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SCUTTLEBUTT 2771 - Friday, January 30, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsors are Pedrick Yacht Designs and North U. DAVE ULLMAN: THE SPORTBOAT AUTHORITY Dave Ullman knows something about sportboats. He has won the Melges 24 Worlds,he has won the Melges 24 class five times at Key West Race Week, and now he is riding the learning curve of the Melges 32. Here he shares his observations following his trip to Key West, sailing with Alex Jackson on his Melges 32 'Leenabarca’: * Compare the sailing characteristics of the Melges 32 to the Melges 24. ULLMAN: Proportionally, the Melges 32 is quite a bit heavier, so it goes upwind much better (especially in heavy air), but is slower and, as a result, not as exciting downwind. Upwind, the Melges 32 is more like a Farr 40 -- it's heavier, so the racing is quite close. There isn't a big difference in speed between the boats, so the Melges 32 is quite tactical and the boats go the same speed. Downwind, the Melges 32 planes and is quite lively for a 32-foot boat, but not in the same mode as the Melges 24. * Are the classes attracting the same people? ULLMAN: No, they're not. The Melges 24 is attracting a large variety of people. At the upper end, there are full professional teams with some professional owners (some not), but teams that sail at an extraordinarily high caliber. In the middle of the fleet, the Melges 24 is attracting amateur drivers with a small number of pros onboard or all amateurs. And at the bottom of the class, the Melges 24 is attracting relatively experienced sailors, but sailors relatively new to top-level sportboat sailing. Ultimately, the Melges 24 is one of the few classes where you can race against top professionals and fully professional boats. On the Melges 32, you have a Cat 1 owner-driver with three high level pros among 8-9 people onboard. The class is following the same mould as the Mumm/Farr 30 and Farr 40 sailing...quite competitive. * For a new program like yours, where has the learning curve been steepest? -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/tt BUTTHEADS VOTE TO LIMIT EVENT COACHING When it was announced that the Etchells and Star classes initiated new rules to limit on-the-water private coaching at some of their events, a discussion ensured as to whether private coaches should be allowed at all, that competitors being coached during a regatta are gaining an advantage that is not available to everyone. Others said that coaching provides a valuable service to people who want to improve, saving them significant time in helping to understand and enjoy the sport. Where people stood in this discussion often depended on what segment of the sport they participated in, whether it be youth, dinghy, keelboat one design, handicap, or the more professional and premiere classes and events available. The reality is that sailing is like most every sport, where the desire to succeed continues to rise, and the use of coaching is more common than ever. The question the Scuttlebutt survey asked was whether limits should be placed on coaching at events, with the results and comments shedding some insight on where the mood was this week: 4.2% - No rules limiting coaching. 21.4% - Coach contact allowed before a race warning and after a race finish for each race on a race day. 13.3% - Coach contact allowed before warning of first race and after finish of final race for each race day. 23.9% - Coach contact allowed before competitor leaves the dock prior to first race and following finish of final race for each race day. 37.2% - Coach contact allowed before competitor leaves the dock prior to first race and when they return to the dock after final race for each race day. Coaching comments: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6898 PEDRICK YACHT DESIGNS SEEKS A SENIOR NAVAL ARCHITECT Pedrick Yacht Designs, located in Newport, RI, is a progressive sailing yacht design firm whose broad expertise emphasizes high-technology racing and high-performance cruising, as well as refit and restoration services. It has an opening for a degreed naval architect with a substantial design office resume, practical sailing experience and knowledge of yacht construction. Alternative sailing yacht design education in a residential program will be considered if combined with superior skills and experience. Candidates must suit the design culture of the firm, demonstrate proficiency in CAD design tools and engineering skills, and have resident working status in the U.S. to be considered. Qualified candidates may send resumes to: mailto:info@PedrickYacht.com SECOND STRAIGHT WIN FOR TELEFÓNICA BLUE (Jan. 29, 2009; Day 12) - “That is the hardest leg I have ever sailed in my life.” Bouwe Bekking is not prone to overstatements and this comment was no exception. As he hobbled off the boat onto a cold, foggy Qingdao dock, nowhere in a memory spanning five rides on the Volvo Ocean Race could he recall conditions like those of the last 12 days. Be it the shoals and reefs that shredded nerves early in the leg, or the storms that brought the fleet to its knees, Bekking was more relieved to have finished than to have won a second straight leg. “I won’t forget that in a hurry,” he said. “But I’d like to. We won the leg and that is great: we are right back in this yacht race. But getting home in one piece was more important.” For PUMA skipper Ken Read, his boom had snapped, his left index finger was mangled, but you could not wipe the smile off Ken Read’s face after the conclusion of a remarkable journey from Singapore to China. How did PUMA get within 14 miles of the winners, Telefonica Blue, having been 212 miles behind in seventh place just five days’ ago? “This is a leg where our crew became a team,” Read said. “It was a bunch of individuals I think trying to come together, trying to find our own and this leg we became a team. The comeback couldn't have happened without an unbelievable effort from the group and a couple of lucky breaks and a boat that held together.” Leg Four from Singapore to Qingdao, China is 2,500 nm, with the finish estimated on January 29th. Current positions (as of Jan. 30, 1:00am GMT): 1. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, Finished Jan. 29, 07:00 GMT 2. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, Finished Jan. 29, 08:17 GMT 3. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, Finished Jan. 29, 09:04 GMT 4. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 266 nm Distance to Finish Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, Suspended sailing Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, Suspended sailing Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, Did Not Finish Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, Did Not Start Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com CAN JOURDAIN FINISH WITH DAMAGED KEEL? (Jan. 29, 2009; Day 81) - With less than 2000 miles to go in the Vendee Globe, Roland Jourdain called his shore team at around 0400hrs this morning to say that he had a problem with the keel of Veolia Environnement. After a long night he had heard an unexpected noise which he duly investigated, stopping the boat and checking as much as he could. Later in the day, Jourdain confirmed that he had lost the keel bulb, but is still unsure where the damage begins, as it may be the joint between the bulb and keel or higher on the keel blade. It is also unknown whether this is a consequence of his collision with a sea mammal on January 8th. Said Jourdain, “I can’t explain how I didn’t capsize. I shan’t be diving in these conditions, as there is quite a swell. On the other hand, I do know that if I hoist more sail, the boat heels over so there is definitely a problem with the keel.” Jourdain has slowed to just under seven knots as he nurses Veolia Environnement towards the Azores, which are 600 miles ahead on his route. Based on the weather forecast and boat performance, Jourdain will decide if it is possible to continue past the Azores to complete the race. Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (30 entrants; 12 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, 855.4 nm Distance to finish 2. Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement, 888.5 nm Distance to leader 3. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 1264.0 nm DTL 3. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB, Dismasted - Redress Given 4. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 2342.2 nm DTL 5. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 2452.8 nm DTL 6. Brian Thompson (GBR), Bahrain Team, 2583.9 nm DTL 7. Dee Caffari (GBR), Aviva, 2719.1 nm DTL 8. Arnaud Boissières (FRA), Akena Vérandas, 3421.7 nm DTL 9. Steve White (GBR), Toe in the Water, 4229.7 nm DTL 10. Rich Wilson (USA), Great American III, 5513.9 nm DTL 11. Raphaël Dinelli (FRA), Fondation Océan Vital, 7089.6 nm DTL 12. Norbert Sedlacek (AUT), Nauticsport-Kapsch, 7165.5 nm DTL Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en GETTING READY FOR THE SHOWDOWN Miami, FL (Jan. 29, 2009) - It’s getting down to the wire at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, where 444 sailors from 41 countries have been competing since Monday. Medal winners will be determined Friday in three Paralympic Classes (Sonar, SKUD 18 and 2.4mR) as well as in the Laser SB3 class (which is being used instead of the Olympic Elliott 6 in the Women’s Match Racing event). The remaining nine Olympic classes have the cumulative scores for their five days of fleet racing determine who gets to move on to Saturday’s medal race. In that race, which will count double for points, it will only be the top ten from each class competing. The battle remains close in the 470 Women’s class between Danish leaders Henriette Koch and Lene Sommer and the USA’s Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving, who are defending World Champions. Only two points separate the two after three races were completed today. “We haven’t been in the boat since the Worlds,” said Maxwell, noting that Koch and Sommer seem to be sailing in every event on the European and World circuit. “We’re just here to get back in it and enjoy sailing again. Out first goal was to make the U.S. Sailing Team AlphaGraphics but now that we see that this is very attainable, we’ve transitioned into how we are going to win the event.” Italy’s team of Giulia Conti, Alessandra Marenzi and Alessandra Angelini are the leaders in Women’s Match Racing going into Friday’s four-boat Semi Finals, which will then boil down to a Finals Match among two boats. In the Semis, Conti’s team will sail in a first-to-win-three match series against today’s fourth-place finishers, USA’s Genevieve Tulloch/Jennifer Morgan Glass/Jamie Haines, while today’s second-place finishers, Great Britain’s Lucy MacGregor/Annie Lush/Ally Martin, sail against the third-place finishers, Denmark’s Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen/Tina Schmidt/Trine Palludan. The winners advance to the Finals to sail for gold and silver medals, while the losers are left to battle it out for bronze in the Petit Finals. -- Complete daily report and results: http://rmocr.ussailing.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2009_RMOCR_Day_4.htm T2P video coverage: http://www.t2p.tv/guide/ocr09.php SailGroove video coverage: http://www.sailgroove.org/sc/miamiocr ACCELERATE YOUR RACING You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better racer, or you can accelerate the process at the 9th Annual North U / Offshore Sailing Performance Race Week. Enjoy six days of training with an on-board coach, video review, and unmatched curriculum. Come to Florida April 26 - May 2 for the fun, and as a bonus, go home as a winning racer. If you want to learn more, call 800-221-4326 or visit: http://www.northu.com or http://www.offshore-sailing.com/racing.asp GETTING AC CLASS RACING BACK ON THE WATER Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth says he's in Auckland to go sailing and not to try to broker any peace deal in the America's Cup. The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series (Jan. 31 - Feb. 14) has been organised to get sailors back out on the water while the cup remains in limbo because of a bitter legal battle between Alinghi and Oracle. A New York appeal court is in the process of deciding what will be the final judgment in the case. Butterworth said the legal dispute wasn't an issue he wanted to worry about during the regatta. "It's in court and one day it will be sorted out," said Butterworth. "Right now, I'm here in Auckland at its best and I'll be sailing. I can't think of anything better." Butterworth said everything that needed to be said had been said and the matter was before the court. -- Full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4833098a1823.html It is hard enough these days to stay employed as a professional sailor, let alone have an involvement with an America’s Cup program. Here are the people (skipper/tactician) that were able to secure employment for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series: BMW Oracle Racing (USA) - Russell Coutts (NZL)/Hamish Pepper (NZL) China Team (China) - Ian Williams (GBR)/Richard Sydenham (GBR) Team Origin (GBR) - Ben Ainslie (GBR)/Ian Percy (GBR) Emirates Team NZ (NZL) - Dean Barker (NZL)/Ray Davies (NZL) Alinghi - Ed Baird (USA)/Brad Buttereworth (NZL) Luna Rossa (ITA) - Peter Holmberg (USVI)/Andy Horton (USA) Team Shosholoza (South Africa) - Paolo Cian (ITA)/Tomasso Chieffo (ITA) Damiani Italia Challenge (ITA) - Francesco Bruni (ITA)/Vasco Vascotto (ITA) Pataugas K-Challenge (FRA) - Sebastien Col (FRA)/Rod Dawson (NZL) Greek Challenge (GRE) - Gavin Brady (NZL)/ Sotiris BUSEAS (GRE) Complete match schedule: http://linkbee.com/CQO8 Video coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO6 Audio coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO7 THREE KINGS OF ICEBOATING The Strictly Sail Chicago show is this weekend at Navy Pier (Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2009), which is the Midwest’s only and the nation’s largest indoor all-sail boat show. Despite the show occurring in the middle of winter, and despite the show occurring in an area where winter really means winter, ice boating is not one of the displays typically found at Strictly Sail Chicago, However, this year, it may be among the largest display at the show. Beyond profiling a few of the sweet machines that take to the hard water, on Saturday at 10:00am, there will be a presentation by the unofficial three kings of iceboating: Buddy Melges, Bill Matson, and Peter Harken. Their discussion will cover: - Buddy Melges: How to make an iceboat go fast like a rock star. - Bill Mattison: How to build an iceboat like a rock star. - Peter Harken: How to party like a rock star. To help you attend this event (adjacent to the Harken display), along with the opportunity to view all the boats, gear, seminars, etc., Scuttlebutt has discount tickets for the show. For display photos and ticket information: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/01/three-kings-of-iceboating.html PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race, action at the Key West Match Race, new school Heli and old school Cal 25, tipping containers, and a display of youth coaching. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week’s photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0130 * If you missed Scuttlebutt’s annual Key West photo gallery, enjoy this collection of images from photographers Stefano Gattini, Sharon Green, John Payne, Leighton O'Connor, and PhotoBoat. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/kw * If you have an America’s Cup itch, you can now scratch it with a gallery of photos courtesy of Stefano Gattini and Chris Cameron, taken as teams prepared for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland, New Zealand. -- http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0129/ * The Boston Globe published a gallery of images from the past year, spanning both the world and the full range of the sport. -- http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/sailing_around_the_world.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Dee Smith: It is sad to hear the Volvo bashing. This is a great adventure race and boats do break. People that have not done the race should not criticize it. Personally I wish I was there, it is the best sailing I have ever done. I had the pleasure of sailing a three-day tune up on Telefonica Blue in August. Yes, the boat was built light but it was engineered to complete all the legs. Anyone can send these boats over the waves too hard. The good guys that are not breaking know when to slow down. Following this race, engineers will really know what it takes to engineer a carbon boat to sail upwind at these speeds and come out the other end. Over the last eight years I have seen a lot of boats break frames in the bow with a lot less pressure. This is going to be good for everyone. My hat is off for Bouwe and his boys. They knew what was ahead of them before they built the boat and they had the confidence to send it out in the worst of the conditions and keep racing. Also, Torben, staying in the lee of the Philippines and holding back was a very good tactical call. They were ahead in the overall series and if only one boat beat them, they would still be ahead and have their boat ready for the next race. Maybe the greatest achievement goes to Ken and Puma, breaking their boom, fixing and then racing into second place. These three boats are filled with sailing heroes. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6957#6957 * From Adrian Morgan: How many poor Chinese fishermen will be cursing the Volvo boats after finding their nets, and livelihood, trashed in the pursuit of sponsored, market-driven, pointless 'sailing glory'? * From Ben Glass: I love the news and passion that this newsletter bring to our sport, but this thread is really not based on any well informed knowledge. It’s just whining. Coaches are not just some people in motorboats. They are sailors who have devoted their lives to the sport in a way that far surpasses 90% of the others on the water. They forgo their own desire to compete in order to help others. Some are paid, some are not. When they aren't on the water they are on the phone and email encouraging people to go sailing. They organize and run most local, High School, Collegiate and Junior Regattas. They call up kids who haven't been sailing and tell them to get out there. Battling on the front lines for the attention of the kids, there are dozens of coaches from other sports telling them to join swim team, or lacrosse, or football etc., etc. Sailing must do the same or we will lose what we already have built. And for doing this work they get to read this thread telling them they aren't wanted. But this sport would shrivel up and wither without them. So, please put and end to this silly whine-fest. * From Howard D. Paul: Several years ago I was in charge of the weather committee boat. As the boats started to approach the weather layline one of the coaches yelled out “don’t over stand the layline!” After the racing was over for the day I approached someone I knew from the sailor’s club and expressed my concern that this was not according to the rules. A bit later my friend came back after speaking with the coach with the response that it was encouragement and nothing more. I can to some extent understand encouragement but to this day I feel this was over the line. OK, the pun was intended! Because it can be very hard to distinguish between encouragement and coaching I am of the opinion that from the time the boats leave the dock until the last race is completed by all competitors there should be no contact / encouragement at all, nor should any boats be on the course period. By keeping them away from the competitors there will be no opportunity for a breach of the rule intentional or otherwise. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: It’s time to close this thread in the newsletter, but all the comments that have been received have been moved to the Forum, where further discussion can continue: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6898 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Remember 'I' before 'E', except in Budweiser. Special thanks to Pedrick Yacht Designs and North U. 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