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SCUTTLEBUTT 3356 - Monday, June 6, 2011Scuttlebutt 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: Kaenon Polarized and JK3 Nautical Enterprises. SAIL FOR GOLD FIRST SELECTION EVENT FOR US OLYMPIC SAILORS Over 50 members of US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) are in Weymouth, U.K. this week competing in Sail for Gold, the first of two Selection Events for the U.S. Olympic Team - Sailing. The regatta marks an important milestone for USSTAG athletes in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games. In addition to the venue being the same as the one used for the 2012 Games, the top performing American sailors in nine of 10 Olympic classes will qualify for the 2011 Weymouth and Portland International Regatta, which serves as a pre-Olympic test event. Organizers expect over 1,000 athletes from 62 nations to compete at Sail for Gold. As the final stop on the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Cup circuit, ISAF will award medals for the overall season standings. “This is the event that our athletes have been working toward all year,” said USSTAG’s High Performance Director/Head Coach Kenneth Andreasen (Tampa, Fla.). “We have put countless hours in at the gym and on the water to prepare. Our sailors have spent many days here in Weymouth training in preparation for this regatta.” “As the first of two Selection Events, Sail for Gold is where U.S. athletes begin to stake their claim on an Olympic berth,” said Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.). “The best combined performance at this and at the second Selection Event, ISAF Sailing World Championship, in December, 2011, will determine our Olympic Team in all classes except Women’s Match Racing. We’re confident that this process will select our best prospect for medals in 2012.” Racing starts Monday, June 6 in all classes and concludes with the medal race on Saturday, June 11. Sailors accrue points at each of the seven ISAF Sailing World Cup events to earn an overall Series Score. A first place win translates into 20 points, a second place earns 19 points and so on. (Twentieth place earns one point.) The skipper/crew with the highest Series Score at the end of the season wins the ISAF Sailing World Cup Trophy. Exclusive photos, video interviews and reports from the racecourse will be posted on USSTAG’s Facebook and Twitter channels. For a full list of USSTAG athletes competing at the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold regatta, visit: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Events/2011/SFG.htm DONNYBROOK ON THE ROCKS By Talbot Wilson (June 5, 2011) - Our Annapolis to Newport Race on James Muldoon's Donnybrook started Friday afternoon and ended abruptly early Saturday morning when the keel of the big black boat met the rocks of the south jetty of the Chesapeake Bay tunnel near Norfolk, Virginia. We were reaching up toward the channel at 6:45AM and bore off to cross over the tunnel. With all hands on deck, getting ready to launch a spinnaker for the next leg of our course around the 'middle ground.' The chart indicated 18 feet of water on the line we took, but the 12 foot deep keel proved the chart wrong. We were doing 12-14kts when Donnybrook hit a solid wall of rock and the 73 foot 30 ton racer stopped in an instant. She spun to the right and bounced along in a jarring series of lesser hits. The crew were scattered in the cockpit and deck like fallen pins in the ally. Three of our mates were taken to the hospital as soon as the Coast Guard could get out to help us. One will have have surgery on a compound fracture of his forearm, the other two were treated and released. I was trimming the mainsail, sitting on the deck in the cockpit and was thrown down on my right side. On the morning after "Donnybrook on the Rocks" I've got a hangover-headache from the bump on my head and a pretty sore right shoulder. Owner Jim Muldoon was driving. He practically went through the port side steering wheel. He caught the wheel on his throat. Captain of the Black Watch, Peter Manickas, was bruised after hitting the other wheel, bending some spokes and braking the weld at the hub. Will Keyworth, the Green Watch Captain, flew forward from mid-cockpit and hit his nose on the bulkhead above the starboard instrument displays. He looked like Rocky after the fifth round. All hands on deck were down and surely all eighteen of us have some pain somewhere today. Abby Sayer was below fixing breakfast sandwiches. She hit the counter by the sink. Her glasses and the sandwich she was making wound up in a forward berth. She narrowly missed being bashed by the companionway steps which flew across the cabin after being driven off the bulkhead by the weight of three life rafts stacked behind them. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/42no7d5 * At 1600 hours, Sunday, June 5, ICAP Leopard had finished the 2011 Annapolis to Newport Race in second after Line Honors Winner, Rambler 100, in the 70-boat fleet. Third finisher to date was Beau Geste, also the third boat to finish in IRC I. Rambler 100 missed the course record by 22 minutes. The estimate for the next to cross was Vanquish, the All-American Offshore Team. -- Results at: http://www.race.annapolisyc.org GIVE THE GIRL WHAT SHE WANTS Anna Tunnicliffe does it in Soft Kore - White Pearl with G12 SR-91 polarized lenses to be exact. Genny Tulloch likes to switch it up - wearing the brand new Squeeze while also enjoying the new colors offered in Georgia. Sally Barkow does it in Hard Kore - fitted with SR-91 polarized prescription lenses. Their all-girl crews wear Georgia, Burny, Burnet and Delite among others. At Kaenon Polarized we believe in giving the girls what they want. Available at Team One, APS, Point Loma Outfitting or locate a dealer nearest you on our newly designed website http://www.kaenon.com. Available in prescription. Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. WHY COLLEGE SAILING CHANGED THE PROPULSION RULE The 2010-11 college sailing season ended last week at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Nationals in Cascade Locks, Oregon, and competitors will be leaving behind more than just boat rotation schedules and 18 race weekends. They must also leave behind some of the propulsion rule modifications that college sailing has adjusted. Here is an explanation of these changes by Matt Knowles (Harvard '07), US SAILING Racing Rules Committee: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) makes two changes to Rule 42. First, college sailing allows ooching to initiate planning or surfing, in appropriate conditions. Second, the ISAF rule on tacking and gybing (which says that you may roll to facilitate the tack or gybe, but may not be going faster upon completing it than you were before the maneuver) is changed to say that an increase in speed is OK, so long as the mast does not leave vertical more than once during the tack or gybe. Of course, you still aren't allowed to simply tack or gybe continuously to work your way up the course absent tactical justification. These changes make our game more athletic, more fun, and fairer. The first two -- more athletic and more fun -- are easy to see. College sailors are young, in good shape, and generally spend a lot of time practicing boat handling. A powerful college roll tack is fun to do and fun to watch, and adds an athletic element to our game that might not otherwise be present sailing small, slow boats on short courses. Likewise, a well-timed ooch in big waves is both difficult and rewarding. Adding these skills to our game is a net positive. Why do the changes make our game fairer? If you ask most any ISAF judge (at least after a beer or two), he or she will admit that the ISAF tacking/gybing rule is very difficult to enforce in practice. Try standing on a moving platform and trying to figure out whether a boat has gained speed after it changed directions. Now try doing the same while watching 18 boats on a leg. Under the ISAF rule, illegal tacks often go unpunished, and sometimes legal ones are mistakenly flagged. In contrast, the ICSA rule is very easy to enforce, even from a distance while watching several boats. By having a rule that is clearly defined and easily policed, we put the focus back on sailing skill and reduce judges' role in the game. This, I hope all would agree, is a good thing. MORE: http://rulestalk.blogspot.com/2010/10/college-sailing-rule-42.html DESIGNER KAIKO ONTO WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR (June 3, 2011) - Two boat designs submitted by leading Australian based boat designers Fred Barrett and Phil Kaiko are amongst the seven winning proposals that will be made available to the World Match Racing Tour’s host venues. The Australian designs form a key part of the series’ wider development plan which will see a further six new venues added to its current calendar of eight regattas by 2013. New host venues being added to the Tour will select which boat design best fits their needs while existing venues will also be given the opportunity to update their fleet with one of the new designs. Barrett’s design, the FB-YD ‘Regatta XTR and XTR Pro’ Series, along with Kaiko’s BlueBottle/RedBack/WhitePointer are two of seven selected from 18 entries submitted by pioneering boat design houses around the globe. Sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with ‘Special Event’ status, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the preeminent match racing circuit in the world. It attracts the leading sailors who fight not only for the title of World Champion but also for $1.75million, the biggest prize purse in sailing. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Kaiko is now based in Fremantle, Australia, and is excited to be involved in the Tour, as his career has previously been dominated by the America’s Cup. “I’m completely excited about the direction of the World Match Racing Tour and the style of events being developed. It’s a great opportunity to develop something complementary to the other big sailing franchises,” Kaiko said. Kaiko is hoping to bring some of that know-how from the America’s Cup to the fast-growing match racing circuit. “This kind of boat is not dissimilar to America’s Cup, but it does have to be more forgiving because it needs to earn an income when not racing.” This is why his design has three different versions and resembles a Lego like construction, “where you can pick and choose components like the keel or rig depending on the skill levels of the sailors,” he said. -- Full story: http://yachte.com/news/story.asp?story=33145 WHO CAN AFFORD THE VENDEE GLOBE? By Bruce Gain A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend a small community event in Les Sables-d'Olonne, a resort town on France’s West Coast that hosts the start and finish of the Vendee Globe. There, Luc Van Den Heede, who placed third in the first Vendée Globe in 1989 and then second in 1993, and up-and-comer Arnaud Boissières, who placed seventh in the last race, were on hand to speak to a crowd of just a hundred or so at the local community center about their adventures. Long-distance sailors in France can enjoy a rock star-like status, and setting up just a phone interview often requires convincing PR reps or publicists that it's worth their sponsors’ time to get their yachtsman on the phone. It was thus a refreshing change of pace to attend such a laid-back event where two of France’s great sailors were so accessible. Community members on hand that night were eager to hear about the racers' experiences sailing around the world. During the Q&A session, they asked about what life on board was like, jibing in 20-feet waves in the middle of the Indian Ocean, how much sleep they got, how they ate and washed, and a host of other basic yet hardly naïve questions. After their talk on stage, both yachtsmen were kind enough to share with me their thoughts about the direction the Vendée Globe has taken over the past two decades. They gave me a better understanding of an issue that keeps creeping up in conversations I have around France: the insane costs required to compete in the fabled race. If there's one truism about how the Vendée Globe has evolved during the past two decades, it's that any sailor who dares to pursue his or her dream of sailing alone around the world in the race needs a very large sum of money to be a true contender. Dodging icebergs and low pressure fronts in the terrible forties, dealing with breakages thousands of miles from help, or facing anything else Mother Nature might unleash on you in the middle of nowhere will cost well over a million dollars if you want to stand a chance of finishing near the top, that is, if you manage to finish at all, considering that no more than 15 sailors ever completed the race in one year. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/3ep2jon JK3 is Selling Boats! JK3 is coming off of a great couple of months and have been seeing more activity for both new and brokerage boats than we have in years. In the past month, we've sold a wide range of both sail and power yachts and have multiple sales pending. We currently have listings ranging from 26 to 65 feet, and have a boat to fit any size and budget. JK3 is looking for quality brokerage listings to keep up with the demand. If you have a boat you'd like to sell, give us a call in San Diego 619-224-6200 or Newport Beach 949-675-8053. http://www.jk3yachts.com SAILING SHORTS * San Diego, CA (June 5, 2011) - The Etchells Worlds 2011 kicked off today under bright blue skies with a skippers meeting lead by PRO Bill Stump outside of the SDYC Malin Burnham Sailing Center in front of an audience of several hundred Etchells sailors, regatta and race committee volunteers. About half the fleet participated in the May ORCA Bowl regatta which served as a warm up event with similar race conditions and course layout. The boats were all in the water and on tow lines by about 10:00 AM headed out 4 miles southeast to the race course location for a day of practice starts and races. Racing runs June 6-8. -- Event website: http://tinyurl.com/3npyqwx * (June 3, 2011) - At prizegiving celebrations in La Rochelle, France, it was announced that the The Ultimate Solo Challenge, the 5 OCEANS race will continue with the ninth edition of the event in autumn 2014. Round the world yachting legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man ever to sail solo around the world non-stop, revealed plans for the 2014 event at the ceremony for the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010-11, which earlier this week reached a thrilling climax in La Rochelle, France, with Brad Van Liew claiming the title, the first time an American skipper has taken the historical Class I crown. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/449bggz * (June 2, 2011) - Regatta Network, Inc., one of the premier sailing event management services is celebrating the milestone of processing 100,000 registrations. Since 2007, Regatta Network has partnered with US SAILING to provide a comprehensive online registration and event management solution designed specifically for sailing events. The milestone was celebrated today at the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta at the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit. -- Full story: http://www.regattanetwork.com/PR/100K_release.html * (June 4, 2011) - Simpson Marine announced that it has contracted to supply a fleet of 33 Lagoon catamarans to a customer in China, the largest ever single order of yachts for delivery into the growing China market. The fleet will comprise a mix of Lagoons ranging in size from 40 to 62 feet and will be used by the buyer, Guangzhou based luxury members club, Tiger Club World, to introduce its high net worth members to the pleasures of yachting. Mike Simpson, Managing Director of Simpson Marine said the order eclipses the order for 30 Beneteau First 40.7s for the China Cup five years ago. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/3nxh4yu SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League (re, Scuttlebutt 3355): U.S. champion Howie Hamlin has won every available International 18ft Skiff championship with the exception of just one - the Mark Foy Trophy. Now the American is determined to add that trophy to his already impressive international record (which extends beyond the 18 Footers) with a strong challenge for the 2011 Mark Foy Trophy to be sailed at Sonderborg, Denmark from 6-11 June. Howie is a numerous winner of the U.S. Championship and six times winner of the San Francisco International Championship. He has also won four European Championships, but undoubtedly his greatest achievement in the 18s has been his back-to-back wins in the 2002 and 2003 Giltinan Championships with GE-US Challenge on Sydney Harbour. Ever the perfectionist, Howie is planning an all out attack on the Mark Foy Trophy with a totally new team. Joining him in CST Composites will be Australian Scott Babbage and Matt McKinlay from the U.S. There is little doubt that the CST Composites team will be a one of the hardest to beat when the flag drops on 6 June in Sonderborg for the start of the Mark Foy Trophy. -- Full letter posted at: http://tinyurl.com/3psq2fb * From Joe Buck (re, Scuttlebutt 3323): In a comment in the April 19, 2011 ‘Butt, in what has been called a “knuckle-rapping” lecture, I objected to the use of the meaningless phrase, “amps per hour” and suggested using appropriate terms, amps and amp-hours. Please let me give some context to my comment. Some time ago on the Santa Cruz 70, OEX, I had been complaining about a certain device consuming xx amps, and that device consuming xx amps, and turning this and that devise off when not in use. After listening for some time to me fussing about such things, Peter Tong, the urbane owner of the sleds Orient Express and OEX, told me, “Joe, don’t be an amp-hole.” Perhaps other owners in similar circumstances may want to offer such advice. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION In school, every period ends with a bell. Every sentence ends with a period. Every crime ends with a sentence. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Kaenon Polarized - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - Team One Newport North Sails - LaserPerformance - Doyle Sails - West Marine - Interlux Ullman Sails - Point Loma Outfitting - New England Ropes - Summit Yachts Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
