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SCUTTLEBUTT 3463 - Friday, November 4, 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: Quantum Sails and Ultimate Sailing. A SKIPPER'S GREATEST FEAR - NOT GETTING EVERYONE HOME Alicante, Spain (November 3, 2011) - What keeps sailors coming back to a race that offers no prize money for winning, nothing but hardship when it comes to life on board and an ever-present risk of physical harm? The Volvo Ocean Race fleet sets out on Saturday along its longest ever course, a 39,000-nautical miles haul through four hostile oceans, where they will face 15-metre waves, hurricane force winds and the potential threat of pirates and boat-breaking icebergs. There is no room for fear of anything other than failure in this high-stakes sporting contest, but no one is unwise enough to ignore the very real dangers in a race that has claimed the lives of five competitors in its 38-year history. The death of Hans Horrevoets in the 2005-06 edition was a shocking reminder of exactly what's on the line when the men - all sons, many husbands and some fathers - take to the seas. The 32-year-old Dutch sailor was washed overboard on May 18 when ABN AMRO TWO nosedived in heavy seas while racing from New York to Portsmouth. Forty-five minutes later Horrevoets was retrieved from the surging sea and despite the crew's best efforts to resuscitate him he died. The death of Horrevoets, who was a married father with a second child on the way, hit the tight-knit sailing fraternity hard. Team Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson, who led ABN AMRO ONE to victory in the 2005-06 race, described the event as one of the most emotionally charged of his life. "My biggest fear is not getting everyone home safely. Having lived through that, albeit on our sister-ship, getting everyone home safely is top priority. At the end of the day sailing is a sport and we need to remember that." But Sanderson, who will be competing for the first time as a father, said the moment that fear gets the better of you, you have to get out. "One of the things I have been quite apprehensive about is what it's going to be like being back at sea doing 30 knots downwind, huge waves, water rushing down the deck in dangerous conditions. Will I still enjoy it now I'm a dad? I think the day it makes you more cautious, you have to get out." -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/6bqu7fw BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in Alicante, Spain and concludes in Galway, Ireland, during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles of the world's most treacherous seas via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. FOLLOWING THE RACE: The teams set off on Leg 1 to Cape Town on Saturday at 1400 local time in Spain (1300 GMT) and there are plenty of ways to follow the action, whether you're in front of a TV or on the move with a mobile device. -- Read on: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/How-to-follow-the-race/3817/news.html ON SITE EVENT COACHING RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Trying new ideas to boost participation at the 2011 J24 East Coast Championship, held in Annapolis, MY October 28-30, the opportunity to work with professional sailors on a one on one basis was offered to the competitors for the first time. The organizers enlisted the help of North Sails Chesapeake sales rep and professional Mike Coe, Quantum Sail Design Group sail designer and head instructor Bary Gately, and Hyde Sails representative and previous Olympic medalist Scott Steele to work with the almost 30 skippers who signed on during the registration process. The three contacted competitors prior to the event and then met them last Thursday evening; setting up morning weather briefs and afternoon debriefs after competition for each day of the regatta. Despite the diverse experience of the participants (Pat Fitzgerald, Annapolis, MD, and 25 year veteran of the event to first time competitor David Duquette, Raritan, NJ), the Coaches were able to distinguish and address common themes within each group. Dan Busch, of Atlantic Highlands, NJ, took advantage of the coaching and put it to good use. "It was a great to spend a few minutes before Sunday's racing talking with my coach about the tactical priorities for the day. We agreed that with a NNW breeze coming over land we should expect the wind to be pretty shifty. Bary pointed out the ebb tide would be very strong because of all the rain we had on Saturday, but because of the wind it was important to focus on speed, stay on the lifted tack, and to push for the front row on the start, which I had done a poor job of on Friday. We had a focused effort to start about a 1/3 of the way from the favored end and took advantage of the mid-line sag to get to the front row. Not surprisingly, we had our best 3 races of the regatta." -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/3tmvmrp DON'T DELAY: REGISTER EARLY FOR QUANTUM KEY WEST 2012 Quantum Sail Design Group is proud to be the title sponsor and official sailmaker for Quantum Key West 2012. Online registration is underway and entries now top 75. If you are planning to attend, join the pacesetter group by registering early; payment is not due until December 20th. Updated marina and docking information is now available online. Quantum's sailing pros can also answer questions and help you get ready. Don't miss out on the excitement of this flagship regatta. For more information, visit the official website at http://www.premiere-racing.com/ or contact a Quantum loft near you. AMERICA'S CUP SUPER-YACHT PLAN FACES VOTE San Francisco, CA (November 3, 2011) - A plan to scale back super-yacht mooring along the Embarcadero during the 2013 America's Cup could take a step forward today. Staff at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, a government body charged with preserving public access to the coastline, is recommending that commissioners approve temporary parking for massive yachts along Pier 14 and Pier 9. If the plan is OK'd, the BCDC will hold a public hearing Jan. 5, 2012 to consider final adoption. The current proposal contrasts with a previous suggestion by America's Cup officials that an entire stretch of the Embarcadero between Pier 14 and Pier 22 1/2 be used to berth super-yachts. While super-yachts create economic benefits, the initial super-yacht plan concerned environmental stewards. Concerns include blocking public views of the bay. Moreover, bringing fuel and supplies to the docked mega-vessels might also prove difficult, environmental groups said, because of the limited truck access along the Embarcadero between Pier 14 and Pier 22 1/2. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/427tckl QUOTE UNQUOTE Dean Barker, Emirates Team New Zealand skipper, said of ETNZ's newly inked deal with Italian America's Cup syndicate Luna Rossa that the real benefits will come when the teams sail side-by-side in their AC 72 catamarans. "Trying to do it on our own is a big challenge so to be able to be able to spend time tuning and training with another boat is a valuable opportunity." -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/426e8ef IT'S NEVER LIKE THIS Virgin Gorda, BVI (November 3, 2011) - The race committee at the Bitter End YC's Maclaren Pro-Am regatta was only able to complete one race today, a result of a huge rain cell that put on a spectacular light show, providing the dense island vegetation with a heavy watering...and totally sucking all of the wind out of the North Sound. With amateur guests crewing onboard the IC24s, Anna Tunnicliffe won the short, shifty single sausage affair, which moved her into third place, while Ed Baird solidified his overall lead with a second place finish. The six teams that qualified to race in the Gill Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship finals never left the marina. Sadly, no wind meant there will be no SSC champion this year. So, with a free afternoon, BEYC staged a Laser exhibition - the "Rock and Roll Relay." It was a team race with Ed Baird and Anna Tunnicliffe challenging Andrew Campbell and his partner Zach Railey. Rule 42 was ignored - all manner of kinetics were allowed, encouraged and very necessary in the no-wind conditions. Any hope of the Railey/Campbell team prevailing were dashed when Andrew Campbell capsized on the opening leg while doing an overly aggressive rocking maneuver...and lost his daggerboard in the process. As a result, Anna Tunnicliffe had a sizable lead when she turned over her Laser to teammate Ed Baird, who had no trouble holding off the charging Zach Railey in front of a cheering crowd of appreciative fans. The Maclaren Pro-Am concludes on Friday with three scheduled fleet races in the morning before match racing finals in the afternoon. -- Results/Daily reports: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12838 MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Charleston, SC (November 3, 2011) - As American Brad Van Liew readied himself for the ultimate solo challenge of circling the globe under sail, his children had questions. Wyatt, 6, asked about the weather and the sharks. Tate, 8, wanted to know why he had to go. She also wondered about the oceans he would be crossing and what might happen at sea. The unpredictable environment worried her. Before Van Liew raced across the start line in France to conquer what would be his third globetrotting track of victory under sail, young Tate asked if he would take a moment at the equator to send off a message in a bottle from her, with the hopes that it might be found some day and she would know where it traveled. "I was off the coast of Brazil headed for Cape Town, South Africa," said Van Liew. "I had cleared the doldrums and the southeasterly trades were pushing me along at 15 knots. Despite the racing, Tate's message was a priority as I crossed the equator. I videotaped myself sending off the message in a bottle, knowing full well it may never reach another human and Tate's questions may go unanswered." Nine months later the delicate glass bottle had acquired some barnacles and seagrass before washing onto the small, secluded beach of Guana Bay on the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean. Seven year old Michael Raczynski, a 2nd grader and a karate enthusiast from the Warsaw suburbs of Poland, found the bottle and opened it to find Tate's message. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/3v9p6ot * Meet Brad Van Liew for a personal tour of his ECO 60 race boat Le Pingouin on Saturday November 5, at Cooper River Marina (Charleston, SC). Info at: http://www.oceanracing.org SAILING SHORTS * (November 3, 2011) - With the first 24 hours of fast racing behind them, participants in the Transat Jacques Vabre are settling into the rhythm, and the pace in each of the three classes (Multi 50, IMOCA Open 60 and Class 40) is firmly established. While the high speeds of the first night and early morning reduced slightly with the abating breeze, so the early realities are starting to hit home. Winner of this year's Barcelona World Race Jean-Pierre Dick had a small lead on Virbac-Paprec 3, with the leading duo drag racing within sight of each other. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/3ebwewl * World class sailors are in Australia for Sail Melbourne, the first regatta of the 2011-2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup which runs from November 6-12, 2011, hosted by the Sandringham Yacht Club in Melbourne. With 57 entries, the Laser fleet has the most including Nick Thompson (GBR), who took gold last year. Out to give Thompson a tough challenge is Australia's Tom Slingsby, 2010 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, who finished third at the regatta in 2010. Sail Melbourne welcomes sailors preparing for the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, which takes place from December 3-18, 2011. -- Full story: http://www.sailing.org/news/37305.php * The deadline is November 4, 2011 to register for the US SAILING Development Clinic for Aspiring Olympians in the Laser and Radial. US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Development Program has added an additional Laser and Laser Radial Open Clinic to the schedule. The clinic will be hosted on November 12-13, in Houston, Texas, and run by US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics coaches Luther Carpenter and Mike Kalin. Interested sailors should register online and submit their four best sailing results from 2010-2011. Info at: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Events/Training.htm THE 30TH EDITION: ULTIMATE SAILING CALENDAR If it's lasted three decades - it's got to be good! Sharon Green presents the 30th edition of the Ultimate Sailing Calendar: possibly the best yet! Bursting with color and excitement, the 2012 calendar sweeps you around the globe to sailing's most elite events, in 24 breathtaking images so close to the action, you'll feel the salty spray of the sea as you turn from month to month. Order yours now at www.ultimatesailing.com. Get $4US off (and a BFF) if you buy an extra for a friend. PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include Halloween, renderings, November calendar, bulbous bow, game time, the other half, rail riding, and this week's go-fast tip for beer can races. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/11/1104/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK In October, the 2011 North American Speed Sailing Invitational attracted the fastest sailors in the world to compete for $27,000 and bragging rights on the beautiful waters of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The field included multiple world record holder Alex Caizergues, the fastest women sailor Charlotte Consorti and current Outright World Record holder Rob Douglas. This proved to be the first kitesurfing speed event in North American history, the first kitesurfing speed event with port tack racing in world history, and added Martha's Vineyard as only the second venue to have produced a 50.99 knot average speed and a 55 knot maximum speed during a speed sailing competition. Enjoy these five highlight videos from the event: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/11/1104/ BONUS: This week on Episode 15 of 'America's Cup Uncovered' we meet Energy Team's bowman Christophe Andre; he takes us through his rigorous training regime. In San Diego we take a behind the scenes tour of the USS Midway, which is among the attractions when the America's Cup competitors race in the 3rd of the inaugural America's Cup World Series events in San Diego on November 12-20. Then back in San Francisco we go inside Pier 80 to get an exclusive glimpse at the work of the ORACLE Racing design team, followed by a trip up in the air with one of ACTV's helicopter cameramen. Tune in on Saturday 5 November approx 0800 PDT 1600 BST at http://www.youtube.com/americascup#p/c/915CDC8233C7B14E BONUS: This week's episode of "World on Water" features Volvo In-Port race Alicante, Spain, Clipper Race Leg 4 Finish Geraldton, Australia, Transat Jacques Vabre non-start and the Transat 6.50 finish in Brazil. (David Raison's prototype yacht TeamWork Evolution is featured), Student Yachting World Cup France, Rolex Middle Sea Race Malta, Gosford-Lord Howe Island Race Australia and in our popular "Fresh to Frightening" sailing "action" segment we see the wild action in last year's Cork week when high winds hit the racing fleet. Yachting Journalist Louay Habib reports - see the report on www.boatson.tv 1200 GMT and 0800 EDT. SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com 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 David Greene (re Scuttlebutt 3459): When I was 13 years old "1967", I participated in the Junior Sailing program and my first Port Huron to Mackinaw race. The first evening the wind started building and I was sent forward to douse the shoot. Standing on the bow pulpit I lost my footing and was fortunate to have grabbed the pulpit as my body slipped through it, no life preserver and no harness. Not uncommon at the time. In retrospect I think I was too young for the task assigned. My point is there has been no discussion that Olivia was too young to be on a boat requiring a trapeze and using a spinnaker. Maybe the discussion should be raising the age upon which we allow our children to participate in specific racing activities. My suggestion would be using Jib and Main only until one is 15 or 16 years old and even then having required tests with an adult on board. Which side of the scale "fun in sailing or win at all costs"? At 14 or even 15, I am not sure one is mature enough to handle all the potential dangers. Having lost our son at age 18 "died following a swimming incident" I am sensitive to the things we allow our children to do possibly not realizing all the dangers presented. My heart goes out to her parents as I know the pain they are suffering. * From Tim Prophit: After reading the Chi-Mac report on Wingnuts, and, having been a participant in this year's Chi- Mac, I have a question for the powers that be for ORR: Why are bloopers banned? I know this may be a ridiculous question, however, I sail a 33 year old boat that was heavily influenced by IOR, and was originally conceived to sail with a blooper. After wrestling with the wheel all Sunday, and cursing the ORR for not allowing a blooper (which would not have made us any faster), but surely would've made us more stable and less likely to wipe out (we didn't), I have to wonder what the purpose for the blooper ban in ORR is. As someone pointed out to me (I'd credit them if I could remember who it was), banning bloopers in ORR is like a rating rule 30 years from now banning sprits. It makes no sense. Thoughts? CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live." - Mark Twain SPONSORS THIS WEEK APS - Interlux - West Marine - Morris Yachts - Lewmar North Sails - Melges Performance Sailboats - Southern Spars Ullman Sails - Point Loma Outfitting - Quantum Sails - Ultimate Sailing Need stuff? 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