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SCUTTLEBUTT 1249 - January 28, 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 emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. THE BIG SHOW Oracle tactician John Cutler believes the challengers have seriously weakened Alinghi's chances of beating Team New Zealand by agreeing to such restrictive wind limits in the challenger series. Russell Coutts' Swiss syndicate Alinghi line up against Team New Zealand for the America's Cup in the best-of-nine series starting on February 15. But unlike the challenger series, which had wind limits, the America's Cup match has no such restrictions. It will be up to the principal race officer, Harold Bennett, to make the call whether to start and quit racing for the safety of the crews. For racing to start in the Louis Vuitton challenger series the wind had to average between seven and 19 knots over a five-minute period. If it exceeded an average of 23 knots over a five-minute period during racing, the yachts went back to base. Nineteen of 55 race days were abandoned because of the weather. On several of those days, racing could have gone ahead had the upper limit been extended by just two or three knots. "The wind limits we agreed to were way to low," Cutler said. They were significantly lower to what we raced in last time. I think if it does become windy, just as it is likely to in February, then the challengers might be found wanting." - Julie Ash, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3098201&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup JULES VERNE TROPHY * GERONIMO: The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran has crossed the virtual line of Cape Good Hope today at 17 hours 35 minutes, 37 seconds TU. That is 16 days 14 hours 35 minutes 26 seconds since the departure. That is 2 days 4 hours 4 minutes 34 seconds better than the present record. - http://www.grandsrecords.com * KINGFISHER2 slipped her mooring lines and left her base in Lorient, (north west France) at 1420 GMT to sail to the Jules Verne start line off of the island of Ushant (northern western tip of France) and to begin their assault on the non-stop round the world record. This passage could take between 10 and 14 hours. Once Kingfisher2 has reached the start area they will review the weather situation for the exact start time. Gaining a few hours by choosing the best moment to leave could of course make the difference in the end. - http://www.kingfisherchallenges.com/ NOTE: Just prior to departure, Ellen gave herself a haircut not unlike those worn by the players in the NBA. Ellen was quoted in The Telegraph as saying, "It's to save weight." KEY WEST WRAP UP In Key West this past week, it was very obvious that Scuttlebutt's glowing descriptions of the Camet products have not fallen on deaf ears. Camet Shorts were everywhere. The Camet padded shorts are available in a variety of colors and different models. For men, in the 3000, the Cargo, and Bermuda style. For women, in the 3000 and the new Ocean shorts. See them and their high tech gear at http://www.camet.com OLYMPIC CLASSES More than 470 athletes representing over 30 countries will be competing this week on Biscayne Bay as the Rolex Miami OCR gets underway. In its 14th year, the Rolex Miami OCR has not seen a turnout like this since the two years leading up to the '96 Savannah Olympic Regatta, when foreign sailors targeted the event for testing themselves on U.S. waters. Registration ends next Tuesday, before racing begins on Wednesday, January 29. In the 470 Men's class, 2000 470 Men's Olympic Silver Medallist Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas) will team up with Miami's Kevin Burnham, a 470 Olympic Silver Medallist (crew) from 1992. Considered yachting's elite "elders" at ages 38 and 45, respectively, Foerster and Burnham are considerable threats on the international circuit after a second-place finish at last fall's U.S. Olympic Pre-Trials, only their second regatta as a team. On the women's side of this class, another intriguing duo, Allison Jolly (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Lynne Shore (Newport, R.I.), has made a comeback after a long sailing hiatus. The winners of the first-ever Olympic gold medals in the 470 Women's class when the event debuted in 1988. Jolly and Shore are 45 and 42 year old, respectively. Now that all the U.S. teams have been eliminated from the America's Cup, U.S. sailors returning from New Zealand are turning their focus to the Rolex Miami OCR -- especially in the Star class. Entries so far include skippers Paul Cayard (Kentfield, Calif.) from Oracle Racing, and Vince Brun (San Diego, Calif.), Tony Rey (Newport, R.I.) and Terry Hutchinson (Harwood, Md.), all from Stars & Stripes. The teams will face stiff competition from two skippers--Bill Hardesty (San Diego, Calif.) and Andy Lovell (New Orleans, La.)--who are both College Sailors of the Year, as well as from John Kostecki (Fairfax, Calif.), winning skipper of the most recent Volvo Around the World race. 2000 Star Olympic Gold Medallists and World Champions Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) and Magnus Liljedahl (Miami, Fla.) are back with intentions of winning the Rolex Miami OCR a second time. (The team won in '99 and finished second in '98 and 2001.) On the foreign front, defending Rolex Miami OCR skipper and 2000 Olympian Marc Pickel (GER) will make an assault along with Great Britain's Iain Percy and crew Steve Mitchell, who are the 2002 Nautica Star World Champions. 2000 Olympians Peter Bromby/Martin Siese (BER), Bill Abbott (CAN) and Ross MacDonald (CAN) round out a field that has already climbed to 61 entries. - Media Pro Int'l, www.ussailing.org/Olympics/Rolex/Miami OCR/ CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * January 31: How to Read the Weather Seminar, by Bill Biewenga, Strictly Sail, Chicago. A two-hour, interactive workshop that covers how to use weather charts and takes your understanding of weather to a higher level. - www.sailmagazine.com * March 10-17: IMCO North American Championship, Asociacion Mexicana de Tabla Vela A.C & Mexican Sailing Federation, Mirada, Yucatan, Mexico. - www.multired.net.mx/silcer2003 POINT / COUNTERPOINT "There's been a lot of talk about all the technical things, but I think eventually it always comes down to a yacht race. You have to start, you have to go the right way and you have to sail fast. That doesn't change." Francesco de Angelis, 2000Louis Vuitton Cup winner. - LVC website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.yahoo.com/story1765.html "It is possible a faster boat will give one team the edge. From 1967-2003 there's always been an edge and the boat with the edge has won." - Dennis Conner, Yachting World website: http://www.yachting-world.com/auto/newsdesk/20030021073125americascup.html CAPE TO RIO The Brazilian catamaran Adrenalina Pura, skippered by Georg Ehrensperger, finished the gruelling SAP Cape to Rio 2003 late Sunday evening - the race's second finisher. The next finisher in Rio de Janeiro will be the first mono-hull, the German 81-foot maxi Morning Glory. Skipper Hasso Plattner reported Monday that they are still 101 miles away, and moving slowly. - www.pmg.co.za/capetorio/news.php3?a_id=644 TNZ Skipper Dean Barker has pledged his long-term loyalty to Team New Zealand, saying he will not quit the America's Cup holders for an overseas team. Barker, 29, said he had already told his crew and Team New Zealand's board of directors that he would stay with them if they won the America's Cup against Team Alinghi next month. Barker said that while he did not want to think about losing, if that happened Team New Zealand might try to overcome stiff financial odds to put together another challenge. He could not imagine sailing for another team. - * Team New Zealand's management have confidential plans under way to fend off poaching raids after the cup. Although it is not known when team members' contracts end, with most syndicates it is just days or weeks after their campaigns finish. Chief executive Ross Blackman said the team would not sit by and watch their talent leave. "Most definitely the management of Team New Zealand will be doing everything they possibly can to ensure that continuity is in place for next time." - Helen Tunnah, NZ Herald, full story, www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/ BEST GEAR Team One Newport has been selected to create the merchandising program for the Acura SORC. Team One Newport supplies many of the top regattas and events around the world including the UBS Challenge, the Around Alone Race and Sunsail Charters. Looking for your America's Cup gear? They are always right there where the action is! The embroidery and crew uniform department at Team One Newport has outfitted a large number of the top racing boats around the world! What are you waiting for? Give them a call at 800-VIP -GEAR (800-847-4327) or visit their website at http://www.team1newport.com NEWS BRIEFS * There is an interesting confidential survey being taken on the E-Scow class website concerning kinetics. Those of you with opinions - including skippers, crews, one-design officers and judges - will undoubtedly want to look it over: http://www.e-scow.org/KineticsPoll.html * Star Class champion Mark Reynolds was inducted a sailor into the San Diego Hall of Champions - the first sailor so honored in 18 years. Reynolds was the Star Class World champion in both 1995 and 2000 and has won two Olympic Gold Medals (2000 and 1992) and a Silver (1988). Reynolds joins fellow San Diego yachtsmen Lowell North, Gerry Driscoll, Dennis Connor, and Malin Burnham on the roster of Hall of Fame members * Is your website prepared for worldwide notoriety? Our judges are on the lookout for those websites that have done the best job of incorporating Scuttlebutt on their site. Finalists will be announced here next Monday, Feb. 3rd. Enroll in the Scuttlebutt Affiliate Program and make your site a winner. http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/affiliate * The last testing session at sea in the Hauraki Gulf is over for Team Prada. Since being eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Cup on December 17, the design team and crew have been working on a series of modifications to the yachts Luna Rossa ITA 74 and ITA 80 that had been planned many months ago. The Prada's shore team will work on the demobilization of the boats and various equipment. A small group of team members will continue working in Auckland throughout the America's Cup. - www.pradalunarossa.com/uk/home.jsp * Those attending the Strictly Sail Chicago Boat Show on Friday will be the first one to learn the details of the Musto Scuttlebutt Sailing Club's Championship Regatta. It will all happen at the Dry Creek Vineyard Pro Am Regatta party at the booth of the Bitter End Yacht Club (#182). Enjoy the show, but stop by the BEYC's booth around 5:00 PM for some refreshment. There also will be an opportunity to enter to win a four day/ three night vacation for two that can be used during the event. * Alinghi resumed preparations Tuesday, following a short layoff, for next month's America's Cup final against Team New Zealand. The reappearance of the Alinghi yachts, SUI-64 and 75, has led to speculation that the Swiss syndicate has been working on a version of Team New Zealand's hull appendage. The appendages on New Zealand's yacht leave characteristic wakes but as SUI-64 and 75 towed to sea Tuesday, from the Viaduct Basin onto Auckland's Waitemata Harbor, it was unclear whether either had a hull addition. - Steve McMorran, AP as posted on the Fox Sports website, http://foxsports.lycos.com/content/view?contentId=877150 THE FUTURE Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli believes the reaction of New Zealanders to Alinghi will be vital to the future of the America's Cup. He said a campaign against his team, which included threats against crew and their families, had been "unfortunate at times". "I think the defining moment is coming. What happens in the next three to four weeks is going to define what this sport is all about and I think everyone has a role to play in what we can make out of the America's Cup. "The next three weeks will tell us a lot about what all of us think about sailing, and what all of us want to do about this sport." - Helen Tunnah and Ainsley Thompson, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3097108&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup 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 or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Peter Harken (Re Phillip Sanderson and his questioning how the laws of NZ allow restrictions on a public body of water, the Hauraki Gulf as compared to the US): Simple: Because they can! New Zealand as a sovereign nation makes its own laws as does our country, some different and some the same. But when it comes to protecting the land and its waters for the general population they do a better job than us. On that note, I hope that visiting Americans in whatever country stop comparing the US and the country they are in which is too often a trait of our peoples. We are a guest in another country same as a guest in another's house and should behave as such. Admire, respect, meld in with the culture and population, drink it all in and forget the criticism and comparisons and really enjoy this different country you're visiting, that's why you came, right? Because of our nation's constant threats of war, I plead to all of us traveling Americans to be extra polite, friendly and non critical. I'm a proud American and love this country dearly, and our best defense and pro-activeness for our nation's reputation overseas now more than ever is, be a super gracious guest! * From Frieda K. Wildey (re Phillip Sanderson's letter about exclusive sailing areas): We do have the same thing in the US - any time there is a marine event with the possibility of major spectator boat traffic and safety issues, the US Coast Guard, State Natural Resources Police and local marine police {city and county in our instance} have jurisdiction to restrict marine traffic in any areas they see fit. Witness what happened with the Chesapeake Bay 1998 Whitbread, OpSail 2000 and 2002 Volvo Race stopovers. Many times the boats involved in an event will themselves have moving restricted areas around them to prevent spectator craft from coming too close as they transit. * From Matthew L. Thomas: While often prtrayed as a nation against nation event, the America's Cup has always been a boat against boat race, funded by private individuals or sponsorships - no national money here - thank heaven, can you imagine a government trying to put together a program in 4 years. The Blackheart campaign seems to have conveniently forgotten the fact that the "hula" has been designed by an American naval architect.... With everyone crying fouland traitor on the exodus of NZ sailors it seems that they are quite happy to have a foreigner's designs on there boat. This becomes a huge deal if TNZ keeps the Cup and credits the hula with the extra boatspeed. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? * From George Brooks, Auckland, New Zealand: Let's not forget that New Zealand's last defence was not "private enterprise" only and significant funding was provided by New Zealand as a nation -government funding via Television New Zealand and Lotto and the nation via fundraising activities such as the red socks. Obviously this funding paid these gentlemen. We are probably the first country or holder of the cup to "nationalise" it ... right or wrong ... and it has become more than significant to our economy and international exposure as a tourist destination and business incubator. Coutts and Butterworth are not simple men. They know, so don't look on New Zealand as a typical holder or challenger - if there is such a beast -but a Nation competing. We do hope that these gentlemen enjoy the challenge they sought - that of taking the cup, its economic value, the eyes of the world, and jobs from New Zealand! * From Brad Russell: In response to Chris Laidlaw's article, I must ask: How many of the original TNZ crew from the last defense are now sailing with TNZ? He makes it sound as if Coutts and Butterworth are the only ones who jumped ship. I think this is grossly understated especially after reading Butterworth's interview. The America's Cup is not the Olympics where national athletes are unpaid amateurs representing their own country. Athlete's that choose to make their sport a profession must seek opportunities that progress their profession and maintain employment. I do not see NZ offering such opportunities to keep them nor do I see the difference in the NZ professional athlete's that leave to play Rugby in and for other countries as Chris tries to keep distinctly separate. I am an American. And while I adamantly hope to see the cup return, I do not speak such words as betrayment when I admire the designs coming from and American boat designer ... working for Team New Zealand. Get over it and let the best team win, regardless of what country they were born in. * From Vincent Delany, Dublin, <vdelany@RKD.IE>: We the Water Wag Club have in our possession a book called 'The Lawson History of the Americas Cup' written by Winfield M. Thompson and Thomas W. Lawson and published in Boston in 1902. The book describes the history of the event up to and including Mr. Lawson's own challenge to defend the cup. The book was never commercially published but was distributed privately. Our book is No. 2952 of 3000?. I wonder does anybody know the location of the the copies of the book? THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Since everyone has a camcorder these days, people don't talk about seeing UFOs like they use to. |
