SCUTTLEBUTT #368 - July 29, 1999
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Jeff Johnstone sent the curmudgeon the following article by Giampaolo
Fabris, Professor of Consumer Sociology at IULM University in Milan, Italy.
This story appeared in the June issue of the Italian publication, 'Yacht
Capital.' It offers a different perspective on a familiar Scuttlebutt theme:
SAILING- WHAT A BUSINESS. Why is it that a growing number of companies are
investing in sailing? The answer is very simple; it's an investment that
pays off. I used to sit on Fila's Board of Directors and I did my fair
share to point the company in the direction of this type of sponsorship.
The company decided to invest a significant amount of money from its
advertising budget in Giovanni Soldini's boat. I don't think money has
ever been better spent. It won Fila a high media profile, associated them
with traditional yet modern values and it was a tam tam that was perfectly
in tune with the company's desire for globalization. The whole affair
worked out much better than anyone could have predicted. The company was
even able to introduce a new line of clothing with an eye to the nautical
market and I am certain that Soldini's other sponsors (Telecom, Tim,
Iridium, etc.) have had an equally good return on their investment.
Then of course, there are suppliers involved in the building and rigging of
the boat (Antel winches, Lombardini engines, etc.). These too have gained
a level of prestige that would have been hard to come by elsewhere. And,
albeit indirectly, an extraordinary sense of good will towards the whole of
the Italian boat building industry has been generated. However, increased
sales and better image alone cannot suffice to justify company investment
in this sector. Montedison, during Gardini and Moro di Venezia's heyday,
and now Prada, with Bertelli's America's Cup challenge, do recover their
investments. Nonetheless, it was the maritime vocation of these two great
entrepreneurs, which was the deciding factor in the go ahead of the
sponsorship.
What is it about sailing and boats that touches the emotions and the
wallets of the great captains of industry? A closeness and respect for
nature, the central position of man, a love of adventure, a sense of
challenge, courage, physical well-being, professionalism and the ability to
deal with complexity and the unpredictable."
ISAF WORLD TEAM RACING CHAMPIONSHIP
The 153 race epic round one of the Indigo ISAF World Team Racing
Championship ended this morning (Thursday) on Dun Laoghaire Harbour
(Dublin, Ireland) with the ten best teams now selected for the Gold fleet
and making progress towards the finals series. Josh Adams' USA1 team
continued their perfect record by winning all 17 of their races in the
round robin series.
However, shortly after mid-day, in one of the opening races of the new Gold
fleet round robin, the New Zealand squad produced the first shock result by
defeating USA1 and ending their reign. The result effectively leaves all
predictions for the finals wide open and the ten teams have all to sail for
ahead of the next elimination of two further teams from the Gold fleet. --
David Branigan
Races won out of 17 sailed: USA1 - 17; GBR1 - 15; USA2 - 14; GBR2 - 14; NZL
- 13; IRL1 - 10; CAN - 10; AUS1 - 9; NED - 9; AUS2 - 8.
PAN AM GAMES
GIMLI, MANITOBA, CANADA (July 28, 1999)-It's crunch time for Team USA at
the Pan Am Games sailing event on Lake Winnipeg, where 111 athletes from 20
nations are competing. Tomorrow is a two-race day, weather permitting, with
a lay day (no racing) scheduled for Friday and a single final race set for
Saturday. "We're definitely doing our math to see where we need to go,"
said Team Leader Hal Haenel (Los Angeles, Calif.). With eight of 11 races
completed, U.S. athletes hold medal positions in half of the 10 classes and
remain "in the hunt" in three more.
Under today's sunny skies, two races in each class were held. Winds ranged
from 15-20 knots. Mistral sailor Lanee Butler (Dana Point, Calif.) finally
broke her first-place tie with Canada's Caroll-Ann Alie as well as her
three-day streak of finishing 1-2 by beating Alie on the water in both
races today. An altercation with Butler in race two led Alie, who crossed
the finish line in third, to file a protest after returning to shore. The
jury ruled against Butler, disqualifying her from the race. Nevertheless,
Butler used the DSQ, worth six points, as her allowed throwout race and
secured a one-point lead over Alie in overall standings. After scoring
adjustments, Alie's third-place finish became a second.
The Canadian finished second in the first race. Lightning sailors Andy
Horton (Shelburne, Vt.), Bill Fastiggi (Burlington, Vt.) and Heather Rowe
(Peru, N.Y.) moved into the gold-medal position today with a 7-1. They are
tied in overall points (14) with the Brazilian team, skippered by Claudio
Biekarck; however, the tie-breaking system of counting greater numbers of
first-place finishes gives them the edge.
Laser sailor Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) thought he started
prematurely in his first race, so he backtracked to correct his error as
did Argentina's Diego Romero, who indeed jumped the gun. After restarting,
Mendelblatt diligently worked his way up through the fleet to a
fourth-place finish while Argentina struggled to ninth. "It seems I keep
finding ways to start off way back in the pack," said Mendelblatt, laughing
after the race, "but I manage to recover each time." In his second race,
Mendelblatt finished second to Diego's sixth, chalking up a total point
score of 16. With an eight-point margin separating them, USA and Argentina
are in silver- and bronze-medal positions, respectively, while Brazil's
Robert Scheidt has a firm grip on the gold with a string of victories and
an overall score of seven.
Finn sailor Russ Silvestri (Tiburon, Calif.) finished 3-2 to post 13 total
points, stretching his lead over Brazil's third-place skipper Bruno Prada
to five points. Canada's Richard Clarke won both races and leads with an
overall score of eight. Sunfish representative David Van Cleef (Newport,
R.I.) held on to his bronze-medal position with a 4-5 today. "
Mistral Men's entrant Mike Gebhardt (Ft. Pierce/Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
finished 4-4 today, dropping back to fourth overall after climbing to the
bronze-medal position yesterday. "As I see it, there's still a quarter of
the regatta left," said Gebhardt, who trails Canada's Alain Bolduc by two
points. "I'm not far behind the bronze. It can still happen." The Hobie
16 team of Wally Myers (Marmora, N.J.) and Mark Santorelli (Barnegat, N.J.)
turned in a 7-3 today--not exactly what they had hoped to do, but keeping
them in fourth place overall. Snipe sailors Henry Filter (Annapolis, Md.)
and Lorie Stout (Annapolis, Md.) remain in fifth place after posting a 3-6
today. Seven points now stand between USA and the Snipe bronze.
Lynn Olinger (Westminster/San Francisco, Calif.) remains in fourth in
Europe class, after sailing to a 5-5 today, while Laser Radial sailor Jane
Codman (Boston, Mass.) is in sixth after posting a 4-7. -- Barby MacGowan
For the full story: http://www.ussailing.org/
THEY'VE DONE IT AGAIN
Nothing wins regattas like blazing boatspeed. And boatspeed played a big
role when Chuck Queen's Barnstormer won the Olson 30 National Championship
at the recent Whidbey Island Race Week. Barnstormer was so fast that they
had the championship wrapped up before the last race. I doubt that any
regular 'Butt readers will be surprised to learn that Barnstormer had a
full inventory of Ullman Sails. Isn't it time you moved up a few clicks on
the performance ladder? To find out how affordable it will be:
http://www.ullmansails.com/
AMERICA'S CUP
The final hurdle to the 2000 America's Cup has to be cleared on Sunday when
formal intentions to enter must be lodged. Britain's Spirit challenge, made
via the Royal Dorset YC, will not be among them, so confirming what has
been anticipated since the new year. "It is just so frustrating," says
Spirit's managing director Angus Melrose of the failure to find cash while
watching overseas syndicates bring out the concepts that Melrose claims
Spirit's designer Ian Howlett had drawn years ago. -- Tim Jeffery,
Electronic Telegraph, UK
MATT JONES' TRIVIA QUESTION
Match the designer with the boat.
a. Uffa van Essen
b. John Westell
c. Don Clark
d. Gordon Douglas
e. Gary Mull
505
Flying Scott
C-Lark
Flying Junior
Santana 22
Flying Scott
Answer at the end of this issue of 'Butt
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250
words max) or to exclude personal attacks.
CORRECTION -- Yesterday we published a letter from Mark Sims that suggested
the Sterns inflatable life vest was NOT USCG approved. We've subsequently
learned that this PFD is indeed USCG approved, and has been for about a
year and a half.
-- From Keith Taylor -- There's nothing like sending out a news release
about a web site on the same day that the URL goes off the air! For Virtual
Spectator described in 'Butt #367 yesterday, the proper address is
www.virtualspectator.com but there is currently a technical problem with
its DNS listing. Our apologies to all those who tried to access it. The
alternate address is www.virtualspectator.co.nz Many thanks to Luis Kahl
for pointing this out.
-- From Chris Bouzaid -- Seth A Radow makes some interesting points however
until there is a measurement rule that worka and is within reach of the
average racing sailor there are only two logical choices. For Grand Prix
racing : One Design, for Recreational racing : Performance based handicap
system, PHRF. It should be every Recreational Sailors goal to help improve
this system with constructive suggestions and help. Only then will it go
from "Good to Great"
SNIPE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Mission Bay YC, 90 boats: Crosby Elimination Series - Final results: 1.
Craig & Lisa Leweck (11) 2. Doug Hart / Gus Wirth (14.5) 3. Robin Gales /
Kevin Kelley (17.5) 4. Augie Diaz / Pam Kelly (18.75)5. Chuck Sinks /
Andrea Nilsen (23)
Heinzerling Championship Series - After two races: 1. Craig & Lisa Leweck
(11) 2. Randy Lake & Jennifer Warnock (13.75) 3. Michael Lenkeit / Brain
Janney (14) 4. Doug Hart /Gus Wirth (18) 5. Augie Diaz / Pam Kelly (18)
Wells Trophy -After two races: 1. John Tagliamonte / Debbie Bennett (7) 2.
Keith Dodson / Kaley Dodson (9) 3. Brian Haines / Lauren Maxam (11.75) 4.
Sean Biehl / Jerelyn Biehl (12) 5. Rick Arneson / Chris Wright (15)
Women's National Championship - Final results: 1 Carol Newman-Cronin /
Sherry Eldridge (11.5) 2. Pam Kelly / Michele Bustamante (23) 3. Joni
Palmer / Joyce (24) 4. Aine McLean / Lynn Sinks (26) 5. Bridget Shear /
Lisa Harrison (27.5)
Snipe Junior Nationals - Final results: 1. Brian Haines / Lauren Maxam
(10.5) 2. Chris Wright / Ian Schinder (18) 3. Dustin Kays / Sean Adams
(21) 4. Matt Melga / Jonathan Boyd 4. (31.5) 5. Brian Lake / Jennifer
Warnock (31.75)
Junior/Senior Championships - Final results: 1. Piet VanOs / Doug Hart (5)
2. Tyler Sinks / Rick Merriman (10.75) 3. Cameron Biehl / George Szabo (14)
4. Graham Biehl / Sean Biehl (22) 5. Melanie Roberts / Packie Davis (30)
Event website: http://www.snipe.org
TIP O' THE WEEK
Get into the Rhythm -- The dynamics on the starting line are quite unique:
Lots of information feeding into your decisions, lots of positioning,
slowing and going, etc.. These are all things most sailors do not warm up
with when milling about the starting area. We all go upwind and check the
shifts and get tuned, however, rarely do sailors do stop and go's, or
circles, just prior to starting. Doing these moves creates a rhythm that
can really affect one's timing on the line. Try it the next race you are
in. Set up right on the line and go through the motions of the last minute
of a sequence. It's a little like a skier doing mental imagery, if you get
the rhythm just before the real deal your timing will be improved and so
will your start. -- The Coach @ Sailweb.net
AUCKLAND UPDATE
(Reprinted with permission from DEFENCE 2000, which is available for US $48
per year from John@roake.gen.nz)
* Auckland bumper sticker -- "Toot if you are on the America's Cup pitch
list," is appearing on many cars in Auckland. But meantime, city residents
are having a laugh at themselves with the release of the promotional JAFA
campaign. Jafa stands for (a) Just another f...ing Aucklander or (b) Just a
foolish Aucklander, or (c) Just an amazing fun-filled Auckland. Take your
pick. But laughing at ourselves, three questions are being bandied about -
What is the difference between an Aucklander and Yoghurt? The yogurt's the
one with culture. What do you call two consecutive rainy days in Auckland?
A week-end. Why wasn't Jesus born in Auckland? Because God couldn't find
three wise men or a virgin.
* The French Team will sail Sixth Sense intensively in July and August in
Lorient, France, with no sparring partner. The crew and designers can only
compare the new boat's performance with the polar speed of the previous
generation of IACC boats. Sixth Sense will be shipped to Auckland in late
August.
INDEPENDENCE CUP
The Independence Cup - US Sailing's National Championship of Disabled
Sailing - will take place from Saturday July 31 through Monday August 2. --
Hugh Elliot
Event website: http://www.chicagoyachtclub.com/nacc/index.html
ONE TON CUP
In 1999, 100 years later and four years after the last edition raced with
the modern one tonners, one of the smartest trophy awarded to a yachting
event is back on the scene. For the next three years the silver trophy will
be awarded to Corel 45 class World Championship. The first edition will be
called "Majorica One Ton Cup" and will be held in Puerto Portals, Palma de
Mallorca (Spain) from 6 to 11 September.
Eleven boats have already entered the event coming from six countries:
Great Britain, Spain, France, Greece, Australia and Sweden. The most famous
world top sailors have confirmed their participation including British
Eddie Warden-Owen at the helm of "Babbalaas", The Prince of Spain Felipe de
Borbon on "Aifos",Thierry Peponnet who will be helming the French entry
"Faster K-Yote 2", Luc Pillot on "Cavale Bleu", Enrico Chieffi on "Atalanti
X", Jeremy Robinson on "Bounder." -- Laura Jelmini
PRO SAILING - a Scuttlebutt report by Dee Smith
I was able to break from my duties of setting up the 50' Innovision and
join Luc deWulf on Katie for the first 10 days of the French Tour, sailed
in Mumm 30's. I believe this was the first time pro crews were allowed to
sail the Mumm. Team NZ with Russel Coutes came out on fire with 2 wins the
first day. We held on second with a 4,3. Then the first offshore, 75
miles up wind in 20-35 knots. None had much fun hiking out and bouncing
around. We play the shoals better on the way to Ostead for the win. The
first 9 races should these two pro teams won all the races in the thirty
boat fleet.
I left after the Grandville leg to rejoin the Innovision and the Dutch CMAC
team with Katie having a 30 point lead over the NZ group. Katie did hold
on and took the Tour with a 20-point win over the Kiwi's after another 20
races.
Innovision was the big boat on the Dutch CMAC team. Just 2 months old, she
was ready to be tested. This years CMAC was much more competitive than the
last. We used a similar blue print that we used last time on the American
team to set up the Dutch. We looked hard at our weak point through out the
team and made adjustments. Results were, all 3 boats ended up second in
there class for a convincing win. We never won a days racing as a team
till the finnal 3.5 counting Wolf Rock race. We didn't lead the regatta
until just before the last race. But still, we were always close.
You have heard many reports on some teams having a bad go. The fact is the
competition is so good the pressure was on. Six teams had a chance to win
going into the final. This year's sailing was in very good conditions,
hardly any sailing in under 10 knots of wind, this made it even harder to
break away.
I am very proud to be part of the winning Dutch Team, just as I was 2 years
ago being part of the winning American team. It has be a long 4 months
over here in Europe sailing. One more regatta, Cowes Week and Fastnet on
Alexia.
THE RACE
Pete Goss and his team have just assembled the first hull of their 120-foot
wave-piercing catamaran, on an Adrian Thompson design. In Totnes (Devon,
UK), their construction centre already houses the half hulls that will form
the second float, as well as the completed central pod (except for its
fittings) and three half masts. All elements are made of carbon. The
five-man crew so far includes Pete Goss, sailor Andy Hindley and sports
journalist Mike Calvin. They have started training in Benetton's
formula-one centre, in Oxford.
More information: http://www.therace.org/english/challengers/index.htm
ADECCO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
It was a day of complete triumph for Le Defi Bouygues Telecom Transiciel,
steered by Bertrand Pace on the waters where he normally practices with his
America's Cup challenger. He was unbeatable in both races of the French
Grand Prix at Lorient. In the generally light breezes of Les Correaux de
Groix, Pace showed the other sailors he was master of the eight boat fleet
competing in the fifth event of the Adecco World Championship for the
Maxi-One-Design class.
He won as he pleased, leading both races from the first mark and never
looked in any danger of being passed. It was the performance of a top
sportsman in form, and on this form Pace looks set to take the overall
prize at the French Grand Prix. He is 13 points clear of the two who are
his rivals, series leader Ludde Ingvall (EUR) with Skandia and Ross Field
(NZL) with RF Yachting. His first race victory was a stunning performance
which was heralded when Pace aimed his boat at the pin end of the starting
line and sailed out from under the lee of the rest, simply because he was
up to full speed when the gun fired.
The eight boats sailed a triple windward/leeward course with legs of two
miles. The wind was veering slowly but constantly and necessitated a 20
degree change in the windward leg the third time. By then, the French boat
was well ahead, and by the last turning mark was two minutes clear of the
pursuing pack. -- Bob Fisher
Finishing order: Race three: 1. FRA Le Defi Bouygues Telecom - Transiciel
Bertrand Pace 2. SUI Alinghimax Ernesto Bertarelli 3. EUR Skandia Ludde
Ingvall 4. RSA Rainbow Magic Geoff Meek 5. ITA Seac Banche Guido Maisto
6. BEL Synphony Hans Bouscholte 7. NZL RF Yachting Ross Field 8. SWE
Team Henri-Lloyd Gunnar Krantz
Race four: 1. FRA 2. EUR 3. BEL 4. NZL 5. RSA 6. SUI 7. ITA 8. SWE
Overall points without discard: 1. FRA 38 2. NZL 25 3. EUR 25 4. RSA
20.5 5. BEL 15.5 6. SUI 13 7. SWE 11 8. ITA 10
Event website: http://www.adecco-championship.com/uk/
JAPAN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MATCH RACE
A team of Youth Match Racers from King Harbor Yacht Club in Redondo Beach,
CA has traveled to Wakayama, Japan (near Osaka) to compete in the Royal
Pines Cup International Youth Match Race. All competitors must not have
reached their 20th Birthday by July 31, 1999. We are sailing in identical
Elliot 5.9 Meter Yachts (common in Australia and New Zealand for Youth
Match Racing). The competitors are: King Harbor Yacht Club (KHYC) (Colin
Campbell, Ryan Huston, Steve Brown, Coach Mike Segerblom) Royal New Zealand
Yacht Squadron (RNZYC) Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) Cruising
Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) Wakayama Marina City Yacht Club (WMCYC)
Wakayama Sailing Federation (WSAF) Japan Sailing Federation (Red) (JSAF-R)
Japan Sailing Federation (Blue) (JSAF-B)
Today (2nd day of the regatta) we completed the first round of competition.
The standings are as follows: Semi Final Competitors RPAYC - 6 Points;
RNZYS - 5 Points; KHYC - 4 Points; CYCA - 4 Points. -- Mike Segerblom
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION
| a. | Uffa van Essen | Flying Junior |
| b. | John Westell | 505 |
| c. | Don Clark | C-Lark |
| d. | Gordon Douglas | Flying Scott |
| e. | Gary Mull | Santana 22 |
THE CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL
Never overlook an opportunity to shut up.
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