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SCUTTLEBUTT 3193 - Thursday, October 7, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: Team One Newport and Ullman Sails. SPANISH ARMADA DOMINATES DAY 2 J/80 WORLDS Newport, RI (October 6, 2010) - While many expected the Spanish teams to sail well and put on a good show at the Newport J/80 Worlds, it's doubtful many expected them to be dominating in their second day of sailing in the strong, shifty northwesterly winds off Newport. After five races, the top three teams are all Spanish J/80 Champions of one form or another, with Carlos Martinez on PERALEJA GOLF winning, putting his mark on the fleet with a 1-2 today for a total of 16 points. Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida lies second six points back after a 5-7. And, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Rayco Tabares Alvarez on HOTEL PRINCESA CANARIAS sailed to the second best record with a 2-3 for a total of 28 points. To illustrate how tight the competition is so far, four different boats in five races have won a race, the only double-winner being the American team of QUANTUM RACING sailed by Scott Young and Terry Flynn from Austin, TX. The day started out slowly. At 0830 hours, in the middle of a torrential downpour, the prospects were dim for any kind of reasonable racing. Consulting with his brain trust of Brad Read of SailNewport and others, Tom Duggan elected to postpone until 1000 hours. After two more on shore postponements, the Low that was developing SE off Cape Cod started to move, enabling the PRO and the RC team to mobilize the troops and issue a "race on" at the 1200 hours announcement. -- Read on: Event website: http://www.j80worlds2010.org/ Results after Day Two (top 10 of 61) 1. ESP, Carlos Martinez - 2, 2, 9, 1, 2; 16 2. ESP, Jose Maria Torcida - 5, 3, 2, 5, 7; 22 3. ESP, Rayco Tabares Alvarez - 17, 1, 5, 2, 3; 28 4. USA, Scott Young/Flynn/Morran/Williamson - 8, 5, 1, 15, 1; 30 5. USA, Jay Lutz/Gary Kamins - 6, 6, 6, 11, 4; 33 6. USA, John Storck Jr - 11, 4, 4, 3, 14; 36 7. USA, Glenn Darden/Hillard - 3, 8, 10, 9, 9; 39 8. USA, Benjamin Schwartz - 1, 13, 13, 14, 10; 51 9. USA, Jeff Johnstone - 4, 10, 18, 6, 13; 51 10. DEN, Thomas Klok - 14, 9, 15, 10, 6; 54 Full results: http://tinyurl.com/2010-J80-Worlds-results TP52 WORLDS HEAT UP AS QUANTUM RACING SNATCHES LEAD Valencia, Spain (October 6, 2010) - Terry Hutchinson (USA) and the crew of Quantum Racing (USA) kept their challenge for a second TP52 World Championship firmly on target after the Day Two of the TP52 World Championship. Staying within their target points budget for the day's two races, the 2008 champions' fourth and first was joint best score of the day, and leaves them three points clear of 2007 title holder Artemis, whose day was the mirror image of Quantum Racing's. The start of the second race of the day proved the most telling, as Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis (SWE) jumped off the line to an early lead which they extended to nearly one minute, whilst overnight leader Synergy (RUS) made their poorest start of the regatta so far and had to work hard to recover to a seventh. Said Terry Hutchinson, skipper Quantum Racing (USA): "We had another good day, two solid starts and a 1,4. We got a little bit unlucky in the second race, we had a nice start at the pin and we were really happy with everything, but then everybody started to fall in on us and Artemis picked up a little right shear that just didn't get to us." -- Full story: http://www.tp52worldchampionship.org/news/?id=1376 IT'S A SLAM DUNK SALE!!! Team One Newport is having a 25% OFF Sale on select Slam Shoes & Boots! Visit http://www.team1newport.com/products.asp?dept=286 or Call 800-VIP-GEAR (800-847-4327) to speak to a product expert! If you're in Newport this weekend, visit our store's Annual Columbus Day SALE starting Friday! Be sure to Join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35254082207) and follow ss on Twitter (http://twitter.com/teamonenewport) for upcoming specials for the Holiday season. 'GROUP OF DEATH' LOOKS FOR TOP SPOTS AT GOLD CUP Hamilton, Bermuda (October 6, 2010) - Reigning ISAF Match Racing World Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing was given a stern reminder of just how difficult it is to win the Argo Group Gold Cup today as his team faced a series of tight battles in Qualifying Session 2. The 22 skippers at the Argo Gold Cup are split into three groups for the Qualifying Sessions, with only the top two in each group guaranteed a place in the Quarter-Finals. A further two from each group will get a second bite of the cherry to qualify in a repechage. Minoprio's 'group of death' includes the unenviable mix of triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN, last year's winner of the Qualifiers Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Racing Team and a young undaunted Kiwi in the shape of Rueben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing. Assessing the task ahead, Minoprio said: "This is the group of death. With five of us looking for the top spots it's really tough - some of the good guys will be knocked out." Meanwhile, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team showed just why he is earmarked for future glory in world match racing by storming to an unbeaten run of five match races today against Dave Perry (USA), Alvaro Mininho (POR) Seth Sailing Team and Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team. Full story, results, photos, and video: http://tinyurl.com/25u249t IF YOU WANT SPEED THRILLS, LOOK TO LUDERITZ by Tim Zimmermann, Sailing World In the world of sailing chatter, idle debate, and navel-gazing, it's been all about the America's Cup lately. I don't really know what to think of a Cup sailed in big catamarans. Could be cool. Could be really boring. My gut says anyone who cares about match racing better look elsewhere, but anyone who loves technology, speed, and the possibility of spectacular crack-ups might get their jollies. In any case, I'm not sure I even care anymore. I need something else to distract me. Something that is undeniably cool. Something a little exotic, and eye-opening. Something that is happening NOW. Wait, what's all that activity over in Namibia? Why are the world's most aggressive kiteboarders and windsurfers assembling there? They're what? They're trying to take the absolute sailing speed record back from the crazy wizards of Hydroptere? They're doing it on a custom-made canal that is 20 to 40 inches deep? And they need an average speed over 500 meters that tops 51.36 knots? Thank you, sailing gods! The 2010 Luderitz Seed Challenge is now in session. Heavy breeze, a custom-made course with flat water, and head-snapping speed. I like, I like. -- For complete story, and some 'a picture is worth a 1000 words' videos, click through here: http://tinyurl.com/2d7perp UPDATE: The wind forecast for Friday, October 8th is 30 knots. This will mark the first day of racing for the 2010 Luderitz Speed Challenge. Conditions should be perfect to warm up and train, preparing for Monday and Tuesday, which look promising with winds of 40 - 45 knots being forecast. Friday is also Spring Tide - which is at 3.30pm - with high water in the channel - perfect conditions for the Windsurfers. Event website here: http://luderitz-speed.com/ SKYPE'S NIKLAS ZENNSTROM BIG FAN OF TP52 CIRCUIT Niklas Zennstrom, the Swedish billionaire businessman famous for creating Skype, is currently in Valencia, taking a very close look at the TP52 World Championship for a very good reason. He just made public his entry into the TP52 fleet with a yacht that is already being built at Green Marine. Zennstrom is an avid sailor and active participant in the Mini Maxi circuit with the Vrolijk-designed 72ft but for him "the TP52 circuit is the best-managed and most competitive big-boat fleet racing you can have right now". As for the America's Cup, it is something that has never been in Zennstrom's agenda. As he confessed, he loves sailing and wants to helm his yacht as much as possible, while being competitive, afterall, there is no fun in writing checks without racing yourself. Valencia Sailing talks to Zennstrom: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * What made you take the decision to enter the TP52 class? NIKLAS ZENNSTROM: I have been following the TP52 circuit for some time now and in my view it is the best-managed and most competitive big-boat fleet racing you can have right now. I really enjoy the Mini Maxis circuit and we will continue taking part but the TP52's have very competitive racing and I think this will be a great learning experience for us. * What do you need to learn? NIKLAS ZENNSTROM: The TP52's provide very close boat-to-boat racing and in the starting line you have very close situations while in handicapped racing the yachts tend to be more separated. The TP52 is an extremely competitive fleet and we really like that. The fleet will also have a good size, it seems we will have around 12 boats next year and this is a good number. * Will you also be helming the TP52 yacht? NIKLAS ZENNSTROM: Yes, that's the plan. * But for a businessman of your caliber isn't this similar to "downsizing"? After a successful campaign with a 72-footer you now "downsize" to a 52-footer. NIKLAS ZENNSTROM: Well, if your goal is to always move to a bigger boat then you'll end up with a huge yacht you won't enjoy racing. We will obviously continue with the 72-footer but let me give you an example. One of the things we have been doing this year is sail with a Farr 45 in the UK and these are 15-year old boats, not very fast but you get to race against 7-8 boats, have 7 races a week and that was really good. I really enjoy this type of close boat-to-boat racing and I don't think that what really matters is the size of the boat rather than the competitiveness of the fleet. If you take a look at the Medcup circuit this year, you have the best sailors of the world. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/2focooc ULLMAN SAILS POWER 2.4 M SAILORS TO PODIUM SWEEP At the 2010 Italian Olympic Class Championships on September 25-26, Ullman Sails customers swept the podium in the 2.4m class, taking first, second and third overall! Congratulations to Fabrizio Olmi who finished first overall, followed by Carlo Annoni in second and Nicola Redavid in third place. All three competitors sailed with Ullman Sails in an event that hosted sudden weather changes from sun and light breeze to rain and 25+ knots. Over 400 total sailors participated in the Olympic Class event on the Gulf of Gaeta, which included disabled classes for the first time. Invest in your performance. http://www.ullmansails.com CAL-MARITIME SAILORS HEAD TO YACHTING WORLD CUP (October 6, 2010) - The last time Sara Himes went to Europe it was for a year's stay in her ancestral homeland of Denmark. This time, the Placerville, Calif., native is heading to France with her college friends. Sounds like every college student's dream vacation. Well, it's a dream come true for Himes and her friends, but it's not exactly a vacation. The students from Cal Maritime will represent the United States, taking on the best collegiate sailors in the world in the Student Yachting World Cup. The event will be held off the coast of La Rochelle, France, Oct. 24-29. Himes' love of the sea comes from her father, who encouraged her to take the tiller at an early age. She entered national youth sailing competitions and proved her skill on domestic waters. Now, she's helping to lead the Keelhaulers to the international stage. The team roster also includes senior Evan Wanamaker -- a veteran of elite sailing competitions -- and relative newcomer Jessica Bernhard of Alamo, Calif. "I'm excited. I don't really know what else to say," said the 18-year-old Bernhard, who impressed husband-and-wife co-coaches Jesse Cartee and Charlie Arms-Cartee enough to earn her place on the squad, despite being a freshman. -- Read on: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_16266287 SAILING SHORTS * The final event of the Extreme Sailing Series 2010 circuit kicks off on October 9 in Almeria on the southern coast of Andalucia, Spain. Just four points separate the top four boats at the top of the leaderboard. Eight teams will line up, including two new entries: a return to the circuit for Mitch Booth (NED/AUS) with his Spanish team, Rumbo Almeria, co-skippered by Guillermo Altadill (ESP), and Dean Barker (NZL) will skipper the first antipodean entry, Emirates Team New Zealand. -- Full story: http://www.extremesailingseries.com/ * Washington, DC (October 6, 2010) - Transportation fatalities in the United States decreased by 9.2 percent in 2009 from 2008, according to preliminary figures released today by the National Transportation Safety Board. Marine deaths increased from 783 to 817, with the vast majority occurring in recreational boating (736). Other marine categories, including cargo transport and commercial fishing, showed increases as well, although commercial passenger vessels showed a slight decrease. -- Full story: http://www.ntsb.gov/pressrel/2010/101006b.html * Portsmouth, RI (October 6, 2010) - US SAILING's Safety-at-Sea Committee has awarded Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medals to the U.S. and Canadian crews of two boats that rescued sailors on September 10, 2009 from Long Island Sound during the 2009 International Star North American Championship. One medal goes to Star #7306, including skipper Lou Roberts and crew Kevin Elterman, and another medal to an inflatable powerboat skippered by Canadian National Coach Tommy Wharton. -- Read on: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/Hanson_100610.htm CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Is your event listed on the Scuttlebutt Event Calendar? This free, self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate to both sailors and sailing media. These are some of the events listed on the calendar for this weekend: Oct. 8 - Alexandra Cup - Vancouver, BC, CAN Oct. 9 - Harvest Regatta - Oyster Bay, NY, USA Oct. 9-10 - STC's Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta - Larchmont, NY, USA Oct. 9-10 - Flying Scot Wife/Husband Championship - Mooresville, NC, USA View all the events at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar SPOTLIGHT ON ANNAPOLIS The US Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD (Oct. 7-11) for sailors is akin to the Academy Awards for actors. It is one of the few times when all the players come out. Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck will be there be too, touring the show on Thursday and Friday to check in with the products and services that will benefit Scuttlebutt readers. BONUS: If you're at the show on Friday, come by the Summit Yachts booth at 2:00 pm to meet dominant IRC designer Mark Mills AND get a free classic cap from Scuttlebutt. Details: http://sailingscuttlebutt.blogspot.com/2010/10/free-hat.html MORE BONUS: On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Sailing World is presenting an all star line-up of speakers for the racing enthusiast. Look for Sailing World editor at large Gary Jobson, Puma Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read, and Grand prix mast designer Scott Ferguson to entertain and share their wisdom during the boat show. Details here: http://tinyurl.com/SW-100610 GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter are limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Gregory Scott, Kingston, Ontario (re, Scuttlebutt 3192): Great article . The Chicken Coup. I loved the era of non purpose built boat sheds. We were hippies building stuff that floats in various barns, sheds and industrial parks. I drove through where my career began - its all a housing development where we would put hundreds of boats out the back door for spring delivery, started in one bay, added a second, then a third and fourth - way inefficient but that's how it was. Builders' row in Oakville was the same except C&C had a real shop. I think Ontario Yachts are the only ones left there. We didn't have as cool a spot as Santa Cruz but my buddies at MetalCraft started in a coal shed, then into a boat yard dating back to the 1800's (the one building looks that old) and they are right downtown on the water. * From Keith MacKeown, Co. Cork, Ireland (re Scuttlebutt 3191): Where exactly in the Deed of Gift are the words 'commercial viability' and 'media attention' used? * From Ian Bruce (re, Scuttlebutt 3192): Make no mistake, I am an avid sailor - Finns, 14s, Lasers, Stars and even two Olympics. I am not a golfer. The two best sporting events I have ever watched were the AC in Freemantle (still watch the tapings I made at 3 am) and the Ryder Cup last weekend. I watched the first race of the last AC and never tuned in again. I watched men walking around a soggy landscape in Wales at 3 knots between tacks and never left the screen for nearly three days. But talk about suspense! Any lessons here? * From Jim Champ (re, Scuttlebutt 3192): Exciting match racing is where yachts are evenly matched with finishes mere seconds apart. As in AC32. So how many races in AC history have been straightforward boat speed processions, and how many exciting match races? Someone was waxing lyrical about the great days of the Js and 12s on another forum, so I looked up my books. I'd say perhaps one race in the Js, one or two in '62, a couple in '70, one or two in '80 and two or three in '83, (and really only the last race in 83) were really spectacular match races. If great matches are what you think make a great AC its clear that the 12s and Js didn't deliver... I don't have a reference to hand for the IACC class, but note that through the IACC era the losers only won three races, two of them AC32 which yes, was probably the closest AC series, but the chances of that being repeated are historically minimal no matter what boats its sailed in. - Read on: http://tinyurl.com/26shyl6 CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less. Special thanks to Team One Newport and Ullman Sails. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
