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SCUTTLEBUTT 2917 - Thursday, August 27, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are Ullman Sails and Summit Yachts. PAYING HOMAGE TO THE KARMA GODS Last week in Scuttlebutt 2912, a story titled ‘505 CLASS AND THE GATE START’ explained the rules that the 505 class uses to start their races. With 98 boats competing at the Worlds this week in San Francisco, their ‘Gate Start’ system (similar to ‘Rabbit Start’) minimizes individual and general recalls, a desirable pursuit in such a large and competitive fleet. In simple terms, a designated port tack boat (the ‘Pathfinder’) sheets in at the single start pin just before the start gun, and with a small race committee boat (the ‘Gate Launch’) closely astern, the fleet then starts on starboard between the stern of the RC boat and the start pin after the gun. What makes this system so powerful is what is written in the Sailing Instructions: “Before starting, a boat shall not interfere with the Pathfinder. Any boat that interferes with, or passes between or attempts to pass between the Pathfinder, the Gate Launch or that causes another boat to interfere in any of these ways as it opens the gate, shall retire from that race and shall be ineligible for any restarts of that race unless the infringing boat can satisfy the Race Committee that its actions were caused either by another boat not having right of way or by some other unavoidable circumstance.” There is very little middle ground in this, as was discovered by Americans Howie Hamlin and Paul Cayard, who have teamed up for the World Championship, and were disqualified for violating the rule. Said Cayard, "We didn’t even know we hit the thing. One of the guys on it said a piece of my clothing grazed it.” The team disputed the call, questioning whether clothing contact qualified as interference, and successfully overturned the verdict in a redress hearing. Following the hearing, the event amended the Sailing Instructions, and defined ‘interfere’ as ‘contact’. Based on this information, Hamlin and Cayard decided to voluntarily retire from that race. Commenting to Scuttlebutt about this was Joyce Shiarella Andersen: “As my recurring job as Jury Secretary for many St. Francis Yacht Club events, I have come in contact with hundreds (or maybe thousands) of competitors over the years, and none have given me a greater sense of respect and admiration than the team of Hamlin/Cayard in the 2009 SAP 505 World Championship. Their retirement from Race 3 brought to mind a quote that my husband and I keep framed in our home on a photo of the Great Dane himself, Paul Elvstrom…’ Winning is no victory if, in doing so, you lose the respect of your competitors’.” * No racing was scheduled Wednesday at the 505 Worlds, and the regatta will wind up with two races Thursday and one each Friday and Saturday. -- http://www.505sapworldchampionship2009.com/ REMEMBERING TOM BLACKALLER Tom Blackaller, one of yacht racing's most colorful and outspoken competirors, died a young man at 49 years of age in 1989. The 20 year anniversary of his passing will be next month on September 7th, with the Scuttlebutt Forum now seeking contributions from people fortunate enough to have experienced the color and character of Tom Blackaller. Here are a couple: * From Bill Lee: “When the Santa Cruz 70 Blondie was new Tom raced with us in the 1985 Windjammer Race from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, CA. With gusts over 30 knots and the spinnaker set, we roared past the windiest point on the course, that being Davenport. Tom was steering and he tested the steering both port and starboard. He did this several times. Finally he looked at me, the designer and builder, and said: ‘This boat isn't goosey enough. How do you trade some of this control for more boatspeed?’” * From Bugs Baer: “I was co-manager of the 1980 America's Cup campaign of Russell Long's Clipper. Things weren't going very well for us. We were beating Ted Turner in Courageous, but Dennis Connor, in his first campaign, was beating us. Connor had a lot more money and a lot more sails; it was the start of escalation in spending and equipment that continues to this day. “So Russell looked for a rabbit to pull out of the hat. He came up with Tom Blackaller, who joined us in Newport in mid-campaign. Tom and Dennis were old rivals from their Star class wars. And with Tom came the urge to annoy and torment his rival. “One night, probably after a few beers, Tom managed to infiltrate the Connor team crew house. Each of the teams had rented one of the great Newport summer homes; we had ours and they had theirs. Tom managed to find a way to set off the fire alarm, as I recall, after midnight. Bells clanged. Bodies stirred, jumped up, ran around. Somebody thought to go to Dennis' bedroom and make sure he was ready to run to safety. “The report that came back the next day was that when he was awakened, Connor listened for a moment, then said, ‘It's just Blackaller,’ and went back to sleep.” => Curmudgeon's Comment: There are many more to read in the Forum, and I encourage others to share their stories as well. They can be emailed to mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com or posted directly (and read) here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8054 NOT JUST RACING When it comes to cruising, Ullman Sails understands that one size doesn’t fit all. Rather than offering a stock line of cruising sails, we build custom sails that match a customer’s budget, cruising style and boat specifications. Our experienced sailmakers located worldwide can answer questions about cloth selection, UV cover protection, furling systems, and inventory options. We also offer the latest technology in cruising, including Custom Axis Laminate and FiberPath options. Be confident that you have invested in sails that are built for durability and long term performance. Ullman Sails - Invest in your performance (and enjoyment!) Visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com AGE LIMIT TO SINGLE-HAND AN OCEAN The latest Scuttlebutt survey questions whether there should be a limit on a person's age before they are permitted to sail alone across an ocean. This topic is on the table as a result of several teenagers that are eager to stake their claim on being the youngest to solo circumnavigate the globe. On July 16, 17-year-old Zac Sunderland (USA) became the youngest person to complete a lap around the world. This week, 17 year-old British sailor Mike Perham will finish his circumnavigation two months quicker. Aussie Jessica Watson will begin her attempt in mid-September, with hopes of returning by April 2010 before she turns 17. Zac’s 15 year old sister Abby is now seeking the funding for a November departure, while 13 year-old Dutch girl Laura Dekker is battling child protection authorities in her Netherlands homeland so that she can begin her passage this September. After one day of polling, the vote is essentially even, with as many for an age limit as there are opposed to a rule. Here are some of the comments so far: * “As a libertarian (small L) I am opposed to the state protecting someone from themselves, government becoming the parent. In general humans should make their own choices so long as their actions do not hurt others. This freedom, however, depends on making sound choices, which in the case of weighing risk reward, when risk involves a high likelihood of death, I do believe there is a point in maturity where it can be said an individual does not fully understand the gravity of the risks. What is that age? I don’t know, but it is probably older than 13 years; 15 seems minimum, if not 16.” * “Absolutely not! Anyone at any age is risking their own death when they sail the oceans, but unless you can establish that an individual creates an undue risk to the lives of others, then there should be no restraint or restriction. I know some twelve year olds who are more mature and accomplished than most adults, and more physically capable than many who have crossed oceans. Why do we have to have so many laws?” Accidents happen at sea, and at the pace that these youngsters are setting sail, it may no longer be a question of ‘if’ but rather ‘when’, And when that does happens, government intervention takes a step closer to this issue. Please respond to the survey and post your comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0825/ LASER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Nova Scotia, Canada (August 26, 2009; Day 7) - There’s a new Laser World Champion. Olympic gold medalist Paul Goodison of Great Britain hung on in the final day of competition to take first place at the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships on St. Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia. With one day lost to racing when Hurricane Bill brushed Nova Scotia on Sunday and a lack of wind preventing racing on Monday, competitors still managed to get in 10 races on St. Margaret’s Bay, with five days of racing in winds ranging from 10 to 24 knots (21 to 50 kilometres per hour). Organizers are now gearing up for the Laser Masters Worlds for athletes 35 years and older. There are more than 300 competitors from around the globe beginning to arrive at the St. Margaret Sailing Club for the second portion of the Laser Worlds. Racing for the Masters begins this Sunday and concludes on September 5th. 1. GBR, Paul Goodison, 5-2-(5)-5-2-3-1-1-7-(20), 26.0 points 2. NZL, Michael Bullot, 1-(ocs)-1-(18)-7-1-3-4-6-8, 31.0 3. GBR, Nick Thompson, 2-2-1-1-(4)-14-10-(19)-3-2, 35.0 4. ARG, Julio Alsogaray, 7-9-(bfd)-1-1-7-8-(14)-4-1, 38.0 5. CRO, Tonci Stipanovic, 3-1-2-4-(32)-12-2-17-11-(bfd), 52.0 6. CAN, David Wright, 4-(17)-10-3-15-2-12-7-(43)-6, 59.0 7. CRO, Milan Vujasinovic, 4-(13)-2-4-11-6-17-20-10-(35), 74.0 8. ESP, Javier Hernandez, 11-4-(16)-6-3-10-5-24-(49)-19, 82.0 9. AUT, Andreas Geritzer, 2-6-3-13-(23)-32-19-3-(34)-14, 92.0 10. CAN, Michael Leigh, (8)-7-7-2-5-21-20-(23)-8-23, 93.0 Event website: http://can09.laserinternational.org Photos: http://www.capizzano.com/laserworlds2009/index.htm SAILING SHORTS * San Diego, CA (August 26, 2009; Day 3) - The Snipe Jr. World Championship enjoyed another summer day with 12 to 14 knots of breeze to complete two more races in this 20th biennial event. For the third straight day, defending champions Mario Tinoco and Matheus Gonçalves (BRA) began the day with a bullet, and then followed it with a third to take the overall lead over Norihiko Kiyama & Kenichi Inada (JPN) in second, with Americans Tyler Sinks and Shone Bowman in third. The schedule has one race planned for Thursday and the final two races on Friday. -- Full report: http://www.snipeworlds2009.com/news/ * Copenhagen, Denmark (August 26, 2009; Day 4) - The 470 Worlds today took on a different perspective as the teams were now split into flights based on their qualifying scores. Also, gone was the stable southerly of the first three days of the regatta, replaced by a highly unstable shifty, patchy offshore breeze to challenge the 152 teams representing 29 countries. While both men and women are led by the Dutch, the Top North Americans struggled. Lead men Stu McNay/Graham Biehl (USA) got a BFD-10 but remain in 10th while top women Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (USA) dropped to 17th after an 18-22. -- Event website: http://worlds470.kdy.dk/ * Kingston, ONT (August 26, 2009; Day 4) - Lighter and shiftier winds from the north greeted the fleet at the 49er North Americans, with the four races challenging all crews as the gradient winds fought the building thermal, often causing 30 degree shifts in either direction. In the end, Billy Gooderham and Ian Hogan won the day, posting a 3, 1, 3, 2, extending their lead over fellow CST members Matt Dubreucq and Trevor Parekh. The series concludes Thursday with six watches up for grabs for the top three crews. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8123#8123 * Newport, RI (August 26, 2009; Day 2) - A stiff southwesterly breeze made for a challenging second day of racing at the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Regatta. Both the visually impaired sailors in Sail Newport’s fleet of J/22s and the sailors with disabilities in the SKUD-18 fleet completed four races, while the Sonar and 2.4 Metre sailors completed three. A drop race, now that each fleet has completed a seventh race, has factored into the scoring and has had the most impact in the J/22 fleet. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8125#8125 * US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Program announced the ranking system for the 2010 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics’ (USSTAG) disabled classes. In each of the three classes selected for the 2012 Paralympic Games -- 2.4 Metre (open), SKUD-18 (mixed) and Sonar (open) – the three teams with the lowest total scores in the series standings after two qualifying regattas (St. Petersburg, FL in December and Miami, FL in January) will be eligible for the 2010 USSTAG. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/m7u3tg MEET THE DESIGNER The Newport International Boat Show is the official introduction of the new Summit 35 Racer/Cruiser. Mark Mills, designer of both the highly successful Summit 40 and the Summit 35, will be at the show on Thursday and Friday. Plan to come and meet Mark, and check out the 35 as well as the remarkable Summit 40. The 35 will hit the water in just a couple of weeks, and it promises to be as fast as it is beautiful. Check us out at http://www.summit-yachts.com WHAT ABOUT R/C SAIL RACING EVENTS? Scuttlebutt received this email from Jonathan B. Luscomb, Palm Beach, FL: “It seems to me that we cover all sorts of sail racing events all over the world, but what about R/C sail racing events? I flew to Connecticut this weekend to sail both J-class model yachts and East Coast 12 model yachts. The event was a three day event at Mystic Seaport Museum. It was a very spectator friendly event in that it was much like a stadium event and well covered by local papers and TV. Something the 33rd Americas Cup Acts tried to accomplish. “On Friday the J-class model yachts that represented were Ranger, Endeavour, Shamrock, Whirlwind, and Enterprise. A total of 13 yachts sailed. These J's are built to 1/16 scale and are seven to eight feet long with 10-foot rigs and one foot draft. The sails are reinforced Mylar sail cloth. They weigh over 100 lbs. each. The racing was very close among the boats and Seaport patrons were treated to very intense and sometimes vocal racing all day long.” -- Scuttleblog, read on and see photos: http://tinyurl.com/m25f5q LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit 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 Michael Roth, US SAILING Judge, Area H RAJ: In Scuttlebutt 2916, Rob Overton (Senior Judge and International Umpire) made a good point that the competitors need to know who the Judges and Jury are. As the Transpac 2009 Program chair, we published the Judges names in the official program and it was well received. When racers had a question, needed to talk to a judge or file a protest they knew who to ask for. BTW, the Transpac 2009 Program is available for download along with every other race program from 1949 to present at http://homepage.mac.com/maxwellroth/TranspacPrograms/FileSharing110.html * From Charlie McLaughlin: The story is told of the beloved member of an Irish sea-faring community who was re-locating to America. The entire community gathered on the shore to see him set sail. As his ship headed west towards the horizon, it became smaller and smaller and the locals noted, with profound sadness, “There he goes, there he goes, he’s gone.” But on the western shore, family and locals who had preceded him had been alerted to his impending trip. As they spotted his ship coming over the horizon, it grew larger and larger and they noted with joy, “He’s coming, he’s coming, he’s here.” No matter what one’s politics, we are all better for having had Ted Kennedy in our lives, and though we are so saddened by his loss, we are exceptionally grateful for his life and his friendship. (U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy died of brain cancer Tuesday night, August 25, 2009 at his home in Cape Cod, Mass. He was 77.) -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8117 * From Dennis Toews: Good on you Pat (letter in Scuttlebutt 2916). Before I started sailing I was an oarsman. At the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in 1955, there was no event for women. In 2009 more than 50% of the athletes are of the fair sex. One of the helmsmen I have been privileged to crew for is Paul Henderson. Under his presidency at IYRU/ISAF, he was an outspoken champion of women's sailing. I have found that in both these sports the metamorphosis benefits both participant and spectator. * From Jane Reilly: In regard to Pat(ricia) Nolan's comment in Scuttlebutt 2916, how on earth can you chuckle at the obvious absurdity of Bill Reilly's suggestion (in Scuttlebutt 2913) that he duct tape his 2 year old to an remote control boat for an around-the-world attempt then turn around and think for one minute that he was serious about girls selling cookies? Seriously, I do think that all the politically correct crap in this country is totally out of control - get a life and a sense of humor, lady. (Full disclosure - Bill's my brother and not a sexist at all - anyone who knows him knows that he loves and respects women - all women.) * From Jon Rogers: I have to believe the Girl Scout comment was made and regretted by the man who made it. I bet he's a great guy that just put his foot in his mouth. I suggest anyone who thinks young ladies are incapable take a look at the recent 29er Worlds results that included 175 boats. Many girls placed very well and I know the girl who won the Silver Division (26th overall) was 13 years old. In 15-25 knots every day, tons of boats criss-crossing (google 2009 29er worlds video) and just the general instability of a 29er provides a strong representation that girls can do it. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Enough said on this…thread closed. * From Tim Patterson: Regarding Chris Caswell’s story in Scuttlebutt 2914, I do not know how you can mention Bill Koch without invoking Buddy Melges as a hero. Being from the midwest, and all my friends knowing I sailed a little, people would always ask me about the Cup racing. And when they asked who Buddy Melges was, I had the pleasure of saying, "One of the great helmsmen of all time! Who will now get to show how easy it is to sail on water where the wind is steady and the waves all come from the same direction at once." It was the first time the media had the GPS tracking on the boats and the boats would go up wind with Buddy having long, string straight tracks with clear precise corrections, then Koch would take over downwind and the track would look like crazy Ivan maxed out on caffeine. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN televises the US Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting? Oh wait. They're already doing that. It's called ‘The Howard Stern Show.’” - George Carlin Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Summit Yachts. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
