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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 578 - May 26, 2000WORLD MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIPSSPLIT, CROATIA - Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker continues to rise above the mounting troubles back in Auckland, and has maintained the top place on the scoreboard after day two of the ACI Cup, World Match Racing Championships. However his day wasn't as perfect as the first, suffering his first defeats of the series at the hands of current world number one, Sten Mohr of Denmark, and Frenchman Bertrand Pace, the points leader of the Swedish Match Tour. As on the first day, the teams had spent the whole morning lazing in the sun on the dockside, waiting for a breeze to arrive, which it did soon after mid-day. However there was never any real strength to it, barely reaching 10 knots at any stage of the day, and at times fading to just 5 or 6 knots, thus demanding total concentration on the part of the crews. After a "steady" day Peter Gilmour's Pizza-La Team moved up to second share place on the scoreboard with Bertrand Pace and his Le Defi Francais America's Cup team. After winning the first event of the Swedish Match Tour in Auckland, and finishing fourth in Perth, the Frenchman is in a strong position to maintain his points lead if he continues his current performance in this event. The big climber of the day was another Frenchman, Luc Pillot, who won four of his five matches to move into fourth place. - John Roberson STANDINGS:
Event website: http://www.matchrace.net./press_centre.html RANDY SMYTH (Following are two excerpts from Cynthia Goss' story for Quokka Sports about Randy Smyth's recent Worrell 1000 victory.) * The Worrell 1000 has been called controlled madness. In 1997, Randy Smyth himself called this 1,000-mile man-against-nature marathon completely nuts. So you'd be wise to wonder about the mindset of Smyth, age 45, who's won this race six times. You might picture the king of this insane edge of sailing to be all adrenalin and no logic, but you'd be wrong. After his sixth victory in the Worrell 1000 - which ended last Saturday when the Blockade Runner Beach Resort team of Smyth and crew Matt Struble sailed to the finish line with a total elapsed time of 77 hours and 30 seconds - Smyth is reflective. He makes you understand that winning the Worrell takes more than macho guts and a certain madness. For Smyth, it's a game of mastery, of bringing a lot of different disciplines into focus to lead the fleet to Virginia Beach. "To me, the Worrell 1000 is like your final exam in every subject you've taken that year: weather, navigation, tactics, boat handling. You can race around buoys and learn how to go fast, but that's just one portion of it. [Winning the Worrell] takes all the elements required to win in buoy racing, plus the ocean-racing survival skills you need to finish and succeed. That is the real challenge: taking all those skills and prioritizing them." * Smyth knows that the tightrope walk between finishing and disaster makes all Worrell competitors question their motives and vow - at least temporarily - that this will be their last time. "You always do that, every year," said Smyth. "You ask yourself, why are we going upwind again in these waves? You have 40 miles to go and you've already been out there three, four hours. Any honest person would ask, 'Why am I out here when I could be doing something else, anything else? Anything else but torturing myself.'" Smyth - like those who have made the Worrell 1000 an important part of their lives - will be back next year, for he continues to find that the Worrell 1000 has something to teach him. "The course is the same each year," Smyth said, "but the experience is drastically different. The ocean brings that to you, and that is a lesson in humility - you can always learn so much more." - Cynthia Goss, Quokka Sports There is much more to Goss' story: http://sailing.quokka.com/stories/05/QCMa4sail_s_smyth0524_WFC.html OLYMPICS Based on performance at recent world championships, the U.S. Olympic Committee (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has awarded additional training grants to assist two Sydney-bound teams in their preparations for the 2000 Olympic Regatta scheduled from September 16-October 1. Receiving the funding are Star sailors Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) and Magnus Liljedahl (Miami, Fla.), who won their Olympic Trials event last month, and the 470 Men's team of Paul Foerster (Rockwell, Texas) and Bob Merrick (Portsmouth, R.I.), winners of their Trials held in October, 1999. Sailing in a fleet of 112 boats, Reynolds and Liljedahl decisively won the Nautica 2000 Star World Championships held in Annapolis, Md., from May 14-19. For Reynolds, a three-time Olympian with two medals ('92 Gold, '88 Silver), this is his second world championship title. He won his first in 1995 after competing in 14 Star world championships in which he consistently finished in the top ten. Foerster and Merrick placed fourth out of 109 boats in the men's division at the 470 World Championships held in Hungary from May 10-19. Foerster is the '92 Flying Dutchman Olympic Silver Medalist. Both teams will face much smaller fleets in Sydney - 17 boats for the Stars, and 31 for the 470 Men - and arguably more talented competition, as all countries must now qualify their entries to the Games. - Jan Harley, http://www.ussailing.org/Olympics/OlympicTrials/ CUBA BOUND Sixty or more racing and cruising boats filled with sailors who've signed up for the fifth annual Havana Cup Regatta are expected to reach Cuba on May 28, and that number could grow to upward of 100 boats over the Memorial Day weekend. The sailors are going to Cuba despite a US government cease-and-desist order issued in late April, which was aimed at the Havana Cup organizers-Ocean Racing Ventures. The order formally shut down the race to Havana's Marina Hemingway from Tampa Bay, but many of the Havana Cup entrants have announced that they will make the trip regardless of the government's actions. - Doran Cushing, SailNet website Full story: http://www.sailnet.com/ LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are routinely edited for clarity, space (250 words max) and to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a chat room. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if people disagree. -- From Bill Koch - I apologize for my response to Jim Brady's letter. My p.r. department spotted it and sent out a response immediately. I did not intend to underscore Buddy Melges' role in our 1992 America's Cup victory. Without Buddy's wonderful sailing skills, inspiration and tremendous teamwork, we would never have won the Cup. I agree with Brady. Melges' and Russell Coutts' accomplishments in the Olympics and America's Cup are the same. Buddy Melges is, however, in a class all by himself. -- From Edgar Sherman - why can't we all simply sit back, relax completely, let the gold rule and watch the AC go wherever it goes? This AC game has been on it's present course for years, sailing toward a country club where only money can buy membership--nothing wrong with that! Patriotism is not an issue and neither is loyalty. Consider the pure entertainment of being sailor/spectators who understand how the boats, sails, strategies and tactics work and watching what unfolds during these next few years on land and sea. Sinior Bertarelli has raised the bar and thrown down the gauntlet for all to witness. Won't it be a hoot to see by whom and how his challenge is met? -- From Scott Haisman - With all this talk about nationalism, defectors, and traitors, I can't remember a syndicate winning the cup with "foreigners" running the show. -- From Geoff Ewenson - Are there any American Teams who regularly race on the International Match Race circuit or are we simply going to give up on match racing tactics and hope that money and design will win us the cup back? The Foreign teams are gaining an advantage and we aren't even participating in the events! Where are the likes of Hutchinson, Larson, Read, etc? Somebody needs to get in touch with them and give them a budget to go out and get some time in the trenches! Am I the only one to see the Kiwis win every start? That had nothing to do with sponsors or designs or anything else. It came down to taking the richest team to school in simple one on one mono a mono racing! The Kiwi Kid isn't sitting at home banking on the design team to make it easy for them and with the fallout they are facing it is impressive to see them continue on Business as usual. That is the kind of team we need in America! All the money in the world isn't going to make an AC boat fast enough to beat up on a well oiled team. -- From Glenn T. McCarthy (In reply to Marc Hermann) - I just came back from competing in the Star World's against Mark Reynolds and the rest of the fleet. Understand that the Worlds included 8 countries that were vying to qualify for the Olympics in Sydney. Also many countries were using the Worlds as their country elimination series for the Olympics. There were mini regattas within the championship, if you will. There were at least 25 support/coach boats out on the water. They had supplies on board, from sails, parts, consumables and even Canada carried a spare mast. These support boats included coaches. The coaches could cover the race course quickly, make wind measurements and current measurements and report back to the sailor the different conditions across the course. There was no way to accomplish that by simply sailing, you need the speed of an engine. At the 10 minute gun, the coach boats had to get off the course and not approach any sailors until the boat had finished (unless the sailor was in a mayday situation, of course). There is no violation of the Racing Rules of Sailing, and yes, the cost to compete at the stratosphere level has escalated in price. -- From Marc Skipwith - Marc Hermann seems to confuse OD racing with affordable racing, vs, OD racing with same level/spending racing. There is a big difference between the cost of campaigning a Farr 40 and a Lido 14. IMS RACING The United States Sailing Association has lifted the International Measurement System (IMS) requirement for mandatory weighing of J-120 carbon masts. Owners may now opt for a rating given to a default carbon mast for the class. However the default mast results in a 'faster' rating than a fully-measured one by about 0.6 to 0.7 seconds per mile, " to protect the boat with a weighed mast by ensuring (they) will always has a better (slower) rating." Owners still retain the option to weigh their masts. More information: http://www.ussailing.org/offshore/hcapsys.htm. JOHN MYRDAL John Myrdal, 28, from Kailua, Hawaii, recently won the Laser Olympic Team Trials in San Francisco. In 1998, Myrdal was named U.S. Sailing's Male Athlete of the Year and was a three-time collegiate All-American at the University of Hawaii. The following in an excerpt from Gary Jobson's interview with Myrdal as found on the NBC Olympic website: Jobson: What is your plan between now and the start of the Games? Myrdal: That's the major question. Obviously, I think we have about 150 days until the Games begin, so now it is going to be crunch time. Just to train as hard as I can, and then take it from there. Jobson: How much of that training is racing? How much of it is just going out and practicing? Myrdal: Looking at probably a 50-50 split. Try to get a good balance of regattas as well as training. Probably about half, and half is just going to be training with people and doing regattas. Jobson: One of the big challenges in the Laser class is that when you get to the Games, they give you the boat. When it is luck of the draw with the boat, how do you get an edge? Myrdal: Just by sailing your race. It's going to be one of the most competitive classes for that very reason. I think that just going out and sailing your race and doing the best you can (is how you get an edge). It's going to be even across the board as far as equipment is concerned. Jobson: I think there is a very high standard that has been set by Robert Scheidt and Ben Ainslie. What things do you do to get to that level? Myrdal: You're just gonna have to take everything in stride and up the intensity. Those guys are professionals, so I'm going to have to just step it up and work even harder. Jobson: John, you look pretty tall and pretty thin. How important is your height, being light and tall at the same time? Myrdal: The height is an advantage, and my weight, as of now. Of course, after the trials it's a bit lighter. I feel my physical stature is going to be an advantage. Jobson: What is your physical stature? Myrdal: Six-foot-four, 185 lbs. That's perfect for the Laser. My not doing well at the Games won't be a result of my physical fitness or my size. Jobson: You have a unique situation because your wife also sailed in the Europe trials. How important has her support been? Myrdal: It has been everything. She's kept me grounded and balanced. At the end of the day, we both have to chuckle and realize that it is just a sailboat race. At the end of the day, we're happy to be together, and we've got a life together. And so I think that keeps it all in perspective. Full interview: http://www.nbcolympics.com/ CALENDAR * Los Angeles YC has been forced to 'postpone' of their May 26 Channel Islands race when two of the six yachts entered withdrew. * June 23-25, Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week, Long Beach, CA. PHRF and one-design. http://www.premiere-racing.com THE RACE The build team has now matched up the broken bow section to the main structure on the Team Philips maxi catamaran built for The Race. The delaminated parts of carbon that have separated from the core have been cut and ground away, and preparations are now underway to rejoin the bow piece back onto the main structure. The piece of the bow that has been cut away will soon be on display in the Goss Centre of Challenge and Adventure for visitors to get an up close look at the structure and where the delamination took place. A technique called scarfing will be used to rejoin the broken bow to the main structure. A carbon fibre 'scarf' will be used to fill the gap. Meanwhile, the crew are carrying on with sail training. Now that Paul Larsen has broken the 20-minute mark for singlehanded sail raising, he is aiming to break the 15-minute barrier. The crew continue to work on the strain gauges in preparation for the mast bend, as this is a vital part of the sail development programme. Website: http://www.teamphilips.com/ GOING, GOING Peter Tong has sold his Farr 40 to fellow Californian Brack Duker, suggesting that's Duker's 'Evolution' will undoubtedly be the next Santa Cruz 70 heading for the Great Lakes. With 'Mongoose' already spending its summers on the Lakes, that would leave 'Grand Illusion' as the only Santa Cruz 70 in left California. Last one out, please turn off the lights WANNA OWN A MAXI? The Bruce Farr designed Maxi Yacht 'Longobarda' will be auctioned on the Internet from 5th June until 17th July. To jump in: http://www.ancasta.co.uk KIWI PERSPECTIVE (Yes, I know many 'Buttheads are growing weary of rehashing the departure of Coutts and Butterworth from Team New Zealand. It is however, still big news in Auckland, and I'm sure the following excerpt from Joe Bennett's column in the NZ Herald summarizes the thoughts of many Kiwis.) The story of Coutts and Butterworth is not the story of Coutts and Butterworth. It is the story of us. It is the story of our nationalism, our devotion to sport, our belief that somehow sport is a bloodless version of warfare and that it matters who wins and loses. And it is also a story of our gullibility. For if we believe that the competition for the America's Cup is anything other than a game of money, we are mugs. The spinnakers alone should convince us that the yachts on the Hauraki Gulf exist solely to promote the businesses of sponsors and to tickle the vanity of the ridiculously rich. That our national identity has somehow been tied into the event proves nothing but the power of advertising. Coutts and Butterworth are traitors only if we believe that the boats on the water are expressions of national will. They aren't, but we do. - Joe Bennett, NZ Herald CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT - I recommend that you read the rest of Bennett's well-written thoughts on this matter: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ac2000/ THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Can fat people go skinny-dipping? |
