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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 805 - May 1, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome.
CASTING CALL The Requirements:
If you feel you are ready to take the Challenge write now for an application form to, Sir Chay Blyth CBE BEM, New World Challenge Skipper Application, Challenge Business, S115, South Yard, Devonport Royal Dockyard, Plymouth, PL1 4SG, United Kingdom. Or email: tonyhumpreys@challengebusiness-plym.com, www.newworldchallenge.com
FOR SALE: CLUB MED
ORC REGULATIONS HAVE CHANGED. ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE?
KEEP IT SIMPLE For a guide to sailing instructions for more complex events, such as world, national, or class championships, consult Appendix K of the Racing Rules of Sailing.
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
leweck@earthlink.net * From William Sandberg: It's nice to see some nice things mentioned about US Sailing in 'Butt. I won't address that issue but only add some comments to Trevor Pardee's e-mail about Dan Nowlan. Dan is smply the best thing that has ever happened to big boat sailing. He is dedicated, knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor-- the latter attribute a must when dealing with rating rules and some overly aggressive constituents. We are thrilled at American Yacht Club that he is coming on his own time to score the IMS boats at our Spring Regatta. One further note-- he is leaving Antigua Sailing Week early to come to our event. That's dedication! * From George F. Franklin: No wonder IMS never got off the ground. Apparently the only person who can accurately score the regattas in this country is US Sailing's Offshore Director Dan Nowlan. * From Chris Teske (edited to our 250-word limit): A hearty second is in order to Hal Smith's recent letter encouraging us to re-establish the value of integrity in our sport! I value what I see as the sport's tradition of integrity and sportsmanship very highly. I was a competitive hockey goalie, and I will tell you that the sportsmanship I have seen on the race course far exceeds that on the ice. The Basic Principle articulated on Page 3 of the Racing Rules of Sailing reminds that "A fundamental principle of sportsmanship is that when competitors break a rule they will promptly take a penalty or retire." Too often sailors, including myself, seem to forget this background to the rules and either refuse to take their penalty or choose to fight it out in "da room." I recently volunteered to chair the protest committee at my home yacht club. I understand that there are situations where our services are critical. However, to accomplish Hal's goal, we encourage sailors to limit their reliance on official umpires like the committee. Certainly we could increase the fee for filing a protest. But, in situations where protest committee action is necessary, that seems a poor solution. Should we seek to limit reliance on "officials" such as protest committees, umpires, and others as judges? If so, what is the proper role of the officials, and how would you encourage each other to follow the basic principle of the rules and thus avoid availing yourselves of my committee's services? * From Mark Reynolds (edited to our 250-word limit): I'm a little tired of hearing from the lunatic fringe in Scuttlebutt. Let's stick to more intelligent and constructive discussion! Drug use in the Olympics (and most levels of sport) is a serious matter. No one wants to see the real version of SNL's "Drug Legal Olympics" and we don't want Olympians like the East Germans, who used drugs in every sport except sailing. When athletes were asked if they would take a drug that ensured them a Gold Medal but would kill them in 5 yrs, more than half said they would. Clearly controls are needed. I've been tested numerous times. Athletes have figured out how to mask doping and stop before competitions. Starting this year, I have to submit forms informing the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) where I will be 24/7, so unannounced out-of-competition testing can occur. This testing is critical for catching cheaters. I chose to be an Olympic competitor, so I accept it. In sailing we have weekend sailors competing with Olympians, so let's come up with serious ideas to help US SAILING and the USADA conduct in-competition testing (a program that is very necessary) with minimum impact to our sport. Bottom line, we must fight doping in sports. I don't want my 13-year-old daughter, a very good swimmer, to use drugs to better her performance or be at a disadvantage to someone who is doping, nor do I want to see this in sailing. * From Nicole Christie: If the ability to prevent "naughty" boys and girls i.e. those caught cheating at some major event from sailing again at any level is the aim of the eligibility code I would like to suggest that there is a much simpler way of doing it. Why not make the eligibility code something like the following: "No sailor who has had their US Sailing/Yacht club membership revoked or suspended, or has been the subject of any disciplinary action may sail on any boat participating in a sanctioned event". Penalties (disqualification) could remain the same, and enforcement (the protest system) could remain the same and the major objection of the sailing public (creating a barrier to collecting casual/novice crew for casual races) would be avoided. * From Steve Eller: It seems readily apparent that the sport of sailing had grown sufficiently fractured that we need to divide the governing body up into two or pieces. The best analogy would be golf where they have the PGA for the pros and the USGA for everyone else. Perhaps the way to handle this would be to have ISAF issue "tour cards" like the PGA does. If you want to compete in the Olympics, America's Cup, etc. you have to abide by ISAF's rules to keep your card. Everyone else can compete under the amateur organization with a simpler set of rules. The bodies could adopt the same set of right of way rules but the pros would have to deal with all of the other parts of the rule book including banned substances. Lets make it as easy as possible for regular folks to go out an enjoy a day pf sailboat racing! * From Richard Jepsen (In response to Mark Green #804): Regarding your prediction for US Sailing 's "Dominance over our sport" being eliminated in five years: Please consider that US Sailing does so much more than attempt, however imperfectly, to govern the sport of sailboat racing. It is a critical element in improving safety afloat with training, training tools, safety research work. Adaptive boating, lobbying the government for common sense legislation for navigable waterways, youth sailing, as well as education and research on everything from race administration to safety boat handling; Safety At Sea to Offshore Passage Making. In the sport of Racing, arguing with protest committees, judges, race admin officials is sport, itself. And that is fine. However, I believe it leads to the sort of mudslinging we see in Scuttlebutt every week. And, seldom from within even the lowest ranks of the volunteers in the field for US SAILING, do we see this. And most of them race. Visit any Annual Meeting or the Symposium and you have to be amazed at all the wonderful things sailors in the US are getting from US Sailing. How volunteers work together to create some universally appreciated programs, products and ideas. And how mudslinging is relegated to the sidelines. So, I look at US Sailing and can't see any evidence that it will be irrelevant in five years. As for its "dominance"; Given its propensity to take self indulgent potshots from Buttheads each week, it seems to me that its dominance is overstated.
WORRELL 1000 Katie Pettibone explains " Both Lisa and I have been submerged in the attempt to find sponsorship for the Volvo. When I came up for air in April I realized that the Worrell was just around the corner. It has tickled my imagination for some time. That combined with the fact there has never been an all women's team entered was too tempting to ignore. I realize that as a first timer coming into it with not much catamaran experience it will be a brutal race. If we wanted comfort and ease then I would stay at home and watch 'Survivor' rather than experiencing my own brand of it". - www.worrell1000.com
MINI TRANSAT RACE It's likely that you've never heard of Gale Browning, but let that little oversight end right now. This 43-year-old mother of three is poised to jump on to the map of offshore sailing in a big way. All right, maybe it's only in a modest way, but consider this, if everything goes according to plan, she'll be the only American participant in next fall's Mini Transat race. She'll not only be the lone American in this two-stage, 4,500-mile, single-handed contest sailed aboard 21-foot vessels, she'll be just one of three Americans who have ever entered the event in 12 editions that span 24 years. Still not impressed? That's O.K., Browning doesn't think you ought to be-not yet. She knows that most sailors have never heard of this grueling contest, which routes its participants from the coast of Brittany in France down to the Canary Islands and then on to a destination across the Atlantic (this year it's Brazil). And she's aware that most American sailors have a difficult time relating to an offshore single-handed race that's conducted on board 21-foot boats with gargantuan rigs. But she also knows that the Mini Transat is the proving ground for the world's elite offshore single-handed racers. If you have even a mild interest in this discipline, the names Yves Parlier, Isabelle Autissier and Jean-Luc Van den Heede will ring a bell for you. Each of them came up through the ranks by first participating in the Mini Transat. In baseball parlance, it's the farm league of single-handed offshore racing. - SailNet website. Interview: www.sailnet.com
GERMAN FRERS
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * May 5-6: Yachting Cup, San Diego YC. Farr 40, J-120, Schock 35, 1D35, J/105, Melges 24 and PHRF. www.sdyc.org * July 26-30: 470 National Championship, Milwaukee Community Center & Milwaukee YC. www.milwaukeeyc.com
PWC The parks named in the review are Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Cumberland Island in Georgia near the Florida border; Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Indiana; and Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina. Last week's settlement agreement between the National Park Service and Bluewater Network forces all 21 parks considered appropriate for PWC in the original April 2000 ruling to undergo environmental assessments for continued usage. The court ruling ensures that the parks remain open to personal watercraft at least through September 2002. It calls for a fair and uniform assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act. Many parks have already begun the steps necessary to allow PWC use, but some parks - including those now under review - had already been closed off to PWC use at the superintendent's discretion, according to the PWIA. - Boating International
CUTTY SARK TALL SHIPS' RACE
QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Giovanni Soldini
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS |
