SCUTTLEBUTT No. 790 - April 9, 2001
Scuttlebutt 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.
ADMIRALS CUP
(In Sunday's New York Times, boating editor Herb McCormick provided some
interesting insight into the Admiral's Cup situation. Here's an excerpt.)
In the overseas press, some said the United States withdrawal had been the
catalyst for the cup's downfall. "I totally disagree with that theory," (US
skipper Ken) Read said. "We'd already found out through all our other
sources that there were at best two confirmed entrants." In fact, at the
deadline for entry forms on April 2, only France and the United Kingdom
were confirmed entries. In light of the meager field, Read said the search
to find a third owner to commit to a winning campaign - an effort that
would take months to recruit crew, learn a new boat and solidify the sail
program, at an estimated cost of $400,000 - was an impossible sell.
Evidently, it was not a plight faced only by the Americans. "A last-minute
campaign could probably do it for $150,000, but it would compromise our
team," Read said. "The other two owners had no interest in that. If they
were going to commit the time and effort, they wanted to be assured that
we'd have a solid chance of winning."
The sudden collapse of the once- influential regatta, however, does beg
another question: how did it happen so swiftly and completely? Read
believes it may simply be a sign of the times. "It used to be the only real
international competition was at something like the Admiral's Cup," he
said. "But now you can go to Key West Race Week and look at the sail
numbers, and you have Italians and Greeks and Germans and French and Kiwis.
And look at it from the owner's perspective," he added. "You can go to Key
West for 30 or 40 grand. To do the Admiral's Cup you spend hundreds of
thousands of dollars, you don't have your boat for half the summer, and you
have to house and feed a crew for weeks at a time. I think guys feel there
are more appealing regattas out there."
The Royal Ocean Racing Club said it would revamp the Admiral's Cup and play
host to the event again in two years. At this juncture, the road to that
summit seems straight uphill. - Herb McCormick, New York Times.
Full story:www.nytimes.com/
YOU'VE BEEN VERY GOOD
And you deserve a new boat this spring. Perhaps bigger, but certainly
faster. Fast is good. Fast and affordable is even better. Lower interest
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www.boatsbank.com
THE RACE
It only needed five hours for Team Legato to carry out the repairs made
necessary by the breaking of the mast foot ball joint seal. Just five and a
half little hours whilst the approach to the Canaries necessitated 1000
miles of beating into the wind!
Escorted by a flotilla of RIBS from the Yacht Club Real de Las Palmas, Team
Legato was awaited by a team and a mobile crane for lifting the mast so
that they could change the part. Once the shrouds slackened, a manoeuvre
directed by Ron Hansford, the engineer from Carbospars, it soon became
apparent that the damage to the rig was in fact very light, despite the
pressure exerted by beating 1000 miles to windward. The actual changing of
the part needed only twoWO hours work. Taking advantage of the stop, the
electronic equipment was checked and an alternator that had not worked
since Wellington was repaired.
A good shower and steaks all round devoured with pleasure by all the crew
and the boat left her dock.
* Warta-Polpharma is just 500 miles away from Marseilles's Vieux Port
where she is expected on Monday night or Tuesday morning. A strong Mistral
might hinder the boat's progress on Monday, forcing her to slow down so as
not to risk breaking anything at the end of this race.
Far behind, Team Legato is having a job to beat against the wind and has
only covered 180 miles in the last 24 hours. Polled at a speed of barely 4
knots at the last position report and a little over 1000 miles from
Marseilles, the English boat will probably not cross the finishing line
before Thursday or Friday, unless weather conditions are particularly
favourable for her in the Mediterranean.
Event website: www.therace.org
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON leweck@earthlink.net
(Letters selected to be printed may be edited for clarity, space (250 words
max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a
bulletin board or a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so
give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. We don't publish
anonymous letters, but will withhold your e-mail address on request.)
* From: Chip Evaul clevaul@earthlink.net
(In response to John Alofsin
in SB 789 regarding non-invitational match race eevents) The Frank Butler
Cup is a Grade 4, umpired match race series in Long Beach, California, open
to any entrant on a first-come, first-served basis. It is a two-weekend
series (May 19-20, Aug. 4-5), with a maximum of ten teams permitted. In the
past our fields have included sailors who are dabbling in match racing for
the first time, to up-and-comers who want someday to be on the match race
circuit, to "near-pros" who are fine-tuning their games. For prices/charter
info. call 562-493-5173 or clevaul@earthlink.net
* From: "Robert Dupont" robertdupont7@hotmail.com
Team New-Zeland
recently joined the America's Cup billionaire's Club thanks to a 40 mio $
deal with Hasso Plattner's SAP. What does Morning Glory's owner's
implication mean for the other partners of TNZ? Is the Defender's Challenge
still a national Challenge?
>CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Huh? We've seen nothing like this reported anywhere.
* From: Ron Baerwitz LaffingBaer@aol.com
(Re: Cam Lewis and the "Route
of Discovery" transatlantic passage) - What a great thing this fantastic
sailor is doing. Cam has the sailing talent to match the finest yacht
racers in the world. Yet, he chose a different challenge than most.
Including teachers and a satellite transmission to students is a brilliant
way to offer a perspective of the ocean and sailing that most will never
experience. Besides the obvious educational benefits of Cam's adventure, I
have little doubt that a large percentage of those kids sharing the
experience via the satellite transmission will someday be attracted to
boating and, quite possibly, racing.
I am not a US Sailing basher. However, recruiting new prospects into our
sport takes this type of creativity. Without statistics in my hand, I'm
willing to wager that more than 90% of today's sailing youth are kids of
boating parents. Boating is just not accessible to the average youth and
early age is where they will catch the boating "Bug." This direct feed into
the classroom will allow Cam to reach youth in a whole new way, basically
bypassing parents who don't boat.
With all the ocean racing going on around the world, I hope Cam's
creativity will influence others to do similar projects.
WARNING: Following are the last letters that we'll be printing for a while
about the new rules, the new starting sequence and US Sailing.
* From: Chris Ericksen Chris6932@aol.com
In 'Butt 789, Ray Wulff
observed that "more and more R/C's (are) amending the 'official' starting
sequence rules (rather) than following them to the letter." I, too, am
finding that: my own club (Alamitos Bay YC) has shortened the sequence to
three minutes (making it at "3-2-1-Go" sequence rather than a "5-4-1-Go"
sequence) so as to accomodate the six to eight classes and three to four
starts each day for our usual small-boat club regattas (although for
single-class championship events ABYC plans to use the standard Rule 26
sequence). So much for a "universal" starting system...
* From: Gordon Murphy Murphy@Partners.co.gg
(In response to Phillip
Lyon's letter in the 787 issue) - It isn't the cost of US Sailing, but the
arrogance of the organization to its constituents. The irony is that the
name change from USYRU to US Sailing was to emphasis that sailing wasn't an
elitist sport. Judging by the letters published in the 'Butt US Sailing
seems to be insular and out of touch with its members. How can you change
the rules and then hide behind a publishing and delivery fiasco? At least
publish the new rules a year in advance so that clubs and other sailing
organizations can prepare. The "cram down" of the new rules is an insult to
all racers. If the people's organization does this to its members then
bring back the days when sailing was elitist. I voted with my feet three
years ago and dropped my US Sailing membership.
* From: "Michael O'Callaghan MOCallaghan@matson.com
In regards to your
recent letter from Phillip Lyon chastising sailors that race but don't
belong to USSA as lacking commitment, I race and am not a member and I am
proud of it. I won't join because I don't believe in the organization.
Becoming a member is my tacit support that I believe USSA is doing a good
job. They do a very bad job at what they do. The regatta committee's get my
money just the same and even more than a USSA member would pay for the 20
regatta fees I pay each year. I belong to organizations that I believe are
worthy of my membership. USSA has a long way to go to reach this. But USAA
should keep trying. I would like to belong some day if they are willing to
improve.
* From: Adam Zangerle Adam_Zangerle@steris.com
The winner of Jamie
Malm's contest to see who can find all the new changes and explain them
(Scuttlebutt 788) is David Dellenbaugh. Dellenbaugh devoted the Jan/Feb
edition of his "Speed & Smarts" newsletter to reviewing the rule changes.
The review includes side-by-side comparisons of the old language to the new
language, as well as an analysis of how the changes will impact different
situations on the race course. After spending about an hour with the
information on Sunday afternoon, I concur with Dick Rose's opinion that the
few changes that were made "are not going to make much difference to the
average fleet racer." Oh yeah...Speed & Smarts also contains lots of
pictures and diagrams, so Jamie won't need a "Yale graduate" to explain it
to him.
I also find it ironic that so many subscribers write to this on-line
newsletter to complain that the '01-'04 rules are only available on-line.
Yes, you must either print the nearly 200 pages of rules, appendices and
prescriptions from the US Sailing website or wait until you receive the new
book in the mail sometime around the end of the month. In the meantime,
based on the information available to me through the US Sailing website and
contained in printed materials, such as the rules columns in "Sailing
World" and those described above, I feel confident that I will not end up
in the protest room in a regatta run under the '01-'04 rules simply because
I didn't know about a rule change.
* From: Win Fowler, USSA member #139463c win@mesailing.com
I think my
friend Dave White right that there is little incentive to join USSA. But I
believe he is misguided in thinking that the solution to US Sailing
membership woes is to bar the doors to non members.
And I don't know why anyone should be surprised that US Sailing is less
than responsive to its members. It has no reason to be. Individuals are not
voting members, nor do we have a direct opportunity to vote for the people
who, in theory, represent our interests. Those 'in theory' representatives
might be delegates from our community sailing organization, our one design
class, our local PHRF committee, or our regional sailing association. How
many of us know the name of the voting delegate to US Sailing who
represents our interest? When is the last time one of them consulted you?
The answers for me are: 'I don't' and 'never'.
If US Sailing really wants to serve its members, it should change its
bylaws to allow members to vote directly for the delegates who make the
decisions. Maybe then members will feel invested in the organization. Maybe
then voting delegates would feel an obligation to individual sailors...
Until then, it's an old boys (and girls) club.
* From: "John McBrearty" mcbrearty@earthlink.net
If it ain't broke, don't
fix it. Unfortunately, the people who get into a position of power in
yachting always seem to want to leave their "stamp" on our pastime. I
wonder why that is, because they rarely have been able to leave a "stamp"
on yachting by their own participation. Rather, they have been able to win
a popularity contest in order to get a position that no one else (except
others of their ilk) particularly wants. It is currently impossible to get
a copy of the rules of the game unless you are online. DUH! How are we
supposed to play the game without the rules? The new start system is really
simple. SO WAS THE OLD ONE! We are having change for the sake of change
because someone wants to put their "stamp" on our pastime for the sole
purpose of their on self-aggrandizement.
* From: Ken Legler kenneth.Legler@tufts.edu
Many years ago I was
complaining about USYRU not helping me market my clinics. Dave Perry said
he understood my problem but that I shouldn't be bad mouthing USYRU. Even
in his early twenties, Dave's word carried so much weight that I
immediately shut up. It took me awhile to realize why he was right. I was
essentially wanting USYRU to do my marketing for me. Since then USYRU (now
US Sailing has been a constant mainstay in every aspect of my career;
coaching, race management, junior sailing program management, instructor
training and clinics.
The new starting sequence was not US Sailing's idea; their job is to
facilitate this new ISAF rule. I'm confident it will be better after a few
regattas. When I ask a student to try tacking facing forward while passing
the tiller behind his or her back, I don't want to hear...I tried it once
and I slipped so clearly tacking backwards is the only way that can work.
Forced membership was not US Sailing's idea either, in fact US Sailing has
successfully modified this rule to negate its downside. The object is to
get more people involved, not less. The thought of active racers not
joining because US Sailing has some dumb rules and is not doing enough for
me could not be more selfish.
* From: Stephen Orosz sorosz@ucla.edu
The problem that some sailors
have with US Sailing can be solved by more sailors getting involved with US
Sailing on every level. To get more dedicated individuals to volunteer
their valuable time and energy (and therefore continue to improve our
organization) it would help immensely to have a greater pool of members to
draw from. Requiring membership of all crew for boats to be eligible to
race clearly has not been popular but certainly encouraging your crew to
join up as Ed Sherman suggested in Scuttlebutt No. 789 is a great idea.
Yacht clubs could further support this encouragement by offering a larger
discount on race entry fees to boats where ALL crew members are US Sailing
members. Most already offer a lower entry fee if skippers are members, so
changing the fee structure to offer a deeper discount when everyone on
board is a member of US Sailing shouldn't be too difficult to implement.
And it's likely to be more persuasive appealing to skippers' wallets
instead of ordering them to do something they view as onerous.
CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: On this note we now declare these threads officially
dead!
BIG BOAT SERIES
The Executive Race Committee of St. Francis Yacht Club voted to replace our
PHRF-based St Francis Handicap Rating System for the non one-design classes
racing in the 2001 Big Boat Series with Americap II. "We believe there is a
real need for another measurement based handicap system to race under in
the US and Americap II will best fit our needs," said Norman Davant. "The
St Francis Yacht Club has officially resigned from rating boats. It is time
to get back to a handicap system that people can actually build boats to.
At some point in time you just have to make the decision to jump. We have."
WOMEN'S MATCH RACING
The Newport Harbor YC's 2001 Women's Match Racing Invitational for the
Bettina Bents Memorial Trophy has ended, but at 10:00 PM PDT the final
results were not yet posted on the regatta website. However we do have the
final four from the double round robin: 1. Pease Glaser, 13 points, 2.
Karen Johnson, 11, 3. Dawn Riley, 10, 4. Casey Hogan, 7.
Here are the points for the others in the regatta: Charlie Arms, 6 pts,
Katie Pettibone, 5, Sandy Hayes, 2, Liz Hjorth 2.
Event website: www.nhyc.org/
WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA.
Imagine a pair of shorts that keeps you organized with giant cargo pockets
to store everything, parachute chords just in case, flashlight holders, and
plenty of places to attach those whatzamacallits that can open, close,
chop, slice and dice everthing. While Camet hasn't yet created the Swiss
Army Knife of shorts, the have bomb-proofed and engineered their highly
popular quick drying Camet shorts for their crews to feel comfortable on
the weather rail. For Antigua, BVI Rolex, Yachting Cup, Ensenada etc they
are a must have. www.camet.com
WORTH VISITING
The UK Sailmakers website has an animated rules quiz that's far better than
anything we've seen. This is a page that must be checked out by every
serious racer: www.uksailmakers.com/
THE CURMUDGEON'S ANNOUNCEMENT
Why is it that most nudists are people you don't want to see naked?
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