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SCUTTLEBUTT 3132 - Tuesday, July 13, 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: Marine, Morris Yachts, and LaserPerformance. MAKING CHANGES Last week the U.S. Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) announced that they were discarding their tried and true, winner-take-all trials regatta used for the selection of Olympic sailing representatives, and instead will use the results from two prominent events that would place American sailors against the best international competitors in the world. Scuttlebutt spoke with OSC chairman Dean Brenner about the change: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * While the selection process of using international competition is becoming typical of leading sailing nations, how unique is it for other U.S. Olympic sports? DEAN BRENNER: I really can't comment on the specifics of how other sports under U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) do their selection. I can only comment on what our committee thinks is best for sailing, and we think this selection process gives us the best chances for success. * Can the U.S. choose its Olympic athletes by subjective analysis, or must it use a rigid qualifying system? DEAN BRENNER: Technically, we could propose a subjective system, and USOC might approve it. But philosophically we don't like such a system and never seriously considered it. * What were the overriding USOC conditions given to the OSC when designing the selection procedures? DEAN BRENNER: The essential answer is "none." We always confer with USOC on our Trials selection process and we did this time as well. Their guidance is highly valuable to us. But in terms of specific conditions, USOC charges us with designing a system that is fair and will produce our most competitive team in 2012, which is exactly the guidance they give to all other Olympic sports in the USA. * Were there stipulations by the USOC that came out of the trials process for the 2008 Games, specifically stemming from the Farrah Hall redress case, which had to be implemented in the selection procedures? DEAN BRENNER: There were no additional stipulations based on the 2007 Trials. But practically speaking, no one wants to have the results of their event in dispute whether we are talking about the Trials or your yacht club Wednesday night series. Did we learn some things from 2007? Of course we did, and it would disingenuous to suggest otherwise. But the only real stipulation (always in effect and not just this time) is that we comply with, among other documents, the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), and obviously the 2007 Trials had an impact on the RRS. * Was there a reason that all the U.S. fleet racing events are using the same system? While this system may be needed in some classes, it is arguably not needed in all of them. DEAN BRENNER: We discussed this thoroughly and came to the unanimous decision that choosing all of our representatives based on international competition would produce the strongest team, across the board. And this decision is entirely consistent with previous changes with our funding and our annual selection to the U.S. Sailing Team AlphaGraphics... everything we do comes back to international competition. To win a medal you have to beat the best in the world. So that is the environment we chose for our Trials. Complete interview: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0712/ Last week's announcement: http://tinyurl.com/DB-selection-process U.S. Olympic selection procedure: http://tinyurl.com/38vn4xn SUNDERLAND, COAST GUARD DROP BERMUDA RACE CLAIMS Yachting journalist and historian John Rousmaniere is a frequent contributor to Scuttlebutt, and recently spearheaded an outstanding media program for the 2010 Newport to Bermuda Race. John loves the race too, and thus has been active in clearing up a false report that came from Laurence Sunderland, whose 16 year old daughter Abby this June failed in her attempt to solo circumnavigate the globe. There have been heavy doses of criticism directed toward the Sunderlands, some of which had to do with Abby being dismasted while seeking to cross the exceedingly dangerous Indian Ocean during its most dangerous time of year. To deflect this criticism, Laurence Sunderland sought to tamper with the Bermuda Race's reputation. John Rousmaniere sets the story straight here: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Abby Sunderland's father and the U.S. Coast Guard have retracted statements that a boat was lost in the 2010 Bermuda Race. When the young singlehanded ocean sailor Abby Sunderland and her father, Laurence, and brother Zac appeared on NBC's "Today" show on June 30, 2010, host Meredith Vieira asked Laurence Sunderland to comment on the extensive critical press coverage of his daughter's recent rescue from her dismasted boat in the Indian Ocean. Sunderland said that she had been singled out. "I mean, let's look at the Newport-Bermuda race. A boat tipped upside down, lost its keel, we don't hear any of that in the news." Nothing in that statement is true. There was no capsize, no loss of a keel, and no other serious damage in the Newport Bermuda Race fleet. Each of the 183 boats that started the race at Newport on June 18 finished safely at Bermuda. -- Scuttleblog, read on: http://tinyurl.com/244gyof 10% OFF SITEWIDE TWO DAYS ONLY - 7/13 & 7/14 Sail away with savings this Tuesday & Wednesday at westmarine.com. Take 10% off regular priced items sitewide and save on practically everything else online including our huge selection of sailing gear! -- http://bit.ly/bDcErO WOMEN'S LASER RADIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Largs, Scotland (July 12, 2010) - A flighty, funky breeze made racing testing again today at Largs Finland's defending champion Sari Multala stepped further clear of the chasing pack today when she sailed to a well earned fifth place in the lone race at the Laser Radial World Championships on the Clyde off Largs. Noted Multala, "The first upwind was OK, it was still quite steady but then the wind started to die first, then shift to the right slowly. And then in the end it had gone around about 180 degrees. But it was always quite obvious something was happening to the right because there was some really dark clouds but it just took a while until the wind reached us, we were close to the second top mark by then and so the top sailors were pretty much OK by that stage. I was in the top ten and then I came up a few places on the second upwind because I saw the line of breeze coming across on the right and got there before some other girls." China's Dongshuang Zhang read the big advantage to the left on the first beat, where there was more wind pressure, and won the women's race with a lead of about 200 metres over Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), the Olympic gold medallist, and Paige Railey (USA) in third. Racing concludes on July 14th. -- Full report: http://www.laserworlds2010.co.uk/news/_548/Champions_in_control Current standings (Top 10 of 114; 6 races, 1 throw-out) 1. FIN, Sari Multala, 15 points 2. NED, Marit Bouwmeester, 22 3. USA, Paige Railey, 27 4. FRA, Sarah Steyaert, 35 5. BLR, Tatiana Drozdovskaya, 36 6. CRO, Tina Mihelic, 40 7. USA, Anna Tunnicliffe, 47 8. BEL, Evi Van Acker, 47 9. LTU, Gintare Scheidt, 49 10. FRA, Mathilde de Kerangat, 55 Full results: hhttp://tinyurl.com/Radial-Worlds-2010-results WINNER'S DEBRIEF American Genny Tulloch, currently the 9th ranked skipper on the International Women's Match Race rankings, is training hard for a 2012 Olympic berth. Here is her report from the US National Championship: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- We just finished up four days of racing in Sheboygan, WI where we won the 2010 US Women's Match Racing Championship and defended our title from last year! In addition to being our National Championship, this was an important event for us because it gave us a chance to get racing experience in Sonars in preparation for the World Championship this September, and the win qualified us to represent the United States in the 2011 ISAF Nations Cup in Sheboygan next September. Our team for this event was Genny Tulloch, Alice Manard, Karina Shelton, and Lindsay Bartel. The competition included Sally Barkow, Katy Lovell, Maegan Ruhlman, and several top collegiate sailors and recent grads that are relatively new to match racing but already showing a lot of potential. The conditions in Sheboygan were less than ideal for the first three days of racing, with fog, light air, and thunderstorms hampering the racing effort. Although the race committee did a very admirable job of getting in as many races as possible, we were only able to complete one and a half round robins in the first three days. We had some close matches in the round robins and used that time to work on our teamwork and communication since we had never sailed together as a team. We went 10-1 in the round robins, with our only loss to Sally Barkow and her team in the first round. That put us in second place after the first stage, and put us up against Stephanie Roble's team in the semifinals. -- Read on: http://getsailing.org/?p=675 WHO SHOULD PAY TO RESCUE SAILORS? The French parliament is presently debating a proposed new law that would require French citizens who knowingly take risks overseas to pay for their rescue. French sailors who sail too close to Somalia, for example, might conceivably have to reimburse the government if they are hijacked by pirates and have to be rescued by a French operation - as has happened in the last year. The French debate has added fuel to the current issues surrounding sailors crossing oceans solo, although this is not the specific focus of the French law. Still, the issue is a hot button for many on both sides of the question. Should governments continue to bear the costs of rescuing anyone at sea from any circumstance whatever? Regardless of what the person was doing there and what the cost may be? Since virtually all sailing and other activity on an ocean (or bay, or creek, or mountain - and perhaps even crossing a street) involves some risk, is it even possible to define the point at which a risk becomes unacceptable? What do you think? Please raise your voice in this poll. Leave a comment if you can define the line between acceptable and unacceptable risk from society's perspective: http://tinyurl.com/27p2d7a LAST CALL! MORRIS BOAT SHOW - JULY 16-18 Final preparations are underway for this weekend's boat show. You have a couple more days to finalize your plans to attend the Morris Boat Show held every year at their service yard in Northeast Harbor, Maine. This event will showcase a variety Morris Yachts from the latest M-Series daysailers to blue water cruisers to classic Justines. Do not miss this once a year opportunity to board the widest selection of Morris Yachts. Show hours for July 16-18 are 10-6pm Friday and Saturday; 10-4pm on Sunday. Click here for a current list of boats to be displayed http://www.morrisyachts.com/Morris-Yachts-Boat-Show or a call 1-207-244-5509 SAILING SHORTS * Istanbul, Turkey (July 12, 2010) - Competitors had to wait until 16:30hrs local time on day two of the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship for the breeze to fill to complete one or two races among the eight events. The breeze filled to around seven knots on the three courses but it remained puffy for the 250 boats. The 29ers have now completed five races, allowing USA crew of Antoine Screve and James Moody to drop a 15th in race three and counting top three positions in all their other races to hold the lead. Tuesday is a lay day; racing resumes on Wednesday and concludes Friday. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2dy8gh9 * Medemblik, The Netherlands (July 12, 2010) - Competitors were greeted on the fourth day of the IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship with bad weather and a high risk of thunderstorms, cancelling all racing for the 79 teams in the Sonar, 2.4mR, and SKUD 18 events. Racing concludes on July 14th. -- Event website: http://ifdsworlds2010.com/index.php * The Hague, The Netherlands (July 12, 2010) - Conditions transpired against the possibility of racing on the opening day of the Delta Lloyd 470 World Championship. The final tally of entries comes to 119 men and 62 women, which include 6 USA teams and 4 Canadian teams. Ninety-five coaches are registered. After a delay ashore until 2pm (local), the Men's and Women's fleets ventured out into a near mill pond, but with storm clouds looming and no start looking possible, racing was cancelled prior to the arrival of driving rain and 40 knot gusts. -- Full story: http://www.470worlds2010.com/news.asp?newsid=203 * Lasalle, MI (July 11, 2010) - North Cape Yacht Club played host to the combined 2010 Great Lakes Championships in the Thistle and Lightning classes. Winds were light and challenging, but the camaraderie was amazing and the parties were epic! The Thistle event was billed as a warm-up for the National Championship in two weeks at NCYC, where Greg Griffin, Jordan Gourash & Ryanne Gallagher (Jacksonville, FL) topped the 62 boat fleet. The Lightning Great Lakes was a USA Pan Am Trials qualifying event, where David Stark, Ian Jones and Jody Starck (Buffalo, NY) won 3 of the 4 races and cruised to victory over the 33 boat fleet. Full results: http://www.ncyc.net/newNCYC/GLchampionships/index_files/Page1822.htm * (July 12, 2010) - Team Finland has taken line honours in the penultimate stage of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, crossing the finish line at Ijmuiden, Netherlands at 2139 local time (1939 UTC). Once again the competition has been tight with the ten yachts racing close to each other as they hoisted their spinnakers to blast along the south coast of England towards their goal. Close behind Team Finland four teams, Cape Breton Island, Hull & Humber, California and Spirit of Australia, are separated by just one mile as they chase for the podium in this 550-mile sprint from Cork, Ireland. -- http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com * San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is planning to release an economic report this week that will outline the costs and benefits of hosting the 34th America's Cup competition. The study is likely to emphasize a potential windfall in tourist spending and tax revenue from the internationally famous race. The team said it will choose a venue by the end of this year; the race would be held in 2013 or 2014. -- SJ Mercury News, full story: http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_15492957?nclick_check=1 * Late last Friday, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed the Jobs for Florida Bill, CS/SB-1752, which contains the Florida boat sales-use tax cap legislation, bringing about what some industry insiders are calling "a major victory for Florida's struggling marine industry." The $18,000 Boat Sales and Use Tax Cap will take effect on July 1, effectively bringing Florida's boat dealers and brokers into parity with their competitors in other states and nearby countries, where sales taxes on boats have been far lower, reported the Florida Yacht Brokers Association (FYBA) and Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) in a joint statement. -- Read on: http://www.boating-industry.com/output.cfm?id=2537155 LASER RADIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS The Men's and Women's Laser Radial World Championships are taking place now in Largs, UK and will run through July 14th. LaserPerformance has supplied all the 117 Women's competitors and another 43 Men's competitors with brand new charter boats. Good luck from LaserPerformance to all the sailors out in Largs. For details go to: http://www.laserinternational.org/info60 Sail Legendary LaserPerformance.com LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Dean Dietrich, Tiburon, CA: Regarding Mr. Macken's suggestion (in Scuttlebutt 3131) that Larry Ellison should pay his own way if the America's Cup is sailed in San Francisco, Mr. Macken should bear in mind that the additional revenues to the SF merchants are estimated to be in the billions, which means larger tax revenues for the City. Also, the astronomical costs of developing a defender and paying a crew and support staff are borne solely by Ellison, who at best will only get the right to keep the Cup until the next defense. Even a hard core libertarian or Tea Party acolyte (if rational) should agree this is a heck of a deal for SF, regardless of who pays for berthing facilities. * From Ryan Hamm, Charleston, SC: I could not disagree more with Mr. Macken. He thinks Ellison should pony up for the next America's Cup. He spent a ton of money already to win it and bring it back to US so that the US could try to keep it. If we expect anyone who wins a trophy to pay for their chance to win and then pay to host the event to maintain it most of us will be out of sailing and we truly become the elitist sport that we are perceived to be now. Hopefully the US, San Fran, and maybe even US Sailing ponies up so that we can have a true US defense. And by the way, I noticed that Ellison did a $250,000 fireworks show at this last event in San Fran over the weekend. He is ponying up although I do not think we should expect it. He is making sure that the US looks good in our next defense and helping monetarily. I hope he is left to spend money on the boat and technology so that the US starts another long reign of hosting and winning the America's Cup. US needs to support sailing in all forms. Other countries do it. The US needs to catch on. * From Ken Womack: (re, Howard Macken's letter, Scuttlebutt 3131) I am not always pleased to see my local tax dollars go to build some of our local stadiums, arenas, and ball parks, because the payback in business and revenue to my community don't always appear to justify the expense. In the case of the Cup being held in the Bay Area, there are huge benefits to the community. I have not heard any official numbers proffered, but number like 4 to 8 billion dollars of economic activity for the area over the course of the cup cycle sounds like something the Bay Area would want to get behind financially. America's Cup racing is big bucks. Billions of them. In addition to the direct financial benefits the area will receive from hosting such an event, it will also get important secondary benefits. Clear the Cup event will enhance tourism in the area for years to come. Not just because of the event, but because San Francisco Bay will become more famous through the hosting and media coverage. The waterfront and the City and surrounding communities will undoubtedly be spruced up for the event, benefiting everyone for a considerable period. Major construction efforts will be undertaken to provide docks, offices and other structures. These facilities will serve the area for years after the Cup event has been put in the history books. Much business activity and many tax dollars will be generated by this event. Business tax, income tax, property tax, hotel tax, and the list goes on. I certainly would not mind seeing some of my tax dollars invested in the Cup event if I lived in the Bay Area or even simply California. This is not Cub Scouts paddling canoes on Lake Nogal! * From By Baldridge: To all those who are appalled that ocean racers occasionally befoul the ocean, in the old days we always ate a lot of cheese, thereby locking up our bowels for the needed three day passage. We should all go back to this proven method, all though Bermuda may not be equipped to handle the fleet explosion after we loosen them again with a sufficient intake of Dark and Stormy's. Now if only we can train those filthy fish to stop defecating in the ocean. * From Bill Reed: I take issue with the idea that dumping sewerage offshore is somehow terrible. All organisms generate waste. The entire ecological hierarchy is supported by a complex web of interrelated living things in harmony. Animals exhale carbon dioxide, plants consume carbon dioxide, the circle continues. Sure, dumping a tin can by the side of the road is bad. We humans are part of the biosphere and have always been. As Ben Franklin said, 'moderation in all things'. So, no, I do not support discharging in Great Salt Pond on Block Island or pumping overboard in San Francisco Bay, but on a yacht crossing the Gulfstream? I wonder if the writer who suggested he hopes people step in their waste if they dump offshore might learn that the authorities in Bermuda would hope they dumped their sewerage while sailing rather than ask Bermuda to accommodate 200 yachts arriving with full septic tanks. Come on now, get a grip! What are the lobsters and clams going to eat for goodness sakes! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION There should be support groups for people who can't put their dishes in the dishwasher. Special thanks to West Marine, Morris Yachts, and LaserPerformance. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
