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SCUTTLEBUTT 2212 - October 30, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt brought to you by UBS (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). ALLIANZ CUP (San Francisco, CA - October 29, 2006) Ben Ainslie of Emirates Team New Zealand became the fifth first-time winner on the World Tour this season when he defeated Ed Baird of Alinghi in the final of the Allianz Cup Presented by Oracle. Ainslie won the five-race series 3-1, winning three straight after dropping the first. Despite the loss, Baird moved into second place on the world championship leaderboard. His second place finish added 20 points to his scoreline and gives him 40 points total, 7 behind leader Ian Williams who placed 4th at the Allianz Cup. Paolo Cian and Jesper Bank are tied for third with 35 points. Ainslie slots in as 9th on the leaderboard with 25 points. Semi-Finals -- Ben Ainslie defeated Ian Williams 3-1 -- Ed Baird defeated Jesper Bank 3-0 Petite Finals -- Jesper Bank defeated Ian Williams 2-0 Allianz Cup site: http://www.allianzcup.com World Match Racing Tour site: http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/ PRE-TRIALS (Long Beach, CA) Stuart McNay and crew Graham Biehl in the men's 470, Amanda Clark and crew Sarah Mergenthaler in the women's 470 and Ben Barger and Nancy Rios in the men's and women's RS:X windsurfer, respectively, were winners in Southern California's final set of US Sailing Olympic Pre-Trials concluding Sunday. Barger and Rios also qualified for U.S. berths in the Pan-Am Games next year. This wasn't just a dress rehearsal for the big show a year from now when they'll compete for the sole slots in their classes to represent the U.S. in the 2008 Olympic sailing at Qingdao, China. It was worth more than that. "A whole lot more," said Clark, referring to the campaign funding available to members of the US Sailing Team. The Southern California Pre-Trials in 8 of the 11 Olympic classes this month were the first of three ranking events for the US Sailing Team of 2007, which is now only three deep in each class instead of five as in past years so that available funds for travel, shipping and equipment may be concentrated on the cream of the crop prospects. Also, being number one is even better because that means medical insurance, plus possibly additional grants from the Olympic Sailing Committee based on performance. - Rich Roberts, full report: http://www.abyc.org/upload/WColypretrialsPR13.doc Final Standings 470 (men and women combined; 12 boats, 10 races; 1 throwout): 1. Stuart McNay, Chestnut Hill, MA/Graham Biehl, San Diego, 15 pts. 2. Amanda Clark, Shelter Island, NY/Sarah Mergenthaler, Harvey Cedars, NJ, 34. 3. Erin Maxwell, Norwalk, CT/Isabelle Kinsolving, New York, 3-3-4, 37. Men's RS:X (5 boats, after 9 races; 1 throwout): 1. Ben Barger, Tampa, FL, 8. 2. Seth Besse, Guilford, CT, 18. 3. Mark Powell, Miami, FL, 21.5. Women's RS:X (5 boats, after 8 races, 1 throwout): 1. Nancy Rios, Cocoa, FL, 8 2. Farrah Hall, Annapolis, MD, 12 3. Karen Marriott, Lakewood, CO, 20 470 results: http://www.ussclb.org/Pre-Trials/470Final.htm RS:X results: http://www.abyc.org/upload/Pre_Trials3.htm ROW-SHAM-BO: DOES WEALTH BEAT TALENT? (This story was posted on the British site, TimesOnline, where researchers Matthew Syed and Matthew Pinsent ask the dubious question: ‘Olympic Games: a rich man's playground?’ While they did not completely agree on the answer, it was hard for either to overstate the importance of wealth, along with skill, in improving one’s chance for a podium finish. Here are some excerpts.) There is a pernicious myth surrounding the Olympic Games. We have convinced ourselves that it is a gleaming symbol of meritocracy, a place where sportsmen and women achieve through talent rather than privilege. New Labour, for example, has embraced London 2012 as representative of its commitment to “sport for all”. It is time to wake up and smell the claptrap. Research undertaken by The Times has revealed that 58 per cent of Great Britain’s gold medal-winners at the Games in Athens went to independent (private) schools. We further estimate that across the past three Olympics, about 45 per cent of medal-winners went to the non-state sector. That is a higher proportion than last year’s intake at Cambridge. Considering that only 7 per cent of the population attend independent schools, and making the not unreasonable assumption that talent is evenly spread, this is a shocking indication of how Olympic success is driven by wealth as much as by ability. Anyway you cut it, the 93 per cent who attend state schools are chronically underrepresented. - Matthew Syed and Matthew Pinsent, TimesOnline, full story: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,28910-2420441,00.html D4 HALLOWEEN With Oct. 31 upon us, this is your last chance to take advantage of the fall discount being offered to sailmakers on D4 membrane sails. Experience the advantage of fiber oriented performance for the results you want and need. If you want to wait or learn more about the product, come see us about D4 at our booth at Key West Race Week; we can go over membrane sails or any of the other industry leading laminates and woven polyesters produced by Dimension-Polyant. If results are your goal, Dimension-Polyant is the fast track to get there. Ask your sailmaker, he knows! http://www.dimension-polyant.com TWENTY-YEAR CELEBRATION Boats from all points of the compass are setting a course for North America’ s premiere annual regatta, Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica. With less than three months before racing starts, the entry list grows daily for the 20th edition of race week – a big milestone for this regatta founded by Yachting Magazine back in 1988. Boats making their debut at Key West in January will include the Annapolis 30, Beneteau 10R, NYYC Swan 42, Columbia 30, GP42, and the J/92S. The 2007 event marks the inaugural PHRF National Championship as part of the regatta. Also new at the event will be the debut of masthead A Sails for the grand prix Farr 40 class, along with dramatic growth in the Melges 32 fleet, with 15-20 planning to be in Key West – a substantial gain over their 8-boat presence in 2006. The J/105s are also projecting class gains with up to 35 boats vying for their Mid Winter championship, with other Mid-Winter Championship titles on the line for five one design classes - J/109, J/80, Melges 24, and Melges 32. The Corsair 28R class will be competing for their National Championship. Daily video reports, courtesy of Acura, will be posted on the event web site after racing Monday through Friday. The reports, hosted by award winning broadcaster Gary Jobson, will feature on board, aerial, and on the water racing footage. - Complete details at http://ww.Premiere-Racing.com MACKAY BOATS A PROFILE For a small nation, New Zealand has long packed a mighty punch in the world of competitive sailing. Perhaps it is because the Kiwis are so isolated from the rest of the world that makes them so good. Maybe it makes them try that little bit harder. Top 49er and 470 boatbuilder Dave Mackay thinks there might be something to that theory. He comes from a golden era of Kiwi sailors all now in their early to mid-forties the likes of Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson, Murray Jones, the list goes on. While many of his contemporaries went on to become professional sailors, Mackay applied himself to boatbuilding in the most demanding of arenas, the Olympic classes. There’s no doubt that Mackay was sufficiently talented to have taken the professional sailing route himself. - Full story: http://tinyurl.com/uztlu SAILING SHORTS * While we don’t have too many details, a storm hit Padanaram, MA on Saturday, October 28th and caused significant damages. Tom Kenney sent photos and video of the damage, and we are eager to have comments posted on the Forums about the incident. - http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/1028/ * Martin 242 Champion Alan Field and crew Steve Hunt beat out nineteen other teams to win the 2006 US Sailing Championship of Champions regatta. Held last week off Grande Maumelle Sailing Club in Little Rock, Ark, the invitation-only event attracted the top National or North American champions from throughout the US, where they competed in Y-Flyers for the event. In second was Lightning Champion Matt Burridge with C Scow Champion Augie Barkow finishing third. - http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC * The 2006 Rolex Middle Sea Race just ended was another successful chapter in the history of the Royal Malta Yacht Club (RMYC). A record fleet of 68, which included some of the world's fastest boats piloted by top-notch skippers such as Paul Cayard, Mike Sanderson, Sebastian Josse and Neville Crichton, gave life to another memorable race that came to an official close yesterday when German Maxi Morning Glory were officially crowned overall winners. - Times of Malta, full story: http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=241500 (event website: http://www.rolexmiddlesearace.com) * Bernard Stamm and Cheminées Poujoulat began to assert dominance at the head of the Velux 5 Oceans fleet overnight, increasing their lead over the fleet as they race toward their first stop in Fremantle, Australia, 9,756 miles away. Except for American Tim Troy, all the entries are on the track, many looking to make up for time lost while attending toward repairs from last week’s storm. - Event website: http://www.velux5oceans.com * (Oct 27, 2006) West Marine today reported net sales of US$195.6 million for its third quarter ended September 30, 2006, an increase of 3.7 per cent compared to the same period last year. Its net income dropped to US$0.4 million, a decrease of 80 per cent compared to the same period last year. The decline included a one-time charge for store closing costs of US$1.5 million. - IBI Magazine, full report: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20060927050440ibinews.html CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed 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 space (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, there are no word or frequency limits on comments sent to the Scuttlebutt Forums. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Gus Miller, Honorary USAFA President: (edited to our 250 word limit) An interesting situation has developed in North American Finn sailing - there are not enough available old boats. There was a recent twenty-two Finn regatta in Southern California where the youngest sailor was over 40. The Finn is attractive to those having trouble getting crew for their larger boats, are too big for a Laser, and just want to have fun on the water sailing and racing with their buddies. Many of these sailors have no desire to import a new Finn from Europe because of the money exchange rate and/or no pretensions of racing hype and fame. They just want the joy of sailing a Finn. Three Finnsters who have contributed impressively to this situation by finding and match making old Finns to build up local fleets are: Art Diefendorf (Cazenovia, NY, Tel: 315-655-9655), Glenn Selvin, (Newport Beach, CA, Tel: 714-904-0530), and Macho Slavich (New Orleans, LA, Tel: 504-452-6306). If you know of an old Abbott, Devoti, Elvstrom, Lanavere, Lemieux, Newport, Teel or Vanguard Finn that has been dormant in someone's back yard or garage, please let Art, Glenn, or Macho know about it and they will post its availability on the Finn Class List Serve. They can also help with advice on a decent rig to make the old boat reasonably competitive for club sailing. Also, Andy Pimental (Portsmouth, RI, Tel: 401-683-0484) is beginning to build Lemieux Finns in his little Rhode Island shop for those who want a new Finn without the expense of importing one. * From Dan Hirsch, Waukegan Il: About that lost generation of sailors--has anybody taken a look at the demographics? In 1978 when my first son was born in suburban Chicago, the hospital's Obstetrics wing was excited by the fact that they had two births on the same day. The nurses there pointed out that they used to have a dozen a day. You folks are whining about a lack of thirtysomethings -- the problem is not necessarily sailing's -it's just the demographics--which is a lot like the wind, nobody does much about it. Better to estimate realistic future growth and plan accordingly. Anybody notice the NFL's really irritating Spanish language commercials. That's one plan in action. Here's a thought: as boomers retire, there will be many more middle-aged boats flooding the market--anybody with a good idea on making them more attractive and cheaper to own COULD find some success. * From Rhett Roback UCISA Commodore: I've got a suggestion for all the readers out there, who are worried about the diminishing number of sailors, and specifically, sailing youth: stop writing about it, and instead get out and do something. I'm a young guy, 20 to be specific, and have only been sailing for about 4 years, but I can clearly see the issue of the lack of youth participants. I'm the youngest on nearly every boat I'm on. So what have I done? I'm a sailing instructor. I might not be able to change the world, but I can introduce my peers to this wonderful sport, in the hopeful goal that I might be able to sail with someone around my own age! I also would publicly introduce my long-standing sailing club, of which I'm commodore. We're the UCI Sailing Association, and we make sailing affordable to any UC affiliate for less then a hundred dollars, per quarter! When I teach, I don't emphasize racing as many other instructors do (especially with the quite young sailors). I emphasize fun, but with an understanding in seamanship. I love to race, I love to cruise, I love to be on the water. Doesn't matter what aspect of sailing they enjoy, as long as they become passionate. I urge others to stop talking, and go out and teach. You'll be amazed, challenged, and have a great time, and hopefully make a difference. Curmudgeon’s Comments: We will soon need to retire this thread in the newsletter, but it will continue on in the Forums. Link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/1010 * From Brock Callen, Sr., Vineyard Haven, MA: (edited to 250 word limit) David Doody's comments in #2209 were spot on and curiously timely. Sail Martha's Vineyard's Board of Directors voted unanimously last week to create a new offering called "Messing Around in Boats" in its summer program. Designed for 8-9 year olds, the program will meet six hours/ week and include swimming, rowing, sailing (in all kinds of boats...big and small), power boating, boarding, fishing, crabbing, exploring, "road trips", you name it. It is our belief that the foundation for the development of seamanship, boathandling and boatkeeping will become more second nature and indelible if we focus on making sure the kids are having FUN. Make it fun...as a matter of fact better focus all our programs on fun...and we strongly believe the kids will come back for more. We realize that the success of the new program will rest heavily on our ability to identify and hire one (or more) of the Pied Piper's younger siblings, but we will be casting the net shortly and expect that a few will surface. By the way we also offer Opti and 420 programs, which are not necessarily geared to racing...but racing is available to those who want to go down that track. We had over 120 kids in those programs this past summer. * From Chris Dowling: (regarding ‘Brown Bag Justice’ in Issue 2211) During the Sag Harbor Charity Cup Challenge this fall the Breakwater Yacht Club's protest committee did something unexpected. They decided to hold protest hearings in an open room. They followed standard protest hearing procedures but instead of holding it in private they left the doors open for anyone to come in and watch. While they did have to ask people to keep their comment to themselves it turned out to be an amazing lesson for those that would never get into the protest room in the first place. These crew members who would normally be outside a tent wondering what happened got a first hand look at the hearings while getting a great rules lesson. I applaud them for their efforts and I hope to see this happen at more regattas. * From Brian Todd, 1984 Canadian Windsurfing team coach: (regarding Larry Leveille’s letter in Issue 2211) Long Beach was in fact the location of the Windsurfing events, held on Windgliders, they were a medal event at the 1984 Olympics. The event that Larry Leveille mentions was the Windsurfer (the brand name) demonstration event put together because Windsurfer held the patent for the sport and had threatened to fight, in court, having an Olympic event in the US on anything but Windsurfer boards - Interesting times! * From Derek Bouwer, Commodore, ABYC: There will always be social members in all clubs, no matter what the disciplines At Algoa Bay Yacht Club (Port Elizabeth, South Africa), as a social member you are charged and treated as if you where a sailing member; no special rates! No rebate from joining our National Body! (SAS) You pay your fees in their entirety, with our philosophy being that if you as a social member want to enjoy the mystique of yachting and sailing without getting your feet wet or moving from the mahogany reef, then you pay for that privilege! We do, however, encourage each and everyone to 1 Get the biggest bang for their buck by getting their bum on a boat and sailing (we have got social member to start sailing!), 2 Get their monies worth by getting involved in the shore based duties, etc., 3 We have put the power of veto, of any decision made be EXCO, within the hands of the boat owners. So the social members either cough up and do or cough up and shut up! To date, no arguments from any of the social members QED. CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting? This issue of Scuttlebutt provided by Dimension-Polyant. America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt is brought to you by UBS. |
