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SCUTTLEBUTT 2485 – November 29, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. THE AC90 RULE: SURVIVOR OR CASUALTY? by Julian Everitt, Yacht designer Will the newly proposed 90-foot America’s Cup class, arguably either a wonder boat that will bring unprecedented spectator interest, or a hack job that is both overly compromised and ill-suited for the job, survive the new alliance between Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing. The American team has demonstrated a disposition to leave their mark on all matters thus far, yet they were kept out of the loop during the creation of this new class. Here’s a vote for them to start with a clean sheet of paper. The proposed boats will be very light, more like Volvo 70’s or Open 60’s than the former V5 IACC which they replace, but is this good for match racing? The answer is almost certainly no. They may hammer downwind at over 20 knots compared to the somewhat sedate 10 knot pace of the current AC designs, but this will make them just super expensive ‘pressure-chasers’. Finding just a tiny bit more wind pressure will increase boat speed enormously, negating the tactical effects of wind shifts and ruling out effective defensive sailing, which is what match racing is supposed to be about. It’s as if the new rule has been generated by a completely mindless group of individuals. -- Read on: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5572 * A Victory For Common Sense: Team New Zealand head Grant Dalton said the decision by the New York Supreme Court in favour of American yachting syndicate Oracle was the outcome he was waiting for. He said it was still not guaranteed that Team New Zealand would be racing but Oracle have consistently supported a Challenger's race. "That's what we've always been working to, in the hope that common sense would prevail," Dalton said. He said he hopes Alinghi will now "put down their weapons" and the two syndicates can get on with it and agree to race conditions. Dalton said the racing will likely take place in the new larger boats - the AC 90. -- NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10478868 A WHIFF OF VALENCIA by Stuart Streuli, Sailing World The heat was the same, intense and damp, the concrete had a similar feel, and there was construction around the corner and plenty of new high rises to admire. Floating around the waterfront were more than a few familiar, and famous, faces. But what clinched it was the slight odor of untreated sewage, which wafted briefly across the concourse. I was actually standing just off the docks of Miami Beach Marine, but on this day, South Beach was doing a pretty close approximation of Valencia, Spain. As much as I enjoyed my time there, I never did quite get over the pungent smell. Then I snapped back to reality. Terry Hutchinson wasn't lamenting that gut wrenching final race in the 32nd America's Cup. Instead, he was telling me how much he enjoyed being back in the United States. "I stacked a cord of word the other day," he said his ubiquitous Cheshire smile. Late November and December is normally a pretty sparse time on North American sailing calendars. So, with the 2008 Farr 40 Worlds scheduled for this neck of woods in April, this week proved to be a perfect time for a Farr 40 tune-up regatta and a chance to celebrate 10 years of Farr 40 sailing. -- Read on: http://forums.sailingworld.com/blogs/?q=node/108 CHECK THE SCALES BEFORE YOU BUY So you've read on some blog or other about Laser sailing and decided it sounds like fun. You went down to watch your local Laser fleet racing and saw people of all ages, sizes and genders out racing Lasers, and now you're certain that Laser sailing is for you. But you're not sure whether you need to buy a Standard Rig or a Radial Rig... or even something called a 4.7 whatever that is. Well let me try and explain. Basically it all depends on your weight. When the Laser was first launched over 35 years ago it came with one size of sail. It quickly became very popular, but over the years it became apparent that for lighter people, especially smaller women and younger teenagers, it was more than they could handle in a real blow. It was clear that a smaller, less powerful rig was needed for the boat to become popular with lighter people. -- Proper Course blog, read on: http://propercourse.blogspot.com/2007/11/check-scales-before-you-buy.html J/105 SPEED FORMULA FOR ACURA KEY WEST 2008 As Acura Key West 2008 rapidly approaches, 27 J/105 entries have already been submitted. Is your boat ready?! Keep in mind that Ullman Sails customers dominated the 2007 J/105 North American Championship in Annapolis in October, sweeping four of the top five places in Gold fleet with three of the top five finishers using complete Ullman inventories. And in four days of racing, Ullman Sails customers won six of the seven total races. So make sure you’re using the sails with PROVEN speed and performance. For more information on J/105 Ullman Sails, contact a local loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com KING OF THE MASTERS It is nothing new for one-design dinghy classes to have events specifically for their “older sailors.” However, the Laser class is upping the ante, and has coordinated a series of events in 2008 to determine who is King of the Masters. The winter Laser Masters circuit will have four different regattas to determine who is the King (or Queen). Each event will run under the Master handicap system. Sailors will be allowed to alternate between Radial and Full Rigs as specified for Masters events. The 'King of the Masters', will be the sailor with the best overall position in the four events, allowing one event to be discarded. The King will be crowned at the last event, the Masters Midwinters East held this year at Melbourne Yacht Club. Dates for the events are: Jan 11–13, 2008 - Caribbean Laser Midwinters - http://www.caribwind.com/ltc Feb 9-10, 2008 - Florida Masters - http://www.pbsail.org Feb 12-13, 2008 - Midweek Madness - http://www.usscmc.org Feb 15-17, 2008 -Masters Midwinters East - http://www.melbourneyachtclub.com The King will enjoy bragging rights in the Masters kingdom. The Laser Training Center, in Cabarete has generously offered to reward the King with a stay in a Cabarete hotel and participation in a high performance Laser clinic. The clinic will be held by Head coach Javier Rulo Borojovich, who has been the coach of many top 20 senior sailors. Can you see yourself wearing the crown? Notice of Race (NOR) for each event with additional local information will be on the ILCA -- NA website as well as each sponsoring organizations site. -- http://www.nalaser.org BARCELONA WORLD RACE Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles) (November 28, 2007) The two race leaders, PRB and Paprec-Virbac 2, are determined to stay to close to each other as the two boats descend down towards the ‘Roaring 40’s’. That’s still some days off, but skippers on both boats say they’re determined to remain close, to ensure they stay in the same weather system as the other, and reach the Roaring 40's together. “We just want to make sure that whatever PRB gets, we get it too,” explained Damian Foxall on Paprec-Virbac 2 this afternoon. PRB’s Vincent Riou had the same idea earlier in the day. But Veolia Environnement appears to be determined to make it a three-boat party as Roland Jourdain’s boat has taken over 50 miles out of the leading PRB over the last 24 hours. In fact, all but the two trailing boats have passed through the third scoring gate off the coast of Brazil, at Fernando de Noronha (coordinates at 03°54?S, 32°25?W), and have enjoyed significant compression on the leaders in the past day. The trailing boat, Educación sin Fronteras, is the only remaining entry that remains in the doldrums. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com Day 18 Positions - November 28, 2007 - 18:00 (GMT) 1. PRB - Vincent Riou (FRA)/Sébastien Josse (FRA), 20,996 DTF 2. Paprec-Virbac 2 - Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA)/Damian Foxall (IRE), 12 miles DTL 3. Veolia Environnement - Roland Jourdain (FRA)/Jean-Luc Nélias (FRA), 121 4. Delta Dore - Jérémie Beyou (FRA)/Sidney Gavignet (FRA), 207 5. Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson (GBR)/Andrew Cape (AUS), 221 6. Temenos II - Dominique Wavre (SUI)/Michéle Paret (FRA), 256 7. Mutua Madrilena - Javier Sanso Windmann (ESP)/Pachi Rivero (ESP), 274 8. Estrella Damm - Guillermo Altadill (ESP)/Jonathan McKee (USA), 462 9. Educación sin Fronteras -Albert Bargués (ESP)/Servanne Escoffier (FRA),679 * (November 28, 2007) Five days after his departure from Brest, France, Francis Joyon is less than 700 miles from the equator, with his 29.7m maxi-trimaran IDEC clocking its third consecutive 500+ mile day (548 miles) in pursuit of the solo round the world record. His pace now puts him one day in advance (593 miles) of the pace set by current world record holder Ellen Macarthur in 2005. -- http://www.trimaran-idec.com SAILING SHORTS * Although Cal Berkeley's Golden Bears football team may be favored over the Stanford Cardinal in the so-called 'Big Game' this Saturday, both Stanford's varsity and alumni sailors triumphed over Cal in Tuesday’s J/105 match racing in the Central Bay. -- Lectronic Latitude, full story: http://tinyurl.com/25ay8b * The Annual General Meeting for the Bahamas Sailing Association will be held at the Royal Nassau Sailing Club at 6:00 p.m. - December 5, 2007. Meeting agenda online at http://tinyurl.com/ywmxth * The minutes from the IRC Congress meeting held on October 20, 2007 are now online: http://www.rorcrating.com/IRC%20Committees/CONmin61020.pdf EIGHT BELLS Prominent Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron member, yachtsman, and yachting benefactor Geoff Lee AM OAM has died after an extended illness. Geoff was the immediate past chairman and a life member of the Australia Day Regatta and was instrumental in maintaining its status as the world’s oldest continuously conducted sailing regatta. Geoff had been a member of the RSYS since 1964 and was also a member of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and a past flag officer of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. He donated many perpetual trophies to sailing, including one for line honors in the Australia Day ocean race to Botany Bay and return. Over many years of active sailing, Geoff raced a succession of yachts named Taurus in ocean races and, in latter years, in harbour racing with the RSYS Division 1. Geoff was also involved in supporting many other activities, including the Scouting movement and the Sydney Heritage fleet. Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service to celebrate Geoff's life to be held at St Mark's Church Darling Point Road, Darling Point on Tuesday December 4 at 11.30am. There will be a gathering of family and friends after the Memorial Service, probably at the CYCA. -- Peter Campbell DISCOVER The gift of gear. This holiday season, give the people on your list sailing gear that will keep them dry, happy and looking great. Discover a new level of performance, style and gratitude. Give them Atlantis. To find a dealer near you, visit http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK Maybe if this week’s video was shown to the ISAF Council prior to their vote on Olympic event selection for 2012, the recent roar would be coming from the keelboat contingent over the exclusion of their event, and not from the multihullers. Enjoy 1:10 minutes of extreme catamaran sailing, complete with wave launches, pitch poling, tumbleweed rolling, crews getting shot out of a canon, etc. Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/1126 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Charles J. Doane: I have much enjoyed Cory Friedman's coverage of the AC legal dispute, but as a recovering attorney and inveterate word-tinkerer, it seems to me both he and Judge Cahn have misconstrued the language of the Deed of Gift. Judge Cahn in his decision, and Friedman in his analysis of it, both focus on the meaning of the verb "having" and assume it refers to the annual regatta, when in fact it clearly refers to the course on which the regatta should be sailed. That is, the Deed does not require the challenging club to "have a regatta," but instead requires the club to "have FOR its regatta an ocean water course on the sea, or an arm of the sea..." (emphasis added). In other words, the fact of the regatta is utterly and entirely presumed. Not that I disagree with the outcome---indeed, I applaud it---but the reasoning methinks is ever so slightly askew. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: Interesting point of view. Here is the exact wording from the Deed of Gift: “Any organized yacht Club of a foreign country, incorporated, patented, or licensed by the legislature, admiralty or other executive department, having for its annual regatta an ocean water course on the sea, or on an arm of the sea, or one which combines both, shall always be entitled to the right of sailing a match for this Cup with a yacht or vessel propelled by sails only and constructed in the country to which the challenging Club belongs, against any one yacht or vessel constructed in the country of the Club holding the Cup. The competing yachts or vessels, if of one mast, shall be not less than forty-four feet nor more than ninety feet on the load water line; if of more than one mast, they shall be not less than eighty feet nor more than one hundred and fifteen feet on the load water line.” -- Complete text: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/dog/ * From Laurie Fullerton: It is great news to hear that the America's Cup may get back on track now that the New York Supreme Court has given GGYC a chance to be the challenger of record. One of the best events of the post-2003 America's Cup was the Moet Cup, held in San Francisco, and raced between Oracle and Alinghi in Sept. 2003 when all seemed right with the world. Yet, three time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts quit Alinghi by that summer and it was clear to many that there were problems within the Swiss organization. Bringing those problems to light may not be the easiest thing for the Swiss to own up to, but it smacks of fairness. * From Andreas Stuven, Trinidad, West Indies: Not only did Mr. Bertarelli brag that he has the best lawyers, he or one of his people also said they will not challenge the court’s decision. Their press release sounds a bit different, though. And Mr. Bertarelli a piece of advice: A lot of races in sailing these days are decided on technicalities, at least when they hit the protest room. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: I am reminded of a quote from the late and much lamented US President Richard Nixon, which would seem to apply to Mr. Bertarelli's team's position prior to the NY court decision that they would not appeal: "That statement is no longer operable." * From Chris Ericksen: Every four years or so I ask the same question: why, oh why do we even care what classes are in the Olympics? So no multihulls are in the 2102 Games; does that mean some teenagers in a Hobie 16 won't be able to fly a hull on Biscayne Bay? So there are only two keelboat disciplines; does that mean some adults in a Tartan Ten won't be able to fly a kite on Lake Michigan? I know a few Olympic medallists, dozens of Olympic veterans and a whole slew of folks who have sailed an Olympic-class boat (myself and the young Curmudgeon among them); would not the best among them have been just as good in whatever classes or events they might have sailed? Olympic sailing has for years been the spot on the flea on the tail of the dog of the sport of sailing; it is simultaneously the elephant in the room. An inordinate amount of time, energy, conversation - - yes, and money -- is being spent on what is, after all, a regatta that is sailed once every four years. Time has come for us to just get over this. Let's stop caring what boats will sail in the Olympic Regatta and get back the reasons we really got into this sport in the first place: the pleasure of the sailing, the thrill of the competition, and the camaraderie of our fellow sailors. STEPPING UP – DESERVING PROPS Each morning the Scuttlebutt staff opens the email, checks in with the sailing media, and by days end, hopefully compiles and creates the most riveting and relevant stories for the newsletter. The Scuttlebutt community is a major source of information, and the credibility of our readership is a valued asset. However, when a reader offers to write about an event, we still often have no idea where it will lead. That was the case when NY lawyer Cory Friedman asked if we would be interested in his commentary regarding the lawsuit that Golden Gate YC had filed against the America’s Cup defending club, Société Nautique de Genève (SNG). From Cory’s first submission, it was obvious how lucky we were. The tangle of press releases from both sides of the case was consistently unraveled, and the facts of the case were both fairly analyzed, and entertainingly presented. Cory’s commentary was picked up by the international sailing media, and even earned him a seat next to Ernesto Berterelli in the Model Room of the New York YC. The sport of sailing is rarely granted such quality reporting on legal matters, and Scuttlebutt felt highly privileged to have been the conduit for the service he provided. To Cory… thank you… and to the Scuttlebutt community, your opportunity awaits. -- Scuttleblog, http://tinyurl.com/26s39l CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Money is a good servant, but a terrible master. Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Atlantis WeatherGear. |
