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SCUTTLEBUTT 3260 - Wednesday, January 20, 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: Doyle Sails, Team One Newport, and US SAILING. HOW THE OTHER HALF SAILS By Michael Lovett One of the perks of Key West Race Week is it affords everyday racers the opportunity to mingle with the best in the sport. Today, I got to rub shoulders with Russell Coutts, literally. I was the guest crewmember on the RC 44 Oracle Racing, and my spot at the back of the boat put me right next to Mr. Coutts. We shared the windward running backstay as a handhold - very romantic. It was my first time aboard an RC 44, and my first time meeting Coutts and his Oracle team. I was expecting to get a glimpse of a brand of sailing wholly unfamiliar to me, to be dazzled by the secrets of the cutting edge. I saw some of that - the boat is a carbon-fiber machine, right down to the weed stick, and the crew performs complex boathandling maneuvers with a nonchalance that makes it look easy - but, for the most part, the racing I witnessed was surprisingly familiar. The conversation between Coutts and Chris Museler - the sometime SW contributor driving the boat this week - was no different than the exchanges any tactician has with their skipper: "Watch out for that weed patch." "Down a little; okay, slowly burn off some of that speed." "You're a little low coming out of the tacks." I was expecting the tactical discussions to fly way over my head, the way calculus did in high school, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear the Oracle gang making their decisions the same way we make them in Tuesday-night J/22 racing: "Looks like there's a little more wind on the right. Let's go there." "There's favorable current on the left. Let's take advantage of that." "Man, we really shouldn't have tacked there. Now we'll just have to hang in here and eat it." -- Full story: http://www.sailingworld.com/blogs/racing/how-the-other-half-sails Key West 2011 event website: http://www.premiere-racing.com/ Daily T2P videos: http://www.t2p.tv/guide/kw11.php Sailing World: http://tinyurl.com/Sailing-World-KW SAIL: http://sailmagazine.com/best_around_the_buoys/ 2011 470 CLASS NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS CONCLUDE Fifty-three 470s hailing from fifteen different countries competed in the 470 Class North American Championships January 14-16, 2011, in Miami, FL, hosted by the Coconut Gove Sailing Club. US Sailing Team Alpha Graphics members Stu McNay and Graham Biehl (Beijing 2008) and USSTAG's Erin Maxwell sailing with Isabelle Kinsolving-Farrar (Athens 2004) led for the first two days of the event, but were caught out in the light air conditions of day three to be passed by Mathew Belcher/Malcolm Paige AUS (1st Overall Men) and Camille Lecointre/Mathilde Geron FRA (1st Overall Women). Mat Belcher/Malcolm Page (AUS) and Camille Lecointre/Mathilde Geron (FRA) took the over the line title. Both the Australians and French put in fantastic performances to secure victory at this world-class event. However, as per the rules for a Continental Championship the official title goes to the top placed teams from that continent, which sees the newly crowned 2011 North American Champions as Stu McNay and Graham Biehl (USA) in the men's and Maxwell/Kinsolving-Farrar (USA) in the women's fleet. After an opening day on Friday of superb conditions with 15-18 knots in Miami, the next two days of racing presented lighter and more variable conditions, with Saturday proving to be shifty whilst Sunday saw the wind drop to testing light winds. Eight races were completed in the qualification series, before a medal race for the top ten in each of the men and women's fleets. Congratulations to McNay/Biehl (2nd Men) and Maxwell/Kinsolving-Farrar (3rd Women), the top NA competitors and new 470 Class North American Champions. -- Full story: http://www.470.org/content.asp?id=2377 WHAT DO 1, 2, AND 3 HAVE IN COMMON? Doyle. Doyle sails dominated the 2011 Sid Doren Memorial, hosted by Etchells Fleet 20 in Miami, Florida finishing 1-2-3. On Saturday, three races were held in 10-20 knot winds. Consistency in Sunday's two lighter air races paid off for Jud Smith, Moose McClintock, and Jim Porter. Sailing Gary Jobson's boat, Jud's 1-2 finishes on Sunday were enough to shuffle Saturday's leader board and result in the win of the 2011 Sid Doren Memorial. Doyle sails powered Scott Piper to 2nd place and Buddy Cribb to 3rd. When one designs come down to one, it's Doyle. http://www.doylesails.com/onedesign FRUSTRATING WEATHER WINDOW FOR BARCELONA RACERS (January 18, 2011: Day 19) - Enjoying the lead of the Barcelona World Race since Friday afternoon, Estrella Damm duo Alex Pella (ESP) and Pepe Ribes (ESP) are set for a long night and long day of frustration as they try to find a way through over 250 miles of very unstable, asthmatic light winds. This afternoon Pella and Ribes had 1,466 miles to sail to the key way-point while Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) and François Gabart (FRA), barreling down the Brazilian coast on Foncia, at the latitude of Rio de Janeiro, between four and six knots quicker, had 1,788 miles to Gough Island, the lonely island which will effectively act as watch-keeper for the Barcelona World Race fleet before the gateway to the Southern Ocean. Routing predictions still suggest there is little to choose between the pathfinder's direct passage through the jungle of unstable weather of Estrella Damm, and the fast route west down the Brazilian coast. The ETA for the first boat has advanced to around Sunday morning as the Saint Helena high-pressure system takes on an increasingly ordered shape. The catch up on the leaders continues. Groupe Bel has moved to within 97 miles of Estrella Damm. Mirabaud remain the quickest of the top three with their tidy slightly westerly routing. Dee Caffari (GBR) and Anna Corbella (ESP) have had a good 36 hours on GAES Centros Auditivos, making up two places to lie in seventh, just seven miles behind the Boris Herrmann (GER) and Ryan Breymaier (USA) on Neutrogena. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/69klc8k Race Tracker: http://tracking.barcelonaworldrace.org Standings (top 5 of 14 as of 20.01.07) 1. Estrella Damm Sailing Team, Alex Pella & Pepe Ribes, 21,685 nm DTF 2. Groupe Bel, Kito De Pavant & Sebastien Audigane, 20,752 nm DTF 3. Mirabaud, Dominique Wavre & Michele Paret, 20,805 nm DTF 4. Mapfre, Iker Martinez & Xabi Fernandez, 20,851 nm DTF 5. Virbac-Paprec 3, Jean Pierre Dick & Loick Peyron, in ghost mode Full rankings: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/ranking/ BACKGROUND: This is the second edition of the non-stop Barcelona World Race, the only double-handed race around the world. Fourteen teams are competing on Open 60s which started December 31st and is expected to finish by late March. The 25,000 nautical mile course is from Barcelona to Barcelona via three capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn, Cook Strait, putting Antarctica to starboard. Race website: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org HOW DID AC34 END UP IN MULTIHULLS? Pete Melvin is a diehard multihull guy. For that reason, he pretty much figured the pinnacle of sailing, the America's Cup, was out of his reach. But an improbable Deed of Gift match led to the chance of a lifetime, bringing Melvin and his team to the forefront of plans to bring multihulls to the venerable Cup. The team at Morelli & Melvin, the Huntington Beach, California, yacht design firm who helped design the wing that took BMW Oracle Racing from America's Cup challenger to defender in about the amount of time it takes to sail from San Diego to San Francisco. But when America's Cup 33 ended last February, Melvin celebrated the victory and thought his time with the Cup had come to an end. However, a seed had been planted... "During the Cup, I honestly don't think anyone was thinking that far ahead," Melvin says. "It was all new to most of the Oracle guys. I mean, you can count the number of guys who had been involved with multihulls - especially multihulls with wings - on two hands. It's a very small community. They weren't sure how that was going to turn out, so no one was thinking about how the next Cup was going to look." -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/4v77z2r AC34 TOP PRIORTY FOR NEW MAYOR By Michelle Slade, Sailing Journalist After days of winter chilly San Francisco fog, this morning clouds gave way to blue sunshine and even warmth as San Francisco's new Mayor Edwin Lee conducted a press conference at the end of Pier 27, literally at the water's edge, to discuss his administration's commitment and organization to deliver AC 34. Fitting. A long time Bay area resident, it was the first time I'd ventured out to the end of this particular pier - I've sailed passed it often enough. It took about a second to conceptualize what this whole thing is not only going to look like but FEEL like. It's going to be amazing. Lee was joined by City Supervisors Murakami and Lee, who have been 100% behind the Cup coming to town, as well as Mark Buell representing both Park and Rec, and the Americas Cup Organizing Committee (ACOC), and Craig Thompson, CEO America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA). Many other Port staff and city staff were also on-hand, including Jonathan Stern, the Port's assistant deputy director of Waterfront Development. Stern lead the group for a quick tour of Piers 23 and 27, to briefly show Mayor Lee the areas that will be dedicated to the Cup. It's clear that the Mayor is already enamored of the changes that the Cup is sure to bring to the City under his authority. -- Read on: http://sailblast.blogspot.com/2011/01/ac34-top-priority-for-new-mayor.html * Not all San Francisco waterfront tenants who may be relocated due to AC34 have an issue with the proposed plans: http://tinyurl.com/4u8vdaw SHOW YOUR SCHOOL COLORS WITH CUSTOM COLOR DRYSUITS! Team One Newport is proud to partner with OS Systems to bring you custom color BREATHABLE drysuits. There is a 4 to 6 week lead time and you can choose from Electric Blue, Fiesta Orange, Pewter, Garnet Red, Black, Ground Green or 2 different camouflage. Visit http://www.team1newport.com/products.asp?dept=464 to view this offer. Show your school colors and stand out in a crowd! Since 1985, Team One Newport has been outfitting the top sailors in the world and is renowned for their service, expertise & selection. Call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) for further questions. BRILLIANT MOVE BY AMERICA'S CUP RACE MANAGEMENT By Kimball Livingston, Sailing Journalist America's Cup Race Management just made one brilliant move. They've hired John Craig to join them as Principal Race Officer for the America's Cup World Series, Louis Vuitton Cup, and the 34th America's Cup. For eleven years, John has been the race manager at St. Francis Yacht Club, responsible for overseeing 120-130 days a year of racing, right where the next Cup match will be sailed. He knows every nuance (and hammer blow) of San Francisco Bay, and even better, he's long been talking to the Bar Pilots, Vessel Traffic, fishermen, rowing and swimming clubs, Rec & Park, and SFPD Marine. This man knows the wind, the water and all the stakeholders. It would take years for an outsider to match what he brings to the table. ACRM has to get it right the first time. Around the world, a small handful of veteran race managers operate at the highest level, but no other could match this fit with San Francisco Bay. I've watched as John has husbanded improved relations between sailors, commerce, and the Coast Guard. He's helped open new dialogues and smooth away old frictions. San Francisco Bar Pilots today know that ship movements are tracked via AIS on St. Francis committee boats; that race starts can be postponed until shipping is clear; that when a race under way crosses mid-channel traffic, they can count on seeing a RIB ahead to port, and a RIB ahead to starboard, policing their right of way. The navigable portion of San Francisco Bay is really rather small, especially that signature, spectacular body known as the West Bay, just inside the Golden Gate. It gets the biggest breeze, the biggest tides, and the most traffic. In eleven years on the case, John Craig has raised everyone's game. -- Read on: http://kimballlivingston.com/ * John Craig's appointment has been widely heralded as a great move by ACRM, especially by those who have worked for and with him during his race management career. He's well considered an all-round great guy and excellent at what he does. Sailing journalist Michelle Slade interviewed Craig following his appointment. -- Read on: http://www.sailblast.blogspot.com/2011/01/best-man-for-job.html NOTES FROM A VERY FORTUNATE HIGH SCHOOL SAILING COACH By Jen Mitchell Roy Williams is the varsity sailing coach at St. George's School in Newport, Rhode Island. Roy grew up in North Wales in the United Kingdom, where he lived just a couple hundred yards from the local sailing club. Although both his parents were sailors, they did not pressure him to sail, but he did naturally drift into it. He participated in summer sailing and competed in high school level regattas, such as the North Wales High School Championship. He grew up with both fleet racing and team racing, and in the 1980's moved to the United States. He has been coaching at St. George's for twenty-one years now, and has developed one of the strongest high school sailing programs in the country. He will openly admit and joke that the St. George's program, like Tabor, Hotchkiss, and Portsmouth Abbey, is unique in the great resources there are to work with. Being a private boarding school, St. George's is able to offer some benefits that not every high school can, like a great fleet of boats and excellent facilities. Taking into account Roy's coaching experience and St. George's excellent sailing reputation I took advantage of a Skype chat to learn more from him. I asked Roy what he enjoys about coaching high school and what has kept him at it for so long. Roy is also a calculus teacher at SG, and it is this educating aspect that he takes the most pleasure in. Roy explains that he "likes to see results, and with high school sailing there are big improvements in a short amount of time." -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/63zyqes US SAILING HIRING MOBILE COORDINATORS FOR SUMMER ROAD SHOW Attention college sailors - Are you looking for a summer job experience that you'll never forget? US SAILING is searching for organized and energetic sailors to interact at events from New England to Annapolis running US SAILING's 2011 Summer Road Show. For more information: http://about.ussailing.org/Careers_at_US_SAILING/Mobile_Coordinator.htm Complete details on US SAILING's 2011 Road Show coming soon! CORRECTION In Scuttlebutt 3259, the story titled "An Alternative" was incorrectly attributed to Valencialife.net. It was researched and written by Spanish sailing columnist Alberto Mas. Here is the link to his story (albeit in Spanish): http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/01/17/nautica/1295254542.html INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATES The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum encourages companies to post their new hirings, product and service updates. Scuttlebutt editors will select Industry update each week to include in the Thursday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to post Industry News updates: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news SAILING SHORTS * The following Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) 2011 rules are available for download: the International Measurement System (IMS), the ORC Rating Rules systems, and the ORC "Green Book" of Championship rules and ORC Class guidelines. This latter book is composed of four sections, available for download separately or combined: the ORC Championship Rules, the ORC Standard Notice of Race, the ORC Standard Sailing Instructions, and guidelines for the ORC level-rating Classes, which currently includes ORC Maxis, ORC MiniMaxis and ORC Sportboats. -- Read on: http://www.orc.org/ * (January 18, 2011) - Veteran solo sailor Derek Hatfield today described the second ocean sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS as the toughest sailing of his life as he arrived in Wellington to clinch the final podium position. The 58-year-old Canadian sailed his Eco 60 yacht Active House across the finish line at 3pm local time (0200 UTC), less than 60 hours behind leg two winner and overall race leader Brad Van Liew (USA). Hatfield sailed more than 7,500 nautical miles through the Southern Ocean from Cape Town in South Africa in 32 days and 17 hours. -- Full story: www.velux5oceans.com * Hundreds of sailors head to the Caribbean each year to compete in the St. Thomas Yacht Club's International Rolex Regatta and this year, from March 25-27, the three-day event will prove once again - for the 38th time, that its unique blend of island-style hospitality, competition and camaraderie is the perfect formula for attracting new talent as well as die-hards devoted to returning year after year. The event offers IRC and CSA handicap and one-design racing in a strikingly beautiful setting, with courses that thread through and around the cuts and cays of St. Thomas and St. John. -- Event website: http://www.rolexcupregatta.com/index2.php 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 Tim Gauthier (re, Scuttlebutt 3258): We no longer are required to rent for 1 month or longer here in Truman Annex. The minimum stay is 1 week, we won the law suit 4 years ago, please pass this information on to anyone who may be interested as we would love to have everyone come back that has not because of the minimum stay requirements. * From David LaPier: Scuttlebutt readers may enjoy Brian Phillip's blog, "The Billionaire Test" http://www.runofplay.com/2010/09/20/the-billionaire-test/ It's about billionaire soccer team owners, but I think it's applicable to America's Cup billionaires too. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Chaos. Panic. Disorder. My work here is done. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Camet - Samson Ropes - North U - North Sails - New England Boatworks Doyle Sails - Team One Newport - US SAILING - The Pirates Lair Ullman Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - Marion Bermuda Race Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
