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SCUTTLEBUTT 3055 - Wednesday, March 24, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today’s sponsors: Atlantis WeatherGear, Doyle Sails, and SailFast. ELLISON DISCUSSES AMERICA’S CUP PLANS BMW Oracle Racing team owner Larry Ellison spoke with Fortune magazine regarding his ideas as Defender and host of the next America’s Cup. Here is an excerpt: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Can you actually make money with an America's Cup team? LARRY ELLISON: That's one of the things that's crucial for the 34th is that we make this a profitable venture for all the teams, not just for the defender or the challenger of record. We'd make it a more attractive TV sport so we can sell TV contracts. We'll get the budgets under control so someone can come in and campaign for three, four, five million dollars. So the South Africans will come back. The Swedes will come back, not that they can't raise more money, but we'd want someone with a smaller budget to be able to build their boat, put together their team and be competitive. We'd like this to not be a matter of who invests the most money in designing their boat but who sails the best. * So you're committed to rules that will lower the bar? LARRY ELLISON: Oh yeah. It shouldn't be about money. It should be a little bit about technology and a lot about sailing. And it's got to be a great experience for viewers. It's got to be something kids want to watch. Quite frankly when I'm watching the Olympics I watch downhill racing. My kids watch the snowboarders. Okay. We've got to pay attention to that. I kind of like monohulls. All my racing experience is on monohulls. But if what the kids want to watch is multihulls because it's more exciting, we'll go multihulls. We've got to make this a great sport from the point of view of the participant, especially the kid who's just getting into the sport, and from the point of view of the viewer on television. * Have you approached the networks yet? LARRY ELLISON: I know Rupert Murdoch, but I'm not going to approach him about Fox. Though they would be great. I know Bog Iger and I'm not going to approach him about ESPN. But that's what we want. We want network coverage. We want ESPN coverage. We think we can make this extremely attractive and comprehensible. We want some 15-year-old watching this thing, saying, "Wow, that's cool. I'd love to do that." * What other marketing ideas do you have? LARRY ELLISON: It's got to be a commercially viable sport. Baseball is. Football is. Tennis is. We've got to attract a fan base. We have to make it interesting. We have to have interesting commentators. When the NFL put in that yellow first down line on the field, it gave the fan a little more insight as to what was going on during the play. We can provide that computer assistance, which is especially needed in sailing. * What about the U.S. audience? LARRY ELLISON: No sport can be successful without good TV coverage. The TV coverage of the America's Cup has been dismal in the United States. We can fix that easily. With a little bit of technology and care and attention I think we can make this incredibly exciting to kids. The sailors watch. But we've got to go beyond that. We've got to get the next generation interested. Complete interview: http://tinyurl.com/yzr982a NEW HANDICAP RULE GETS ORGANIZED The Offshore Racing Rule Owners Association (ORROA) was recently created to promote and encourage offshore racing under the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) by providing a more scientific, research-based handicapping system. By providing a fair and accurate handicapping system, the organization encourages participation from a broad group of boat owners, inviting them to become active participants in this new association and championship racing series. In 2004, three major USA yacht clubs, the Chicago Yacht Club, Cruising Club of America, and Transpacific Yacht Club formed an alliance called the Offshore Racing Association (ORA) which was formed to promote and support the use of VPP-based handicapping and has undertaken the task of developing a new measurement-based rating rule that provides the fairest handicapping possible. This rule, the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR), was implemented during the 2006 racing season, administered by ORA and US SAILING, the national authority for sailing in the United States. The ORR predicts relative time allowances between boats to permit boats of different sizes, types and ages to compete with the fairest ratings possible. -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0323/ DISCOVER: A SAILOR’S VERSION OF PARADISE Eustace, Ashley and the rest of the Water Sports crew at Bitter End have your boat of choice rigged and ready to go. Whether it’s a keelboat, dinghy, beach cat or board, they have toys for every sailor, and Atlantis WeatherGear wants to send you there to play with them. Enter the Atlantis Sailor’s Paradise Sweepstakes to win a trip for two to Bitter End Yacht Club or a bunch of other cool prizes that sailors will love. Visit http://www.atlantisweathergear.com/sailorsparadise to enter, and check out the new 2010 product line while you’re there. Discover Atlantis. KEEPING THE BAR HIGH IN RIGGING AND RACING Scott Easom, owner of Easom Rigging & Racing, is one of the elite marine professionals in the industry. In Scuttlebutt 3054, Scott offered his perspective on the IRC rating penalty now assessed on electric winches. Here is another excerpt of the interview Michelle Slade did with Scott: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Tell me about growing up sailing in Marin County, California SCOTT EASOM: I was born in Burlingame and immediately moved to Marin County as a kid, to San Rafael, and lived there until I was 11, when my parents bought a boat, sold the house, sold everything we had. We moved on board the boat and went for an extended cruise. We were gone from Marin County for 4 years, sailed 20,000 miles on a 50 ft boat. I left as a 6th grader and came back as a sophomore in high school, and that’s when I really got bitten by the bug. I basically didn’t go to school for a couple of years, just read a lot of books while I was on board, and discovered that sailing was something I really loved to do. When I came back to high school/San Rafael, the whole Laser thing was just going on, Performance Sail Craft was actually in San Rafael - 1975. I got a Laser then and started competitively from there. I got involved in the St Francis Yacht Club and the Richmond Yacht Club. I went to the College of Marin after I went to high school in San Rafael, and started my company in 1977. I started getting offers to travel and sail the world on other peoples’ yachts, and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since. * What keeps you at the top of your game in this sport? SCOTT EASOM: Sailing with people who are better than I am. I knew if I was going to have a company that prides itself in being a cutting edge company, I needed to go sail with cutting edge programs, cutting edge people. Traveling to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, are absolutely critical to making sure that what we do is cutting edge and find out what everybody else is doing too. * Tell me about some of the challenges in your industry and what you do for a job these days? SCOTT EASOM: The economic downturn definitely affected the industry. But last year happened to be one of our best years ever in the 30 years I’ve got in this career. We think we’ve uniquely positioned ourselves in the industry to be the people you have to go to see if you have a race yacht program. While there are many people out there who are “riggers”, we’re really the only company who caters to the really high end customer, the high end serious yacht racer. We do work on the occasional cruising boat, and the casual-race-around-the-bay cruiser/racer. We still work on those guys. It’s what I call technology transfer. We have extremely wealthy customers who allow us to be extra creative and come up with unique ideas and equipment and layouts, and we’re able to filter that down to the people with boats here in the Bay Area who go out and race, or cruise. Whether you’re a racer or a cruiser, what we learn from working with these big programs can be incorporated into these more casual programs, for people who just like to go sailing. Complete interview: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0310/ CREW RESCUED FROM CLIPPER 09-10 (March 23, 2010) - Following the incident which took place on Sunday afternoon GMT in which the ‘California’ entry in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race was dismasted on the leg from Qingdao, China to San Francisco, USA, the 180-meter Danish registered tanker, Nord Nightingale, arrived to transfer injured crew member Clive Cockram on board. Fellow crew member, Dennis Flynn, was also taken on board. "We finally caught up with ‘California’ in the dark some 18 hours after we were diverted to offer assistance," says Pete Stirling, skipper of ‘Jamaica Lightning Bolt’. "We held position with her throughout the day until the very welcome sight of the tanker loomed over the horizon at 0430 GMT this morning. As they came to a stop next to us they launched their MOB boat (a small launch with an outboard engine) to come and take the casualty off ‘California’. There was still a large confused swell running with 25 knots of wind which made the operation no easy task. After over an hour of attempting to safely get alongside ‘California’, the medevac was successfully completed whilst in the slightly calmer seas of the lee of the ship." Clive was sitting in the saloon when the boat rolled and was thrown across the cabin, ending up with cuts to his head. He responded well to treatment but will require some stitches to his wound. The ship is on the way from Japan and is expected to arrive in Los Angeles on March 31st. The team on ‘California’ continues to motor due east for the 2013 nm towards their destination in San Francisco. -- Race website: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com * An update from journalist Kimball Livingston: “Team Finland’s mast was replaced in Qingdao, and the boat started for San Francisco two weeks behind the rest of the fleet, then made a stop in Yokohama for fuel and water after discovering problems with the water maker. Meanwhile, crewmembers from Cork - it went aground and was abandoned on the Singapore-Qingdao leg - are distributed through the remaining nine boats. “You can’t deny it’s an adventure, but this is probably not going as-imagined. And they’re paying for the ride (each crew pays a fee to participate). Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Clipper Ventures stages these circumnavigation races in matched 68-footers every two years - the Clipper Round the World. Aspiring crew are put through a rigorous training regime and then placed under the command of a professional skipper. Crew can sail one leg or the whole 35,000 miles. There have been problems before, but nothing on this scale.” -- http://kimballlivingston.com/?p=2374 WHAT DO 1, 2, AND 3 HAVE IN COMMON? Doyle. Doyle sails dominated the Viper 640 North Americans held in Miami, finishing 1-2-3. Lee Shuckerow, Brad Boston and Eric Vigrass won their second straight North American title. While 2nd place finisher Somers Kempe and 3rd place finisher Barry Parkin also used Doyle’s latest sails. In the 19-boat fleet, Doyle sails won 8 of 9 races. When one designs come down to one, it's Doyle. http://www.doylesails.com/onedesign * It was just over a year ago when a past customer asked if Doyle wanted to work on some Viper 640 sails for him. He said how the class was a good group of people and he thought Doyle sails would do quite well in the fleet. After just the eighth regatta in the class, the Doyle Viper program claimed their second straight North American title. Next up for Doyle and the class is Charleston Race Week. -- Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9461 BERNTSSON LEADS AFTER DAY 1 OF CON CUP Long Beach, CA (March 23, 2010) - The local breeze would seldom be called fickle, but it took a freak turn Tuesday that settled a battle of unbeatens and left defending champion Johnie Berntsson of Sweden in first place after Day 1 of the 46th Congressional Cup, the only Grade 1 Open match racing event in the United States. Late in the fourth of five flights, the wind shifted 70 degrees to northwest directly out of downtown Long Beach and dropped from a peak of 16 knots to 3, sending Berntsson home free. Then, with the course re-set in the new direction, Berntsson (5-0) made all the right plays to beat four-time winner Gavin Brady (4-1) by 1 minute 25 seconds in the last flight of the day. At day's end, then, Brady shared second place with Italy's Francesco Bruni, last year's runnerup, and two-time winner Dave Perry, whose only stumble was against Berntsson, who made the noted rules guru pay hard with penalties for two tactical miscues to win by 1 minute 24 seconds. It was not so nice a day for Sally Barkow, a two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and the event's first woman skipper since 1996 who sits at 0-5 after what she described as a learning experience. "We had a tough day," she said, "but racing against some of the best professionals here is fun. It takes some time to get used to the boats, and that's what today was about." Brady offered the same tone that "first you get a feel for the conditions and try to get faster every day so at the end of the week you're ready for the semifinals." -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9509 * To follow the racing, there will be Twitter updates, live audio during the racing, and daily T2P.tv video produced each evening. Details at event website: http://www.lbyc.org/html/content.cfm?CID=1170 SAILING SHORTS * (March 23, 2010) - It was formally announced today that the city of Itajaí, in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina, will be the South American stopover for the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race. This is the first time that the port of Itajaí will play host to the event, which has visited Brazil on six prior occasions. It was not stated where the route to Itajai will be coming from, though it is believed to be coming from the Oceania region. Another port announcement is to come Wednesday, which is believed to be Miami, FL. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.com/ * Balboa Yacht Club’s 2010 Corona del Mar to Cabo Race is set to start this Friday and Saturday with a fleet of 36 boats. Leading the pack will be Doug Baker’s chartered 78 foot “Akela” with the Australian R/P 63 “Limit” setting a marquee matchup in class A. Attention will also be paid to the extremely competitive Class D fleet with four J/125’s and three Farr 40’s racing one-design as well as for class and overall corrected time. The majority of the boats are expected to finish on Tuesday with the forecast for moderate winds along the course. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9508 * (March 23, 2010) - Quantum Sail Design Group has announced restructuring plans for manufacturing facilities located in the Spanish region. The changes reflect not only the downturn in the Spanish and European economies, but also the investments and improvements made by the international sail maker in sail design and production over the past 30 months. The changes will affect the closure of the membrane sail production facility and a service loft located in Binissalem (on Mallorca Island) and the downsizing of the Villassar de Dalt loft (near Barcelona), which will continue as the European headquarters for Quantum Sails. -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0323a A NEW FABRIC. A NEW LOOK. A NEW SITE. SailFast has another innovation for sailors - a new collection of Bamboo shirts. The fabric will reincarnate your favorite T-shirt with natural properties like moisture wicking, stretch for active movement, odor control, and UV protection. Good for you, good for the environment. Check it out on our new website http://www.isailfast.com LETTERS AND FORUM Please email 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 Captain Michael J Dailey: It is very unfortunate and I’m sorry to hear about California’s dismasting (in Scuttlebutt 3054). But what would be even more unfortunate is if they used their EPIRB to announce it, and the C-130 crew to help write their press release? It is also possible it was activated in the knockdown, but the article only said “During the roll, a large amount of water came through the main hatch and flooded the navigation station, cutting off the boat’s communication systems. The EPIRB ensured that the relevant authorities would be quickly aware and that the incident could be communicated.” I mean you are racing, in an ocean, and of all of them it is the Pacific which if you have sailed it you know it does not live up to its name. Sailing in 50 knots is not at all uncommon in the Pacific, even in the tropics it is possible to get 50 knots in squalls. Maybe you could add a little something about how the EPIRB was actually activated, especially if it was accidental? I would hate to think that just because they are involved in an event they think they can use an emergency distress system to announce their race status. There is way too much of that already going on worldwide. * From Frederic Laffitte: Pete Rollason should be ashamed of himself. Dismasting is always a bummer but NEVER a good enough reason to activate the EPIRB, unless someone has been injured or the boat is in danger of sinking. Fifty knots is rough weather, but completely manageable, the proof is that the boat is currently under power towards San Francisco. You do not call 911 because your car does not start! I sincerely hope that, once back on shore, Pete Rollason will offer a public apology for sending an expensive Coast Guard plane towards a boat that was not in danger, then step out of his position of skipper, as he does not deserve it. * From Brent R. Boyd, San Diego, CA: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 3054) I can sit on the fence all day about using electric winches on boats instead of crew. I sailed on a Swan 53 for several years that had four electric sheet winches and a halyard winch. We used them when the crew was on a leisurely day sail or distance cruise. When it came to race days, the winch power was turned off - this only seemed sporting to the rest of the fleet. I also sail on Stars & Stripes 11 that has been completely restored and is now used as a charter yacht - no electric winches. I find it interesting that Scott does not mention “electric” in his description of the SOOZAL design. He glosses over that detail by using the terms “new winch technology” and “cutting edge”. Electric winches are neither new nor cutting edge. Must be merely coincidence that the boat won so many major events right out of the box. A good test would be to sail that same series next time around with the winch power turned off. * From Bruce Bates, Durham, NH: Powered winches for racing on a 40 footer? What do you want to do, take all the physical effort out and athleticism of racing? Should we all be like the Wally ads - one guy sailing a 100 ft boat with a lot of push buttons? The only way I got into big boat racing was because I was young and strong and could grind like hell. If you want to take more people out of sailing equip all the 40 footers with power winches; that way only old farts like me (70) would be left to race. * From David Redfern, England: In reference to Peter Bowker’s letter in Scuttlebutt 3054, where he asks, “Can anyone explain why the America's Cup event in 1851 is referred to as a race for the "100 Guinea Cup"? It is a mistake made by someone who couldn't read. The poster for the original race says 'Hundred Pound Cup' and there is a receipt for it at such an amount. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Posted on the website for the Royal Yacht Squadron, it says” The cup's name comes from the yacht America which, in 1851, won the Royal Yacht Squadron's race round the Isle of Wight for a Cup of One Hundred Sovereigns (not guineas - the cup is often referred to mistakenly as the Hundred Guinea Cup, by which name it became known in America where it was subsequently engraved). The cup is named after the yacht, not after the country that held it for so long. From contemporary accounts of the challenges the Americans seem to have used pounds (sovereigns) and guineas interchangeably. 100 guineas would have been 105 pounds.” -- http://tinyurl.com/ydcrsph CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION “Only those who do not move, do not die, but are they not already dead?” - Jean Behra, a French F-1 driver, referring to the risks of racing. Behra died in a crash racing his Porsche RSK in the late 50’s. Special thanks to Atlantis WeatherGear, Doyle Sails, and SailFast. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
