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SCUTTLEBUTT 2410 - August 14, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. TURNING A MINI SAILOR INTO A MUSCLE-BOUND RACER (To help Clay Burkhalter beef up for the 2007 Mini Transat 6.5, physiologist Jennifer Langille discusses how she has the solo skipper following a "boatyard" workout routine.) Whether we're at the grocery store, the doctor's office, or the airport, we always seem to be playing the weight game. How much per pound for a juicy watermelon? How much weight must we shed to avoid the doctor's lecture? How much clothing can we squeeze into the suitcase before exceeding the baggage weight allowance? It's nearly impossible to shift the focus off of weight in the day to day, and the sport of sailing is no different. As a physiologist specializing in sailing, helping racers manage their weight has become part of my job. (Packing my suitcase to weigh less than 33 pounds, however, still seems like rocket science.) My latest project involves getting 10 pounds of muscle to stick on a naturally slim solo sailor, Clay Burkhalter, a Connecticut native training for the 2007 Mini Transat 6.5, which starts in Pornichet, France, on September 16. I've been working with Burkhalter's Team Acadia since early 2006, and I'm currently with the team in France. We've been addressing Burkhalter's physical and nutritional training. Occasionally, we'll swap roles and Burkhalter will put me to work on some of the "little" skills a solo sailor must possess, boatbuilding, rigging, electrical and carbon fiber repair…-- Sailing World, read on: http://tinyurl.com/2aqgu2 TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH Cowes, Isle of Wight, England (August 13, 2007) -- After a 25-hour weather delay, 271 boats set off Monday from the Squadron line in Cowes for the start of 46th edition of the 608-mile Rolex Fastnet Race. It was a picture-perfect day with blue skies and puffy cumulus clouds, and little sign of the severe weather that is forecast ahead. The IMOCA 60 class was first off at 1100 BST, followed by six more classes as the 15 -18 knot breeze and a four knot ebb tide produced a short choppy sea. First out past the Needles was the IMOCA 60 fleet, with the Alex Thompson-skippered, Hugo Boss leading, followed by PRB and Cheminees Poujoulat. Onboard PRB, the cameraman was struck in the head by the boom and sustained a laceration; as a precaution, he was taken off the boat. Best estimates put the leading boats approaching the Lizard around midnight Monday, and with the current weather forecast they could be at the Fastnet Rock by mid-morning. At press time, 11 boats have retired. New this year for the Rolex Fastnet is the OC Tracker system, which is capable of reporting a boat's position, speed, and course at pre-determined intervals, and is programmable remotely. -- Full report: http://fastnet.rorc.org/container.asp?id=8176 * Three and a half hours after the start, Spanish skipper Guillermo Altadill and American co-skipper Jonathan McKee sailing the Open 60 Estrella Damm have officially announced their retirement from the Rolex Fastnet Race. As they were close racing near the front of the fleet, a fault in the electronics controlling the keel motors was detected, effectively easing the keel from its canted position. With some uncertainty as to the cause of the problem, the duo decided that given the strong weather forecast ahead, there was no other choice than to retire from the Rolex Fastnet Race. They will now focus on solving the problem ashore and prepare for the 2800 nautical miles qualification sail for the two-handed Barcelona World Race that starts in November. * Scuttlebutt has 3 megs of images from super shooter Ingrid Abery, including many of the Open 60 fleet: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/0813 THE FASTEST RACE TO MEXICO San Diego Yacht Club invites you to join Dennis Conner and his Farr 60 “Stars & Stripes” as they continue their lengthy tradition of races to Mexico… the Vallarta Race ‘08. Commencing with an old time Mexican fiesta & Calcutta at SDYC on Friday, February 22nd, all boats then start that weekend and quickly find the excellent Baja sailing conditions on their way to Puerto Vallarta (under a full moon!). A great turn out is expected, with comprehensive event information including travel specials and online entry forms at the race website. Join the club that has been racing to Mexico since 1954. -- http://www.sdyc.org/pv A SEVERE LACK OF ALOHA Honolulu, HI -- Two years ago, following the 2005 Transpacific Yacht Race, I wrote to The Advertiser, lamenting the sad and dilapidated state of the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. My letter was reprinted in a number of publications, in Hawai'i and the Mainland, and for a brief few months there was hope something might be done. Two years ago, the second-largest fleet in Transpac's illustrious history arrived to find the entirety of "Transpac Row" condemned, rotting, and useless, not just to them but to the state in general. Instead of the 100-year tradition of a true "gathering place" for the visitors, the boats were scattered haphazardly around the boat harbor and largely left to fend for themselves — and to feel entirely unwanted and unwelcome. "How could it get much worse?" we said to each other in 2005. Well, in 2007, another near-record fleet found out how much worse it could get. Two more rows of slips were derelict and almost nonexistent; boats had to be tied stern-to with no access to either electricity or fresh water. The feeling of aloha was almost entirely missing. -- Roy Disney, The Honolulu Advertiser, full report: http://tinyurl.com/23kegv JUST ANOTHER “TYPICAL DAY” ON THE BAY Last weekend San Francisco Yacht Club held the Summer Keel regatta in San Francisco Bay. I was crewing on Mike Laport’s Etchells #966, doing the bow while Scott Gordon handled the middle position’s duties. The breeze was up, but so was the sun, and it looked to be a great day for racing. The five-minute start sequence had just begun when we tacked onto port, only to see Scott fall backwards off the boat as he badly misjudged the new weather rail. Scott was our timekeeper, and gets high marks for calling out "4 minutes 15 seconds" just before hitting the water. However, as he fell, his left leg totally took me out and knocked me in the water as well. I quickly popped up to see Scott hanging onto the mainsheet and pulling himself back onboard. It was quite amazing! Luckily, the fleet noticed me right away and was able to stay clear. After Mike finished pulling Scott in, they hurriedly made their way back to me. The race committee crash boat was now also nearby, but I waved them off as Mike was almost back. Since we were in sequence, the support boat’s assistance would have disqualified us from the race. Mike comes around and makes a perfect approach, Scott grabs me, and in the boat I go. Mike yells, "How much time is left?" After taking a few breaths, Scott yells, "1 minute 30 seconds!" We tack and go for the line. I trim the jib in and before I know it the gun sounds and we are off with a near perfect start near the pin end of the line! Mike rescues two people in a matter of minutes and we manage to get a pretty good start! It was a great test of seamanship skills to make it all work without missing the race! Just another “typical day” on the San Francisco Bay.... -- Anne Jaeschke CHATTING WITH THE BEST Three-time 470 World Champion, 420 World Champion, and ISAF World Games Champion, Malcolm Page (AUS) is recognized as one of the World’s best trapezing crews. North Sails One Design caught up with Malcom in Qingdao, China where he is training with skipper Nathan Wilmot for the 2007 Pre-Olympics. * You have won a 420 World Championship with Nathan, as well. Do you continue to cross-train in other boats together, dinghies or keelboats? MALCOLM: Yes the 420 Worlds was the first worlds Nathan and I won together. I had never sailed a 420 until the week before the Worlds. But Nathan had done many years in the class. At that time (9 months before 2004 Athens Olympics) we were always looking for high level, high-pressure regattas to test ourselves under pressure. The 420 Worlds were local to our home (1000 kms away) that year and made sense in our Olympic preparation. Nathan and I are often seen sailing on other boats. I am heavily involved in a Farr 40 campaign and Nathan is often racing on other IRC and one design yachts. The advantage of living in Sydney is that you can race regularly in anything from dinghies to offshore canting keel yachts. * How did you prepare for Cascais? What was your training schedule like during the 2007 season? MALCOLM: We never sailed in Cascais until the 2 weeks before the World Championships. With traveling being logistically difficult from Australia, it sometimes is important to focus more on racing in Europe than worry about the exact location. But we thought 2 weeks would be enough to familiarize ourselves to the place, but without getting sick of it. We always like to have completed some decent regattas before hand to make sure we have practiced our racing skills. That does not mean that we always have to do well, but more just so we remember how to race. Then we will normally focus on equipment preparation and practice racing leading into the regatta. -- Complete interview: http://www.onedesign.com/class/470/470_whatsnew.html#14 THE COOLEST NEW SAILING BAG ON THE PLANET Harken’s Roll Top Wet/Dry Bag separates the ‘still o.k.’ from your clammy wet stuff, with each compartment expanding to a waterproof bag, mesh bag, or combination. Don’t want mesh? Grab a watertight Squall Bag. Want wheels? Use the Large Rolling Duffel. Whichever you choose, these bags are built tough and will survive baggage handlers everywhere. Shop your favorite Harken dealer or Sailing Gear website for these sailor-tested bags - plus shoes, gloves, fleece jackets/ vests, rashguards, and a new line of performance-enhancing sunglasses. http://www.harkensailinggear.com/bags/luggage.php OLYMPIC DRESS REHEARSAL Qingdao, China (August 13, 2007): The "Good Luck Beijing" Qingdao International Regatta was officially launched Sunday night at the Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province. The opening ceremony started with a spectacular laser show that saw sailing boats guided by a beacon into Qingdao's marina on Fushan Bay. After delegates from 49 countries and regions presented their flags and took to a stage, local sailors welcomed guests with some hallowed international maritime etiquette: light and flag signals. "Last August, we met in Qingdao and jointly held a sailing event, which offered a satisfactory result," Qingdao Mayor Xia Geng said. "A year later, we are once again gathering here to carry out a dress rehearsal of the Olympic Sailing Regatta in line with Olympic standards and present the world with another glorious regatta." A total of 387 sailors from 49 countries and regions will compete in Qingdao this year. As the final test event of the Olympic Sailing Competition, the regatta will oblige the Olympic standard of allowing each country or region just one entry for each event. All 11 Olympic sailing competition events - across nine classes - will be held between Wednesday and August 24. Registration and measurement of boats will be conducted Monday and Tuesday, with a practice race Monday to be followed by the first genuine competition in eight events - across five racing areas - on Wednesday. -- China Daily, full story: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2007-08/13/content_6023369.htm SAILING SHORTS * Marine clothing manufacturer Helly Hansen has announced the appointment of Peter Sjölander as CEO and Knut Are Høgberg as CFO of the company. Sjölander currently serves as senior vice president of product & brand at Electrolux, the world's second largest manufacturer of domestic appliances. Prior to that, he spent almost 15 years with Nike where he held several senior management positions, both in Europe and in the US. Knut Are Høgberg joins Helly Hansen from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he worked extensively with consumer goods, with a particular focus on operational turnarounds and strategic development, during an 11-year period. -- IBI Magazine, full report: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20070713133148ibinews.html * Northeast Harbor ME -- Bob Johnstone’s new J/100 Tern won the “Max” Warburg Memorial Trophy Overall as well as sweeping Division II in DownEast RaceWeek last week, a five day event around islands off Acadia National Park in Maine. Racing was under a Time-on-Time conversion of PHRF, 23 boats sailed in three spinnaker divisions using the same start and course, competing for overall honors. Far Out and Ariana won Divisions I and III respectively. Hal Kroeger’s Morris 54 FAR OUT won Division I while ARIANA, an Ohlson 41 Yawl owned by Jeff Becton, won Division III. -- Event website: http://downeastraceweek.com * The first ever Canadian Yachting Association Open National Championships came to a close last weekend at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club in Ontario. Final entries in the all-ages event had 252 sailors competing in 9 Classes. 10 Regions were represented with ages ranging from 10 to 50. The 2-days of racing saw light air and event that saw plenty of sun! Classes included Byte, Byte CII, Optimist, Club 420, 29er, Laser, Laser 2, Laser Radial, and Hobie 16. – Event site: http://www.sailing.ca/feature/2007/08/natchamps.html * Hankø, Norway (August 13, 2007) -- After three races in 20-25 knots southwesterly and 1-2 meter seaway, German teams are leading the 41 entrants in both classes. The long offshore race starts tomorrow and the boats will finish Wednesday. The forecast calls for light SW winds in the morning, increasing to 20-30 knots from SE in the evening which in certain areas will reach 35 knots at night before decreasing slightly throughout Wednesday. -- http://www.kns.no/?module=Articles;action=Article.publicShow;ID=1389 * Sea Cliff, NY -- The Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound held their Optimist Championship last weekend, where 151 sailors entered the season championship of Western Long Island Sound clubs. However, the wind gods did not cooperate, with only two races completed over the two days due to light and variable conditions. Evan Read from Northport Bay Sailing Association (NBSA) won with a score of 1-2 followed by recent Optimist New England's champion Declan Whitmyer from Noroton YC who had a 4-1. Laura Wefer from host Sea Cliff YC was third and top girl with a 4-4. -- Complete results: http://www.seacliffyc.org/optichamps2007.htm * Barnegat Bay is hosting America’s top youth sailing talent as some 93 sailors from throughout the country have come to the New Jersey shore for the US Sailing Chubb U.S. Junior Championships. Early leaders in the open single-, double-, and triplehanded events are Clifford Porter (Fontana, WI), Brendan Kopp (no crew listed; Southport, CT), and Scott Hoffmann/ Evan Hoffmann/ Eric Alamillo (San Diego, CA) respectively. -- http://www.ussailing.org/championships NEW TECH T’S FROM SAILFAST SailFast signature T’s are now available in our new TempaDry fabric. Get all the comfort and performance of a micro-fiber tech-T with UPF 50 sun protection. And like all other SailFast Apparel, 10% of the profits go to supporting the fight against Leukemia and other blood cancers. Shop now at http://www.isailfast.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Jim Durden: In response to the Curmudgeon's piece (in Issue 2407) on "Killing the goose......" It's obvious that the Yacht Clubs seem to be in denial about the state of racing. If there were two or three similar Mackinaw races, which one shall I enter, which Key West Race week do I sign up for? Too many races = low turnout. Then there is the immense job of putting together Race Committee! It can be as difficult to get crew as it can to drum up volunteers to help put on the event. (let alone experienced volunteers). And we have all seen how experience affects quality. I help my club with race committee as often as I can and I make a point of helping the local "Big" club whenever they host a National or World level event, because they have the experience, talent and equipment. It is an honor to be apart of a well-run regatta and the many volunteers feel the same way. And the important part; the competitors wind up with a great experience and a fun regatta. Not all clubs are set up to host high-level events, and that's okay as they have talents that can be utilized to fit their volunteer base. So, let's wrap our heads around this concept; Convince the "Big" club to host the local regattas that the others clubs have on the calendar. The small clubs can still put on their occasional intra-club event for their members, host their annual Cruisers regatta, but, spend more of their volunteer time with programs that attract new members and introduce people outside the club scene to the world of boating. Host a boating "Sampler" with a barbeque and get kids out kayaking, sailing, or fishing. It's only limited by imagination. * From Reagan Dynes: Nice to see Windsurfing getting some coverage in Scuttlebutt with the Formula event in San Francisco, as it wakes us up to the fact that there is some boardsailing in the US. By following the dismal performance by North Americans in the Olympic RS:X events, you wonder what is going on with that part of the sport in this continent. If there are juniors who are seeking an alternative to the typical youth track of clunky prams and doublehanded boats, this is the fast track to the US Sailing Team. * From Robert D. Leslie: Believe me, I like the guys at TNZ, but something seems to be wrong when I hear the repetition of just needing two seconds. I have seen it in Kiwiland again and again where the sailing news refers to losing by two seconds. Is it rude to remind the community that the race Alinghi won by two seconds was the fifth race they won, and it was the final race needed in their successful defense of the America’s Cup? * From Derek Blancké: Have all you guys writing about Bertarelli being unfair and unsportsmanlike forgotten that he bankrolled ETNZ to get them on board after their 2003 debacle in defence Had he not done that they might not have made it because everyone was on a huge downer in Kiwi Land. Then ETNZ turn up as the challenger and without their bad luck could have given Bertarelli a severe arse (butt) kicking. That looks like feeding the hand that bites you to me. I don't see where you guys are coming from unless Larry Ellison has become the prince of altruism and wants to lose again because it is good for his spirit! Can you imagine England paying the All Blacks to challenge them in the Rugby World Cup final - I dont think so... * From John Diggins: With regard to the America’s Cup dispute, am I the only reader to note the cover of the July/ August SAILING WORLD Magazine? Seen on that issue is the record-breaking hydrofoil l'hydroptere flying a Swiss flag and the article says that several Swiss have ordered these huge tri-foil boats. Is Alinghi preparing to fight this fight? CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises, Harken gear, and SailFast. |
