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SCUTTLEBUTT 2454 – October 16, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday with the support of its sponsors. OFF TO THE OLYMPICS FOR THE FOURTH TIME Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree earned the right to represent the USA in the Tornado class in the Olympics for a fourth time. Here is Ogletree’s report following the final day of the Trials: “People thought we were the favorites to win the Olympic slot. Hey, Johnny Lovell and I thought we were favorites but we didn’t count on the tenacity and the boat speed displayed by Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi. Two days ago they almost had us put away. With four races remaining, they only had to win one more race to clinch the Olympic berth. That’s when maturity and experience kicked in. We prevailed twice Saturday and then again on Sunday. “Pre-start match races with Robbie and Hunter became a ritual this week and we won again this morning but our advantage was slight. The forecast was for a light to medium sea breeze increasing as the day wore on. In other words, steady boat speed conditions. These were Robbie’s conditions. There was no room to be second. We had to beat him at his best. “We won the start but we didn’t have full control and he was able to get clear and get to the favored right side fairly early in the windward leg. We drag-raced him out to the right-hand corner of the course and then tacked and lee-bowed him all the way into the top mark to round just in front. We were even all down the run and then chose opposite leeward gates. We went right, he went left. This time the situation was reversed as he lee-bowed us on the starboard tack and then led us into the second windward mark. We split and chose opposite sides of the course for the second run but came back together at the leeward gate and he was still slightly ahead. That’s where we got a lucky break, one of the few we got this week.” -- Read on: http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/view/71/1/ * The Grass is not always greener: The puppet strings of the British Olympic effort has been pulled on Britain's 49er World Champions and Team GB Olympic nominees Stevie Morrison (29) and Ben Rhodes (26), who were told at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta last month that they could not enter their 49er under the present name, Jackie Big Tits. The pair protested, saying the boat is named after a song by The Kooks. The Royal Yachting Asoociation responded that the tone wasn't quite right, and it seems the great popular voice of the people agrees. -- Yachting World, full story: http://www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/20070915193855blog_elaine_bunting.html REBUILDING GEORGE SCHUYLER'S DREAM In a week, and for just the second time in its 150 year history, the America's Cup seems destined to enter the hallowed halls of the New York Supreme Court. It is simplistic to portray this dispute as a battle between two belligerent billionaires. The situation has been brewing for some time and is created by an inherent weakness in the Deed of Gift. Ever since Fremantle, the entrepreneurs of sailing have been keen to lift the America’s Cup to a higher level – similar to other sports which are controlled by a central body. The NRL (National Rugby League) is probably the closest example with a network of franchised teams, a pinnacle competition, and a governing body unafraid to act quickly (even mid-season) in the best interests of the competition. Many have lobbied to have this style of competition created in the America's Cup. Inevitably it falls over in the transition from the current regatta to the dream game, because at some point the Defender has to give up the Defence rights – and to date this has never been a serious option for the Cup holder. The way through this mire is the path adopted by Alinghi, where the Defender takes complete control of the event, bids the venue, and underwrites the financial risk. Good in theory. -- Sail World, read on: http://tinyurl.com/2gbgdn LATEST RULES QUIZ JUST POSTED ONLINE When is “starboard tack” not starboard tack? UK-Halsey’s latest online rules quiz covers some very aggressive sailing that recently took place in the J/109 fleet. To avoid getting bullied on the water or sea-lawyered in ‘The Room’, view this just-posted quiz (#23). It’s animated, it’s free, and it’s private (no embarrassment in front of crew, competitors, or judges). Our effort to make you a better racer isn’t just in selling you our latest laminates (which, naturally, we’d like to tell you about: 800-253-2002 rings your nearest UK-Halsey loft). Take the quiz: what have you got to lose? http://www.ukhalsey.com * Curmudgeon’s Comment: These quizzes are nicely animated and super descriptive, but if you still have questions, the door is open to go straight to the top. Contact Butch Ulmer at mailto:butch@ukhalsey.com ON THE SUBJECT OF SUMMARY JUDGMENTS A letter received last week from R. G. Newbury was seeking further explanation regarding ‘Summary Judgments’, a term that is oft repeated in the legal proceedings between Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi/SNG team and Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing/GGYC team. We asked Cory E. Friedman, who has been providing commentary on the filings before Justice Herman Cahn in the Commercial Division of the NY Supreme Court at 60 Centre Street in Manhattan. Here is Cory’s reply: “If asked to characterize summary judgment in New York's Supreme Court, Commercial Division, Casablanca's Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) might advise that it is just like any other summary judgment, only more so. The purpose of summary judgment is to dispose of cases which lack a genuine disputed issue of material fact which would require a trial to determine. What is a material fact? One that is essential to a claim or defense. To start your car, you need an appropriate mixture of fuel and air, compression and a spark. Subtract one and the car will not start, so each is material. To see if your favorite music is essential to starting the car, subtract it and see if the car will start when all the other elements are present. In this case, the material elements are the terms of the Deed and Justice Cahn will decide, as a matter of law, the meaning of the words in the Deed and their construction -- what the Deed requires and grants. Disputes regarding the law or the construction of the Deed cannot preclude summary judgment. The court decides them.” -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/#p6 HUMPHREYS DRAWS ON PAST EXPERIENCE British designer Rob Humphreys has been tasked with drawing the lines of the Russian entry in the 2008-09 race, 14 years after one of his boats last graced a Whitbread/Volvo race. Humphreys’ designs have clocked up over one million sea miles racing around the planet. His last involvement with the Whitbread, in 1993, was a commission to design Dolphin & Youth, a British Whitbread 60 entry. In 2008-09, it’s Oleg Zherebtsov’s Russian boat which is on the drawing board at his Lymington office. Though glad to be back, Humphreys says the pressures are all too familiar. Particularly the time constraints. “There are nine months between getting the brief and launching which has again placed a strong emphasis on intuition through the design process, though in a slightly different way from the Whitbread days,” Humphreys says. “We now have infinitely more computer power and have been running a comprehensive R&D effort, but where we find the intuitive approach pays is in allowing us to focus quickly on the main issues and to rule out certain design paths which could otherwise eat up valuable time and budget.” The Russian project has come at a good time, Humphreys says. His son Tom is developing a reputation on the racing circuit and the seven-strong design team have built a strong expertise in both racing and cruising projects. When Russian skipper Andreas Hanakamp called, Humphreys hesitated for a very short while. “I have done various round the world projects over the years and they are not to be taken lightly. They are exciting and invigorating and glamorous but it is also a hell of a worry when the boats are out there. But we couldn’t refuse. I have found this project fascinating. The whole office has been enraptured by it.” -- Complete story: http://tinyurl.com/2bgxjy PUSHED TO THE LIMIT "To my mind, this will be the toughest offshore race that's ever happened." So says Alex Thomson of the Barcelona World Race, which starts next month. The nine teams entered are all starting to feel under pressure. The new 25,000-mile two-handed non-stop race through the Southern Ocean is being competed for by some of the fastest new Open 60s, four of them launched earlier this year and still sorting out last-minute teething troubles. This will be the first time these boats have been raced round the world by two people and the skippers' view is that the race will be harder-driving and may even be more stressful than sailing alone. "It will be harder than the Vendée Globe," says Britain's Alex Thomson, who will be sailing his new Hugo Boss with fellow Brit Andrew Cape. "We'll be sailing nearer 100 per cent the whole time. You'll always be changing sails, always grinding. There will be no let-up whatsoever. It will be hard labour - like going to prison, basically. Not quite solitary confinement, but very, very tough." Thomson expects there to be a significant breakage rate. "They are all pretty new boats and nobody's used to pushing their boats for that long, so no-one really knows what's going to happen. It wouldn't surprise me if everybody has a half serious problem." US sailor Jonathan McKee, sailing with Spanish sailor Guillermo Altadill agrees: "Breakages will for sure be a factor. Almost everyone will probably break something," he says. "It's just a question of how fatal it is, how well you handle it and how well you're set up to deal with it." -- Elaine Bunting, Yachting World, full story: http://www.yachtingworld.com/yw/blog/20070909110636blog_elaine_bunting.html HIGH DEMAND FOR LIGHTWEIGHT, BREATHABLE CLOTHING To meet these needs, Camet International has introduced a new line of sportswear to satisfy it's sports-minded and outdoor enthusiast customers. The collection offers an array of possibilities from highly technical products that scream "performance", to lightweight, wrinkle-free products for on-the-water and off-the-water activities. We look for fabrics that move perspiration away from the body, dry quickly, and are wrinkle-resistant; characteristics sought by adventurers and sailors alike. These technical products not only serve a purpose, they are also very fashionable. With solid color schemes, Hawaiian prints, and multi-functional designs. Check them out at http://www.camet.com SAILING SHORTS * Port Washington, NY -- Kevin Grainger and his crew on Gumption3 won the J/105 East Coast Championship this past weekend with 13 points, beating out Indefatigable (Phil Lotz, 15 points) and Kincsem (Joerg Esdorn 17 points). Conditions were vintage Long Island Sound, with breeze from 6 to 25 knots. Temps continue to be mild with the water still in the high sixties. The Manhasset Bay Yacht Club race committee did their best with the conditions, getting in 7 races over the two days. -- Results: http://www.manhassetbayyc.org/files/MBYC-FallSeries2007_White-5.htm * Annapolis, MD – Forty-one teams ascended on the Severn Sailing Association for the annual Lightning Fall Championship. Sailors were treated to sunny skies and shifty W/NW'ly breezes. The 5-race regatta came down to the last race between Larry MacDonald, Allan Terhune, Jr, and David Starck. Although Starck won the final race, MacDonald's come from behind 7th place finish secured his team's 1st overall. Top five: 1. Larry Mac Donald, 2. Allan Terhune, Jr, 3. David Starck, 4. Todd Wake, 5. George Fisher. -- Full results: http://www.severnsailing.org/results/2007/1014lightning.shtml * Watsonville, Calif. (Oct. 11, 2007) -- West Marine, Inc.(Nasdaq:WMAR) reported an increase of 0.3% in comparable store sales for the thirteen weeks ended September 29, 2007. Net sales for the period were $187.5 million, a decrease of 4.1% from net sales of $195.6 million a year ago, following the closing of 35 stores in 2006. For the thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2007, comparable store sales decreased 1.7%. Net sales for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2007 were $561.4 million, a decrease of 5.3% from net sales of $592.8 million a year ago. -- http://tinyurl.com/2xlj9u CLOSEST EVER CUP FINISH Toronto, Ontario (October 15, 2007) – In the most dramatic finish ever seen in Canada’s Cup competition, U.S. Challenger Robert Hughes and Heartbreaker came from behind on the final leg of the final match race on Monday to cross the finish line less than half a boatlength ahead of Defending Canadian team Honour. The win brought the final score of the championship to 5-4 and finally gave Hughes the victory that has eluded him in two prior Cup challenges in 2001 and 2003. Team Heartbreaker could not contain their enthusiasm as they loaded the Cup into their inflatable tender, racing from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club’s island headquarters to the mainland, hoping to catch their flights back to Michigan. “We can’t wait to bring the Cup to her new home at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club,” said Team Manager Mary DeVries. “This means so much to us – we’ ve all been brought along by Bob Hughes’ vision, and now we’ve succeeded at what he started years ago.” Extremely light winds on Monday made both races long, mentally frustrating affairs. With America’s Cup tacticians Gavin Brady (for RCYC) and Dave Dellenbaugh (for MBYC) battling it out every bit as much as the helmsman they directed, the final margin of victory was less than 3 seconds. Honour held a 19-second lead at the final upwind mark, and only 200 yards from the finish line, Heartbreaker was still trailing. “It was one little puff,” said losing skipper Alec Krstajic. “That was the match. One tiny little puff of wind that Heartbreaker brought right to the finish – the whole thing came down to that.” -- Complete report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/1015/ COUNTDOWN TO WINTER'S BEST – KEY WEST AND MIAMI Ninety-seven days to go until the start of Acura Key West 2008 (January 21-25). Then only forty-one more until racing begins at the 2008 Acura Miami Grand Prix (March 6-9). Florida sunshine and warm winds, international competition, professional race management, and unique shoreside fun await you! Notices of Race at http://www.Premiere-Racing.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (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, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Doran Cushing, St. Petersburg, FL: (edited to the 250-word limit) It might be said that a small piece of history was made this weekend at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in St. Pete, FL. As hosts to the Leukemia Cup (the first such event in Tampa Bay) and the Fall Bay Race, the club, the RC, and the Leukemia Cup organizers allowed a multihull to compete against monohulls in the same start/same course/same scoring. I don't think it has happened before. Granted, the SI's said fleets without sufficient entries could, at the discretion of the RC, be "merged" into another class. Kudos to the club for not treating the F-31R trimaran, with a -21 PHRF rating, like the bastard child...those of us who do race fast multihulls know too well what that feels like. Out of respect to the fleet, we tried to "play nice" when it came to critical moments on the course, meaning we could duck instead of challenge, round wide instead of mixing it up in the traffic at marks...sailing aggressively but with consideration that the Spin A boats were competing for a year-long series and we were not. Our own mistakes made far more difference than any "corinthian" gestures on the race course. The Leukemia Cup events are truly noble causes. I'm disappointed more multis didn't show up. The untimely loss of Bob Buzzelli, a devotee of fast boats, added a solemn memory to an otherwise lovely sailing weekend. * From Richard Clark: The US Olympic Trials, wow, I have to say that I have been riveted to my computer watching the results come in for the various classes and I must admit to being really, really hooked at the close racing. Here in rural New Zealand, with local elections just finished, the Curmudgeon gave me something to smile about. Once more yacht races beat political races hands down, good one guys. * From Robert Wilkes, Secretary, International Optimist Dinghy Association: Congratulations to Americans Amanda Clark, Johnny Lovell, and Zach Railey on their selection for next year’s Olympics. Because the USOC guarantees to send the winners of their national trials they are, as far as we know, the first sailors anywhere to be certain of their places. Intriguingly Amanda and Zach formed part of the same US Optimist team at the Optimist Worlds of 1997 in Ireland. Even more intriguingly two other members of that five-person team, Trevor Moore and Clay Johnson, placed third and fourth in the Laser trials. The only member who did not take part in the trials was Peter Must who, having won the ISSA (High School) Laser Radials in 2000, won an ASA Outstanding Instructor award in 2006. A fourth ex-Optimist Anna Tunnicliffe also gained selection but, emigrating from the U.K. at the age of 12, did not sail internationally. Commiserations to Mark Mendelblatt (Optimist Worlds 1987-8 and Olympian in 2004) and Brad Funk (1991-3) who narrowly missed out this time. Maybe next time: Johnny Lovell dates back to the Optimist Worlds of 1982! IODA would be delighted to hear from other countries as ex-Optimists gain confirmed selection. We hope to compile a full list similar to www.optiworld.org/exopolyfull.html * From John Rumsey: For ‘buttheads still old enough to remember the SORC, Courtney Ross, the first man to see when you were in St Pete for that offshore series, turned 70 on October 15th. Happy birthday Courtney! * Curmudgeon’s Comment: We checked in with Courtney’s daughter, Kim, who shares, “Most agree that my dad was among a rare breed, with many becoming familiar with him at his boat yard, Ross Yacht Services in Clearwater, FL, which was a major hub during the SORC. All in all, a neat guy that has contributed a lot to the sailing world and had a lot of fun along the way. He is one of a dying breed of yachtsmen that participated in the sport because he loved it, not because of the money. The sailing industry and his kids have been lucky to have him around.” CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION The bad news is time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot. Special thanks to UK-Halsey Sailmakers, Camet International, and Premiere Racing. |
