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SCUTTLEBUTT 1576 - May 5, 2004Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. BOOM TOWN The fact that Valencia is to stage the Americas cup in 2007 has resulted in a boom of unprecedented proportions according to the latest findings by the Innovative Real Estate Advisors group. In their latest study, the group found that there are 31 hotels to be built in Valencia between now and when the City stages the Americas Cup in 2007, and this will increase the hotels in Valencia by 40% - mainly in the four-star category. The City has estimated that the Americas Cup will generate employment for 10,000 people and add some 1,500 million Euros to the Valencian economy, but many analysts have expressed fears that unless there is some sort of forward planning, the city could suffer a slump of unprecedented proportions by 2008. - www.valencialife.net Curmudgeon's Comment: The largest project is to rehab the harbour. A massive 800m x 80m channel and accompanying breakwater/groin is to be built out to the Med. Also, there will be a stylish America's Cup Village, a fanciful super-yacht berthing mooring ring and a media/broadcast center on the shore behind the mooring ring. A nifty setup if it all gets done and on time. There is much dredging and filling to be done in the meantime, and teams have been promised that the first bases will be ready by April 2005. But as those who know have said, "compared to what they had to do in Auckland to build the viaduct, Valencia has twice as much work to do in half the time." We've posted photos and drawing of the harbor project on the Scuttlebutt website along with some before and after photos of Viaduct Basin in Auckland: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/0504acup/ ELLEN The Castorama-B&Q trimaran could go from Newport Shipyard to the record books. Ellen MacArthur of Great Britain sailed this morning from Newport to New York Harbor. From there, she'll wait for suitable weather and attempt the trans-Atlantic solo sailing record. She said that she'll leave no earlier than Monday. The current record is nearly 10 years old. In June of 1994, Laurent Bourgnon of France sailed Primagaz from Ambrose Light, at the entrance of the Hudson River, to Lizard Point, at the southwest point of England, in 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes and 42 seconds. MacArthur will attempt the record along the same route. While she waits in New York, MacArthur said that one thing that she will do is sleep. Sailing solo isn't conducive to a lot of sleep. "Four hours will be a very good night," she said. The Castorama-B&Q was built last year in Sydney, Australia. The blue and orange trimaran is 75 feet long and 55 feet wide. Its mast is 100 feet high. It was sailed to New Zealand, then to the Falkland Islands with MacArthur and two crew members on board. MacArthur sailed solo from the Falklands to Newport. The trip from New Zealand to Newport was 15,000 miles. Sailing the Castorama-B&Q has presented the 5-foot-2 MacArthur with a new set of challenges. "On the monohull, you can make some mistakes. The boat can get laid flat and you have a good chance of coming out OK. That margin doesn't exist on the trimaran," MacArthur said on her Web site. "Physically, as expected, the maneuvers are tough. Re-hoisting the mainsail, for example, is a 35-minute, full-on, exhausting grind. This is a new level of physical challenge for me. - Mike Batista, Newport Daily News, full story: www.newportdailynews.com/articles/2004/05/04/news/news2.txt THAT'S A COMPASS? The reaction to Ockam's latest recommended component, the amazing Teeter-Todter 3D compass (Ockam part# 033TT) has been consistent: Initial surprise that this domino-size device could even be a 3D compass, followed by amazement at its fantastic performance. Fast, rock solid output of heading (pitch and roll, too) which enables noticeably quicker and more accurate True Wind functions. Be amazed. Units are in stock now to turbo charge your Ockam system. http://www.ockam.com http://www.ockameurope.com COACH GEORGE WOOD George Wood is flat out one of the premier sailing coaches in the country. Wood has been the architect behind the College of Charleston's outstanding sailing program and one of the key reasons why the Cougars have enjoyed so much success on the water. Since Wood took over the program fulltime in 1980, the College of Charleston has had a remarkable 89 All-Americans, three College Sailors of the Year, won ten national sailing championships and three Fowle Trophies. Chris Larson captured the first College Sailor of the Year honor for the Cougars in 1988. Andy Lovell in 1991 and then Tyler Moore in 1994 followed him. Which is sort of like having three Heisman Trophy winners within seven years. This guy is to college sailing what Alabama's Bear Bryant was to college football. Which is probably the reason he was named to the Intercollegiate Sailing Hall of Fame in 2000. This year has been no exception for the sailors from College of Charleston, despite the fact that Wood believes it is a rebuilding year for the Cougars. Currently the Coed team in ranked ninth in the country and the women's team is rated fourth in the nation. - John Gregg, West Marine website, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2sdce SWEDISH MATCH TOUR Porto Azzurro, Italy - In rotten sailing conditions suited more for luck than match-racing, three flights were completed on the first day of the third annual Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman, an event of the Swedish Match Tour. Intermittent rain coupled with huge wind shifts and gusts made for a radical day of sailing. No lead was safe. "It was puffy, it was shifty, it was crappy," said John Cutler (NZL/Mascalzone Latino) who went 1-1 on the day. "But it was what it was." The race committee postponed racing this morning at 9:00 a.m. due to strong winds blowing 25 knots and gusting to 28 knots. Weary of damaging the boats and hindering the racing schedule, the committee decided to postpone until 1:00 p.m. The first flight finally got underway around 2:30 p.m., and it quickly became apparent that the skippers and crews were going to have a taxing day. Magnus Holmberg may have been the luckiest person on the day, but it wasn't due to a windshift. Leading Presti in his Flight 1 match, Holmberg broached on the first run in a 20-knot puff and 30-degree shift, and wound up well to the right side of the leeward mark. Presti sailed through and took a 10-boatlength lead. He also had a penalty against Holmberg for a pre-start incident. With a comfortable advantage and a penalty against his opponent, Presti should've been home free. But he inexplicably rounded the leeward mark to begin a third lap in the two-lap race. Holmberg sailed toward the finish, performed his penalty turn and won the match while Presti sailed upwind. - Sean McNeill, www.swedishmatchtour.com Toscana Elba Cup Trofeo Locman Standings 1. Karol Jablonski (POL/Toscana Challenge) 2-0 2. Gavin Brady (NZL/Oracle BMW Racing) 1-0 = Jesper Radich (DEN/Team Denmark) 1-0 = Bertrand Pacé (FRA/Team France) 1-0 5. Paolo Cian (ITA/Riviera di Rimini Sailing Team) 1-1 = Magnus Holmberg (SWE/SeaLife Rangers) 1-1 = Michael Dunstan (AUS/OzBoyz Challenge) 1-1 = John Cutler (NZL/Mascalzone Latino) 1-1 9. Peter Gilmour (AUS/Pizza-La Sailing Team) 0-1 = Ed Baird (USA/Team Musto) 0-1 = Russell Coutts (NZL/Alinghi Team) 0-1 12. Philippe Presti (FRA/le Défi) 0-2 THEY ARE EVERYWHERE.... From crews on Max Z86s to Farr 40s to J-120s and 29ers, its popularity is spreading like no other apparel in the industry. The patented Dryshirt's™ are being ordered by Yacht Clubs, Junior Programs, race teams and event organizers at an amazing pace. Dryshirt™ material is completely different from Nike Dryfit or Coolmax™. The Dryshirt™ repels water, is breathable, maintains an SPF 50 whether fully immersed or on deck in the baking sun. No other gear offers this level of comfort and protection from the sun and spray. For a list of dealers: 1(800) 354-7245. http://www.sailingproshop.com/dryshirt.htm WOMEN'S MATCH RACING Jenny Axhede and her crew from Sweden have won the VI International Women Match Racing Criterium. Axhede defeated Lotte Meldgaard from Denmark 2-0 in the final of the ISAF Grade 1 event yesterday on Calpe Bay. After winning eight of their eleven matches in the round robins, Axhede went on to defeat Claire Leroy in the semi-final and then Meldgaard in the final. - Final results: 1. Jenny Axhede, Sweden 2. Lotte Meldgaard, Denmark 3. Claire Leroy, France 4. Christelle Philippe, France 5. Liz Baylis, U.S.A. 6. Marie Faure, France 7. Nina Braestrup, Denmark 8. Christine Briand, France 9. Sandy Hayes, U.S.A 10. Sabrina Gurioli, Italy 11. Aimee Fami;arpo, New Zealand 12. Vicenta Muros, Spain Event website: http://www.cncalpe.com/ NEWS BRIEFS * The World Sailing Speed Record Council confirmed the time of 63 days 13 hours 59 minutes and 46 seconds achieved by Olivier de Kersauson in Geronimo for the Jules Verne Trophy. * The 2005 OKI European Challenge is now offering the potential crew of their matched Beneteau First 47.7 yachts the additional choice of taking part in either the northern or the southern legs of the event, as well as completing the entire 16-week race from Poland to Monaco. The costs for crew to participate in either sector are £6,150.00, with the costs for crew sailing the entire race £9,950.00 (Euro 14,000.00). Potential crew members will need no previous sailing experience and will be fully trained to compete in the event. - www.okieurochallenge.com * Ron Holland Design is trying to track down 'Regardless' - a 40 footer built in Florida by Kiwi Yachts. They are doing some research in relation to the Fastnet '79 memorial and museum launch for this coming August and would like to know who owns the yacht now - Contact: info@ronhollanddesign.com * The next release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will be Thursday 6 May 2004. This release will include all results since the last ISAF World Sailing Rankings release of 14 April, up to and including most recently the Star World Championship and Semaine Olympique Française. MEXORC CLASS A WINNER JAKE WOODS! With his Samson loaded Mull 80, Sorcery, Jake was the winner. Providing all Samson lines and sailing on board was Alan Blunt from SeaTek. The big red boat has a new set of Samson ICE runner tails that will eliminate cover abrasion in high load applications. Visit Samson at http://www.samsonrope.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Susanne Lammot (Kevin Hall's mother): As you know, Kevin has finally achieved his dream - the dream he had when he started competitive sailing, long ago - he will sail in the Olympics, and represent his country! It has been a long hard battle, on and off the water - (and the "legal battle" is not over yet). Thank you for recommending that we all read the entire article about Kevin in The Daily Sail - April 21st. It certainly tells his story well … but for Kevin there is a much bigger picture - to quote him, before the 1996 Atlanta Trials: "I feel that winning a medal in the Olympics would not be for me, but for everyone who may not get the chance to try. I hope my success will give others the strength to make their own dreams real. It is these dreams which allow us to win life's most difficult challenges when they arise. If I could give everyone a gift, it would be that they find something in life that they are so passionate about, it would help them win a fight for their life, if they needed to. I would wrap this gift in the condition that they never have to fight, and that they always are joyful about their passion, and passionate about their joy." * From Scott Gregory: The critique by Magnus Wheatley of the Star Class Olympians seeking gold in Athens in 2004 was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the perceived strength and weaknesses of the best one design sailors in the world. It clearly demonstrates the benefits of competitive one design racing. Competitors more clearly understand boat speed and the strength and weaknesses of not only the competition but themselves. A competitive one design class provides a constantly evolving benchmark to test an individuals or teams skills and increases the ability to recognize and make small adjustments in technique that produce remarkable results on the race course. * From John Church: If Mr. Wheatley is to have any credibility in assessing and making commentary on the Star Class, he should take a page from the friendly Curmudgeon and "save the personal attacks." I have no idea what he has against Paul Cayard, but calling him an 'Old Man' is out of bounds. Particularly when he praises others for 'experience'. I hope for Paul's (and Phil's and, most of all, America's) sake "the outside chance" you refer to winds up a 'Gold'-en egg on your face. * From Mark Lammens (re Magnus Wheatley's assessments of who is going to be in the hunt this summer in Athens, especially regarding mental and personality shortfalls - edited to our 250-word limit): One should not try to assess the heads of this level of sailor, keep it to the tasks required. All of these guys are champions, have won big events, know what the required pre-regatta work is and how to sail in the 'Show". Also the World Championships, 100+ boats, Olympics 18+/- boats, different event in many ways, and the medal possibilities greater then the list provided. Someone you did not mention could win the Olympics, like DEN, NZL, AUS or CAN. (Also think of the quality of boats that did not qualify) The thing that is funny about the Olympics and all of attention it receives is everyone in the fleet is tied for first for the next few months, and most of them know it. The keys to Olympic success are staying on task, address weaknesses before, simplify during the regatta, relax when you are not racing, enjoy the Games experience and try to stay excited and positive about the opportunity, and not nervous about screwing up. The best numerical indicator for Olympic success is top 8's at the last 2 World's or top 3's at other large events like the Bacardi Cup or Europeans. The guys in this fleet certainly know this. * From John Avis (In response to Magnus Wheatley's article on Star Olympians): I would caution him not to count out Ross MacDonald/ Mike Wolfs. As a past Star World Champion and Bronze medalist, Ross (with Mike) may be in good form in Athens. * From Victoria Hamilton: I am a marketing executive and understand why brands of a for profit company wish to extend themselves. But I am at a loss to understand why a non profit entity like US Sailing enters into the business of selling merchandise on any scale other than to those who serve or are otherwise interested in the organization. Basically, it appears they gone in to competition with, at least, other clothing retailers. How this will activity help more people better enjoy sailboat racing? Is US Sailing a service organization there to support the fundamental elements of the game, or is it now more focused on revenue generation for the sake of paying bonuses to employees? It is not inconceivable that US Sailing will start selling sails. * From Randy Needham (re Rating rules ... another alternative): There's another rating/ handicapping rule in widespread use that nobody seems to have mentioned ... the rule employed by the Caribbean Sailing Association. This rating rule is measurement based and manages to rate a huge variety of boats in a workable fashion. Having raced under the system a month ago ... I was impressed. Maxi's raced against bareboats and nobody complained (too loudly). Perhaps whatever method that body employs deserves more attention and / or respect. THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teen-ager who wants to stay out all night? |
