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SCUTTLEBUTT 2907 - Thursday, August 13, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are Ullman Sails, MyBoatsGear.com, and Schaefer Marine. A GOLD MEDAL WITH A SIDE OF BRATWURST Members of the Olympic Sailing Team this week are getting their first chance to sail in the Elliott 6m - the new Olympic class keelboat that will be used for the 2012 women’s match racing Olympic event. They’re getting a feel for the positions on the three-person boat, and the boat’s potential. They’re tacking, jibing, starting and rounding marks, and it’s likely that the fishing boats they are passing while doing it have no idea they reeling in a coho salmon next to what could be the future Olympic gold medalists. All this is happening in an unlikely place: Sheboygan, Wisconsin. A place better known for its love of bratwurst sausages than its lakefront, Sheboygan is about to play a crucial role in the quest for gold in the match racing event. Monday, eight brand new Elliott 6m sailboats, that literally were finished being assembled just hours earlier, were dedicated at the US Sailing Center Sheboygan. The boats are the first in the United States and only eight others, which were sent to Germany for Kiel Week in June, are sailing. “It’s very exciting to see this center, which just a few years ago was just a distant goal, come to fruition in such an exciting way with the dedication of this fleet of Elliot 6m’s,” said Richard Reichelsdorfer, US Sailing Center Sheboygan executive director. Incoming US Sailing President Gary Jobson, ISAF Match Racing Committee Chairman Henry Menin, sailing center supporter North Sails’ Terry Kohler, US Sailing Coach Dave Perry and Women’s International Match Racing Association Executive Director Liz Baylis joined designer Greg Elliot, who flew in to work on the boats with sailing center volunteers, in dedicating the fleet. All of those assembled share one ambitious goal: Gold in 2012. -- Sailing Magazine, read on: http://www.sailingmagazine.net/news/us-sailing-center-sheboygan STATE OF THE UNION About the boat brokerage business, Don Finkle of RCR Yachts, which operates five outlets in the Great Lakes, provides an update: Used boats are selling much better than new boats are, but it goes beyond that. Sail has been doing better than power, and less expensive boats are doing better than high-end vessels. The sale of race boats has been especially soft, a continuation of a trend we've seen for the last few years. In-stock boats are selling better than ordered boats, due to the incentives on existing inventory. These are of course generalizations and there are exceptions. We are seeing improvement in activity and some gradual return to normalcy in the attitudes of our customers. Of course everyone is more wary than before, but the world is not coming to an end and people are getting back to living their lives. Our builders are feeling a bit better because the inventory in the field has been cut way down. This excess inventory was the main reason they had to cut back so drastically on production. We are still waiting for the Government to come out with a "cash for clunkers" program for boats. I think we may be waiting for a long time….. What to expect this fall and beyond? At the fall shows you will see very few new models. Builders recognize that it is not a good time to bring out a new design, with the significant associated up-front development and tooling costs, and a soft market. They will concentrate on improving existing models where they can, and fight to keep price increases to a minimum. An exception to this will be the new Beneteau First 40, which we expect to be unveiled to the North American market at the Annapolis Boat Show. -- Full report: http://psndealer.com/dealersite/images/rcryachts/racersnews081209.pdf ANOTHER LOFT JOINS THE ULLMAN SAILS FAMILY! Ullman Sails is excited to announce the addition of a new loft in the Whitsundays, Australia. Previously Airlie Sails, owners Peter and Judy Mitchell run a full-service loft in Airlie Beach. Peter has over 13 years of experience and a crew of sailmakers who have worked on projects ranging from cruising catamarans to America’s Cup and Volvo campaigns. The Ullman group is proud to have the Mitchell family onboard to continue a tradition of exceptional customer service and a high standard of sailmaking. For more information about the new Ullman Sails Whitsunday and other Ullman lofts worldwide, visit http://www.ullmansails.com. COMING SOON TO NEWPORT: BRUNO In a year that marks its 165th anniversary, the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is organizing the Invitational Cup, a highly anticipated 19-team fleet racing regatta to take place in Newport, R.I. from September 15-19, 2009. “This event is, in fact, the world championship for the main yacht clubs of the world,” said Bruno Troublé, who will skipper the Yacht Club de France’s entry. “Most people do not realize how close the racing will be. Many of the teams will be very strong; although it is too early to say which team will win.” Local knowledge, whether it is in regards to deciphering Newport’s famous summer sea breeze or navigating the city’s equally well-known nightlife, won’t be a problem for the team from Yacht Club de France. Skipper Bruno Troublé spent many summers in Newport in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the skipper of Baron Marcel Bich’s French America’s Cup challenges, and has been back numerous times since in his role as Louis Vuitton’s main connection to the America’s Cup. “While everything changes in Europe with a lot of new developments going on everywhere, Newport doesn’t change much,” said Troublé. “It’s the same atmosphere, same bars and restaurants - Black Pearl, Candy Store, etc. - same sticky fog, same smell. Going there is like returning to the 1977 America’s Cup with Turner and Jobson.” -- Full report: http://www.nyyc.org/eventnews/article_577/ CST COMPOSITES MOTH WORLDS By Joe Bousquet (August 12, 2009) - Day Three of the CST Composites Moth Worlds (at Cascade Locks, OR) was scheduled as a lay day, reserved to catch up in the number of races if need be. As it is, we're one race up (having sailed four instead of the planned three on Monday,) so there's no need to use the lay day. It's just as well - a cool rain in the form of a steady drizzle is coming down, making any racing that might have taken place today far less enjoyable. So for me today, it's finish the epoxy work on my gantry, glad that I have a heated hotel room to help things kick. The spare time gives me an opportunity to contemplate the racing and my participation in it. I suppose I should also talk about the evolution of the class from the prospective of someone who's built moths in three distinct design eras: the "classic" moths of the early to mid-1960s, the first of the "wedge" designs typical of the mid to late 1970s (my hey-day,) and lastly, the modern foilers of today. -- Read on: http://madmothist.blogspot.com/2009/08/fortuitous-scheduling.html * For current Worlds leader Nathan Outteridge (AUS), four years ago in 2005 he was hardly thinking of yachting success - he was more focused on just living. For the 3-time ISAF Youth World Champion, Outteridge was involved in a terrible auto accident in Australia that left uncertainty as to whether he would ever walk again. However, three years after the car crash he won the 49er World Championships, a feat he repeated less than a month ago. As for the Moth, Outteridge had only 25 hours settling into the new class before he won the Australian Nationals this past January, also claiming the U.S. National title last week. Racing at the Worlds resumes Thursday August 12 and will continue through Saturday 15th. -- Event website: http://www.mothworlds2009.org/ FUTURE TECHNOLOGY Ah, the America’s Cup. This is truly a land of the inventive, and with the gloves taken off for this next Match, some of you ‘buttheads are really going to wet your drawers on the ingenuity that will be on display. At the BMW Oracle team’s media briefing on Tuesday, the Challenger was certainly not going to reveal all their tricks - heck, that would be foolish. However, with so many of the Racing Rules of Sailing being dismissed by the Swiss defender, the Alinghi team, the challenger did provide a glimpse of what lies ahead. As for the engine option, that is a lock. Skipper Russell Coutts and helm Jimmy Spithill will be sorry to see their burley mates off the boat, but the engine will replace the four grinding pedestals and the odorous scent of sweaty men working with old school methods. Anyway, Spithill had tired of the endless rugby talk, and is eager to surround himself with more cerebral conversation. The bonus, of course is that with the engine, all the other options come aboard as well. Moveable ballast? Heck yea, but don’t let your small mind think just water. With a wink, Russell noted how there are a lot heavier things than water, which is only 8.34 pounds per gallon when Mercury is available at 113.4 pounds per gallon. But who wants to carry that much weight offwind? While dumping Mercury in the ocean might seem like an environmental offense, the rules in the Persian Gulf are not nearly as restrictive. -- Scuttleblog, read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/08/future-technology.html MARINE WATERMAKERS Watermakers are increasingly popular on boats from Volvo 70s to cruisers. Our latest newsletter is titled “Marine & Boat Watermakers”(http://myboatsgear.com/newsletter/2008331.asp). We investigate the principle of Reverse Osmosis the technique that watermakers use. We look at the required equipment, a typical installation set up, and then we look at a range of products and the maintenance requirements. RSS feeds are available at http://myboatsgear.com/mbg/index.asp SAILING SHORTS * Sodus Point, NY (August 12, 2009) - With only one day remaining for the 66 boats at the 2009 International Lightning Class North American Championships, the 2007 champions Geoff Becker/ Bill Ward/ Dan Rabin are holding a four point lead over Allan Terhune/ Katie Terhune/ Sarah Mergenthaler. Two races remain in the scheduled six race series. -- Results: http://www.sodusbayyc.org/events/2009lightningnas/scoring/nafinal.pdf * Marblehead, MA (August 12, 2009) - Light winds and cool temperatures set in for day two of US SAILING’s 2009 U.S. Chubb Junior Championships. Marblehead’s typical southeasterly sea breeze appears to be on vacation this week as a 5-to-10 knot wind came in from the north, north-east for the second day in a row. The conditions created a combination of swell and chop for the 93 young racers competing for single-, double, and triplehanded national titles. With one more day of racing remaining, junior sailors from Southern California are leading in all three divisions. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/p5r95m * While ICAP Leopard scored the elapsed time win for a second consecutive time at the the 608-mile Rolex Fastnet Race, the all-important handicap victory is looking increasingly like it will go to Niklas Zennström's immaculately sailed 72 footer, Ran 2. Plymouth sailor Nigel Passmore and his IRC-optimised TP52 Apollo looked vaguely hopeful, but as the latest arrival their elapsed time corrected out to 3 hours 18 minutes outside of Ran 2's corrected time of 4 days 2 hours and 30 minutes. This left Apollo fourth overall with the two STP65s Luna Rossa and Rosebud/Team DYT between them and the race leader. -- Event website: http://fastnet.rorc.org * After a fire three years ago destroyed the plant that previously built the Martin 16, new moulds have been fabricated and the first two new Martin 16s are nearing completion at Platinum Marine Services Ltd. of Richmond, BC. Martin 16 Sailing Inc. is affiliated with the Sam Sullivan Disability Foundation, based in Vancouver. Sam Sullivan, who founded the Disabled Sailing Association of BC and Mobility Cup, partnered with Don Martin to design the Martin 16 with the goal of making it the most accessible, most durable, safest and keenest sailing vessel for people with disabilities. -- http://www.martin16.com * CORRECTION: In Scuttlebutt 2906, a story titled ‘MASTERING THE A SAIL’ noted how the Melges 24, in 1993, was the first boat to reach the masses with a retractable bowsprit. Actually, the J/105 was the first production sprit boat with its introduction in 1991. THE TRAIN IS OFF THE TRACKS By Cory E. Friedman, America’s Cup legal analyst As a result of Justice Kornreich’s July 30, 2009 Decision, we have an America’s Cup Match with no rules. Based upon the August 10, 2009 Hearing, it looks like we also have AC litigation with no rules. Although the press has been fixated on Golden Gate Yacht Club’s (GGYC) announcement that BOR 90 really is USA, the challenger, that is really the least of what happened at the August 10th hearing. As some ‘Buttheads may recall, despite the fact that at oral argument Société Nautique De Genève’s (SNG) lawyer had pretty much given up the ghost on the immediate need for a Custom House Registry (CHR), Justice Kornreich had ordered a 12 hour hearing regarding when it first would be possible for GGYC to produce a Certificate of Documentation (COD), the modern equivalent. Apparently, she had second thoughts about 12 hours of AC whining and wrangling, so on August 10th she held a hearing that lasted a couple of hours on the very limited subject of what is the procedure for obtaining a COD from the U.S. Coast Guard, with the option of calling additional witnesses later if necessary. It is a little hard to figure out why it was worth wasting a morning on the subject, as a summer intern probably could have found the answer on USCG website. The elephant in the courtroom is that one cannot get a COD until the vessel is “completed,” which although discussed in endless generalities, was not the subject of the hearing as to GGYC’s boat. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/#p43 ZAC SUNDERLAND USED SCHAEFER FURLERS IN CIRCUMNAVIGATION Seventeen year old Zac Sunderland of Thousand Oaks, California became the youngest sailor to sail around the world alone. He accomplished this incredible task on his 1972 Islander 36’ sailboat equipped with proven, rugged Schaefer Jib Furlers. Zac chose a Schaefer 2100 furler for the headstay and a Schaefer 1100 furler for the staysail. -- http://www.schaefermarine.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: Aug 14-16 - Verve Cup Regatta Offshore - Chicago, IL, USA Aug 15-16 - Beneteau 36.7 Great Lakes Championship - Cleveland, OH, USA Aug 18-20 - 505 North American Championship - San Francisco, CA, USA Aug 15-19 - RIPS Canadian Race Week - Sidney, BC, Canada View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit 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 Becky Sodon: In the Scuttlebutt Forum thread ‘WHAT YOUTH SAILING REALLY NEEDS” I agree with everyone that the key is to make it fun. This is a leisure time activity for kids. They get enough pressure and stress at school. It seems that many adults don't know how to let kids just have fun and play around these days. They impose the structure and pressure because that's all they know, and they think it will lead to success. Kids need more time to just play around in general. Just playing around in sailing is a great use of kid time. Our sailing program recently added two classes that focus on just enjoying sailing. Hopefully this will lead to more lifetime sailors. One is Open Sailing, where the kids sail on Tuesday nights, doing whatever they want. They are encouraged to bring a friend, as well. Some Tuesdays are followed by pizza and a movie. The other is Adventure Week, where there is no race instruction, despite the classes being for intermediate and advanced only. The kids go for long sails to beaches, try out larger boats, and play some games, usually reserved for beginner classes, at a higher level. These activities lead to better boat handling and seamanship, which, in turn, lead to better racing. It doesn't have to be accomplished only through drills. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8029#8029 * From John Longley: Regarding the asymmetric spinnaker story in Scuttlebutt 2906, the Gwen12, an Australian 12 foot trainer designed in 1943 by Lindsay Cunningham, the father catamaran design in Australia, was using asymmetrical spinnakers well before Julian Bethwaite was born. The bow was full and U shaped with a flat run aft. With a 5ft beam and self draining cockpit they were potent performers on a reach particularly in fresh breezes. Like the Cherub they carried a small working sail area 120sqft and an 80sqft single luff kite. * From Mark Eustis: The America’s Cup has ALWAYS been messy…Lipton, Sopwith, Bond, Fay…none of these challengers (oops, one was a defender, too) played the game without scandal. The Cup is egos writ large and public, with all the technology and lawyering that money can buy. That’s what makes it fun to watch. * From Charlie Hartman, Canandaigua, NY: The more I read about the machinations surrounding the various aspects of the America's Cup, the more it seems that Alinghi is goofing on BMW Oracle. Each of SNG's pronouncements is more bizarrely unconnected to the Deed of Gift, previous count actions, or common sense. The latest selection of a venue flies directly in the face of the New York Supreme Court's decision. I wonder if Alinghi wants to have a race at all. CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM Why is toilet paper tiny squares and tissues big squares? Special thanks to Ullman Sails, MyBoatsGear.com, and Schaefer Marine. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
