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SCUTTLEBUTT 1610 - June 23, 2004
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UBS TROPHY RHODE ISLAND
22nd June, 2004 - Newport R.I.: The weather took a turn for the worse at
the UBS Trophy on Tuesday, with rain showers putting a damper on the
festivities. The wind was light for the first match at seven to 10 knots,
and the shifty, Southeasterly breeze challenged the Race Committee who
responded with an action inducing race course - each leg was just one mile
long. In the second match the wind had picked up to a solid 15 knot breeze
and the one mile legs on the short, two and a half-lap course provided a
big challenge for both crews.
(Pro-Driver Series - Race Seven of 12)
With Alinghi slightly ahead and to leeward of BMW Oracle off the start
line, BMW Oracle immediately tacked to the right with Alinghi loosely
covering. A significant left shift meant the first leg was nearly all port
tack. Despite the shift, Alinghi was still unable to cross BMW Oracle when
they came back on starboard near the weather mark, which enabled BMW Oracle
to lead by 10-seconds around the first mark. Minimal passing lanes and
better downwind sail selection provided BMW Oracle with her fifth
consecutive win. Finish Delta- 00:39
(Pro-Driver Series - Race Eight of 12) BMW Oracle had more speed at the
start, as Alinghi threw in two quick tacks to take the right side, but it
was a price worth paying, as Alinghi was able to sail most of the first
beat in more favourable current. Alinghi used its starboard tack advantage
to protect its position on the right side of the race course, and that
strategy paid off with a 13-second lead around the top mark. BMW Oracle
kept it close throughout, but Alinghi was able to defend their position
around the rest of the race course. Finish Delta- 00:24
BMW Oracle racing leads the Pro-Driver series 7 points to 4. Wednesday is a
lay day at the UBS Trophy with no races scheduled. On Thursday, racing
resumes with the first two Owner-Driver races, as well as race nine of the
Pro-Driver series. Event website: http://www.ubstrophy.com
Tuesday photos by Thierry Martinez:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/04/ubsri
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
One of the first things that strike you as you watch the America's Cup
boats rip up the water in the compact surroundings of Narragansett Bay is
how close spectator boats are able to get to the ACC race boats. Is this
because of poor spectator control measures? Absolutely not - it's truly
because of the enlightened control measures used at the UBS Trophy Series.
Although the six-boat Control Fleet does a good job to insure that no one
interferes with the race boats, they don't do it by maintaining a huge
buffer zone. Quite the contrary, it's pretty easy to get in close enough to
fill the entire frame of your camera with nothing but ACC boat … without
using a zoom lens.
Each Control boat carries a big poster with 'VHF 79' prominently displayed.
Like a PRO at Key West Race Week, Control chair Dick Enersen is constantly
on the radio telling the spectators about the course configuration and the
best places to position their boats to see the action. What happens when a
spectator boat gets too close? They are approached by a swift Control boat
with suggestions like, "Would it be possible to slide just a bit to the
left?" or "May I ask you move to the right a couple of boat lengths?" You
hear 'please' and 'thank you' a lot and there is never even a hint of
heavy-handedness. The approach works and the spectator fleet is truly very
well mannered. Close in, but well mannered. As Enersen explained, "This is
the exhibition seasons - our job is to help the people enjoy the
spectacle." - The Curmudgeon
SUPPORT PLEDGED
In what must have been a tense atmosphere, the Valencia 2007 Consortium met
yesterday (Monday) with the new Socialist board members. To everyone's
relief, the minister for Public Administrations, Jordi Sevilla, told the
meeting that the Americas Cup could count on the full support of the
Socialist Government. He added that the Cup is an opportunity 'that
Valencia has earned and needs in order to make more advances'. The Minister
added that the Madrid Government will not be slow in responding to demands,
and may in some instances be ahead of what is demanded of it, as yesterday
it was announced that the Spanish Credit Organization ICO would offer
Valencia an immediate credit of 110 million Euros (approx. $133 million
USD). The money is to go towards improving the canal granting access to the
Port, and will enable the project to be completed some eight months earlier
than expected. Despite this, the meeting broke up without any clear
direction as to how the event is to be financed. - http://www.valencialife.net
GOLD FOR GOLDING, GOLD FOR MUSTO
Mike Golding, sailing Ecover, struck Gold in The Transat - taking 12 days,
15 hours, 18 minutes and 8 seconds to cross the finish. In doing so,
Golding set a new solo transatlantic record, taking 2 days and 43 minutes
off the existing record set by Yves Parlier. "My Musto clothing was great,"
says Mike. "Musto don't just wave you off and wish you luck. They're
effectively with you all the way - which is a great advantage in a
single-handed race!" You don't need to sail an Open 60 to experience Musto.
Give it a try next time: http://www.musto.co.uk
FOR THE RECORD
In south south westlerly winds, gusting 20-25 knots, Ellen MacArthur,
skipper of the new 75-foot trimaran B&Q, crossed the start line Monday
evening to begin her first solo speed sailing record attempt. MacArthur
will be striving to set a new west-east solo transatlantic record from
Ambrose Light off New York to the Lizard Point off the south-west coast of
England. The current record stands at just 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes, 42
seconds set by Frenchman Laurent Bourgnon in June 1994 on board his 60-foot
trimaran, Primagaz.
12 hours into the record B&Q is just 42 miles behind Laurent Bourgnon's 10
year old record. The B&Q trimaran will have to cross the finish line off
Lizard Point by 00:34:42hrs GMT on Tuesday 29th June 2004 to secure a new
record for this distance.
The first night at sea was not an easy one for Ellen: "At most 14 minutes
sleep…8 sail changes since I have left New York and now I have something on
the rudder acting like a giant break on the boat, until daylight there is
not much I can do. I also broke part of a winch during the night so its not
been an easy start. I am just about hanging on to the average speed I need
to stay with this weather system." - Team Kingfisher,
http://www.teamkingfisher.com/uk/default.asp?m=displayarticle&id=11477
NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE
Roger Sturgeon from Hyannis MA and his Rosebud crew led a new group of
Trans Pac 52s into Bermuda by 2 hours to post the best corrected time
within the entire IMS Racing Division to win the Gibb's hill Lighthouse
Trophy. Richard Breeden's Bright Star, from Greenwich CT, the second Trans
Pac 52 took second overall in the Racing Division. Rosebud's crew included
Australian navigator Adrienne Cahalan and tactician Kevin Miller from
Ventura CA.
With the winds dying overnight and remaining light for much of the morning
today, the time set by the Swan 45 Alliance owned by Dominick Porca, which
finished at 2:08am EDT Tuesday, is looking increasingly secure to win the
St David's Lighthouse Trophy. The only yachts still able to beat her time
are some of the smaller boats that were within 100 miles of Bermuda at the
08:00 roll-call Tuesday. These include Emily and Sinn Fein racing in IMS
C/R Class 1 which are sailing in on with a building breeze in the forecast
and need to reach the finish during the early hours of Wednesday morning to
snatch the coveted prize from Alliance.
Unofficial Class winners include:
Class 10 - Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory
Class 9 - Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud
Class 8 - Skip Sheldon's Zaraffa
Class 7 - Frederick Stelle Ace
Class 6 - Dominick Porca's Alliance
Event website: http://www.bermudarace.com
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
(Curmudgeon's Comment: The following was provided by Timmy Dow, the watch
Captain and boat manager for Garbo, a Farr designed First 47.7, who
recounted the evening that kept his team from finishing the Newport Bermuda
Race.)
Sunday, June 20, 2004, 1644 EDT: I am sitting in my bunk on Garbo reeling
from the chaos that started at 0155 this morning. We are currently under
power, and crawling back towards Newport. Our wonderful little race turned
to &$@# in the dark hours this morning as Mr. Murphy and his entire family
shipped aboard as watch mates (ie, Murphy's Law). We are gradually hauling
ourselves out of the square Gulfstream swells, as the seas have subsided to
a more gradual groundswell and the wind has dropped off into the 20 knot
range….a far cry from the 38 that howled across the deck as Garbo struggled
to her feet.
I was awakened from my off watch to a cry for all-hands, and heard the A3
(sail) in distress, snapping and popping as the helmsman struggled to
refill it after getting rounded up in a puff. The wind had filled in to the
22-25 limit of our spanking new North A3, and as the foredeck crew clipped
in and worked forward, a huge puff rounded us up hard. Anyone who has ever
broached a boat knows that the recovery is slim to none when it swings back
the other way.
Garbo took a dive to leeward, and the next thing we had was 47 feet of boat
pinned with the boom dragging along in the water and North A3 raining down
on the deck. The kite had self destructed, and we hauled it down while the
boat got herself to her feet. The deck went from an orderly arrangement of
precise control lines to a salty spaghetti factory of wet spectra that
rolled under your feet in the darkness.
The drama doesn't stop there. For the rest of the story, go to
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/garbo
INSTANT GRATIFICATION
Landsailing made simple. It fits in your car trunk, springs to life in five
minutes, and has been clocked in excess of 50 mph. A stretch of beach, an
open parking lot, or desert dunes are all perfect tracks for Blokarts. Call
1-877-blokart for info. Great photo gallery at
http://www.blokartusa.com/blokart/gallery.html
JOHN KOSTECKI
Among Sailing World magazines 2004 Hall of Fame inductees is John Kostecki.
Here are a couple excerpts posted on their website.
On losing the gold medal to Jochen Shuemann in the '88 Olympics:
His strength was he had been to the Olympics before; he was definitely a
lot older and more mature. I think the whole Olympic deal maybe caught us
off guard. It was a close regatta, though. It came down to the last beat of
the last race. If we won, he needed to be third or worse. We rounded the
first windward mark in first and they rounded ninth, but they were able to
sail through the fleet and on the last run they passed the third-place
boat. It was so windy that there was no way we could drive him back and put
a boat in between us. It was literally like 30 to 35 knots at that point.
So we just finished the race first, and they finished second, and they won
the gold medal.
On joining Gavin Brady on the BMW Oracle Racing America's Cup team:
We won two Mumm 36 worlds together. I was tactician and he was helmsman. We
also sailed three or four legs of the '97-'98 Whitbread together on Chessie
Racing. For sure, we have a great relationship, and we complement each
other well. I've been personally out of the Cup game and match racing for a
little while, so we're hitting it pretty hard, training in Valencia and
then going to Croatia with Gavin for a match-race regatta.
Enjoy the rest of this interview on the Sailing World website, which
provides insight into John's first worlds win at 18 years old, his
transition into Olympic sailing, his feelings about the America's Cup, and
much more:
http://www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=33874&typeID=398&catID=608
US YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
Charleston, SC.- Perfect conditions prevailed in Charleston Harbor for the
second day of racing at the U.S. Youth Championship. With six races
completed in the Radial and 420 fleets and seven races in the Laser fleet,
a throwout comes into play. Current results:
420 Division
1. Adam Roberts, Nicholas Martin, 10 pts
2. Leigh Kempton, Kaitlin Storck, 22
3. Ben Sampson, Michael Komar, 29
Laser Division
1. Bryan Buffaloe, 17 pts
2. Michael Scott, 26
3. Mitch Hall, 36
Laser Radial Division
1. Cy Thompson, 7 pts
2. Leah Hoepfner, 13
3. David Hernandez, 19
- Lee Parks, US Sailing, full report:
http://www.ussailing.org/youthchamp/2004/index.asp?navigation=home
NEWS BRIEFS
* A repeat performance of the Gary Jobson produced "25 Years of Sailing"
has been scheduled for August 7th on ESPN2 at 5:00AM EST. -
http://www.jobsonsailing.com/tvsched.cfm
* Division assignments and start dates for the 2004 13th Biennial West
Marine Pacific Cup are now available on the race website. Fleet starts are
staggered, with the first start on June 28 and the final start on July 2. -
http://www.pacificcup.org
IDEAL SUPPORT
North Sails Race Week starts this Friday, and event founder Bruce Golison,
after 20 years of running the event, has learned where to get his support
boats. "The 665 and the 900 series Raider RIBs are perfect mark set
boats...they are fast and have plenty of room for the marks and gear. For
our VIP boat, using the Pearson True North 38 is awesome. The boat's a
great ride, is open and roomy and looks wonderful - a combination that's
hard to find!" For event results, photos and links to the Raiders RIBs and
Pearson True Norths, go to
http://premiere-racing.com/nsrw/2004nsrw/nsrw_2004_index.htm
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com)
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From Tom Priest: (re the Curmudgeon's closing comment in Tuesday's issue)
Oh my god.....when did you install a hidden camera on my life?!?!
* From Michael Panosh: How enjoyable it is to read that all is not well in
the Alinghi camp. It seems paradise is lost for Coutts and company. Russell
wants out, Brad is laid up, and suddenly again an entire nation (and the
sailing world) is left befuddled. Did Russell leave New Zealand, with all
the turmoil and trouble that accompanied the move, for this? And please,
Scuttlebutt, file Bertarelli's comments regarding Russell's contract--how
wonderful it would be to have him eat those words. And I wonder what the
people who thought a Cup in Europe would be so good for the sport think
now? Seems not a lot has changed when you consider the discord,
disenchantment, and most importantly hubris emanating from Team Alinghi.
* From Cheeko Matsusaka: I wanted to add my two cents worth as the
irritating, non-sailing spectator you know the broad target audience that
programmers are saying they can't get to? Don't poo-poo the
'exclusive-world-of-sailing' angle: just put it in its proper context. Mr.
Vaughn thinks that humor sells and I agree. His book on the Mariner
campaign is one of my all-time favorite AC books. As a non-sailor, this
book was a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at an early campaign: the
planning, funding, designing, building, and post-mortem. What was also
fascinating and hysterical was reading the author's description to the
alternate reality that was surrounding him at times: from Ted Turner to the
ritualistic "Grand Gesture." In a nutshell, you can't remove the
exclusivity air from the AC. It's like removing the skin off of fried
chicken. Moneyed egos, creative egos and competitive egos are a part of the
story, aren't they? So why deny it? Go with it.
* From Douglas Messer: Re Fred Roswold's boat prep comments. I am not sure
what economic model Fred is in, but here in the Midwest time is money. You
can spend $1000.00 to pay someone to fair your bottom or you can spend 20
hours of your time at $60.00 per hour equivalent. Personally, I would
rather be messing about on the boat, but my boss seems to feel that I need
to be present to qualify for my income. So if I don't go to work, I can't
afford to pay slip fees, insurance, entry fees, boat maintenance and all
the other costs associated with the poor excuse for racing that I can
afford. Yes it is frustrating to win the start, beat the fleet to the first
mark with good tactics then watch the guys with their new sails and perfect
bottoms sail by because they don't have kids in college or a mortgage note
and can afford the time or cash to as PHRF says "Properly" prepare their
boat and buy new sails. In PHRF your finish place should be determined by
how well you can utilize what you have not on how much you spend. With
today's computers, a spreadsheet can accurately and quickly update boat's
handicaps to allow modest programs to compete. Go on the internet and check
out the Irish Echo system it what PHRF should be in my opinion.
* From Ralph Taylor: There's much to like about the proposed governance
structure for US Sailing: (1) A smaller & more effective Board of
Directors, directly elected by the membership in accessible voting and
charged to represent the good of the sport rather than constituencies; (2)
Adding community sailing, instructors/coaches, and industry to
representation in the "House of Delegates"; and (3) Establishment of a
five-division structure to emphasize previously-neglected aspects, such as
non-competitive sailing.
Racing may be the tip of the pyramid, but it's the base of participation by
cruisers and day-sailors that will grow the sport. The organization must
address the needs of those who make new sailors. Perhaps, putting racing &
Olympics into their own two divisions will accomplish the "spin-off" that
Mr. Bainton suggests.
In my talks with fellow sailors, many feel that US Sailing has dropped the
ball so many times they don't trust it to run in the right direction.
Maybe, that distrust can change.
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
I work hard because millions on welfare depend on me.
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