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SCUTTLEBUTT 2989 - Thursday, December 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today’s sponsors are North U. and Ullman Sails. THE GAMES OF THEIR LIVES As swimmer Marin Morrison and sailor Nick Scandone fought deadly diseases, they mustered all their strength and courage to fulfill a final dream: to compete in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. For Marin, a promising youth swimming career was halted by brain cancer. For Nick, it was Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While both had the talent for Olympic pursuits, fate had other plans. However, both far outlived expectations, kept alive by the goal of getting to China. They never met and might not even have been aware of each other. One was an 18-year-old woman, the other a 42-year-old man. One was a swimmer, the other a sailor. Their relatives have never met, either. Still, when they recall Marin or Nick, the stories ring with the same themes. They talk about the financial toll of terminal illness - even with the blessing of health insurance. About how, even in the bleakest times, their faith in humanity was affirmed. About how the "Olympic spirit" is no fiction. But most of all they talk about how a love of water can make someone unsinkable. Nick Scandone, who with Maureen McKinnon-Tucker had clinched the gold medal in the SKUD-18 fleet on September 12, 2008 in the Paralympic regatta, died on January 2, 2009. So did Marin Morrison. -- Sports Illustrated, complete story: http://tinyurl.com/yb42qvn JOHN KOSTECKI: BMW ORACLE RACING SAILING TEAM LEADER While Russell Coutts is the CEO for the BMW Oracle Racing team in their challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup, the three-time winner of the event has no plans to be on his team's 90-foot trimaran during the Match against the defender Alinghi team. Instead, the direction of the sailing team has been left in the able hands of forty-five year old American tactician John Kostecki (“JK”). Now in his fifth America’s Cup campaign, JK is a 10-time world champion in a range of one-design classes, a 1988 Olympic silver medalist in the Soling Class, winner of the 2001-02 Volvo Ocean Race, and was posed to lead the Ericsson Racing Team in the 2008-9 VOR before opting out for a more stable life… like the America’s Cup. Here JK provides sailing correspondent Michelle Slade with an update: * For you personally, what’s been the challenge moving onto a huge multi-hull? JK: I haven’t sailed multi hulls very much so the challenge has been learning multi-hulls really. It’s fun because it’s so different, the boats are so fast and it’s quite challenging. I’ve probably sailed on 8 or 10 different multi hulls on this campaign, racing and training scenarios - it’s been great, I’ve been really enjoying it. * How have roles have evolved on BOR 90 throughout training? JK: To be honest, our roles haven’t really changed too much. From the beginning of the campaign we thought we were doing a mono hull program with two boats along the more conventional aspect of how the Cup has been in the past. With all the changes (of venue), we’re down to one boat and it’s obviously a multi-hull so there are a lot less people sailing this boat that has an engine. And, it’s only one boat so where we originally had a large sailing team of 30 people, we’ve scaled it back, changed the roles a little here and there but no major role changes so as to speak as far as individuals like James or myself. * How many crew are required to sail BOR 90? JK: It’s a good question. We’re currently working it out but it looks like it’s going to be about 10 people. In the past Cups on a monohull it’s been 16/17 people on a crew. While the boat is big there’s no need for grinders with the engine running the winches. Normally we’d have a few people working the bow, a couple of people in the pit working the winches etc., there’re three trimmers on the wing, tactician, navigator and helmsman. Complete interview: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/1209/ GET FAST…AND GET A BACKPACK! North U. Coursebooks and CD/DVDs are the perfect gift for any racing or cruising sailor. All are available at the North U. online store. For your holiday shopping, buy a Race Pack (Tactics and Trim Books and CDs; 4 items altogether) and receive a North Backpack. Mention "S-Butt Backpack" in comments box during check-out. For a current list of 2010 Racing Trim Seminars, click on the Schedule page at http://www.NorthU.com QUADRIPLEGIC TO SAIL ATLANTIC It's 3,000 miles and takes 3 weeks to get across. But for one man who is sailing the Atlantic, those challenges are just the tip of the iceberg. Boat enthusiast Geoff Holt, 43 from Hampshire, UK sets sail from Lanzarote Thursday to the British Virgin Islands, despite not being able to move most of his arms, hands and legs. The quadriplegic will sail boat Impossible Dream for the mission, created for disabled people by paraplegic Mike Browne and kindly donated for the dream trip. Geoff says: "If we have problems, we will overcome them. I'll miss my family terribly, but achieving this will be the best present ever." He was just out of school aged 16 when Geoff began working as first mate on boats. By the age of 18, he had sailed the Atlantic three times. But months after his last journey across the waters, disaster struck. He dived into shallow waters and broke his neck. But that wasn't the end of it. Sadly, the company he worked for had no insurance, despite telling him otherwise. He couldn't get in touch with family, and it was only thanks to a report in The Sun that his family found out about the accident. The government refused to help him unless he found £20,000. He said: "I was seriously ill. I couldn't get in touch with anyone. I weighed 7 stone, despite being 6 foot 4." Fortunately for Geoff, British Caledonian airlines came to the rescue and flew him back to safety. He was looked after by a pretty young nurse called Elaine. "She was tiny little thing but quite strong. She would take me out in the evenings when no one to take me out. I was in hospital for 10 months, it was a long time to spend with some one. We grew more and more fond of one another. We left together - I had fallen madly in love. I had to start from scratch. I had no money, no compensation, nothing. But Elaine helped me through it." -- Read more: http://tinyurl.com/ydsdb2u HOW THE TOUR ENDED The Monsoon Cup, the final event of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) held last week in Maylasia, offered the highest prize purse on the Tour (over $461,000), and as the final stage of the WMRT, was where the ISAF World Champion was crowned. The Tour consists of nine events throughout Europe, Asia, and Bermuda, and for teams vying for the World Championship title, they count their best five scores leading into the final event, and then also include their final event score. To heighten the drama, the points earned at the final event are increased over the other tour events. Of the top six in the final tour standings, four attended all nine events: 1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, 138 pts - 9 events 2. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, 97 pts - 9 events 3. Ben Ainslie, (GBR) Team Origin, 95 pts - 4 events 4. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR, 93 pts - 7 events 5. Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team Racing, 79 pts - 9 events 6. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar, 75 pts - 9 events 2009 Tour Final Standings: http://tinyurl.com/m4ltxg What is remarkable is how well Ainslie did in the 2009 Tour standings. Despite sailing in only three tour events before competing in the Monsoon Cup, he was far short on the scoring opportunities that the other teams had, yet still nearly finished second in the Tour standings. Ainslie’s record of finishing on the podium for all 4 of his events was unmatched; Minoprio came closest by finishing 5 of his 9 events in the top three. Needless to say, Ainslie has successfully made the transition from Olympic sailing to match racing. Here was the disbursement of the Monsoon Cup prize money: 1. $105,000.00 - Adam Minoprio (NZL), ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 2. $73,500.00 - Ben Ainslie (GBR), Team Origin 3. $44,167.00 - Peter Gilmour (AUS), YANMAR Racing 4. $38,278.00 - Sebastien Col (FRA), French Match Racing Team/ALL4ONE 5. $35,335.00 - Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team 6. $32,390.00 - Phil Robertson (NZL), Team New Zealand WAKA Racing 7. $29,446.00 - Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Mirsky Racing 8. $26,501.00 - Damien Iehl (FRA), French Match Racing Team 9. $23,557.00 - Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Victory Challenge 10. $20,612.00 - Francesco Bruni (ITA), Team Azzura 11. $17,667.00 - Ian Williams (GBR), Team Pindar 12. $14,723.00 - Hazwan Hazim Dermanwan (MAS), Taring Pelangi TESA Monsoon Cup results: http://tinyurl.com/yhch4fq Source: http://tinyurl.com/Scuttleblog-12-9-09 WORLD YACHT RACING FORUM - DAY 1 Monaco (December 9, 2009) - The commercial return of yacht racing sponsorship and the tools used to promote and evaluate the sport’s commercial return were at the heart of today’s debates at the World Yacht Racing Forum. The second edition of the World Yacht Racing Forum started this morning with an introduction by the event’s chairman Peter Gilmour. “We are here to build the platform for young sailors”, he said. “This is a unique opportunity for us all to steer the business of yacht racing. The people gathered in this auditorium represent roughly projects worth over one billion dollars.” Over 350 delegates including 60 media representatives were listening! Most sessions focused on the commercial value of the sport, and gave the opportunity to the speakers to describe the most efficient methods to provide a strong return to the discipline’s partners. “The economy aside, our sport has never been that strong”’, observed keynote speaker Tom Whidden, the President of North Sails. “The number of boats and events is increasing, and their management is often extremely well executed. Any business can learn from a well run sailing campaign.” One of the highlights of the day was the presentation by sports marketing expert Richard Moore (CEO; Capitalize), who confirmed that the global Sports business has been less affected than other industries by the worldwide economic crisis. “The sport industry has increased by 0,4% this year and the predictions for next year are for an increase of 11,2%. However”, he added, “the sport of sailing represents only a marginal percentage of this pie.” Indeed, the sport faces several fundamental issues. “In most disciplines, the revenue is split in three equal thirds that come from hospitality, gate revenues and sponsorship. However sponsorship represents most of the revenue in sailing, and this situation is potentially dangerous.” Managing Director of IFM Sports, Ulrich Lacher confirmed that the yacht racing industry doesn’t sit in still waters. “Your sport is difficult to understand”, he told the audience. “There are too many series, too many events, different types of boats… What sponsors want nowadays is to know exactly what return they can expect. You need to tell them precisely what your potential is, and what return you can offer them. The potential of sailing is massive yet largely unexploited. The strengths of the sport are the business opportunities it provides, the emotions it generates and the hospitality platform it offers.” -- WYRF, read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/1209a/ A SUNNY WINTER VASHON ISLAND RACE Pacific Northwest sailors have survived any and all weather conditions. But last weekend’s 32nd Annual Winter Vashon Island Race in Puget Sound treated competitors to a beautiful, crisp day of racing with up to 20 knots of breeze for the 30.7nm race. With 91 entries, Ullman Sails customers participated in both cruising and racing divisions. Top finishes included Brad Butler’s Sierra 26 “Dos” and John Leitzinger’s OD 35 “Kahuna.” Butler finished 1st overall in Class C with 100% Ullman inventory and “Kahuna” took 2nd overall in Class B with Ullman upwind inventory. Ullman Sails - Invest in your performance. http://www.ullmansails.com SAILING SHORTS * An Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal has been awarded by US SAILING’s Safety-at-Sea Committee to Wings, owned and skippered by Michael S. Bruno, Jr., for a man overboard rescue on April 20, 2008. The rescue occurred off Rye, N.Y. on the waters of Long Island Sound. The Hanson Rescue Medal is awarded to any person who rescues or endeavors to rescue any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other perils at sea within the territorial waters of the U.S., or as part of a sailboat race or voyage that originated or stopped in the U.S. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/ycczfy7 * The sixth Annual Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Coaching Colloquium will be held January 5-10, 2010 in Park City, Utah, and is open to anyone with an interest in college sailing. The focus of the week is the improvement and development of College Sailing and the advancement and refinement of the profession of coaching sailors. New in 2010 will be a level 2 Coach Trainer course with US Sailing for the 5 and 6th and a US Sailing Level 3 Coaching module focusing on sports-science and technology. -- Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8712 * The magazine Course Au Large and LiveSkipper, the virtual racing simulator, are offering you the unique experience of taking part in the Jules Verne Trophy to allow you to tackle the outright round the world record. Following in the footsteps of Bruno Peyron’s crew, you too can try to break through the magic 50-day barrier from your computer or using your iPhone. The hundred skippers setting the one hundred best times will win a year’s subscription to the magazine Course Au Large, which is devoted to ocean racing. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/ybhb93e * (December 9, 2009) - Newly crowned ISAF Match Racing World Champion Adam Minoprio of New Zealand maintains his hold on the top spot in the latest release of the Open ISAF World Match Race Rankings, as France's Claire Leroy extends her four and half year unbroken run at #1 in the Women's Rankings. Top North Americans are Dave Perry (USA) in 39th and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) in 10th. -- Details: http://www.sailing.org/30974.php JOIN THE CONVERSATION The forum is a site to get your topics online for others to see, and a tool to exchange ideas outside of the newsletter constraints. We encourage your participation at Scuttlebutt… join the conversation amid these forum sections: - Holiday Wish List - To help with holiday gift ideas. - Dock Talk - For all your sailing comments and questions. - Event Reports - Dedicated to regatta reports and other event commentary. - Industry News - Updates on products, businesses, personnel, boats, etc. - Classified Ads - Gear and boats for sale, wanted stuff, and available jobs. Scuttlebutt Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). 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 Graeme Owens, OAM, judge, and umpire: In his recent article (in Scuttlebutt 2988), Mark Chisnell discussed the common America's Cup procedure of the "hip pocket challenge" which effectively blocks a rogue challenge. The most famous case of the unwanted challenge was mentioned by a recent correspondent who believed the rogue 'big boat' New Zealand challenge of Michael Faye in 1987 was a result of him and his advisers cleverly finding a loophole in the Deed which enabled them to make their move. As a member of the 1987 America's Cup Committee with the portfolio of Race Administration and Documentation, I can assure all there was no cleverness involved. The possibility of such a "non 12 metre" challenge was well known to all those with some America's Cup knowledge. It was openly discussed amongst those involved in Fremantle and a decision was needed on what we should do about arranging the "hip pocket challenge". But the decision we made was "no hip pocket this time", based on the belief that the practise was in effect an insult to the sailing community because nobody would stoop so low as to wreck the America's Cup by making a one-off challenge outside the accepted 12 metre format. We were wrong. I have many friends in New Zealand who still mistakenly believe the 'big boat' challenge was some form of masterstroke. That's far from being correct. * From Jim Whistler, Buffalo, NY: (re, SAILING SHORTS story in #2988) I raced in the 1995 King's Cup and it was an amazing experience. Back then the beauty was only shore deep; when we raced for and overnight to Phi Phi Island, the beach, Ballantines Scotch party and hotel were first class but from the back window of our hotel we could see only poverty, elephants and jungle. I don't recall much in the way of marina facilities either, most boats had to anchor out in Phuket Bay and ferry out in the morning from the beach launched RIB's, most certainly to swamp at least once in the early morning breakers. I thought the scenery and racing venue were spectacular; I could definitely see any of the premiere regattas racing in that backdrop; hey, it worked for James Bond! CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION You might be a sailing bum if you think of duct tape as a long term investment. Special thanks to North U. and Ullman Sails. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
