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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 535 - March 27, 2000NSLMarch 24, 2000, Grand Rapids, MI - Dick and Doug DeVos, creators of the 1D48 Grand Prix sailboats, announced today the cancellation of the inaugural National Sailing League 1D48 circuit and the discontinuance of its operations. Scheduled to launch the last weekend of April at the Baltimore Water Festival, 4 outstanding teams with world class level sailors had committed to a three-year grand prix series with the League. Russell Coutts, Ken Read, John Kostecki among others were scheduled to compete with the backing of their team owners; Dr. James Andrews, Jay Ecklund, John Risley and the DeVos's. The DeVos's created the NSL to continue delivering the outstanding level of grand prix level racing that helped prepare many US sailors and syndicates for the 1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race and 2000 America's Cup. The first 1D48 boat sailed in 1995 with racing kicking off in Key West in January of 1996 after which grand prix sailors competed at a world class level for several years. In October 1999 the DeVos's launched the National Sailing League and envisioned that by initially using these same 1D48's in conjunction with creating a professionally structured sponsorship driven League, opportunity could be created to expand consumer awareness of and enthusiasm for the sport of sailing. Additionally they saw the potential to deliver significant measurable value to corporate sponsors, the media and the athletes - which would ultimately broaden the appeal of the sport. "During our initial presentations to corporations for sponsorship, dealings with the sports business industry and mainstream media we found support for the concept, economic structure and promotion deliverables of the League." Said Doug DeVos. "Regrettably we also found that we may have been ahead of our time with regards to the evolution of the sport. With only four teams committed to the initial circuit, we needed to have the participation of a few more teams to make the League sustainable." A goal of the League was to create sustainable business structures for livelihoods in the sport and to deliver long term sponsorship equity. In order to achieve this there was a need for the sailors themselves to embrace an opportunity to create their futures. 'Doug and I remain enthusiastically committed to the sport of sailing. There are a few sailors who have taken the initiative with the league concept. Chris Larson and Gunnar Krantz have given us the hope that the vision of the NSL may serve as an outline for future professional sailing in the US," said Dick DeVos. " It has worked in other countries and we feel it will one day be feasible here." "The DeVos's have contributed their time and tremendous resources to our sport for many years," said Linda Lindquist, President/CEO of the NSL. "They should be commended for their efforts and their vision by all of us who work in the industry and who love competitive racing at the highest levels." SWEDISH MATCH TOUR AUCKLAND, New Zealand - "Today was a special day," said Frenchman Bertrand Pace, as he stepped ashore after winning the Steinlager Line 7 Cup on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. The skipper of the America's Cup challenger Le Defi Francais had put up a very convincing performance, to beat Team New Zealand sailor Cameron Appleton in three straight races. Asked about how he kept up the passion for sailing after grinding his way through five months of the Louis Vuitton Cup, he said he had been for a holiday in New Caledonia with his family. "Now I am happy to sail a small boat, after six months of sailing the big America's Cup class boats," he said, and plans more events on the Swedish Match Tour this year. From Auckland he and his crew fly straight to Perth for the Sun Microsystems Australia Cup, which starts on Tuesday, the second of eight events on this grand prix Tour that is attracting most of the major America's Cup teams. The conditions on the Waitemata Harbour were indeed tricky on Saturday, with a fickle southerly breeze, and a strong outgoing tide giving the tacticians a real headache. In the opening race the French team came off the starting line well, and found their own private gust of wind that accelerated them into a handy lead, which Appleton was never able to threaten. In fact the Team New Zealand crew also managed to find a completely windless patch on the second lap, letting Pace sail away to a 4 minute, 7 second win. The second match was much tighter, with the Frenchman only 34 seconds ahead at the first mark, and the locals fighting back to force a neck-and-neck duel down the last leg, with the French taking the gun by just four seconds. With his back against the wall in the first-to-win-three final series, Appleton and his crew came into the pre-start manoeuvring of the third race with all guns blazing, and threw some very aggressive moves at the French. Pace was superbly calm under pressure, and managed to grab the initiative in the final second before the start, to lead off the line, and by the first mark had established a 17 second advantage, which he built on for a winning margin of 59 seconds. In the all Kiwi sail off for third and fourth places, Team New Zealand's new "golden boy" Dean Barker, won a very hard fought best-of-three race series against AmericaOne's Gavin Brady, by two races to one. - John Roberson FINAL OVERALL POSITIONS: 1. Bertrand Pace (France) 2. Cameron Appleton (New Zealand) 3. Dean Barker (New Zealand) 4. Gavin Brady (New Zealand) 5. Chris Dickson (New Zealand) 6. Andy Green (Britain) 7. Peter Holmberg (US Virgin Islands) 8. Peter Gilmour (Japan) 9. Magnus Holmberg (Sweden) 10. Jes Gram-Hansen (Denmark) 49ER WORLDS The 49er Worlds just completed brought together 57 of the top teams in the world, from 24 countries. In addition to being the most important event of the 2000 season before the Sydney Olympics, it had the added significance of picking the final 6 Olympic spots. Despite never before hosting a major sailing event, the venue at the Sonora Bay Club Med resort proved excellent, with beautiful sailing on the Sea of Cortez, and plenty to do after the work day ended. -- Charlie McKee Final Results: 1. ESP - SANTIAGO LOPEZ-VAZQUEZ / J.DE LA PLATA (37 points) 2. GER - MARCUS BAUR / P.BARTH (47) 3. FIN - THOMAS JOHANSON / J.JARVI (49) 4. DEN - MICHAEL HESTBAEK / J.PERSSON (50) 5. AUS - CHRIS NICHOLSON / D.PHILLIPS (60) 6. USA - JONATHAN MCKEE / C.MCKEE (70) 13. USA - ANDY MACK / A.LOWRY (122) 18. CAN - BETTINA BAYLIS / T.BAYLIS (142). Event website: http://www.49erworlds2000.org/ BILL KOCH Bill Koch's recently published America's Cup story stirred up a fair amount of discussion among 'Butt readers. In Sunday's issue of the New York Times, Herb McCormick offers some insight about that piece. Here are a few brief excerpts from McCormick's story.) During the recent challenger trials and cup finals in Auckland, Koch was everywhere. After failing to secure cup assignments from some stateside television and newspaper outlets, Koch hired his own television production crew and, at his own cost, filed about a dozen segments with the New Zealand cup broadcaster, TV1. He also contributed several articles to the country's largest newspaper, The New Zealand Herald. "I wanted to find some way to participate without spending $70 million," said Koch, in reference to the budget for his '92 effort. "I thought as a journalist I could look at it from a unique, different viewpoint that would make for some interesting stories." Koch also rode along as the unofficial 17th crewman for a day aboard Paul Cayard's America One and Dennis Conner's Stars and Stripes, and contributed $100,000 to each campaign. Angela Koch, his wife, assumed the same role aboard Dawn Riley's America True, and Riley received a $200,000 donation. "In most people's scheme of things they were large contributions," Koch said, "but they weren't for the America's Cup." It was Koch's most recent written contribution, however, that has created a stir. Koch said that he first offered his article raising questions about Team New Zealand's fund-raising strategy to The Herald and that they had agreed to publish it during the week of March 13. Within days, Koch was informed that The Herald had rejected his article. He then offered it to The Independent and The National Business Review, which published the story on March 15 and 17, respectively. Scuttlebutt published it on March 16. In it, Koch tallies up published and estimated licensing and sponsorship income from the regatta, which he put at $26 million, and expenses for the event's administration, which he put at about $1 million. How much cash Team New Zealand accrued and where it went has been the subject of speculation along the Auckland waterfront for months. In a front-page article detailing a schism between the syndicate's sailing and administrative arms in February, just days before the first cup race, The Herald reported, "This rift is believed to be over money and management's approach." -- Herb McCormick, NY Times Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/library/sports/outdoors/032600boat-koch.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude personal attacks. But only one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From John Skinner -- One sentence in Peter Bentley's 3/24/00 commentary precipitated this note. He stated "Sailing in Sidney Harbor would hardly be attractive to anybody....if it were contested in Fireflies or 8-meters." I disagree. The thought of seeing a fleet of 25 8-Meters racing is very intriguing to me. The reason I'm writing this note is that I haven't seen much discussion regarding the negative impacts that duplicative one-design fleets, that fill similar niches, have on our sport. Because of this duplication, it is very difficult to field 20-boat fleets at the local level. Instead of sponsoring new design competitions, in the same manner that gave our sport the Contender, the Tempest, and the Soling, while by-passing the Etchells, the ISAF would better serve us by supporting fewer classes and instituting seeding, or rating mechanisms so that sailors can compete against those with similar skill levels in existing one-design classes. Such a mechanism could address many of the issues discussed in this newsletter such as pro vs. amateur events and circuits, owner-driver rules, and increased participation in our sport. -- From Sir Peter Johnson -- May I take a few lines of your esteemed newsletter to reassure my sailing friends around the world that the intemperate piece about the America's Cup by Peter Johnstone is nothing to do with me. As a yachting historian, I am amused that a number of your other correspondents insist that the America's Cup is not what it was. It never was. -- From Bruce Van Deventer -- Peter Johnstone needs to learn that a sailboat race where the competitors are on the same tack for a couple days is a sailboat race that's way too long. How that can possibly compare to the America's Cup is beyond me. -- From Herb Garcia (re Peter Johnstone's comments) -- I can't imagine anything less relevant to most sailors lives than the AC. 30 million dollars min. for a marginally competitive campaign? How many competitive Laser campaigns can you buy for that and still have enough money left over to fix PHRF (snicker)? Johnstone is dead on; boring sailing, boring intrigue, boring jingoism (Kiwi and US the worst offenders), and frankly boring technology at least as it relates to "normal people". The real innovations that will affect the boats most people sail, from dinghies to PHRF are happening in the dinghy development classes. For exciting racing how about the Mini-Transat, I14, Volvo, etc.? Thrills, spills, adventure, all at an affordable price. As for the AC, two more years only? Can't they make it four again? -- From Douglas Holthaus -- Where does Peter Huston get off describing Prada's lawyers as "bottom feeding scum"? He sounds like someone who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and hates the legal profession as a result. Prada's legal budget was negligible in the big picture but its legal counsel served the indispensable role of ensuring that governing rules were understood and complied with. Given the impact of a misunderstanding of these sometimes confusing rules -- Team DC's rudder misstep is an excellent example -- going to the America's Cup without a lawyer would be the equivalent of representing oneself at a murder trial. -- From Bill Trenkle, Team Dennis Conner (Edited to our 250-word limit) -- Peter Johnstone may have been trying to be funny but his remarks were very insulting to the many sailors who enjoy the America's Cup and to those of us who participate in the event. I would love to have had you on board the Stars & Stripes with us racing down wind to the finish line in 25 to 30 knots with Cayard right up our butt in a full on battle royal and have you tell me this is not sailing, this is not sport, this is boring. The Volvo will be a great race. But getting the reports of 1 mile gains here and there every six hours and occasional footage and photos e mailed off the boats cannot compare with the America's Cup action from NZ . The Race will be awesome. If I did not have two children who depend on my life I would do it in a heartbeat. Bashing the America's Cup does not enhance the other events. They are all different and unique and have their pros and cons. There are thousands of non-sailors who like our sport, enjoy following it and enjoy the variety. By the way the wealthy individuals that put their money into the event do because of the challenge not for ego. They do it because the America's Cup is hard to win and they usually have conquered some other major mountains in their life and they want to try another. -- From Tim Prophit -- Having recently returned from the Heineken Regatta, in St. Maarten, I found it interesting there were sponsored, amateur teams from Holland. Also, a few years ago, a French sailor who transferred to Michigan for business reasons, explained to me it was very common in France, as well as other European countries, for amateurs to receive sponsorship money. Yet, in the US, there is this old school, hidden behind the mantle of corinthianism, school of thought that discourages any such practice. At the same time, many of these same people are bemoaning the decline in participation in sailing, and/or bitching about having to race against "pros" in "their" regattas. Having participated in the Mumm 36, Mumm 30 and OD 35 classes in the past 5 years, as an amateur, I can say I learned more about sailboat racing from competing against the "pros" than I would have had I not had the opportunity to sail against them. I'm not claiming to be smart enough to have all the answers, but, I find it curious that amateur level sponsorship, and participation, are much higher in European countries than in North America. Since most of the sponsorship efforts in North America seems to be focused on really, one event, the America's Cup, I'm wondering if a shift to the European way of sailboat racing sponsorship is worth a good hard look here. -- From Larry Edwards (re: Richard Hazelton comments on Laurie Davidson - 'Butt #533) -- Laurie Davidson is a delightful man and a pleasure to talk to, but he should stop spouting the TNZ party line about the AC being a "club" event. If NZ's Cup defense wasn't a national, corporate program, what was it? Particularly considering that the national government helped to underwrite the defense. Funds coming from the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron wouldn't have bought them one new boat, let alone two. In the America's Cup today, the yacht clubs are virtual figure heads, a formality required by the Deed of Gift. Corporate money provides the bulk of the financing and the syndicates call the shots. (Don't for a minute believe that Patrizio Bertelli spent his own money on the Prada campaign or that Punta Ala YC had any control over the Prada challenge.) If key U.S. players could suppress their egos and produce a true national effort under the burgee of a single yacht club (There's the rub: which club?), there's nothing in the rules to stop them. As Cayard said, the other challengers benefit from a factionalized, diluted American effort (not "deluded" as some journalists quoted him as saying). -- From Heather Flick -- Are these re-transmitted Scuttlebutts known as re-butt-als? TORNADO OLYMPIC TRIALS Santa Cruz YC (18 boats) - . The first two races of the 16 race series were completed in winds that of 15 knots in the first race and 15 to 22 knots in the second race. Race 1 saw a 30 degree wind shift on the first upwind leg, which caught several boats on the wrong side. John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree were among the boats caught out, rounding the weather mark in 8th. At the end of the race, the win went to Lars Guck and PJ Schaffer of Rhode Island, with John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree in 2nd. Leaders after four races: 1. Lovell/Ogletree (6 points) 2. Guck/Schaffer (8) 3. Sweeney/Sweeney (16) 4. Feeny/Farrar (17) 5. McCarthy/Thomas (17) The winners of the Tornado Trials will join the first members of the USA's 2000 Olympic Team - Yachting determined last October: Mistral boardsailors Lanee Butler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and Mike Gebhardt (Ft. Pierce, Fla.); the 470 Men's team of Paul Foerster (Garland, Texas) with Bob Merrick (Portsmouth, R.I.); the 470 Women's team of JJ Isler (La Jolla, Calif.) with Pease Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.); and brothers Jonathan McKee and Charlie McKee (both Seattle, Wash.) in the 49er. Complete results: http://www.scyc.org/racing/torresults.html THE RACE In Vannes, France the fifty employees at the Multiplast yard are putting the finishing touches to the maxi-catamaran CLUB MED whose launching is still scheduled for the end of April. The catamaran1s platform is now assembled. The two 33.50 m hulls are joined by the two carbon fibre crossbeams of almost 17 metres wingspan, revealing the true dimensions of this new giant of the seas. Remaining to be done is the paintwork, the fabrication of rudders and daggerboards, the finishing of the interior accommodations, the electricity and electronics. Then the boat will be decorated in the livery of its partners and finally the deck hardware will be fitted. The boat will be launched and rigged at the end of April in front of the Multiplast yard. She will then be based in La Trinite-sur-Mer ready to start working up and crew training from early May onwards. Club Med will be flying the colours of the Danone Group and its drink ACTIMEL, the morning health gesture. ACTIMEL and EVIAN will be the official drinks of the crew. -- Pierre Giboire Pictures: http://www.clubmed.com THE RACE website: http://www.therace.org/english/ OLYMPICS SYDNEY- The future of the dispute over the nomination of the 49er skiff crew for the Australian Olympic sailing team will remain uncertain until the rejected crew, Adam Beashel and Teague Czislowski, receive an explanation from the Australian Yachting Federation. "We are in no position to make any decision on whether to proceed with our appeal until we receive from the AYF their reasons for not nominating us for the Olympic team," Czislowski said this week. "I am bitterly disappointed with this decision, as I still don't understand how they (the AYF) think Nicholson is a better medal prospect than ourselves when we have just won the Olympic Trials," Beashel said in an e-mail to friends after the AYF announced last weekend that it was standing by its decision to nominate world champion Chris Nicholson and Daniel Phillips for the 49er position on the team. -- Rob Mundle, Grand Prix Sailor Full story: http://www.sailingworld.com/gps/2000/0323/ TROUBLE IN PARADISE? AUCKLAND, NZ - The next America's Cup reaches a crunch point this week, with star sailors and their financial backers in delicate negotiations to confirm their part in the 2003 defence. Underpinning the urgency is the fact that Team New Zealand members receive their last pay this week, with contracts ending on Friday. Young skipper Dean Barker is one who is uncertain about his future. Yesterday, one of the key players taking over the defence, Brad Butterworth, said: "Getting things sorted out is a priority if we are to avoid a serious situation which could easily go bad. "I, like others, have had offers from elsewhere. We want to stay in New Zealand, but we have to think of our families." After finishing third in an Auckland match-racing regatta at the weekend, and before heading to Perth for today's Australia Cup regatta, star skipper Barker said Team NZ's future was uncertain. He even hinted that another - perhaps overseas-based - New Zealand syndicate might be formed to challenge for the America's Cup in 2002-03. The talks are expected to peak in the next 48 hours. "The problem at the moment is all about funding. Around $40 to $50 million was spent in this campaign. That will be higher next time. We will have to pay more to retain key people," Butterworth said. -- Terry Maddaford, NZ Herald Full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=128065&thesection=news&th US SAILING The US Sailing Spring Meeting is completed. From three candidates the nominating committee has nominated Dave Rosekrans to succeed James Muldoon as the next president, to take office at the October meeting. Additional information: http://www.ussailing.org/ THE CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS Have you ever imagined a world without hypothetical situations? |
