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SCUTTLEBUTT 2272 – February 1, 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 support provided by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, Defender of the 32nd America's Cup (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). GOING BALLISTIC (Following are two excerpts from a new posting on The Daily Sail Subscription website.) Last year Andrew McDougall, of ka sails, announced his intention to begin mass producing what he called a Bladerider Moth. The boat was to be built as both a part of the International Moth Class and with the possibility of becoming a one design class in its own right. Since this announcement there has been talk of the boat becoming a possible new Olympic class, ex -Moth World Champion, Rohan Veal, has begun to work full time for the company – now called Bladerider International - and the first few boats are now ready to roll out world wide. December just gone saw the first major test of the Bladerider Moth as Rohan Veal hit the water in his newly delivered boat for the Australian Championships. Veal took victory in the Championship and for the most part in his normal style blitzed the competition, winning seven out of ten races. This certainly seems to indicate a good start for the boat though it is worth considering Veal has been blitzing the rest of the Australian fleet on foils for a long time now. Veal says the most important thing about the win was the potential the Bladerider shows. “We were really just experimenting during the regatta and much of the sailing I did was wrong, completely wrong, but I was still winning races by fairly large distances. I feel this is a sign of some of the potential there. If we can get it right the thing will just go ballistic,” he says. - http://www.thedailysail.com/ LISTENING TO THE COMPETITORS In an effort to evolve the Rolex Commodores’ Cup format in line with the wishes of the main stakeholders– those that compete – the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), together with Rolex has carried out a thorough review of the weeklong schedule and made some bold decisions. A significant change for 2008 is in the racing programme for the week. Most striking is the positioning of the offshore race in the middle of the week and the short passage race, provisionally a Round the Island course, towards the end. The removal of one of the inshore races offers crews greater breathing space during an intense week of racing, but the final inshore race of the series carries double points adding to the excitement at the event climax. Nationality rules remain as per 2006, with a 50% requirement. The relationship between Professionals and Amateurs has been reviewed in some detail, with considerable attention paid to competitors from both sides of the sport. In 2006, widely regarded as one of the most fiercely competitive in the 15-year history of the event, only 15% of the crew were professionals; a fact that RORC believes shows how strong and well prepared the fleet has become. Whilst recognizing the significant role the professional element has had to play in raising standards amongst the crews, stricter limitations have been placed on the number of pros/Group 3 (ISAF Competitor Classification Code) sailors allowed on board each boat: -- http://www.rorc.org/content/view/200/182/ EMPOWERING THE PORT TACKER (American Brian Angel was competing last week in the Auckland Match Racing Cup, and comments here on how the umpires were viewing the rules) In our match against Ian Williams, we both approached the first weather mark on Starboard, with Ian just ahead and to leeward. He was slightly shy of layline, and when he tacked for the mark (to round to starboard), we had to duck his stern to avoid a collision as he crossed. Unfortunately, the umpires gave him a green flag (meaning no penalty), as they ruled that our duck was only an act and that we could not have hit him. After the hard duck, and then a long turn the other way to the mark, we were now a couple lengths behind, and Ian went on to win the race. We had an interesting debrief with the umpires at the end of the day. Many of the best umpires in the world are here for this regatta, and the incident brought up some interesting questions about close port-starboard crossings. There were several incidents during the regatta where a port boat seemed to be lined up by a starboard tacker (on one occasion we were that port boat), and although the Starboard boat had to avoid, a green flag was raised. The problem for the Starboard tack boat is that they will always have to alter to avoid the collision. Quite often, however, the alter is misinterpreted as an attempt to create a collision course, rather than an attempt to avoid. The question is: should the port boat receive the benefit of the doubt in a close crossing because of the alter of course by the starboard boat; or should the power be with the starboard boat, which would force the port boat to be a bit less aggressive in a close crossing? Further, you have to consider that many skippers will go out of their way to make a crossing look closer than it really is by altering hard at the last second - much like a "Flop" in the NBA. In doing so, many skippers have effectively forced the umpires to give power to the port boat. After all, good umpires don't want to penalize someone unless they are certain that there has been a rule broken. So many skippers have over-acted crossings over the years, that the umpires can't help but be a little defensive. I don't have a solution, of course. I tend to favor the empowerment of the starboard boat, but I'm sure there are many out there that disagree. -- Brian Angel, King Harbor Match Racing ULLMAN SAILS J/109 AT KEY WEST Congratulations to Gary Mozer and his J/109 team on “Current Obsession” for winning their class at Acura’s 2007 Key West Race Week. In this hotly contested class with grand prix talent and sailmakers on the top boats, Gary selected Ullman Sails to deliver the power and speed to win class in this international regatta. Again and again, Ullman delivers the performance and reliability that enables top teams to outperform their stiffest competition. If you and your crew are ready to race with the “Fastest Sails on the Planet”, contact your nearest Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com UPDATE - VELUX 5 OCEANS * Bernard Stamm (SUI) stretches his lead huge lead even further as he passes the halfway mark between New Zealand and South America, closing in on Cape Horn * Kojiro Shiraishi (JPN) has passed the first ice gate and the finally gets a stable wind * Graham Dalton (NZL) re-commences racing after stopping in Bluff, New Zealand, for a total of 50.5 hours * Three back markers setup for drag race across the lonely expanses of the Southern Ocean. However, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s solent (jib) has a tear along its foot close to the clew just outside the reinforcement patch. “I am now left between the jib and the storm staysail, a very large gap,” he said. “So having closed Saga Insurance nicely with the two boats in front, we are now losing out to them, but I would rather lose a bit now than lose a lot later, so we'll have to take the present slowness on the chin and hope to close the gap again once repairs can be effected,” Standings: 1.Cheminées Poujoulat, Bernard Stamm, 8890 to finish; 2. Spirit of Yukoh, Kojiro Shiraishi, 1282 miles to leader; 3. Pakea, Unai Basurko, 2225 mtl; A Southern Man-AGD, Graham Dalton, 2291 mtl; 5. Saga Insurance, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, 2312 mtl. – http://www.velux5oceans.com 505 WORLDS The winner of the fourth day of the 2007 World Championship in South Australia's St Vincent Gulf. was again Jan Saugmann and Morten Ramsbaek from Denmark, but they had to work hard to do it, digging themselves out from 14th at the first mark. There were plenty of shifts during the race, with the race committee moving the top mark at every bottom mark rounding. But it was the last beat that was the doozy. The wind had weakened and had bent a little to the left, but there was slightly more pressure to the right and direction was WSW. However as the leaders approached the finish, the wind died and a southeaster formed on the shore. The first two boats crept over the line, and then we had boats coming from the right in a Westerly and boats running from the left with their kites up. In the end the Sou’ Easter kicked in, but a lot of damage was done. Tomorrow, there are two races and the forecast is again for a 15-20kn sea breeze. Standings after six races with one discard: 1. Jan Saugmann/Morten Ramsbaek, DEN, 18pts 2. Mike Martin/Jeff Nelson, USA, 29pts 3. Howie Hamlin/Fritz Lanzinger. USA. 35pts 4. Nick Adamson/Steve Bourdow, USA, 36pts 5. Sandy Higgins/Paul Marsh. AUS/SA. 39pts Event website: -- http://www.505worlds2007.com THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS Alinghi have flagged a weakness to their rivals by calling up Australian veteran Peter Gilmour as coach. Skipper Brad Butterworth has never hidden his desire to see Coutts return. "He's the best in the business; simple as that," says Butterworth. There was an attempted rapprochement between Coutts and the Swiss billionaire last September during the Farr 40 World Championships but Gilmour's appointment confirms that this did not lead anywhere. -- Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/22uapb SAIL FASTER AND SMARTER If you want to improve your results on the race course, you should read Speed & Smarts. This bi-monthly newsletter, written by winning America's Cup tactician Dave Dellenbaugh, has been praised by racing sailors worldwide for more than 12 years. Each colorful issue has 16 pages full of race-winning tips on boatspeed, tactics, strategy, rules and more! Whether you are a skipper or crew, on a one-design or big boat, Speed & Smarts will improve your performance. To see a sample issue or sign up for a subscription, visit our website at http://www.SpeedandSmarts.com SAILING SHORTS * On Day One of the UBS Dubai Defender Trials, sailed in 9-12 knots of wind, Peter Holmberg steered SUI 91 to a pair of tight victories over SUI 64 helmed by Ed Baird. “The reason for this regatta is that we are trying to nail down an afterguard and a crew that will sail the America’s Cup in June in Valencia,” said Brad Butterworth, team skipper and tactician. “We have a sailing team of 36 sailors and each man wants to be on the boat in June.” Racing continues on Thursday. – http://www.alinghi.com * The Chicago YC will allow competitors, whose class rules permit, to display advertising on hull and sails during their 2007 Race to Mackinac. They have also established a fourth Mac Race division -- a Cruising Division -- to include a broader competitor base for its 99th running on July 14. The changes in the advertising classification and the eligibility for the new Cruising Division will be detailed in the 2007 Notice of Race, which will be available online on or before March 1: http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/racetomackinac * Mascalzone Latino ITA 99, the new boat of the team led by Vincenzo Onorato, was christened and launched Tuesday in Valencia. The boat arrived at the team’s base on Monday the 22nd of January in record time and is ready to start two boat testing with ITA 90. As required by the ACC Rule, ITA 99 was built in Italy by Marine Composite of Andora, Savona and was then transferred to Green Marine of Lymington, (GB) where it underwent the final fit-out. -- http://www.mascalzonelatino.it/ * Correction: Barry Johnson from Cottesloe, Western Australia has pointed out that the 1987 America’s Cup was staged at Gage Roads – not Gates Roads as was stated in the San Diego Union-Tribune story we carried in yesterday’s ‘Butt. And Johnson reminded us what a “truly fantastic sailing area” it is. DISCOUNT TICKETS FOR CHICAGO SHOW The 12th Annual Strictly Sail Chicago boat show will be held February 1–4, 2007, and now Scuttlebutt has $5.00 discount tickets for all the ‘buttheads. Look for their banner ad on the Scuttlebutt website for info, or go straight to the show’s e-commerce site to buy your discount tickets: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/jump/ss-c07.html 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 J. Joseph Bainton: Regarding kinetics and weight limits - folks will recall that a number of year ago a weight limit was imposed upon the Star Class by ISAF by the threat of loss of Olympic status because star crews, many of whom where the size of NFL lineman, did not look sufficiently "athletic." Then having in theory obtained "athlete sailors," ISAF took the athletics out of sailing with an amendment to Rule 42. Anybody see any irony here? To add insult to injury, on-the-water judges as a general rule have never sailed the boats they are umpiring. During the recent Miami OCR, a Star was flagged because the Judge observed a standing Star crew's "arm move" while balancing in waves in some 15 knots of breeze. Ever try to do that without moving some body part for an extended period? The boat in question was one of three sailing in close proximity to one another. None of the three crews thought any boat of the three was violating Rule 42, and conceded that whoever got the flag was a function of sheer randomness (or arbitrary judging). Perhaps we should certify Rule 42 judges by class and as part of the certification process require that the judge have significant experience sailing the class he or she is judging. * From Donna Hobbs: Thank you Gail Turlock and Michael Moore regarding your comments on Paige Railey's performance at the Miami OCR. I wish I would have been as quick as you with supporting our American daughter with this learning process of "trial & error" on the road to the Olymics. To be competitive at an international/olympic level, you have to push the edge and yet accept the edge when you've gone too far. I appreciate and admire Paige for having the courage to "ride the edge". * From James Anderson (In response to Michael Moore): Shame on us for commenting on the kinetics of boat handling by Paige Railey? Having raced one design in National and International regattas, I am fully aware that top sailors are always watched closely by regatta management and on-the-water judges. Paige should know not to be testing the legal limits of kinetics in high profile regattas. She should know when to stop, and that is after her first warning. She should be practicing this with her coaches and maybe at lesser profile regattas. As with all OD racing, any variance from the rules, is punishable in various degrees of severity. No matter how minor, it is seen as cheating, as seen by her judges, peers, and followers. This is not something sponsors want, and I'm sure Rolex is not smiling and cheering their "yachtswoman of the year" at this point. * From Woodie Cobb: I give up…kinetic rules are a bunch of nonsense. Olympics are about athletic ability (except ballroom dancing, which I consider foreplay). Athletics are about using physical strength to accomplish something better than others. To not use all of your physical strength to help you win an event, you are cheating yourself. Maybe we should find sports for the physically limited (I am not referring to what you call physically disabled; I hate that term too). We need to allow true athletes to compete!! * From Chris Welsh (edited to our 250-word limit): I read the bit about the GPS Magic Box with dismay. Like most of life, racing doesn't need more of a Nintendo aspect. I don't want to race to Cabo or Hawaii with the IT Chief/Navigator never sticking his head above deck to see the actual weather. I also don't want the race to be a money denominated event where the best internet connection wins. I went to a sailing talk about a year ago where the competitive advantage between two boats was identified as a "canting keel that tacked faster" than the one on the boat's sistership. This on a boat with electric winches and a diesel generator that runs 24/7. Is this sailing? To me, real sailing on the water is a compass, and maybe wind direction and speed information. Off the water, bring your best design talents, the CAD files, whatever - these are mostly labor saving devices. But during the race, no active computer polars. No percent of optimum display. No downloaded grib files, but a barometer. Real sailing skills, not programming skills. My challenge to the America's Cup would be use all the electronics you want during practice - but the trials, the finals are all tell- tales and wind indicators. I want to watch the races and see a skipper looking at sails, not optimum true wind angle/actual true wind angle dual displays. Watch the races - the skippers only look at the electronic displays. Viva seat of the pants! * From Al & Robyn Peacock: While I think that the girls from UT are pretty smart to put together a calendar, I have to vote for the SDSU sailing team of 1983-1986 as having the cutest girls in the world of college sailing! * From Tyler Carder (edited to our 250-word limit): I can't believe I'm saying this, and it probably just proves I'm getting too old (and maybe a little bitter), but am I the only one who is uneasy about the calendar featuring the women's sailing team at the University of Texas? It is perhaps a sorry indication of the state of contemporary culture when the best way for women, or a women's sailing team, to make, raise or earn money all too often seems to be to show a little skin. Bake sales just can't raise the necessary scratch anymore, I guess. And I confess- I looked at all the pictures of the Texas women... but I felt just a little... cheap after I did. And though it is for a good cause, I won't be buying a calendar. It just seems wrong- but maybe, as Brian Wilson said, I just wasn't made for these times. I mean, I appreciate, honor and cherish a beautiful woman as much as anyone (I refer here to my wife, of course, in case she is reading this!); and as they say, they got some real hotties down there all over Texas... but should resorting to the slut style, the pin-up mentality, the streetwalker aesthetic so prevalent in today's society, have to be the only way a woman's college sailing team can support itself? Not that the Texas women weren't more or less tastefully and discretely featured ... but still ... is this what we want to be teaching young girls? CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." --Plato, ancient Greek philosopher Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Speed & Smarts. Scuttlebutt is also supported by UBS, main partner of Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup. |
