|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2784 - Thursday, February 19, 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.Today's sponsors are Team One Newport and Ullman Sails. NEWEST NOOD CHAMP ADDICTED TO RACING Long before he won the S2 7.9 class and first place overall at the 2009 Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD, David Flechsig was a 16-year-old Florida surfer coping with a move to frosty New England. "The water was way too cold for me to go surfing," explained Flechsig (pronounced "flexy") following his recent victory, "so I decided to give sailing a shot." A quick spin on the 9-foot Boston Whaler Squall belonging to his girlfriend's grandfather launched Flechsig's love affair with sailing; he later married the girlfriend, too. He spent his college years working the foredeck on J/24s and other boats, but it wasn't until he started racing PHRF that he aspired to join the afterguard. "I used the think the guys in the back were just aiming the boat," admitted the 52-year-old, who runs an insurance agency in Port Charlotte, Florida. "Eventually I got curious as to what was going on back there.” -- Sailing World, read on: http://linkbee.com/FT6M THE YEAR THAT WAS AND WASN'T It says something about sailing’s prospects as a sport that 2008 left us with three round-the-world races under way at the same time. As we look to nail down just what that means, do keep your thumbs clear of the hammer. Certainly sailboat racing is as incoherent as ever in its public face. Hard-core fans have no trouble, or not so much, separating a crewed circumnavigation (the Volvo, with eight entries and 10 legs) from the Eurocentric French-fueled singlehanded extravaganza (the Vendée Globe, with 30 entries) going around nonstop. This becomes a complicated face for the public, however, even without adding six doublehanded and two singlehanded 40-footers participating in the inaugural Portimão Global Ocean Race. -- SAIL, read on: http://sailmagazine.com/racing/the_year_that_was_and_wasnt MY LIFE IN SPORT: HAMISH PEPPER The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series was Kiwi sailor Hamish Pepper's first campaign with BMW Oracle, but it was not the winning start he would have hoped for, with the American syndicate knocked out in the Challenger final by Alinghi. This campaign was a chance of sorts for Pepper to lay to rest the ghosts of 2003, when he was a member of Team New Zealand's disastrous America's Cup campaign in which the Kiwis were comprehensively beaten by Alinghi 5-0. During the regatta, Pepper suffered the added humiliation of being kicked off the boat after making a bad call in race two. After walking out on Team New Zealand, Pepper linked up with Mascalzone Latino for their 2007 Cup campaign, but much of his focus over that time was on his star campaign. Pepper linked up with Carl Williams to race the double-handed men's keelboat class in 2006, and the New Zealand duo took this class littered with sailing legends by storm, winning the prestigious Star World Championship in their rookie year. -- NZ Herald, read on: http://linkbee.com/FT6N MARTHA'S STIMULUS PACKAGE... We are all affected by the hard times and Team One Newport is helping with their own Stimulus Program. They have great new styles coming in and need to clear the shelves! Visit http://www.team1newport.com and hit the SPECIALS button on the left side. New items are added every day. And for Scuttlebutt Readers, add the code SSBFS in the upper right hand Search box and get free Ground shipping. Savings are only while quantities last, so hurry. Or call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) and talk to a Customer Service Rep. VOLVO OCEAN RACE: PHENOMENAL SAILING by Kenny Read, PUMA Skipper (Feb. 18, 2009; Day 5) - When we started this journey, Sidney Gavignet promised me that we would do some phenomenal sailing that I would remember for the rest of my life. Clearly the last two days were the ones he was describing. Fast, warm reaching down the Pacific. A little moist on deck but a little water is always involved when you mention the word fast. As for the race itself, we are pretty pleased at this point to be holding on to Ericsson 4 in conditions they have excelled in on past legs, and we are constantly stretching on the rest of the pack. It really has been a flat out drag race. All of this ocean to choose from and the five boats are essentially travelling down very similar paths. The goal is to meet up with the easterly trades far enough to the east so you aren't hard on the wind. Also, we will try to position ourselves to the east of some light air near the doldrums. Hopefully, we make it though the dreaded doldrums a little more unscathed this time. So far, as Jochen Zeitz (CEO, PUMA) pointed out, we are pretty much 0-2 while trying to get through the dreaded doldrums. Since we have two more passages though there, we are trying in vain to even the score. As Jochen said, "I hate the doldrums!" Believe me Jochen when I say, that every sailor out here shares your sentiments exactly. -- Read on: http://linkbee.com/FT6P Crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven In-Port races. Leg Five from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janiero, Brazil is 12,300 nm, with the finish estimated on March 20th. Current positions (as of Feb. 19, 1:00 am GMT): 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 10,719 nm Distance to Finish 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 17 nm Distance to Leader 3. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 120 nm DTL 4. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 201 nm DTL 5. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 270 nm DTL Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, Did Not Start Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, DNS Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, DNS Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com ENJOYING THE PRIVILEGE TO BE STILL RACING (Feb. 18, 2009; Day 101) - Arnaud Boissières should be the next skipper to finish the Vendée Globe later this weekend, or perhaps early Monday, nearly a week after the triumphant arrival of Dee Caffari who he sailed the Southern Oceans with. Bossières, with his Finot Conq design which is more than ten years old and went round before, finishing fifth in 2005 as Seb Josse’s VM Matériaux, said today that he would take as long as it takes him to get home. He is enjoying the privilege to be still racing. After 48 hours slowed in light and difficulty breezes ‘Calli’ was simply relishing his final days at sea, making good speeds. He has reached the latitude of Les Sables d’Olonne but now must make his choice when he starts to try and breach this dominant high pressure system which stands between him and the finish line. * DAMAGE ROLL CALL: What happened to 19 of the 30 original entries that started on November 9, 2008 at Les Sables d’Olonne, France, but were later forced from the race? Aside from Vincent Rou’s dismasting due to damage incurred during his rescue of Jean Le Cam, there have been five other broken rigs. Problems with rudders are next on the list (4), and through all the failures, two boats have been abandoned. Here is what happened to the 19 skippers no longer in the race: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/vg-damage Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en COOL OR NOT COOL Coordinating local and regional area race calendars are keys to ensure good event participation. Enough events and enough variety help to maintain enthusiasm; too many events (or too many race days) forces people to make choices. The “build it and they will come” thinking is not enough. Everything about an event is better when participation is high. The racing is better. The après-racing is better. The economics of race administration is better. Critical mass is… critical. Therefore, it was a surprise when the 2009 race calendar in Southern California saw a new event - The Border Run - scheduled on the same day as the region’s iconic April classic, the 125 nm 62nd annual Newport Beach, CA to Ensenada, Mexico race, which attracted nearly 400 entries in 2008. What makes this story interesting is how The Border Run (two course options of 66 or 93 nm), which also starts in Newport Beach but finishes before the US/Mexican border in San Diego, seems to be capitalizing on the increasing concern of crime in Mexico. As the event website states, “Event organizers are promoting the contest as a challenging and fun alternative to the famous, long running Newport to Ensenada tradition…. a good long-distance race without a lot of the complications, expense and worry the Ensenada Race carries.” Fair enough, but the question is whether it should it should be on the same day? Cool or not cool? The new event gets high marks for savvy marketing, and while there is another Newport to San Diego event during the summer (24 entrants in 2008), heading south in the spring lines up nicely with boats getting to San Diego for the Yachting Cup event in early May (116 entrants in 2008). The Border Run may very well attract boats that were not interested in the Ensenada race, but it will certainly also take away some entrants that would normally have done that race. Which leads us to the question… scheduling on the same day… cool or not cool? Time to vote: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0218 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Do you have event conflicts in your racing area and wonder if participation is being hampered as a result? Describe the situation and send an email to editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com ULLMAN SAILS TOP OF THE PODIUM IN ST. PETE In light and shifty winds, Ullman Sails customers sealed two of the top three spots in the 45-boat Melges 24 fleet at the season’s first Sperry Top-Sider NOOD event in St. Petersburg, Florida. David Ullman’s team “USA 515” dominated the highly competitive fleet that included the current North American champions, finishing 12 points ahead of second place! “USA 515” showed excellent speed everywhere on the racecourse, competing with 100% Ullman inventory. Alan Field’s team “WTF” finished third overall, sailing with complete Ullman upwind inventory. Make an investment in your performance. Contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com RACING RULES QUESTION A yacht believes that she had broken a rule and retired after finishing (RAF). Subsequently, she discovers that she had not in fact broken a rule and asked for her retirement to be rescinded. May the race committee re-score the yacht in her finishing position? (see Answer below) SELLING THE OFFSHORE SIZZLE * A one-day seminar on March 29th provides Transpac Race participants an opportunity to hear from industry experts and race veterans regarding all things Transpac. This year’s seminar will cover topics such as boat preparation, sail inventory, provisioning, safety gear, fuel & power, medical, communications, weather, etc. The event is hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club (9AM to 3 PM) and costs $50 per person. For additional information contact John Fuller at jkfuller10@mac.com * For those thinking about racing offshore, a series of presentations are slated around the Great Lakes to demonstrate what it is all about. Provided is an introduction to what is needed to sail in an offshore contest and more specifically the Bayview Mackinac, offering the first time offshore sailor all the things that need to be done to get prepared and have some additional tips for the experienced sailor. -- Details: http://www.byc.com/mack/raceupdates.cfm SAILING SHORTS * Tampa, Florida (Feb. 18, 2009) - Chris Doyle of Kenmore, NY out-muscled 27 other J/22s on the first day of the Midwinter Championship at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, FL. With winds at 15-25 out of the southwest, Doyle finished in the top three in all three races (3, 1, 2). He currently stands at six points, three ahead of Greg Fisher and eight ahead of Jeffrey Todd (both of Annapolis, MD). -- Full details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=7056 * The Club 420 Association Midwinter Championship attracted seventy-three entrants to the US Sailing Center of Martin County (Jensen Beach, FL) for the three day event on February 14-16, 2009. Winning the nine race (one throw-out event) was Antoine Screve/ Will MacBride, with Joshua Greenslade/ Blake Burgess in second and Shone Bowman/ Jake Reynolds in third. -- Complete results: http://www.usscmc.org/files/C420_2009_Results.htm * Waterline Systems in Portsmouth, RI, builder of J Boats (22, 24, 80, and 105) and Farr boats (30 and 40) is hosting a free high performance forum on Feb 28, 2009. The schedule includes an assortment of speakers such as Terry Hutchinson (2009 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year) and Brad Read (multi-time world champ and Sail Newport Executive Director), plus factory tours, boat maintenance demonstrations, and performance advice. -- Details: http://www.waterlinesystems.com/Special/2009WLSopenHouse.php * Racing at Antigua Sailing Week this year will "go on as planned and not be compromised in any way," according to Neil Forrester of the Antigua Hotels and Tourist Association as he responded to the news that the regatta's headline sponsor Sir Allen Stanford has been charged with an US$8 billion fraud. -- Yachting World, read on: http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20090118201208supersailworld.html * Marine equipment manufacturer Lewmar announced up to 95 job cuts in a major company re-structure in response to tough global trading conditions. The majority of the job loses will come from its UK manufacturing base in Havant with some additional redundancies in USA, Australia, France and The Netherlands. This news comes on the back of important re-financing of the business by its bank and major shareholders to reorganise and secure the future of this long established yacht hardware manufacturer. -- IBI Magazine, read on: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20090118122556ibinews.html * West Marine launched a new Green Product of the Year contest, with a $10,000 prize to be awarded at the 2010 Miami International Boat Show. The competition is free and open to individuals, manufacturers, distributors and/or inventors of boating products. Entries will be judged on the following criteria: eco-effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, applicability and breadth of market impact, degree of innovation and originality, and compliance with official rules. -- Soundings Trade Only, full story: http://linkbee.com/FT6S * A website called Caribbean Safety and Security Net provides updates relevant to cruisers who visit any of the Caribbean islands. The main purpose of the site is to report and log incidents of crime against yachts, but it also provides information exchange for questions or concerns about some part of this cruising life. -- http://www.safetyandsecuritynet.com RACING RULES ANSWER The Racing Rules of Sailing are silent with regard to the right of a boat to rescind her retirement, if the race committee are compelled to act on such notification and if there is any time limit for such actions. As the rules do not prohibit such action, a boat may notify the race committee that she rescinds her retirement. The race committee may reinstate the boat and adjust the score of all boats affected by this notification. In the event that another boat did not lodge or withdrew an otherwise valid protest based on the original retirement of the boat, the protest committee should extend the time limit and hear the protest. If the boat did not act in good faith, such as, attempting to avoid being protested by first retiring and then rescinding that retirement, she breaks rule 2, Fair Sailing. Her breach may even be a gross breach of sportsmanship and justify a hearing under rule 69. -- Read on: http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/QA2008003-%5b6789%5d.pdf CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Here are a few of the events that are coming up: Feb 21-22 - Catalina 22 Mid Winters - Cocoa, FL, USA Feb 21-22 - St. Croix International Regatta - St. Croix, U.S.V.I. Feb 23-28 - ClubSwan Caribbean Rendezvous - British Virgin Islands View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get 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 Ken Batzer, Pineapple Cup Race Chairman: (re, letter in Scuttlebutt 2783) In reply to Mr. Cushings letter regarding the Pineapple Cup - Montego Bay Race, Mr. Cushing should get is facts in order before he comes on again with his complaints about multihulls not getting their fair shake against what he calls "lead draggers". The facts are that Steve Fosset's Cheyenne never raced in the Montego Bay Race. Steve did compete with his trimaran "Lakota" in the MoBay race in 1999. But his elapsed time for that 811 miles was 2 days, 20 hours, 8 minutes, 5 seconds, which is nowhere close to the current race record of 2 days, 10 hours, 24 minutes, 42 seconds set in 2005 by Tom Hill's R/P 75' "Titan XII". When a multihull does come to the party and sail the course faster than the current record holder, I am sure that they will be appropriately acknowledged. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION The first myth of management is that it exists. Special thanks to Team One Newport and Ullman Sails. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
