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SCUTTLEBUTT 3765 - Wednesday, January 30, 2013Scuttlebutt 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: Team One Newport, North Sails, and College of Charleston. BOARDS ARE BACK IN TOWN Miami, FL (January 29, 2013) - A strong contingency of the top sailors in the world are in Miami testing themselves against familiar rivals and incoming talent from a new generation of racers. The RS:X Men's and Women's events are back in Miami for 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup and these two fleets feature the best of the best in an early season clash of Olympic medalists and new challengers. Most elite board sailors enjoyed some much needed time off following their intense Olympic campaigns for London 2012. However, a quick turn around and immediate focus is in order with the RS:X World Championships in Brazil this February. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist Dorian Van Rijssbelberghe of The Netherlands surged ahead of the fleet with two wins today to take a two point lead over Brazil's Ricardo Santos. Great Britain's Nick Dempsey dropped two spots from Monday, and is in third. "There is some great build up for these events, but I want to keep it fun," said Van Rijssbelberghe, 3-time ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami Champion. "Miami is such a great place to sail. It has always been one of my favorite destinations. We've got some breeze going on and it's quite tricky out there. I do a lot of cross training and it's great to get on that mountain bike and start ripping some trails." Caleb Paine (USA) has caught fire in the Finn event. He won both races today and has come out on top in three of four races. He leads World #1 Brendan Casey (AUS) by five points and Star legend Bruno Prada (BRA) by six. Paine has been ranked as high as #4 in the world. He won the U.S. Finn National Championship in October and the Delta Lloyd Regatta World Cup event in May. He's looking to improve on his fifth place finish last year in Miami. Fred Strammer and Zach Brown (USA) leaped into first place by finishing strong on Tuesday in the 49er event. They won races five and six to take a one point lead over Sebastian Oestling and Kalle Torlen (SWE). -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ISAF-012913 Results: http://mocrresults.ussailing.org/2013/24/24.html Canada team report: http://tinyurl.com/CAN-012913 USA team report: http://tinyurl.com/USA-012913 HEADLINE: With the windsurfer gaining traction in the 70's, the headline is a tribute to the music of the era... here's a Thin Lizzy video of "The Boys are Back in Town": http://youtu.be/xxioAqOz_hk NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR The new 2013 gear is here from Gill and Henri-Lloyd!! Check out the new styles in foul weather gear, technical shirts and footwear from two great brands. It's more fun to see it on Team One Newport's brand new website too! The Henri-Lloyd Phoenix gear is perfect for all types of sailing and the Rio for men and women make an nice crew uniform. Gill just released their new OS2 jacket and bibs with improved systems. Visit http://www.team1newport.com to see all the best products that the "Foul Weather Gear Experts" have selected for you. You can call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) for any questions. THE ROAD TO GOLD Dorian Van Rijsselberge (NED) dominated the Men's boardsailing event at the 2012 Olympic Games, wining the gold medal with two races to spare. Here is his story... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I must have been 12 years old when my dad asked me what I wanted to be in life and what I wanted to achieve. That was ten years ago now. I didn't have to think long and said I wanted to be a windsurfer and I wanted to perform at the 2012 Olympics and ...win gold. My dad did not blink when I told him this. He looked me straight in the eyes and said: "OK, how are we going to do that?" He then helped me draft a list of things to do that ended with London 2012 GOLD. And what an incredible and amazing journey that has been! Even if I would not have accomplished my dream, I am so grateful to have experienced this road to Windsurfing's last Olympic Gold Medal at London 2012. It is not about the destination it is about the journey; this sounds like such a cliché but the weird thing is, it is true. My Mom, Dad, brother, my coach Aaron McIntosh, my training partners Zach Plasvic and JP Tobin, my mates from the island Texel, the travel, all the adventures I have experienced, all the inspiring people I have met. WOW! Thinking back to all this makes me nostalgic. It has been a crazy, crazy, crazy trip! And now after the celebration and decorations, I can honestly say that I would have never imagined that winning a gold medal would have made the impact it has on people around the world. It did not change me as far as I can judge. But people around me are so proud and want to be part of this golden feeling. It is almost humbling and scary. I have never been in so many pictures as I have been in all my life (and previous lives), for example! You must understand my dad and my older brother inspired me. I grew up and I still live on Texel. Texel is one of the five Wadden islands off the Dutch coast to the north of our little amazing country. I grew up with water all around me and I followed in my older brother's footsteps and jumped on a windsurf board. We are a windsurfing family! I grew up dreaming of the Olympics as a windsurfer. -- http://tinyurl.com/Gold-012913 EVENT BRANDING The ISAF Sailing World Cup was launched by ISAF in 2008 to bring together the major regattas on the Olympic and Paralympic sailing circuit. Competition at each World Cup regatta is open to the sailing classes chosen for the 2016 Games, and this branding of events has helped to clarify the campaign trail for the athletes as they share their journey. The ISAF Sailing World Cup schedule has seen some changes... here it is for the next two years: 2012-13 Season - 4 Events ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne, AUS - Dec 1-8, 2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, USA - Jan 26-Feb 2, 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma, ESP - Mar 30-April 6, 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres, FRA - Apr 20-27, 2013 2013-14 Season - 5 Events ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao, CHN - Oct 12-19, 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne, AUS - Dec 1-7, 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, USA - Jan 25- Feb 1, 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma, ESP - Mar 29- Apr 5, 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres, FRA - Apr 19-26, 2014 World Cup website: http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php PROFESSIONALIZING THE PROGRAM Since the 2012 Olympics, the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider has undergone several structural changes. Chief among them was the appointment of Josh Adams as Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing. The creation of this full-time position continues an effort to professionalize the program and improve the ability to evolve as an Olympic team. Scuttlebutt publisher Craig Leweck met with Josh in Miami to learn more about the team's plans for the new quadrennium: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SB: What are some of the changes that are occurring? JA: We have a set of vision principles for the organization that is going to impact what we do throughout the quad, and we are starting to reveal how these will be affecting the first year in 2013. The top three of these vision principles are creating a culture of technical excellence, achieving sustainable performance, and building the base of sailors. What that translates into for 2013 is surrounding our sailors with as much technical expertise and world class coaching as we can. And we have done that by bringing in Charlie McKee, 2-time Olympic medalist, to be our High Performance Director. He is an expert in half the classes and brings this great knowledge, expertise, energy, and enthusiasm to Olympic sailing. Joining Charlie is our new Technical Director, Grant "Fuzz" Spanhake. We are bringing Fuzz onboard to establish baselines standards for tuning and sail trim across all ten Olympic classes and three Paralympic classes. Then we have a great team of class coaches as well. Among our priorities is developing class by class strategies for success. Charlie is laser focused on this to work with each class to develop their strategy, and the sailors are fully empowered to help develop this strategy. They have a big voice in this along with the coaches. One of the priorities in Miami is to finalize the class strategies for 2013. Additionally, we need to capture knowledge in each class and keep it, which will enable our strategy of sustainable performance to be successful. Fuzz will be key to this. He worked as Technical Director for the British team over the past 8 years and now he will be working with the U.S. If we grow the knowledge, we are better prepared to support the new, young star when he decides to initiate his Olympic campaign. An initiative led by Charlie is for all the classes to be working in a collaborative effort. All the American sailors are welcome to the debriefs for each class, and the idea is to help to build the base of our classes. Another change here in Miami is a partnership with Jaguar Therapeutics, which is led by trainer Chris Herrera who has been working with the team for several years. Chris has opened a facility in Coconut Grove which US Olympic and Paralympic sailors have full access to, and the venue will be used for many of the team's fitness programs. Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/NEWS/13/0129/#JA NORTH-POWERED BOATS WIN 13 OF 16 CLASSES IN KEY WEST North-powered boats stole the show this year at Quantum Key West 2013, winning 13 of 16 classes including the top three places in the J/70, J/70 Corinthian, Melges 24, Melges 24 Corinthian, Melges 32, and Swan 42 classes. Boats racing with North sails also won the High Performance, PHRF 1, IRC Sub Class, J/80, TP 42 and Farr 400. Across the pond in France, North-powered boats Macif and Banque Populaire finished 1,2 respectively in the Vendee Globe solo around-the-world race this past weekend. Congratulations to all...! http://na.northsails.com EDITOR'S NOTE: In our reports for Quantum Key West last week, we received several emails regarding references to J/70 class winner Tim Healy as working for North Sails. Here is the official announcement: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=15114 ENTERING THE CONGESTED MARITIME MOTORWAY (January 29, 2013; Day 81) - British skipper Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) is due to arrive in Les Sables d'Olonne between 6am and 7am on Wednesday, and to process down the canal at approximately 8am. He is enduring conditions in the Bay of Biscay of 35 to 45 knots and very confused, unpleasant seas. The last 48 hours of his race will be some of the worst he has experienced as he enters a congested maritime motorway. "I didn't see any ships until the Azores and now I see ships every hour," remarked Alex. "I am expecting to see more and more as I get closer to the finish. I am not worried about the ships as they AIS (Automatic Identification System) and my alarm goes off every time once comes near. It's the fishing boats that concern me more. I crossed within a mile and a half of a fishing boat and the sea was so bad I couldn't see it. I am hoping they will all be put off by the terrible weather and that the fishermen stay in their beds tonight." If Alex successfully crosses the finish line, he will become at 38 years of age only the third British skipper ever on the Vendee Globe podium. Ellen MacArthur came second in 2000/1 and Mike Golding sailed into third place without his keel in 2004/5. While the first and second position were secured with VPLP designed boats that were launched specifically for this race, Alex is sailing a 2007 Farr design that competed in the previous edition. Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) is still debating whether he should continue to Les Sables d'Olonne or stop and abandon the race. He has sailed 1500 miles and 8 days without a keel and is currently just off the Portuguese coast. The challenge he faces is once he has rounded Cape Finisterre there is a gale force storm due in the Bay of Biscay on Friday. Jean-Pierre needs to calculate the possibility of finishing before the bad weather arrives. Tracking: http://tracking2012.vendeeglobe.org/en/ Top 5 of 20 - Rankings as of Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 20h00 (FR) 1. Francois Gabart (FRA), Macif: Jan 27, 14:18:40UTC, 78:02:16:40 2. Armel Le Cleac'h(FRA),Banque Populaire: Jan 27, 17:35:52UTC, 78:05:33:52 3. Alex Thomson (GBR), Hugo Boss: 203.8 nm Distance to Finish 4. Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Virbac Paprec 3: 565.9 nm DTF 5. Jean Le Cam (FRA), SynerCiel: 1990.9 nm DTF Full rankings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html BACKGROUND: Twenty skippers began the 24,000-nm Vendee Globe, a solo, non-stop around the world race in the IMOCA Open 60 class. Starting in Les Sables d'Olonne, France on November 10, the west to east course passes the three major capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn before returning to Les Sables d'Olonne. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) set the previous course record of 84 days in the 2008-9 edition. -- http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ QUOTE / UNQUOTE "'Everything is going well!' We heard this often from the Vendee Globe winner Francois Gabart on his radio interviews, but when he crossed the finish line he admitted just how many things had gone wrong on his way around the world. After five days into the race, his engine broke down and he suffered numerous difficulties after that. Second over the line, Armel Le Cleac'h also had his fair share of mishaps; he broke his hydro generator just two days out. We all go through it. We all break things, systems wear down after days at sea and we all end up with a number of things that go wrong." -- Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud), currently in 7th position SAILING SHORTS * Larchmont, NY (January 27, 2013) - Despite freezing temperatures with wind chills in the low teens, 26 teams braved the 2013 Interclub Midwinter Championship hosted by Larchmont YC on January 26-27. LYC teams took the top six spots overall, with John Baxter, Molly Baxter, Danny Pletsch and Emily Anderson (Team Vineyard Vines) winning their fifth IC Midwinter Championship in the past six years. -- Complete report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=15111 * The line-up for the Selection Series for the Red Bull Youth America's Cup will include 11 national teams attending the two qualifying sessions in San Francisco from February 9-24. There are already six youth teams - supported by America's Cup World Series Teams - that have qualified for the Red Bull Youth America's Cup, scheduled September 1-4, 2013. It has not been revealed how many of the 11 national teams will be permitted to advance from the Selection Series to the finals in September. -- Full report: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=1051 * Organisers of the Jolly Harbour Valentine's Regatta and Rum Festival (Feb 7-10) have announced that seven rums from around the region are on board as part of the all-new Rum Festival element of this event on Antigua's yachting calendar. The rums that will be represented are Angostura, Appleton, Bacardi, Clements, El Dorado Rum, English Harbour Rum and Mount Gay Rum. Three shoreside events over three days will give the public the opportunity to try as many rums as they can manage; neat, on the rocks and mixed. -- Full report: http://www.antiguanice.com/v2/client.php?id=983&news=5238 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON - ADVANCED YOUTH RACING CLINICS The College of Charleston and Patriots Point Maritime Museum have teamed up to create a "truly historic" Advanced Youth Racing Clinic unlike any other! The three day clinics will focus on the fundamentals of collegiate short course style racing. The clinics will be June 11 -13 and July 23-25. http://sailing.cofc.edu/clinics/summer-racing-clinics 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 Peter Rugg: While I respect Dave Perry's rules acumen (in Scuttlebutt 3764), other recent writers have suggested that the proper course of the boat entitled to mark room may indeed be above close hauled in order to get into a better lane for the next leg, out of backwind or wake from boats ahead. I wonder when we will get an appeal to sort that one out... * From Pete Banks: I loved the report by Abby Freeman in Scuttlebutt 3764. If my college aged sailors (or younger) experienced events like Key West Race Week, they may start questioning how they could have wasted so much of their life sailing Club 420s. There is more to life than only sailing youth boats. * From Annie Coughlin: Thank you for the report from Charlie McKee in Scuttlebutt 3764. Charlie has been riding the bleeding edge of the sport for longer than most of his athletes have been alive. Count me as one American that can't wait for the 2016 Games. FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are recent ads: For Sale: Sta-Set 1/2" NER white w/ red flecks - New For Sale: J/105 dodger Now Hiring: High School Coach/Assistant Coach- East Greenwich, RI Now Hiring: US Naval Academy looking for Keelboat Instructors View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. SPONSORS THIS WEEK UsedBoatEquipment.com - Farr 40 Class - North U - Doyle Sailmakers - College of Charleston - Team One Newport - North Sails - Marion Bermuda Race - Melges Performance Sailboats - Ullman Sails - Ribcraft - Block Island Race Week - Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
