|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1874 - July 6, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. WATCH THOSE YANKS ROLL (Andrew Hurst, editor of Seahorse magazine in the UK has focused his editorial in the magazine's July issue to handicap racing in the US. Here are two excerpts, reprinted with permission.) Well done to the movers and shakers in US offshore sailing who are flat out pushing the move to IRC and, importantly, who are simultaneously pressing towards a more coordinated approach to revitalizing big boat sailing in the United States. Their unconditional desire to see more boats out racing is a worthy motive. Yes, there are potentially dangerous side-effects if a sailing nation as competitive as the USA starts rushing too fast towards any 'new' rule, including IRC. But let's not worry until there is something to worry about. I hear a lot about the dangers of too much too soon. My response is that after the competitive vacuum in offshore sailing of recent years it would be nice to have a big angry competitive fleet to worry about, it would be good to have a fleet at all. In time the new ORC box rules will flourish, or the Grand Prix Rule that the RORC is pushing on with, or both. Some hot IRC programmes will move to classes like the TP52, or the new Storm Trysail 65 (a great-looking Fastnet boat, by the way). The pressure won't all pile up in IRC pot-hunting, not for a good while yet. As you might say to a gloomy colleague at work, 'Smile, it may never happen.' ORA, ORR … what's all that about then? We have just got away from the idea of offshore sailing as a means of playing amateur mathematician, and along comes an unusual subversive body (Offshore Racing Association doesn't sound particularly Trotskyite) that is reluctant to go with the trend in the USA, but wants instead to revisit an old and rather disappointing holiday haunt the IMS. Americap II is their creature now under development. Well, if it has its enthusiasts then why should they not be allowed to play? Maybe because from here it looks selfish? Look at the bigger picture and ocean racing is still not out the woods, far from it. The greater the consensus, be it towards IRC, PHRF, TP52s or STY65s, the greater the chance of success. PHRF and IRC really should be enough for one market, even one as big as the USA. There are doubtless folk who still collect Edsels, but I am sure that there are only a very few of them. -- Andrews Hurst, editor, Seahorse magazine, http://www.seahorsemagazine.com TALKING WITH RUSSELL (The Daily Sail subscription website spoke with Russell Coutts about the Lexus TP52 program in the Mediterranean. Here's an excerpt from their story.) Aside from the sheer rate at which the class is growing, another unusual aspect of the Mediterranean TP52 fleet is the mix of fully sponsored pro teams, owner funded teams and the handful of private owned Spanish boats that are also sponsored. One of the most promising in the former division is Russell Coutts' Lexus. One of the most promising in the former division is Russell Coutts' Lexus. While racing in Spain, sponsored by the Spanish arm of the Japanese luxury car manufacturer, this TP52 project has been put together as part of the US-based Quantum Racing team. Many teams used to sailing windward-leewards still seem to be shaky particularly in terms of their sail inventory and calls when it comes to the unfamiliar art of reaching. This now features in every regatta due to the class' obligatory coastal races. "The success story is the rule has fortunately produced boats that are really close in performance - because I was worried that they wouldn't be," says Russell Coutts. "There isn't much speed difference between them. The difference is more downwind in the sails and in the tuning of the boats. They are all really new and to be honest all the teams are really late." While there are differences in the beam waterline of the boats - the latest Farr boats are skinny compared to their 2004 design Bambakou and the Botin & Carkeek designs - sails will make a bigger difference maintains Coutts. - The Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com BLOND PONY TAIL The Bay of Valencia is teeming with sailing action this weekend, and amid the massive America's Cup boats competing in the Louis Vuitton challenger series, one can see a lone, blond ponytail bobbing aboard the French K-challenge boat. This ponytail belongs to University of Miami graduate Katie Pettibone, the only woman sailor competing as a team member in the America's Cup circuit today. A law student and 1996 graduate of the University of Miami, Pettibone, 33, is the spinnaker trimmer aboard the K-Challenge -- a predominantly French team whose sailing manager is America's Cup veteran Dawn Riley. Pettibone is a veteran of two prior America's Cup campaigns and two Volvo Round the World races. She raced in Miami and St. Petersberg throughout college and took time out from the University of Miami to participate to race on the all-women's team led by Bill Koch, who challenged for the America's Cup in 1995. Despite her many sailing accomplishments, Pettibone says she not only shocks the Spanish people when she tells them she is a Cup sailor, but within the international community, she finds that being the only woman sailor among men is a little disconcerting. ''I see the sport is evolving for women,'' Pettibone said, ``but I do miss the fact that some of the women sailors that I really admire are not getting these kind of opportunities to compete in the America's Cup.'' Leading sailors like Gold medalist Jochen Schuemann, who is a member of the Swiss defender Team Alinghi, echoes a shared opinion among some men that women are just not strong enough to sail the current America's Cup boats, which are extremely physical. Pettibone agrees she will never be as powerful as some of the men trimming an America's Cup mainsail. However, in 1995, the women's boat came within one race of beating Team Dennis Conner and the issue of strength was put to rest -- at least for Pettibone. - Laurie Fullerton, Miami Herald, full story: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/12045038.htm 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE IDA LEWIS TROPHY Vanguard Sailboats is a proud of sponsor of the 10th Anniversary of the US Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy starting Monday, July 5th - Monday, July 11th, in Vanguard C420s, at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Newport, Rhode Island. For daily reports and results visit http://www.teamvanguard.com 49ER WORLDS The locals have a saying, usually uttered as they gaze out upon a racecourse littered with victims, "Welcome to San Francisco Bay." It wouldn't be right to overplay this. Most of the 77 starters in the early races of the 2005 29er Worlds got through their races just fine, thank you. But there were enough casualties to inspire one voice, crackling over the race committee frequency, to wisecrack about a new rule calling for "numbers on the centerboards." The championship is being sailed on the San Francisco cityfront, with the boats kept in a temporary, fenced enclosure at Crissy Field, just upwind of the St. Francis Yacht Club, and launched from the sand (an earlier plan to build a temporary, wide ramp from the club docks to the waters of the marina fell prey to imperial entanglements). With Britain's reigning world champions moving on to Olympic 470s, the stage is open, and conditions here make it clear that whoever comes out on top will be a worthy successor to a class invented as a trainer for the Olympic 49er-to carry on and expand (expand as in viral marketing) the Down Under traditions of fast skiff sailing. 29ers have been designated as the platform for the youth worlds, when the event comes to San Diego, California in 2007, and skiff sailing appears to be on the ascendant in the USA. Think of it as speed poisoning. Designer Julian Bethwaite reported downwind speeds in the 20s on the San Francisco Bay courses, and it works, Bethwaite said, because, "American youth are going toward extreme sports."- Kimball Livingston, Sail magazine, full story: http://sailmag.com/29er/ Leaders after the first day of the qualification series 1. GBR, Ed Chapman /Tom Peel, 3 points 2. USA, Cameron Biehl/ Zack Maxam, 4 3. AUS, Jacqui Bonnitcha/ Euan McNicol, 5 4. USA, John Heineken/ Matt Noble, 5 5. AUS, David O'Connor/ Scott Babbage, 5 http://www.stfyc.com/Files/29er%20Qualification%20Results%20Day%201.pdf SWEDISH MATCH CUP Marstrand, Sweden -- The Open Regatta at the Swedish Match Cup got underway as scheduled today with Group A completing four flights. Although there wasn't a lot of racing, drama ruled the day. For the second year in a row Peter Holmberg (ISV), of America's Cup champion Alinghi, went swimming during one of his matches. Two skippers, Peter Gilmour (AUS) and Philippe Presti (FRA), lost points after they were penalized by the international jury for causing damage. Peter Holmberg and Presti, of Italy's Luna Rossa Challenge, were the second match in the flight. They had a spirited pre-start and with about 5 seconds to the start gun Holmberg was to leeward of Presti at the pin end. Presti thought he could clear Holmberg's transom and turned his steering wheel to leeward. The bow turned down, but right into the starboard quarter of Holmberg's boat. Presti hit so hard that Holmberg did a cartwheel out of the boat and into the water. The impact damaged the starboard quarter of Holmberg's boat, opening the hull-to-deck joint. The jury penalized Presti one point because the damage was classified as C level damage, which is damage in excess of $1,000. Peter Gilmour won his match against Lars Nordbjerg, but was penalized for hitting the Dane in the pre-start. Gilmour, to leeward, seemed to luff Nordbjerg but hit his leeward quarter. The jury classified the damage as B level, meaning less than $1,000, but which requires the deduction of a half point. The winds for the day started from the southeast but quickly shifted to the south and then west/southwest after the crews took to the water around 12:30 p.m. The winds were light and streaky for the first few flights, but a nice 12-knot breeze kicked in for the final flight, and the fun started. -- Sean McNeill, www.swedishmatchtour.com Standings for Group A (after 4 of 7 scheduled flights) 1.= Peter Holmberg (ISV) Alinghi, 3-1 1.= Jesper Radich (DEN) Desafío Español, 3-1 3. Philippe Presti (FRA) Luna Rossa Challenge, 3-1, 2 points 4. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge, 2-1 5. Bertrand Pacé (FRA) BMW Oracle Racing, 2-2 6. Peter Gilmour (AUS) Pizza-La Sailing Team, 2-2, 1.5 points 7. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) 0-3 8. Lars Nordbjerg (DEN), 0-4 In the female portion of this event, the three Swedes from the host club GKSS - Marie Björling, Linda Rahm and Malin Milbourn - all made it into the semi finals where they will be joined by the number one-ranked female match racer, Claire Leroy from France. Standings after round-robin: 1. Marie Björling, SWE, 6- 1 2. Claire Leroy, FRA, 5-2 3. Linda Rahm, SWE, 5-2 4. Malin Millbourn, SWE, 4-3 5. Lotte Meldgaard-Pedersen, DEN, 3-4 6. Christelle Philippe, FRA, 2-5 7. Nina Braestrup, DEN, 2-5 8. Sandy Hayes, USA, 1-6 ABSOLUTELY NO FLIPPIN' WAY We've gotten used to hearing that from customers who have run their arm under a water faucet while wearing the Dryshirt™ or new DryGuard™. The performance of this revolutionary gear is unparalleled in the apparel industry. Water repellent yet breathable, what you'll notice most about this gear is that you don't notice it. From Maxis, J-boats, Trans-Pac 52s all the way down to prams, the Dryshirt™ and DryGuard™ are "Must Have" items for 2005. Combine them with Musto, Gill, DuBarry, Clew Gear, and Camet for an unbeatable combination from a single source. Call 800-354-7245 (international: 562-594-8749) or http://www.sailingproshop.com NEWS BRIEFS * The Global Challenge Race has now completed six legs with only the 420 mile sprint from La Rochelle to Portsmouth on July 13 to complete the fleet's round the world passage. Here are the fleet's overall standing: 1. BG Spirit, 75 points; 2. BP Explorer, 70; 3. Spirit of Sark, 67; 4. Barclays Adventurer, 62; 5. SAIC La Jolla, 59; 6. Team Stelmar, 56; 7. Me to You, 54; 8. Samsung, 51; 9. VAIO, 50; 10. Imagine It. Done, 48; 11. Pindar, 43; 12. Team Save the Children, 36. -- http://www.globalchallenge2004.com/en * At the start of his sixth day at sea on his attempt at the outright single-handed Atlantic sailing record, Francis Joyon in his Trimaran IDEC is continuing to speed along and Tuesday morning was only 530 miles from the finishing line. His average speed since leaving New York last Thursday has been exactly 20 knots. By early Wednesday afternoon he will undoubtedly become the fastest solo yachtsman to cross the North Atlantic. He should smash the current record, which has been held for 11 years by Frenchman Laurent Bourgnon on his 60' Primagaz. -- www.trimaran-idec.com *Sir Arnold Clark, the current owner of Drum, has lent the yacht to the boat's former crew to take part in the Rolex Fastnet Race. "Thank you very much for saving our lives" feels inadequate for the crew of Drum to say to the men who saved their 24 lives. So, on the twentieth anniversary of the disaster, they've decided to race the yacht that so nearly cost them their lives. At the same time they want to heighten awareness of and raise money for the valuable work of the RNLI and its dedicated team of search and rescue volunteers. -- www.drumreunion.co.uk * We got a lot of reaction to last week's Curmudgeon Observation about the thousand of old ladies who will be walking round 40 years from now with tattoos … and thought readers might enjoy a video clip on the subject from Saturday Night Live: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/tattoo/ * From July 8-9 nine teams of corporate executives will trade their business suits and briefcases for life jackets and sailing attire to raise funds for Shake-A-Leg-Newport during its Wall Street Corporate Challenge Cup presented by Barclays Capital. Racing aboard America's Cup 12-Meter yachts, each of the teams raises $30,000 to support programs for people with spinal cord injuries and nervous system dysfunction. Each boat will have several sailors from Shake-A-Leg-Newport's adaptive sailing program leaving their wheelchairs on the dock to join the action alongside the 10 corporate crewmembers. America's Cup veteran Bill Ficker is this year's honored guest. -- www.shakealeg.org TAKE YOUR SAILING TO THE NEXT LEVEL Here's what Bongo owner Knox Rodgers said about working with coach Paul Cronin: "My experience thru three clinics has been nothing short of life-altering. I am trying to follow his personal credo - Have Fun Every Day! It works!" Join us and improve your sailing and life. http://www.pcsailing.net 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. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Darren Dunkley-Smith President 470 Internationale (re Bram Dally's comments on Olympic Classes, Selection and their contribution or otherwise to our Sport's growth): Managing the affairs of a piece of Olympic Equipment that is used by Nations in what the former ISAF President sometimes called "a sporting arms race" is challenging. It is easy to focus on the overall declining numbers in the Olympic Classes, indeed in all classes, however I am always encouraged by the little but numerous victories. For instance; very recently a team from the tiny principality of Monaco competed in the Mediterranean Games in 470. Four Sailors from the isolated nation of Myanmar competed in the 2005 470 European Championships, more boats have just been imported into Chile and another twenty new 470's are headed for China. Encouragingly, an increasing number of smaller nations such as Bulgaria, Cuba, Armenia and Hong Kong are finding their way to 470's regattas with (I guess) the ultimate goal of Olympic representation. Sailors from 45 Nations sailed our 2004 Worlds. I personally won't be happy until we rival the Opti's. Repeatedly changing the Olympic Classes would simply "lock out" developing nations from the Olympic sailing dream. And while our 75+ Member Nations and sailors rightfully expect this Olympic Class Association to defend their Olympic Status, we strive to find time and resources to build on the foundation of work by Robert Wilkes (and Helpers) and the Optimist class in bringing our beautiful sport to new and exciting locations. * From Cliff Bradford: Trindad and Tobago are two islands that form 1 country and therefore have one government. The country is referred to as "Trinidad and Tobago" not vice versa. * From Bruce Campbell (In regards to Chris Ericksen's remarks about the Olympics and the AC): While I would like to ignore the Olympics and pretend it doesn't matter, it isn't that simple. Since I believe that most of the problems at US Sailing stem from the fact that US Sailing has lost its way trying to jump through the hoops set up by the IOC, USOC and the US Congress, it's not possible to ignore the Olympics. We can only hope that sailing falls out of favor with the IOC and we get our sport back. Fat chance! * From Bruce Thompson: Having been the RC during a mishap in which one man lost his life, while another (who jumped in to assist) was rescued, I would offer these observations. An MOB is very hard to see in the waves, so it is possible that competitors could pass by without realizing there is a problem. I would suggest doing something visible and unambiguous, such as fire off a flare, to draw the attention of other competitors to the MOB. By comparison, a one design sailor is next to his capsized boat which is a much better visual target. So offshore sailors should wear their PFDs as they are more vulnerable than small boat sailors. They are also much harder to recover. Your risk of becoming an MOB is much less, but the stakes are much higher! In our case, a competitor did respond. One of their crew members jumped across to the shorthanded boat despite 4 foot waves. For their compliance with RRS 1, this boat was awarded first place as redress. There was not a peep of complaint from the other competitiors, as it was obvoius that she had won the most important race, that to assist a sailor in peril. Rewarding outstanding action encourages others to follow suit. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Pointing fingers of blame after the fact doesn't accomplish much. Learning useful lessons from the school of hard knocks could. * From Mike Kennedy: One of my favorite stories about men overboard is from Transpac 81, in which I sailed on another boat. A Santa Cruz 50 (I think) lost a man overboard from the bow. The helmsman, a well known sailor whose name I forget at the moment, broached the boat which was running with a chute up at about 15 - 17 knots at the time. It stopped, lying on its side. His reaction time had been so quick that the man who fell off was able to swim to the stern and climb aboard. They released the sheets, the boat came up and off they went. The whole thing took 5 minutes, as I recall. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Sixty is not old - if you're a tree. |
