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SCUTTLEBUTT 2079 - April 24, 2006
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary,
opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
WHY BALTIMORE?
If you looked at a map of Earth and tried to plan a round-the-world
ocean race, Baltimore might not seem an obvious place to stop. In fact,
the route here looks a little like somebody made a wrong turn and
dead-ended in Charm City. Other cities around the world that play host
to the 35,000-mile Volvo Ocean Race this year perch directly on the sea
so that skippers don't need to pick their way through crab pots and
miles of shallow water.
Nevertheless, this is the third straight time that the ocean racing
yachts have made the 120-mile slog from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay
in Norfolk, Va., to Baltimore. The first boat drifted in (last) Monday
for a three-week stopover, kicking off an event that is expected to draw
a half-million people to see the boats and to generate $52 million in
economic activity. The only other U.S. port the boats will visit is New
York City, for a two-day pit stop.
The reason the race came to Baltimore in the first place is a story of
force of will by a small group of local sailors. The reason it stays is
in part due to an organization that doesn't dissolve when the race is
over and to proximity to a major population center that the race
sponsors hope will absorb their branding. After every Volvo competition
-- this year's race ends in June in Sweden -- the racetrack changes.
Volvo management will look at sailing factors, such as how well the
ports were equipped to handle the race, and nonrace factors, including
media penetration and regional enthusiasm. Cities must bid for the race.
Other cities weren't picked for various reasons. Newport, R.I., which
bills itself as the "Sailing Capital of the World," was dismissed in
part because of concerns about quirky spring weather. New York Harbor
was saddled with security and cost concerns and, as with the city's 2012
Olympic bid, seemed to lack local enthusiasm. Charleston, S.C., while
attractive for many reasons, didn't have the organizational know-how and
financial underpinnings. Baltimore and Annapolis won the right to be a
stopover in 1997-1998 after a nine-year campaign by a small group of
local sailors, including ESPN commentator Gary Jobson.
The lobbying campaign moved in starts and spurts, with the race
management saying no to Baltimore in favor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in
1990. Jobson, an internationally known sailor who lives in Annapolis,
spent the next couple of years quietly but persistently chatting with
skippers and talking up the Chesapeake Bay. Also, the fan turnout in
Fort Lauderdale wasn't what race organizers had hoped for. So in 1994,
after going to Fort Lauderdale for a second time, race executives
renewed their interest in Baltimore, a historic port that was heavily
promoting its revitalized waterfront.
This time local businessman George Collins agreed to finance a local
entry, Chessie Racing, and a deal was struck. And in 1998, an estimated
half-million people came out to view the boats for what was then known
as the Whitbread Round the World Race and to talk to sailors. Although
ownership of the race changed hands from an English brewery to a Swedish
carmaker and no one stepped forward to fill Collins' shoes, the ability
of Baltimore and Annapolis civic leaders to put on a good show with
plenty of spectators helped ensure the region a second visit in
2001-2002. Despite a drop in attendance for the second visit, Volvo gave
the nod for a third visit to Baltimore.
The Volvo Ocean Race's Baltimore stopover is a complicated endeavor.
Ocean Race Chesapeake raised $3 million in cash and in-kind donations to
bring in trailers, set up offices, pay race committee staff and hire
boats, Barnhill said. Baltimore paid $300,000 this spring to dredge
parts of the Inner Harbor so that the boats, which have longer keels
than they did in previous years, could get in. Annapolis spent roughly
twice that amount to dredge its harbor, which had two mounds of silt
that would have caused the boats to run aground.
The net economic benefits are huge because the race requires relatively
little financial outlay from the city, said Michael Bradley, an
economics professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. "It
comes fairly cheap as compared to the cost of, say, bringing a new NBA
franchise to Baltimore," Bradley said. He stressed the intangible
benefits to the city, as well as an increase in civic pride and a boost
to Baltimore's image. -- Excerpts from a story by Annie Linskey,
Baltimore Sun, full story: http://tinyurl.com/qogkc
SPONSORSHIP PROBLEMS
The World Match Racing Tour has made an adjustment to its 2005-’06
season schedule after organizers of the GKSS Match Cup (formerly Swedish
Match Cup) were forced to cancel their event due to funding
difficulties. The loss of title sponsor Swedish Match AB, which was
formerly the title sponsor of the World Tour, was too much for event
organizers Peter Klock and Martin Sohtell to overcome.
The loss of the GKSS Match Cup, hosted by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht
Club (GKSS), hurts more than just sailors. As the Swedish Match Cup, the
event on the idyllic island of Marstrand, off Sweden’s west coast,
hosted the final event of the tour season for six years. With a large
and enthusiastic crowd on hand annually, it was one of the sailors’
favorites. Splendid weather last year helped draw a police-estimated
crowd of 35,000 to 40,000 on Day 4, setting a single day attendance
record. Through the final three days local police estimated nearly
100,000 spectators turned out to watch the racing.
The 2005-’06 World Tour schedule is reduced to eight events from nine.
The season will conclude as planned with the Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo
Locman on Elba Island, July 11-16. There are two events leading to the
final, the ACI Cup (May 23-28) and Match Race Germany (June 1-5). The
season-ending Elba Cup has an early lineup that is as strong as recent
years. Two-time World Tour champion Peter Gilmour of Australia and
two-time event winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand head the lineup. A
field of 12 entries is planned, but it might be increased to 16 entries.
-- Sean McNeill, http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/
FUNK
(The Daily Sail subscription website did a major interview with ‘the man
with the coolest name in Olympic sailing,’ American Laser hopeful Brad
Funk. Here are just a couple of excerpts.)
Funk is not naturally the right build for the Laser and has had to work
hard over a period of ten years to be competitive in the class. He is
now, finally, up to weight through a combination of gym work, pasta and
a legal chemical called Creotin. “Creotin is a chemical found in meat.
it works by holding water in your muscles,” he explains. “What that does
is put your muscles in an anabolic state which would recover you faster.
It does not allow your muscles to get dry so nutrients are constantly
being supplied to them. It is pretty handy because it increases weight,
strength and recovery.”
Compared to the supreme support provided by UK Sport to Team GBR, Funk
does not receive a lot of money from US Sailing toward his campaign
costs. “Last season I did not really have any good results in Europe,
except for the Radial Worlds where I got second. In the standard rigs
where it matters I have not performed well enough so the level of money
I am allotted will soon go down.” This is part of the reason for Funk
spending so much time away in Europe this season to try and achieve some
better results and also to race in big fleets against the European Laser
sailors.
Having started sailing the Laser at the age of 17, Funk has now been in
the class for just over ten years. “I love sailing the boat too much for
that, the physical aspect of the Laser and the challenge that it
provides given my size is just unbeatable.” --
http://www.thedailysail.com
THE PERFECT CURE!
Feeling slow? Need a little extra to get you moving? Visit the B&G
surgery for a cure when it descends on your local regatta. The team has
got one or two special remedies hidden in their kit bags! B&G support
tours the world, dishing out miracle cures for anything from
embarrassing wind problems to loss of direction. If you bump into one of
the many B&G medics this weekend, why not enquire about treatments for
your vital instruments? A medical MOT may make the difference between a
bad case of wind and the perfect picture of health… http://www.bandg.com
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Peter Harrison and Kit Hobday have announced that they are joining
forces with the United Kingdom Sailing Academy in Cowes to form the
Yacht Racing Academy. The two patrons of British yacht racing are making
their identical Far 52 yachts, Bear of Britain and Chernikeeff 2,
available to the new Academy, which will be managed by UKSA and is
intended to help young amateur sailors aged 18 and 25 experience big
boat sailing and develop match racing skills at a professional level.
The Yacht Racing Academy springs from the foundations created by Kit
Hobday in 2001 as the Bear of Britain Academy, now in its fourth year of
operation. Kit's Bear of Britain is unique, in that she is the only
yacht of her size and complexity to be sailed successfully by an amateur
and youth crew, with an average age of under 23. Peter Harrison,
President of the Yacht Racing Academy said: 'Hopefully, after Valencia
2007, a new consortium in Great Britain will launch a new America's Cup
campaign for 2010 or 2011. If so, the Yacht Racing Academy will provide
a training ground for the new generation of potential British Olympic
and Cup sailors. -- Excerpts from Sail-World.com, full story:
http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?Nid=23256
THE STARS
Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom (SWE) showed why they are the World
number one crew, keeping their cool to take a narrow victory in Naples,
Italy at the 67-boat ISAF Grade 1 Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship.
The Swedish pair went into the final race after a confidence bruising 38
in the opening race of the day, but the two-time World Champions kept
their clam, securing victory with a third place finish. Mark Mendelblatt
and Mark Strube (USA) got involved in a battle with Loof and Ekstrom and
reigning World Champions Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (FRA) in race
five, which saw all three crews finish low down the fleet. However,
where the Americans and the eventual winners could afford the poor
result, an earlier finish of 28 effectively put paid to any medal
chances for the French crew. -- http://www.sailing.org
Final Results:
1. Fredrik Loof/ Anders Ekstrom (SWE) 24
2. Mark Mendelblatt/ Mark Strube (USA) 28
3. Luca Modena/ Michele Marchesini (ITA) 29
4. Diego Negri/ Luigi Viale (ITA) 35
5. Xavier Rohart/ Pascal Rambeau (FRA) 38
6. Marc Pickel/ Ingo Borkowski (GER) 38
7. John Dane III/ Austin Sperry (USA) 39
8. George Szabo/ Eric Monroe (USA) 39
9. Hamish Peper/ David Giles (NZL) 47
10. Peter Conde/ Andrew Hunn (AUS) 57
Complete results: http://www.starspring06.com/pdf/res6.pdf
ON THE OLYMPIC TRAIL
More than 1000 sailors from 50 nations have gathered in Hyères to race
in their first Grade 1 event regatta in Europe - the Semaine Olympique
Française. For the first time in France, the new racing format, adopted
by ISAF last November for the 2008 Olympics, will be put into action. On
the last day, the best 10 boats in each class will contest the last race
for the top 10 positions. The 38th SOF will also be the first time for
the windsurfers (over 150 entries) to compete in Hyères on the new
Olympic board the RS:X.
On the first day of racing, after waiting 4 hours on the water for good
racing conditions, the Finn fleet finally started, following Canadian
Chris Cook around the course. The only race sailed in the Yngling class
went to the Dutch trio led by Annelies Thies. Two British teams took 2nd
and 4th. In second place, American sailor Nancy Haberland (sailing with
Annie Lush and Lucy MacGregor) is temporarily replacing Shirley
Robertson in the British boat. The double Olympic Gold medallist is due
to have twins in 3 months! American’s Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and
Debbie Capozzi were sixth in that 26-boat Yngling class.
In the 80-boat Laser Radial fleet, North Americans Anna Tunnicliffe
(USA) and Lisa Ross (CAN) are tied for second behind the Chinese Lijia
Xu. A black flag disqualification in race two pushed Paige Railey (USA)
deep in the fleet after taking a fourth in the opener. Stuart McNay and
Graham Biehl (USA), in tenth place, are the top North Americans in the
86-boat 470 Men’s fleet.
Complete results: http://sof.ffvoile.net/
QUICK RECOVERY
ABN Amro Two’s Dutch bowman, Gerd Jan Poortman was given the all-clear
by doctors in Holland last week to resume racing having spent the last
ten weeks laid up with a fractured coccyx and cracked vertebrae
sustained during leg three. Poortman, 29, is now certain to return to
the crew of 11 for Saturday’s In Port race, and believes he is recovered
sufficiently to convince skipper Seb Josse to pick him ahead of the 400
mile dash down the American coast to New York a week later.
“I still have to build up muscle in the area, because when you don’t do
a lot for ten weeks it gets pretty weak,” Poortman said. “But I’m pretty
confident.It’s up to Seb (Josse) what he does because there are still 11
guys on the team. One has to sit out. It’s up to him if I sail the leg,
but for sure I will sail the inshore.” Poortman now has a week of
training to prove to Josse he is strong enough to take part in the
rigors of an offshore leg. -- Volvo Ocean Race website, full story:
http://tinyurl.com/oc4h9
BERMUDA RACERS - TOOLS FOR A TIGHT TRIM
The Centennial Bermuda Race has a record fleet this year. Out perform
the competition with help from Antal Snatch Blocks! Made of Italian
crafted, anodized aluminum, these blocks have rubber side rings to
protect both the block and your deck. The cheekplate revolves around the
sheave axle allowing the block to open, and a safety pin stops the block
from opening accidentally. Antal Marine Equipment, Quality You Can Rely
On. Now available for purchase online from Euro Marine Trading, the
exclusive US distributor of Antal Hardware, or from our authorized
resellers. http://www.euromarinetrading.com
SPONSOR FULFILLMENT
The Offshore Challenges Sailing Team, headed up by Ellen MacArthur, are
halfway through their inaugural tour onboard the 75-foot trimaran B&Q
having established five new record times out of a potential 12 new
records, linking six of the key countries in the region and, in
particular, including an extensive Tour of China. OC Events, sister
company to Ellen MacArthur’s sailing team, have carefully set up the
circuit in such a way that these new record times can be challenged in
the future by other campaigns, creating an Asian market offering for
them to include in their sponsorship proposals.
Mark Turner, CEO of the OC Group, that includes the Offshore Challenges
Sailing Team and OC Events, commented: “The objective of the Asian
Record Circuit in respect to the long-term is to create a much needed
‘product’ in the Asia region that appeals to project sponsors in the
future. We could have just gone out there and fulfilled our own current
sponsor needs, but we decided it would be worthwhile going to more
countries and establishing the course in such a way that others can
benefit from the extensive work we have had to do to set up the complex
logistics of this challenging tour.”
With the launch of the Asian Record Circuit and the activities of other
‘pro’ events and campaigns - including Olivier de Kersauson’s record
attempts in the region and the Clipper Round the World race stopover in
Qingdao – the growth of sailing and the boating industry is expected to
flourish in the years to come, opening up new markets for commercial
sponsors wishing to extend their market reach. The World Speed Sailing
Record Council [WSSRC] have nominated one leg of the Asian Record
Circuit from Taipei [Taiwan] to Hong Kong to be a world record, and
performance certificates for some of the other legs – once more sailors
have attempted the legs, they are likely to grant World Record status to
more of the records. -- http://www.asianrecordcircuit.com/
GETTING CLOSER
She is getting closer. Today is Dee Caffari’s 154th day at sea and the
“miles to go” figure on the satellite positioning system on board her
steel cutter, Aviva, is hovering around 3,500. That means a potential
finish off Falmouth and a place in sailing history for the girl from
Watford, who aims to become the first woman to sail solo and non-stop
round the world westabout, on or around May 17.
After being tormented for weeks by successive storms in the Southern
Ocean, Caffari has been battling light winds in the South Atlantic.
Aviva is heading west of north at a position about 250 miles south of
the Equator and 400 miles north of Ascension as Caffari looks for a
corridor to cross the Doldrums. -- Edward Gorman, The Times, full story:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4041-2149443,00.html
NEWS BRIEFS
* A record number of Swan owners are preparing to take part in the 635
mile, Centennial Newport to Bermuda Race (Swan East American Challenge)
that starts on 16 June in Newport, Rhode Island. Forty-five Swan owners
have applied to enter the race, compared with thirty in 2004. Seven Swan
45 models will be competing in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division. Swan
601s, Money Penny and Spirit of Jethou will debut at the Newport to
Bermuda Race as they compete in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division.
* North Sails has partnered with expert meteorologist Chris Bedford and
his team at Sailing Weather Services to provide free weather forecasts
for Lands' End Annapolis NOOD Regatta from April 28-30, 2006. Format
options have been added for the weather forecasts, to facilitate
downloading by a Palm, Treo, Blackberry and other handheld devices. To
sign up: http://na.northsails.com/ew/ew_main.taf
* Thanks to photographers Daniel Forster and Cory Silken, the
Scuttlebutt website has images from Antigua Classic Yacht Race, which is
ongoing now through April 25 in the Caribbean:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/acyr
* A quick update from Palma de Mallorca where the impressive
Hublot-PalmaVela is taking place until tomorrow. A total of 250 boats
are participating in this year's event, with the Maxi Racer and TP52
classes stealing the show, especially the latter, given it's the first
time ever they participate in Hublot-PalmaVela. Six boats constitute the
TP52 fleet in Palma, with Mean Machine and Platoon making their maiden
racing appearance. This regatta doesn't count towards the 2006 Breitling
MedCup season but it is a very good testing and training camp,
especially for the brand new yachts. --
http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may
be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter
per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others
disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for
elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at
the Scuttlebutt website:
http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi)
* From Eric A Sorensen: Donald Campbell's rebuttal to Dennis Palmer's
comment on cold water in the Pacific Northwest has to be clarified
before sailors think we are a hidden Virgin Island tropical paradise.
Yes, there are a couple of bits of Desolation Sound that reach the 70 F
range during parts of the summer but the vast bulk of the water in the
NW is killer cold.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the
support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw
Special thanks to B&G Instruments and Euro Marine Trading.
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