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SCUTTLEBUTT 3152 - Tuesday, August 10, 2010Scuttlebutt 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: Camet, North Sails, and Ocean Racing. TEAM USA SHOWS STRENGTH ON DAY 1 SAIL FOR GOLD Weymouth, England (August 9, 2010) - The first day of racing was smooth sailing at Skandia Sail for Gold, the final ISAF Sailing World Cup event of the 2009-2010 series. Held at the venue of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Regattas in the towns of Weymouth and Portland, England, Sail for Gold has attracted more than 975 sailors from 57 countries, including 50 members of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) and US Sailing Development Team (USSDT) who are competing in all 10 Olympic classes and two Paralympic classes. Every class was able to finish two races without a hitch before the weather turned progressively cold and windy by mid-afternoon. Team USA kicked off the first day with some solid scores across the fleets. Both Women's Match Racing teams - Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.)/Molly Vandemoer (Redwood City, Calif.)/Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) and Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.)/Alana O'Reilly (Charleston, S.C.)/Genny Tulloch (Tiburon, Calif.) - went undefeated today in their groups, each pocketing 3-0 to start the event. They will finish group racing tomorrow with four races. 2008 Silver Medalist Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) christened his new Finn boat today and finished a respectable sixth out of 51 boats in the first race of the day. In the second race, he lost a shift but accomplished a major comeback with two fast downwind runs to pass approximately eight boats. 2008 Olympians Stu McNay (Boston, Mass.) and Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) scored a bullet and USSDT's Adam Roberts (San Diego, Calif.) and Nick Martin (San Diego, Calif.) finished sixth in the second race of the day in the 60-boat Men's 470 fleet. In the Women's 470, Erin Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (New York, N.Y.) finished fifth out of 46 boats in the second race of the day. The forecast calls for big breeze tomorrow, and racing is scheduled to start at 11 a.m., conditions permitting. At the end of this event, in addition to the awards for the regatta, ISAF will award medals for the overall Sailing World Cup standings. Sailors have accumulated points at each World Cup event, which count toward their final standings in each class. -- Full story: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/2010/Sail_for_Gold_Day_One.htm * The Canadian contingent at Skandia Sail for Gold was lead by Zac Plavsic in the RSX class with a 4 - 7 on the day to sit 7th overall, other single race solid scores included Mike Leigh with a 7th in the Laser class, Jon Ladha and Daniel Inkpen with a 7th in a 49er race, John McRoberts and Brenda Hopkin with a 3rd in the Skud Class and our Star teams of Oskar Johansson/James Hynes and Richard Clarke/Tyler Bjorn each scoring 10th place finishes. Paul Tingley put up a first race 4 and survived a broken gooseneck in the second race to finish 10th. -- Read on: http://www.sailing.ca/features/skandia_sail_for_gold_2010/ Full results from Skandia:_http://www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk/news/_992/latest_results For up-to-the-minute racing news, follow the teams on Facebook and Twitter. Follow sailors on their blogs/websites: Anna Tunnicliffe: http://www.annatunnicliffe.com/ Erin Maxwell / Isabelle Kinsolving: http://www.470teamusa.com/wordpresstesting/ Erik Storck / Trevor Moore: http://www.storckmooresailing.com/ Stu McNay / Graham Biehl: http://www.teammb.org/ Zach Railey: http://www.zachrailey.com/ BAY BREEZE COMES THROUGH FOR KNARR SAILORS San Francisco, CA (August 9, 2010) - The 42nd International Knarr Championship began Sunday on San Francisco Bay, under typical mid-summer fog and drizzly skies. This best of 8 round-robin series comes to San Francisco Bay every 3 years; St. Francis Yacht Club was this year's host. None of the 26 skippers from Denmark, Norway and the US may sail his own boat, which leads to very tight racing as teams have but one hour on the water to learn what makes their boat go fast. But, at the end of the day the cream always rises to the top, and day 1 was no exception. Two time IKC champion and USA skipper Jon Perkins lead the day with scores of 3 and 1 in the first two races, followed by Danish skipper Sorren Pehrsson, with 8 points. Pehrsson also won the IKC in 2006. Third and fourth places are also occupied by Danes Tom Carlsen and last year's defending champion Lars Gottfredsen. Race 1 was started off the western face of Alcatraz in a diminishing flood tide. Both ends of the line were the place to be, as the pin end contingent enjoyed some current relief and left shift, and the weather end boats had better pressure from the outset. Overall the pressure was uncharacteristically spotty for the Bay, and the race was more about pressure and shift than current favor. Race 1 finished downwind - the 15 boats in the middle of the fleet all finished within 20 seconds of one another. Racing continues through August 15. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/2et3a3t THE NEWEST PERFORMANCE SHIRT FROM CAMET Camet Code Zip Performance Shirt is a high-performance technical shirt that works great as your only layer in warm weather and as an under layer in cooler conditions. The double circular knit engineered fabric is lightweight, breathable, dries quickly and has a wicking finish to move moisture away from your body while still offering maximum UV protection. The shirt features a mini-mock neck for sun protection and a long front zipper for added ventilation. Dye sublimation is possible on the front chest and back. Learn more at http://www.camet.com/?Click=1696 FINDING THAT LOVING FEELING. . . AGAIN In 2003, Doug Kessler had climbed to the top of the U.S. Melges 24 class, winning the National Championship in Pensacola, FL. It was a huge achievement in a class he loved, so why isn't he in the class anymore? From his home waters of Lake Lanier in Atlanta, GA, here he comments on why he moved on: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I was in the M24 class for a lot longer than I'd like to admit. Learned a lot, made a lot of great friends... but the class started turning mostly pro. Additionally, with no limit on sails ... made it a huge arms race. I'm just a weekend warrior (and a blind squirrel that has been lucky enough to find a few acorns). I just did not like where the class was heading ... for me personally. I moved on to buy a Melges 32 when the rules were only one pro per boat and I think three sails per year. I had the boat for two years. Again, I loved the boat, however, during my tenure, it went to three pros and I think the sail limit doubled. Yet another arms race. I have NOTHING against pros. I've been LUCKY enough to sail with some great ones... and great guys! Sebastian Col, Morgan Reeser, John Bertrand, and Scott Nixon... just to name a few. I'd call all friends and would sail with any of them again any day that they would have me on board. But I was looking for a boat that would be a better fit for a weekend warrior. For the southeast sailing that I do, my considerations included: - J/105: Too heavy for the light air at Lake Lanier - Santa Cruz 37: Too many unknowns at the time and it was getting outside the budget - Farr 30: This one was tough. Always have loved that boat. Deciding factor was choosing a boat with an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker. Most of my time was with asymmetrics and that is what the core crew is most comfortable with. Ultimately I found the FT10 class and I have not been disappointed. The class enthusiasm is similar to what I saw with the M24 back when I started sailing them in the late 90's. It is a great boat, it is easy to transport, and what makes it better is the people. It is a great group of guys (and gals) that "get it". There is a great Corinthian spirit in the class that gives me hope and gets me excited. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailing has a lot of options. Rather than leave the sport because what he loved about the Melges 24 was gone, Kessler instead went looking for it elsewhere. And next year, he hopes to relive his past glory when the FT10 North American's will be held at the Pensacola Yacht Club in Pensacola, FL on March 3-6, 2011. WALKER, FOSTER & JONES WIN 2010 NA CHALLENGE CUP Chicago, IL (August 09, 2010) - Disabled athletes from around the hemisphere competed in Chicago this weekend at the Chicago Yacht Club's 18th annual regatta for disabled sailors held August 6th - August 9th. Overall conditions for the weekend were varied, from light winds at 5 -7 knots, up to gusts of over 30 knots causing racing to be abandoned on Sunday. The variable conditions tested the skills of the 36 competitors who represented twelve U.S. states as well as international sailors from Canada and Antigua. Three classes competed in this regatta: 2.4mR, the Sonar and the Freedom 20. The 2.4mR singlehanded class was a very tight match up between Chicagoan Kristi Walker and Canadian Paralympic hopeful Nigist Sewnnet, who Saturday took three bullets out of the first five races. In the end Walker prevailed, pulling two bullets of her own today to win the regatta by one point. "She made me a better sailor," commented Walker on her tough competition with Sewnett. "I wouldn't have sailed as well without her in the regatta." In third place is Joseph Hill of Houston, TX. Walker, who learned to sail at the age of 13, was brought back into sailing through the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program in Chicago after a brain tumor left her with a loss of strength, coordination, and range of motion in her left hand and arm. 2010 marks Walker's sixth year as a competitor and the first time she has won the regatta. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/2a7splt NOEL INGALLS-FIELD WINS 2010 NA YNGLING CHAMPIONSHIP Alpena, MI (August 9, 2010) - A thrilling weekend of racing wrapped up on Thunder Bay Sunday afternoon with a photo finish of the top 5 sailors crossing the line in front of a cheering crowd. Atop the podium was a new face, but an old name, as Noel Ingalls-Field succeeded both her mother, Ellie Field, and father, John Ingalls as North American Yngling Champion. At age 17 she became the youngest champion in Yngling history winning the regatta handily with four firsts, a 3rd and a 4th. She sailed with her father (current World Yngling Champion) and Patrick Gallagher as crew. Alpena sailors crossed tacks in an exciting finish to determine the next 5 positions. The crew of Steve Fletcher's Dwarf Iris, with Chris McCoy as helmsman and Tait Frogett as crew, sailed a solid and consistent regatta to hold onto 2nd place, followed closely by Steve Wilson's crew of Pete Wilson, Julie Mitchell, Tim Rumbles sailing with Sam and Anna Rumbles. Val Upham, sailing with Mark Upham and Erin Damery, squeeked out a win in the final race to propel her into 5th place. Read on: -- http://www.alpenayngling.com/ SUMMERTIME AND THE SHIPPING IS FREE! There's still LOTS of Summer left - treat yourself to something special from North Sails Gear. We've got sandals in a rainbow of colors, UV protective dress and casual shirts, bags to make packing for your trip to the beach cabana or boat a breeze, sunscreen and more! Check out our new tee designs and don't forget the Clearance section. Enter coupon code SBUTT at checkout and get free surface shipping within the US. Offer expires August 15, 2010. When looking good matters, head North! http://www.northsailsgear.com SEN. JOHN KERRY SKIPS TOWN ON SAILS TAX Sen. John Kerry who has repeatedly voted to raise taxes while in Congress, dodged a whopping six-figure state tax bill on his new multimillion-dollar yacht by mooring her in Newport, R.I. Isabel - Kerry's luxe, 76-foot New Zealand-built Friendship sloop with an Edwardian-style, glossy varnished teak interior, two VIP main cabins and a pilothouse fitted with a wet bar and cold wine storage - was designed by Rhode Island boat designer Ted Fontaine. But instead of berthing the vessel in Nantucket, where the senator summers with the missus, Teresa Heinz, Isabel's hailing port is listed as "Newport" on her stern. Could the reason be that the Ocean State repealed its Boat Sales and Use Tax back in 1993, making the tiny state to the south a haven - like the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Nassau - for tax-skirting luxury yacht owners? Cash-strapped Massachusetts still collects a 6.25 percent sales tax and an annual excise tax on yachts. Sources say Isabel sold for something in the neighborhood of $7 million, meaning Kerry saved approximately $437,500 in sales tax and an annual excise tax of about $70,000. The senior senator's chief of staff David Wade denied the old salt was berthing his boat out of state to avoid ponying up to the commonwealth. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/2g4yvbh SAILING SHORTS * A twenty-year veteran of the Schock 35 class won the 2010 Schock 35 Nationals, held at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club August 6-8. Steve Arkle and his team in Power Play from South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club dominated the nine-boat fleet to take the win: his overall score of 12 points included no finish lower than third place. Second-place boat was ABYC's Bob Marcus in Code Blue. Dave Michaelis of ABYC in Mako was third, just ahead of Seal Beach Yacht Club's Richard Fish in Outlier. The regatta was sailed well down coast from the usual ABYC venue; the racers saw winds from five to 12 knots over the three-day, seven-race series but very even conditions across the course, with little of the usual right-side-favored conditions that Long Beach often sees. -- Full results: www.abyc.org. * The Bermuda Ocean Cruising Yacht Trophy was awarded to Christopher Culver of New York City, skipper of CETACEA, a Hinckley 59, for best combined performance in the 2009 Marion Bermuda Race and the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race. Amateur crews in monohulls in the Marion race and in the Cruising Division in the Newport race are eligible for the trophy. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2dakpjy * The Techno 293 U.S. National Championship crowned new champions after three days of ideal conditions at Vineyard Haven Yacht Club in Martha's Vineyard, MA. Thirty-four competitors traveled from as far as Mexico, USVI, Canada, California, and Florida to compete in Under 19, U17, U15, and U13 age groups. The 2011 Techno 293 World Championships will be hosted in July by St. Francis YC (San Francisco, CA) where more than 250 kids from 30 countries are expected. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10261 * Hosted by Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, MI, Adam Lowery won the 2010 Moth North American Championship. In a series which was going to see plenty of upsets, Lowery lost his rig on the way out when a shroud pin failed. Help from the support boats plus in true Class spirit, a fleet which waited for him, he was able to repair and re-rig on the water. -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0809/ * The US SAILING 2010 Championship of Champions Regatta is to be held at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club, Greenwich, CT on October 13-16, 2010 in Ideal 18s. The application deadline is August 14 for individuals who have won a National, North American or World Championship since August of 2009. US SAILING will select 20 class champions from the applications. This year's special guest will be US SAILING's 2006 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Jud Smith. Email championships@ussailing.org for more information. * Palma de Mallorca, Spain (August 7, 2010) - Ran, Matador, Rats on fire, Tanit and Lelagainare the brand new winners of the 29 Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre, whereas Iberostar clinches the X-41 trophy. The winners of this 29 Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre were decided after today's two races. Argentinean Matador won in considerable style thus repeating last year's victory. This is the third victory for Alberto Roemmers' TP52 in the Copa del Rey, whereas the rest of the winners make their debut on top of the podium of the most important regatta of the Mediterranean. -- Full story: http://www.prensarcnp.es/copa10/noticias/0035_uk.php DRY & ON TIME Our Offshore Duffel features waterproof fabric and zippers plus seams that are sewn, taped and RF welded. Waterproof Backpacks add neoprene laptop sleeves and comfy ergonomic straps. Optimum Time Sailing Watches are waterproof, have large numerical displays, pre-programmed ISAF start sequences, a synchronization function plus loads of other features. -- http://www.OceanRacing.com * LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). 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 Ed Fryer: Sport is at its most interesting when the certainty that the leader during a match or race will win is minimized right up to the last moment of the match. And many sports are organized to reduce the opportunity of the leader to build an unassailable lead. One example of this is tennis, where matches are split into games rather than being scored as the first person or pair to reach 48 points. The result of this is that it's quite possible to be in a winning position - at match point - and still lose the match. In football, a goal is a comparatively rare event so it's not at all certain than an early lead will result in certain victory - for example, Man U at the 99 European cup final, scoring twice in the dying minutes of the game to win. There are numerous other examples. So the question that has to be asked with regard to the decisions about boats and formats for the next America's Cup is: what gives the most power to a trailing boat? What type of boat, be it mono or multi, gives the best ability of the boat in second to attack? And what race format - be it windward and/or leeward gates, short races, long races, restricted sailing areas or whatever - does likewise. Taking steps to reduce the certainty of a win will make life tough on the afterguard, but that's what they're paid for. After all, the greatest moment in the AC was when the trailing boat attacked on the last run, sailed through the leader and won the race, match, cup, and whole shooting match. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option. Special thanks to Camet, North Sails, and Ocean Racing. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
