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SCUTTLEBUTT 3542 - Wednesday, March 7, 2012Scuttlebutt 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: Atlantis, North Sails, and JK3 Nautical Enterprises. WHEN TWO CULTURES COLLIDE Last weekend, when three of the Volvo Ocean Race teams couldn't quite fetch the eastern edge of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, they were forced to find a path through this territory of nearly a thousand obstacles. This brought back memories for the bloggers at Practical Sailor magazine, who envisioned what it must have been like when these two cultures collided: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The remote and still poorly charted Solomon Islands offered a trickier-than-usual navigational challenge for the three boats that chose the route through the archipelago, but they seemed to skate through without too much problem. When we were winding through the same islands 14 years ago, the British Admiralty charts we relied on were riddled with errors, causing all sorts of gastro-intestinal problems for the navigator that I'll refrain from detailing here. Weather forecast coverage was spotty at best. Malaria and man-eating crocodiles were lingering worries. The threat of mutiny simmered in the galley. The three boats that ducked between the islands of Choiseul and Santa Isabella - Camper, Team Telefonica, and Team Sanya - skirted right past one of the most fascinating cruising grounds we explored, the Marovo Lagoon, site of many of James Michener's World War II tales and home to some of the most talented wood carvers in the Pacific. I couldn't help but notice how tantalizingly close the boats passed to the Mbili Passage, the gap we sailed through to gain entrance to the lagoon. I tried to imagine the look of shock on the faces of the dirt-poor fishermen in their outrigger canoes when they caught site of one of these alien vessels flying southward toward New Zealand. If one of the village chiefs had caught sight, he no doubt would have tried to collect a levy for using the local waters - a practice that perturbed many cruisers in the Solomon Islands, but one that I didn't find unreasonable, given the circumstances. -- Full report: http://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/-10746-1.html ADVANTAGE - JUAN K DESIGNS (March 6, 2012; Day 16) - Sometimes the rich get richer. But in the case of Franck Cammas and his team on Groupama 4, they have earned it. They have pretty much been in phase for the past 4000nm to lead this southbound leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Groupama 4 was the first boat into stronger steadier trade winds on Wednesday, enabling them to create a much needed safety margin which bowman Brad Marsh believes could come in handy before the finish when the weather scenario could be very different. "Our aim right now is to keep a buffer on the guys behind us and hopefully if things go wrong we have enough to hold them back,'' he said. "If the weather system changes, like with the system that is sort of threatening to develop behind us, then it's easy to get all the boats scattered across the ocean. The tight reaching angles of this leg have helped the top three. "I don't think there's any secret in the fact that this sort of reaching is not our strong point against the three Juan K boats (Groupama, PUMA and Telefonica),'' said CAMPER navigator Will Oxley said. "It's very hard for us to go the same speed in equal conditions." According to race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante a 24 hour drag-race south is on the cards before the fleet turn towards New Zealand's North Cape and slug it out against the wind to the finish in Auckland. Infante says the final days of Leg 4 are unlikely to be straightforward as a low-pressure system lurking over Fiji could mean a major headache for the fleet's navigators. "An eastern course runs the risk of falling foul of the low's light winds but reduces the anticipated upwind sailing to the finish, while a more western course means faster angles but sailing a greater distance against the wind," Infante explained. - Full report: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-030612 Leg 4 - Sanya, China to Auckland, NZL (5,220 nm) Standings as of Wednesday, 07 March 2012, 1:04:21 UTC 1. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 874.5 nm Distance to Finish 2. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 119.9 nm Distance to Lead 3. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 145.0 nm DTL 4. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 199.8 nm DTL 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 286.8 nm DTL 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 379.8 nm DTL Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos Race schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com DISCOVER: LIFE ON THE WATER We realize that Marblehead may no longer be the sailing capital of the US. That said, though, it's where we live, and we can vouch for the number of sailboats that leave the harbor to go racing, blue-water cruising or daysailing every weekend between May and October. This is the town - and the lifestyle - that inspires the gear we make. A town where life on the water is taken seriously - where sailing gear has to be the real deal, and it needs to look as good as it works. Check out the new 2012 line at http://www.facebook.com/AtlantisWeatherGear?v=app_103530053019199. Discover Life on the Water. Discover Your Atlantis. NEVER HESITATE TO HELP A BOAT Jos Spijkerman, International Umpire/Judge, takes a look at Case 20 from the ISAF Casebook 2009-2012 with amendments for 2010. This is an official interpretation by the ISAF committees on how the relevant Racing Rules of Sailing - Rules 1 and 62 in this case - should be used or interpreted. This case is copied from the Casebook. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of the Facts Dinghy A capsized during a race, and seeing this, Dinghy B sailed over to her and offered help. A accepted help and B came alongside, taking the crew of two aboard. Then all hands worked for several minutes to right A, whose mast was stuck in the mud. Upon reaching shore, B requested redress under rule 62.1(c). The protest committee considered several factors in its decision. First, A's helmsman was a highly experienced sailor. Secondly, the wind was light, and the tide was rising and would shortly have lifted the mast free. Thirdly, she did not ask for help; it was offered. Therefore, since neither boat nor crew was in danger, redress was refused. B appealed, stating that rule 1.1 does not place any onus on a boat giving help to decide, or to defend, a decision that danger was involved. Decision B's appeal is upheld. A boat in a position to help another that may be in danger is bound to do so. It is not relevant that a protest committee later decides that there was, in fact, no danger or that help was not requested. B is entitled to redress. The protest committee is directed to reopen the hearing and to grant appropriate redress following the requirements and advice given in rules 64.2 and A10. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Read on for comments by Jos: http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2012/03/pillowcase-of-week-1012-20.html NEW YEAR - NEW SEASON Break out the Union Jack. The world's No. 1 match racer, Ian Williams of the UK, will return to defend his crown in the Long Beach Yacht Club's 48th Congressional Cup March 27-31, but he won't be the only sailing celebrity on the boat. San Diego's Bill Hardesty, America's newly honored Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, will be at Williams' shoulder again calling tactics off the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, as he did all last season when their Team GAR Pindar won three of seven events on the World Match Racing Tour to earn Williams his third title in five years. "The 2011 season [was] a long one," said Williams, who also competed on the international Extreme Sailing Series for 40-foot catamarans. "There were plenty of highs and lows, but overall the year was probably my most successful since turning professional in 2005." His year started with the Congressional Cup, but now his status will be challenged by a fleet of nine rivals, including 2009 Congressional Cup winner Johnie Berntsson of Sweden, currently ranked No. 7, and veteran Gavin Brady of New Zealand, four-time winner of Congressional Cup, most recently in 2008. Others, in order of world rank, are Laurie Jury, New Zealand (11); Staffan Lindberg, Finland (14); Eric Monnin, Switzerland, (15); Simon Ferrarese, Italy (17); William Tiller, New Zealand (19), and Taylor Canfield, U.S. Virgin Islands (27). -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13374 GRRRL POWER Seventy-five elite Optimist sailors braved storm-like conditions and fierce competition last weekend at the Team FOR Invitational Regatta in Clearwater, FL. The field, comprised of only highly ranked U.S. and international competitors, was dominated by Sophia Reineke from Lauderdale Yacht Club. Reineke snared bullets in 3 out of the 4 races on day one before sustained winds of 30+ knots and upward gusts forced an early end to the regatta on the second day. Reineke, sister of Erica Reineke the two-time world champ in Laser Radial, was also awarded the prize for Top Girl. After winning, Sophia Reineke observed that, "Hiking was all that really counted. If you had a good start and just started to hike your hardest, that's how you would win. A lot of kids were scared of the conditions, but you can't let it get to you. You just have sail." This regatta is the only one in the country, except for Team Trials itself, which limits entry to USA sailors who are Team Trials Qualified and international sailors. Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13373 DESTINATION AUCKLAND ... STOPOVER DISCOUNTS START THIS WEEK! From Thursday 8 March to Sunday 18 March, North Sails will be at the NZ Marine Export Showcase during the Volvo Ocean Race Auckland Stopover. We will have some of our new technologies such as 3Di on display and will have experts there to discuss your requirements. Special show offers available! Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Camper, Groupama, Puma and Telefonica and all powered by North Sails, and along with New Zealand's finest marine suppliers, we will look forward to seeing you there! http://www.nz.northsails.com LIVE BROADCAST SOLUTION The live broadcast of yacht racing is mostly approached in one of two ways. You can either spend a lot and provide a lot, or spend very little and deliver the same. But as Wez Maynard at OC ThirdPole explains, there may now be a middle ground. OC ThirdPole produces the professional Extreme Sailing Series, which is now in its sixth season of hosting stadium-style spectator events using the one design Extreme 40 catamaran. Here Wez explains their live broadcast solution: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Extreme Sailing Series venues offer challenging stadium sailing in major cities (eight event tour travelling through Asia, Europe, and South America in 2012), with audiences often standing less than 20 feet from the 40-foot catamarans. We wanted to take that same experience to fans in a live Webcast, but had a limited budget for doing remote production for a show that moves all over the world. Also, we wanted to provide a professional broadcast look and feel that fans have come to expect, even on mobile devices. Further, we wanted to distribute the event simultaneously on multiple platforms such as our YouTube channel, partner sites, our iOS server for iPads and iPhones, as well as to a local drive for program storage. Given our budget, taking a van load of video production and satellite gear to sites all over the world was not an option. We needed something that was portable, in addition to being affordable. While we had had some exposure to Telestream's Wirecast live video production and streaming software in other events, we kept our options open and explored several other live streaming alternatives. However, we kept coming back to Wirecast, as it offered a very high production value at a competitive price. Wirecast operation was also intuitive enough for crew members without video experience to easily use it to produce Webcasts. Wirecast's ability to output to our various distribution formats made it the natural choice for us. We now create and stream professional-quality, live sports productions with just a camera, an Internet connection and Wirecast running on a laptop. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/Live-030612 MAJOR CHANGES FOR FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGES Facebook has just released information to page admins saying that Timeline is coming to Facebook business pages on March 30, 2012. To help you get a head start and to better understand the changes coming your way, you'll find a list of the major changes below. Use this list to help you update your page. Highlights of Timeline for Facebook business pages 1. You have until March 30, 2012 to make the change 2. Fans can now send your page a private message (very important to monitor) 3. Default landing pages are going away (Timeline will be the default - except for Facebook ads) 4. Tab width (for any custom tabs you have) will change from 520 pixels to 760 pixels wide. This will allow for better page creativity. 5. A new "Admin Panel" is displayed at the top of your Facebook page that shows resent activity and private messages. This is only visible to page admins. BoatingIndustry.com... read on: http://tinyurl.com/BI-030612 SAILING SHORTS * Miami, FL (March 6, 2012) - At 0900 EST, with an east-northeast 29-knot breeze gusting to 35 knots and a prediction for more of the same over the course of the afternoon, organizers of the 85th BACARDI Cup cancelled the day's scheduled race for the 67 registered Star teams. Headlining BACARDI Miami Sailing Week (BMSW) presented by EFG Bank, the Stars will race alone through Thursday, March 8, after which they will be joined by the Viper 640, Audi Melges 20, Melges 24 and J/80 classes. Racing will conclude for all classes on Saturday, March 10. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13376#13376 * St. Petersburg, FL (March 6, 2012) - Excessive winds kept the 41 teams at the Thistle Midwinter's East Championship onshore today. Paul Abdullah remains in the lead after his 2-1 on Monday, with defending champion Greg Griffin two points back in second place. Racing continues through March 9th. -- Results: http://tinyurl.com/SPYC-030612 * The first 2012 event of the America's Cup World Series takes place in Naples, Italy on April 7-15, with regatta format now released. Racing will start each day at approximately 2:00pm local (8:00am EDT), with live coverage of the racing on April 11-15 at youtube.com/americascup. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-030612 * With just over two months until the start of the second annual 2012 Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing, Manuka Sports Event Management has announced that there are now 10 entries representing France, England, USA and Germany. When the event begins on May 11, this will be the largest fleet of Class 40s ever to race in the United States. The Atlantic Cup will feature one of the largest prize purses for sailing in the U.S. ($30,000) and will be the first "eco-friendly" competition of its kind. -- Full report: http://atlanticcup.org/six-new-entrants-from-france-germany-and-england/ * Ten teams from across the country will compete in the Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup/Cal Maritime Invitational Intercollegiate Regatta starting Friday out of Los Angeles Yacht Club in San Pedro, CA. Using Catalina 37s on an ocean course between the harbor entrance and Point Fermin, there will be as many as 10 races, starting at 3 o'clock Friday and 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13377#13377 JK3 IN SAN FRANCISCO JK3 is excited that our new office at 1070 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 101-A in Alameda, California is up and running... and selling boats. Chris Corlett started out with a bang, listing several boats and selling them in less than 30 days. Chris brings with him a wealth of knowledge both on and off the water. With over 30 years of yacht sales experience and a lifetime of sailing accomplishments, including numerous Big Boat and TransPac wins and multiple one-design fleet developments, Chris' lifelong experience as a yachtsman makes him an invaluable resource to our customers in the bay area. Contact Chris for information on new Sabre Sail and Motor, Back Cove, Hanse and quality brokerage yachts at chris@jk3yachts.com, (510) 914-1073, http://www.jk3yachts.com EIGHT BELLS James Parker Nolan, Jr. (82 yr.) of Bethesda, MD passed away on February 29, 2012. Mr. Nolan graduated from the Landon School in 1947, and M.I.T. in 1951, with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He worked at Douglas Aircraft in El Segundo, CA, and Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, TX. He was employed by NASA for 25 years, where he worked on the Mercury and Apollo XV projects. He later owned and published Be Current, a marine racing chart publication. Mr. Nolan was a sailing coach for the U.S. Naval Academy Sailing Team, which won the 1992 Newport Bermuda Race. There will be a memorial reception for Mr. Nolan at 10:00 am on April 14, 2012 at The Annapolis Yacht Club, 2 Compromise Street, Annapolis, MD, 21403. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the ALS Association DC/MD/VA Chapter, 7507 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855, or www.ALSinfo.org. DOES YOUR BUSINESS SEND OUT PRESS RELEASES? If you would you like your marine business news to be published in Scuttlebutt, our advice for you is to buy ad space. However, the Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum does allow companies to post their personnel, product and service updates at no charge. As a bonus, each week Scuttlebutt will include some of the recent updates in the newsletter. Are you in the marine industry? Post your updates here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news 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 Len Davies, Cape Town: Having had the pleasure of meeting & chatting with Brad Van Liew during two of his visits to Cape Town during RTW single-handed visits, I can only speak highly of his character. Despite the misfortune he has suffered with Van Liew Ventures having had to file for bankruptcy, I'm sure he will bounce back and come out stronger in the future. After all, you can't keep a good man down! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks." - Doug Larson, columnist SPONSORS THIS WEEK APS - Gowrie Group - North U - Atlantis WeatherGear - Soft Deck North Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - Ullman Sails - The Pirates Lair Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
