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SCUTTLEBUTT 3227 - Wednesday, November 24, 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: West Marine and Ullman Sails. RECOGNIZING THE PAST The Storm Trysail Club's charitable educational foundation, the Storm Trysail Foundation (STF), has awarded Ted Turner and his 19-man crew of Tenacious--winner of the infamous gale-battered 1979 Fastnet Race--with its newly inaugurated Storm Trysail Foundation Award. (Crew members are Peter Bowker, Richard Collins, Courtney Jenkins, Gary Jobson, Duby Joslin, Jim Mattingly, Rives Potts, Jane Potts, Tom Relyea . Rick Rodoreda, John Samama, Greg Shires, Bud Sutherland, Bobby Symonette (deceased), R.E. "Teddy" Turner IV, George Varga, Steve Ward, and Chris Williams.) Twelve of the crew were on-hand for a celebratory evening at Stamford Yacht Club (Conn.) in November, including Gary Jobson, who recalled that when Turner heard the forecast prior to the race, he predicted 20 sailors might die as a result of the impending severe weather; indeed 15 people lost their lives, and the sport is still learning lessons from that race. Turner described how Tenacious was winning the race in the light-air beat to Fastnet Rock before it crushed the fleet in the 60-65 knot blow and 35-40 foot waves they battled on the leg back from Fastnet Rock. The heavily-built Sparkman & Stephens 61 did not suffer a single breakdown in the storm, and Tenacious won by over three hours on corrected time. "It was like winning a basketball game by 60 points," said Turner. Jobson said Turner's finest effort was the midnight-to-4 a.m. watch when he drove Tenacious through the worst of the deadly storm, and the crew's most heroic actions were when they doused the boat's triple-reefed main and wrestled the massive, soaking sail off the boom to get it below. "It was a true all-hands effort." On a lighter note, crew member Jane Potts said she had planned on cooking lasagna but she served roast beef instead. "If you have to see your dinner twice, lasagna is not the best thing," she chuckled. "And I remember Duby Joslin lying on the cabin sole in sloshing water mixed with vomit after falling from a windward bunk. The first thing out of his mouth was, 'I wonder how much golf clubs cost?'" One of the lessons learned from the race was that, statistically, the most prepared and seasoned boats suffer the least damage in such circumstances. Joanne Fishman wrote in her August, 19, 1979 New York Times article: "Among the 57 Admiral's Cup boats, the elite of the fleet, for which this was the last in a five-race series, there were no fatalities and no severe accidents." -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10845 ANGLO - FRENCH CONFLICT It was in Scuttlebutt 3208 (Oct. 28, 2010) when Sailing World blogger Tim Zimmermann pronounced that the Route Du Rhum, the 3542 nm solo race from France to West Indies, would be "hands-down be the most exciting sailboat race of the year". Speaking to his American audience (though the Internet knows no limits) that lacks the same passion as its western European ally, his words were equal parts information and persuasion. Hopefully his words had some impact for those who witnessed them. The Route Du Rhum only happens once every four years, and it always delivers intense sailing action (which sometimes reaches the level of serious carnage). The last edition drew 1.2 million visitors to the race village and 250,000 people thronging to the coast to view the start. With 1,000 accredited journalists at the start, the event received over 88 hours of TV broadcasts, 5,200 press articles and 60 radio hours. Clearly, the event has an audience. This year, the RDR had 87 registered skippers, and the event website brought us onboard with reports, photos, video, and tracking. The five divisions were filled with the elites of this realm. The maxi multihulls, famous for their speed records, shared the spot light with the IMOCA Open 60, clearly the dominant player in professional shorthanded competition. But it was the new kid on the block, the Class 40 with its 44 entries, which also warranted space on the stage. WARNING: A Scuttlebutt rant is approaching... So given the depth of competition presented by the Class 40, why would an event that had made a significant investment to share the action of this contest to a global online audience, stop providing event updates before the first Class 40 crossed the finish line? The final story - "Here come the roaring 40's!" - would report how the Class 40 fleet would start arriving in a day or two. Funny thing happened in the world of this French produced event... they stopped translating the stories to English. The website has a French and English language option, and the English version of the website stops on November 16th (as of press time) while the French version continues on. So for any Anglo interested in the six Class 40 entries yet to finish, better luck next time. And we wonder why the Americans don't follow this foreign affair. Event website: http://www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com WEST MARINE'S ONLINE THANKSGIVING WEEKEND SPECIALS Unless you've been hiding in a cave for the last several years, you know to expect some AMAZING West Marine deals over Thanksgiving Weekend. This year is no exception and we won't disappoint: - - - * On Thanksgiving Day, take 15% off sitewide * On Black Friday through Cyber Monday, take 10% off sitewide - - - In addition, we will also have a few, hand-selected rockin' product specials, just for Thanksgiving Weekend. There's only one way to get the details and that's by visiting westmarine.com, Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. http://bit.ly/ThxWeekendSpecials IT'S TIME TO DELETE RULE 16.2 By Matthew Knowles, Unruly blog Prior to publication of the 2009-2012 rulebook, ISAF deleted rule 17.2. This change was met with near universal approval among sailors and race officials. It eliminated a rule that was poorly understood, seldom enforced, and served mostly to confuse users of the rulebook. For many of the same reasons, it is time to delete rule 16.2. Rule 16.2 states that: In addition, when after the starting signal a port-tack boat is keeping clear by sailing to pass astern of a starboard-tack boat, the starboard-tack boat shall not change course if as a result the port-tack boat would immediately need to change course to continue keeping clear. In this post I will argue that rule 16.2 should be deleted because it is Unnecessary, Ineffective, Confusing, Often broken, and Seldom enforced. Read on to see the rest of my argument: http://rulestalk.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-time-to-delete-rule-162.html#more SWEDES, RUSSIANS ELIMINATED Dubai, UAE (November 23, 2010) - The final places were set in stone when the Synergy Russian Sailing Team and Sweden's Artemis Racing were eliminated in competition today in waters off the Dubai International Marine Club. The USA's BMW Oracle Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand, seeded first and second after ten days of round robin racing, each consolidated their positions with victories in their respective races. While the American team has been dominant from the start, the Kiwis appear to be peaking at just the right time. The New Zealanders denied Synergy a place in the semi-finals in a sharp contrast with the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena when the Russian team finished second, losing to the Kiwi team only after a closely-fought 3-2 series. The French/German boat All4One eliminated Artemis Racing in their race today to clinch their place in the final four, a result that might have taken the sting out of a loss to Emirates Team New Zealand in the final race of the day. Now with the two round robin schedules completed, Wednesday is a lay day for the sailing crews and a maintenance day for the shore crews. On Thursday, the teams will compete in a one-day fleet-race series. The semi-finals and finals will be raced on Friday and Saturday. Provisional Results after Day Four of RR2 (Team, Country, Helm, Tactician) 1. BMW Oracle Racing (USA), James Spithill/John Kostecki, 13-2, 17 pt 2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Dean Barker/Ray Davies, 9-6, 12.5 pt* 3. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA), Gavin Brady/Morgan Larson, 6-9, 8 pt* 4. ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), Sebastien Col/John Cutler, 6-9, 8 pt ------------------------------------------------ 5. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS),Francesco Bruni/Rod Dawson, 6-9, 6 pt* 6. Artemis (SWE), Cameron Appleton/Iain Percy, 5-10, 5 pt * Scoring penalty assessed by the umpires LIVE COVERAGE: ESPN3, the online member of the ESPN sports network, will be airing live the final three days (November 25-27) of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai. Show time on the website is listed at 3:30 am ET. - http://espn.go.com/espn3/ BACKGROUND: The Louis Vuitton Trophy series was designed to be a cost-effective format for match racing competition in Version 5 America's Cup Class boats. Racing will continue to the November 27th. The event website will have live streaming coverage with VirtualEye for the entire regatta, with video highlights after racing. Look for enhanced live coverage of the final days of racing. Event website: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/home/ LEGENDS & LOCAL CHAMPIONS HEADING TO KEY WEST One of the unique aspects of Key West Race Week over the past two plus decades is that this celebrated event attracts a mix of some of the best known names in international sailing along with names known only to their local fleets. It's one of those things that make the sport and race week great - rubbing elbows at the evening party and on the dock - and perhaps even trading tacks on the race course with sailing's very best. America's Cup legend Russell Coutts will be there next January as the RC 44 class makes its southernmost debut with five programs already committed. The newest RC44 owner, David Murphy (Westport, CT), was 3rd in IRC 2 last year with his J/122, but the stakes go up this time around. "We're really excited about the boat and the class," said Murphy. "To have a one design start at one of our very favorite regattas with this incredible boat will really be something." Also making a splash will be Jim Sminchak - an accomplished local PHRF sailor along with his dedicated crew out of Cleveland, Ohio. Just this week Jim found out that he and his Team it crew prevailed over a strong field in SAIL magazine's 'Best Around the Buoys' contest and as such will receive a free entry to Key West 2011, housing, dockage and use of a new, fully equipped J/111. Five days of racing in Southern Florida begins January 17, 2011. The first entry deadline is December 17. Details here: http://www.premiere-racing.com/keywest11/pages/KW11_releases.htm ARE YOU TAKING CARE OF YOUR SAILS? Whether the snow is falling or your season is heating up, it's important to remember that sail maintenance can increase the life of your sails. Whether you race or cruise, proper storage and cleaning affect your speed and performance. Make sure your sails are washed with fresh water and always store your sails completely dry to avoid mildew and the breakdown of any resin in the sailcloth. At Ullman Sails, we understand your sails are an investment. So make your sails last - contact a local loft for more information on sail evaluation, maintenance and repairs. Invest in your performance. http://www.ullmansails.com SAILING SHORTS * The 2010 Bacardi National Keelboat Championships were completed this weekend for the J105, International One Design and Etchells Classes. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club were the host club for the annual Bermuda Sailing Association (BSA) event. Defending National Champion Jon Corless and the crew of 'Mayhem' prevailed by a slim margin in the J105 class. The International One Design (IOD) class saw Tim Lynch and his crew on 'Impulse' dethrone defending National Champion Penny Simmons aboard 'Ariel'. The Etchells class saw Chris Britton sailing 'Fram' along with Will Thompson and Malcolm Graham-Taylor take the title. --Full report: http://www.bermudasail.bm/news/25861 * Following the decisions at the World Sailing Speed Record Council General Meeting in September 2010, the 2011 rule changes/amendments have been put on the web site (printed in red). This includes the opening page, the 500m rules, offshore rules and 24 hour rules. -- http://tinyurl.com/WSSRC-112310 * The first-ever US SAILING Yacht Club Summit will take place on April 2-3, 2011 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, Ill. A number of discussion subjects, speakers, and panelist contributors have been confirmed for the inaugural summit. Flag officers, general managers, and committee chairpersons of yacht clubs and community sailing organizations of all sizes from around the country are invited to participate. The summit, moderated by US SAILING President Gary Jobson and a host of industry leaders, features a number of informative seminars and breakout sessions on the following topics. Details here: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/YC_Summit_Speakers_Topics.htm 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 Alan McReynolds, Fairport, NY: I think that Nevin Sayre offers some interesting points (in Scuttlebutt 3225, 3226) about a wider scope for Junior programs, but my observation as a club instructor for a number of years is that if the parents actively sail the kids stay interested. Just like skiing, if the parents are on the slopes the kids probably are too. * From Richard Jepsen, Chair, Education Division, US SAILING: Hear! Hear! to what Nevin has to say about keeping sailing interesting for a broad range of juniors. One idea I'd like to add for the tween and teen is keelboat sailing for juniors.. However you make it happen, introducing youth to larger boats helps to keep them involved. It provides three unique benefits: 1. Social structure providing them with help in socializing with others their own age, especially of the opposite gender. 2. Complexity that keeps them learning brand new things (the most fun kind of learning) 3. Team concept that makes them feel like they 'belong' to something bigger than themselves US SAILING will roll out its Junior Big Boat Sailing program early next year and will provide program directors a blueprint on how to safely and successfully introduce youth to the benefits of sailing in larger, more complicated boats. Stay tuned! * From Phil Lawrence, Lymington: I have sailed classes with weigh ins for the past 25 years, so I read with interest the Thanksgiving dilemma of Melges 32 sailors (in Scuttlebutt 3226). If sailors are starving themselves for 2 or 3 days trying to 'dip' by up to 15lb then the Class needs to address that right now by introducing a mid event weigh-in. I am still scarred by the memory of spending 2 days in a Miami gym trying to shed a stone prior to a J/24 mid-winters in the 80's (We found out too late that our crew organizer was hopeless at math). Needless to say we spent the first 2 days deep in the fleet. The Etchells use to have a lottery when 10 crews would be drawn each morning & reweighed - but it was a real pain to be on a 'nil by mouth' regime every day, until Club office put the list up each morning. Another indelible memory is big Bill Masterman on a hot sunny morning in Sydney, desperately wanting his breakfast, locked in the car with the heater on full blast wearing a bin liner! The present Etchells system of reweighing the whole fleet before racing mid week is a sensible compromise: It prevents crews going for a big dip before the event and if you are close to maximum, it can easily be managed with a light meal in the evening and no breakfast before the weigh in. Unfortunately the weigh-in is a necessary evil to maintain even racing at major championships or we will be back to the days of sailing with two 25 stone guys in the crew. I even recall an incident where a three quarter tonner took a 7 foot tall 30 stone wrestler who had never been on a boat purely as ballast! * From Katrina Johnson: I realize that no one is responsible for their own actions these days, but I think I missed anything good in the story from Sam Rogers in Butt 3226. I think I see people proud of cheating: "The weigh-in usually only takes place at the beginning of the event, and with the goal of the team to be 60-70 lbs over while racing, every team member is given a 'target weight' which is typically 3-15 lbs below their normal weight." So deliberately and with cold calculation his crew aim to be 60-70lbs over the maximum weight allowed by the class rules. You can make all the excuses you like and whine as much as you want, but put very simply this is deliberately and intentionally breaking the rules. That is rule 2, rule 69 and please leave the sport forever. My disgust for this attitude is total. Before we worry about why people don't stay racing, I suggest we look at this sort of approach and put our house in order. Heck I don't want to race anymore because I don't want to race against cheats! => Curmudgeon's Comment: In fairness to Sam, he is merely describing what occurs in the Melges 32 class that has both a single weigh in and hyper-competitive class members. For the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship in San Francisco, where being at maximum crew weight would be vital, the event allowed for crews to weigh in over a week before the first race, and did not have any additional weigh ins during the event. With a plan like that, I am not sure why the class even has a crew weight rule, as they are holding the door wide open for abuse. And they are getting it. * From Bill Campbell: I would be interested to know if Scuttlebutt thinks there should be weight limits on racing sailboats similar to those imposed by the Etchells class, J-105 class, E-scow class, and many smaller one-design classes, and if so, what does Scuttlebutt think is the best way to enforce the weight limit rule? => Curmudgeon's Comment: For one design classes where crew weight is a performance factor, every rule concerning weight will have unintended consequences. Sail without a rule and crew weight will adapt to the venue. Have a weight rule and people will push the rule. Weigh in only at the start and there might be people who aggressively diet. Weigh in mid event and there will be people who moderately diet (ie, avoid event parties the night before). A daily weigh in, a random weigh in, or a mandatory weigh in for the top percentage in each race would go the furthest to ensure rule compliance. But all these weigh ins also require administration support. I think the ultimate choice needs to reflect the attitude of the class and/or event. The Star class has a crew weight rule, but they only use it at their district, continental, and world championship events. Interestingly, there are classes where making weight means weighing more, not less. The Lido 14 class has a minimum crew weight rule, as do almost all of the beach catamaran classes (and the new America's Cup catamaran design rule has one too). During my streak of five Lido 14 National Championship wins, there was no apres race dieting. We partied! * From Greg Wilkinson, Head Coach, Boston College Sailing: Many thanks to the organizers - the US Merchant Marine Academy and the ICSA - and to the sponsors - the USMMA Sailing Foundation, Chicago Match Race Center, and Oakcliff Sailing Center - of the inaugural ICSA Match Race National Championships. Typically in the first year of an event, a thank-you might include "thanks for making this happen" or "thanks for pulling it off". Not the case for the 2010 ICSA Match Race Nationals. Instead, on behalf of the Boston College Eagles, I want to thank you for running a first-class, premier event worthy of the title "National Championship" in all respects. The race management, officiating, and especially the live coverage was exceptional. Thank you! HOLIDAY WEEK Scuttlebutt World Headquarters is in the United States, which celebrates the Thanksgiving Day holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. As a result, there will be no Scuttlebutt newsletter this Thursday and Friday, with normal distribution returning on Monday. If there is anything pressing, it will be on the Scuttlebutt Facebook and Twitter sites. In the meantime, here is a video of Adam Sandler singing 'The Thanksgiving Song': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z27FKwupds CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION I never understood why the Lions and Cowboys always get to play on Thanksgiving. Shouldn't the Patriots play the Redskins, and then steal their stadium afterwards? SPONSORS THIS WEEK North U - Ultimate Sailing - Quantum Sails North Sails - APS - Atlantis WeatherGear West Marine - Ullman Sails Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
