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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 794 - April 13, 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 and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome. AMERICA'S CUP Mr Ellison, a keen yachtsman, took part in the Sydney-Hobart race in 1999. But he was not able to match the achievement of SAP co-chairman Hasso Plattner, who won the race the previous year in record time in his yacht Morning Glory. SAP also sponsored the handicap winner of the last Sydney-Hobart, SAPAusmaid, and Mr Plattner has been involved in most of the big-boat overseas series around the world. He has just bought Shockwave, built by Sydney-based New Zealand businessman Neville Crichton - the maxi that pulled out of the last Sydney-Hobart race because it was too rough. SAP was founded in 1972 in Waldorf by five former IBM systems engineers, including Mr Plattner, who wanted to build software to run large businesses. Their success can be measured in the number of customers SAP enjoys today - more than 13,000 companies in over 100 countries, including over half of the world's top 500 companies. Onshore competition between Oracle and SAP has heated up in recent years as Oracle, the second-largest software company with sales last year of $US10.9 billion ($27 billion), sought to turn its dominance of computer databases into dominance in the applications market. While both companies' share prices have dropped in the post dotcom market, their huge installed bases and continued revenues from software maintenance agreements have left them in a healthier position than competitor companies such as i2, Commerce One and Ariba. * Team New Zealand head Tom Schnackenberg refused to confirm the sponsorship. "We don't talk about who we're talking to," he said. SAP's company policy is also to keep mum. "I have no comment on this rumour," said Chris Burton from SAP New York, who is responsible for SAP sponsorships globally. - NZ Herald Full story: www.nzherald.co.nz/ MORE AMERICA'S CUP Full story: www.boatmagic.com/ ROLEX INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S KEELBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND WARRIORS LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON leweck@earthlink.net * From Chris Welsh: Although Craig Yandow's comments about carrying the gear were in jest, I have a few items I keep on my person when distance racing offshore - and they include 3 pocket rocket flares, each about the size of a large pen, and a handheld VHF in a waterproof float bag. It may be overkill, but I carry these items in the belief that if I go overboard, I likely will be able to see the boat and direct them back, rather than the boat being able to see me. On the other hand, I would not want to see the carrying of anything more mandated than we already have to. * From Steve Orosz: With respect to Craig Yandow's mention of "201 water containers" the reference in Scuttlebutt No. 792 was to "20l containers of water" (lowercase L) which refers to 20 liter containers. That would be the metric equivalent of the US 5 gallon jug. Personally, I'd much prefer moving that about down below decks at each tack instead of wearing it on my back in some Inspector Gadget sort of vest. * From Michael Raabe: Scuttlebutt 792 has Craig McCaw's " One World " challenge to the next Americas Cup trolling for sponsorship dollars. In the current Latitude 38's list of challengers for the next Cup Larry Ellison "is conspicuous by his absence" I was on the Oracle web site this week looking at stock transfers and sales. Lawrence J Ellison sold 29,059,000 shares of Oracle stock, which yielded $894,802,644.00. Seems that he has the money, or maybe he doesn't, which is why he sold all this stock. Inquiring minds are wondering why he has yet to officially enter. * From Ken Guyer: Isn't Craig McCaw going out for corporate sponsorship kind of like mega-billionaire pleading a welfare case. Of course that may not be too far off the mark if Fredrick Berringer (butt 793) is on the mark with his distress sale analogy. Or perhaps he has just grown tired of the game and is looking for something else to play with. Of course the McCaw /SYC challenge is NOT an American challenge, it is a "One World" challenge. As has been said before, he just does not think we have a boat full of talent available in this country. Dennis and the gang have demonstrated they are a threat with the paltry sum spent in the past three campaigns. Perhaps "One World" has turned to competing with Conner for corporate dollars as a way to try and limit NYYC chances to raise dough! * From Jesse Deupree: Regarding the America's Cup Nationality debate, a little perspective is in order. I'm reading Vanderbilt's story of the Enterprise defence in 1930. His afterguard was American, but the crew forward were foreign- Scandinavian I believe in this case, as was true for the other candidates for the defence. In fact the rivalry between the villages was quite fierce. This pattern was quite common in the early days. One defender even used a crew from Deer Isle in Maine, which many of us know to have been at war with the US for much of our history. * From Stuart Burnett: (Re Keith Mackeown's observation that "At the 1979 Admirals Cup there were 19 teams and no sponsors.) I'll bet there were no paid crew either! * From Emily Decker: Hats off to North Sails Seattle for their Northstar program. Their program is a perfect example of encouraging the growth of sailing - a topic of discussion that often appears in Scuttlebutt. The Northstar program is particularly noteworthy in that they have recognized not the "best in fleet", but the "most improved" child who may not have necessarily won every race (or any race) but shows PROMISE that should be encouraged. My guess is that other lofts/suppliers and yacht club in the country could probably afford the time and/or resources to implement a program like this. It doesn't have to be a boat - possibly a donation of one-on-one coaching from a top local sailor, or travel expenses to a sailing clinic. Or even a season's slot to ride on a local "hot" big boat for their weeknight races. Imagine the difference you could make! * From Tony Smith: (Edited to our 250-word limit) Roger McNaughton is right in his comments re EPIRBs in Western Australia. The rules also vary from state to state. However, one hopes that we don't all imagine an EPIRB is an EPIRB is an EPIRB. The ones you buy inexpensively in Australia are 121.5 and 243 MHz only- the (almost) equivalent of the USCG Class B. This is a far cry from the 406 MHz EPIRBs mandated in Category 0 and 1 Offshore Races. These provide SAR with information, not only where you are, but who you are and what your boat looks like. These are also used by commercial vessels world wide. The ultimate 406 MHz EPIRBs, such as ACR's RapidFix, use coding protocols which allow GPS co-ordinates to be uploaded immediately to geosynchronous satellites, providing great accuracy and speed of response. Whilst these EPIRBs cost considerably more, the ones described by Roger are not very accurate, have no ID whatsoever and if more than one is activated close by it is almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. Hats off to the Aussie SAR guys who still manage to rescue people e.g. Sydney-Hobart '98 without GPS locations. 'Tis better to have 121.5/243 MHz than no EPIRB. The proposed Hawaiian legislation is indeed simple and I look forward to its outcome. For sure, kayaks don't need 406 - unless they are way offshore. But if you want to be found - and quickly - 406 rules. * From Erik Simonson: Can't say I'm gonna miss it. Enormous obnoxious floating billboards intruding on the pristine sanctuary that is San Francisco Bay. Are were not subjected enough by advertisements where ever we go, dotting the landscape, draping buildings, plastered on buses, and more recently in your face on urinal stalls. Edward Abbey had the right concept, eliminating the beast before its roots stuck, toppling large signs in the secret of darkness, discouraging the notion of roadside eyesores before they became the norm. Perhaps the Dot commie failures are a blessing in diguise. A paradigm of balance. So goes the overt excess spending on ads on venture capital, yet the Bay Area for one is saved from exorbitant rents, freeway congestion pollution and urban sprawl. For a while anyways. Face it, the Bay Area is looking more like L.A. than L.A. does. And when all is said and done, the real reason we all turn to the waterways for recreation is to get away for all that - isn't it? AMERICAP II The Americap II system, still in a development stage, is an alternative to the universal PHRF handicap tables in that it offers measurement ratings based on velocity prediction programs and non-standard course configurations. It will be employed at NSRW in tandem with PHRF for the 40- and 50-foot classes. Bruce Golison, founder and co-producer of North Sails Race Week, said, "We are interested in helping to develop a good measurement rule for sailing and have decided to let the fifties and forties compete for two sets of trophies -- one using their PHRF rating and one using their Americap II rating. We feel that for the first year it is important to use this approach in order to maintain quality classes while Americap is in its initial growth stages. We believe that by offering Americap II, we will see additional boats out on the race course, and that is a positive step forward." North Sails Race Week, an annual magnet for as many as 170 boats, has long been a pioneer for innovations in the sport by involving competitors in the planning process and instituting a system of alternative penalties and arbitration to avoid the time-consuming and often-painful process of protest hearings. - Rich Roberts, www.premiere-racing.com ROLEX CUP IN ST THOMAS "We'd been looking for a boat that could extend racing in the Caribbean beyond the four well-attended regattas each year, and offer some competition throughout the year. There are around 3,000 J24s in the US, of which only about four or five hundred are actually racing. We don't want to kill off the J24, but with only one in six actually racing, we wanted to take some of the other hulls and actually do something with them. "If you can pick up an old J24 hull for say $6,000, the conversion with re-decking and all brand new deck gear and rigging costs $7,000. You have a really competitive exciting boat for just $13,000." This week sees the IC24 in competition for the very first time, with six converted J24s racing at the International Rolex Cup. Rosenberg is delighted to see his brainchild come to fruition and hopes other yacht clubs in the Caribbean will follow the lead taken by the St Thomas Yacht Club. He believes the IC24 could spark a revolution in the Caribbean racing scene. "I think we could see between 10-14 of these yachts competing at the International Rolex Cup next year, and that would be really exciting." - Barby MacGowan RACE RESULTS * The weekend of 6-8 April marked the second annual Contemporary Team Race Classic Regatta at the San Diego Yacht Club. 10 teams of three crews traveled from East and West Coasts to do battle on the waters of San Diego Harbor. The format was three vs three in Flying Junior dinghies with colored coordinated team flags. The regatta was promoted as chance to do some team racing in the country's friendliest climate. This year, the weather did not cooperate and sunny skies were postponed while rain and wind battered the race course all Saturday long. Sunday proved to be a much more pleasant San Diego setting with 5-10 knots and sunny blue skies. Racing began Saturday with an impressive full rotation of 45 races sailed, followed by a second round robin Sunday, concluding with a double round robin for the final four top teams. Team Gaucho of Santa Barbara beat out Team Shamrock of San Diego to earn berth rights to seed in the final four. Regardless of previous win/loss ratio, the final four teams entered the double round robin with no history of scores, a clean slate. Early on in the regatta, Team Longfellows of Boston and Team Lakers of San Diego dominated the matches. But in the final four double round robin, it was wild card Team Gaucho that earned the winning record of 5 wins and 1 loss and championed the regatta. Final Results: 1st TEAM GAUCHO, Santa Barbara, CA; 2nd TEAM LAKER, San Diego, CA; 3rd TEAM LONGFELLOW, Boston MA SCHMUNDO SAILING ON TV THE RACE QUOTE / UNQUOTE "It's a major setback, but it's one of those setbacks that you can overcome overnight with the right phone call. We're working hard at it and we think we may be able to pull a rabbit out of hat, but we may not. It doesn't set us back that much. We can send the guys home for a year because we've done so much so early, which allows us to focus 100 percent on money and marketing and let the guys go do regattas around the world. We have some level of flexibility." - Bob Ratliffe, Grand Prix Sailor, www.sailingworld.com THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM |
