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SCUTTLEBUTT 2978 - Monday, November 23, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today’s sponsors are Summit Yachts, JK3 Nautical Enterprises, and Premiere Racing. TEAM HARDESTY WINS 2009 U.S. MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIP St. Petersburg, FL (November 22, 2009) - On behalf of the Chicago Match Race Center, Bill Hardesty (San Diego, Calif.) and crew, Dave Gerber and Jack Jennings, topped the elite ten boat field to win US SAILING’s 2009 U.S. Match Racing Championship. Team Hardesty won the Prince of Wales Bowl by defeating three-time winner Dave Perry (Southport, Conn.) and crew, Chris Museler and Doug Clark, 3-2, in a best of five series. “Every race came down to the wire today,” said Hardesty. “This means a lot to our team and the Chicago Match Race Center. We’ve been training hard for this event.” After two days where insufficient winds limited racing, Hardesty advanced to the semi finals with the best record in the round robin section, then defeated Russ Silvestri’s team (St. Francis YC) 2-0 to advance to the finals. Perry earned his trip to the finals by defeating Taylor Canfield’s team (St. Thomas YC), 2-0. Russ Silvestri defeated Canfield 2-0 in the petit round. This year's USMRC was hosted by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (Fla.) with racing held in Sonars. Final Standings: 1. Bill Hardesty/ Jack Jennings/ David Gerber (San Diego, CA) 2. Dave Perry/ Chris Museler/ Doug Clark (Southport, CT) 3. Russ Silvestri/ Craig Healy/ Christopher Smith (San Francisco, CA) 4. Taylor Canfield/ Charlie Enright/ Brett Clark (St. Thomas, VI) 5. David Dellenbaugh/ Ralf Steitz/ Rick Dominique (Easton, CT) 6. Chris Nesbitt/ Brian Janney/ Megan Kenney/ Gunnar Torre (Corona Del Mar, CA) 7. Anna Tunnicliffe/ Liz Bower/ Debbie Capozzi/ Molly O'Bryan (Plantation, FL) 8. Brian Angel/ Mike Delanty/ Payson Infelise (El Segundo, CA) 9. Meagan Ruhlman/ Emily Pulos/ Katie Werley/ Jo Ann Fisher (Bratenahl, OH) 10. Mark Johnson/ Denise Cornell/ Tom Gleeson (Appleton, WI) Event website: http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USMRC.htm SEEKING TO CHANGE THE SAILING CULTURE IN CANADA By Jim Beatty, President, Canadian Optimist Dinghy Association Since the formation of the new Executive in 2007, we have been implementing programs to change the sailing culture in Canada. As we saw it, sailing for young sailors was predominantly viewed as a summer activity spanning in most parts of the country from July through August. We are determined through our 5 year plan to change this perception. We are delighted to report that our efforts are starting to bear fruit. This past weekend 18 sailors attended a training camp at Port Credit Yacht Club outside Toronto. The sailors participating came from across the country; 3 from BC, 3 from NS, 6 from Quebec and 6 from Ontario. The camp was conducted under the auspices of Fran Bellocchio our Head coach. In addition, we incorporated a coach's clinic with 3 coaches from across Canada participating under Fran's leadership. (Keith you may want to embellish this part) Most important was the outcome of 2 focused parent meetings. The parents expressed a strong desire to have more camps throughout the off season. Consequently we have organized a camp prior to the Orange Bowl, a Training camp in Florida over the Family Day weekend in Miami, a camp just prior to the South Americans in late March, a training camp in Kingston over the May long weekend and finally a pre North Americans camp in late June in Kingston. Our long term goal is to have a Canadian in the top 100 at the Worlds within 5 years. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/yg675w9 SUMMIT 40’S IN THE NEWS The Summit 40 “White Heat” owned by Mike Williamson, fought through a closely contested IRC East Coast Championship in Annapolis to win Class 3 honors, while in Ireland, Eamonn Rohan’s Blondie won The O’Flynn Exhams Solicitors Autumn Regatta in preparation for the Irish Commodore’s Cup team selection for 2010. With the Summit 40’s winning record, and the new Summit 35’s promise of more silver, why would you consider anything else? For more of the story, visit http://www.summit-yachts.com ISAF ELIGIBILITY SUSPENDED The website for the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) maintains a roster of individuals that have had their ISAF eligibility suspended. According to ISAF Regulation 19, suspension of ISAF Eligibility occurs after a proper inquiry by either the national authority of the competitor or the ISAF Executive Committee, wherein a competitor’s ISAF eligibility is promptly suspended with immediate effect, permanently or for a specified period of time: (a) for any suspension of eligibility in accordance with RRS 69.2; or (b) for breaking RRS 5; or (c) for competing, within the two years preceding the inquiry, in an event that the competitor knew or should have known was a prohibited event. Scuttlebutt is happy to report that - assuming the list is up to date - that there are no individuals that currently have their ISAF eligibility suspended. -- http://www.sailing.org/sailors/suspended-sailors.php AZZURRA SCORES SHUTOUT VICTORY AT LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY Nice, France (November 22, 2009) - Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy. Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta. Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship. Emirates Team New Zealand entered the event as the favourite, having won the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. ETNZ won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match. For Azzura, they overcame TeamOrigin (GBR) 2-1 in the other semi final match. In the lone race of the Petit Final between Synergy and TeamOrigin, Synergy trailed by 22 seconds at the first mark, but scored a comeback win in the 4-6 knot contest when it overtook the British on the first downwind leg. Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost 1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5 2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4 3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6 4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6 5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schumann (GER), 5-8 6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8 7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7 8. TFS - PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11 Event website: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/home/ Video interviews: http://www.youtube.com/user/btsbroadcast BACKGROUND: The Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur was the inaugural event of the World Sailing Teams Association. The WSTA event is designed to be a cost-effective format for the teams, with the four America’s Cup class boats being used in Nice on loan from existing teams. The next Louis Vuitton Trophy events to be in Auckland, NZL in March and Sardinia, ITA in May, with two more to be confirmed by the end of the year. QUOTE / UNQUOTE Artemis skipper Paul Cayard, “Despite the difficult conditions here with the wind in Nice, it has been a fantastic event and all the sailors have enjoyed the racing. This morning, at 0730, there was a line of people right out of the village gate waiting to get on the spectator boat list. Not bad for the middle of November!” CUPDATE On November 25th, the NY Supreme Court Appellate Division will hear the appeal by Société Nautique De Genève of the lower court’s decision to invalidate Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) as the America’s Cup venue. For the America’s Cup defender Alinghi team, this is believed to be the final opportunity within the court system to confirm RAK as venue of the 33rd Match. In the event that the appellate court does not overturn the lower court decision, it is believed the defender will host the Match in Valencia as stated in the Notice of Race filed on November 10th. -- http://tinyurl.com/yhlu3v5 Videos from this weekend regarding the wing on challenger BMW Oracle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2WmxQBN57E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0knysN58wc HOT NEW BROKERAGE LISTINGS AT JK3 NAUTICAL ENTERPRISES 2009 75’ Tripp Maxi Dolphin Bella Pita is an absolute work of art. This carbon racing yacht is as fully outfitted for racing as it is for luxury cruising. No expense has been spared in creating a yacht that is elegant and versatile. Also featured is the 1997 Farr 60-CM Stars & Stripes; the yachts owner, Dennis Conner, has attended to every detail in equipping this immaculate racer to be the perfect yacht for around the buoys as well as offshore racing. To see all the new listings for sale, call the JK3 Nautical Enterprises offices in San Diego (619-224-6200) or Newport Beach (949-675-8053), or visit http://www.jk3yachts.com SAILING SHORTS * Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne, watch captains on Ericsson 4, winner of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009, have been jointly named Singapore Airlines Sailor of the Year, at the 2009 Yachting New Zealand Excellence Awards. The Young Sailor of the Year title also went to joint winners: Sam Meech, for his victory in the Laser at the 2009 ISAF Youth Worlds in Brazil, and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher/ Alex Maloney, who won the 2009 Women’s 420 World Championships. Nearly sixty sailors and sailing teams were honoured at the Yachting Excellence Awards, held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on November 20th. -- http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz * The 105-foot trimaran Groupama 3 arrived in Cape Town last Saturday afternoon after having to abandon her Jules Verne Trophy record attempt on the eleventh day when the port beam bulkhead failed. It took five days for the giant trimaran to make South Africa where Groupama's shore crew were waiting to install a `floating' workshop, given that it won't be necessary to lift the boat out onto the hard. The team hopes to get the trimaran back in shape in order to set sail for France during the first few days of December to prepare for another attempt at the record. -- Full report and video: http://tinyurl.com/ygvon49 * The World Sailing Speed Record Council has ratified the new nautical mile world record of 50.17 knots set by Alain Thbault (FRA) and his crew of 10 on l'Hydroptre on November 8th, improving their previous record of 48.74 knots set on September 4th. -- http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/ * A dramatic start to Race 4 of Clipper 09-10 in Cape Town saw eight of the boats cross the start line for the 4,700-mile race to Geraldton, Western Australia, while a collision between Hull & Humber and Cork, Ireland resulted in the two teams returning to harbour. None of the crew were hurt and the Race Director and the shore team are now assessing the damage to Hull & Humber's port aft quarter and Cork's bow. Team Finland currently leads the overall standings. -- Event website: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/ * On a race which has a recent history of close, tight finishes, the final miles of the ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre from France to Costa Rica can be the most nerve racking for the Open 60 fleet. Safran’s Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier - who are seeking to convert the lead they have held for nine days - have less than 400 miles to go with Kito de Pavant and François Gabart on Groupe Bel just over 75 miles astern. -- Event website: http://www.jacques-vabre.com/en * METS, hailed as the world's largest trade exhibition for equipment, materials and systems for the international leisure marine industry, saw the show close last Thursday in Amsterdam with visitor levels virtually equal to those of 2008. The three-day show attracted a total of 18,454 visitors compared to 18,485 visitors in 2008. Exhibiting companies numbered 1,261 compared to 1,210 last year. -- IBI Magazine, full story: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20091020142807ibinews.html COUNTDOWN TO WINTER'S BEST- KEY WEST AND MIAMI Less than 60 days until the start of Key West 2010, presented by Nautica… then 40 more and the 2010 Miami Grand Prix racing beings. Enter now and plan your South Florida adventure! Warm water, dependable breeze, international competition, professional race management, and unforgettable shoreside fun! Details & online entry: http://www.Premiere-Racing.com LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Ken Guyer: (regarding story in Scuttlebutt 2977) I think most in the marine industry would agree that saturating an area with too many boat shows is not a good thing and it is time to weed them down. But there is very little logic in eliminating a location’s primary boat show as the NMMA did in San Diego. The San Diego Boat Show was suddenly and without much notice eliminated from the NMMA boat show roster. This was pretty much the ONLY NMMA produced show in the west coast. Citing increased cost and not much return, the non-profit closed up shop and ended the 20+ year run of this successful show. No local meetings to discuss reducing the size of the show or perhaps a new venue to keep it alive, just here one day, gone the next, a total bail out. Not a good way to give back to the local marine community who supported the NMMA for all those years. Enter Sunroad Marina on Harbor Island to keep tradition going. They are producing the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show. It won’t have the expanse of the convention center, but it will have a larger in-water display and a good size on land exhibit to represent the San Diego region. It is important for the local winter show to continue showcasing our marine community. I am urging all those in the marine trades and yacht sales to support this new effort. It is home grown and at the right time of the year, between the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl! * From John Longley Your story on Azzurra (in Scuttlebutt 2977) certainly hit a chord with me. I was introduced to that wonderful team in 1983 when they first challenged with the original Azzurra. They came to optimise all that was good about the America’s Cup. There team and yacht were always immaculately turned out and they campaigned as if it was an honour and a privilege to be a part of the America’s Cup - which it certainly is. They were led by the dapper Gianfranco Alberini who went on to head up the YC Cost Smeralda as the Challenger of Record for the 26th Match in Fremantle which he did impeccably. Your mention of the HRH Aga Kahn reminded me of an incident in 1984 at the International Twelve Metre Association meeting held in Costa Smeralda. I was there with Alan Bond and Warren Jones who were very keen to get the concept of sponsor logos on sails approved. The argument waxed back and forth until HRH from the Chair, as he was the President of the ITMA at the time, said words to the effect that he did not think it was a good idea as we risk becoming ruled by our sponsors. He felt it preferable to keep the boats clean and simply license out the logo as they did with Azzurra. Alan Bond immediately leapt to his feet and said, “I agree with his Royal Highness and would like to move that no sponsorship be allowed on sails.” I was dumfounded, and as Alan sat down I asked him what did he think he was doing? He responded, “Old Boardroom trick Chink. When you realise you have lost the argument, move the motion.” * From Will Baillieu: George Schuyler’s Deed of Gift is indeed a remarkable historic document; no argument there. But competition was waged for America’s Cup for some 100 years before someone got a smart lawyer to actually read it. That someone was Michael Fay of New Zealand, and the result was the embarrassing spectacle of the Jumbo yacht vs the catamaran in 1988. Ever since then, the inadequacies of the document have been lurking; threatening to derail the event. So now here we go again. No disrespect to that remarkable gentleman George Schuyler, but he was a fair minded sportsman not a lawyer. He could never have foreseen the feverish efforts of modern lawyers working on his document to obtain advantage. It is a short and simple document, and also a legal minefield. I am sure George Schuyler would have been the first to object if he knew that boats with diesel powered sails would one day compete for America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in sport. If we take the current farce to its logical conclusion, we may well see entirely remote controlled boats in the future. The Deed specifies “vessels powered by sails only”. There is no mention of humans. I believe the Deed of Gift should be quarantined; set down as the basis of modern America’s Cup competition, with its noble intention recognised, but supported by a modern competition protocol, designed to prevent the current debacle from ever happening again. The Deed should be protected from lawyers. -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8620#8620 * From Gary Mintz: I have been a loyal reader of Scuttlebutt for many years now and look forward each morning to news of the sailboat racing world. In all the time I have been reading Scuttlebutt I can’t recall reading as blatant and prejudicial an observation from the Curmudgeon as your comments regarding illegal aliens (in Scuttlebutt 2977). While I understand that you are not directly accusing illegal aliens of being drug dealers, the very act of using the two terms in the same sentence is tasteless and below the standards I have come to expect in Scuttlebutt. The overwhelming majority of illegal aliens in this country are hard working, family oriented, taxpaying contributors to our society. Illegal aliens work jobs that are physically demanding, low paying, with few or no benefits, jobs that many if not most "citizens" eschew. We enjoy the fruits, (literally) of their strenuous labors with little or no appreciation of their contributions to our comforts. This attitude serves only to cast the sailing community in the less than flattering light of rich, pampered, unappreciative consumers of the American Dream. SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy. Special thanks to Summit Yachts, JK3 Nautical Enterprises, and Premiere Racing. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
