|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1495 - January 13, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. SAFETY GUIDELINES This past weekend at its Annual Meeting, hosted in Annapolis by its Chesapeake Bay Station and Commodore Dick Neville, the Storm Trysail Club (STC) adopted its own Recommended Guidelines for Safety. Since the 1998 Sydney-Hobart Race, the Safety at Sea Committee of the STC has sent three questionnaires to the STC membership and sought input from experts and other organizations such as RORC, US Sailing, and CCA. The resulting Guideline represents the opinion of the STC only. It is interesting to note that while approximately 25% of the STC members believed that the use of PFD's and harnesses should be left to the discretion of the captain (owner) and crew, an overwhelming 75% believed the STC should be more pro-active and issue guidelines and recommendations that might, in certain cases, be stronger than existing regulation or prescriptions. The STC welcomes input from yachtsmen. - http://stormtrysail.org/ STORM TRYSAIL CLUB RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES The Storm Trysail Club (STC) as a service to competitors may prescribe certain safety equipment and procedures, but sailing is an inherently risky activity and it is the captain (owner) and crew's responsibility to use their best judgement regarding participating in a race, continuing to race, and the use of safety equipment and procedures. Except as modified by these STC Guidelines, the provisions of Section 5 "Personal Equipment" in the Offshore Special Regulations apply. STC Guidleines take precedence whenever they exceed the requirements of Section 5, except competitors are not required to wear personal flotation or harnesses while starting or finishing unless the captain (owner) so requires or any one of the conditions in the following paragraph apply. A harness (with tether) and lifejacket with whistle and reflective material shall be worn: a) between the hours of sunset and sunrise b) when alone on deck c) when reefed d) when true wind speed is 25 knots or above e) when visibility is less than one nautical mile For Category 3 and 4 races, the harness (with tether) is recommended but not required. Each crew shall carry a personal strobe between the hours of sunset and sunrise. In any case, any and all safety equipment should be utilized by the crew whenever conditions warrant. Competitors specific attention should be directed to the Racing Rules of Sailing 2001-2004 Fundamental Rule 1.1 which states "A boat or competitor shall give all possible help to any person or vessel in danger." The STC reserves the right to alter these Guidelines at any time. OLYMPIC EQUIPMENT EVALUATION Following the first part of the Olympic Windsurfing Equipment Evaluation Event in Cadiz in September 2003, the application form for designs to be entered into the second phase, in Torbole, Italy, is now online. The objective of the Equipment Evaluation Event is to identify suitable equipment to be selected for use at the 2008 Olympic Regatta, Beijing. In order to achieve the best results, ISAF will choose a balance of men and women sailors from a wide range of weights, geographic regions and disciplines to participate in the Evaluation Event. Current Olympic class sailors, professionals and Formula class sailors will be invited to help evaluate the equipment in a wide range of conditions including heavy air and light air sailing, course racing and slalom and speed tests. http://www.sailing.org/technical/App_Windsurfing04.pdf ALWAYS THE BEST Camet International has the outstanding reputation of always being the best in design, quality and service. The Camet sailing shorts are the leaders in technology and comfort. They are made out of a breathable, fast drying Supplex® with a UV rating of 40+ (blocks 97.5% of UV rays) and reinforced with a Cordura® seat patch, to insert an optional foam pad. Camet has a variety of men's and women's shorts, pants and colors. Breathable Polo Shirts, Coolmax shirts, Neoprene Hiking pants, Mylar bags etc. Visit the Camet website at http://www.camet.com FOR THE RECORD Francis Joyon rounded Cape Horn on Saturday, taking just 49 days, 2 hours, 21 minutes from his start in Brest, France in November. He is at present 13 days and 3 hours ahead of the pace set by the current record holder, Michel Desjoyeaux. Desjoyeaux's record was set onboard the Open 60 monohull PRB during the 2000 - 2001 Vendée Globe (see the World Sailing Speed Record Council website at the address below Joyon is sailing the (90-foot) trimaran IDEC, ex-Sport Elec, on which Olivier de Kersauson set a crewed Jules Verne Record in 1997. That record is now held by Bruno Peyron, both de Kersauson and Peyron will challenge the record in the coming weeks, as will Steve Fossett's Cheyenne (ex-Playstation). The Jules Verne Record is 64d 8h 37m 24s. Desjoyeaux's record is 93d 3h 57m 32s; if Joyon can maintain his current lead he could finish in 80 days. In 1997 de Kersauson and team sailed the same boat around the world in 71d 14h 22m 08s -- getting anywhere near that time singlehanded would be an astonishing accomplishment for Joyon. His passage was marked by 45 knots winds, forcing him to lower his gennaker and proceed down the coast with three reefs in the main and a storm jib. - ISAF website, full story: http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=6174 THE SELECTION PROCESS An anxious wait ended for Christina Bassedone and Katherine Hopson after their places in the British Olympic team for Athens were finally confirmed. Though the crew they beat for selection twice challenged the decision, the British Olympic Association decided that Bassedone and Hopson will take part in the women's 470 class. They also confirmed team places for Natasha Sturges in the women's Mistral windsurfer and Laura Baldwin in the women's Europe single-hander. Originally these selections were subject to performance criteria before they were to be confirmed by the Royal Yachting Association, but they have all now been given unconditional status. "It got quite messy with the appeals process, when the other team said, 'How can the trial continue with only one boat?'," Bassedone said on the opening day of the Sail Melbourne regatta in Australia, after which they led the class. "But the RYA said they could see only one team with the potential. We'd always planned our programme as if we were going to Athens. Now we can believe it." It was Josie Gibson and Sue Parkin, the latter having competed in three Olympics, who challenged the RYA's selectors' decision to select one crew from the Cadiz trials but then apply a further test. They argued that it was illogical to halt the trial when the crew chosen were not a definite pick. - Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2w64s REGISTER FOR ACURA SORC BY JAN. 15 TO WIN A FREE ENTRY Join us for the Acura SORC, February 25-29, 2004 in Miami Beach, FL. All competitors registered by January 15th are entered to win a free entry into the 2004 Acura SORC. Entries welcomed from boats racing IMS, PHRF, Farr 40, Mumm 30, Melges 24, J/105, Multihulls, Swan 45's. http://www.acurasorc.com AWARDS Yahoo! Australia and New Zealand gave its users the opportunity to choose one site to be highlighted as the Pick of the Year and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race web site has been named 2003 Site of the Year. A late surge of on-line voting on the final day of the competition, December 31, cemented the Rolex Sydney Hobart web site's top position. "Traffic to the site was beyond expectations, with 569,626 user sessions and 5.6 million page hits, a 250% increase on 2002," said CYCA web developer Adrian Wiggins from Massive Interactive. Hitwise.com.au statistics reveal the incredible traffic propelled the site to become the number one sports site for Australian internet users over the first three days of the race, ousting racetab.com.au and theworldgame.com.au from their customary positions. For the same period in 2002 the site peaked at the number two spot in the sports category. Needless to say the site also trounced other yachting sites with over 65% of traffic in Hitwise.com.au's Sports - Yachting/Boating subcategory. "Having spent thousands of hours developing the site, we are extremely pleased that our concept for a website for our great ocean race has been validated first by collecting a Silver World Medal in the Best Innovative Feature category of the 2003 New York Festivals Interactive Awards in December and secondly by being named Yahoo!'s top site for 2003 in Australia and New Zealand. - Lisa Ratcliff NEWS BRIEFS * According to a report on the Yachting World website, a record 29,800 visitors attended the London Boat Show last Saturday. Not a bad day. - http://tinyurl.com/3e7ks * Brad Funk and Anna Tunnicliffe were 'on fire' at the US Sailing Center - Martin County, Florida last week. First they won the 66-boat Vanguard 15 Midwinters by 23 points over Chris Ashley and Alison Berenback, and then teamed with Colin Merrick / Amanda Callahan and Mark Mendleblatt / Liz Bower their CABLAM team also won the team racing event that followed. Full results: http://www.usscmc.org/regattas/v15fleetresults2004.htm http://www.usscmc.org/regattas/ * Jud Smith and Henry Frazer dominated the second regatta of the Etchells Mid-Winter series, sponsored by Alpine Jaguar over the weekend of January 10th and 11th on Biscayne Bay, FL. Smith scored 1,2,2,1 and discarded a 10th to win the Sid Doren Memorial Regatta. Phil Garland was second with 10 points and Robbie Doyle, sailing with sons Tyler and Ethan were third in this 50 boat fleet with 26 points. - http://www.etchellsfleet20.org/ * ISAF is to hold a first International Umpires Conference in Southampton on March 26-28. ISAF hopes to see as many International Umpires (IU) as possible in Southampton to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with other IUs and further develop their skills and knowledge through planned exercises, lectures and participation in group discussions. The Conference will be chaired by John Doerr (GBR), Chairman of the International Umpires Sub-committee (IUSC), with presentations by a number of IUSC members and IUs with expertise in specific areas. - http://www.sailing.org/sc.asp?ID=Umpires_Conference_2004 * In recent issues of Scuttlebutt, discussions of the Racing Rules of Sailing and the COLREGS have frequently referenced the Charles Jordain vs. Endeavour case. Readers interested in the original full decision from the First Circuit Court of Appeals can find it at: http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/getopn.pl?OPINION=94-2193.01A * A gathering of the Eagles: Sailing at Terra Nova Trading Key West 2004, among others, are Ed Baird, Stu Bannatyne, Vince Brun, Brad Butterworth, Paul Cayard, Eric Doyle, Pease Glaser, Robbie Haines, Terry Hutchinson, Chris Larson, Ross MacDonald, Harry Melges, Adrian Stead, Tom Whidden and Dawn Riley - who will be at the helm of a last-minute Melges 24 entry with an all female crew. Five days of racing start next Monday with 302 entries from 18 countries and 32 states, competing in 11 PHRF and 10 one-design classes. - www.Premiere-Racing.com * Oops - Somehow we failed to identify Michael Fortenbaugh as the writer of the nice letter about Hannah Swett in yesterday's Scuttlebutt. THE WINNER AT KEY WEST RACE WEEK ALREADY DETERMINED KWRW is a week off but the Dryshirt™ has already been named the winner of the event. Many of the top teams have recognized that staying dry and out of the sun's damaging rays keeps the crew fresh and less drawn down by the real effects of exposure. The Dryshirt™ sheds the water like a spray top through a recently patented 3M process while maintaining its breathable feature. Coolmax™ and Dryfit™ materials are not similar to the revolutionary Dryshirt™. There is still time to place an order and have them delivered in time for Key West. 1(800) 354-7245 http://www.sailingproshop.com/dryshirt.htm LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Tim Dick: Mt. Gay hats from the 2001 Sydney-Hobart were on sale at the sponsoring Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney in January of 2002. As a sailor, I felt that as I had not "earned" the cap (we were merrily chartering in the rigors of the Whitsundays islands) and could not honestly live up to the obvious questions about "how was it out there" and did not buy one (or a dozen). Imagine my regret when I found they are fetching the best part of $100 on eBay! I'm pleased Mt. Gay is tightening up the distribution. (For sailors who are more relaxed, the a certain liquor store in Sausalito, CA has a few hats on display that they are willing to part with...) * From Dallas Johnson: My counterfeit Mt. Gay hat is one of my favorites. Arrest me if you want, but I worked harder for that hat than any of the others I've "earned". Curmudgeon's Comment: Enough already. This thread is officially dead. * From Britton Chance: While we got a good picture of Augie's family background. Maybe some of you forgot Hannah's lineage: Her aunt Jan O'Malley (Rolex) and Women's World Champ, grandy pappy Brit Chance Olympic Gold '52 and E Scows plus her Great Grand Pappy and his brother plus Ed Schoettle introduced E Scows to Barnegat Bay and much more offshore competitions stuff due Henry, Brit's brother and the Gibbons - Neff family - Hannah's gene pool is loaded! * From Tom Whitmore: It's great to see Augie Diaz receive the Rolex award. Many years ago, in the first race of the J-24 Mid-winters we were involved in collision with Augie while rounding the gybe mark in planning conditions. The large hole in our boat caused us to drop out and as I recall Augie retired. On shore Augie searched us out and was nearly in tears with remorse for the damage he had caused us. He not only volunteered to witness for us but counseled us on applying for redress. After the hearing Augie then went about procuring the materials and help needed to repair our damage and get us on the water again the next day. Augie is truly worthy of this award as he has the qualities that make a great competitor; great sailing skills, true sportsmanship and a healthy sense of humor. * From Jimmy Johnson: Wow! With a huge congratulations and respect for Diaz, I am stunned that Van Liew was not recognized as the Yachtsman of the year. Risking everything in his life (including life itself) and devoting 10 years to a seemingly unreachable goal, Van Liew not only broke the barrriers of American achievement in the world of offshore racing - but shattered all limits of "sailing" sponsorship - bringing in mainstream companies and landing worldwide media attention, which benefits the sport and all sailors worldwide. His achievement (and humble sportsmanship to boot) seems to warrant something more than the Around Alone prize (nada). Weekend regattas seem to pale in comparison when I imagine 150 days alone at sea. Cheers to Brad and all others who have dared to dream. * From Dwight Gertz: With all due respect to the Coast Guard (I retired from the Navy as a Captain and understand something of what the USCG does), do they even know what recreational boaters actually do? Imagine two scenarios: powering along in a flat calm, I serve dinner in the cockpit--am I breaking the law if I don't wear a lifejacket while tossing the salad? My daughter and I take our 12 foot whaler out to the middle of our cove and drop the hook while we go for a swim on hot and sunny day - does that require me to wear a lifejacket? * From James H. Stevralia: Having sailed with, against and watched the members of high profile team racing teams including the New York Yacht Club team, each and every team member including such notable sailors as Karl Ziegler, Dean Brenner, Mike Zani, Mason Woodworth, etc. wear a PFD every time they leave the dock. This is a sign of their commitment to their own personal safety. It is also recognition of their status as leaders in the sport. I also want to note that Team One and the Jamie Boeckel Memorial Fund have available PFD's dedicated to Jamie. A portion of the purchase price is to be used in the goal of the Fund which is to promote education and safety at sea among the young sailors. Should wearing of PFD's be "mandated"? That is a different question. * From Susan Epstein: Rob Henderson who questions ".... why Paul Henderson wants 25% of the [ISAF] council to be female...." answers the question by his very asking it. For starters, he should know that women buy boats, all kinds, big and small, racing, cruising, PHRF, one-design. Women sail recreationally and competitively, inshore and offshore, nationally and internationally, as skipper and/or crew. Count the females in Wednesday night PHRF races, intercollegiate regattas, or jr. programs. And, don't discount any as sailors, because they are not at the helm. I'd bet women are 30-40% of these competitors. Consider the National Women's Sailing Association and other organizations, established by women, to give women access to and education in a sport that was (is) both male run and male dominated. For me, the opportunity to give back to this wonderful sport is a great privilege. Today, women serve as race personnel and administrators at every level. US Sailing has its first woman President! Yet worldwide, at the highest echelons of management, serving the sport is a privilege traditionally preserved for men and still denied to women. In the last 25 years women have nearly achieved in sailing what men have assumed as birthright for centuries. What male ever heard, "sailing isn't for boys"? Of sailors ages eight to eighty-eight, females exceed even the 25% President Henderson is reaching for. Surely, women should have at least (at last) that much representation in ISAF. CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS "Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it's our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd like to have dinner with." - Kathleen Mifsud |
