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SCUTTLEBUTT 2243 – December 14, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). NOMINEES ANNOUNCED (Dec 13, 2006) In recognition of their outstanding on-the-water achievements in the calendar year that comes to a close later this month, US Sailing has announced the U.S. sailors who have been short listed for its 2006 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US Sailing and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US Sailing's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards are widely regarded as the sport's ultimate recognition for U.S. sailors as evidenced by the notable sailors who have won the coveted awards multiple times: Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, Courtenay Dey, JJ Isler, John Kostecki, Ken Read, Jody Swanson and Ted Turner. Nominees for US Sailing's 2006 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award: Bacardi Cup Champion John Dane (Gulfport, MS.); Thistle National Champion Greg Fisher (Annapolis, MD/ Columbus, OH); International-14 World Champion Howard Hamlin (Long Beach, CA.); Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator aboard ABN Amro One Stan Honey (Palo Alto, CA.); Star Kiel Week Champion Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, FL.); and Audi Etchells World Champion Jud Smith (Marblehead, MA.). Nominees for US Sailing's 2006 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award: Semaine Olympique Francaise Yngling champion Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI.); Laser Radial Youth World Champion Claire Dennis (Saratoga, CA.); U.S. Junior Women's Singlehanded Champion Sarah Lihan (Ft. Lauderdale, FL.); ISAF World Sailing Games Laser Radial Champion Paige Railey (Clearwater, FL.); and US Sailing Rolex Miami OCR Laser Radial Champion Anna Tunnicliffe (Perrysburg, OH/ Plantation, FL.). ** TAKE THE POLL: The final vote for these nominees won't be until January, so we thought we would give Scuttlebutt readers the chance to declare who they think should win (which might be different than who will win). This week we will vote for the women’s award, and next week we will cover the men. To vote for your choice for the 2006 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, go to http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/06/1213 ALL POINTS BULLETIN (Scuttlebutt received the following note from Olaf Harken who is asking for some help.) “I don't know if you do this but if possible could you ask the readership if they have seen and know the whereabouts and ownership information of the 65 foot experimental yacht PROCYON? She now has a blue hull instead of the original red and still has the Bi Pod Mast, canting keel and sculptured boom. As far as I know she was last seen in Ft Lauderdale and had the same name. I was the team leader of the project and would like to examine some of the systems and particularly the canting keel after 15 years of use and exposure. Please send any information you have to mailto:olaf@harken.com” -- Olaf Harken STOP THE MADNESS (Following the thread about messages being found in bottles, Scuttlebutt received the following email from the Greenpeace ship "Esperanza" somewhere in the Pacific Ocean) My sister is 8 years older than me, and growing up, I used to listen to her music. When I came out on the deck of the Esperanza this morning, I had a song stuck in my head from one of her old albums. It was ‘Message in a Bottle’ by the Police. No wonder, the lyrics describe exactly what I'm seeing out here in the Pacific Ocean. There really is a message in the plastic bottles I’ve seen floating past the ship, and they really are sending an S.O.S. to the world. I mean, think about it, we’re literally out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the largest ocean on the planet, and in this vast open ocean are bits and pieces of our disposable lifestyles on land. Throughout this trip, we’ve been taking samples of ocean water, and what we’ ve discovered is as if a bomb exploded millions of pieces of plastic that rained down on the Pacific. But this is no bomb. It's not a storm that caused this. We did. All of us. With every piece of trash we've seen, but haven't picked up, every water bottle we've bought, but didn't recycle. It's all here, floating in front of me, the evidence of millions of moments of lapsed judgement, all combined into one heaping mess. It's overwhelming. This plastic isn’t just floating in the ocean, it’s being consumed by everything from plankton and albatross to sea turtles and whales, and it’s killing them. Dead albatross chicks have been found with bellies full of plastic, and just last week, we heard news of a whale in the Cook Islands who died after eating a plastic bag it thought was a jellyfish. And as plankton, literally the bottom of the food chain, are ingesting plastic pieces, the chemical components could be working their way through the entire food chain. Our actions in our daily lives are having a lifetime of consequences thousands of miles and years after we’ve made them. So I’m sending an S.O.S. to everyone reading this: please, do what you can everyday, and think about the choices you make. You’re not the only one impacted by your decisions, so choose wisely. -- Marie Jorgensen, Director of Online Communications ULLMAN SAILS – DENMARK Ullman Sails International is pleased to announce that GP Covers in Aarhus, Denmark has joined the Ullman Sails group. The three partners are Oluf Groenkaer, Bo Melson, and Flemming Clausen. They moved into new facilities this summer in Aarhus, which is one of the largest sailing centers in Denmark. The sailmaking team is led by Lasse Rosenbech, whose sails recently finished 1st on an Elan boat in one of Denmark’s largest keelboat regatta’s. The Ullman group is delighted to have these talented sailmakers on our team. Look for their contact information listed in the “Loft Locator” section at http://www.ullmansails.com BREAKING EVEN (Dec. 13, 2006) China's eastern city of Qingdao, the 2008 Olympic sailing host, said it's breaking even on the 3.28 billion yuan ($419 million) construction spend for Olympic facilities because of sales to companies and individuals. InterContinental Hotels Group, the world's biggest lodging company, agreed to buy and operate the Olympic village, including a luxury class hotel, after the Games, Qingdao government spokesman Wang Haitao told reporters in Beijing today. InterContinental will only operate the site, as announced in June, spokesman Leslie McGibbon said in a phone interview. The sailing dock will be converted into a commercial yachting center, with the city government auctioning as many as 800 berthing lots. Prices range from 800,000 yuan (~$102,249.49 USD) to 3 million yuan (~$383,435.58 USD) and demand is exceeding supply, Wang said. -- by Wing-Gar Cheng, Bloomberg, full story: http://tinyurl.com/yelall WORLD RANKINGS The world's number one ranked sailors to wrap up the ISAF World Sailing Rankings for 2006 are confirmed. With two classes completing their world championships since the last ranking release and a host of lower graded regattas taking place, there are some interesting movements. Great Britain ends the year as it began, as the top-performing nation. It now has seven teams in a top three position. On the rise again is Australia as it now has three sailors at a number three position. Krystal Weir (AUS) moves back up again and newly crowned Tornado World Champions Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby (AUS) use their success to shift them back up to the number three position joining Tom Slingsby (AUS) who holds the same in the Laser. -- ISAF website, full story: http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j8~Fh??`8&format=popup Leading North American teams (in the top twenty): Laser Radial - Women’s One Person Dinghy 1. Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) 4. Paige Railey (USA) 8. Lisa Ross (CAN) 9. Tania Elias-Calles (MEX) Laser - Men's One Person Dinghy 2. Michael Leigh (CAN) 7. Bernard Luttmer (CAN) 470 - Women’s Two Person Dinghy 8. Amanda Clark/ Sara Mergenthaler (USA) 9. Jennifer Provan/ Carol Luttmer (CAN) 470 - Men's Two Person Dinghy 11. Michael Anderson Mitterling/ David Hughes (USA) 18. Stuart McNay/ Graham Biehl (USA) RS:X - Women’s Windsurfer None RS:X - Men’s Windsurfer 20. Zachary Plavsic (CAN) Yngling - Women’s Keelboat 6. Sally Barkow/ Carrie Howe/ Debbie Capozzi (USA) 16. Hannah Swett/ Liz Filler/ Melissa Purdy (USA) Star - Men’s Keelboat 4. George Szabo/ Mark Strube (USA) 7. Mark Mendelblatt/ Mark Strube (USA) 9. Mark Reynolds/ Skip Dieball (USA) 10. John Dane/ Austin Sperry (USA) 11. Andrew Horton/ J.Brad Nichol (USA) 12. Andrew Macdonald/ Brian Fatih (USA) Tornado - Multihull 10. Oskar Johansson/ Kevin Stittle (CAN) 11. John Lovell/ Charlie Ogletree (USA) 49er - Skiff 12. Dalton Bergan/ Zack Maxam (USA) Finn - Heavyweight Dinghy 5. Chris Cook (CAN) 17. Zack Railey (USA) Note: In the Star class, Mark Mendelblatt has stopped sailing Stars after joining an America’s Cup team; Mark Strube now sails with George Szabo. -- Complete rankings: http://www.sailing.org/rankings DO YOU BELIEVE IN SANTABUTT? SantaButt isn’t your sled riding, chimney crawling, North Pole kind of guy. SantaButt likes warmer climate, and does his work on the Internet. Over the last four weeks, SantaButt has visited four ‘buttheads with $50 gift certificates from West Marine, Team One Newport, Ocean Racing, and Camet International. SantaButt has two more stops to make, but he only chooses ‘buttheads that sent him their gift list. Have you sent in your list? If not, submit your list here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/gifts SAILING SHORTS * (Milan, Italy - Dec 13, 2006) At 2.06 p.m. today, the latest boat from the Luna Rossa America’s Cup team (ITA 94) began her transfer towards the Team’s base in Valencia, Spain. Here the mast and appendages will be fitted and after completing her configuration the first on the water fine tuning tests will take place. The hull left from Nembro (Bergamo) and will travel to Livorno then reaching Tarragona (Spain) via ship. Luna Rossa’s arrival at the Valencia base is expected by the 18th of December. – Valencia Sailing, full story and photos: http://tinyurl.com/yactqa * Zodiac International is asking anyone who purchased either a BFA Marine Pacific, Atlantic or Baltic liferaft or an XM/BFA Offshore liferaft between August 1995 and June 2000 to have the liferaft serviced before further use. The manufacturer of these liferafts - Nautiv Sicherheit für Wassersport and Zodiac International - have identified a possible defect on the valves of the liferafts that could lead to a complete malfunction. -- by IBI Magazine, full story: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20061113151343ibinews.html WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? The ultimate race tender? Perhaps an economical and safe coach boat for your club’s junior sailing program? Is it a new mark boat that’s strong and stable enough for setting and hauling marks for your race committee? Or maybe just a fun-to-drive boat for cruising around in or watching the kids sail? No matter what you’re looking for, the Ribcraft line of rigid inflatable boats, ranging in size from 15’ to 30’, will meet your every need. Now’s the time to place an order for spring/ summer delivery. Contact Ribcraft today or visit http://www.ribcraftusa.com to learn more. 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 Abbi Seward: (regarding Ted Jones letter in Issue 2242) What a nice trip through the memory banks! My parents were friends with Patrick Ellam in NYC and the next owners of Sopranino. I met the man when I was in my teens. I think Patrick was running the boat business and a pub (in the winter) in VT. I'm glad he's still on this earth and forwarded the note on to my mother, who is still around. When ever a discussion came up about how big a boat was needed for the Bermuda race, my (much missed) father pointed out Sopranino did just fine coming across the Atlantic, and we didn't need anything bigger! Of course this is the same man who said we were wimps for not taking a boat out when the engine was on the fritz. He wanted to know why we didn't just throw an anchor and kedge our way out of the marina! * From Anthony Kotoun, St. Thomas, USVI: As a kid, we were cruising the Bahamas on our way to the Virgin Islands. One day I was walking down a beach on a very small, uninhabited island and came across a big juice bottle with some tinfoil inside. I unscrewed the cap and got the foil out, which I found held some tea bags, matches, and a note. The note was from a kid that had tossed the bottle while on a fishing day charter a year earlier in South Fla. When asked about the matches and tea, he said he had hoped someone stranded might find it and be able to survive a bit longer. * From Andrew Bray, Editor, Yachting World: In 1975 I was sailing singlehanded from the Azores to Falmouth, UK and launched a message in a glass bottle giving my position and UK address. A year and a half later I got my note back from someone who had found it on a beach in North Brittany, France. What was incredible was not so much the distance - around 1,000 miles - but that fact that it had 'navigated' through extensive rocks offshore unscathed. * From Diane Swintal: I don’t think I’ve ever written to Scuttlebutt in anger over a letter, but reading the missive from Roger Jolly (in Issue 2242) prompted an immediate reply! I don’t understand how buying a J/105 for a group of kids to learn to sail on is ‘disgusting’ or ‘misguided!’ There are large J/105 fleets all over the country, so these kids are learning how to sail a boat in a fleet that is constantly looking for crewmembers. I can’ t afford one now and never will (unless that lottery ticket comes through) but I haven’t missed a Fleet 8 (So Cal) regatta in years, having always found a boat to crew on. In the monthly One Design race in San Diego last Saturday, no fewer than 13 J/105s showed up, many looking for consistent crew for the new season. I’m sure the East Coast fleets are similarly inclined to look for new blood. So how teaching these kids the ropes on one of the top one-design sailboats in the country is ‘misguided’ I just don’t know… * From Rich Jepsen, Chair US Sailing Training Committee: In response to the article about Team Tsunami (in Issue 2241) and the letters that followed... Regardless of the type of yacht that is provided, getting kids out with each other in a social, teambuilding format with the power and sophistication of a larger yacht is a huge winner.. In addition to TT, Jeff Johnstone up in Newport, RI is doing similar things, Jim Lubeck and Rob Stefan at Black Rock Yacht Club and well over a dozen other yacht club and community sailing programs have discovered a way to excite adolescents and teens and compete with their interest in the family car keys or video games. At US Sailing we are working on a program that will create a more 'turn key' ability for schools and yacht clubs to easily and safely provide access to this part of the sport for teens. The Junior Big Boat Sailing program is already a success story whether taught on a J/105 or smaller, cheaper boat.. For more information about JBBS and how to set something up at your sailing location, contact me at mailto:jepsen@ocscsailing.com or Jim Lubeck at mailto:JBBSsailing@aol.com * From Frank Lawson, Bozeman, MT: (regarding the Olympic sailing thread that began in Issue 2241) Like skiing, sailing has had slalom, jumping, etc. for years. Watch or participate in any breezy weekend at the Columbia River Gorge, San Francisco waterfront, Buzzards Bay... * From George Bailey: Interesting comments on foil Moths (in Issue 2240). They are very cool. BUT, changing a sport that exists for the pleasure of those who engage in it to make it more exciting to couch potatoes is crazy. As to "would foilers boost TV coverage," maybe if viewers find watching skippers swim exciting . . . It is not clear that the excitement perceived by the skipper and by experienced racers looking on will communicate itself to an inexperienced TV audience. NASCAR gets pretty boring after a few laps without a crash. The "looks cool" dimension of a hull up on foils is quickly exhausted on the non-racer. Foilers are fun to sail (in Miami we tried foil boats in 1961 they did not catch on). But unless you are one of those racers who is pathological about winning, the fun in racing is a function of how close the competition is. Depending on the competition, racing Beetle Cats can be more fun than racing the fastest current one design. Who cares what the couch potatoes like. * From Jeff Dowling, Duxbury, MA: Last Friday night during a storm 475 miles south east of Cape Cod, Laura Gainey, a volunteer crew member aboard the training vessel and tall ship Picton Castle, was washed overboard by a rouge wave. The Picton Castle was enroute from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to Grenada. Sadly, despite the combined efforts of the USCG, Canadian search planes, a motor tanker and the crew of the Picton Castle, Ms. Gainey was lost at sea. It has been reported that despite the storm and darkness, Ms. Gainey was not wearing a life vest. Upon hearing this news, my three sons aged 8 to 12, all with significant offshore sailing experience, wanted to know why she wasn't wearing a life jacket with a strobe, etc. We have strict rules on our own boat about the use of life vests, harnesses, and tethers, especially during night and heavy weather sailing. Although I don't sail a 179' tall ship, I believe the same principles of personal safety apply, especially on a training vessel. CURMUDGEON’S QUOTATION “I have the world's largest collection of seashells. I keep it on all the beaches of the world. Perhaps you've seen it.” - Steven Wright Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Ribcraft RIBS. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
