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SCUTTLEBUTT 3225 - Monday, November 22, 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: North U, Ultimate Sailing, and Quantum Sails. BROADENING THE SCOPE OF JUNIOR PROGRAMS Before Nevin Sayre was a five-time U.S. National Windsurfing Champion, he was a four time college sailing All-American. Sayre not only understands the competitive side of sailing, he understands that competition isn’t what sailing is all about. So it is no shock to him that the sport in the U.S. is struggling to turn youth sailors into life sailors, because the focus in most junior programs is to turn youth sailors into youth racers. Here he explains: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- In general, most junior sailing programs are one-dimensional and therefore limiting. There is the successful competitive track of prams/ Lasers/ 420s/ FJs that is great for the kids who are really into racing, but hardly inspiring for a larger group of “other kids”. The percentage that is exposed to sailing at age 6-10 but is effectively out of sailing by age 22 is staggering. Yeah, we point to large junior fleets and growing collegiate and high school sailing (which is awesome!), but this is usually the cream of the racer crop, and most others have checked out. Should our junior programs be teaching racing? Or sailing? We owe it to our sport to offer inspiring sailing alternatives for the “other kids”. When juniors are asked why they dropped out of sailing, I find the real answers break down into three main issues: 1) boring compared to other activities; 2) over focus on racing/results; and in some cases because 3) “it was scary”. For most competitive sailors this is difficult to swallow. We love the tactics of racing, and the measurement against our peers is part of the excitement. We are enthused by the chess game, even if the boats are not particularly exciting. We can handle ourselves when the coach boat is not close by, and we are rarely scared. We wonder why the kids who drop out - the “other kids”- don’t get it. Let’s be honest. The boats we learned to sail in may have been cutting edge at the time, but we introduce most new kids to sailing in boats that were designed over 50 years ago, (particularly in the U.S.). While lots of adult excitement surrounds new sport boats, multihulls, foilers, windsurfers, and kites, we stick our kids in bathtubs with archaic rigs and think it’s fine. The bathtubs might be okay for the first lessons, but sometimes kids are stuck in them for six years before they are physically ready to handle the next level boat. Many of these kids are bored out of their minds, and the dropout rate at age 10-13 is particularly high. This is the age when kids start to exercise their own choice, rather than just go where Mom & Dad signs them up. We are teaching the palm texting generation how to sail with typewriters. If the kids don’t like typewriters, they’re gone. No doubt, most of us would find enjoyment in racing One Design Typewriters, but unless you are a kid who loves the game of racing, there’s not much inspiration. How often do kids take out the boats in your junior program just for fun? Where I live they leave the beach only when it’s an organized class or race. After class, they take out the windsurfers and other modern alternatives to go have a good time. That says a lot. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/1113/ WILL BIGGER BE BETTER? The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) last week unveiled the boat design brief for new venues joining the Tour, and is inviting designers and builders to submit their proposals. WMRT, which already has nine events worldwide, recently opened the application and bidding process for new venues and has received interest from 57 venues representing six continents. The new boat design specifications will be mandatory for all new venues but will also be open to all nine existing venues. The WMRT would like to expand to 15 venues by 2013. WMRT will create a shortlist of approved designs from which all new venues will have to choose their fleets. With each potential new venue having different characteristics, such as high or low winds, shallow waters and small racing areas, the design brief is intended to produce several different yacht design options which will allow the Event Promoters to choose the most appropriate design for their particular venue. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2ayxgo8 => Curmudgeon’s Comment: I sent a note to the WMRT to confirm that they were expecting the new venues to underwrite the cost to design/build a new fleet of boats, and if the 57 venues knew that this was a requirement before they registered their interest. Also, I was curious why the specified boat size (38-48 feet) was larger than 8 of the 9 current tour events, as it would seem the additional crew needed now for each team would negate some or all of the increase in prize money that has already been announced. The WMRT said they would have a response by press time, but I have yet to hear back from them. HO HO HO Great gifts for your sailor at http://www.northu.com Books, CDs, DVDs, Seminars, Coaching and Race Weeks covering Tactics, Trim, Rules and Match Racing. Self-Gifting encouraged. Free shipping to North America - note ‘Scuttlebutt Free Shipping’ in comments. http://www.northu.com POINTS NOW DOUBLE IN DUBAI Dubai, UAE (November 21, 2010) - The first round of Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai ended with BMW Oracle Racing on top and Artemis Racing beating Emirates Team New Zealand in their final race to take the second spot, but the commencement of the second round will likely shuffle the positions further. In Round Robin One, each team sailed every other team twice, with each win worth one point. In Round Robin Two, which is scheduled to conclude on November 23rd, each team will sail every other team once, with each win worth two points. The top four teams advance to the semi finals on November 26, with the top two heading for the finals on the 27th.. The American team BMW Oracle Racing were defeated in their first RR2 race by the French/German team All4One, but sailed a near-flawless race against Sweden's Artemis Racing to maintain their margin at the top of the leaderboard. The Swedes, on the other hand, also dropped their second race to Synergy Russian Sailing to plummet in the standings. Provisional Results after Day Two of RR2 (Team, Country, Helm, Tactician) 1. BMW Oracle Racing (USA), James Spithill/John Kostecki, 11-2, 13 pt 2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Dean Barker/Ray Davies, 7-5, 8.5 pt* 3. ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), Sebastien Col/John Cutler, 5-7, 6 pt 4. Artemis (SWE), Cameron Appleton/Iain Percy, 5-8, 5 pt 5. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS),Francesco Bruni/Rod Dawson, 5-7, 4 pt* 5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA), Gavin Brady/Morgan Larson, 4-8, 4 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/ OLD SCHOOL: The Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai was on recess Saturday so each of the six Louis Vuitton Trophy crews could compete on dhows, one of the traditional craft used to ply the Arabian Gulf as essential modes of transportation and trade. Today, dhow racing is among the top events on the local sporting calendar and Saturday’s race marked the first time foreigners were allowed to actively participate in a race. At the finish line, it was All4One, taking the win over Emirates Team New Zealand and BMW ORACLE Racing. -- Full report: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/newsletter/?id=246 WILL SUPES STAY ONBOARD OR JUMP SHIP? * San Francisco’s Budget and Legislative Analyst has released a report outlining the costs and benefits of hosting the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco. Bottom line: If the world-famous yacht race is held here, it will cost the city an estimated $42 million. The Budget Analyst is careful to state that the report is not meant as a recommendation one way or another for hosting the America’s Cup. “However,” it states, “it is the responsibility of the Budget and Legislative Analyst to report the facts to the Board of Supervisors.” Report highlights here: http://tinyurl.com/2b39tlz * Until now, the concept of San Francisco hosting the America’s Cup sailing race has enjoyed widespread support among The City’s supervisors. But after a budget analyst’s report indicated that San Francisco could lose money to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, some supervisors say they’ll be taking a harder look at the project before deciding whether to stay onboard or jump ship. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/27n7zlf * Budget analyst Harvey Rose defended a report his office released Thursday, which claimed that hosting the America's Cup regatta would lose San Francisco up to $143 million. "I don't think everybody understands. We say there'll be huge benefits -- $1.2 billion. That's the benefit to businesses," explains Rose. "While we acknowledge that, what we're saying is there is a huge cost to the city to do this. ... Yes, there are benefits to San Francisco, but they go to businesses, not the city and county's treasury. The report was pooh-poohed by the mayor's office, which noted that a revised budget analyst's study which will likely be released on Wednesday may paint a happier financial picture. -- Read on: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/11/americas_cup.php PHOTO GALLERIES * The Snipe class has learned to promote women events. There are loads of great female skippers and crews, but they rarely get teamed together. Also, when you host an event like the Snipe Women’s World Championship that was recently held in St Petersburg, Florida, there are plenty of guys that are willing to help. Photos by Fried Elliott: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/1120/ * Lauderdale Yacht Club revels this time of year, as the hot and humid south Florida summer is replaced by idyllic conditions. Among their event schedule is the Mercury Invitational that includes competitors in the club fleet, a member of the junior sailing program and four invited "rock stars." When you gather up talent like Tom Lihan, Ernesto Rodriguez, Chris Larson, Erika Reineke, and Robbie Doyle, you know that thoughts of Corinthian competition are left at the dock. Photos by John Payne: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/1120a/ * If there is one thing a photographer can’t fake, it is cold. They can shoot brilliant clear days, but you see cold on the subjects face and you can see cold on the gear they wear. So when photographer Glennon Stratton was assigned to shoot the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Match Racing National Championship in Kings Point, NY, his photos brought to life some very cold action. And we can only imagine what it was like to get these shots with very cold hands. Thanks Glennon: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/10/1121/ HOLIDAY SHOPPING…IT’S IN THE BAG! Fill-up our recycled shopping bag, designed for the environment by Sharon Green, with great gifts from Ultimate Sailing. The new 2011 Ultimate Sailing Calendar, new technical graphic T’s, comfy pullovers for men and women, new performance ¼ zip T’s, and caps with built in retractable tether. Check out all Ultimate Sailing merchandise at: http://www.ultimatesailing.com => Curmudgeon’s Comment: There aren’t too many times when I have the “nicest” of something, but I definitely feel schwanky when I take my Ultimate Sailing shopping bag to the grocery store. Check it out here: http://sailingscuttlebutt.blogspot.com/2009/09/ultimate-sailing.html SAILING SHORTS * (November 21, 2010) - Boston College, who needed the Repechage Group before advancing to the knockout rounds of the 2010 ICSA Match Racing National Championship, went undefeated against Kings Point in the quarters and Washington in the semis before defeating St Marys in the finals to win the inaugural event. The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY hosted the ten teams that had advanced from the seven conferences. This is the first year for the match race format, which had previously been held as a fleet racing event. -- http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10846 * Perth, Australia (November 21, 2010) - For the eight Olympic events competing at the Perth International Regatta, the winds did not deliver the punch that Fremantle is known for, but the event did provide a preview for what could occur at the 2011 ISAF Combined Worlds to be held at the venue in a year's time. For the Brits, they dominated the event, claiming triple the top five positions than any other country. The Olympic focus now moves to Sail Melbourne 2010 (Dec. 12-18), the first the first regatta of the seven event 2010-2011 ISAF Sailing World Cup series. -- Event website: http://www.perth2011.com * (November 20, 2010) - Canadian solo sailor Derek Hatfield today sailed into Cape Town to take the third podium position in the first ocean sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Derek’s arrival in the South African city ends a gruelling 33 days at sea for the 57-year-old, the oldest skipper in the VELUX 5 OCEANS fleet. Derek, who won class three of the 2002/3 edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, sailed 7,932 nautical miles at an average speed of 9.74 knots in 33 days, 22 hours and 37 minutes. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2f3jmhf * OC ThirdPole, organisers of the Extreme Sailing Series, will announce their 2011 schedule on December 13 at the World Yacht Racing Forum. The 2011 team line up will be revealed, and venues spanning 3 continents will be announced. -- http://www.extremesailingseries.com/ * The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the Lahaina Yacht Club have announced the twenty-third edition of the 2012 Vic-Maui International Yacht Race will start from Victoria, British Columbia with staggered starts commencing as early as June 28, 2012. The race will finish near Lahaina, Maui, a great circle route distance of 2308 nautical miles. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10844 * The 2008/2009 Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator, Jules Salter from the United Kingdom, heads a quartet of world-class sailing stalwarts signed up to the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team, which will contest the 2011/2012 round-the-world race. Salter is joined by New Zealand’s Craig Satterthwaite as watchleader, Ireland’s Justin Slattery as bowman and the UK’s Simon Fisher. And with skipper Ian Walker at the helm, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing will likely boast one of the most experienced and decorated sailing teams on the Volvo Ocean Race’s Alicante start line next October. -- Valencia Sailing, full report: http://tinyurl.com/VS-112110 FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are recent ads: For Sale - Gill Coastal Sport Jackets & Trousers Mustang Hydrostatic Activation Type V Life Jackets Swaging machine Full Etchells Cover 2009 Colgate 26 Now Hiring - Design Engineer - Composite Rigging North Kingstown RI American Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program - Summer 2011 Quantum Sails St Maarten North Sails is hiring at our 3DL facility in Minden, NV View/post ads here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/CLASSIFIED_ADS_-_FREE_C8/ EIGHT BELLS My father, Tony Gretzky, passed away Thursday on his 81st birthday. After a career change had my folks moving to western Michigan 50 years ago, they took up sailing in the 210 fleet of the Muskegon Yacht Club, first as crew and later as owners. They built their first 210 by themselves in the garage over the winter of 1962-63, a feat all the more remarkable as my Mom was pregnant with my younger sister at the time! Early on, they started traveling to the east coast to attend the Nationals, a tradition Dad continued until bad knees forced him to “retire” in 2007. Dad was a past Commodore, Fleet Captain and Regatta Chair for far too many regattas to remember! They started with their neighbors as crew and when we became old enough, it was an all family affair. Their love of sailing and the family environment led us kids to stick close to the sea and stay involved with sailing. My older brother Harold sailed at the Naval Academy, I became a naval architect out of Webb and my younger sister Patty remains very active at the Muskegon Yacht Club. Both my parents were very supportive of the Junior Sailing Program. Dad was so proud when Patty’s daughter Emily and son Anthony finished 1-2 in an Opti Regatta this past summer. My parents and the others in the local one-design fleets created such a positive environment at the club - they made sailing fun and passed this love onto their kids and grand kids. Dad was an institution in Western Michigan and he touched so many sailors in one-designs, cruising boats, grand prix fleets as well as the new sailor taking their first steps! He will be missed by family, friends and sailors from Michigan to Massachusetts! - Jim Gretzky, http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10843 THE SHIFT CONTINUES... Quantum Sail Design Group powered the teams that captured World Championships this year in the J/80, J24 and J/22 classes. And now Quantum has established a new J Boat Division to focus on expanding the company’s line of J Boat sails and providing support for J sailors worldwide. Find your speed at http://www.quantumsails.com EIGHT BELLS It is with profound sadness that I inform the sailing community of the passing Friday night of American Yacht Club’s (Rye, NY) beloved Commodore Drake H. Sparkman III. Drake was a good friend of many in the world of sailing and his passion for sailing was instilled in his blood at an early age. His family was heavily involved in sailboat racing and design, and his grandfather Drake co-founded Sparkman & Stephens in 1929. Drake was an exceptional racing and cruising sailor. He raced Etchells at American for many years, competing at the highest levels. He also competed in numerous offshore races to Bermuda, Cabo San Lucas, The Vineyard Race, and the Pac Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii. Perhaps his greatest gift to sailing was the many hours of volunteer time he committed. In addition to being the current Commodore at American, Drake served as a Trustee, and Chairman of both the Membership and Race Committees. In 2003, the club awarded him the Starkweather trophy for outstanding service to American Yacht Club. His service extended beyond American Yacht Club. He served as a Vice President of the YRA of Long Island Sound. A longtime member of the Storm Trysail Club, Drake served many years as its Membership Chairman. As yacht design was in his genes, he gave countless hours to, and served as a Trustee of, the Landing School in Arundel Maine, which provides educational programs that effectively prepare students for entry-level careers in the marine industry. He also reached out to those with special needs. He was instrumental in establishing the American Yacht Club’s relationship with Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital (Valhalla, NY). In 2008, Drake was a leader in founding the Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with disabilities - an annual event run each year jointly by American and Larchmont Yacht Club. We ask that you keep his wife Heather and son Tucker in your thoughts and prayers. Drake was an exceptional person who was loved and respected by everyone who knew him. -- Duncan P. Hennes, Vice Commodore, American Yacht Club, http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=10842 SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION People who list their relationship status on Facebook as "It's complicated" should stop kidding themselves and change it to "Single". 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 |
