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SCUTTLEBUTT 1878 - July 12, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. IT'S JUST NOT THE SAME It's hard to envision how the 32nd running of the Cup, which started in 1851, will resonate with the traditional Cup watchers in this country. Not only has an entire generation of Americans grown up never having had the Cup in America, but there is only one US challenger (BMW Oracle Racing from San Francisco) in the fray, which will take place in Europe. The real reason the new cycle of Cup racing will not generate much interest in these parts is that there isn't much of a story. Not for us. Team Alinghi (Switzerland) seems so far ahead of the competition -- 10-0 this season -- that the Cup is no more competitive than it used to be in Newport, R.I., before the fierce Aussies finally broke through in 1983 after 30 years of trying. From 1851 to 1937 the Vanderbilts could bet the mansion -- or all of them -- on American boats and sailors winning the trophy once again, Cup summer after Cup summer. Then, after the Cup resumed post-World War II in 1958, the old rhythms began again in Newport. The teams sailed in 12-meter boats -- not a new class, but a more affordable one -- and the sailing slowly grew more athletic. ''It was just so different than today," said Sam ''Wheels" Wakeman, who began his America's Cup service as a 20-year-old in 1964, and put in four seasons, finishing as crew boss for Ted Hood and Dennis Conner on Cup champion Courageous in 1974. ''We were amateurs who would sail from June to September," said Wakeman, who still has his 210 bobbing in the waters off his Cohasset home. ''Now, it's totally professional and they sail all the time. I'm glad we got to sail in that era, when we could sail for the love of the sport and for fun." -- Tony Chamberlain, The Boston Globe, full story: http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2005/07/10/cup_interest_becalmed/ HALL OF FAME (The Sailing World website has published an interview with JJ Isler - the first woman inducted into the Sailing World Hall of Fame. Here are two brief excerpts.) Sailing World: As a youth sailor, what or who was the key to you becoming successful as an adult? Isler: I don't think 20 years ago I would've said this because I would've taken them for granted, but definitely my parents. They were always quietly in the background spending tons of their weekends driving me to various regattas. My dad spending hours out in the garage helping me sand the leeboard and rudder on my Sabot. Then, Dave Perry would come out and teach those CISA clinics. He definitely inspired me. I was so fortunate. I had Mark Reynolds and DeAnn as sailing instructors and then growing up in San Diego, Lowell North was always down there working on boats and going out racing, and Vince Brun and Dennis Conner and the Liberty guys were training when I was in high school. When I started qualifying for those women's world championships, which were in 420s, we didn't have any west of the Mississippi, so Dave arranged that I flew out to the East Coast to sail with Nell Taylor in a 420. He also arranged for John Shadden and me to crew in Yale's Snow and Satisfaction. SW: When you lost your spot on Mighty Mary, how much did that hurt, and how do you feel about it now? Isler: A couple days later, Peter and I went for a walk, and I had (our daughter) Marly in one of those little back packs, and I said to Peter, "This is just the worst thing that's ever happened to me." I was crying, and then I started laughing, realizing, you know, it really was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. What an incredibly fortunate, easy life I've had-that the worst thing that's ever happened to me was being benched. When I look back at it now, I learned a ton being taken off the A team. That last month of going out there as a backup person and putting in the hours, I learned so much about how to treat people and how to be a team player. After I got benched, Rod Davis sent me an e-mail and said, "Congratulations. You've joined a very elite list." Rod was on it, Lowell North was on it-and you know the week I got benched, so did three other teams' tacticians. -- John Burnham, Sailing World magazine, complete interview: http://www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=37633&typeID=398&catID=0 GROWING Sunday marked the end of the 2005 29er World championship at StFYC. This was the 6th 29er worlds and the 2nd 29er World Championship in North America. In 2001 the 2nd 29er worlds were held in Kingston, Canada. North America only had 1 rep in the Gold Fleet Since 2001 the North America Association and Dave Bernal have been developing the class with the focus of getting the 2005 29er Worlds back to NA, raise the game of the North America skiff sailors and see if we can actually challenge for the title. We provided numerous Clinics with the likes of Julian Bethwaite, McKee Brothers, Morgan Larson and so on. Within four years we can now boast of six North America teams in the top 15 including third overall. Now we can look forward to the ISAF Youth Worlds in 2007 hosted by San Diego YC. -- Tyler Bjorn, Canadian 49er Class President For up-to-date 29er action in North America: http://29ernorthamerican.org/default2.asp HIGH DEMAND FOR LIGHTWEIGHT, BREATHABLE CLOTHING To meet these needs, Camet International has introduced a new line of sportswear to satisfy it's sports-minded and outdoor enthusiast customers. The collection offers an array of possibilities from highly technical products that scream "performance," to lightweight, wrinkle-free products for on-the-water and off-the-water activities. We look for fabrics that move perspiration away from the body, dry quickly, and are wrinkle-resistant; characteristics sought by adventurers and sailors alike. The summer line not only serves a purpose, it is also very fashionable. With solid color schemes, Hawaiian prints, and multi-functional designs. View online at http://www.camet.com and request a catalog at mailto:camet@camet.com GILLY The double wins of Peter Gilmour's Pizza-La team in the Swedish Match Cup, which earned the team about $95,000 in prize money and a BMW 545i Touring (valued at $85,000), culminated the 10-year sponsorship from Pizza-La, the Japanese gourmet pizza company. Gilmour is best known for his America's Cup and match-racing exploits. He has been in a Cup syndicate since helming the 12-Meter Kookaburra in the 1987 Cup match. He is the Swedish Match Tour's career victories leader with eight wins, including six in the past two years (Swedish Match Tour Honor Roll). His private life, however, is less obvious. The 45-year-old lives in Perth, Western Australia, with his wife Christine and three sons. Gilmour and Christine have been married since 1988, but they started dating when Gilmour was 18 years old. His sons David (14), Samuel (12) and Lachy (8) are keen sailors. When Gilmour's at home he is "caretaker" of the family farm that has "800 heads of cattle and a few thousand sheep." He's also an active equities trader, investing in both public and private companies. Gilmour discussed sailing, life and family in a candid interview now posted on the Swedish Match Tour website. One quote we particularly liked was, "Live the moment for now. Don't play in fast forward, don't play in rewind." -- Full interview: http://www.swedishmatchtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=20160 SYDNEY HOBART Rolex SA, will extend its naming rights sponsorship of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and its associated regatta, the Rolex Challenge, up to and including the 2010 race. CYCA has also entered into a multi-year arrangement with Channel 7 as the new host broadcaster for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The Notice of Race for the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has been posted on the official website. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia expects a fleet of up to 70 boats, including a number of new IRC racing yachts and most regular competitors, to contest the 628 nautical mile race. Within hours of the Notice of Race and Application to Enter being posted on the web site, the CYCA received its first nomination - the 10.97m LOA Navenka, a 26-year-old New Zealand yacht whose skipper, Phil Chisholm, is three years younger than the boat. The fleet could also include as many five new super maxis built to the maximum overall length of 30-metres (98 feet) along with other new IRC boats ranging from 40-footers to 66-footers. Some will have canting keels and other highly sophisticated developments in yacht design, constructions, rig and sails. The Notice of Race recognizes significant technical changes regarding stability, moveable ballast and construction standards developed by the sport's regulators, the International Sailing Federation and Yachting Australia. New boats under construction or already launched include a new Reichel/Pugh 66-foot Loki for Sydney yachtsman Stephen Ainsworth and three DK46s. -- Peter Campbell, www.rolexsydneyhobart.com MARK YOUR CALENDAR The year 2007 marks the centenary year of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). The year will be marked by events, both small and large, global and local, for sailors and for people new to the sport. The ISAF Centenary will be celebrated under the theme Sail The World. The nature of the centenary events that will run throughout 2007 will encapsulate all elements and levels of the sport from professional races featuring the stars of the sport through to grass roots sailing. A pinnacle celebration will be the Sail The World weekend - two day's when ISAF invites the world of sailing to be out on the water around the globe. The target is to have a global weekend of sailing activities aimed at all disciplines and levels - in effect, a global festival of sailing. The Sail The World event will take place from 1-2 September 2007 with sailing events taking place in every corner of the world. ISAF will be coordinating with Member National Authorities and Classes to help encourage, develop and promote events ranging in size, scale and composition. The aim is to celebrate sailing - to bring sailing to the world, to those who are already passionate about the sport and to those for whom sailing is unknown territory. -- www.sailing.org EMERGING SCIENCE FROM NEW ENGLAND ROPES Years of research. Decades of experience. This alone is not enough. We've injected passion for the sport into our science to create the best high performance line on the market today. Lightweight and strong, with minimal stretch, you'll experience the results after the first use. You'll appreciate its flexibility in any mainsheet system and its lightweight and low stretch for jib sheets. For more information, speak to our Regatta Support Team at Whidbey Island Race Week or any other upcoming regattas. Project VPC. It's coming. Others make line. New England Ropes make line perform. Performance guaranteed. http://www.neropes.com NEWS BRIEFS * The Centennial Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race began Sunday with over 125 yachts in 13 classes and divisions. Boats are carrying the same GPS transponders as ran on Annapolis to Newport and Marion to Bermuda. You are able to follow the race online with updates posted every two hours. At our distribution time the two lead boats - Tom Hill's R/P 75 Titan 12 and Larus Roc St. Maarten and were still 50 miles from the finish. -- www.marbleheadtohalifax.com. * The World Sailing Speed Record Council has announced the ratification of three new world records: The 24 hours outright singlehanded speed record of 542.7 nm (22.6 kts) by Francis Joyon on the 92-foot trimaran IDEC; the Around Australia outright record by Olivier de Kersauson (FRA) and 11 crew on Geronimo of 17 days 12 hours 57 minutes 5 seconds (15.44 kts); and the single handed outright record from Cadiz to San Salvador of 10 days 11 hours 50 minutes 46 seconds (15.41 kts) for Thomas Coville (FRA) and his 60-foot trimaran Sodebo. -- www.sailspeedrecords.com/ * The Thistle Great Lakes Championship at the Edgewater YC in Cleveland attracted 63 boats competing in conditions ranging from 10 and lumpy, to light and shifty with 4 races over two days. The top winners, Greg Griffin and crew with 23 points and Paul Abdullah and crew with 26 points, both come from Florida with Mike Ingham and crew from Rochester, NY with 28 points to round off the top three. -- http://www.lakeboats.com/thistle/1701.html * Rebecca Dellenbaugh and Leigh Hammel consistently finished in the top four in every to win US Sailing's Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship by 15 points. Shannon Heausler and Kathleen Gallagher (both from Tampa, Fla.) finished second, five points ahead of third-place finishers Emily Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Avery Field (Noank, Conn.). The 45-boat event was hosted by the Ida Lewis YC in Newport R.I. in Club 420s. Just ten days before this regatta, Hammel won the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship crewing for Dellenbaugh's younger sister Emily. -- http://tinyurl.com/9o97r * North Sails has partnered with expert meteorologist Chris Bedford and his team at Sailing Weather Services to provide a free weather forecast for the Chicago Yacht Club's Race to Mackinac. One detailed forecast will be emailed to subscribers on Friday, July 15, the day before the race begins. Sailors can sign up for this forecast by logging on to North Sails' online weather center at: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf * The potential for a duel between two of the world's fastest Maxis could see records tumble in this year's Rolex Fastnet Race. It will be a clash of antipodean giants, as the 100-foot ICAP Maximus from New Zealand is expected to take on the Australian 98-footer Skandia Wild Thing in Cowes on August 7. This would be the first major offshore test for Grant Wharington's Skandia since a catastrophic failure of her canting keel mechanism forced the Aussie crew to evacuate into life rafts before the superyacht capsized during last December's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. -- www.rorc.org THE BOAT OF CHOICE FOR YACHT CLUBS Safe, durable, stable, reliable, and economical. No wonder Ribcraft is the preferred choice for yacht clubs throughout the United States. Find out more about how the Ribcraft line of RIBs is ideally suited for the wear and tear of your club's sailing program and race committee at http://www.ribcraftusa.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is neither a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere.) * From Nicole Weaver (In Reply to Dave Hoy on PHRF): Isn't the other valid observation here that PHRF ratings can be and are regularly changed based on observed performance? Badly skewed ratings can be corrected in an empirical rule. I cannot see how any other rating system that is based purely on boat measurements can be adjusted if it's clear that a boat cannot sail to her assigned rating, which seems to me a significant disadvantage since one rule cannot hope to accurately rate all the myriad of designs actively racing today. * From Lloyd Causey: In most of his postings Andrew Hurst draws no distinction between his opinion and official position of the RORC. Indeed I believe that he has often implied that he was their spokesman. I find the argument between supporters of IRC that know little of USA PHRF racing in different localities and IRC detractors that have no experience in Europe fascinating. It is silly that people argue about what they have no experience. Most of us do not care what formula is used to score races that are in exotic locale between $1,000,000 boats. * From Doug Jurrius: IRC vs. PHRF is silly - they end up in the same place. No "single number" handicap can cover the wide range of conditions. How often have we motored out to a race knowing in advance the most likely winner based on wind, sea, and course shape? PHRF is about ruthlessly optimizing an old cruising boat that has lots of other hulls (they can't move your number). Ultimately IRC will be about finding the delta between assumed conditions calculated by IRC vs. your home waters (the U.K. differs greatly from the Chesapeake Bay) & then picking your boat. Long term I still think the right answer is a VPP based handicap. The relentless march of computing horsepower means that VPP's will continue to become more accurate, hopefully with some transparent (vs. secret) biases towards seaworthy boats. They WILL solve the "build a slow boat that rates even slower" problem. Technology will also solve the other main objection to VPP scoring - waiting to know the results. In the not too distant future, even the most casual of racers will have a device that transmits GPS, and receives current position ranking as frequently as RC thinks appropriate. You finish and it begins to display your position vs. the rest of the fleet. Who would have predicted even just 10 years ago that the Annapolis- Newport race would be equipped with such technology in 2005? Want to know a secret? You already have the device onboard - your text messaging, GPS enabled, cell phone! * From Steven Levy: In Puget Sound, traditionally racers - and their boats - also cruise. The Sound is an extraordinary inland saltwater venue, with summer nights that last forever and stunning cruising grounds a day away. Into the 90s you'd see world-known racers cruising their "race" boats with family in the Islands in summer. Serious racers might take the teak table and tuna cans ashore Saturday mornings in spring and fall, but boats were racer/cruisers. In fact, racing basically disappears over the summer; in July and August most sailors take advantage of our glorious but brief summers. The summer's biggest race - 100+ entries - sees families and friends drifting around Shaw Island in August (either direction). We had pure racers, but they were called Stars and Etchells. Suddenly there were J/80s, Melges', sportboats lacking even a pretense of cruising gear and with radically different sailing characteristics. They accompanied a transition from the beer-can nature of even our most intense races. Most of us were in it for fun, a Saturday softball league with Dacron instead of horsehide. Now Dacron yields to CubenFiber, racers remove cushions and lack propane tanks for "stoves," and it's a different game. Racing boats with interiors is no longer a family sport. The choice with my increasingly expensive hobby between playing "with the gang" and sharing wind, magnificent scenery, and occasional sun with children and spouse is easy. I'll see a lot of ex-racers circling Shaw (clockwise?) next month; my kids will wave to yours! * From Peter Cummiskey, Vice Commodore, Indian Harbor Yacht Club: Your "For the Price of A Soccer Ball" struck a chord with me and I'd like your permission to reprint it in our Club's newsletter. Curmudgeon's Comment: No problem. * From Paul Kamen: Funny you should mention the price of a soccer ball versus the price of a boat, without any reference to the price of the field you need to kick the soccer ball around on. Here in Berkeley we have a critical shortage of playing fields. To address this need, our regional park district recently purchased enough waterfront land for four new ball fields for $8 million. The fields cost another $1.5 million each to develop, for a total price tag of $3.5 million per field. Now, those same 20 kids that will kick soccer balls on each of those fields could also be kept busy in an equally competitive team paddling sport such as kayak, outrigger or dragon boat racing for a total equipment cost of about $15,000. This is less than one two-hundredth of the capital investment cost of new playing fields. Maintenance costs are also a lot less. The water doesn't have to be fenced, landscaped, mowed or weeded. Paddlecraft easily fit on the inside ties of most marinas with no revenue implication, and in fact our Berkeley dragon boat team enjoys free marina berthing on otherwise vacant dock space. Perhaps even more important is the appeal of water-related wind and muscle-powered racing to kids who are not attracted to the culture of field sports. City and school district recreation departments need to wake up: Whether sailing or paddling, what was once seen as elitist has now become a very economical alternative for youth sports programs. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS 365.25 days of drinking low-calorie beer because it's less filling is 1 lite year |
