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SCUTTLEBUTT 2881 - Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Scuttlebutt 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 North Sails and Team One Newport.
IGSS CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR
The Island Goat Sailing Society (IGSS) was formed in 1959 by thirteen veteran
Chicago Yacht Club sailors to protect the history and memories of the annual
Chicago to Mackinac Island Race, the world’s longest, continuously held fresh
water race. Participation in 25 Mac Races was established as the requirement
for membership.
Conducted annually in July by Chicago Yacht Club, the race starts off of
Chicago and runs the length of Lake Michigan, under the Mackinac Bridge to
finish between Windemere Point on Mackinac Island and the Round Island
Lighthouse, 333 miles from the start. Over the years racers have seen every
imaginable sailing condition from dead calm to raging storms. Each year’s race
is different and each sailor’s memories varied. It’s the preservation of these
memories and to provide an opportunity for the camaraderie of shared
experiences that in 1959 became the germ to grow into an organization of
almost 300 veteran Mac racers.
The Chicago Yacht Club now includes in each year’s Mac Race Scratch Sheet a
list of Goats and the number of races each has competed in.
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Society’s founding. Affectionately
referred to as the “Island Goats”, the name comes from the way some of the
sailors are said to smell after being on the water for three, four or more
days. It is also appropriate because goats are said to have once lived on
Mackinac Island. And, of course the Race is to an island. -- Read on:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0707
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: Hmm… so the IGSS was formed to protect the history
and memories of the annual Chicago to Mackinac Island Race. Maybe the
America’s Cup needs something like this too. What should it be called?
TRANSPACIFIC YACHT RACE
(July 7, 2009) - For the 2,225-mile Transpac Race, Neville Crichton’s Reichel
Pugh 100, Alfa Romeo, established a new 24-hour run Transpac record from
Monday’s early morning position report through 0600 on July 7th. Alfa Romeo
covered 399 nautical miles and surpassed the previous record set by Morning
Glory during the 2005 Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpacific Yacht Race.
Tim Fuller and Erik Shampain’s suntanned backs onboard their leading Division
VI 1D35 has the outline of the yellow jersey etched on them for yet another
day. The two have led the entire fleet for over a week and have been wearing
it for longer than Fabian Cancellara has been wearing his in the Tour de
France.
From Division I leader Flash, Paul Cayard provides an update from onboard the
first generation TP52, “The first night (Sunday) was cold and a bit rough with
wind speed in the low to mid 20's and short steep waves. We were all pretty
wet and uncomfortable. As Monday came around, the fleet started to spread out
a bit, the wind moderated and clocked and life got a bit smoother. We shifted
to the Jib Top reacher early in the morning and by midday Monday we had a flat
reaching spinnaker up. It was pretty nice to have a spinnaker up within 24
hours of the start.” -- Race website: http://www.transpacrace.com
* July 7th standings: http://tinyurl.com/l2uoc8
* Photographer Sharon Green was riding a heli for the big boy start of
Division 1 and 2 last Sunday, and has provided Scuttlebutt with images as she
followed the fleet to Catalina Island:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0707a
RECYCLE YOUR SAILS & SAVE (And get a free tote, too!)
Would you like to see your old sails recycled instead of ending up in a
landfill? From now through August 31, North Sails will pay for you to ship
your old sail(s) to North’s Recycling Center in Portsmouth, RI and as an added
thank you, you will qualify for 25% savings toward your new sail purchase.
(North America only, 50 feet LOA & under, restrictions apply, one design sails
not included.) We will also send you a free tote bag made from recycled sail
cloth! When ‘thinking green’ matters, head North:
http://na.northsails.com/tabid/14313/Default.aspx
MEDIA ROLE GETTING REDEFINED
There once was a time when organizing a prominent event ONLY required a
comprehensive website. Not anymore. When the racing for the 38th edition of
the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship commences at Buzios, Rio de
Janeiro state, Brazil on July 11-17, there will be the full monty of online
options to track the activities of the 280+ sailors from 59 nations coming to
the first-ever edition of the Youth Worlds to be held in South America.
To stay up to the date with all the latest news, videos, photos, and gossip
from the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, the event website has
been re-launched with a brand new look. But that’s not all. There is also a
YouTube video channel, a Youth Worlds Twitter page and a Facebook site. Being
an event media person has officially been redefined.
Website: http://www.sailing.org/youthworlds
YouTube: http://www.YouTube.com/VolvoYouthWorlds
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/youthworlds
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Volvo-Youth-Worlds/93806273347
* More than five months after being named to US SAILING’s Youth World Team
(YWT), the ten athletes that will represent the USA at the Volvo Youth Sailing
International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Championship are: Laser Radial
(boys), Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, CA); Laser Radial (girls), Marissa Lihan
(Fort Lauderdale, FL); International 420s (boys), Ian Liberty (Colt’s Neck,
NJ) and Alex Whipple (Plandome, NY); Club 420s (girls), Morgan Kiss (Holland,
MI) and Laura McKenna (Palo Alto, CA); Hobie 16s with spinnaker (open), Korbin
Kirk (Long Beach, CA) and Daniel Segerblom (Costa Mesa, CA); RS:X (boys),
Chris Gardiner (St. Petersburg, FL); and RS:X (girls), Solvig Sayre (Vineyard
Haven, MA). -- Full report:
http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/YWT_Preview_09.htm
STRENGTHENING AND PREVENTING SHOULDER INJURIES
During the course of a sailing career you will be faced with a variety of body
changes and potential injuries secondary to these changes. One of the most
troublesome or concerning areas of the body that need special attention or
work are the shoulders. I will highlight this area by describing basic
structure, reasons for pain/breakdown, and ways to improve/strengthen the
area.
The shoulder is the most complicated joint in the body. It is a ball and
socket joint that depends primarily on the muscles and ligaments rather than
the bones for its support, stability, and integrity. This joint has three
degrees of freedom, meaning that it has the ability to move in every direction
or combination of directions. This increase in mobility comes with a decrease
in stability along with chance for injury. The shoulders main stabilizers are
the rotator cuff muscles.
The first reason this area commonly gets irritated is due to repetitive
external rotation or a pulling motion and pumping. The second reason is lack
of flexibility of the shoulder and chest. If the shoulder and/or chest are
tight this causes the shoulders to “round forward” decreasing its ability to
complete the pulling motion described above and increasing the stress on the
joint itself. So with all this chance for injury how do we train the shoulder
to be strong and functional? -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/nhzxmq
OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
* Copenhagen, DEN (July 7, 2009; Day 2) - After two races sailed in a moderate
southerly, Zach Railey (USA) has taken the lead at the 87-boat Finn Gold Cup
in Vallensbaek, Denmark. The first race went to Giles Scott (GBR), leading
from start to finish, while the second race in a stronger breeze was won by
Jonas Høgh Christensen (DEN) in the closing stages as the very tight leading
group surfed to the finished line. Railey claimed two sixth places today to
take an eight point lead at the top, though with the discard coming in after
the next race, things could change considerable.
Said Railey, “Today I just tried to get up there and get a good position. It's
been really shifty so far. But they're running really good races here given
the conditions. When the wind changes they are shifting the marks and changing
the line really well. I don't know why it was so shifty today. Yesterday it
was off the land but today it was from the sea so should have been steadier
and it was also pretty clear. We have seven more races to go and the regatta
is not even half way over. You just have to keep your head out of the boat and
make the best of what you get.” -- Full story:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7764#7764
* Kiel, GER (July 7, 2009; Day 2) - The 2009 Star European Championships at
Rolex Baltic Week were always going to be a tightly fought contest, but after
two days of racing the leader board is tied three ways, with all three 2008
Olympic medalists scoring one race win apiece and equal nine points. The
"golden boys" from Qingdao last year, Iain Percy/Andrew Simpson from Great
Britain are at the top followed by Swedes Fredrik Loof/Johan Tillander and
Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada from Brazil.
For the second day of racing the Kiel Fjord yet again produced gusty
west-south-westerly conditions which caused some gear damage during the two
races. Although the skies were dotted with clouds, there were thankfully no
signs of the thunderstorms which arrived the day before. Sixteen points off
the lead are Mark Mendelblatt/Mark Strube (USA) in 5th, who won Kiel Week two
weeks earlier, and will be helped once the discard comes into force after five
races have been completed. -- Full story:
http://www.starclass.org/artman/publish/article_427.shtml#2
GREAT SUMMER RACING IN NEWPORT...
Newport, RI is the venue for some fantastic racing events this September and
Team One Newport is supplying the official regatta gear to the 6 Metre World
Cup and the NYYC Invitational Cup. Be sure to visit
http://www.team1newport.com/departments.asp?dept=121 for some stylish
clothing. We are adding new product to the line so be sure to check back! Also
check out the SPECIALS from the foul weather gear experts! We carry all the
best lines, including Henri-Lloyd, Musto, Gill, Atlantis, Harken, Dubarry,
Patagonia, Puma, Kaenon and much more. We have a great crew uniform
department! Call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) for all your sailing gear needs!
SAILING SHORTS
* (July 7, 2009) - Rambler, George David’s 90- ft. Reichel Pugh, was the first
yacht to cross the finish line in the Marblehead To Halifax Ocean Race this
morning at 07.22.38, finishing first in the IRC 1 class. A light air race from
start to finish, Rambler averaged 10 knots of boat speed along the 360-mile
route. At this point, a total of seven yachts have withdrawn from the group of
97 starters on July 5th. -- Full story:
http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7765#7765
* Thirty teams competed in the 18' Skiff European Championships/ Mark Foy
Trophy on June 28-July 4, hosted by the Yacht Club de Carnac. The event was
won by Rob Greeenhalgh, Dan Johnson and Phil Harmer racing on 'Benny', with
top North American Howie Hamlin (USA) with Fritz Lanzinger and Matt Noble
finishing third on the borrowed Macquarie Real Estate. The beautiful 70 year
old Mark Foy Trophy from the Sydney Flying Squadron has been revived as an
annual international trophy to be sailed in conjunction with other major
championships. -- Results: http://tinyurl.com/m89b96
* Malcesine, ITA (July 7, 2009) - The fourth regatta of the RC 44 Championship
Tour 2009 starts Wednesday on Lake Garda, with Frank Pong and his new Team
Jelik from Hong Kong among the ten teams. The current overall leader of the
tour is Chris Bake’s (CAN) Team Aqua with skipper Cameron Appleton. --
http://www.rc44.com/en/regattas/news/index.php?idContent=2078
* The idea of the (United States) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
allowing the introduction of a fuel that has never been independently tested
for use with marine engines has Boat Owners Association of The United States
(BoatUS) and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) urging every
boater in America to speak out on the issue before the July 20 federal comment
period closes. -- Read on: http://www.boatus.com/news/PR_Full.asp?ID=422
* Marine electronics specialist Navico France has entered into a technical and
commercial partnership with Intelimarine, a provider of global navigation and
entertainment solutions in Cagnes-sur-mer. Navico is the parent company to
five marine electronics brands: B&G, Eagle, Lowrance, Northstar and Simrad.
Intelimarine provides global technical solutions to superycaht yards in
Europe. -- IBI Magazine, full story:
http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20090607135706ibinews.html
* VOTE NOW: Hosted by ESPN, the annual ESPY Awards commemorate the past year
in sports. Among the 37 categories, 2008 Paralympic sailing gold medalist
Maureen McKinnon-Tucker is one of the four nominees in the "Female Athlete
with a Disability" category. There's not another sailor in any other category.
Finalists are determined by fan voting. There is no easier way to support the
sport of sailing than to vote for Maureen. Additional details here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/06/2009-espys.html
DETAILS EASING OUT OF SWITZERLAND
Alinghi, the Defender of the 33rd America's Cup, unveiled its 90ft catamaran
last weekend in Villeneuve, Switzerland, and plans to launch it this Wednesday
in Lake Geneva by helicopter (weather permitting). Here are some comments
Alinghi team members Murray Jones and Dirk Kramers provided BYM News:
* There must be a chance that you could break something during testing; will
you be building spare hulls and other parts?
Murray Jones: They won’t be spare hulls, but we’ll be building other hulls as
the testing and development goes on.
* So, how far is this off the boat you’ll eventually race?
Murray Jones: [Laughs] I don’t know. Anything could happen; we could have
another boat.
* Will the steering positions be outside, like the BOR90?
Murray Jones: No, they are part way along the hull. You’ll have a guy on the
other wheel during the tack or the gybe, whilst the helmsman gets across two
tennis courts.
* Wouldn’t it be more efficient to have two helmsmen?
Murray Jones: I don’t think so. It’s only for coming out of the tack, or going
into the gybe, but we could do; we’ll have to see how it all goes, but don’t
forget you want all the weight up top.
* Even with water ballast?
Murray Jones: We haven’t got water ballast.
* What happens after you’ve done the shake down trials on the lake? Will you
go for further testing in Valencia, where you’ve got a base, even if that’s
not the venue?
Dirk Kramers: Valencia, in February, isn’t the ideal place for a race. We have
to announce the venue on August 8 and that’s not far away, so it makes more
sense to go straight to the venue.
* Is everything made in Switzerland?
Dirk Kramers: Yes, depending on how far back you go. I guess the carbon fibre
came from Japan and the hydrocarbons in the resins came out of a Saudi Arabian
desert, but then the cotton that made 19th century English sails wasn't home
grown.
Full interview: http://www.bymnews.com/americas-cup-33/alinghi-catamaran.php
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 Amy & Jeff Linton, Tampa FL: (re, Jack Sutphen story in Scuttlebutt
2879) Nice story about a wonderful guy -- in 2006, Jack talked us through the
San Diego local conditions for a Lightning regatta. On the recommendation of
another Larchmont alum, Pat O'Neal, Jack took us out on his powerboat to tour
the racing area. Lunch, stories, location of "the Dennis Conner Lift," and a
short tow back to the dock -- What a treasure-trove of information and charm!
* From Scott Rollins: The best part of America’s Cup stories these days is to
seek out the total B.S. in the quotes and predictions. Alinghi wants us to
believe that their newly launched catamaran is a base boat from which
modifications will take place. Not sure what friggin calendar they use in
cheeseland, but the clock is ticking folks. Didn’t BMW Oracle just take about
four months to make their latest round of changes? Alinghi even wants us to
believe there may be another boat. Heck, looking at the weather forecast for
Wednesday over Lake Geneva, they may not even be able to launch the one they
have (and let’s not even venture a guess on how long transport will be to the
Med). Then there is the dance about the location for the racing. Looking at
the clock on the Scuttlebutt website, this announcement is coming in 30 days,
and Alinghi is doing everything they can to keep us all guessing until the
bell tolls. The sailors must wait for the first race in Feb 2010 - the game
right now is for the No-Sh#t Sherlock Police.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
Shortly after noon on July 8, comes the moment that can be called 12:34:56
7/8/9.
Special thanks to North Sails and Team One Newport.
Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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