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SCUTTLEBUTT 3616 - Wednesday, June 20, 2012Scuttlebutt 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: Mount Gay Rum, Point Loma Outfitting, and Gladstone's Long Beach. ALIVE AND WELL AT 7000 FEET The town of Park City, Utah brings to mind the type of world class skiing which hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. But just outside of the town is the Jordanelle Reservoir - a six square mile body of water at 7000-feet in elevation. In 2008, a group of sailing refugees launched the Park City Sailing Association (PCSA), and they have been on a roll ever since. Ken Block, VP of PCSA, provides an update... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I've been reading in Scuttlebutt the long thread of "Keeping it Fun". Here are a few things that we have done to introduce the sport to people who have never sailed, and to make it a fun filled family program. We recently started the season with Sail A Palooza (http://vibrant.co/JYntfg). It's an open house for the entire community. We rigged a bunch of boats, rallied our instructors and some Board members, bought a couple of $ hundred dollars of food and invited the town to come and enjoy boat rides and a free barbeque. 150 people came and had fun and most of them had never sailed before. Every other Monday night during our summer season we hold Family Sailing. We set a race course right off the shore line and the kids race, the parents cheer, we have a few boats rigged so that newcomers can take a sail with an instructor and we fire the grills up and give everyone a free barbeque. We bought (2) J/22's, and with a $100 PCSA membership, you can "charter" the boat for the season for a $250 early season rate and $350 after May 20. The boats sit in slips and have outboards. Once you show your sailing competency you have access to the J's all season long with an on-line reservations system. It's an amazingly affordable way to get families out on the water. We also donate our time and boats to Boy / Girl Scout troops and Church groups to provide a half day program to support merit badges or simply to get kids on the water. We have an aggressive scholarship program as we believe that an empty boat is a wasted opportunity. Additionally we donate free junior sailing camps and adult lessons on our J/22's to local non-profits for them to use at their silent auction fundraising events. In 2011, our second summer we had 143 kids sail with us and we are pretty confident that with the relationships that we have built with some local camps, we will have over 200 kids in the program. Sailing is alive and well at 7000 feet. PARADOX OF RISK MANAGEMENT Among the features of the 635nm Newport to Bermuda Race is the changeability of the race track. Between the Gulf Stream and the weather systems, what the 90-foot Rambler saw in route to crushing the elapsed time record was much different to what was seen later in the race. Matthew Gregory was onboard Bretwalda 3, a Rogers 46 owned by Bob Pethick, which finished just over 19 hours after Rambler (39:39:18 versus 58:59:41). Here was their race... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The highlight is the paradox of risk management from a routing perspective. Sail fast - really fast and furious - straight to the finish or sail an extra 30-40 mile to the west to go find (or maybe not find) a 40-60 mile long sliver of Gulf Stream that's only 5-10 miles wide but would give your already 15 knots of boat speed a bonus 2-4 knot push towards Bermuda. Sounds like a simple choice. However, all of the 160+ boats were told about the Gulf Stream gains to the west in the pre-start briefing. Hence many will go to the west of the rhumbline, and maybe, maybe stumble upon that sliver of Gulf Stream core. So hence the paradox. Low risk is to point at the finish line right out of the blocks and focus on max VMC sailing based upon the boats sail inventory and performance characteristics. But since you'd be bucking the advice of the Gulf Stream experts, you're probably going to lever up on the fleet by being one of the few rhumb liners. Hence the low risk move becomes the highly levered one. Ultimately this Bermuda race came down to the low pressure system in the last 80 miles of the course (at least for our Class 8). That's the position we played out of the blocks. For me, this race was about setting up for the wind condition (the low over Bermuda) at the end of the race, rather than it was to roll dice in the Gulf Stream. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Nearly all the boats are now finished, and by matching the elapsed time to the corrected time, the 2012 edition proved that the faster boats in each division tended to be the winners. This was certainly the case in Class 3, where Rives Potts’ McCurdy and Rhodes 48-foot ‘Carina’ won both their division and the St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy as the corrected time winner of the entire amateur division. Race website: http://bermudarace.com/ SAILING SPOKEN HERE. THE CONVERSATION KEEPS IMPROVING! For sailors like you, catch up on sailing resources and news on Sailing Spoken Here. With tens of thousands world-wide members, sailors have connected to discuss their challenges, share their most treasured sailing photos, debate their past regatta scenarios, locate a Mount Gay Rum sponsored regatta in their area and find their favorite sailing bars to celebrate the completion of a day at sea. With Gary Jobson on board, Sailing Spoken Here now offers even more valuable content. If you haven't already jumped into the conversation, you're missing out. Luckily, today's a new day: http://www.sailingspokenhere.com. DENIED (July 19, 2012) - Volvo Ocean Race leader Groupama, along with Abu Dhabi and Team Telefonica, face a dilemma today after the independent international jury ruled that they would each incur two-point penalties if they hauled their boats out of the water for repairs. Under race rules, the fleet is required to stay in the water with their masts in place during the Lorient stopover, but damage to a keel fairing on Abu Dhabi, two broken rudders on Telefonica and mast problems on Groupama led to all three making requests to the jury for dispensation. Under the terms of the ruling posted on the race´s official noticeboard, only repairs specified in their requests could be carried out with any other remedial work or cleaning strictly prohibited. Early reactions from Abu Dhbai and Groupama suggest neither is likely to incur the points penalty with both formulating plans to carry out the repairs with the boats in the water. Telefonica's situation, however, is more challenging as rather than attempt to build new rudders, they had hoped to use rudders they had previously tested but had not declared for the race. The jury denied this request, stating the use of non compliant rudders in any of the remaining races would result in a penalty of one place per scoring opportunity. -- http://tinyurl.com/VOR-061912 Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com WE'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY A lot has changed since Newport last hosted an America's Cup race. In 1983, the first-ever live coverage of an America's Cup race was televised on Channel 10. The coverage of the seventh and deciding race between Australia 2 and Liberty was picked up by ESPN and television networks in Australia and around the world. "Well, the coverage on Channel 10 back in 1983 was groundbreaking. Grainy pictures from a blimp and archaic commentary. But the fact is, a 132-race winning streak was on the line. There were three lead changes in the seventh race of a seven-race series. I mean, what's not to like? That was pretty special," said NBC sailing commentator Gary Jobson. Channel 10's coverage plan back in 1983 was hatched in less than 48 hours. The station used a single camera on the race course which was located in the Goodyear blimp. America's Cup races have been televised ever since, and the media coverage has come a long way. -- Turn to 10, read on: http://tinyurl.com/Tto10-061912 COMMENT: As good as the groundbreaking video content for the AC World Series has been, a similar investment in commentating has been lacking. The focus has been on the video feed which will then be (hopefully) sold to television networks, who in turn will be hiring their own commentators to talk over the video. A frequent complaint of mine is the ACWS commentators often dumb down their observations - an insult to the core audience of sailors. Sport is interesting when it is challenging, both for participant and spectator. Dumbing it down demeans it. Look for the next broadcast when the AC World Series is in Newport on June 28-July 1. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt DEAR BOAT DOCTOR, My wife and I just bought a 1970 Olson 38. It has been a great boat so far and we intend to do some long-term cruising on it. It is a good quality boat, in good shape, but it is 42-years-old and I am concerned about the condition of the rig. What should I inspect or replace to make sure it does its job? Bruce Bishop Wilmington, North Carolina Dear Olson, The Olson is a very nice boat, pretty and a good performer too. I am glad to see you want to take care of her. The rig should be thoroughly inspected, digging into the structure as needed. I'd start with pulling the rig and inspecting everything up close. Start with the masthead and tangs, looking for any cracks or corrosion; I'd pull the throughbolts on the tangs and take a look at those, too. Look carefully at the maststep, it can corrode and degrade. The spreader tips are cast aluminum and they can corrode after years of interface with the stainless rigging. The Olson used a wire main halyard and over the years the wire can chew up the sheaves. Be aware of this, especially if you are considering switching to a rope halyard. If you are sticking with a wire halyard you should be able to file and polish the old sheaves. If you go with rope you are best off getting new sheaves, with the proper profile, fabricated in Delrin. -- Sailing Magazine, read on: http://tinyurl.com/Sailing-061912 LEAVE LAND MORE… In the Resolute line from Atlantis. 99% of the sailing that 99% of us do is near land and in conditions that don't require Southern Ocean-style foulies. But there are always days when it's a bit cooler or there's some water coming from above or below, and those are the conditions Atlantis designed the Resolute jacket and race pant for. Made from a high-quality stretch 3-layer laminate and designed to deliver the ultimate combination of performance, fit and race boat style, the Resolute line is our new go-to sailing gear. We're betting it becomes yours, too. Join the lightweight sailing gear revolution. Discover Atlantis at Point Loma Outfitting: http://www.pointlomaoutfitting.com/c/atlantisresolute.html SAILING SHORTS * Team Korea has paid its entry fee for next year's Louis Vuitton Cup (America's Cup Challenger Series), making them the fourth team to confirm their challenge to compete. This marks the first time a team from Korea has challenged for the America's Cup. Next, the team will need to finalize its boat design and begin building its own AC72, for which the major components must be constructed in Korea as per the Rules of the event. -- Full report: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=776 * Muscat, Oman (June 19, 2012) - Oman is set to host one of the largest international sporting events in the Sultanate's history after Oman Sail won the rights to stage the Laser World Championships in Mussanah Sports City in 2013. More than 1,000 visitors and their teams from around 60 nations are expected to attend the three events between November 2013 and January 2014. -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/12/0619/ * The 18th biennial Bermuda Ocean Race (BOR) which began for 25 teams in Annapolis on June 8, officially finished Saturday, June 16 in St. George's, Bermuda. The big story of the race was Sjambok, a Reichel-Pugh 45-footer owned by Michael Brennan of Bethesda, Md. They dominated the race and took the lion's share of awards - placing first on both elapsed and corrected time for the 753-nautical-mile passage from Annapolis to St. George's and posting the best corrected time for the 628-nautical mile ocean part of the race. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/BOR-061912 * Miami, FL (June 19, 2012) - After posting getting two seconds on the opening day of the U.S. Snipe National Championship, Bruno Bethlem de Amorim and Daniel Seixas Claro boosted their scoreline by winning both races today. Day one leader Ernesto Rodriguez and Cate Gundlach are still lurking in second overall, but two seconds today by 2011 champ Augie Diaz and Justine O'Conner now finds them just a point back in third. Racing continues through Friday. -- Results: http://tinyurl.com/Snipe-061912 * Chautauqua Lake, NY (June 17, 2012) - Mike Ingham with Sarah Paisley and Kyle Finefrock dominated the 35 boat fleet in six races to win the Thistle Great Lakes Championship. Ingham's team won four of the races, with moderate conditions on Saturday and winds up to 18 mph on Sunday. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14024 * Rochester, NY (June 17, 2012) - Rochester Yacht Club hosted the Great Lakes International Challenge for 10 teams representing 4 countries. In this Grade 3 Match Race event, American Dave Perry staked an early lead over Canadian Terry McLaughlin, but after three days of competition, Mclaughlin closed out 1 point over Dave Perry for the win. Peter Wickwire (CAN) lost in the tiebreaker with Perry to finish third. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14013 * Washington state officials think a Japanese boat that washed ashore last Friday with Japanese writing on it is likely debris from the tsunami last year, according to news reports. A marine-band radio, several life jackets and a battery made a long sea journey with a Japanese fishing boat that washed ashore Friday at Cape Disappointment State Park, an 1,882-acre camping park on the Long Beach Peninsula in Pacific County where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, according to the Seattle Times. -- Soundings Trade Only, read on: http://tinyurl.com/STO-061912 EIGHT BELLS Bruce Brakenhoff Sr passed away at the age of 80 of a heart attack on Friday, June 15th, 2012 at his home in Jamestown, RI. Over 50 years ago, Bruce started his career with Orienta Marine, was a Vice President of Northrop and Johnson, and co-founded Bartram and Brakenhoff in 1967 with his partner and friend Joe Bartram. Bruce grew up in Larchmont, NY and moved to Jamestown, RI in 1985. He was a past Commodore of the Conanicut Yacht Club in Jamestown, a member of Storm Trysail Club and an ex-member of Larchmont Yacht Club and New York Yacht Club, as well as the Ethics Committee Chairman for the Yacht Broker's Association of America for over 20 years, and Treasurer of the American Yacht Charter Association. He was a mainstay in the industry, and wrote and created some of the original charter contracts, regulations and practices that are still in existence today. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14025 ONE IF BY LAND, TWO IF BY SEA, THREE IF BY FOILING TRI The parking's improved, new guest docks are being installed permanently on the Pine Avenue Pier, and L'Hydroptere is rumoured to soon grace us with an appearance at the end of this month. It's all happening at Gladstone's Long Beach in Rainbow Harbor (CA). And don't forget the Border Run 2 party at our new patio outdoor bar serving adult libations made with Mount Gay Rum. Because sailors need more than cheeseburgers. A proud sponsor of Long Beach Race Week for 7+ years and the inaugural Border Run 2. http://www.GladstonesLongBeach.com GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Clark Chapin: About 20 years ago, US Sailing considered not allowing entrants in Championships or their qualifying events to clubs that did not allow women to be members. At the Board meeting in Seattle where this proposal would be voted upon, there was a lot of heated rhetoric on both sides. The more conservative clubs believed that it was their prerogative to set membership policies and predicted wholesale defection from the membership ranks. In due course, one of the observers present asked to be recognized. "Let me relate to you the experience of my Club, which is in a reasonably progressive Midwestern state. A few years ago, one of our members called me one night and said that he had agreed to be nominated as President of US Sailing. I congratulated him, but he said that he would have to resign his club membership before his election. "Stunned, I asked him why. He replied that as President of the National Authority, he could not remain a member of a club whose bylaws excluded women as members. I urged him not to resign immediately and that I would work to correct that situation. "I called all the living past commodores of the club and cajoled them into meeting at my home. Then, I wouldn't let them leave until they agreed to sign a proposal to the current board to revise the bylaws to allow women to be members. It was a long night, but finally they all agreed. Faced with a proposal from all the past commodores, the board agreed to put the measure to a vote. "Then the firestorm erupted... read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14018#14018 * From Kate Solomon: Regarding the story in Scuttlebutt 3615, I suspect the Etchells class thought their rules on limiting the number of sails a member could buy each year would insure that the sails would be made from suitable material. Clearly, DC pointed out how naive that was. But the report also made me think about all the other racing that goes on. While the sailmakers continually seek to make a better sail design, not yet has the better sail been a cheaper sail. But unlike One Design classes, the handicap racing world is not limiting what people might spend. While it is good for there to be a grand prix tier that is wide open for development, the bulk of the sport could use some controls to keep the minority from outspending and ultimately pushing out the people that don't want to play that game. Does the average PHRF fleet really need, as one sailmaker claims, "the most technically advanced design, lamination and shaping methods in the industry"? With no limits, better equipment tilts the playing field, and inevitably pushes people to seek out other forms of recreation. * From Tony Sanpere: It was very sad to hear that Joe passed away after falling off a race boat (as reported in Scuttlebutt 3615). Joe sailed with me aboard my Seidelman 30 Cayenne when I lived in Marblehead and was a member of the Boston Yacht Club. We sailed together, doing just about every race on the calendar including overnights and up in Maine. He was a good sailor and an excellent mechanic that could tune the Weber carburetors on a Ferrari by ear. His wife Janet also sailed aboard Cayenne. Together with Marty Browne, we won numerous races and season championships. I lost track of him when I moved south but always checked the results of his J/30. He will be missed. FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are recent ads: * Anchor-Forfjord 8 for sale * Navman 3100 Instruments wanted * Hiring Membership Director at US Sailing View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION My parents accused me of lying today. I looked at them and said "Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus" and walked away like a boss. SPONSORS THIS WEEK New England Boatworks - Kaenon Polarized - North Sails - Gowrie Group SailFast - Mount Gay Rum - Point Loma Outfitting - Gladstone's Long Beach Southern Spars - Ullman Sails - Hall Spars & Rigging - Doyle Sailmakers Need stuff? 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