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SCUTTLEBUTT 2490 – December 6, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. BLACK YACHTSMEN PROMOTE SAILING AND DREAMS When Paul Mixon, 65, got hooked on sailing 30 years ago, he never expected that one day he'd be the organizer of a popular annual flotilla in the British Virgin Islands. But his instant love of the sport gave rise to a dream of introducing sailing to more African Americans, long a minority in the sailing community. "Since the industry is missing the boat, not targeting African Americans," he said, "why don't I target African Americans and have them go sailing with me?" Mixon's good friend, Captain Bill Pinkney, 71, had his own sailing dreams. In 1985, Pinkney began planning a remarkable solo voyage around the world. In August 1990, at the age of 54, Pinkney left Boston on his 47-foot (14-meter) cutter, Commitment. Opting for the more challenging southern route, his journey took him to Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Uruguay, and Bermuda—and through tropical storms, 70-mile-an-hour (110-kilometer-an-hour) winds, and 55-foot (17-meter) waves. After 22 months and 32,000 nautical miles, he sailed safely back to Boston's harbor, becoming the first African American to sail the world alone. After being introduced by a mutual friend years ago, Mixon and Pinkney planned how they could work together to attract African Americans to sailing. Mixon used his entrepreneurial skills to organize the effort, and Pinkney used his reputation as a master sailor and a positive role model to draw people to the trips. Today Mixon, of San Francisco, and Pinkney, who lives in Connecticut, share their sailing dreams with others through the Black Boaters Summit, an annual summer event in the British Virgin Islands. -- Complete story: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lifedreams/mixon_pinkney/profile.html * The 11th Annual Black Boaters Summit will be held in the US & British Virgin Islands on August 1-10, 2008. Here is a promotional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yANF6mGm0vk MULTIHULL COUNCIL STRATEGIZE FOR THE FUTURE by John Williams, Chair, US SAILING Multihull Council (December 5, 2007) The US SAILING Multihull Council had a very good two-and-a-half hour teleconference on Tuesday, December 4th to discuss recent US SAILING and ISAF decisions regarding the elimination of a multihull event for the 2012 Olympic games. The Tornado, Nacra, Hobie, F18, and A-cat classes were all represented, as were several open catamaran and trimaran fleets, sailing clubs, manufacturers, and organizers. After some debate it was agreed that, for the betterment of sailing nationally and in the long term, having a multihull in the Olympics should remain a priority. Rather than withdrawing from the national organization (which was an option under serious discussion), the Council is embarking on a multilevel strategy of working with international counterparts to support efforts to reverse the ISAF Council’s decision, expanding the volunteer base within the US to more effectively advocate for the interests of the discipline, and working toward a wider acceptance of the idea that all Olympic sailing disciplines are in jeopardy and consideration for the future of the sport must take precedence over narrower interests both in the US and worldwide. QUOTE / UNQUOTE Jane Eagleson, spokesperson for the BMW Oracle Racing team, on the prospects of the next America’s Cup being in catamarans next summer: “We hope (Alinghi) will agree to negotiate a mutual-consent regatta for 2009, but we can’t wait forever. We can’t keep running parallel design programs (for a monohull and multi-hull) indefinitely. We’ve gone as far as we can in preparation for the design work. But very soon we’ll have to flip the switch on construction. It takes a while to build a boat, and then we need time to test it.” -- Detroit Free Press, complete story: http://tinyurl.com/2y963w * For those America’s Cup aficionados that enjoy the minutia, here is the most recent proposal from BMW Oracle Racing dated December 4th that was sent to defender Alinghi, outlining the revisions desired for the current Protocol, and essentially providing the game plan for getting the 33rd America’s Cup back on track for 2009. At the end of the proposal, CEO Russell Coutts reiterates the position that Eagleson states above, that being that the time is near for Alinghi to either “sh&t or get off the pot.” Enjoy: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1204 STRONG FLEET PLANNED FOR VALLARTA RACE West coast long distance racing is on the rise again, as twenty boats are Now committed for the 28th biennial Vallarta Race 2008. This 1000-mile dash hosted by San Diego Yacht Club will conclude at the picturesque destination port of Nuevo Vallarta, just minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Among the recent sign-ups include James/Chris Gilmore's Columbia 30 Uncontrollable Urge, Bill Turpin's Reichel Pugh 77' Akela 77, and Mike Campbell/ Dale Williams' Kernan 70 Peligroso, and there are 30 additional boats on the fence. Some of the new aspects of the race include the collaboration with Vallarta Yacht Club (host of the 2007 J-24 Worlds), where VYC members will greet each yacht with the warmth and hospitality that the Mexican mainland is known for. Also, the Mexican Offshore Racing Circuit (MEXORC) will be hosted at Vallarta YC, and will follow the conclusion of the 2008 Vallarta Race on March 2-7, 2008. Complete details at https://www.sdyc.org/pv BARCELONA WORLD RACE Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles) (Day 25 - December 5, 2007) With the two leaders now "officially" in the South, the Barcelona World Race is entering a new phase with stronger winds, darker skies, and the promise of rougher seas. PRB still maintains a 34-mile lead over Paprec-Virbac 2, and both crews are now below 40 degrees South, while Veolia Environnement is at the threshold of the Roaring mythical latitude. Now that the bulk of the fleet is heading straight towards the first ice gate (1350 miles in front of PRB's bow), the pursuers are in a better position since the St Helena high moved, allowing them to "take a shortcut" to the east, gaining precious miles in the process. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com Positions at 18:00 GMT - Distance to leader (+gain/-loss over previous day) 1-PRB, Vincent Riou (FRA)/Sébastien Josse (FRA), 18,823 DTF (+333) 2-Paprec-Virbac 2, Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA)/Damian Foxall (IRE), 32 mi (0) 3-Veolia Environnement, Roland Jourdain(FRA)/Jean-Luc Nélias(FRA), 177 (-3) 4-Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson (GBR)/Andrew Cape (AUS), 255 (+32) 5-Delta Dore, Jérémie Beyou (FRA)/Sidney Gavignet (FRA), 312 (+57) 6-Temenos II, Dominique Wavre (SUI)/Michéle Paret (FRA), 501 (+31) 7-Estrella Damm, Guillermo Altadill (ESP)/Jonathan McKee (USA), 807 (+31) 8-Mutua Madrilena, Javier Sanso Windmann (ESP)/Pachi Rivero (ESP), 814 (-27) 9-Educación sin Fronteras, Bargués (ESP)/ Escoffier (FRA), 1279 (-113) * (December 5, 2007 – 17:32 UTC) Stronger winds have returned on the twelfth day of Francis Joyon’s solo round the world record attempt from Brest, France, pushing his 24-hour speed average up to 21.8 knots and distance covered to 523 miles. Joyon’s advance over Ellen Macarthur’s record pace in 2005 has risen as well, climbing nearly 150 miles to 925.5. Joyon’s position has him approximately mid-fleet amongst the BWR Open 60’s, though his route is a bit more northerly. -- http://www.trimaran-idec.com * (December 5, 2007 – 18:00 UTC) Pretty much all the Open 60 fleet in the Transat Ecover BtoB have hit the trades now, with Loick Peyron onboard Gitana Eighty leading the way and heading due North towards the Canaries at 14.4 knots, with 2482 miles from the finish. Brit Air’s skipper Armel Le Cleac'h is heading towards the Cape Verde archipelago after dismasting shortly before lunchtime UTC, whilst sailing in the tradewinds again. -- http://www.transatecoverbtob.com SAILING SHORTS * The Notice of Race for US SAILING's 2008 Rolex Miami OCR has been posted on the event website and online registration has begun. Scheduled for its 19th edition over January 27 to February 2, the International Sailing Federation Grade One ranking event will host racing for four of 11 Olympic classes (Laser, Laser Radial, Star, and Yngling) and Paralympic hopefuls in all three of their classes (2.4mR, SKUD-18, and Sonar) chosen for the 2008 Games in Qingdao, China (seven Olympic classes were eliminated due to overseas conflicts.). Competitors must register before January 21, 2008 to receive discounted entry fees. -- http://www.RolexMiamiOCR.org * US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) is seeking nominations for the 2007 Coaches of the Year Awards. The awards are a part of the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Coach Recognition Program - a national program designed to highlight the contributions of coaches who train athletes at all levels and to elevate the status of coaching as a profession. Nominations from the public in four categories will be accepted until January 4, 2008. -- Complete details: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2007/coachaward.asp * US SAILING has presented its Harman Hawkins Trophy for excellence in race management to Mary Savage (Larchmont, N.Y.). Presented annually, US SAILING's Harman Hawkins Trophy is awarded to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the sport of sailing in the field of Race Administration (Judging, Umpiring, Race Management, Appeals, Racing Rules, and Competitor Classification). -- Complete report: http://www.ussailing.org/raceadmin/hhawkins/index.asp * French skippers Mathieu Richard and Claire Leroy both hold on to the Open and Women’s top spot in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings released December 5th. The ranking system assigns points dependent on each sailor’s results, with greater emphasis given to events that include more top ranked sailors. These rankings are then used to gain entrance in future match race events. – Complete report: http://www.sailing.org/21628.php?PHPSESSID=4e23ea87596aab8af613a9a02fefabc9 MULTIHULLS FINISH ON TOP WITH ULLMAN SAILS Florida’s Ullman Sails customers continue to dominate the Multihull classes, winning both Corsair 24 and Corsair 28R fleets in the Marco Island Fall Regatta, November 17, 2007. Tom Reese and his team on “Flight Simulator” won the Corsair 28R fleet, followed by Katherine Garlick’s “Evolution” in second, and Robert Onsguard’s “Fifty Fifty” in third. All three competed with 100% Ullman inventory. Ed Dixon’s Corsair 24 “Tri Power” also finished in first place using all Ullman Sails. Make sure YOU get the best performance, speed, and durability out of your sails. Contact a local Ullman Sails loft and visit http://www.ullmansails.com EIGHT BELLS * Davey Glander, who raced in the 2006 Pacific Cup and 2007 Transpac, and had been a member of Dennis Conners’ past America’s Cup efforts, passed away on November 17 at the age of 49. A celebration of his life will be held Saturday December 8th at 10:00 am at his favorite beach, 1st Street in Manhattan Beach, CA. -- Map of beach: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/07/mb.jpg * Annapolis sailor Mike McDonough went sailing late week aboard Valkyrie, the iconic Owens 39 he purchased last year. He set off singlehanded from his Back Creek base. His girlfriend's bike was secured to the lifelines and all signs indicate that this was to be a simple singlehanded session in unseasonably mild, late November conditions. Valkyrie was found with her sails up and no one aboard against the Bay Bridge around 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening, November 30. After search of several days, McDonough's body was found yesterday morning off Kent Island. Details are sketchy but preliminary reports indicate that he drowned. -- Floatline, read on: http://www.floatline.com/floatline/2007/12/weve-lost-one-o.html VIDEO OF THE WEEK The aim of the SAILROCKET project is to set the outright world speed sailing record and become the fastest sailing vessel ever, and on November 27th 2007, SAILROCKET leapt into the speed sailing arena and posted a 42.4-knot top speed in Namibia. What is most impressive is only four days earlier, the craft had broken in half on this same stretch of beach. With visas and funding running out for the team, they worked around the clock to repair her in the slim hope that the wind would blow on their last day. Walvis Bay didn't disappoint, and on the final run, they rattled off the impressive run that is shown here in this 4:31 minute video Also, if you have a video you like, please send us your suggestions for next week’s Video of the Week. Click here for this week’s video: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/07/1203 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Here are a few of the events that are coming up: Dec 7 - 51st Annual Wirth Munroe Race - Palm Beach, FL, USA Dec 8-9 - Catalina 22 Florida State Championship - Cocoa, FL, USA Dec 8-9 - Jaguar Cup Series - Piana Cup Regatta - Miami, FL, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Rich Jepsen, Chair US SAILING Education Division, owner OCSC Sailing: In reply to Bruce Thompson (in Issue 2488) concerning instructor certification requirements- I won't comment on Bruce Thompson's remarks concerning US SAILING's organizational/ management model being 'hierarchical' rather than 'distributed knowledge', however, I can comment on the importance of having those who coach and teach our youth be properly qualified and evaluated for the job. While I realize I'm biased as the Chair of US SAILING's Education Division, I also run a sailing school and personally hire each of my instructors. Many of them have the level of background and skill that Mr. Thompson has (I have several 60 something instructors who have sailed all their lives). Each of them dutifully goes through US SAILING keelboat instructor training and comes out the other side enthusiastic about the tips and techniques they picked up. They had a formal evaluation of their skills, rubbed elbows with other schools' candidates, and spent time with extraordinarily gifted instructor trainers. Standards and Certifications are a way of life in all professions. I realize the perspective of a volunteer might make it seem 'over the top', but most Level 1 certified instructors of every age (Corinthian or professional) will say that they learned some valuable and useable lessons on risk management, learning psychology, rescue techniques, etc. * From Jim Mahaffy: The letter in Issue 2489 that states that Jack Bailey's 12 meter Newsboy sat in Marina Del Rey is not correct! The 12 meter sat on a mooring in front of Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach, CA for at least 20 years. I was there when it was sold to the museum in Newport, RI and watched it being disassembled for shipment to the east. I also knew Jack and I also saw it in the east coast Newport and their literature says that it came from Newport Beach, not Marina del Rey. But yes there was a piano on it! Jack liked to say that you were just beaten by a boat with a piano. * From Ryan Hamm, Charleston, SC: Thanks for the words from Pedro Bello Vozone (in Issue 2486). Until his commentary, I have only heard how bad these 90 foot sleds will be for match racing. As someone who has raced Melges 24s and other speed boats, I can tell you lead changes can and will happen. Jybes will be more exciting. They probably won't need more crew. Taking a flyer when way behind will have a better chance of reaping rewards if you get to the pressure first. What drags down the Cup is not the types of boats used; it is the types of people who can't agree on anything, but this is nothing new at least for the 30 or so years I have been following it. * From Jesse Fradkin: It was not so long ago that some of us were up in arms at the unsafe aspect of racing high-speed sailboats that were too lightweight. In the all encompassing drive toward speed at any cost, the Volvo Race seemed to exemplify the plight of racers when boat design had weighted speed and saving weight primary and responsible design application secondary. Admittedly that was for around the world ocean going racers, an entirely different animal than the match racing of the America's Cup. Still, this sailor for one, foresees problems if the new America's Cup boats increase their size to ninety feet, decrease their weight to potentially disastrous lows, and are able to power up to obscene speeds in light breeze. It has always been the relativity of speed on a sailboat that brings the thrill of racing. Historically, sailboats have not been meant to go as fast as cars on the highway. If this irresponsible trend continues, this curmudgeon imagines more catastrophic breakdowns at sea and on the race course, potentially imperiling the lives of the racing sailors. Safety and not speed should be considered first. Let the Cup be a real competition of sailing, not just who can spend the most money on unproven high tech lightweight boat construction of dubious long term seaworthiness. CURMUDGEON’S FREUDIAN SLIP In Issue 2489, our polling results for the best boat to be used in the 33rd America’s Cup included an unintended slip of the tongue, where we wrote “parody” instead of “parity.” However, the ‘buttheads are now wondering if we were right the first time. Here are some samples: * From Zane Murdoch: Joe Public really would rather forego the parody that is the debate on the nature of the 33rd AC... and keep the parity that was evident in the 32nd AC. * From Rick Hatch: The America's Cup may indeed be a parody of the "friendly competition between foreign countries" envisaged by the settler of the Cup (George Schulyer); however, Joe Public is more interested in PARITY! -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2007/12/parity-or-parody.html * From David Tabor: Hmmm. I'm wondering if "parody" was a Freudian slip, or an intentional JAB at the current state of affairs. Perhaps "parity" among the contenders is what the Alinghi group fears. And once again spell check isn't a fix for grammatical errors, but in this case I kinda like the results! * From David Eisenberg, Leawood, KS: I'm sure you meant "parity"; but then again, "parody" seems a much more appropriate way to describe the boat selection process for the next Cup. You'd have thought that years ago, we all learned that Stupid Lawyer Tricks (i.e. trying to rig the deck with a 120-foot behemoth; trumped by smarter lawyers and a much faster catamaran) don't win boat races, and are unlikely to produce a competition that will be of interest to anyone. Alinghi somehow failed to learn this lesson, and this latest round of legal gamesmanship has fallen equally flat. We're now left with trying to pick up the pieces. * From Gary Schmidt, Chesapeake Bay, MD: While the current AC mess may well result in a ridiculous imitation of prior competitions, I doubt Joe Public wants to see a parody on the water in AC 33. I believe the word the writer meant to use is parity? SCUTTLEBUTT 2500 CELEBRATION Unbelievable to think that Issue 2500 is just two weeks away. After ten years, publishing five newsletters each week, that is about 7.5 million words directed at the sport of sailing. To mark the moment, we wanted to celebrate the 2007 sailing season, and find out what regatta you enjoyed the most this year. Great results, great party, great weather, great friends, great whatever…tell us about it, and you’ll be automatically entered to win some great giveaways. Go to http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5603 CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located among millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue as to where millions of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of Immigration? Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises and Ullman Sails. A complete list of Scuttlebutt’s preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
