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SCUTTLEBUTT 2984 - Thursday, December 3, 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today’s sponsors are Ullman Sails and Team One Newport. BRITISH YACHTSMEN HELD FOR A WEEK FREED BY IRAN (December 2, 2009) - The five British yachtsmen and their Volvo 60 yacht ‘The Kingdom of Bahrain’ that was held by Iran's Revolutionary Guard for a week were released today. The crew are said to have drifted into Iranian waters mistakenly while sailing from Bahrain to Dubai for a race. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the men had left the island of Siri and were heading for international waters. A statement by the Revolutionary Guard said interrogations had revealed their "illegal entry" had been "a mistake". Team captain Olly Smith explained that the team had strayed in to Iranian waters as there was no wind and they had broken their propeller. They were treated well although they were blindfolded a couple of times and locked in a room. A statement by Iran's Revolutionary Guard said: "After carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake. After obtaining necessary guarantees, it was decided to release them." The Team Pindar-backed yacht was sailing from Bahrain to Dubai to take part in the 360-nautical mile Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race that began on November 26 and ended two days later in the Omani capital's Bandar Al-Rawdah marina. The Kingdom of Bahrain yacht is owned by the Sail Bahrain project, which aims to promote the island as a yachting destination and was recently launched by Team Pindar. Noted Jon Leyne, BBC Tehran correspondent, “At the best of times, the Iranian government suspects the outside world is preoccupied with trying to undermine it. That obsession has come close to paranoia, as Iran takes on the West over its nuclear programme. Within the Iranian government, there is also likely to have been some discussion over whether the captured British yachtsmen could be exploited for propaganda purposes, as the Royal Navy sailors and Marines were when they were held two years ago. Iran must have decided not.” -- Complete story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8389946.stm => Curmudgeon’s Comment: For anyone not making the connection, this incident occurred in roughly the same waters proposed for the America’s Cup. Fortunately the border relations are much friendlier here in North America, as the BMW Oracle team likely lost count of the number of times they sailed into Mexican waters while training this past year in San Diego. “WE ARE NOT OPTIMISTIC” Spanish newspaper Las Provincias sent correspondent J. Aguadé to Ras Al Khaimah, where he met with Alinghi team owner Ernesto Bertarelli at the team’s RAK base to discuss the 33rd Americas Cup and its more than probable return to Valencia: * Do you think it is too hurried to take the regatta now to Valencia or do you believe there can be a good competition? BERTARELLI: I think that there is a lot still to do. I believe that next week we will have a meeting with both teams in Valencia with the local authorities because these boats are very large and certain aspects have to be taken care of. But I must say that RAK would have been a fantastic Americas Cup. A new site, good winds and many people told me that they were grateful for the idea of coming here in February. * With the appeal, do you think you will stage the Cup here (in RAK)? BERTARELLI: We are not optimistic, but that is an option. I want to add that by this it in no way means we do not like Valencia. I love Valencia, but in February the regatta area is not the same as it is in summer. The weather is unpredictable and the conditions for navigation are not at their best. * What has the Americas Cup taught you? BERTARELLI: Oof! That is a question that I would need time to consider; I cannot answer it in 5 minutes. * In Valencia in 2007, you only needed two days to announce the following Match. Many people said that this was one of the greatest mistakes - of rushing in and not knowing how to clearly explain your project to the other syndicates. What will you do if you win the Cup in 2010? Go on holiday? BERTARELLI: Yes, certainly we will have more time. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Special thanks to Peter Gooch/The Valencia Life Network for the translation. A decision in Alinghi's pending appeal on the venue and the measurement rules from the Appellate Division may come as soon as December 3rd. However, it is known that the Alinghi team has a confirmed shipping date from the RAK to Valencia in three weeks, and they have already shipped the race committee gear back to Valencia. ULLMAN SAILS WELCOMES BULL SAILS TO THE TEAM Ullman Sails is very pleased to announce that prominent Australian sailor and sailmaker Tony Bull of ‘Bull Sails’ in Geelong has joined the Ullman Sails team. Tony has over 30 years of sailmaking experience and a diverse sailing resume that includes successfully representing Australia at many World Championships as well as competing in almost every ocean race on Australia’s eastern seaboard. Tony is now in demand as a “speed doctor,” serving as sail designer, helmsman, race tactician, educator and author of many sailing articles online and in print. Ullman Sails - Dedicated to your performance for over 40 years. http://www.ullmansails.com PERSONAL SAILING STORY: DAVE ULLMAN Dave Ullman is somewhat of a national treasure. He has 4 “World Champion” titles to his name - all in high performance boats (the 470 and the Melges 24). He achieved his latest title at 61 years of age. To say he’s a great sailor is an understatement to be sure. But sailing is just part of Dave’s story. Here are some excerpts from an interview Dave did with Kristen Lane who he recently coached prior to the 2009 Melges 24 Worlds: * On his approach to coaching sailing teams and amateur drivers: “Coaching requires looking at the program and deciding what is the area that you can make the greatest improvement over the least amount of time. Another way to think about it is what are the greatest weaknesses of the team? What can you do to improve those weaknesses as quickly as possible? Unless you have an ongoing program for say 1 year where you could develop skills over a long period of time, you have to take a shorter approach. We don’t spend that kind of time on this sport. For the 2009 Worlds, I had to ask myself what would bring this group the furthest along in the shortest time. We had 4 teams with a wide range of experience levels so I had to strategize a plan that would help everyone.” * On his decision to make sailing his business: “At 16 or 17 years old, I was surfing and sailing a lot. My dad, who was a big influence, sat me down and said ‘Dave you are a pretty good sailor and an OK surfer. You need to commit your time to what you can be the best at.’ I knew then that I was going to commit my life to sailing. I wasn’t a good student, and was dyslexic. I wasn’t really going to go to college and was lucky to even graduate from high school. Luckily my dad was smart enough to sort this out and give me some guidance. My mom taught me how to read when I was in my late 20s. She figured out I was dyslexic so she went back to school herself and learned more about it, and then taught me how to read. When I was a teenager, we fought tooth and nail - I didn’t do my homework because I couldn’t read. She was a saint enough to figure out the situation and take care of it. It changed my whole feelings about my mom. She’s a saint. I didn’t look at her that way before. She educated herself and then educated me. It also brought us closer.” Complete interview: http://tinyurl.com/ylpa2yx THE ONUS IS ON THE COMPETITOR Bloody Nora! Referee Martin Hansson didn't half cause a controversy recently when he failed to spot French soccer player Thierry Henry handling the ball (not to mention being offside) in the World Cup qualifier against Ireland. Henry initially responded by saying "I’m not the ref”. Quite. We gathered that, based on the fact that he didn't have a headset taped to his face. The case against Henry may be overstated: perhaps he did try to tell the referee what really happened. Unfortunately his post-goal celebration is what everyone saw. And his hand. Initial reactions are what count: the things we say before our agents or publicists have had a chance to coach us reveal what we really think. And it sounds as though Henry thinks that a crime not punished is a crime not committed. This type of thinking seems to be endemic in nearly every professional sport and is a real problem. It sends the wrong signals to our children. It drives away disgusted viewers (though one can argue that the only people left watching soccer are the hardcores anyway). It drags acceptable levels for sportsmanship down to the lowest common denominator, from where only disaster is possible. In sailing, there are a fraction of the number of officials at, say, a tennis match or soccer game. On the water judges are there mainly to facilitate instant decisions, which makes racing formats such as match racing and team racing more exciting. The onus is on the competitor to take a penalty where a rule has been infringed (other competitors have the right to protest any yacht they believe is guilty of an infringement). The Racing Rules of Sailing have a Basic Principle, which states that "A fundamental principle of sportsmanship is that when competitors break a rule they will promptly take a penalty, which may be to retire." Rule 2 (Fair Sailing) states quite clearly that "A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and fair play." A violation of such principles can result in disqualification from a race and this result being included in a series score, which can effectively ruin a regatta for the offending boat. In other words, Thierry Henry would have been required to leave the field and ask that the goal be scratched and possession be surrendered. Or something like that. Do these seemingly draconian rules result in sailors competing like monks? No, of course not. Humans will be humans and we will push the rules to the max, an example being Rule 42. However, I would humbly suggest that Henry's offence was the same as using a paddle in a boat race: a hand on the ball in a game called soccer is such a blatant infraction that one cannot blame the referee or, for that matter, the protest committee. -- Complete story: http://barsailor.blogspot.com/2009/11/hand-of-frog.html THEY CALL IT THE MONSOON CUP FOR A REASON Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, (December 2, 2009) - The Monsoon rain in Kuala Terengganu on the east coast of Malaysia, with more than eight inches falling in the last 24 hours, has provided a dramatic backdrop to the 2009 Monsoon Cup, the final event in the 2009 World Match Racing Tour. Upstream the Terengganu River is heavily swollen, so the scene was set for an enthralling battle and a current flow of up to five knots providing 'a winning elevator' out on the right hand side of the course. After a shock loss to World number seventh ranked Damien Iehl in his first match this morning, the 2009 Tour leader Emirates Team New Zealand BlackMatch skipper Adam Minoprio returned to form, rolling through Ben Ainslie (GBR), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), and Hazim Hazwan (MAS) to sit atop the leader board after the first day of racing. For the twelve teams there are 150 World Match Racing Tour competition points and more than US$450,000 of prize money at stake. Teams will continue with the round robin series through Friday with the elimination rounds to be held Saturday and Sunday. -- Full story: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/da/101437 Day 1 Round Robin Results Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, 3-1 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, 3-1 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, 3-1 Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin, 3-1 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 3-2 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, 2-2 Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge, 2-2 Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/ALL4ONE, 2-1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar, 1-3 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Azzura, 1-3 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing Team, 1-3 Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (MAS) Taring Pelangi Team, 0-4 Complete standings and race schedule: http://tinyurl.com/yhch4fq SANTA'S SHOPPING AT TEAM ONE NEWPORT'S PROMOS GALORE!! Team One Newport has some awesome promotions RIGHT NOW! Check these out: * Henri-Lloyd jackets and Bibs for $99 * Musto Caribbean and Windward Jackets & Gilets at 30% off * Atlantis - Buy an Aegis Jacket or Salopettes & get a free Microburst Vest * Gill - Buy $150 of Gill gear & get a free pair of deckhand sailing gloves * Gill - Buy $300 of Gill gear & receive a free 50 litre dry cylinder bag Call the Experts for these promos at 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) for more information. You can order online and the team will adjust your invoice. Visit http://www.team1newport.com BACARDI BRAND EXPANDING MIAMI EVENT The Bacardi Cup started in 1927 as a three-day event with less than ten boats competing for the Trofeo Bacardi as part of the Cup of Cuba's Mid-Winter Championship. The regatta continued thirty years until political unrest forced the Bacardi Cup to move in 1962 from Havana to the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, FL. Continuing in Miami, the Bacardi Cup has grown into a renowned sailing spectacle dedicated to the Star Class, with sixty-four elite teams from 15 countries participating in 2009. Now in 2010, the 83rd running of the Bacardi Cup and its Star Class will be the feature event of the inaugural Bacardi Miami Sailing Week (BMSW). Racing is scheduled for March 8-13, with the Melges 20, Melges 24, J/24 and the Viper 640 classes planning to participate, with the Viper 640 also using BMSW as their 2010 North American Championship. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ygdvgtz SAILING SHORTS * The Vancouver International Boat Show (VIBS) has been cancelled for 2010 due to scheduling conflicts with a roof replacement project at host venue BC Place. The popular event, owned by the BC Marine Trades Association (BCMTA) and produced by the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA), was scheduled to run from April 8 to 11, 2010 at BC Place with its in-water venue at False Creek Yacht Club. -- Read on: http://boatingbusiness.ca/todaysnews/article/8864 * The International Farr 30 One Design Class has announced that it will no longer be under the management of Stagg Yachts. Management of the Class , and is now solely in the hands of the International Class Association and their elected representatives on the World Council, Deneen Demourkas (USA) President, Nicolas Abiven (FRA) Vice President and Dr. Harald Bruening (GER) Treasurer. The World Council has appointed Carole Abbott, long time European Class Secretary, to the position of International Class Secretary where she will facilitate the day to day operations of the International Class. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8674 * (December 2, 2009) - The five crew members of British yacht Pelican, which was participating in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), were evacuated from their 53 foot Roberts design last night following a rig failure, approximately 325 nautical miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. The Singapore flagged merchant vessel Crimson Mars diverted to assist the after skipper Darryl Saxton called a MayDay yesterday afternoon citing the 'unacceptable risk to his crew'. The annual ARC brings together over 200 yachts for the 2700 nm passage from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay in St.Lucia. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/yjra9k6 * The Sportlifestyle company PUMA continues their love of extreme sailing and signed on to be the title sponsor of the International Moth Worlds 2010. PUMA 2010 International Moth Worlds will be held March 8-15, 2010 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event will be held at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club. PUMA 2010 International Moth Worlds is expecting between 50-70 boats to compete, all branded with the signature PUMA cat. The Moth Class draws sailors of Olympic and America’s Cup caliber and is quickly becoming a premier dinghy class. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/yzqg7f9 CARLOS AGUILAR MATCH RACE St. Thomas, USVI (December 3, 2009) - All 16 teams competing in the Second Annual Carlos Aguilar Match Race have registered, weighed in and have had their work out for the day. Flat water and 15-17 knots of breeze, sunshine and Caribbean heat were on order for today’s practice day onboard the IC 24s. Racing begins Thursday morning, with the start right along the downtown Charlotte Amaile’s waterfront. With grand stands, an announcer and entertainment throughout the week, there couldn’t be a more spectator-friendly event. Skippers rounding out the Grade 3 Open Match Race and trying to defeat defending champion, Taylor Canfield include: Frits Bus, Juan Carlos Escobar, Jes Gram Hansen, Chris Haycraft, Peter Holmberg, Dave Perry, Colin Rathbon. Skippers taking on defending champion, Genny Tulloch, who is also the US Women's Match Racing Champion, include; Julie Bossard, Liz Baylis, Renata Decnop, Claire Leroy, Katy Lovell, Kelly O'Brien and Maria Ramirez. -- Lynn Fitzpatrick, full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8675 SUNDERLAND TO DEPART THIS MONTH ON SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATION As Australia's Jessica Watson has passed the 5,000-mile mark during her journey around the world, alone in a 34-foot sailboat, Abby Sunderland is embarking Thursday to Ensenada, Mexico, to pick up the 40-foot sailboat she hopes will carry her safely around the planet. Both girls are 16. Abby, whose older brother Zac recently completed an adventurous and sometimes harrowing solo-circumnavigation, is a few months younger than Jessica and hopes to complete her nonstop, unassisted journey in about six months, making her the youngest sailor to accomplish the feat. But first there's work to be done on Wild Eyes, the boat's current name (Abby is still seeking sponsors). She and her father will sail the boat -- which is being delivered from the East Coast -- from Ensenada to Marina del Rey and complete repairs before Abby's mid- to late-December departure. -- LA Times, read on: http://tinyurl.com/yf5mj8m CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I always get slightly afraid when I notice I've answered more than three in a row of the same letter during a multiple choice test. Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Team One Newport. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
