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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 892 - August 31, 2001Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
GUEST EDITORIAL - Paul Henderson The original position was to endeavor to make it so everyone played the game according to the same rules. Having said that the sport is Sailing and if you want to participate in another sport called "Air Rowing" then do so. "Wind" is moving "Air" and the sport uses "Wind". I have always believed: "You do not Ski when there is no snow so why Sail when there is No Wind?" At my advanced age when the wind gets below 4 kts I go to the bar and tell everyone how good I once thought I was usually accompanied by Peter Harken, Ding, Mailn and Gus Miller. Originally when Andy Kostanecki and others drafted the first rule ISAF had, as now some classes do, a "Black Flag Rule" which over a determined Wind strength when flying Kinetics were OK. The wind strength when it would fly was up to the Class and therefore the sailors. Usually around 10kts. Below that No Kinetics!! The problem is light air as we all know. The Rules Guru's could not get their head around that concept so it was discarded. It is my belief that uncontrolled pumping has been a major cause of the implosion of Windsurfing Racing. What the competitive Windsurfers do to their bodies is disastrous. Sit on the starting line and hear the decibel level as they pump their way up the beat. Rather be beside a 747. Then go to the shore and see the doctors, masseuses, orthopods trying to get these young sailors bodies ready for the next 'Air Rowing" contest. Good lesson to learn. It sure does not fit most young sailors definition of Fun. Protect the essence of Sailing and the traditional Tactics by making the sailors Sail use Wind not "Air Rowing". If you "Let it All Hang Out" forget Sailing. - Paul Henderson, President - International Sailing Federation
MAKO ETCHELLS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
STANDINGS after four races: Complete results: www.rlymyc.org.uk/Sailing/Etchells/etchos.html
AMERICA'S CUP SCHEDULE LONDON - Racing schedules for next year's America's Cup yachting regatta have all but been finalized by the 10 challenging syndicates. Subject to minor tinkering, the Louis Vuitton Cup eliminations series to find the challenger who Team New Zealand will meet in 2003, will begin in Auckland on October 1, 2002. America's Cup racing between Team New Zealand and the winning challenger will start on February 15, 2003. In the Louis Vuitton Cup there would be two round-robins, in which all teams race each other for one point a win. There would be a break of seven days between the two. The top eight scorers would go into two quarter-final leagues of the top and bottom four. No. 1 would choose their opponents, as would No. 5, for a best-of-seven race series. The top two from the first division will go through, while the bottom two of that section meet the top two from the second division in a best-of-seven repechage. The bottom two from the second division are eliminated. The top two from the first division and the qualifying second pair then race in a best-of-seven semifinal, with the loser of the top two meeting the winner of the bottom two in a best-of-seven repechage. The final two will race in a best-of-nine series in January to meet Team New Zealand for the cup, also in a best-of-nine series. - REUTERS, www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/
UPGRADING 15 YEAR OLD INSTRUMENTS?
VOLVO OCEAN RACE With less than a month to go before the start Assa Abloy is working on the final preparations. No stone is left unturned. With all the teams being of such high quality, winning the race starts with winning the preparations. The cornerstones of the Assa Abloy Racing Team campaign are two identical, superbly build boats to do two boat testing with. The two unpainted boats provided better sail testing and therefore better sails. The only disadvantage the team had was that it did not have a lot of time. Skipper Roy Heiner comments on where they stand. "We were one of the last teams on the water, only Nautor started after us. So we are still a bit behind in development but we are catching up with the favourites." The team has selected the second built Assa Abloy boat to be the one that will race around the world. Mark Rudiger explains, "These boats are so identical that we could not really point out any obvious differences. That may sound like a difficult choice but actually it was an easy one. Each boat had its 'fans' but ultimately we all agreed to chose the boat that was built last for the simple reason that we had more experience building it and we feel that must be the better one." - Simon Keijzer, www.assaabloyracingteam.com
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Nick von der Wense (edited to our 250-word limit): Dave Perry offers a great outlook on kinetics in his life saving explanation of the rules "Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing through 2004". The rules unambiguously state what is legal and illegal. What has clearly been ambiguous is enforcement, self policeing and consistency. Dave Perry offers this advice; The corinthian legacy of self policing is a great attribute to sailing and when done properly works. A friendly warning seems to work in alot of cases and keeps a hyped up competitor from the excessive pump, roll and ooch. If continued a threat to protest is a good next step. Finally a protest should be used when the rules have been broken and the competitor does not heed complaints. Two clear rules quandries come to mind. When sailors do not self police (without judges) there seems to be always someone who pushes it to the limit and gains from his/her quiet community's exceptance. Why not say something? In rule 42.3a, the stipulation that a crew may roll so long as " the boat's speed is not greater than it would have been in the absence of the tack or gybe". This rule is consistently broken and I have never seen or heard of anyone being tossed for this. I am crazy for saying this; every Optimist, Laser, 420, V15, 505 etc knows of what I speak. Isn't it time to hack this section from the otherwise healthy body of rules we interpret? * From Dallas Johnson: Would any great harm come to the sport if kinetics were to be allowed in dinghy and small boat racing? Would it somehow diminish the sport if boats that already require a significant amount of physical strength and agility suddenly required a bit more strength and agility? Believe it or not physical strength is an important and desirable part of many other sports, and participants like it. This leads me to ask if kinetics rules were written by lazy or unfit people who wanted to "level the playing field" for themselves? If so, maybe we should also make rules (or design course) that eliminate tactical decisions to "level the playing field" for stupid people. I can think of a couple times when that would have helped me out! Less rules equal a better sport. * From Jim Foyer: As a judge, to me there is nothing more beautiful than watching a young person in a Sabot race working his boat using kinetics directly upwind in no air. Perhaps it might help if we allowed the little fellow to put on swim fins, get behind the boat and kick his way around the course. What about a 25hp outboard (4 stroke of course, for those at are ecology minded). Then we could remove that funny pole called a mast, up the hp to say 300-500 and we'd really be off to the races. * From Mike Finn: I'm really sorry that Dan Dickison did not make it to Cowes for the Jubilee. I have only been sailing for three of my now 46 years and I looked forward to every report. And oh how I wish some video footage made it over here. I'll probably never be able to rub shoulders with the gentleman in attendance but I'll continue to push up through my local fleet so that I can experience the joy of getting a pickle dish of my own. I think it is time for us to agree that there is a time to celebrate the sport and ignore all the concerns about who is doing what to gain advantage. Give the shaved toothbrushes a rest and go out on your local waters and look at a smile on some sailor's face. * From Helen C. Johnstone: In 'Butt 889 both Barby MacGowan and Dan Dickison present different perspectives on the America's Cup Jubilee: Barby illustrates clearly the camaraderie that exists in the sport of sailing and Dan questions "what's the lasting value that will be taken away from the pomp and circumstance" of the Jubilee event. The lasting value is the camaraderie of the sport which is the foundation for establishing media coverage and fund raising opportunities. * From John Olsen: The letter from Bob Tillett is likely to mislead readers. There are no theme parks in Wellington NZ. The intention as I understand it is to donate NZL32 to Te Papa, the National Museum in Wellington. While this was criticised and disparaged on its opening as being too much like a theme park, it would in fact be a fine place to display the yacht. The criticism was because one area of the museum contains interactive experiences, such as for example a virtual helicopter ride over New Zealand mountains. While this seems insufficiently serious to some, it does add a lot of interest to the place, which is far more exciting than the collection of dead birds at the old museum ever was. Possibly the Auckland Maritime Museum would also be a good place, but the other aspect is that the donors have the right to place it wherever they like. The TNZ effort is seen in New Zealand as being a national effort, so perhaps a placement in the Capital City is not inappropriate. In any case, you need have no fears that she will end up among the roller coasters of a theme park along the Disney or Knotts Berry Farm lines.
US SAILING TEAM US Sailing Team rankings are based on attendance and performance at a series of qualifying regattas determined by the individual class. The following members of the 2001 US Sailing Team are listed in ranking order one through five: Named by the 470 men's class (skipper and crew): ICSA All-American Kevin Teborek (Winnetka, Ill.) and Talbott Ingram (Fair Haven, N.J.); '99 World University Games Bronze Medallists Steven Hunt (Poquoson, Va.) and Michael Miller (Fairport, N.Y.); '99 College Sailor of the Year Mark Ivey (Hungtington Beach, Calif.) and Howard Cromwell (New Orleans, La.); Stuart McNay (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) and Ross Anderson (Preston, Conn.); and Mark Teborek (Winnetka, Ill.) and Matthew Herbster (Manchester, Mass.). Named by the 470 women's class (skipper and crew): '96 Europe Olympic Bronze Medallist Courtenay Dey (Westerly, R.I./Rye, N.Y.) and Linda Wennerstrom (Miami, Fla.); ICSA All-American Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Duffy Markham (Wellesley, Mass.); ICSA All-American Katie McDowell (Barrington, R.I.) and Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.); ICSA All-Americans Margaret Gill (Weston, Mass.) and Alice Manard (New Orleans, La.); and ICSA All-American Erin Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Elizabeth Kratzig (Corpus Christi, Texas). Named by the Yngling class (skipper and two crew): '01 Yngling World Silver Medallists Betsy Alison, Joan Touchette (both Newport, R.I.) and Nancy Haberland (Annapolis, Md.); Jody Swanson (Buffalo, N.Y.), 2000 470 Women's Olympic Silver Medallist Pease Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.) and Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.); '01 Yngling North American Champions Courtenay Dey (Westerly, R.I./Rye, N.Y.), Linda Wennerstrom (Miami, Fla.), and Suzy Leech (Avon, Conn./Annapolis, Md.); Hannah Swett (Jamestown, R.I.), Dawn Riley (San Francisco, Calif.) and Melissa Purdy (Tiburon, Calif.); and Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), Liz Merrifield Filter (Stevensville, Md.) and Kate Fears (Key West, Fla.). Notable is the fact that of the 15 women named, seven have received Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year honors: Betsy Alison ('81, '82, '84, '93, '98); Courtenay Dey (''90, '96); Pease Glaser ('00); Dawn Riley (''99); Cory Sertl (''95); and Jody Swanson ('89). Also notable is that Dey and Wennerstrom have been named to the 2001 team in two classes: 470 Women and Yngling. This is the third time Dey has been ranked on the US Sailing Team in two different disciplines. - Jan Harley
SWEDISH MATCH TOUR The eight seeded skippers are: Ed Baird (United States), Dennis Conner (United States), Peter Gilmour (United States), Jes Gram-Hansen (Denmark), Andy Green (United Kingdom), Magnus Holmberg (Sweden), Peter Holmberg (US Virgin Islands) and Bertrand Pace (New Zealand). - Keith Taylor, www.bermudagoldcup.com
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * September 8-17: 470 worlds, Koper, Slovenia. (More than 120 entries) 470.siol.net/eng/novice.asp * September 15 - 21: Sonar World Championship, Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, Ct. U.S.A. Some 50 entries from eight countries. - www.sonarworlds.org
THANK YOU MR. GREENSPAN
INDUSTRY NEWS * Detroit, Michigan based spar manufacturer Offshore Spar Company has contracted for the building of a new 1,547 sq m manufacturing facility in Jakobstad, Finland. Located at the seafront Boatbuilding Technology Centre (BTC) in Jakobstad, the new facility will be operational in June 2002 and will provide manufacturing facilities for aluminium and carbon fibre mast systems. The new company, to be named Oy Offshore Spars Ab, will also provide a full service rigging facility with rod cold heading capabilities to size -91. - www.offshorespars.com
STAR NAs
SAILING ON TV
HAPPY HOLIDAY
THE CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL |
