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SCUTTLEBUTT 2137 - July 14, 2006
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
LETTERS VS FORUMS
One of the long-standing features of each Scuttlebutt newsletter is the
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON section. The letters provide credible commentary
from the ‘buttheads on items in the newsletter, or from their observations
within the sport. However, due to space limitations in the newsletter, the
length of each letter is limited, and we are not always able to include each
letter submitted. As an alternative, we created the Scuttlebutt Forums,
which provide open, unlimited communication.
Deciding what stories to include in the newsletter is a daily chore, and we
often find ourselves unable to find room for some of the well-written
stories we receive. As an alternative, we now encourage everyone to use the
Forums to submit items of interest. This way, Forum users will get to see
all these submissions, and we will be able to use those items that we feel
deserve the broader audience that the Scuttlebutt newsletter provides. A
recent example of this was posted in the Forums called “Lost Heroes”:
“I know there is a thread for local heroes (in the Forums) but having read
today's 'butt item on the College Hall Of Fame Awards (Issue 2135), I became
aware of the passing of another one of my heroes. The loss of Graham Hall
last year and the recent passing of Frank Snyder both hit me on the personal
level. Graham was my sailing team coach during my abbreviated time at SUNY
Maritime, 1969-71, where I was a classmate of Gary Jobson and teammate of
several other All Americans including Art Messinger, Rick Meyerose, et.al.
Coach knew how to recruit talent and shape them into top notch 'all ams'. I
wish my grades had let me partake of his knowledge of our sport for a full
four years.
“If I had completed those years at SUNY Maritime, I probably would not have
had the pleasure of meeting Frank Snyder in the spring of '85. His captain
on "Southerly," Timothy Laughridge, had her berthed next to my first BN
position on a yacht at Pilot's Point in Westbrook, CT. Through my friendship
with Tim, I was introduced to Frank and subsequently did some memorable
deliveries with Tim on "Southerly" and raced with Frank and Tim on the Frers
50, Frank's "Chasseur" at that time. In a short period of time I came to
hold Frank and his wife Jesse in high esteem for their love of sailing and
all they contributed to it every day.
“There are people that I regard as my heroes that helped shape my love of
our sport in my early years at Sea Cliff Yacht Club that let me meet and
enjoy learning more from Graham and Frank. My experiences with them would be
proud additions to any sailor's resume or personal log. I find it
particularly appropriate that both men have been honored recently for their
contributions to not just racing, but sailing and boating in all forms. They
will be missed but far from forgotten.”
Forum link:
http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2734#2734
ONLY IN AMERICA
Next Level Sailing, the San Diego, CA charter company that has two 80-foot
International America's Cup Class (IACC) yachts, now has a new A-Cup boat in
their stable, though this one is providing something different for their
customers. Think back to 1851 and the first America’s Cup. While the
original America was destroyed during WWII, a replica had been built in 1967
and another in 1995. While the older one remains in Europe, Next Level
Sailing now has the more recent version.
NLS delivered her from Florida to San Diego in March through the Panama
Canal, and has teamed up with local developer Doug Manchester to operate
her. During a sail on July 6th, the US Navy took a photo of America while
she sailed alongside the return of the USS Ronald Reagan (don’t ask why the
US Navy provides this service). Look for Scuttlebutt to seize a ride on this
classic yacht soon. Photo:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/america.jpg
WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
Porto Azzurro, Elba Island, Italy (July 13, 2006) - The top three crews -
Williams, Gilmour, Dunn - all went 3-0 on another windy day at the Locman
Cup – Elba Island, the final stage of the 2005-’06 World Match Racing Tour
season. With five flights remaining to sail to complete the double round
robin, Williams leads with 9 points on a 9-2 record. He and Gilmour remain
tied, but Williams won their head-to-head match Wednesday to retain the top
spot. They’re scheduled to meet again in Flight 19.
A calm morning gave way to a blustery northwesterly around 15 knots with
higher gusts. Around 5:00 pm, when the wind has strengthened the past two
days, today it shifted to the north, which forced the race committee to move
the racecourse to the mouth of the Bay of Porto Azzurro. “It’s a very
strange racecourse,” said Gilmour, who’s aiming to win his first Locman Cup
title in his third try. “It’s classic sailing between two mountains. There’s
great breeze on the sides and light in the middle. It’s a bit like Lake
Garda. There are times when you need defined strategy and times when you
need to match-race the hell out of it.” - Complete report:
http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/
Provisional Standings (after 15 of 20 scheduled flights)
1. Ian Williams (GBR) Williams Sail Racing, 9-1
(Crew: Bill Hardesty, Mark Nicholls, Simon Shaw, Mark Williams)
2. Peter Gilmour (AUS) PST, 9-1
(Crew: Christian Scherrer, Rod Dawson, Kazuhiko Sofuku, Yasuhiro Yaji)
3. Cameron Dunn (NZL) Mascalzone Latino – Capitalia, 8-3
(Crew: Matteo Auguadro, Maciel Chicchetti, Rasmus Kostner, Chresten
Plinius)
4. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team, 5.5-5
(Crew: Johan Backman, Robert Skarp, Carl-Johan Uckelstam, Emil Wiberg)
5. Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Shosholoza, 4-7
(Crew: Mike Giles, Charles Nankin, David Rae, Mark Sadler)
6. Thierry Peponnet (FRA) Areva Challenge, 4-7
(Crew: Benoit Briand, Tanguy Cariou, Herve Cunningham, Thierry Douillard)
7. Pierre Mas (FRA) China Team, 3-9
(Crew: Xavier Husson, Jeremy Koo, Charles Lim, Wearn Haw Tan)
8. Giovanni Segnini (ITA) Locman Sailing Team, 0-11
(Crew: Leonardo Chiarugi, Giuseppe Lallai, Cesare Landi, Enrico Menno)
LADIES FIRST
For the world’s top female Yngling sailors, Doyle sails are the fast track
to gold - in the recent Yngling Women’s World championship the first, third,
and fifth place teams flew full Doyle inventories, and the second-place team
was powered by a Doyle jib and spinnaker. In the 42-boat Yngling Open
Worlds, the winner used a 100% Doyle inventory - the only boat in the fleet
powered by Doyle (seems like the men can learn something from the ladies
here!). To get on your own fast track to gold, call us at 1-800-94-DOYLE or
click here: http://www.doylesails.com/yngling-home.htm
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
This week's video is not about sailing, but about the latest venture from
the folks behind Canting Ballast Twin Foil (CBTF) technology. Their new
company is called M Ship Co., and this video shows the application of their
M-hull design in their recent project: Stiletto, the largest carbon-fiber
military craft. If you have a video you would like to share, please send us
your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this
week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/#media
YOUTH WORLDS
With Friday scheduled for the first races at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF
World Championship in Weymouth, Great Britain, the final practice day on
Thursday saw an unusual northerly at 10 to 12 with big puffs. The US
doublehanded teams will have their work cut out for them, as they don’t have
nearly the same amount of time training in the International 420 as many of
the other top countries. However, it looks to be a good boat for the kids.
The sun is coming out and the weather is scheduled to get warmer for the
next two to three days which could mean light air, but we are almost
guaranteed of an entirely different wind direction for Friday’s race as
Thursday was quite unusual. The level of sailing talent is very high as this
is the site of the 2012 Olympic sailing venue and tomorrow’s Olympic
hopefuls are here either coaching or sailing. - Bill Menninger
SAILING SHORTS
* With one day remaining at the 33-boat J/80 Worlds at Corpus Christi, TX,
the top three is filled with Texans as Glenn Darden holds an eight point
lead over John Kolius, with Scott Young seventeen points further back. Top
non-US entry is Britain’s Ruairidh Scott in eighth. -
http://www.2006j80worlds.com/
* Unfortunately Thursday morning the Davidson 72, Cassiopeia had an unwanted
visit from the ghost of Sir Isaac Newton during the 20th bi-annual running
of the 2300nm Victoria BC to Maui race. We have received reports from
Cassiopeia, that at 2215 HST this morning their mast broke two thirds of the
way up. Fortunately everyone on board is OK. Cassiopeia has withdrawn from
the race and is continuing under her own power to Kahului, Maui. -
http://www.vicmaui.org/2006/index.php
* Together US Sailing and Vanguard Sailboats are sending a team of top youth
sailors to represent the United States at the 2006 Laser Radial World
Championship in Los Angeles, CA, July 23-August 12. The sailors on the team
are: Cam Cullman (Rye, NY), Randy Hartranft (Bayville, NJ), Tedd Himler
(Manhasset, NY), Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, PA) and Jerry Tullo (Staten
Island, NY). As part of a nationwide program to support youth development
for sailing, the US Radial Youth World Team was created by Vanguard and US
SAILING to encourage young sailors to get more experience on the
international racecourse. -
http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2006/laserradialyouth.htm
* Stuart Robertson with crew Steve Mendenhall bested the 46-boat fleet to
win the 2006 Lido 14 Nationals in Huntington Lake, CA, with Freddie and Fred
Stevens of Long Beach, CA in second. Stephen Mueller and crew George Shelton
of Newport Beach, CA scored 1-2 in the last two races to win the Silver
fleet by one point over Ronald and Nicole Runyan of Willamette, WA. Complete
report on the Forums:
http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2736#2736
* Ellen MacArthur will compete in the Cowes-St Malo race departing Thursday,
the 100th anniversary of this classic event, onboard the 75-foot trimaran
B&Q. It will be the final race for MacArthur and the tri, as her team moves
forward in their new venture to compete in the IMOCA 60 monohull class.
Discussions continue with potential new title sponsors to support this next
programme as B&Q sponsorship draws to a close after the summer. -
http://www.teamellen.com
* The halfway San Francisco-Kaneohe mark and millionth mile West Marine
Pacific Cup reached, the 42-yacht crossing is in earnest as visions of Mai
Tais and plumeria are dancing in the sailors' minds. Lightning has put 95
miles between her stern and the bow of Morpheus in the quest to be first to
arrive at Kaneohe Bay. The double-handed fleet is still led by The Contessa
under the guidance of Neil Weinberg and Shawn Throwe Plus Sixteen and Slim
follow. Side bets are being made as to whether The Contessa or Lightning
will be the first to Kaneohe Bay. - http://www.pacificcup.org/
* US Sailing is seeking applicants for the 2006 Championship of Champions.
All current National, North American and World One-Design Champions as of
August 2005 are eligible to apply if they are the current title holder, sail
in the U.S., are members of US SAILING as well as members of a club, class
or association affiliated with US SAILING. From the applicants, US SAILING
selects twenty competitors to participate in the 2006 U.S. Championship of
Champions to be held October 25-28 at Grande Maumelle Sailing Club, Little
Rock, AR in Y Flyers. To apply:
http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC
* SailFlow, a web-based service for sailors seeking weather information,
provided Scuttlebutt with a frightening graphic of the weather during the
micro-burst tornado that hit the Marblehead, MA hard on July 11, 2006, doing
sufficient damage to force the cancellation of the Flying Scot North
American Championship Regatta at Corinthian Yacht Club, and causing havoc to
the area in general. View graphic:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/marblehead
SAILFLOW.COM - WEATHER WHERE YOU SAIL!
SailFlow, the leader in real-time and forecasted marine weather, announces
the completion of a new website. By collecting all public weather data
(buoys, forecasts, warnings, satellite/radar, etc), SailFlow's new free
service eliminates your need for multiple weather bookmarks by giving you
everything in one convenient location. Plus SailFlow operates a network of
proprietary weather stations placed right where you sail and uses their own
computer model to forecast conditions. A recent addition is a revolutionary
weather graph that scrolls between current, past, and forecasted conditions
without having to reload the page. -- http://www.SailFlow.com/new
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter per
subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And
please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that
prefer a Forum, you can post your thought at the Scuttlebutt website:
http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi)
* From Michael H. Koster: With regards to Paul Dietrich's analysis of the
small boat one-design market in Butt #2136, I could not agree more with the
exception of one point. We may not have to wait 20-30 years for the market
to turn around. The time may be now. I have noticed this year at our marina
that there are a significant number of empty slips that three years ago were
occupied by 20-30 foot power boats. Where did they all go? I suspect that
the $3.90/gal gas prices may have something to do with it. Maybe Mr.
Henderson (or anyone else for that matter!) has some thoughts on how we can
lure some of these folks back to the water in any type of sail craft before
they find the golf clubs.
* From Ben Jarashow: At the heart of Paul Henderson's letter, I think we see
a problem that has been spoken of for some time; he sport is shrinking.
Blame it on ISAF, a National Governing Body (or several), Class
Associations, Yacht Clubs, higher price for small boats compared to buying
power of the average sailor, or other constraints on the average sailor's
time and money (video games, cars, vacations, whatever). All of those are
possible and contributing culprits, in part or in whole. The long and short
of it is that there are fewer people sailing, especially smaller boats these
days. In today's Scuttlebutt were some very good thoughts on the subject, I
thouight. I did want to react to them in some way, and my response ended up
too long to just send to the Editor in it's entirety.
We can't just wait for the next generation, as easy as that is to say, and
we can't simply say 'we don't need no education' and ignore all authority,
from ISAF on down. However, if an organization comes into being that is
dedicated to the promotion of sailing on a local level, and if it exists as
a resource first, for information, for advice, and for any help possible to
bringing grass-roots sailing --- dinghy sailing --- to more prominence, then
the ball will start rolling the right direction. - Ben’s comments can be
read in their entirety on the Forums:
http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2735#2735
* From Fred Abelman: A quote from Paul Henderson.... "The USA is being more
and more isolationist because they are told nobody loves them, which in my
opinion is a left -wing conspiracy and not true."
Left wing conspiracy? Is this comment from Paul Henderson to be taken
seriously? So is he of right wing persuasion? Next he will blame Bill
Clinton for the decline of interest in sailboat racing. Perhaps part of the
blame for the decline of participation in competitive sailing lies with the
administrators at the top of the sport, of which he was one. In any case
please leave national politics out of the discussion. The internal workings
of the various sailing bodies are political enough. (There are plenty of
lefties who sail!).
* From Vic Beelik: (edited to our 250 word limit) On June 23rd I was sailing
on a 30 footer in a 28-mile race, the “Southern Crossing” on Lake Tahoe, CA.
As expected, thunderheads started forming around 1400. The winds were fluky
and dropped to almost nothing as we struggled to reach our last turning mark
near the Edgewood golf course. Then around 1630, all of a sudden behind us
the lake seemed to explode. It looked like a great invisible giant scooped
handfuls of water and flipped it in the air over an area of about a half a
mile in diameter. The wind blew this water and formed a smoke-like curtain
of water. This area of wind and water slowly came towards us and when it
hit, the wind speed increased from about 8 knots to more than 50 knots. We
had a full main and an overlapping jib, close reaching, when this melee hit
us. The boat started to broach but thankfully we regained control and ran
with the wind. And run we did! I looked at my GPS and we were doing 13.5
knots! Fortunately, this strong blast of air only lasted for about 10
minutes, as the lee shore was coming up fast! When we recovered from our
initial shock, we all concluded that it must have been Microburst. In my 40
years of sailing the Pacific Ocean I have never, and I hope I’ll never,
encounter one of these again. Thanks to God, none of the 20+ boats entered
sustained any serious damage.
* From Norris McNamara: Almost every year the number of competitors in the
Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is cut off at 300. It must have been 50
years since the race has had 265 competitors. Bayview YC might be encouraged
to curb their hyperbole.
Curmudgeon’s Comment: We contacted Christie Kirchner, the Communications
Manager for Chicago Yacht Club, who said that “we had approximately 300
boats last year & the same for this year.” Still not the largest, fresh
water sailing race in the world as CYC claims, but still pretty big. So far
the title for the largest, fresh water race seems to rest with the Bol d'Or
Rolex regatta on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, which has close to 600 boats
gathering each year to compete.
CURMUDGEON’S QUOTATION
“Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life.” - Herbert
Henry Asquith
Special thanks to Doyle Sailmakers and SailFlow.
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