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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 811 - May 9, 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.
RACING RULES OF SAILING In the United States, membership is currently required for skippers and crew in the 17 US Sailing Championships and Junior Olympic Sailing events and membership for skippers in US Sailing -sanctioned events, such as Key West Race Week and Block Island Race Week. No additional requirements are under consideration. Additionally at the meeting, the Council endorsed the ISAF Executive Committee's proposal that there be no further changes to the Racing Rules of Sailing until the end of 2004. Council also endorsed the Executive Committee's proposal to prohibit submission in 2004 for rules changes. This would permit the Rules Committee to present a "final" rulebook in May 2004. The rules would be distributed to MNAs by June 30, 2004 and would be effective on January 1, 2005. This change will alleviate the difficulty many National Governing Bodies have had in getting the Rulebook to the sailing community in a timely manner. The Racing Rules of Sailing 2001-2004 and Understanding the Racing Rules 2001-2004 by Dave Perry are currently available from US Sailing at http://www.ussailing.org/merchandise or by calling 1-800-US SAIL-1. Back orders of both books have been shipped and US Sailing Members' copies of the Rulebook are now being shipped from a mailing house. US Sailing members representing the organization at the ISAF meeting were Hal Haenel (Events Committee), Cory Sertl (Women's Representative to Council), Ding Schoonmaker (ISAF Vice President), Dave Irish (Council), Jack Caldwell (Chairman-ISAF Constitution Committee) and Charley Cook (Council). - Penny Piva Rego
MAJOR CARNAGE - By Zack Leonard At the finish Race leaders Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston recorded their third straight leg victory in one of the bumpiest legs in Worrell 1000 history. "About 22 miles out Brian lost his footing on the wire and we went over, then again 5 miles later we went over again, then we just sailed it in nice and easy," explained Jamie Livingston. Lambert wondered what perennial champion Randy Smyth would have done, "we were only single trapezing with the skipper hiking out a lot of the time, Randy would have been double trapping the whole time, pushing it." Lambert explained the secret to their success at the start, "we've got experience getting through surf, you have to wait for the right set, kind of the opposite of surfing, we want the little ones." The Canadian team of Reigh North and Scott Macdonald took a similar approach. "We tried not to go up a big one," said North, "we were patient and waited for an opening with smaller surf." North and Macdonald sailed a great leg, arriving at the finish third. But they approached the beach at the wrong angle and were cleaned out by a huge wave. The surf at the finish in Cocoa was possibly bigger than the nasty stuff at the start. Waves were overhead and breaking 6 rows deep off the wide, gradually sloped beach. North tried to run along a trough like a surfer, almost parallel to the waves as he continued upwind towards the finish line. But a big wave broke over him and he couldn't accelerate out of the whitewater and was flipped hard. His mast snapped immediately and the boat floated, boards pointing up, into the beach. He could only watch as Team Outer Banks sailed across the line for a third place finish in the leg. North and Macdonald dragged the boat down the beach with the help of their shore crew and pushed it across the line to finish fourth. Race Officials have announced a 7 PM meeting for team managers at which point the DNS scoring penalty will be announced. Most of the broken teams have secured spare masts and rudder fittings so the fleet should be back at full strength for tomorrow's 69 mile leg to Daytona Beach. The surf will still be rough, but it's hard to imagine anything worse than today. - Zack Leonard, www.worrell1000.com
DID YOU KNOW...
TRANSPAC Merlin, now owned by restaurateur Al Micallef of Ft. Worth, Tex., has a new name - Merlin's Reata - and a new look featuring spectacular graphics. Reata, the name of Micallef's restaurant chain, means lariat in Spanish. This will be Micallef's first Transpac. - Rich Roberts, www.transpacificyc.org
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON * From Gina Von Esmarch, Oracle Racing: Thanks for carrying Richard Spindler's report of the progress being made by the Oracle Racing Team at our Ventura facility. As Richard correctly reported, Chris Dickson has been assigned to work as our syndicate's liaison with designer Bruce Farr. However, this responsibility is in addition to his main focus as a key member of the team's afterguard. Chris continues to work, both on and off the water, with Paul Cayard, John Cutler, Peter Holmberg and Tommaso Chieffi in preparing our team for the Louis Vuitton Series. And while it would be wonderful if all our funding was in place, as Richard reported, that's not quite true. While all of our financial targets have been met, we are still working to develop the additional the financial resources we'll need to win the Louis Vuitton Series. * From George Butler: I can't believe it - the Transpac Race still requires celestial navigation? In an era when portable, waterproof GPS units cost less than a pair of sea boats, a harness or a comfortable PFD, I can think of no reason to arbitrarily impose this totally meaningless, time-consuming and inaccurate throwback to the dark ages on a racing fleet. Surely it can't be a safety issue. No one is more safety conscious than the race organizers of the Fastnet or the Sydney to Hobart Race. But those concerned and enlightened people took the time to thoroughly study the 'real' problems, and then developed practical solutions to ward off the dangers of going to sea. The safety equipment requirements for those two dangerous races do NOT include a sextant. * From Rick Bernstein: This note is in recognition of two sailors alive today thanks to pure luck, and the awareness of a fellow sailing club member, that following a bad storm, noticed their boat was missing. I am writing this so all boaters and sailors remember some very basic rules as you head out; whether off shore, or out into a small inland lake like these two sailors. First, listen to the weather report, get some sense of what's going on beyond what you can see. In the spring, weather can change quickly. Second, keep an eye on the sky. Third if you see weather approaching, and/or you notice the weather changing, head for shore. Fourth, put on your life jackets, this one not could, but most likely will save your life. When these two sailors were found hours after their Flying Scott had capsized and turtled in a storm, only one was wearing a life jacket, the other couldn't get to his after the boat went over. In central Illinois, the lake water was still in the 50's, and these two were uncontrollably shaking, barely hanging onto the boat; they were a mile or so from shore. A final lesson, never leave your boat, as these two were apperantly thinking of doing after being stranded for more than an hour. * From Paul Krak Arntson: Please do not overlook Will Keene's statement about the Army Corp of Engineers lack of funding to dredge channels. This is a serious problem that is often overlooked in our sport. It becomes more serious every day as channels and bays are filled in with the natural actions of the sea. The Corp is unable to provide routine maintenance. If ignored longer the answers to this problem can begin to become so costly they will intimidate the politicians from responding sufficiently. We are talking about maintenance that has been put off far to long. As in a vessel, the result is much more expensive and overwhelming, then when maintenance is ongoing and prudently applied. Write your congressman and become more educated on this issue before you find your self high and dry. * From Mike Wathen: (Re. Seth Radow's comments about PHRF's Responsibilities): I believe PHRF has a rather extensive document called "Class Rules" which would indicate they are more than just a measurement body. If PHRF is going to rate boats which are known to violate certain RRS, they should then state some sort of a warning on the certificates. Otherwise you are leaving policing of the violators to people who may not have a clew about such things as well as expecting them to know which RRS may have to be changed or waived to allow these boats to race legally. To do this properly, both the NOR and SI's would have to cover these changes to the RRS. Anytime I have to change the standard RRS's, I get a little anxious. Maybe on a major once a year event, but on dozens of regular regattas? Very hazardous.
AMERICA'S CUP
MORE AMERICA'S CUP Dickson, who has skippered three cup challenges, remains a member of the afterguard. But his focus will be on the liaison role, relaying testing information from Ventura, on the west coast of the United States, back to the Farr office in Annapolis, on the east coast. Dickson has twice worked with Farr on America's Cup designs - in 1987 with KZ7 and in his own syndicate in 1992 for the Tag Heuer boat. Over the past couple of months there have been rumours that Dickson had been fired from the team - they have been consistently denied by Oracle. Dickson will continue to sail the old AmericaOne boats on Ventura Harbour in California as one of the strong afterguard contingent. The ultimate job of helmsman could go to any one of five experienced cuppers. Paul Cayard, skipper of AmericaOne in the last cup, New Zealander John Cutler, Italian veteran Tomaso Chieffi, and Peter Holmberg are also in the running. - Suzanne McFadden, NZ Herald, www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/
ANNUAL MEETING BEYC is hosting a special cocktail party for SSC members at the meeting (actually - the party will undoubtedly BE the annual meeting) and BEYC will also be running races in Hobie Waves to determine who will win the Curmudgeon Cup and become the SSC Club Champion. Additionally, all SSC members will have the opportunity to sail in the really cool Pro Am regatta, crewing for Ken Read, Russell Coutts, Ed Baird, Peter & J.J. Isler, Keith Musto, Butch Ulmer, Rod Johnstone, or the curmudgeon. BEYC presently has special SSC room rates ($400/n/dbl includes meals, side trips, sailboat and just about everything), but the rates will necessarily ramp up soon. Check it out: www.beyc.com
HALL SPARS & RIGGING IS HIRING
PROFESSIONAL SAILING
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * June 21-27: Junior Olympic National Sailing Championship, US Naval Academy, Annapolis Yacht Club and the Severn Sailing Association. The US Sailing Youth Championship Committee has chosen 161 young sailors from nearly 250 applications to sail Laser, Laser Radial, Europe, Club 420, and 470 dinghies. Complete acceptance list: www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jo/Nationals/ * December 6-9: Crystal Cup at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas. (The 189-mile Kalik Feeder Race will depart from Fort Lauderdale on December 3.) www.crystalcupatatlantis.com
MATCH RACING
Here's the way the whole top ten stack up: Other Americans in the top 100 include: 14. Peter HOLMBERG (US Virgin Islands) ; 20. Ed BAIRD; 86. Andrew HORTON; 113. Ken READ; 149. Morgan LARSON; 187. Colin CAMPBELL
QUOTE / UNQUOTE - Paul Henderson
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
