|
SCUTTLEBUTT 3066 - Thursday, April 8, 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today's sponsors: Ullman, Team One Newport and Oyster Marine. SAN DIEGO WANTS TO HOST LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY San Diego, Calif. (April 6, 2010) - San Diego, led by the Port of San Diego, is looking to join Auckland New Zealand, the northern Sardinia port in La Maddalena and Dubai in hosting the Louis Vuitton Trophy competition that typically draws world-class sailing teams such as this year's America Cup winner BMW ORACLE Racing. The Board of Port Commissioners on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, agreed to notify the World Sailing Teams Association and Louis Vuitton of the region's interest in hosting the event that would draw millions of television viewers and provide millions of dollars for the region's economy. The Port's Tenant Association has been working with the Port District and business interests, including the City of San Diego, to explore the potential of sponsorship with the WSTA for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Meetings have been held with civic leaders, Port member cities and port tenants including the local yacht clubs. Larry Ellison, founder of the computer giant Oracle, is owner of BMW ORACLE Racing, winner of the 33rd America's Cup. Because he is a member of San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco is the likely location for the America's Cup races. While expressing their interest in hosting the sailing competition, the Commissioners reiterated their desire for the America's Cup competition to be held in California. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/y9kgmor TORVAY MIRSKY LEADS DAY 1 WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR Marseille, France (April 7, 2010) - Mediterranean style conditions during the morning favoured local hero Gian Luca Perris (MON) and the late afternoon allowed Torvay Mirsky (AUS), ranked number 2 in the WMRT standings, to show his consistent ability to build a racing series in all conditions. Mirsky won his 2 matches this morning and also 2 matches this afternoon in totally different racing conditions. The race committee worked through the majority of the day in variable winds of only 7-10 knots in the Bay of Marseille completing a commendable 2 flights in shifting wind patterns. This was to the advantage of wild card entry, Perris from the Principality of Monaco, who surprised not only himself today but also the high profile Tour Card Holders. Perris, a new face to WMRT, was off to a strong start 2 nil up against Adam Minoprio (NZL) and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) ranked number 1 and 2 in the world rankings. The wind then moderated to conditions, and, unable to hold a fair race, the racing was postponed until further notice with all competitors returning to the shore. Luckily for Mirsky, the conditions were within his abilities to secure top results throughout the afternoon. "I have really dedicated my training over the last year to hone my boat handling skills with my Mirsky Racing Team so we are both effective in light and strong winds. This is our strength at the moment as normally sailors from the Southern hemisphere struggle in the Mediterranean style variable conditions. I feel confident for tomorrow as we are not worried about the forecast which can be a huge psychological barrier for a lot of helms to overcome". -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ykz7puz Day 1: Round Robin Standings Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 4-0 Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 4-1 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 3-3 Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch 2-2 Gian Luca Perris (MON) 2-0 Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team 1-1 Philippe Presti (FRA) French Match Racing Team 1-1 Sebastien Col (FRA) ALL4ONE 1-1 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra Racing 1-2 Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 1-2 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 0-3 Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) 0-4 Event website: http://www.wmrt.com/ Event live blog: http://www.wmrt.com/live-from-marseille.html The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is the leading professional sailing series featuring 10 World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with "Special Event" status. BIG BREEZE, BIG WINS AT AUDI SYDNEY HARBOR REGATTA Ullman Sails customers skillfully handled the big breeze in Sydney to secure division wins at the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta 2010, March 6-7. In conditions gusting up to 25 knots, Robert Alpe's Dragon "Indulgence" won its one-design division (and Robert proceeded to win the event's grand prize, a new Audi!). Andrew Waugh's Thompson 8 "Zippier" won the Sportsboat Division, never finishing worse than second place. And after two long-distance races, Paul Clitheroe and crew on Beneteau 45 "Balance" added another win to their season. "Balance" took first place in IRC Division 2, beating a 14-boat fleet. Invest in your performance. http://www.ullmansails.com/ A SAILING CAREER BETWEEN CUP EVENTS: Morgan Larson It wasn't that long ago that sailors raced for basically room and board, and perhaps a tab at the bar paid for by the guy who owned the boat they were racing on. Today, there are a plethora of pro sailors around getting paid to do what they love, and for many of them, employment in the Cup arena has meant a steady income over the past 5-7 years. Sailing journalist Michelle Slade caught up with Morgan Larson, one of the first of a select few Americans to make sailing a professional career, to find out what he's up to during this current lapse between America's Cup events: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * What does going off to work look like for you, January through December? ML: During a non-America's Cup year, you have the usual monthly events, such as Key West, Miami Race Week and maybe a Caribbean regatta, that usually works out to one event a month. During the spring and summer, things start accelerating with the Med Cup circuit, the Farr or the Melges 32 Worlds. Things taper off a little bit in the fall, I usually like to be back to race Big Boat Series in San Francisco. The TP-52 championship is usually in October so that's often the culmination of the year. Mixed up in all of that are the fun races I like to do while I'm home, like the Dam to Dam in the Gorge on the Moore, or the Moore 24 Nationals. Every once in a while I like to pick up an event like an RC 44 as a fill-in, as I can't commit to their whole schedule. Being able to jump into something like that, or a match race regatta works well. * Is it difficult to come by work, or are you well entrenched in the line-up today? ML: It comes and goes a little bit but now with all the different circuits, whether it's the Louis Vuitton or the RC 44 or the TP 52, I think there's more communication amongst the guys who are organizing the circuits. You can, theoretically, do all of them, now that there's a better balance of the organization in all these classes throughout the season. If you are single, young and hungry and wanting to sail, you could sail full-time, like 250 days a year. The season is longer these days, plus with events in Dubai and events in New Zealand, Australia, Florida and the Caribbean, it allows you to use the winter more. -- Complete interview: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9588;#9588 OLDEST SAILOR TO RACE A STAR? Nassau, Bahamas (April 7, 2010) - The last time Sir Durward Knowles decided to get into a sailboat and compete, his friends and family were impressed by his ability. He was, after all, 80 years old. But fast-forward 12 years and they have a different outlook on his decision to compete in next week's Harry Knowles series, the warm up to the International Star Class Western Hemisphere Championship 2010. "Oh, they all think I'm crazy," laughed Knowles, "They know that to try to stop me, that wouldn't work, so they've gone along with it and said if you're foolish enough to try it, go ahead." And so he is. Sir Durward, the Bahamas' first Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, 1964, plans to compete in one race of the Harry Knowles series. Steven Kelly, who served as his crew in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, will be on board with him again next week. Unlike others who will be competing in the big event, Sir Durward isn't putting in any practice time. When asked about a training regiment, he said "Training? If I get out in the boat once, that's it. I'm not going to try it again." In fact, he admits that his biggest concern is actually getting into the boat, but said, "If I get in, I know I've got it made." While age won't stop him, there is one thing that could - bad weather. "It all depends on the weather conditions. I'm not stupid enough to say I'm going out there in a 15-20 knot breeze. The weather conditions have got to be right. Everything's got to be just right for me to do this," he said, "That's the only thing I promised my family; that I won't sail if it's too windy and rough. I'm not that stupid." The three race Harry Knowles series will be sailed Tuesday, April 13. On Wednesday, some of the world's leading sailors will take to the water for the Star event. Thirty eight teams have entered the challenging four-day race set for April 14th through 17th. Twelve countries, including Australia and Ukraine will be represented. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/yjfveta Event website: http://star2010.nassauyachtclub.org/index.html THE RUSSIANS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES... Yachting is not a sport Russia can boast a lot of success in. Russian sailors have sometimes done well at World Championships, but when it comes to the Olympics and America's Cup they have hardly made a ripple. In fact, the last Olympic medal they won was silver, back in 1996 in Atlanta. Fortunately, interest in what is generally still considered a costly sport has been increasing in Russia. "We have all the necessary ingredients in place, like the budgets, the sponsors, the big companies who are interested in global media coverage, and talented sailors," said Oscar Konyukhov, executive director of a yachting agency. "We have technology, including aerospace technology, which can be used for the America's Cup. So we are definitely ready for this event now." A Russian team -Team Synergy - stands a good chance in the next preliminary round after a good performance in last year's Louis Vuitton Trophy. They found an admirer in Olympic champion and BMW Oracle CEO, Sir Russell Coutts. "The thing that's been missing in the teams is big boat sailing. And now some of the Russian sailors are starting to come and race in these bigger boats, and starting to feel very good. I mean Synergy did very well in the Louis Vuitton regatta in Nice. They finished third and that was a fantastic performance," Sir Russell Coutts said. -- Full story: http://rt.com/Sport/2010-04-07/russian-sailors-americas-cup.html KEELBOAT ESSENTIALS: AFTERGUARD & CREW ACCESSORY KITS For most sailors in the spring, their crew bag is the last thing they worry about. Here at Team One Newport we understand this well and decided to help you out! We have two packages available this spring that will get you well prepared! Visit http://www.team1newport.com/searchprods.asp, to see the special grouping of products that the experts have put together for you! Remember that you can get all of your sailing gear at Team One Newport from great companies like Musto, Henri-Lloyd, Musto, Slam, Atlantis, Gill, Camet, Zhik, Patagonia, Kaenon, Dubarry, Sebago, Sperry, and more. Or call the experts at 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-7432). SAILING SHORTS * The Doreian Family Appeal has been set up by family and friends of Peter 'Spike' Doriean, one of Australia's best known sailors who passed away earlier this week. Peter is survived by his wife Nicki and two children, Jemima aged 5 and Fox aged 3, and it is for his young family that this Appeal has been launched. For information on how to donate, please visit: http://www.dorieanfamilyappeal.com/ * Great Britain and New Zealand top the tables in the latest release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings. Kiwi World Champion Adam Minoprio remains top in the Open Rankings whilst Lucy Macgregor (GBR) has bounced back, leapfrogging Claire Leroy (FRA) to the top of the Women's Rankings. -- Full report: http://www.sailing.org/32289.php * TEAMUSA had a strong showing at the 28th Annual Lake Garda International Optimist Meeting, held April 1-4, 2010, in Riva del Garda, Italy. 941 sailors from 29 countries participated in the event. The top Americans are Roger Dorr, of Port Washington Yacht Club (7th), Reinier Eenkema van Dijk, of Larchmont YC (33rd), Mack Fox of Lauderdale YC (50), Geoffrey Nelson of Chandlers Landing YC (54), and Maueve White of Annapolis YC (67). * The entry deadline of Thursday 15 April for the 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship is fast approaching. More than 300 young sailors from 60 nations are expected at the 40th edition of the ISAF Youth World Championship, which will be hosted by Istanbul, Turkey from 8-17 July 2010. Late entries cannot be accepted. The venue for the championship will be the Atakoy Marina with racing in eight events, including the debut of the Open High Performance Dinghy - 29er event. -- Full story: http://www.isafyouthworlds.com/news/32284.php * At the Winter Meeting of the International Lightning Class Association, the amendment regarding safety line was voted on by the general membership and passed. This ruling will be in effect starting May 1, 2010 and will apply to all sanctioned Lightning events as well as events or series that utilize the Lightning Class rules. Many thanks to all that supplied information, feedback as well as to all those who participated in the voting. Email Bill Clausen, Chief Measurer (measurer@lightningclass.org), with any questions regarding this ruling. OYSTER'S ANNUAL CARIBBEAN REGATTA Twenty-three Oyster yachts arrive at Nanny Cay Marina, British Virgin Islands next week for Oyster's annual Caribbean regatta, the first in their 2010 program of events for owners, which includes a Newport Rendezvous in June and a special 25th Regatta, hosted by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Sardinia in September. -- http://www.oystermarine.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: April 8-11 - Charleston Race Week - Charleston, SC, USA April 10-11 - Spring Soling Boel - Annapolis, MD, USA April 10-17 - Star Western Hemisphere Championship - Nassau, Bahamas View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Bob Hagler: I am now 70 (and ex-commodore of the IYFR Fleet), and enjoy everyday, your news about various sailing events. I have participated in the Port Huron to Mackinaw and Chicago to Mackinaw and crewed with Bill Pickney the first Afro man to sail around the world single-handed. Moving to Florida, I crewed on Cumbia and won the Sol to Sol Race. I owned on OI-416 and won the Snap on Tool regatta at St Petersberg. Your newsletter brings back such found memories and I am happy that my son who lives near Annapolis and is active in sailing. What a legacy! * Chris Boome, San Francisco: (re, Scuttlebutt 3065) I agree with Ted Ritter's comments that the previous AC Cup was exciting and great TV... I have had many non-sailing friends ask me why there was no America's Cup on Versus this year. My answer was, who could afford to sit around waiting for perfect sailing conditions for 2 races? Of course we all know the real reason the boats had to change: The racing was simply too close to give the defender a significant advantage. * Chris McKesson: (re, Scuttlebutt 3065) In 1974 I was a bright-eyed High School student, who dreamed of becoming a Naval Architect. As part of my nerd-hood, I took my girlfriend to the 5th Annual Symposium on Sailing ("The Ancient Interface") held by the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics. At that meeting two of the presentations demonstrated clear feasibility of faster-than-the-wind dead downwind sailing in a windmill. In fact, one of the presentations had impressive movie footage of a model yacht doing exactly that. For your amusement, I attach PDF copies of the two papers presented at that symposium (see at Scuttlebutt Forum: http://tinyurl.com/ye6uz2g): "Performance Characteristics of Ice Boats and an Ideal Windmill Vehicle" by Peter McCrary, and, "On Taking Energy From the Wind" by Andrew Bauer. Note the conclusions, particular from Bauer: "Windpowered vehicles can be built to travel in any direction with respect to the wind. The windmill and propeller powered vehicles may travel faster than the wind in any direction, whereas the sail-only powered vehicles cannot travel either directly upwind or directly downwind faster than the wind..." Nice to see their ideas taking form. Too bad it took 36 years. * Chris Welsh, Ragtime: (re, letter in Scuttlebutt 3065) I asked Russell Coutts that question last year during the Louis Vuitton in Auckland. He had an answer that made sense to me: the boats and design rule favored a hull shape with a very narrow downwind VMG groove. In turn, that narrow groove meant no opportunity to heat up and attack, sail deeper, etc - you either sailed the max VMG angle or fell back. I've never sailed one of the AC boats, so I don't know, but it seemed like a boat with a very even downwind VMG speed at a wide range of angles will make for better racing, and I trust Russell knows what he is talking about in that arena. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION It may be bad manners to talk with your mouth full, but it isn't too good either if you speak when your head is empty. Special thanks to Ullman, Team One Newport and Oyster Marine. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
