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SCUTTLEBUTT 3097 - Friday, May 21, 2010Scuttlebutt 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.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt Today's sponsors: New England Ropes, The Pirates Lair, and Atlantis WeatherGear. YOUTH WINDSURFING GETS A REBOOT Not since 1992 has a windsurfer representing the United States won an Olympic medal, when Mike Gebhardt won the silver medal in Barcelona, Spain. In 1984, the inaugural year for Men's Olympic Windsurfing, Scott Steele won a silver medal in Los Angeles, and Gebhardt won the bronze medal in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. Women's Windsurfing became an Olympic sport in 1992, and to date no American woman has won an Olympic Windsurfing medal. During his coverage of the 2008 Olympic Regatta in Qingdao, China, Gary Jobson (now President of US SAILING) stated that the USA needs to reboot its sailboard program. Indeed, a 5-person team known as the Windsurfing Task Force had been formed earlier that year at US SAILING's spring meeting in Providence, RI with a goal of "developing talent & depth for the 2012 Olympic Quad and a medal at the 2016 Olympics." To learn more about the Windsurfing Task Force and the newly formed Youth Development Windsurfing Team, WindCheck spoke with Nevin Sayre, a member of the Windsurfing Task Force, a five-time U.S. National Windsurfing Champion, Junior Sailing Programs Director at Bic Sport North America and father of US Sailing Team Alphagraphics member (and WindCheck contributor) Solvig Sayre: * What are junior sailing programs in countries like Great Britain and France doing with windsurfing that those in the USA need to emulate? NEVIN SAYRE: Windsurfing is fully integrated into most junior sailing programs in the UK and France from the get-go. Kids go back and forth, or they focus on windsurfing or dinghies (or multihulls, in many cases in France) as they grow up. * Who are the other members of the Windsurfing Task Force? NEVIN SAYRE: The Windsurfing Task Force is chaired by Bryan McDonald, who is an avid sailor and US SAILING judge from San Francisco, CA. Our Junior Performance Coach is Britt Viehman, who has a windsurfing school in Clearwater, FL. Susan Epstein of Sharon, MA is on the board of directors of US SAILING and the National Women's Sailing Association. Dan Weiss, who lives in Boston, MA, is the Northeast Region Director of US Windsurfing. * What are your "bottom up" and "top down" strategies? NEVIN SAYRE: From the bottom up, we're trying to get windsurfing into junior sailing programs. The technology has made it possible, and that wasn't the case ten years ago. You didn't have one board that an 8-year old, an 18-year-old or an 80-year-old could sail. With different size rigs, that's now very possible with one board. The rigs have developed to a stage where you can have an affordable rig that even an 8- year-old can pull out of the water and go windsurfing with very little effort. Windsurfing is far and away the most affordable form of sailing. For the price of one-and-a-half 420s you can get a fleet of eight windsurfers and 12 different rigs to fit sailors of all sizes and abilities. From the top down, we're creating events for kids who aspire to compete, and opportunities for more high-level coaching. Complete interview: http://tinyurl.com/27ewe8r ENDURA BRAID GOING EURO! New England Ropes already sports the best selling Dyneema Double braid on the market, Endura Braid. They now are sporting a new range of colors that allows boats and crews to color match all applications on the racecourse. Endura Braid Euro will feature a Dyneema SK-75 core with our proprietary Marine-Tech coating, and the most durable polyester jacket on the water. Endura Braid Euro delivers unsurpassed performance, a wide range of colors and the most user-friendly high performance rope. Look for Endura Braid Euro at leading Rig Shops and Boating Retailers this Spring. Others make Rope we make line perform. -- http://www.neropes.com KITEBOARD VS. WINDSURFER: WHO IS KING OF THE COURSE? For the last few years on San Francisco Bay one of the most progressive and innovative yacht clubs in the world, the St. Francis Yacht Club, has held races that pitted Kiteboards and Formula Windsurfers against each other. The natural question to ask: Who is faster? That used to be hard to answer as most races were long distance races that were not held on the traditional Olympic style sailing course with both upwind and downwind legs. Over the years a conventional wisdom developed, and subsequent race results have proven, that Kiteboards were faster downwind and Formula Boards were faster upwind. But what would happen when the race involves both upwind and downwind legs? In sail boat racing it has long been said that the first to the windward mark is usually going to win the race. The "Formula" in Formula Windsurfing is actually a rule developed and maintained by the sanctioning body of Formula Windsurfing. The rule limits board width at 100cm, f in length at 70cm, and limits competitors to only 3 sails amongst its major rules. These rules are structured to try to ensure that race results reflect the better sailor, not the one with the deepest wallet, and newest equipment. While the windsurfing equipment itself hasn't radically changed in the last couple of years it is by no means a one design class where equipment is identical for each competitor. While stringent rules bound the Formula Windsurfer, Kitesurfing is basically unregulated with regards to equipment requirements. With no rules to stifle development kiteboard racing gear has been undergoing rapid change. Has all this change allowed the kiteboard to catch up to the Windsurfer on the course? This past Saturday May 15th 2010 it was made clear the answer is "Yes". On that Saturday, in Berkeley California, another group of innovative & inclusive pioneers, the Cal Cup Formula Racing Series, decided to invite a select group of top Kiteboarders to race on the same course, and start from the same starting line as the Formula boards. Leading the contingent of Kiteboarders was Ultra Nectars /Ozone Kites Chip Wasson, who placed 2nd at the 2009 Kiteboard Course Racing World Championships. Joining Wasson was Andrew Koch, the younger brother of current Course Racing World Champion Adam Koch, and top local racer Kevin Richards. For safety reasons the Kiteboarders are a handpicked crew who have demonstrated mastery of their gear and are vetted by committee before being allowed to race. -- Waterhound, read on: http://tinyurl.com/26r6ojk 500 MILES IN 6 DAYS UP THE ATLANTIC COAST Fifteen stalwart teams of the beach catamaran sailing community took sail on Nacra 20s and Formula 18s on May 10th, 2010 to face the elements in a grueling race to Tybee Island, Georgia, some 560 miles from the starting point in Islamorada, Florida. DAY ONE from Islamorada to Hollywood, FL saw stiff breezes on the nose changing as boats rounded the tip of Florida to continue a tough beat to the finish. The distance of 90+ miles took the last boats more than 12 hours to finish in the dark, but all boats made it, with crews beat up and looking for a comfortable bed. DAY TWO from Hollywood to Jupiter, FL was a shorter leg, but rough seas continued. Crews saw wash board sailing and challenging sea conditions take a toll on the boats. Ground crews were up late into the night working repairs. DAY THREE from Jupiter to Cocoa Beach, FL was equally challenging, where inlets caused rough sailing even though winds had clocked to give sailors their first chance to use spinnakers. One boat lost a crew member in early going, recovering, but the boat and crew drifted ashore with broken battens and a decision to take its penalty and a day ashore. Another crew lost a crew member and put panic in the race committee until all systems worked as planned and the crew member was found by use of the required personal EPIRB and was returned to his boat by Boat US, to continue the race. DAY FOUR starting from Cocoa Beach involved a trip around Cape Canaveral, where a Shuttle stood on the pad, ready for launch the following day. All boats were required to remain 3 miles off shore for the rounding before arriving in Daytona Beach, FL. The day was a glorious sail for all with great reaching winds cooperating for a continuous spinnaker run, after turning the corner off the Cape. DAY FIVE from Daytona Beach was equally a great sailing day, traveling from Daytona to Fernandina Beach, FL in record time. The race committee had to drive ahead quickly just to stay up with speeding catamarans. DAY SIX, the final day started at Fernandina Beach on May 15th, 2010 looked to have light winds and the crews voted to start at 8:00AM in case the forecast held. Actually, the winds held, but the course carried to the north east, causing the leg to be full of short and long spinnaker gibes. But even so, much to the pleasure of all, boats began to arrive at 3:30 in the afternoon. Final results: http://tinyurl.com/2ffrlss SLOW MOTION BALLET DUETS AT MATCH RACE GERMANY Langenargen, Germany (May 20, 2010) - Competitors at Match Race Germany, Stage 2 of the 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), have provided a series of slow motion ballet duets for the start of the Round Robin. The 4 to 5 knots of wind on Lake Constance from the South West has brought out the best in lake sailing ability, with some skippers like Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team preferring these conditions having been taught on 'Lac de Maine'. Richard has noticed that there are a number of match racing regattas run on lakes and now simulates these lake conditions on the Atlantic Coast of France. "To create the experience just like racing on a lake I train with my team really close to the shore, this mirrors the light and shifty conditions when the breeze is off the land". Those who have mastered Bodensee's light wind condition are overall leaders Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team and the current 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour leader, Richard, both winning all 3 of their matches from today. There is then a block of four skippers who are all at 2-1, namely Adam Minoprio, (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Ian Williams (GBR) under his new team name Team GAC Pindar, Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo . This is a very tight set group and the balance could shift instantly with the likes of Gilmour involved. Gilmour has the best record of any skipper at Match Race Germany, having previously won this Stage three times in a row from 2004 through to 2006. -- Full story: http://www.wmrt.com/ballet-on-the-bodensee.html BACKGROUND: The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the leading professional sailing series featuring 10 World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). The tour website provides live event blogging along with daily videos and images: http://www.wmrt.com/ REGATTAS REGATTAS REGATTAS Trust your regatta design, printing and delivery to The Pirates Lair. Need moisture wicking tees? Nobody has more brands or experience putting your graphics on them. Teams and Businesses welcome. Log on to http://www.pirateslair.com or call (888) 724-5286 for more information. SAILING SHORTS * Sports Day in Canada is a new national event that celebrates sport at all levels across Canada. Sports Day in Canada is an opportunity to showcase all manner of sports, while mobilizing the nation in the power of being active. Sports Day in Canada will be the culmination of a week (September 11-18, 2010) of sporting events and festivals, celebrating grassroots sport stories, engaging citizens in physical activity and rallying local organizations to provide participatory opportunities in communities across Canada. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.ca/features/sports_day_in_canada/ * BoatUS has brought together information that might be useful to boat owners in areas that may be affected by the recent oil spill in the Gulf. This includes daily updates from NOAA on the spill's current location and anticipated trajectory, information from BoatUS to protect your boat and the environment, regional updates from TowBoatUS Towers and Coop Marinas, a list of useful links, and contact information for you to make reports and send photographs. Should your boat be affected by the spill, there is a link to how to get oil off of your boat's gelcoat, bottom paint and other painted surfaces. -- Details: http://www.boatus.com/oilspill/ * UPDATE: In Scuttlebutt 3096 it was reported that a one hour highlight show of the 33rd America's Cup would be broadcast on May 21 at 3:00 am ET on Universal Sports, a cable channel that is a digital signal broadcast over-the-air by NBC affiliates. An update from Claude Ruibal, Chairman/ Founder of Universal Sports, told Scuttlebutt that the highlight show will also air on Universal Sports on the following dates and times: 5/24 at 12:30 pm PT, 5/30 at 12:00 am PT, 5/31 at 10:00 am PT, and 6/2 at 8:00 am PT. -- http://www.universalsports.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include new boats being blessed, big boats being washed, big lifts being used, big mountains getting snow, big accomplishments getting praised, big success coming from the islands, big wipeouts being suffered, and big programs getting launched. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0521/ ITALIAN: When was the last time your Olympic Star campaign took you to Lake Garda in northern Italy? In case this is still on your bucket list, photographer Jacqueline Schmitz has delivered the goods: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0520/ SMALL: The 2010 International One Meter Class is an ISAF-sanctioned sailboat whose lines adhere to the International Rule - the same rule that governs the design of such classic boats as the 12 and Six Metre classes. Only there's no boarding these boats. IOCs, as they're called, are radio controlled and easily fit in the trunk of the smallest compact car. See photos: http://tinyurl.com/24ewrst SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK Around the Americas is a 25,000 mile sailing circumnavigation of the American continents aboard 64-foot S/V Ocean Watch, with the mission of inspiring, educating, and engaging citizens of the Americas to protect our fragile oceans. This unprecedented expedition began on May 31, 2009 when Ocean Watch departed Seattle, WA for a daring voyage through the Northwest Passage before heading south and around Cape Horn. They are now on the home stretch north to Seattle, and are expected to arrive by June 17. 2010. Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck recently met with the project director for Around the Americas, Ocean Watch captain Mark Schrader, where Schrader explained the realities of sailing around North and South America, ocean responsibility, and the current challenges of the Northwest Passage. Pretty enlightening stuff! Click here for this week's videos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/10/0521/ LONG BEACH AND THE AMERICA'S CUP: Cities are putting their best foot forward to bring the excitement of the America's Cup to their town. Among the best sailing venues in the western U.S. is Long Beach, CA, which has hosted the 1984 Olympic sailing events along with countless national and world championships. An organizing committee, Sail Long Beach, feels they have weather, winds, and wherewithal to be an excellent host for America's Cup competition. Here is their video presentation: http://tinyurl.com/26kcwdj THREE MEN IN A BOAT: The Expert Olympic Garda 2010 - Eurolymp attracted international competition during the May 12-16 event on Lake Garda in Northern Italy. It also attracted an inflatable castle better known for entertaining small children at birthday parties. American Laser sailor Derick Vranizan from Seattle, WA was at the event, and provides this report and video of the incident: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt/posts/119051808135155 SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com DISCOVER: GREAT GEAR FOR SAILOR CHICKS The Aegis line has been a huge success since it hit the water last summer, and with the new women's Aegis Jacket and Hybrid Bib combo, you no longer have to choose between staying dry and looking great. Packed with innovative features, and designed to deliver the performance women sailors need combined with the styling they want, the new women's Aegis line achieves the unthinkable: sailing gear that women will love to wear both on the water and ashore. Check out the women's Aegis line at http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com/Womens - and don't forget to enter the Sailor's Paradise Sweepstakes. Discover Your Atlantis. 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 Scott Mason: (re, competitive imbalance in college sailing) Southern California has been one of the hotbeds of high school sailing for the past 15 years. Whether it is year round sailing, strong club youth programs or strength in numbers is debateable. However, since Mikee Anderson and Brian Haines (Coronado 2002) went to USC and Stanford respectively, most of the top sailors have migrated east for college sailing (Campbell, Roberts, Martin, Sinks, Buckingham, Menninger(s), Bolger, Chamberlain, Provancha, Belling, etc.). This may ebb slightly this year with Laube (Pt. Loma) and Ryan (Cathedral Catholic) staying west for college, but sailors want to compete where the talent is and right now that is on the east coast. It takes time for systemic changes to take effect (i.e. adding semi's), and two years of NEISA and MAISA dominance is not enough time to draw conclusions. One point on the prior thread, most of the SoCal sailors eventually return home~you simply cannot beat the weather. -- Forum, http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9903#9903 * From Matthew Gregory: (re, competitive imbalance in college sailing) As a former ICSA sailor from almost 11 years ago, please excuse that I am lobbing this comment into the mix from the back of the peanut gallery. I was saddened when the ICSA changed the format for the National Championship qualification. Since I have quite a bit of 'space' from college sailing I'd like to inject a distant perspective that might shed some light onto the long term net effect of this format change. Many schools don't have the means to travel to out-of-district regattas. Don't, however, underestimate how incredibly motivating it is for schools in the geographically and financially challenged regions to represent their district at the National Championship regatta. Furthermore there is an incredible knowledge transfer that happens when the uncoached schools get the opportunity to match up against the best of the best. They take that knowledge back to their team practices and to their district events. At the end of the day, college sailing is about promoting participation in sailing as a lifelong sport. To give some specific examples from our University of Michigan team: Most people on our team had never stepped foot into a dinghy before attending our team. Most of my teammates are still sailing, which is a fabulous net positive for our sport. One such person, who was introduced to dinghy sailing though our team - Bora Gulari - recently won the Moth Worlds and is the current Rolex U.S. Yachtsman of the Year. As a high schooler, I had an end goal of working as an engineer at the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race level. With an alumni list that included Nelson, Ferguson, Bedford, Reichel, etc, etc., the U. Michigan was the only place that I wanted to study. I did not have the opportunity to grow up in a junior sailing program, but because our team was able to participate in the elite intersectionals and in the National Championship, my learning curve was nearly vertical over my four years in college. Ultimately exposure to the best of the best at the college level led me to two America's Cups and a Volvo Ocean Race. I fully credit the opportunities that were granted to me by the college sailing format to achieving my childhood dreams. Don't over look the net effect of including each district in the National Championships. At the end of the regatta the best team in the country will still be crowned 'Champion' either way. -- Forum: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9920#9920 CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION I wish it were appropriate to say to a complete stranger, "Excuse me, would you like me to show you how to discipline your child?" Special thanks to New England Ropes, The Pirates Lair, and Atlantis WeatherGear. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
