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SCUTTLEBUTT #493 - January 31, 2000OLYMPIC CLASSES REGATTAMIAMI, FLA. (January 29, 2000) -- The 11th annual Miami Olympic Classes Regatta brought 295 competitor to Biscayne Bay from 32 countries. Hosts for the Miami OCR were the U.S. Sailing Center; Coral Reef, Key Biscayne and Miami Yacht Clubs; and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. EUROPE The 15-boat Europe fleet added one race today for a series total of 11, including one drop. Soren Johnsen (DEN) never relinquished his lead in this class, and wins the regatta with 14 points overall. Denise Cesky (AUT) finished second with 28 points, and '99 ISAF World Youth Bronze Medalist Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) is third with 40. FINN The 28-boat Finn class ended their series with 11 races after the addition of one race today. Counting one drop, Richard Clarke (CAN) wins the event with 23 points. Philippe Rogge (BEL) places second with 40 points, while Mark Herrmann (Seattle, Wash.) takes third place overall with 44 points. LASER Today's single race gives the 62-boat Laser fleet a series total of 11, counting one drop in overall scoring. Karl Suneson (SWE) wins the regatta with 45 points, followed by Serge Kats (NED) with 57 points. Placing third is '99 Pan Am Games Silver Medalist Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) with 58 points. MISTRAL The addition of one race in the 11-board Mistral fleet saw only a slight shake-up in the leaders of this class. Japanese boardsailors Suzuki Kazuyoshi and Keisuke Ogawa traded the lead throughout the event and end the series tied at 11 points apiece. Both sailors had the same number of firsts and seconds, and both dropped a 3rd-place finish, leaving the final standings to be determined by the winner of the last race -- Kazuyoshi. Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.) retained his lock on third with 22 points overall. SOLING The 16-boat Soling fleet sailed a match-race series only: 1. Andy Beadsworth / Richard Sydenham / Barry Parkin, GBR (14 points), 2. Hans Wallen / Johan Barne / Auguston Magnus, SWE (12) 3. Jeff Madrigali / Craig Healy / Hartwell Jordan, USA (11.5) STAR Light air did not allow any races to be completed today in the 50-boat Star fleet resulting in yesterday's standings determining the final winners for the event. Marc Pickel and Thomas Auracher (GER) retain first place with 11 points, followed by Australia's representatives to the 2000 Olympic Regatta, Colin Beashel and David Giles, in second with 22 points. '92 Star Olympic Bronze Medalist Ross MacDonald and Kai Bjorn (Canada) finish the regatta in third place overall with 23points. Top U.S. finishers are Mark Reynolds and Magnus Liljedahl (San Diego, Calif./Miami, Fla.) in fourth place with 28 points. Tornado Concluding their series with 2 races today for a series total of 12, counting one drop earned the championship title for '96 Olympians John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree (New Orleans, La./Newport Beach, Calif.) in the 13-boat Tornado fleet. Placing 1-6 in today's racing, Lovell and Ogletree complete the series with 22 points, while finishes of 2-5 by Lars Guck and PJ Schaffer (both Bristol, R.I.), earned them 28 points and second place overall for the event. Robbie Daniel and Jacques Bernier (Clearwater/Daytona, Fla.) remained in third place after placing 6-(9) today for a total of 39 points overall. Complete results: http://www.ussailing.org BIGGER, BETTER, BRIGHTER Who do you call when you want custom sail graphics to make a statement?? Easy. See who the leaders in racing like Sagamore, Sayonara, Samba Pa Ti, Playstation and Stars&Stripes have in common. They entrusted their sail graphics to North Graphics. And better yet, they can do the same for you on your Catalina 27, 1D35 or J/105. Try calling Whitney Gladstone and find out how affordable it is to put custom sail graphics on your boat:. (619) 224-8667, http://www.northsails.com/graphics/ LOUIS VUITTON CUP FINALS - RACE 3 * A low-pressure system is approaching the South Island of New Zealand from the West, and that brought strong Northerly gradient conditions to the Hauraki Gulf. Racing started in 18-20 knots of wind, and nearly a two-metre swell. The wind and waves increased throughout the afternoon. The boats were evenly matched early in the race, but the Italians won this race on the downwind legs. Luna Rossa was able to throw a penalty on AmericaOne on the first run, and then extended its lead when AmericaOne tore its spinnaker and lost its headsail over the side on the second downwind leg. Both boats suffered in the punishing conditions, and AmericaOne in particular looked unstable sailing downwind in the swell. The Italians proved to be better prepared for the heavy load day as on the final beat, AmericaOne withdrew from the race after suffering undisclosed damage. -- Keith Taylor, Louis Vuitton Cup website, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ * AmericaOne bowman Greg Prussia was injured while up the mast 45 minutes before the start of today's race. He suffered deep bruises to both his arms and right leg, but had no broken bones. He was injured when returning to deck from the masthead, where he and mid-bowman Curtis Blewett were working on the mainsail halyard Prussia, 37, was hospitalised briefly before being sent home to recover, which is expected to take at least two days. "Greg swung away from the mast, then slammed back into it twice. He caught the rig the second time," said Blewett. After Prussia was taken from the boat, his replacement Ralf Steitz was flown by helicopter to nearby Gulf Harbour, then ferried to AmericaOne aboard an inflatable boat in time for the race. -- Larry Edwards, http://www.americascup.org/ RACE 3 QUOTES * Paul Cayard, skipper of AmericaOne, on problems encountered: "We had trouble with the main halyard, then we lost the bowman. Then we had some problems with the boomvang on the first run. The jib halyard was off the lock(then) a little problem with the mast - basically it was damaged severely - and I decided it was a lot smarter to finish with it vertical, even if very damaged, than have it wrapped around the keel." -- http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ * Francesco de Angelis, skipper of Luna Rossa, on gear breakages: "Today we did not break anything. We of course had to take care of all the stuff onboard just to avoid any damage that could happen in those conditions. So, we just tried to take care of the boat." -- http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ RACE 3 OBSERVATIONS "The Prada syndicate is showing the benefits of a longer development and tuning lead time. Not many people would have said that the Italians with the Brazilian tactician could have sailed around the track like they did today. Francesco de Angelis can be very happy and, in fact, very proud of his team tonight. He also knows that tomorrow's another day, but he and his team have that extra point under their belts, and no one can take it away from them." -- John Bertrand, http://www.americascup.org/ * "AmericaOne is on the ropes with their mast problems. That's a dire circumstance to be in. If I were Paul I would be seeking whatever corporate support I could to have more masts built. I can imagine what he's feeling like just now - he has to learn from today but at the same time just put it behind him." -- Peter Gilmour, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com/ LOUIS VUITTON CUP - RACE 4 AmericaOne suffered a heartbreaking loss today when Luna Rossa won the race in the last two minutes of the final run. The Italians leap out to a 3-1 lead in the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals with the win. AmericaOne looked strong in this race,looking to even up the series. After the start of Race Four, the two boats sailed out to the port tack layline, sailing side by side for almost the entire leg. If that proved anything, it showed that in the 20-knot breeze, there is not a lot to choose from between the boats - a credit to AmericaOne, forced into sailing with a different mast. Cayard had tacked on the layline first, and by virtue of that, he led Francesco de Angelis by two boatlengths around the top mark. On the first run, AmericaOne showed it meant business. As Luna Rossa rolled over it to windward, Cayard started to luff to protect his position. In a scene witnessed many times in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the AmericaOne spinnaker burst. But this time it was a blessing in disguise as Cayard, relieved of the burden of a spinnaker, luffed Luna Rossa to a tight reach, eventually breaking off to lead around the leeward mark by a substantial 39 seconds. That's the way the race would stay until the final run. AmericaOne carried a 47 second lead around the top mark, but from there, it all went wrong. "On the run it got quite light and Luna Rossa did a nice job of covering us and slowing us up to the layline," AmericaOne tactician John Kostecki said. "Then we did the final gybe into the finish and we felt we did our gybe in front of themand they came in from behind quite quickly. We felt there wasn't a foul there and were quite surprised to get a penalty. Obviously, that determined the race right there." The boats crossed the finish line two minutes later with AmericaOne a nose ahead. But Cayard and his team hadn't completed their penalty turn. Luna Rossa won the race. At the Umpire debriefing later in the evening, it was revealed that one of the Umpires saw the mainsail on AmericaOne graze the spinnaker on Luna Rossa. - Peter Rusch, Louis Vuitton Cup website Full story: http://www.louisvuittoncup.com RACE 4 QUOTES * Torben Grael, tactician on Luna Rossa, on unseamanlike actions: "When they started luffing us on port they were lucky in some ways. They blew their spinnaker, so they had just a mainsail up. They could luff as much as they wanted. We had a spinnaker up; it was [blowing] 20, 25 knots. To luff very hard against the wind with the spinnaker up is not very seamanlike, I will say. We risk damaging our boat in that case. If we have this rule of unseamanlike [actions] when should it be applied?" -- http://www.americascup.org/ * Paul Cayard On whether his actions were unseamanlike, or whether he should have luffed harder: "You guys [the media and Torben Grael] are both dancing on the sides of the issue. It's a delicate situation. [Grael] is saying that at a certain point it becomes unseamanlike to luff a guy with a spinnaker, and that's true. The question is whether he was under control enough that we could have luffed him head to wind slowly and just parked him up there. We knew we shouldn't luff him really hard in a quick manoeuvre there, because there is this rule [unseamanlike actions]. We did what we felt was right. We certainly at times stayed away from him. I don't know where the line is drawn there, as far as what's too much and what's not, for a guy in a situation like that." -- http://www.americascup.org/ RACE 4 OBSERVATIONS * "AmericaOne split yet another spinnaker, its eighth -- it's ridiculous that this team doesn't recognise it has a spinnaker problem. Someone definitely got his sums wrong. Sure, it might be that the sail is supposed to survive in this condition, but this doesn't take into account the kind of street-fight this is all about." -- Chris Law, http://www.americascup.org/ * "They (AmericaOne) did make a mistake not going with them. It's a simple premise of match racing - if you're not sure, stay with the other guy. It seemed to me that there was some genuine indecision on AmericaOnethe most interesting thing for me is the shift of psychological confidence during the race. AmericaOne had it going, but lost it. When your up like that, you have to put it awaysome of the mistakes they made were fairly fundamental." -- Peter Gilmour, http://www.louisvuittoncup.com * "AmericaOne needs to go back to match-racing school; it failed to follow. Prada was on the gain line the whole time, more pressure, closer to the mark, and AmericaOne looked vulnerable, light and soft. The audio explained the team was thinking about changing spinnakers. It must have broken the one it would have favoured for these conditions. If indecision is a sign of anxiety or stress, then the stress-o-meter was off the clock on board AmericaOne. The Americans couldn't decide what to do -- run deep, go high for speed, change spinnakers -- or press the rewind button for this run and wish they'd gybed with Prada, as their schoolteacher would have taught them." -- Chris Law, http://www.americascup.org/ * "These contests are an emotional roller-coaster of incredible magnitude. Paul has been put through the ringer today. So has Francesco. These competitors will be mentally and physically exhausted now. Paul will be absolutely determined and resolute to get on with tomorrow. In this situation, he is very, very tough. Francesco has been around the block before. He knows how proud Cayard is; he knows how good the AmericaOne team is. He is also in the best position: 3-1 up is strong." -- John Bertrand, http://www.americascup.org/ TV SCHEDULE There was no racing on Sunday (Monday in NZ) in honour of Auckland's Anniversary Day, when a big amateur regatta put well over one thousand boats racing around the Hauraki Gulf. The Louis Vuitton Cup resumes today. Race #5 -- ESPN2 - Monday, January 31 at 9:30 PM PST (12:30 AM EST Tuesday, February 1) KEY WEST Key West Race Week clothing needs are minimal. About the only thing you need to take to Florida are sandals, some underwear and, of course, Camet sailing shorts. These days you don't go sailing without these shorts. Not only is the Supplex fast drying, these comfortable and practical shorts definitely have a good look. See for yourself: http://www.camet.com/ 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 Scott Greenawalt -- I understand that this commentary is from Quokka Sports and not authored by scuttlebutt, but I think these guys (Quokka) are really missing the point here. Cayard and company really kept their cool and had the presence of mind to capitalize on changing conditions and opportunities. They showed real maturity. That's why they won. They didn't let the frustration of the moment blind them from opportunities. How many of us haven't "lost it" in flukey air when a lead we had worked so hard to establish evaporated in a unpredictable 30-40 degree shift? That tenacity and level-headedness is what consistanly wins races. I haven't seen that level of maturity in the Italian camp. They seem to either on or off. When things are going well they are incredibly fast. When things go against them they seem to crumble. Look at the differences in the way the syndicate heads have delt with mistakes. Cayard excercises leadership while Patrizio Bertelli resorts to verbal floggins. It will be very interesting to see how they respond today. -- From Doug McLean -- I think "Violet" is a great addition to the boat, and I think she should stay. Does the media have the control to remove her, its their boat, and they should be able to put what they want on the boat. I want to know who drew her - it's a good painting. -- From Rick Hatch -- Violet Rules! It is "pop art", after all, not sexist per se. What if Mighty Mary had some stud fireman (or Chippendale peeler) on display that we never saw in 1995? Any objectors should get a life. -- From Tina Baylis -- After reading about A1's Violet and Prada's superstitions it's no wonder that yachting is still perceived as a sport dominated by male chauvinists- under the guise of upholding tradition, of course. -- From Dick Lemke -- Are you kidding us? Perhaps AmericaOne should spend their time and concentration on winning races, instead of worrying about being "Politically Correct"! Considering that images such as "Violet" were used to defend the right to be "Politically INCORRECT" (WW2) I find it difficult to believe this even appears to be an issue for discussion. Must be a slow day for the press and media ! Maybe we need another hull failure to refocus the media on something that is important. -- From Doug Van Der Aa -- Mr. Bowler's statement on behalf of the designers of Young America is most notable for what it doesn't discuss. OK, I'll accept that the boat broke up and sank on the 9th when an evidently inadequate repair to a key sturctural area of the boat failed. But Mr. notably fails to discuss the original side deck failure which necessitated the (probably near emergency) repairs in the first place. Why was the side deck unbonded/delaminating? Design, construction, materials, or what? Is Farr asserting that the boat truly would have been better and stronger and raceable if they had continued to sail it without the repair they felt was necessary when a critical load bearing area of the boat was failing in the middle of the Americas Cup Challenger eliminations? Inquiring minds want to know. -- From Steve Malais -- I completely agree with Chuck Riley. The San Francisco waterfront would be a fantastic venue for the America's Cup. There would be less of a need to see things from the water thus decreasing the chances that a spectator boat could foul the racers. There are the currents to contend with but anyone who has ever raced in the bay knows that this is just another factor to be considered. As far as the commercial traffic is concerned, just leave that to the professionals. The Coast Guard Vessel Traffic System in San Francisco is one of the best in the world and I'm sure they can handle it just fine. The same could be said about the air traffic, just let the FAA handle it. They do it every year for Fleet Week as well as all the tourist helicopter flights that go on all year round. If you think sailing around the Olympic circle would be a possibility, just look at your chart and you'll find the depths around there wouldn't permit it. I spent the last two summers sailing on IL Morro for AmericaOne and we couldn't go over there due to our 14 foot draft. I understand that Mayor Brown has already approved Treasure Island to be the America's Cup Village. There is nothing but room for them over there and it is close enough for all commercial enterprises to take advantage of. I say bring the cup to San Francisco, we're ready for it. -- From Hal Eisen -- The Berkeley Circle has an average depth of less than 12 feet. These IACC yachts draw 4 meters, or slightly more than 13 feet. I don't think people would be interested in a "shoal-draft" version of the AC. -- From Mike O'Brien -- Overlaps would be really simple for umps to call with a laser transit/level. Shoots a red beam a long way, widely available (Home depot - $100). No beam, no overlap. Gimbal on the transom. With all the AC tech I cant believe this is an issue. J/24 MIDWINTERS Davis Island Yacht Club (64 boats) 1. G. MOORE, PIPE DREAM (28 points) 2. R. BORGES, DAISYHEAD (35) 3. T. SITZMANN, PATRIOT (51) 4. A. CONSTANTS, BLITZ (51) 5. T. HEALY, (68) 6. C. SNOW, (72) 7. E. NELSON, MR HAPPY (74) 8. B. ICELY, PREPARATION J (78) 9. R. HARDEN, RUNN ON EMPTY (82) 10. L. CONGER, MORE GRIEF (89) Complete results: http://www.fleet86.org/2000mid/2000results.htm BEAUTIFUL WORKS Enjoy the breathtaking works of art from Internationally renowned artist Jim DeWitt. Originals, limited edition prints, giclee prints, posters, apparel and other great gifts are available at http://www.jimdewitt.com. If you are in the 'hood, drop by the new DeWitt Art Gallery at 147 West Richmond Avenue #F, Point Richmond, CA . Or contact them at 800-758-4291 or dewitt@jimdewitt.com if you have ideas for custom paintings or portraits. SPECIAL DEAL AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, January 29, 2000 - Virtual Spectator will provide sailing enthusiasts around the world with live 3D animated coverage of America's Cup 2000. Racing fans will be able to download the America's Cup version of Virtual Spectator. This has been made possible following an agreement finalized yesterday between Virtual Spectator and America's Cup 2000; Telecom New Zealand, the Internet rights holder; ESPN, the US television rights holder for the America's Cup; and Quokka Sports, the producers of the official web site of America's Cup 2000. Virtual Spectator is the interactive software that combines the Internet and global positioning (GPS) technologies to bring live 3D animation from the racecourse to personal computers. This software successfully delivered more than 200 races to fans worldwide throughout the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Races for the America's Cup. Louis Vuitton played a key role in supporting this project at the early stages two years ago. Virtual Spectator animations are driven by race data transmitted from the course by each competing yacht over Telecom New Zealand's CDPD network, delivering detailed boat and sail images to the user's personal computer. The software provides on-screen live performance data, showing the position and relative speeds for each racing boat. Real time weather and commentary as well as the ability to replay races are some of the other popular features. The America's Cup software will be enhanced to include new yacht graphics and textures. The America's Cup version of Virtual Spectator will be available once the Louis Vuitton Cup concludes. The software will also be available through both the Virtual Spectator website and Quokka Sports' official America's Cup website. The America's Cup Match software can be purchased over the Internet for US$ 9.95. Early subscribers to Virtual Spectator who purchased the software on CD-ROM at US$69.95 can download an upgrade for the Match from the Virtual Spectator web site at no additional cost. -- Jane Eagleson Download sites: http://www.virtualspectator.com http://www.americascup.org THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Real Men Don't Waste Their Hormones Growing Hair |
