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SCUTTLEBUTT 2772 - Monday, February 2, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsors are Team One Newport, Doyle Sails, and 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix. NEW QUADRENIUM FOR OLYMPIC ATHLETES Miami, FL (Jan. 31, 2009) - At the US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, 312 entries from 41 countries had been competing in the second of seven stops in the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) World Cup. Medal winners were decided on Friday in three Paralympic Classes (Sonar, SKUD 18 and 2.4mR) as well as in the Laser SB3 class (which is being used instead of the Olympic Elliott 6 in the Women’s Match Racing event). For the remaining nine Olympic classes, the top ten in the standings following Friday’s races advanced to Saturday’s medal race, which was non-discardable and where finish position points were doubled. Overall, the North American contingent fared well despite most top competitors sailing in their first ISAF Grade 1 event of the 2012 Olympic quadrenium. With the exception of the 49er, Women's Match Racing, and the board classes, North Americans finished in the top three in each class, with the RS:X Men being the only event where there was not a starter in the final medal race. Rival American Laser Radial stars Anna Tunnicliffe and Paige Railey held an edge on the fleet all week , while current 470 World Champions Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving (USA) had a respectable return after a year out the boat. The next event for the ISAF World Cup will be the Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia MAPFRE in Palma, Spain on April 4-10, 2009. Daily updates: http://rmocr.ussailing.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases.htm Complete results: http://rmocr.ussailing.org/Results.htm T2P video coverage: http://www.t2p.tv/guide/ocr09.php SailGroove video coverage: http://www.sailgroove.org/sc/miamiocr Final Standings (Top 3 with top North American) Laser (63 boats; 10 races/1 throwout) 1. Nick Thompson, GBR, 67.00 2. Pavlos Kontides, CYP, 84.00 3. Brad Funk, USA, 86.00 Laser Radial (41 boats; 11 races/1 throwout) 1. Anna Tunnicliffe, USA, 27.00 2. Paige Railey, USA, 34.00 3. Jennifer Spalding, CAN, 60.00 Finn (30 boats; 12 rarces/1 throwout) 1. Edward Wright, GBR, 27.00 2. Christopher Cook, CAN, 28.00 3. Zach Railey, USA, 45.00 470 Men (18 boats; 12 races/1 throwout) 1. Onan Barreiros/ Aaron Sarmiento, ESP, 26.00 2. Stuart McNay/ Graham Biehl, USA, 34.00 3. Matthias Schmid/ Florian Reichstaedter, AUT, 44.00 470 Women (9 boats; 12 races/1 throwout) 1. Henriette Koch/ Lene Sommer, DEN, 22.00 2. Erin Maxwell/ Isabelle Kinsolving, USA, 26.00 3. Molly Carapiet/ Molly O'Bryan Vandemoer, USA, 40.00 49er (22 boats; 15 races/1 throwout) 1. Nico Delle Karth/ Nikolaus Resch, AUT,5 3.00 2. John Pink/ Rick Peacock, GBR, 58.00 3. Federico Alonso/ Arturo Alonso, ESP, 62.00 5. Gordon Cook/ Ben Remocker, CAN, 69.00 Star (31 boats; 11 races/1 throwout) 1. Rick Merriman/ Phil Trinter, USA, 54.00 2. George Szabo/ Rick Peters, USA, 57.00 3. Flavio Marazzi/ Petter Morland Pedersen, SUI, 66.00 RS:X Men (34 boards; 10 races/1 throwout) 1. Dorian van Rijsselberge, NED, 22.00 2. Ivan Pastor, ESP, 33.00 3. Joao Rodrigues, POR, 43.00 12. Ben Barger, USA RS:X Women (23 boards; 10 races/1 throwout) 1. Marina Alabau, ESP, 18.00 2. Zofia Klepacka, POL, 20.00 3. Blanca Manchon, ESP, 28.00 6. Nikola Girke, CAN, 62.00 Women’s Match Racing (12 teams; 2 round robins, semis, finals) 1. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen/ Tina Schmidt/ Trine Palludan, DEN 2. Giulia Conti/ Alessandra Marenzi/ Alessandra Angelini, ITA 3. Lucy Macgregor/ Annie Lush/ Ally Martin, GBR 4. Genevieve Tulloch/ Jennifer Morgan Glass/ Jamie Haines, USA 2.4mR (19 boats; 12 races/1 throwout) 1. Allan Leibel, CAN, 23.00 2. Damien Seguin, FRA, 31.00 3. Paul Tingley, CAN, 42.00 Sonar (5 boats; 12 races/1 throwout) 1. John Robertson/ Hannah Stodel/ Alex Wang-Hansen, GBR, 20.00 2. Paul Callahan/ Roger Cleworth/ Tom Brown, USA, 29.00 3. Rick Doerr/ Maureen McKinnon-Tucker/ Hugh Freund, USA, 30.00 SKUD 18 (5 boats; 11 races/1 throwout) 1. Scott Whitman/ Julia Dorsett, USA, 10.00 2. John McRoberts/ Brenda Hopkin, CAN, 28.00 3. Alexandra Rickham/ Niki Birrell, GBR, 35.00 Complete results: http://rmocr.ussailing.org/Results.htm SCUTTLEBUTT SPECIAL AT TEAM ONE NEWPORT Happy February! Team One Newport is running a special for Scuttlebutt readers: Be the first 17 readers to order $75 or more of regular priced items (no items from the SPECIALS button) and you will receive a free Ultimate Sailing calendar or Amory Ross Sailing Calendar. Place your order online at http://www.team1newport.com and type in SSBSPE in the Search Box in the upper right hand corner and add that item to your order to receive your free calendar! Remember, it’s for the first 17 orders that qualify!! Or you can call 800-VIP-GEAR and hit "0" for Customer Service. Be prepared for all your sailing and visit Team One Newport for all your clothing needs! “WE MADE IT TO QINGDAO!” (Jan. 31, 2009; Day 14) - Battered and bruised but more than able to smile, the Volvo Ocean Race crew of Green Dragon arrived in Qingdao at 12:42:37 GMT with their heads held high after finishing fourth in a leg fraught with set-backs. They always knew this stage was going to be harder for them than most - by their own admission the yacht does not like upwind sailing - but it would have been tough to fully predict their struggles on this leg.“Broken forestay, broken bow, stopping for repairs, then restarting and more broken stuff in the bow,” recalled skipper Ian Walker. The boat has returned to the country where it was built, the team to some of its leading sponsors. Walker added. “When all the bad stuff happened and then kept happening, we just kept on saying ‘whatever happens, we have to make it to Qingdao’. We made it to Qingdao.” Here is an update on the three damaged boats from Leg 4: * Ericsson 3: The Nordic crew turned towards Taiwan on January 27th when they discovered the forward, watertight bulkhead flooded, a result of damage in the outer carbon-fiber skin, as well as delamination of both inner and outer skins in a section of the bow. Ericsson 3 is at a commercial dockyard in Keelung, but will be transported by barge down the coastline to another boatyard with the necessary facilities to affect the repair. The team currently plans to resume Leg 4, expected to last three to five days, which might mean Ericsson 3 begins Leg 5 (Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) after the scheduled Feb. 14 start. It won't partake in the Qingdao In-Port Race, scheduled Feb. 7. * Telefonica Black: The team docked in Subic Bay in the Philippines on Jan 25th since suffering a compression failure on the starboard side that cracked the hull about two metres long from the sheerline to the waterline. Some repairs have been made, and now Telefonica Black is being moved under its own power to Singapore, though it is not known whether they will complete repairs there or is shipped to Qingdao. Assuming the boat arrives in Singapore by February 4, it will leave them just 10 days to complete any remaining repairs and reach Qingdao in time for the 12,300-nautical mile Leg 5 race to Brazil on February 14. * Delta Lloyd: After suffering a cracked bow bulkhead as well as bow delamination on January 27th, Delta Lloyd suspending racing and heading for shelter at Keelung Bay in northeast Taiwan. The damage has since been deemed too severe for a quick repair, and the team now hopes to get a berth on a ship to Rio de Janeiro on February 2nd, which would see them arrive in Brazil on March 4, nearly three weeks before the fleet. The currently plan is for repairs to be completed in Rio in time for the In-Port Race on April 4th. The Qingdao In-Port race is on February 7th. Leg Five from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will start February 14th, is 12,300 nm in length, with the finish estimated on March 20th. Current Standings after Leg Four 1. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 45.0 points 2. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 41.5 points 3. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 38.0 points 4. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 27.5 points 5. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 24.0 points 6. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 21.0 points 7. Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, 10.5 points 8. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 10.0 points Race website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4 Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com Note: Delta Lloyd has not yet officially retired from Leg 4, but when they do they will be assigned 2 points for a Did Not Finish. If Ericsson 3 is able to complete Leg 4 following her repairs, she will receive 4 points as a fifth place finisher; otherwise she will receive 2 points for a Did Not Finish. * Newport, RI (Jan. 29, 2009) - Ken Read joined his brother Brad, Jerry Kirby and close to 500 of his fellow Newporters at the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport for Sail Newport's Volvo Ocean Race Update. The night included dramatic video footage from the race, and when shown in Hi Definition in a theatre atmosphere, PUMA's il mostro practically jumped off the screen. Ken Read joined the event on the big screen in a live teleconference from China. Peter Craig, from the VOR Boston Stopover, announced how hundreds of volunteers are needed, and provided information for the festivities. -- Full details: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0201 FIRST 2-TIME WINNER OF VENDÉE GLOBE (Feb. 1, 2009; Day 84) - (Feb. 1, 2009) Sailing more than 28,303 miles, averaging around 13.2 knots, French solo skipper Michel Desjoyeaux has shattered the Vendée Globe race record, finishing at Les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday February 1st at 15:11.08 GMT, after 84 days 03 hours 09 minutes of racing, becoming the first skipper ever to win the solo nonstop around the world race twice (previous win was in 2000/1). What made this win remarkable was how the course was 1150 miles longer than in 2004/5 when Vincent Riou set the previous mark of 87 days, 10 hours and 47 minutes, and how Foncia had to return to Les Sables d’Olonne shortly after the Nov. 9th start with a leak in the ballast tank that flooded the engine compartment and burnt out an electrical circuit. Michel Desjoyeaux restarted on 11th November, some 360 miles or forty hours behind the leaders. Desjoyeaux gained the lead on December 16th and never gave it up. -- Full story: http://linkbee.com/FLGS * Great quotes: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/8916/the-words-of-the-winner.html Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s. Standings as of 18:30 UTC (30 entrants; 12 now competing): 1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, Finished Feb. 1, 15:11 GMT 2. Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement, 1324.0 nm Distance to Finish 3. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 263.7 nm Distance to leader 3. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB, Dismasted - Redress Given 4. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 1242.4 nm DTL 5. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 1329.8 nm DTL 6. Brian Thompson (GBR), Bahrain Team, 1602.2 nm DTL 7. Dee Caffari (GBR), Aviva, 1869.3 nm DTL 8. Arnaud Boissières (FRA), Akena Vérandas, 2274.5 nm DTL 9. Steve White (GBR), Toe in the Water, 3266.7 nm DTL 10. Rich Wilson (USA), Great American III, 4561.1 nm DTL 11. Raphaël Dinelli (FRA), Fondation Océan Vital, 5883.2 nm DTL 12. Norbert Sedlacek (AUT), Nauticsport-Kapsch, 6068.0 nm DTL Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en * The Vendee Globe Virtual Regatta attracted 315,000 players, far beyond the expectation of the French company that developed the game. "Initially, we hoped to have about 150,000 players. Today we’ve doubled that number. In fact, it has become the largest sporting event in the world," said Philippe Guigné, the founder of the studio specializing in sport animation. To celebrate and hand over the 10,000 euros promised to the winner, Virtual Regatta hopes to organize a prize giving ceremony in Paris. -- Sebastien Destremau HI FI DOMINATES 2009 SINGAPORE STRAITS Neil Pryde and crew on "Hi Fi" dominated the Racing Class in the 2009 Singapore Straits Regatta, winning 7 out of 7 races, beating out stiff competition including "Quantum Racing". Richard Bouzaid explains, "the new generation of Doyle Downwind sails and Spaysail give the boat a big edge downwind." The Spaysail, developed and named by Doyle, was designed by Richard Bouzaid with assistance from Kevin Costin, "Hi Fi's" tactician. Neil and "Hi Fi" also won the Sir Thomas Lipton Perpetual Trophy. View "Hi Fi's" Spaysail: http://www.doylesails.com/spaysail BRITISH TEAM RISING TO THE OCCASION Auckland, NZ (Feb. 1, 2009) - Britain’s newcomer TEAMORIGIN, with Olympic ace Ben Ainslie at the helm, put away the powerful Alinghi team from Switzerland today, right at the start of their race in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. It was the biggest scalp so far in the first three days of racing on the Waitemata Harbor as Ainslie forced Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird over the start line just one second before the gun. Racing for the day saw winds quickly built to 18 to 20 knots, with the final race abandoned as the breeze went over 27 knots. Previous day’s highlights included the Greek team getting a point deduction for a collision with Alinghi on the first day, and ETNZ beating BOR in their match on day two. -- Complete report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6971#6971 Scores: Pool A - Emirates Team New Zealand, 2-0; Damiani Italia Challenge, 2-1; Pataugas K Challenge, 1-1; BMW Oracle Racing, 1-1; China Team, 0-3. Pool B - TEAMORIGIN, 2-0; Alinghi, 2-1; Greek Challenge, 1-1, Team Shosholoza, 0-1, Luna Rossa, 0-2. Event website: http://www.louisvuitton-pacificseries.com Video coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO6 Audio coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO7 * Peter Montgomery, the voice of New Zealand yachting, was dropped from covering the current Louis Vuitton Pacific series at the request of Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton. The arrangement between TVNZ and the New Zealand team permitted them to be involved in the selection of the commentators. Dalton denied any bad blood between him and Montgomery, but sources close to the team thinks Montgomery is too closely aligned to Alinghi and Brad Butterworth. -- Full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4834857a1823.html NEW AMERICA'S CUP YACHT DESIGN RULE GOES LIVE Through a consultation process headed by Tom Schnackenberg between the America’s Cup Defender Alinghi team, the Challenger of Record and the 17 other entered teams, a new America’s Cup class rule has been now revealed. This group agreed to develop a boat similar in cost to the America’s Cup Class Version 5.0 boat, but with a more exciting performance. Called the AC33 Rule, it evolved to a race yacht of 26m maximum length overall, with 5m of draft and a displacement of 17.5tonnes. The sail plan area is greater than with the ACC Version 5.0 but without overlapping headsails, and as with the AC90 Rule contemplated in 2007, the boat has a bowsprit and the spinnaker area is limited only by sheeting constraints, not by measurement of dimensions. Given the lighter displacement, the AC33 will be more demanding to sail upwind, and will provide sparkling performance on the runs. Maximum beam is 4.8m, which will seem wide to people used to the appearance of the Version 5.0 yachts, where the last generation of yachts had a beam not much more than 3m in many cases. -- Full details: http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/news/index.php?idIndex=200&idContent=18822 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: In case you are not closely following the litigation that surrounds the next America’s Cup, this new design rule is what will be used if the New York Court of Appeals rules in favor of the Alinghi team. However, if the courts rule in favor of the American BMW Oracle Racing team, all bets are off. The final hearing will be held in that Court on February 10, 2009 with a decision expected in late March 2009 or early April 2009. SAILING SHORTS * US Match Racing Champion Dave Perry will conduct an Advanced Youth Match Racing Camp at the US Sailing Center of Sheboygan, July 8 – 12, 2009. The newest US Sailing Center is teaming up with Coach Perry to give young men and women the chance to learn the exciting sport of Match Racing. 32 students, age 15 to 20 will be admitted to the 4 day camp. Sailing will be on the open waters of Lake Michigan off Sheboygan, Wisconsin using Sonars, or the newest Olympic Class, the ISAF Elliot 6m. -- Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6972 * With an increasing number of boats now travelling around the world to regattas, the IRC measurement office strongly recommends that Organising Authorities specifically state in an event Notice of Race the year when invoking IRC (eg: The IRC Rules 2009 Parts 1, 2, and 3 shall apply). This suggestion is due to how the northern and southern hemispheres have different periods for which IRC certificates are valid. -- Full details: http://www.rorcrating.com/ir2000/IRC/nor_irc_validity_dates.htm * The W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. National Sportsmanship Award, presented annually by US SAILING, recognizes an individual who best exemplifies the spirit of sportsmanship in sailing. The nomination deadline for this year's award is February 2, 2009. -- Details: http://www.ussailing.org/sportsmanship * It has been announced that Jez Fanstone (GBR) has been hired as the Olympic Programme Manager for Yachting New Zealand. Fanstone has skippered a Volvo Ocean Race campaign and managed three Olympic programmes. But his most recent achievement, and the one he is best known for, is as coach to British sailor Ben Ainslie, whose successes included Olympic Gold medals in three consecutive games. While RS:X Gold medalist Tom Ashley will be seeking defend his title at the 2012 Olympics, Ashley has been retained in an advisory role to help coach and mentor the up and coming stars of New Zealand Yachting. -- Full report: http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/NewsletterDetail.aspx?NewsletterID=197 * CORRECTION: In Scuttlebutt 2771, it was stated that Dave Ullman had won Key West Race Week twice in the Melges 24 class. Dave has actually won the class five times (1995, 1996,1997, 2006, and 2008). MORE FUN UNDER THE SUN – ACURA MIAMI GRAND PRIX Florida sunshine and warm ocean breezes await at the 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix (March 5-8). IRC, Farr 40 and Melges 32 classes will enjoy four race days and as many as ten races. Take advantage of airline and hotel bargains. First entry deadline is Friday, February 6th. http://www.premiere-racing.com/AMGP09 * If anyone wants to add their name to the crew sign-up list, here is the link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar/eventdescription.asp?ID=2256 EIGHT BELLS It is with great sadness I report the passing of Randy Scarborough, a well known ocean racer of the 70s and 80s. Randy owned many boats in his long sailing career including several Wildflowers. Randy had a penchant for radical designs and although many famous sailors crewed for him over the years, he preferred to sail with “colorful waterfront characters”. In 1978 his first Wildflower, a 41-foot somewhat radical Brit Chance design, won the Newport Bermuda race. After giving up ocean racing, Randy found success in the J/35 and Mumm/Farr 30 classes before handing off the baton to his son Sean, now a prominent competitor in the Melges 24 fleet. Off the water, Randy was a very successful property developer in Southern New Jersey. On the water, he had the common touch and was a joy to sail with. He died on January 29th 2009, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 64. -- Mike Perry CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get 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 Robbie Wallace: I don't know what all the fuss is all about. I don't see anything sad about it. The Volvo Ocean Race is supposed to be all about the gnarliest extreme sailing in the world. Upwind or down, what's the difference. This leg had me on the edge of my seat for days. I couldn't wait for the next sched to find out what amazing carnage had taken place. The stories and videos of the seamanship and courage were truly gripping. I'll bet the ratings were up. I for one greatly enjoyed sitting dry at home watching these guys get their butts kicked! * From Jay Sacco, Austin, TX: I disagree with Mike Sharpe's comments (in Scuttlebutt 2770) that the current race is "dumb" and the course "crazy". The fact is, it is what it is, and the yachts that were designed and sailed best are still racing towards the finish. Those that weren't have been weeded out. Charting a new course has always been fraught with the risk and danger of the unknown - the world's waters are littered with sunken ships that paved the way for all those that came after. What's interesting about the current race, is that even in this high-tech day and age, boat designers, builders, sailors, and all of us who follow the race, can still experience the challenge of charting a new course. With the lessons learned from this race, one would expect the boats and crews for the next race to be better built and better prepared for this course, with corresponding more success. If that's the case, would the same course now be considered acceptable? Challenge is the essence of sport. How should one decide how much challenge is too much challenge? That decision has always been made by the people that accept the challenge, not those who watch them. * From David Barrow: (re, coaching poll) Amazing result if you add up the three options that provide for a minimum of no coaching from warning signal until the end of the last race, it amounts to 74.4% of the votes. Was this the amateur venting his spleen on the 25.6% who can afford coaching? Coaching is a great thing for our sport and allows fast progress. It could be that if you want on-the-water coaching during a regatta, in future you had better take your coach on the boat with you. -- Link to poll: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0127/ * From John Harwood-Bee, Project 100 Ltd: What a difference between the secrecy, animosity and general malaise of the Americas Cup and the friendly atmosphere emanating from Auckland. Judging from the reports I am receiving from friends in N.Z. this is what high end yacht racing should be about. I for one would be delighted if the AC, along with its history of argument, deceit and obfuscation, were to sink without trace to be replaced by a travelling LV Series. I trust that the amicable aura surrounding the race village will continue to the end. Louis Vuitton must be thankful they pulled out of the AC farce and put the budget into an event that at least appears to have some 'class'. Even after only one day 'Long live the Louis Vuitton series'. CURMUDGEON’S DICTIONARY Liquidity (n.): When you look at your investments and wet your pants. Special thanks to Team One Newport, Doyle Sails, and 2009 Acura Miami Grand Prix. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
