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SCUTTLEBUTT 3166 - Monday, August 30, 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: Special thanks to Quantum Sails and Layline. HOME GROWN Newport, RI, USA (August 29, 2010) - PUMA Ocean Racing, skippered by Ken Read (Newport, USA), has announced that New England Boatworks (Portsmouth, RI) has been contracted to build PUMA’s new Volvo 70 for the upcoming VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2011-2012. Design for this latest generation round the world race yacht will be provided by Valencia based Naval Architecture firm Juan Yacht Design. Juan Kouyoumdjian’s designs have a perfect record in the VOR since the inception of the Volvo Open 70 Rule. They are credited with designing the 2006 VOR winner ABN AMRO One and the 2009 VOR winner Ericsson 4. “We feel that PUMA Ocean Racing has an advantage by keeping the construction of all the major components for this project close to our home base in Newport (RI),” said Read. “Fortunately, NEB provides our team the perfect facility and team to build what we hope is the finest boat ever constructed for this type of race.” The project is still in the early stages, with molds currently in production. PUMA will launch and begin sea trials in Spring 2011 out of their training base at the Newport Shipyard. The 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race will start October 2011 in Alicante, Spain and the route will go to Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya (China), Auckland and on to Itajaí (Brazil). Next stop is Miami and then across the Atlantic to Lisbon followed by Lorient in France. The race will finish June 2012 in Galway, Ireland. -- http://www.pumaoceanracing.com/us/en/ MORE INFO: Look for a Scuttlebutt interview with Kenny Read this week VOTE FOR ANNA TUNNICLIFFE FOR SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics’ Anna Tunnicliffe has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2010 Sportswoman of the Year Award, based on her outstanding athletic achievements over the past year. Tunnicliffe, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Laser Radial and 2012 Olympic hopeful in the new Women’s Match Racing event, joins an impressive list of elite athletes from a range of sports, including Lindsey Vonn and Serena Williams. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, the Women’s Sports Foundation is the leader in promoting sports, health and education for girls and women. Voting is open to the public through August 31. Show your support for Tunnicliffe and the sport of sailing by casting your vote: http://tinyurl.com/Vote-for-Anna INTERNATIONAL C-CLASS CATAMARAN CHAMPIONSHIP Newport, RI (August 28, 2010) - If wing technology didn’t have everyone’s attention after BMW Oracle Racing’s victorious 33rd America’s Cup, it definitely does now after the International C-Class Catamaran Championship won by Canadian Defenders Fred Eaton and Magnus Clarke, hosted at the New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court Clubhouse August 22-28. The high speeds and almost instant acceleration of cambered foils had members of America’s Cup syndicates, top designers and all sailors in awe. Canadian C Class Catamaran Team of Eaton, Clarke, Steve Killing, Rob Paterson and Rossi Milev have been along for the entire ride, one way or another. Clarke, Paterson and Milev took six months off from their C-Class program to manage wing protection for the largest wing mast ever built for a race-boat: BMW Oracle’s 223 foot (68 meter) tall wing. Reunited in March, their team brought four wings to the International C Class Catamaran Championship on Narragansett Bay this past week. Qualifying races earlier in the regatta ultimately pitted Eaton and Clarke against familiar foes in the finals - that being Australians Glenn Ashby, 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist in the Tornado, and his crew James Spithill, helmsman on BMW Oracle - sailing Eaton’s 2007 C Class trophy winner Alpha. Once racing commenced for the finals, it proved to be a test of brain versus brawn. While the talent of Ashby and Spithill was undeniable, they could not hold off the superior speed demonstrated by Eaton’s newest design. The Australians grabbed the first race win due to a superior start, but the speed of the Canadian defender led them to win the next three races for the title. The next C Class Championship is slated to be raced in Weymouth, England, date to be determined. Event details: http://www.nyyc.org/CCLASS/ Additional information: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0521/ QUANTUM SAILS DOMINATES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Quantum sails finished 1st, 3rd, and 5th at the 2010 J/24 World Championships in Malmo, Sweden. This comes a month after dominating the J/22 World Championships with a 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th. This is not a mere coincidence, but the ongoing process of combining Quantum’s top of the line Fusion M sails with their proprietary iQ Technology -- the process of integrating state-of-the-art design and manufacturing methods with on-the-water verification testing (accomplished through Quantum Racing). The results certainly speak for themselves. Find your speed at http://www.quantumsails.com ETCHELLS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Dublin, Ireland (August 28, 2010) - Australian sailing legend John Bertrand and his crew Andrew Palfry and Tom Slingsby wrapped up the 2010 Etchells World Championship title in some style at Howth today (Saturday) with his fifth bullet in eight races and without even needing to sail the final race of the series. The Royal Brighton Yacht Club crew remained totally focused throughout the regatta and five firsts represented a stunning level of consistency at this level. Nearest rival Ante Razmilovic (GBR) suffered gear problems before the start of the first race of the final day which forced them ashore to effect repairs. Fortunately for them, there was a general recall which gave them time to reach the re-start on time but they had a poor race to finish mid-fleet. With Bertrand taking line honors again, it was all over for the Royal Hong Kong YC team. For Bertrand, it is the fulfillment of a dream to win a world one-design championship to add to his Olympic bronze medal of 1976 and his famous America’s Cup triumph 27 years ago. He practiced on the race track for weeks before the event and his attention to detail was phenomenal, so the eventual outcome was the result of exceptional planning allied to technique, tactics and sheer sailing skill by the Aussie trio. Crewman Tom Slingsby had to forego the prize-giving dinner since he had to leave for the Laser Worlds at Hayling Island starting the next day. “It may not sound like the ideal way to build up for the worlds, a bit stressful in a way, but for me it was just an opportunity I could not miss,” said two time Laser World Champion Slingsby. “It is an incredible experience sailing with John and I would not have missed it for anything. It is such an honour to be asked and to be sailing here with these guys.” -- Complete report/results: http://www.etchellsworlds2010.org/etchells/Main/news_Day6.htm ANOTHER VOTE FOR SAN FRANCISCO If the powers ruling the next America's Cup want to make sailing a spectator sport, the ninth annual 18ft Skiff International Regatta held last week on San Francisco Bay highlighted how the fast and frighteningly unstable three-person skiffs can entertain the crowds amid the reliably brisk breeze of this natural amphitheater fronting the host St. Francis Yacht Club and its next door neighbor, the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The latter now owns the sport's top prize through the efforts of its representative, the BMW Oracle Racing team of software tycoon Larry Ellison. Australian Michael Coxon arrived a stranger in town but made himself right at home with the familiarly frisky winds and tides and fog and even an unfamiliar mid-regatta heat wave to win the event last Thursday. Despite it being his first visit to San Francisco, Coxon overcame a stumbling entrance with five wins in the last eight races to hold off by one point another young Aussie, Herman Winning, who won three. "Boat handling," Coxon said. "It's hard to overtake boats … there are no passing lanes. But the biggest thing is staying upright." American Howard Hamlin, an original organizer and two-time winner of the event, won the other race in a mid-regatta move before falling victim to the nature of the class that lives on the edge of catastrophe --- in this case three crashes including one instigated by Winning and, indirectly, Coxon. "I'm really impressed with Michael Coxon's sailing," Hamlin said. "He's never been here and he comes in and figures it out right away." -- Complete series of daily reports/results: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10310 SINGLEHANDED WORLDS WEEK * The 2010 Finn Gold Cup is about to get underway in San Francisco. With 95 pre-entries from 28 countries and five continents it is set to be the largest Finn World Championship in the USA for more than three decades. The reliably solid wind patterns here should produce a tough and challenging series, starting Monday, with the breeze regularly hitting 18-25 knots in recent days and little signs of change in the near future. Racing commences on Monday 30 August with two races scheduled each day at 12.00 each day until Friday 3 September. The medal race for the top 10 and the final race for the rest will be on Saturday 4 September. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/329ytll * Australia’s Tom Slingsby is hoping that he can extend his run of winning form to this week’s Laser World Championships at Hayling Island Sailing Club on England’s south coast. If he manages to retain his level of winning form which includes ISAF World Cup victories this season in Europe at Holland’s Delta Lloyd Regatta and Kiel Week, and perhaps most significantly triumphing earlier this month against Olympic and World Champion Paul Goodison (GBR) at Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta on the 2012 Olympic waters off Weymouth & Portland, the Australian helm from Gosford could win his third Laser World title after back to back victories in 2007 in Cascais and 2008 at home in Australia at Terrigal. Racing starts Monday and concludes Sunday 5th September. -- Event website: http://www.laserworlds2010.co.uk/standard ATTN: COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL SAILORS Layline will NOT be undersold on our new scholastic program. Yes with our 150% Low Price Guarantee we will MEET AND BEAT any deal you get. Never heard of Layline? Well Layline has been here for more than 20 years selling all the best brands that you know. We know what works the best; rigging, PFDs outwear, boots, wet suits you name it. In the past few months we have done thousands of items of team gear, from Optis to Grand Prix. Let us get you and your team looking the best and at rock bottom prices! 800-273-9491 or http://www.layline.com KIWIS REMAIN KINGS Cartagena, Spain (August 29, 2010) - Emirates Team New Zealand’s return to Cartagena proved something of a repeat performance as the 2009 Audi MedCup champions retained the overall Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy for the second year in a row on the same waters where they clinched the overall TP52 Series championships title last year. The Kiwis seemed to have sailed an almost blemish free regatta, consistent across the broad wind range through the event, emerging triumphant at the dockside with a comfortable cushion on second placed Matador, but the jury subsequently disqualified them from the second race of the day for infringing Quantum Racing at the first windward mark. The protest outcome cut the Kiwi winning margin to 10 points over Matador (ARG) but the reigning Audi MedCup title holders head to next month’s season’s finale in Sardinia with a lead of 46.5 points over Quantum Racing (USA) that lie second on 179.5pts, but third placed Matador and TeamOrigin are separated by just one point, on 199pts and 200pts. -- Final report: http://tinyurl.com/39cnysa BACKGROUND: The five event TP 52Audi MedCup Circuit is acknowledged as the top regatta Circuit in the world today and attracts the very best designers, sailors and technicians. This has inspired many owners and professional sailing teams to test themselves amid the five year history of this Mediterranean Sea tour. ROBERTSON & CANFIELD GOING TO THE SHOW Port Washington, NY (August 29, 2010) - Phil Robertson, Waka Racing (NZL) and his crew of Garth Ellingham, Sam Bell and James Williamson, have won the Grade 2 2010 Knickerbocker Cup match race event and an automatic entry into the Argo Gold Cup (Bermuda), one of the stops on the Grade 1 World Match Racing Tour. Finishing 6th in the Knickerbocker Cup was Taylor Canfield, Team ISV (ISV), but it was enough for him and crew members Matt Clark, Tod Reynolds and Dave Shriner to win the first ever East Coast Trifecta, a series of three Grade 2 back-to-back match racing events (CMRC Chicago Cup, the Toyota International Match Race for the Detroit Cup and the Knickerbocker Cup). This victory earned Canfield an invitation to the 2011 Congressional Cup (Long Beach, CA), the only Grade 1 open match race event in the United States. -- Daily reports: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10168 SAILING SHORTS * Holland, MI (August 29, 2010) - Twenty-one teams were on the water for the 2010 Audi Melges 20 U.S. National Championship, which was handily won by Michael Kiss on Bacio and his crew comprised of son Mitchell and Chris Rast. It’s been a Kiss summer. Previous to this victory, Mitchell was third at the Men’s Laser Radial Worlds and daughter Morgan placed second at the Women’s 420 Worlds. Earlier this spring, the Bacio team also won the Charleston Race Week title. In second overall at the Nationals was John Arendshorst on Blink and Steve Sisson helming for Tony Tabb on USA-88 was third. -- Full report/results: http://melges20.com/pressreleases/2010-am20ss-natchamp-3.htm * Toronto, ONT (August 27, 2010) - Iris Metten of Switzerland and his team on Aluette won the prestigious 2010 8 Metre World title on Lake Ontario today. The 2011 World Championship will be held at the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island on June 13 -18, 2011. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10314 * Hamilton, ONT (August 27, 2010) - After 13 races with 2 discards, Meredith Megarry beat out the 76 entrants to dominate the Optimist Canadian Championship. Megarry’s margin of victory was 42 points over second place Allie Surrette with Jared Collinson in third. -- Daily reports: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10417 * It was at 1126 hours BST on Sunday that Franck Cammas and his ten crew took victory in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland off the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. By covering the 1,802 miles in 5 days 21 hours and 26 minutes at an average speed of 12.74 knots, the French crew improved the best time over this course, previously held by British sailors Dee Cafari and Sam Davies since 2009 by 14 hours and 3 minutes (to be ratified by WSSRC). -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2v3xf2y PHOTO GALLERIES * It is worthy to praise the Australian and New Zealand 18-foot skiff sailors that they make the supreme effort to bring their nitro-burning rockets to San Francisco Bay during the epic August winds so that the rest of us can be thrilled by the explosiveness of the 18ft Skiff International Regatta. A big thanks goes to photographers Sharon Green, Erik Simonson, and Chris Ray for delivering the action: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0826/ * The combination of elite professional photographers, professional sailing teams, TP 52s and the Mediterranean Sea provide for some sparkling eye candy. Thanks to shooters Chris Cameron and Sander van der Borch, here are images from the latest Audi MedCup Circuit event in Spain: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0829/ * The International C-Class Catamaran Championship (IC^4) found itself in the convergence of secondary intrigue. While the class has long been a science lab of multihull design evolution, and been worthy of interest on the basis of its accomplishments, the event got a long look by those hedging their bet that the next America’s Cup could be a scaled up version of this event. The irony that the IC^4 is unofficially known as the “Little America’s Cup”, and that the 2010 edition was occurring in the former home of the America’s Cup - Newport, RI - was not to be overlooked either. The event finals pitted superior technology versus superior sailing skills, with the former winning. Enjoy these images from Christophe Launay and George Bekris: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0829a/ * Fans of Melges Performance Sailboats have supported their new 20 footer, which saw the Audi Melges 20 class host its U.S. National Championship this past weekend in Holland, Michigan. Just like big siblings Melges 24 and 32, the little bro dishes up plenty of action too. Photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0828a/ * It all started with the launch of the first Metre boats in 1907 under what is today known as the First International Rule. The 8-Metre Class received Olympic status in 1908 and would remain the largest and most prestigious Olympic class until its final Games in 1936. The class continues to enjoy international competition, having completed their World Championship event last week in Toronto. Here are some images from the event courtesy of Becky Damore/Sail 22: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0828/ * From the ‘better late than never’ department, a week ago Scuttlebutt reported on the Star North American Championship, which saw American George Szabo beat out 41 other teams on the waters outside of Marina del Rey. To prove it really happened, here are the images courtesy of Christine Mills: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/0824/ SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 John Carapiet: While it is a nice first step to ban plastic water bottles at Collegiate Sailing Events, the reality is most studies show that a large percentage of people do not then, go to tap water, but rather go to sugar or "sport" drinks, thus these soft drink companies love to get more users. Moreover one of the major causes of childhood obesity that is large sugar drinks. So if Collegiate Sailing wants to ban anything, let’s include all plastic drink bottles not just plastic water bottles. * From Lydia Jewell: A late opinion on the teen circumnavigators finds me at odds with the jaded doubters about such undertakings. Sailing around the world by any of several routes, or alone or with crew, is an enormous undertaking, not just of a suitable boat, proper equipment, good shore support, and financial backing, but a tremendous mental resolve (guts, if you wish) to endure the myriad of situations, problems and fatigue that are part and parcel of such voyage. I was lucky to sail around the world with a wonderful crew and skipper back in the 50's when present-day navigational gadgets, current weather reports, and electronic communications were but a dream. However, that being said, even with all of these "luxuries", setting off across great oceans, congested island seas, through every kind of weather, and the frailty of an even well- found sailing boat in some conditions, takes an enormous amount of focus and mental stamina, no matter the route-- stops or non-stop. I take my hat off to anyone of any age who has a great desire to test themselves in this way, as long as it is not attempted frivolously or stupidly. How many of the critics of these ventures could even come close to attempting the planning and execution of such a dream. Not many--or there would be hundreds of sailors enroute right now. I have been fortunate enough to have met several circumnavigators: three very young at the time--Dwight Long, Robin Graham and Tanya Aebe. Also, Miles Smeeton and his wife, and the Hiscocks--all extraordinary people. Just to set off on such a venture takes great courage and fortitude, successful or not. So, before criticizing would-be, round- the- world sailors, think of the enormous fortitude and planning it takes just to shove off. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: I agree 100% that any kind of circumnavigation is to be applauded. However, when someone is trying to set a ‘youngest’ record, shouldn’t there be certain standards should to follow? If I were to walk around my house, can I also say that I walked around the world? Of course not. And while the World Sailing Speed Record Council no longer administers age records, their circumnavigation course description remains the defacto standard to follow. However, all of these recent ‘youngest’ attempts have used shortcuts in their route, and 14 year old Laura Dekker will be no different. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION If God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining. Special thanks to Special thanks to Quantum Sails and Layline. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
