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SCUTTLEBUTT 3673 - Tuesday, September 11, 2012Scuttlebutt 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: JK3 Nautical Enterprises, New England Boatworks, and J Boats. AROUND THE RACECOURSE Steve Hunt was tactician for the winning effort at the 2011 Etchells World Championship, during which time Steve wrote a nine-part series for Sailing World on the essentials to sail smart and fast around the racecourse. Here are the highlights from each article: 1. Start Before the Start: Top sailors know that time well spent before the day's first start will go a long way toward good finishes. Here's an easy-to-follow formula to ensure you're up to speed and ready to race. 2. Plan to Plan: Steve Hunt applies what he learns during his pre-start workup, and makes a case for the importance of having a good plan - or at least having a plan. 3. Starting Made Simple: With the prestart work done and a gameplan in hand, Steve Hunt simplifies the starting game in his third installment of Around the Racecourse. 4. Take a Low-Risk Beat: In his fourth installment, Steve Hunt gives us the guide to a conservative first leg. 5. Clean Roundings, Every Time: After sailing a smart beat, it's time to get around the weather mark without any drama. 6. A Low-Risk Run: In the sixth installment of his Around the Racecourse series, Steve Hunt helps us keep the downwind leg simple. 7. Gain at the Gate: A crowded leeward-gate rounding is a perfect opportunity to pass boats, and more often than not, the best solution is the path of least resistance. 8. Closing Strong: In the eighth installment of his Around the Racecourse series, Steve Hunt keeps us pointed towards the finish line. 9. Ready for the Next: What you do immediately after a race can sometimes be just as important as what you did before the race. Click here to read the entire series: http://www.sailingworld.com/experts/around-the-racecourse BABY STEPS Founded by David Rockefeller, Jr., Sailors for the Sea educates and engages the boating community in the worldwide protection of the oceans. Among their core programs is Clean Regattas, which assists and certifies yacht clubs and regatta organizers to host clean events that minimize impacts upon the oceans. Sailors for the Sea is working with the America's Cup Event Authority toward a zero waste and carbon neutral commitment for the racing next year. While this would seem to be a challenge given the event's need for support boats and helicopters, progress is occurring. Here were some of the highlights during the AC World Series event in August: - The Healthy Ocean Project beach cleanup held on August 19 had 180 volunteers. With 360 hours volunteered, more than 75 bags of trash and recyclable items were picked up from Fort Baker. That is approximately 2,250 pounds of trash and recyclables removed; that is the same weight as 17 Laser class boats. - All sailing teams were required to and used reusable water bottles. - The America's Cup Event Authority distributed 2,725 gallons of water on site, which prevented the use of 20,640 single-use plastic bottles. - Renewable energies were used for the first time at an ACWS event. Audio on the main stage was powered by solar panels and a Biodiesel blend (B20) was used in generators to reduce fossil fuel consumption. - Collecting the plastic film that breaks off the wings when a boat capsizes. If possible, it is recycled. Source: http://tinyurl.com/SFTS-091012 BROKERAGE RAMPS UP FOR YACHT EXPO JK3 Yachts is proud to announce two new JK3 team members in our Newport Beach office: Walter Johnson and Scott Poe. They'll be handling new and brokerage yacht sales from Dana Point/Newport Beach to Marina Del Rey/Santa Barbara and everything in between. Next up is the Newport Lido Yacht Expo 9/27-30, featured is the West Coast debut of the Sabre 38, Hanse 415, J/70 and also a beautiful 2000 J/65. We are currently looking for quality listings and would love the opportunity to go the extra mile to help you sell your boat or find your next. For information contact the JK3 Newport Beach Office at 1-949-675-8053, http://www.jk3yachts.com IS AN EPIRB REQUIREMENT ON THE HORIZON? By Darrell Nicholson, Practical Sailor Should boaters who travel more than three miles offshore in the U.S. or Great Lakes be required to carry an EPIRB, a personal locator beacon, some other form of emergency locator beacon? That is the question that West Marine Vice President Chuck Hawley, vice-chairman of a task force set up by the National Boating Safety Advisory Council, asked recently in the West Marine newsletter. According to Hawley, the U.S. Coast Guard is contemplating such a carriage requirement, and the task force, along with other representatives of the search and rescue community, marine equipment manufacturers, and boating groups, are working to come up with their own recommendations. Currently, boating safety laws in Australia require recreational boaters who travel more than two miles offshore to carry 406 MHz EPIRBs. While the Coast Guard has proposed tighter carriage requirements for U.S. recreational boaters in the past, these have generally been opposed by boating advocate groups like BoatUS. According to a recent article in Power and Motoryacht, BoatUS is taking no position on mandatory emergency beacons, awaiting the Coast Guard's cost-benefit analysis. According to the article, the Washington, D.C., consulting firm BayFirst Solutions has drawn up a cost-to-benefit analysis for the Coast Guard that makes a strong case for mandatory beacons. But what "emergency locator beacons" to use? The Coast Guard has poured about $1 billion into its new Rescue 21 distress-calling network aimed at providing direction-finding and filling gaps in coverage for DSC VHF distress calls. Could not a DSC distress call qualify as a "emergency locator beacon"? What about the current trend toward satellite emergency notification devices (SENDs), such as the SPOT locator, Cerberus, or the DeLorme InReach? The versatility of these newer devices have already led some to question the value of EPIRBs for the majority of boaters. Should a SPOT locator qualify as an "emergency locator beacon?" -- Read on: http://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/-10879-1.html SAFETY SYNDROME American Skip Novak has sailed into his sixties, forgetting more about sailing than most of us will ever know. A 4-time competitor of the (now) Volvo Ocean Race, he is better known today for the sailing expeditions he leads to the arctic ends of the planet. Needless to say, Skip came along in sailing before the net of safety was fully sound. Back then, you had to rely on your skills, skills that some say have gotten lost today. Here Skip comments... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I take my kids sailing on my Laser. They steer and do the main sheet in light airs - no PFD's are needed. When it blows I take over, they provide some ballast and for sure I have them wear PFD's. But I am continually searching for ways to get them on the water (kayaks, dinghies, anything that floats) without PFD's not only for the sense of freedom and self reliance, but also to avoid what I call 'life jacket dependency.' It is a tragedy to sometimes overhear, "Hey kid, want to go for a ride?" Kid's answer, "I can't, not without a lifejacket . . . . " The reason sailing is so compelling as a sport and a life skill is because the variation of events can be enormous, even on a single day out, never mind a long offshore passage. The success of the venture is the ability to continually make judgment calls. Rules and cook book methods are great background material, but they will never replace raw feel and intuition which only comes from experience of course. Granted, you have to pass A to get to B. May I make the bold statement that overuse of PFD's actually promotes a sense of fear of the water, and lead to what can be a false sense of security, in effect creating a mental block to achieve the B. Due to electronic navigation methods, which were inevitable, we have already lost various 'seat of the pants' skills, and many fundamental techniques - call it the art of sailing. Ditto with the ultra efficient and all pervasive means of communications (cell and sat phones now de rigueur) we have also lost in part a sense of freedom and certainly a large share of privacy in 'going to sea.' This is the unstoppable march of technological evolution, but we need not go down this route being forced to wear PFD's at times when they are not warranted. To legislate or not the obligatory use of PFD's and other safety devices is a judgment call, and it is a biggey. Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14481#14481 NEW RULES Every four years, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) updates the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), releasing the latest edition after the summer Olympics. The 2013-2016 edition of the RRS go into effect January 1, 2013, but they are already available on the ISAF website and as an iOS application on the iTunes App Store. Within the next couple of weeks, ISAF intends to publish explanations of the changes. In the meantime, the new rule book does have marginal markings to indicate important changes to Parts 1-7 and the Definitions of the 2009-2012 edition. Also, look for the blogosphere to provide comments. Here are two recent posts: * Matt Knowles, Unruly: "I am going to focus on an area of the rule book that was heavily overhauled and, in my biased opinion, much improved: Appendix D (Team Racing). A small ISAF working group invested a lot of time in improving Appendix D." Read on: http://www.unrulyracing.com/2012/09/rrs-2013-new-appendix-d.html * Ryan Scott, West Marine Rigging - Newport: "Well, the ISAF 2013-2016 Racing Rules of Sailing are out, and as promised, Dyneema lifelines are fully legal, and allowed to be hiked off of. They removed the wording "of wire". This is good news for our equipment, wallets, and safety!" Read on: http://tinyurl.com/WMRN-091012 2013-2016 RRS: http://www.sailing.org/news/32216.php NEB-BUILT BELLA MENTE WINS MINI-MAXI WORLDS! The New England Boatworks built Mini-Maxi Bella Mente has won a hard fought Rolex Mini-Maxi World Championship at Costa Smeralda. Congratulations Hap Fauth and crew! Congratulations also to NEB-built third place finisher Caol Ila R(ex Alegre), proving that well built boats can remain competitive for years. NEB builds and services winning yachts so bring yours to NEB for modifications, refits and refinishing, and let us make your ride faster than ever. NEB is New England's yard to service your cruising or racing yacht or build your next dream. For excellence in service work or new construction call 401-683-4000, http://www.NEBoatworks.com SAILING SHORTS * Effective September 1, 2012, the Hobie Cat Company, based out of Oceanside, California acquired Hobie Cat's business in Europe. The agreement will give the sailboat and kayak company worldwide trademark rights and make the operation Hobie Cat's business in Europe directly under the control of Hobie Cat Company. Together with Hobie Cat Australasia, a subsidiary for the past twelve years, the joining of international forces will unify the brand image, accelerate market expansion, focus the product offerings and enhance Hobie's strong position in the global sailing, kayaking and fishing markets. -- Read on: http://www.hobieclass.com/?page=9476&format * Chautauqua, NY (September 9, 2012) - Fifty teams competed at the 6-race U.S. National E-Scow Championship (Sept. 7-9), hosted by Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club. While Andy Burdick's team of Toby Sutherland, Jim Gluek, and Deb Ziegler didn't win any races, they avoided the deep score or Z flag penalties to win the title with sailing in the final race. Final results: http://tinyurl.com/E-Scow-091012 * Mustang Survival is notifying the public of an "urgent advisory" for hydrostatic inflatable PFDs made during April and May. A portion of these PFDs could be subject to delayed or non-inflations, according to the manufacturer. -- Soundings, read on: http://tinyurl.com/TOT-091012 * East Tawas, MI (September, 10, 2012) - Lee Sackett of Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH holds the lead over 30 other teams at the J/22 North American Championship. Three races were completed on the first day of racing at the Tawas Bay Yacht Club. Lee Sackett scored a consistent line of 2,3,5 for 10 points, and Allan Terhune of Arnold, MD and Terry Flynn of League City, TX are tied for second with 12 points. Winds started light and shifty, increasing to 12 knots. Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14482#14482 * Changes in Canadian law require the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) to make changes to the organization's governance structure in order to be in compliance. During the CYA's Annual General Meeting in October 2012, the CYA membership will be asked to approve three fundamental changes to its current articles of incorporation and by-laws. Member feedback is need on or before September 30, 2012. Details here: http://tinyurl.com/CYA-091012 * Ottawa, ONT (September 10, 2012) - Nepean Sailing Club is gearing up to host the 2012 Mobility Cup on September 11-14. With 40 teams from across Canada and the United States, the Mobility Cup is Canada's biggest regatta for sailors with physical challenges and disabilities. Teams will race in Martin 16's, an all-Canadian design by Vancouver yacht designer Don Martin. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/MC-091012 * Sales of brokerage boats in the United States fell 1 percent in August, to 2,731, from 2,745 in the same month a year earlier and the value of those sales declined by 7 percent from $259 million to $240 million. Powerboat sales were up 1 percent, from 2,220 boats to 2,237 boats, but the pricing of those boats was down from $220 million to $202 million. Sailboat sales were off 6 percent, with 494 boats sold, but the total value of those sales was down less than $1 million, from $38.4 million to $37.8 million. -- Soundings, full report: http://tinyurl.com/S-091012 J/97 . . . THE PERFECT FAMILY RACER-CRUISER J/97 is the first 'J' in 25 years under 32' to combine full accommodations in a high performance, easily driven hull. Here's a boat that sleeps more people than it takes to sail her, and was named 2011 IRC Boat of the Year in France. No need for hotel rooms at the next regatta! See us at Newport and Annapolis. http://www.jboats.com/j97/ 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 may be 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 Scott Lawson: It was interesting to ponder Glenn McCarthy's commentary in Scuttlebutt 3672 about how regatta rules vary from event to event. It would seem his comparison of sailing to other sports is missing a vital point. Other sports have strong leadership while sailing has a few employees that follow the whim of special interest groups that have no big picture grasp. Of course, the playing field for sailing varies from event to event, but there are certain standards that could be consistent if needed. * From Michelle Silvers: Was I mistaken or did I read (in Scuttlebutt 3672) that a major U.S. regatta used something other than a sausage course? What is this "bay tour distance race"? I know that San Francisco is liberal minded, but have they gone crazy? Don't they know the only way to determine a winner is to see who can count how many times they go around a windward-leeward course? * From Stephanie Haskin: When it comes to the America's Cup, some things just can't be made up. I wonder what the day at work was like when it was discovered that the plan for the AC World Series and AC34 in San Francisco would be violating federal airspace laws (as reported in Scuttlebutt 3672)? No helicopters over the race course during home games for the San Francisco Giants? Was it dumb luck that the Giants were on the road during the AC World Series event in August? As for the October event, is the AC Event Authority secretly hoping the Giants tank it so they are not hosting the start of the National League playoffs during the ACWS? Oh, to be a fly on the wall! SELLING. BUYING. HIRING. The Scuttlebutt website provides a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. For free. As a bonus, each week the Scuttlebutt newsletter includes some of the recent ad postings. Have an ad? Post it in the Classified Ad section of the Forum. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with, that it's compounding a felony." - Robert Benchley, author SPONSORS THIS WEEK Southern Spars - US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider - North Sails New England Boatworks - J Boats - Doyle Sails - IYRS - Pure Yachting Gowrie Group - Ullman Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - The Pirates Lair Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
