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SCUTTLEBUTT 2440 - September 26, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. AN AMICABLE SPLIT There was no shortage of side stories that came from the 32nd America’s Cup. Among the leaders, however, was that of the New Zealanders. After their embarrassing defense in 2003, they came to Valencia, battled their way through the challenger series, and gave Alinghi more than a scare before falling to defeat. Credit for the New Zealand turnaround deservedly rested on many shoulders, but few saw their star rise faster and further than their tactician, American Terry Hutchinson. But that alliance came to an end last Friday when Hutchinson and Emirates Team New Zealand decided to part ways. Regarding the split, Hutchinson replied, “Following the conclusion of the 32nd event, I could not come to terms with the team on how we should go forward. I have the utmost respect for them, but an America’s Cup campaign is a very intense commitment, and I did not feel I could continue under the circumstances.” After coming within three races of winning the America’s Cup, Hutchinson’s passion for the event remains intense, and he is now initiating discussions to insure his participation in the 33rd event. -- The Curmudgeon MORE NAYSAYERS Making American billionaire Larry Ellison “look like the good guy is hard to do,” yet Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli has accomplished that, said Gary Jobson, who was Ted Turner’s tactician in the 1977 America’s Cup victory and has sailed in or done television commentary for every cup since. Jobson said that’s the product of Bertarelli’s arrogance and self-interest in trying to control both the defender and challenger sides of the next America’s Cup, which Bertarelli wants to hold in 2009 in new boats that he will approve, at a time he decides and under rules that he sets. Jobson’s opinion was seconded by Bill Trinkle, president of Dennis Conner Sport in San Diego. Trinkle was the port jib trimmer on Stars and Stripes when Conner gained international fame and pushed sailing into America’s sports mainstream with his remarkable America’s Cup comeback in Australia in 1987. “This event is supposed to be (driven) by the challenger,” said Trinkle, a key player in Conner’s team in seven America’s Cups. “The defender can’t run everything. I don’t think what (Bertarelli) is doing is good for the America’s Cup, and if it goes to court, I think a judge would decide he’s in violation” of the 1887 Deed of Gift that laid down the basic rules for the event. -- Detroit Free Press, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2x5pjb ALL ROADS LEAD TO ANNAPOLIS If are a supplier to the sport of sailing in the US, participating in the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD is practically a must-do. There are certainly other great shows, but this one has a lot of panache, likely aided by the fact that Annapolis is a sailing mecca with great food. For the airline traveler, it is easy to fly into BWI (Baltimore) and rent a car for a 30-minute drive to Annapolis. That’s what Scuttlebutt publisher Craig Leweck will be doing next week during the show’s run of October 4-8. If you’ll be at the show on Thursday, October 4th, come by to meet Craig at the Harken Yacht Equipment booth from 2-4pm, where he will have hard copies of Scuttlebutt to hand out, and exciting news to share. The Harken location is adjacent to Dock C in a land booth 17/18. Also, if you are looking for tips in attending the show, where to eat, other sites to see, go to http://tinyurl.com/24uk24 DON’T PUT THE BOAT AWAY YET! The best sailing days are still ahead of us, and Atlantis has the gear to help you tame Fall conditions. Whether it’s a rainy nor'easter or a chilly sea breeze, the coastal line of waterproof breathable gear from Atlantis will keep you warm and dry so you can focus on the sport you love. Visit us online at http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com, and keep on sailing! * One of the many good people at Atlantis WeatherGear is Bill Lynn, and when he isn’t playing a leading role in the rebirth of this line of sailing gear, he is on the water doing a bit of sailing of his own. Last week he won the Sonar Worlds, and thanks to Sally Reiley, we have the pics to prove it: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0923 FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES When the world's attention focuses on the Olympic Games, it's usually figure skating or track and field that captures most people's interest. More obscure events such as like sailing hardly get a notice, but a group of professionals and enthusiasts in Sheboygan are trying to help change that. Led by the Women's International Match Racing Association, local sailor and businessman Terry Kohler and Sheboygan-based Zimmerman Design Office are trying to get women's match racing included in the 2012 Olympics. Kohler, 73, owns Windway Capital Corp. and its subsidiary, North Sails, which makes sails. An accomplished longtime sailor, he got involved in the effort to include women's match racing in the Olympics accidentally last spring. In Valencia, Spain, for the America’s Cup because of his connection to North Sails, Kohler found himself talking to sailors and other people he knew in the industry about a long-defunct attempt to get the event included in past Olympic games. Suddenly, the concept came back to life. "The idea came back up again and we … must've had a dozen gals who came on (our boat) over a period of a week or two, who are all in the international match racing circuit, so this idea of trying to get match racing in the Olympics for 2012 became a hot idea again," Kohler said. "It was during dinner conversation." To get the ball rolling, Kohler enlisted the help of the staff of Zimmerman Design Office, which handles the marketing for Windway and North Sails, and Jerry Baumann, who is marketing and projects director for Windway Capital Corp. -- The Sheboygan Press, complete story: http://tinyurl.com/yvobtu THE CREAM STARTS TO RISE Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy (September 25, 2007) King of Cool or lucky break? That is the question. Whatever the real answer, the positions at the end of Day Two and Race Five of the Rolex TP52 Global Championship 2007 do not lie. Artemis (SWE) sits on top of the heap with a healthy ten-point margin over second placed Patches (IRE). It could have been worse or better for both. Patches caught over the start line in the first two races of the day and Artemis over early in the third. Both completed recoveries that in the case of Artemis suggested true genius at the core - the genius of Russell Coutts - along with a measure of good boat speed and probably some luck. Master magician onboard or not, Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis was comprehensively Boat of the Day posting a 1, 2, 4. Not far behind in that category was Stuart Robinson's Stay Calm (GBR), which managed to avoid any issues with the line, and scored 2, 4, 3 to move into fourth overall. The two other race winners were Doug DeVos' Windquest (USA)with Terry Hutchinson calling the shots and, of course, Eamon Conneely's Patches which, after her problems with the first two starts of the day, stormed around the final course like a scalded cat to finish someway in front of Alberto Roemmers' Siemens. -- Complete daily report: http://www.regattanews.com/pressrelease.asp?pid=1735&lang=1 Current Provisional Standings (Top 5 of 15) 1. Artemis - Torbjorn Tornqvist, SWE, 6-1-1-2-4, 14 2. Patches - Eamon Conneely IRL, 1-5-9-8-1, 24 3. Mean Machine - Peter de Ridder, MON, 7-4-6-3-6, 26 4. Stay Calm - Stuart Robinson, GBR, 12-7-2-4-3, 28 5. Windquest - Doug DeVos, USA, 8-6-5-1-11, 31 Complete results: http://www.rolextp52globals2007.com/results07/tp52_1.htm TRAVELING BACK IN TIME (September 25, 2007) While the rest of us couldn’t get off work this week, Paul Cayard ‘virtually’ brings us onboard Kiwi Magic for Day One at the 12 Meter World Championship in Cannes, France: “The wind was light again this morning and after a 1 hour postponement, the first race finally got underway in 7 knots. We wanted the right and started at the committee boat and protected the right up the first windward leg. The right was good but we had gone too far and over stood. Kookaburra II was first around the first mark and all boats were still close. Then down at the leeward gate we had a bit of trouble with the rounding and got forced to tack toward the left. Wright on White, the Brazilian boat, KZ3, owned by Roger Wright with Torben Grael as tactician and his brother Lars as helmsman, was second at that point and went out to the right, got a massive lift and won the race easily. At the same time, KZ 5, Hissar, owned by Edgar Kato of the New York Yacht Club, went very well on the left side of the course and got to the second windward mark second. Kookaburra, owned by Patrizio Berteli and skippered by James Spithill, had been in the lead but arrived 4th and we onboard Kiwi Magic, also racing for the New York Yacht Club, got to the top mark 5th. In the middle of it all in third was KA 8, South Australia owned by Lionel Pean and racing for France. In 6th all the way around was French Kiss with her original helmsman, Marc Pajot on the helm. The boats finished the first race in that order.” -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/28mkax -- Current results: http://www.yachtclubdecannes.com/12results.html NO POLLUTION – NO PROBLEM Francis Joyon will tackle the round the world solo sailing record, this autumn, with the 29.7-meter max-trimaran IDEC stripped of any source of polluting energy. The Morbihanais navigator has strong feelings about ecology and will rely on solar panels, a wind generator and a fuel cell to provide him with the electricity he needs. When conceiving the new IDEC, with naval architects Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret, Joyon had one primary desire, to push the notion of “simplicity” to the extreme in everything, from the operation of the helm to the layout of the living area. Now, in ridding the boat of a diesel engine, he has not only made it simpler still, he has also saved a considerable amount of weight, which should further enhance performance. 140 odd kilos of diesel engine, will be replaced by about 25 kilos, for the combined weights of solar panels, wind generator and fuel cell. On top of that, there will be no fuel, or fuel tanks on board, another significant weight saving. -- BYM News, full story: http://bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=15569 THE PROVEN POWER OF NORTH SAILS Whether you have won the Beneteau 36.7 North American's (Richard Reid & Team Zingara); the Express 37 Class at Rolex Big Boat Series (Bartz Schneider, Team Expeditious) or the Breitling TP52 Med Cup Circuit (Torbjorn Tornqvist/ Russell Coutts & Team Artemis), one thing is for sure: you can rely on North sails to make you FAST! Now is the time to put the proven power of North Sails on your boat and take advantage of our great seasonal pricing. Contact your North Sails representative today for details... http://na.northsails.com SAILING SHORTS * The 2007 World Laser Masters Championship begin September 30th in Roses, Spain with a record 419 entries from 33 countries, there to compete in 7 divisions, including full and radial rig in each of: Apprentice (age 35+); Master (45+); Grand Master (55+); and, radial rig Great Grand Master (65+). The North American contingent is comprised of 24 Americans and 11 Canadians, including this year's winners of: US Masters, Mark Bear; Canadian Masters, Al Clark; New England Masters, Scott Ferguson; and, competing in his 25th straight World Laser Masters and going after something like his 6th age group world title, Peter "Seitech Dolly" Seidenberg. http://events.laserinternational.org/en/events/overview/100z8 * (September 25, 2007) Sixty-two of the eighty-nine entrants have now finished first leg of the Transat 6,50 Charente Maritime Bahia (Mini Tranast) that started last Tuesday. The 4,200-mile race is held in two legs, with the first 1,100-mile leg to Madera (Portugal), followed by a restart on October 6th for the 3,100-mile leg to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The top North American entrant Clay Burkhalter (USA) finished in 21st position, a little over 17 hours after leader Isabelle Joschke (FRA). The overall winner is determined by the lowest combined elapsed time from the two legs. -- http://www.transat650.org/en * Clarification: The Finn North Americans report in Issue 2439 stated that the event was the qualifier for the Canadian National Sailing Team. The event was not, however, to decide who would represent Canada in the Finn at the 2008 Olympics. That was decided earlier this summer in Cascais, Portugal at the ISAF World Championship, when Christopher Cook finished seventh overall and was the top Canadian. 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 T.J. Perrotti: Regarding your article in Issue 2439 on shifting Atlantic plates and a disappearing ocean, I once read in the Proper Course blog where it was said, "How can we trust all the trans-Atlantic speed records if the distance is getting shorter all the time?" Now that really made me laugh! * From Mike McDonald: Amazed to see that ACM had a €66.5 million profit. Great for the event, the teams, and great to see that the biggest event in the sport can generate that type of revenue with the likes of F1, World Cup, etc. However, I am curious about how much of that money went back into the sport? Did any get put aside to help develop junior sailing, training, sailing in developing countries, disabled sailing or anything for the future generations of sailing? Even one half of one percent would go along way to help the other end of the sport. As the biggest event in our sport, does ACM feel it has a broader mission to support all of sailing rather than just their own event and teams? *From Tom Priest: (re: McLube and sandpaper in Issue 2438-9) Instinct tells me you better be done with any 'filler' or bonding work, or for that matter, any painting if you are gonna start using McLube on your sandpaper since one of the other uses for McLube is as a mold release. I'm thinking I'm not particularly interested in contaminating a surface yet to be painted with a material known for its non-stick qualities. At greater than $100 a gallon for the high end paints (LPU, etc.) versus a buck or so for a sheet of sandpaper...I'll stick with tossing the clogged paper. My only consideration to try 'lubing' the sandpaper would be for finish sanding, but not prior to application of anything. * From Jen Walters: You got to love a sport where you can get 12 people to commit to a team, and spend the time and resources needed to travel to England and compete in an event that, I venture to say, few people have heard of. I am speaking of the British American Cup (in Issue 2439), which is not going to stand out on anyone’s VC as anything other than a real good time. Not the glamour of a world championship, not the personal satisfaction and prestige of climbing to the top of a one-design class of boat. Quite simply, a four-boat team bringing what they got, and by winning, perhaps gaining something even greater… friendships. * From Pete Norton: As exciting it is to see the sportboat approach in the US fill the 20-foot range, as is mentioned in the Melges and Vanguard ads (in Issue 2439), I would hate to see these classes “steal from Peter” on what is currently a good thing with some of the existing classes. The Monday issue had reports from the Sonar Worlds (51 boats) and the J/22 North Americans (68 boats), and odds are the Melges 20 and SB3 will outperform both. Maybe the Sonar and J/22 will be fine, and lesser classes like the Santana 20 and Ultimate 20 will falter. Or maybe they will be fine, and these new classes will pull from elsewhere. Guess this isn’t anything new, and that the J/22 and Sonar were once new boats, and their members came from somewhere else too. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Writing “etc.” is a way to make others believe that you know more than you actually do. Special thanks to Atlantis WeatherGear and North Sails. |
