 2007 season. In short, they’re giving away SailTeam and SailTeam Pro software licenses to eligible clubs to help promote Regattas. (Marion Bermuda was one of the first to take advantage of this program.) If you haven’t seen the SailTeam products or the Regatta Manager product recently, you’ll be surprised how comprehensive it is. Get the full details here: http://www.compete-at.com/sailing/sponsorship2007 CROSSING THE PACIFIC OCEAN Crescent City, CA (August 12, 2007) -- An Englishwoman woman who rowed alone across the Atlantic Ocean last year launched her effort to cross the Pacific Sunday as she headed off into glassy calm waters at Point Saint George near Crescent City. Roz Savage, 39, a former management consultant, had planned to row under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on the first leg of her endurance journey -- a 2,300-mile trip to Hawaii. But fickle summer weather forced her to begin her effort at 7 a.m. Sunday some 350 miles up the Northern California Coast. "She has her own weather expert and he finally told her that she would not be able to leave until September if she wanted to go out of San Francisco Bay," Savage's spokeswoman Nicole L. Bilodeau told KTVU. "She needed three days of calm weather. He told her if she went north she would get it. The window opened at midnight." The first stretch to Hawaii should take Savage two to three months, and after taking a month to rest, she will depart for the final stages -- a 2,600-mile trip to the island nation of Tuvalu, then 2,300 miles to Australia. – KTVU, full story: http://www.ktvu.com/news/13663138/detail.html SAILING SHORTS * The 2007 IMS World Championship starts the sailing Monday, August 13th at Hankø, Norway with 42 boats from six countries present. The regatta will consist of a combination of inshore and short and long offshore races in two classes. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar/eventdescription.asp?ID=3569 * Former Congressional Cup winner Dave Perry will be at Long Beach YC on Tuesday, August 14th to provide an in-depth analysis into what happened in this year’s America’s Cup that was not reported in the press, why certain teams won and lost and what the “take-aways” are for all sailors interested in racing at their highest level. This free presentation at 7:30pm will be loaded with live-action video from Valencia coupled with Dave’s unique and entertaining insight. No-host bar and appetizers at 6:30 PM, with Dave available afterward for book signing. Call (562) 598-9401 to sign-up. -- http://www.lbyc.org * At the U.S. Laser National Championship in Colchester, VT, 150 sailors came to the Malletts Bay Boat Club for the three-day event. Dominant winning performances were filed in each of the three disciplines, with winners in the 4.7, Radial, and Full Rig classes being Cameron Hall (St. Petersburg, FL), Paige Railey (Clearwater, FL), and David Wright (Toronto, ON, CAN) respectively. -- Event site: http://www.mbbc-vt.org/Events/LaserNationals07/index.asp . * Canadian Sailing Team athletes and coaches are currently in Qingdao, China attending the 2007 Qingdao International Regatta. The test event takes place from Aug 9th-24th, with racing beginning on the 15th. The sailors in attendance are Chris Cook (Finn), Mike Leigh (Laser), Lisa Ross (Laser Radial), Oskar Johannson/ Kevin Stittle (Tornado), Zac Plavsic (RS:X Men), Nikola Girke (RS:X Women), and Gordon Cook/ Ben Remoker (49er). -- Event website: http://www.2007qdregatta.com * Long Beach, CA (August 12, 2007) -- This year’s Cal 20 North American Championship hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club was won by Mark Gaudio on his boat Magic Bus, putting in the consistent performance needed to take the title. After Saturday’s racing, Gaudio was fourth in the standings and knew what he had to do to get to the top. Gaudio said, “My crew, Eric Heim and Latham Bell, worked hard for me. I usually call the tactics on the boat, but I let them do it this time and it paid off.” Winds over the weekend were 8-13 knots from the southwest. -- Full report and results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/0812a/ * Chicago’s waterfront will get a taste of America’s Cup competition when the inaugural Windy City Match Race takes place at the Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station Aug. 24-26, 2007. Four teams will race for top honors at the Grade 4 Match Race in identical, high-performance 40-foot Farr 40 yachts. Among the elite America’s Cup and Swedish Match Racing Tour veterans participating in the event are Dave Dellenbaugh, Bill Hardesty, Jon Ziskind, Simon Minoprio, Joe Spooner, Hayden Goodrick, Ed Smyth, Bryce Ruthenberg, Bill Abbott, and Brad Boston. -- Complete report: http://www.windycitymatchrace.org/press8august07.html SEAMARSHALL FOR SCUBA DIVERS, TOO! Divers around the world rely on SeaMarshall locator beacons as the ultimate surface recovery gear. Good to 100 meters without an external housing, SeaMarshall dive beacons augment your crew’s on-deck man-overboard recovery system, too. For details on this essential safety gear for divers, and sailors, contact Chip Barber at mailto:admin@chbarber.com or http://www.chbarber.com/seamarshall.html 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 Max Hazelwood, Clearwater, FL: Regarding the news in Issue 2408 about Dean Barker: "I would like to stay with Team New Zealand, the team that has worked so hard since 2003 to restore some pride in New Zealand sailing and regain the New Zealand public's confidence." Genuine national pride, integrity, and purpose are still alive and well - You only need 2 seconds on the final run! * From Rick Bernstein: As a kid growing up in the Midwest, yes we were land locked, but learned to sail and sail well anyway as our fathers imbedded the great sport into our souls. I cherished the Cup back then, scouring to find media coverage somewhere to hear the news of the day's races; four years apart was simply a lifetime to wait then. Today, what do I show my kids? That the two power players in the AC game, one American and one Swiss, do not care about us, the sailing community? How they do not care about sportsmanship, that they do not care about spending tens or hundreds of thousands on attorney fees, that they do not care about the negative media coverage, the angry sailing fans around the world that are sick of their battles; that they do not care about the millions of us who want to sit at home and watch a world match racing competition that pits country against country with sailors and technology from their own countries. What they care about is their egos and winning at any cost; whether it is in the courtroom or continuously altering the rules for their benefit. Why can't some world wide sailing governing body, i.e. 99.9 percent of the world's sailors, find a way to unite, and persuade these billionaires to go back to the original deed, country against country. Perhaps the professional sailors whose lives have become dependant on the Cup do not want this, but it is what the rest of us want, the now highly relevant consumer in this highly commercialized event. As for Mr. Butterworth and Mr. Coutts, please heed what you're doing as you are both on the verge of being remembered as being part of two teams that may single handedly ruin what was once the greatest spectacle on water; please remember this for the sake of your children and mine. * From Glenn Highland , Balboa YC Cabo Race Chair 2006, and owner of an about to be launched Andrews 39 which will race to Mexico soon: The Curmudgeon’s Mexico Race dissertation raises several very good discussions points and I certainly agree that we are in a period of dynamic change. Deciding on one race a year would suggest a very limited perspective on the goals for SoCal ocean racing that I suspect would not be shared by the YC’s nor a majority of the yacht owners. We have a bit of a market driven system right now where yacht owners (yacht club members) are voting with their money and boats for the preferred destination and time. We need to listen to that dynamic, and not try to artificially control it -- for many good reasons the right formula is still evolving. Personally I believe that long distance Mexico racing can become a much larger and more popular series of races. We can with creativity broaden the sustainable appeal of sailing south consistent with great competition and as the Curmudgeon’s suggests, more inter YC dialogue can only help speed the process. * From Michael Kennedy, Los Angeles Yacht Club: Your expert on the "downwind slide" to Mexico characteristic of Mexican races probably missed the 1977 La Paz Race when we rode out a small hurricane 100 miles off Mag Bay or the 1978 Manzanillo Race where we had 50 knots on the nose for two days. Then there was the blast reach across to Mazatlan every other year when it blew 35 all the way across. Yes, I remember those downwind slides, all right. Maybe that's why they all want to finish at Cabo. Curmudgeon’s Comment: Actually, the ‘77 La Paz race was sort of mild; it was the '79 La Paz race that produced the big winds. Unfortunately, we destroyed the steering system on the race and were forced to retire ... along with a host of others. As I recall, the number of finishers was in single digits. I did the '78 Manzanillo Race on Ragtime, and never saw 50 knots. I suspect we were ahead of that weather. Mazatlan Races -- I've done six of those ('72, '74, '78, '80, '82 & '84) but sure don't remember seeing anything like 35 knots across the Sea of Cortez on any of them -- nor on the 'almost too many to count' PV races that I've done (note that the Curmudgeon has done 59 Mexican races within the past 36 years). * From Derek Bouwer, South Africa: How about this for a win-win scenario for Mr Stu Weintraub floating billboards: He’ll motor them into position and anchor them during Round the cans racing with the advertisers sponsoring the racing, prizes, and prize-giving. After the races, they are motored back to their garage for the next race. The advertisers get coverage and the yacht club gets sponsored sailing. I'd go for that. * From Steffi Schiffer: I just read the tragic but fascinating story about Jim Gray (in Issue 2408). It occurs to me that if this had happened off the coast of Florida, it would have immediately joined the list of Bermuda Triangle stories. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Adults are just kids who owe money. Special thanks to Ribcraft RIBS, Compete-At, and SeaMarshall. |
