|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2823 - Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Scuttlebutt 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.
Today's sponsors are JK3 Nautical Enterprises and Team One Newport.
MINEFIELD OF SQUALLS
(Apr. 14, 2009; Day 4) - Another day on the Volvo Ocean Race, another day of
beam reaching in the teens, aiming at the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha
(eastern tip of Brazil, now 592 nm to go). Simple, right? Not so, says Delta
Lloyd navigator Wouter Verbraak, “Who ever said that trade winds are constant?
Winds are varying from 7 to 18 knots and the wind direction is all over the
place. A varied mix of clouds are being thrown at us at random from the east.
Some big, some small, some windy, some with no wind at all. Champagne sailing?
Forget it! Half drunken coffees are spread through the cockpit and the galley
is full with unwashed bowls. Normally these are big no no's but the last 24
hours we have been going from one sail change to the next and back. Bad things
happen. You just have to deal with it the best you can.” -- Read on:
http://tinyurl.com/creqbr
For PUMA fans, her westerly track had positioned her alongside the two
Ericssons and to leeward of the rest since early Monday (GMT). However, E4
began to speed ahead early Tuesday (GMT), and by the afternoon PUMA and E3
sheeted in for a strategic climb up towards the middle of the fleet. As for
Green Dragon loyalists, that team’s struggles on this leg may not be
completely due to the tight wind angle, which has been observed to be a
weakness of hers in the past. Skipper Ian Walker has revealed that they are
not carrying their new upwind code zero on this leg. Said Walker, “We cannot
use it on every leg without it falling apart and we are missing it right now
as the wind heads and decreases.” -- Excerpts from event website
Crewed around the world race in VO 70’s, with ten distance legs and seven
In-Port races. Leg Six from Rio de Janiero, Brazil to Boston, MA, USA is 4,900
nm, with the finish estimated on April 27th. Current positions (as of Apr. 14,
22:15 GMT):
1. Telefónica Blue (ESP), Bouwe Bekking/NED, 4,126 nm Distance to Finish
2. Delta Lloyd (IRL), Roberto Bermudez/ESP, 7 nm Distance to Leader
3. Ericsson 4 (SWE), Torben Grael/BRA, 8 nm DTL
4. Telefonica Black (ESP), Fernando Echavarri/ESP, 19 nm DTL
5. Ericsson 3 (SWE), Magnus Olsson/SWE, 21 nm DTL
6. PUMA (USA), Ken Read/USA, 25 nm DTL
7. Green Dragon (IRL/CHN), Ian Walker/GBR, 33 nm DTL
Team Russia (RUS), Andreas Hanakamp/AUT, Did Not Start
Event website: http://www.volvooceanrace.org
Race tracking: http://volvooceanrace.geovoile.com
Overall scores: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/rdc/#tab4
IS IT TIME TO GET DR. LAURA INVOLVED?
Popular talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who has recently been on the
SoCal regatta circuit, makes her living solving other people’s problems. Is it
time for her sit down with Ernesto Bertarelli and Larry Ellison to help get
the America’s Cup back on track? Does it concern anyone else that, as the New
York Courts stated in their April 2, 2009 decision, how “it falls now to SNG
(Societe Nautique De Geneve) and GGYC (Golden Gate Yacht Club) to work
together”?
Hate is a strong word, but do these clubs even extend reciprocal privileges to
each other? The air has been eerily quiet… could it have been the calm before
the storm? Perhaps, as a letter dated April 7th had been sent by GGYC
(Ellison’s club) to SNG (Bertarelli’s club) to initiate their negotiations,
and now on April 14th the Swiss club has posted a note on their website
stating they would like to meet as well. Is it time to get Dr. Laura involved,
or should these two gentlemen first become Facebook “friends” and see how that
goes before trying to agree on the 33rd America’s Cup conditions?
Copies of the letters on Scuttleblog:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2009/04/could-dr-laura-help.html
FAST IS FUN, COME CHECK OUT THE ALL NEW SANTA CRUZ 37!
The Santa Cruz 37 is on display daily at JK3 Yachts in San Diego and at Sail
California in Alameda. Visit us at Strictly Sail Pacific boat show in Oakland,
CA. April 15th thru Sunday April 19th. Whether it's around the buoys around
the bay, offshore racing or going to that special anchorage with family and
friends. Sail Fast- Sail Fun with a Santa Cruz 37. For a demo ride contact
mailto:norman@sailcal.com at Sail California in Northern California and
mailto:Jeff@jk3yachts.com at JK3 Nautical in Southern California Today!
=> Curmudgeon’s Comment: If you are planning on attending the boat show (I
will be there Friday), buy your discount tickets here:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/banners/strictlysail
SPONSORSHIP VALUE - THE COMMERCIAL CASE FOR A DOG MATCH
Our thinking has been all wrong. Ever since the New York Court of Appeals
brought down their verdict in favour of the Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW
ORACLE, we have taken the position that the best thing that the new Challenger
of Record and the Defender could do, would be to dispense with a Deed of Gift
Match and opt for a multichallenger event.
This was obviously a view taken from the point of view of a non-American fan,
or the Commercial Director of a team like Emirates Team New Zealand or
TEAMORIGIN. Our argument was that a multichallenger event may stop these teams
from disappearing altogether, putting more pressure on an already depressed
industry.
But why should businessmen Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli care about
other team’s sponsors? This is a great sponsorship opportunity for their
commercial partners. If I was the Marketing Director of BMW, a DOG match with
only one other opponent guarantees more share of media coverage. Instead of
being 1 of 20 potential sponsors, I am one of two. 50% of the coverage of a
DOG match is about my brand. -- Yacht Sponsorship, read on:
http://tinyurl.com/dj483m
CATCHIN’ UP WITH CLAY
There’s plenty of activity at Mystic Seaport’s Henry B. DuPont Preservation
Shipyard this spring. The three-year restoration of the whaling ship Charles
W. Morgan is well underway, and in a shed a few steps away Clay Burkhalter of
Stonington, CT is hard at work preparing his boat Acadia for the 2009 Bermuda
One-Two Yacht Race, which starts June 5 in Newport.
Acadia, an Open Class 6.5 Meter (popularly known as a Mini), was designed for
singlehanded ocean racing by Clay’s uncle, Rod Johnstone. Clay and Rod built
the boat with assistance from Composite Technologies of Bath, ME and Dodson
Boatyard in Stonington, CT. (As a teenager, Clay helped Rod build a boat in
the Johnstone garage. That boat, designed by Rod for racing with his family
and named Ragtime, was the first J/24).
Clay sailed Acadia in several European races (including a doublehanded event
with Rod crewing), culminating in the 2007 Mini Transat, a solo race from
France to Brazil via the Canary Islands in which he posted the best finish by
an American skipper in 28 years. We haven’t spoken since before the Mini
Transat. What’s new? -- WindCheck, read on: http://tinyurl.com/cbkprm
OFF-WATER TRAINING FOR WINDSURFING
by Sergei Beliaev, Ph.D.
Practically all leading specialists and coaches agree: staying in good
physical shape is important if you want to be successful and compete at
practically any level in windsurfing. However, understanding off-water
conditioning requirements and selecting proper training methods can be
challenging. In this article we discuss the main physical challenges of
windsurfing and training methods which will help you to build the qualities
necessary for successful performance.
Why do we need to train off-water? The results of physiological testing of
elite windsurfers suggest that in order to compete at practically any level,
not even mentioning national and international levels of competition, athletes
must develop high levels of special endurance, which is translated, in
scientific terms, as the need to develop high levels of maximum oxygen
consumption. Maximum Oxygen Consumption or VO2max is maximum volume of oxygen
that the body can consume during intense whole-body physical exercise. This
VO2 volume is usually expressed as a rate, litters per minute (L/min) or
millilitres per kg bodyweight per minute (ml/kg/min). Since oxygen consumption
has linear relation with energy expenditure in the body, its values can be
interpreted as maximal individual aerobic capacity or ability to sustain
aerobic effort for a period of time. -- Read on:
http://tinyurl.com/R4T-EnduranceTraining
COMMUNICATION ERA
Here is the timeline for Scuttlebutt amid the communication era:
1997 - e-Newsletter
2002 - Website
2005 - Blog
2005 - Forum
2008 - Facebook
2009 - Twitter
Scuttlebutt will be “tweeting” this Friday from the Strictly Sail Pacific &
Power Boat Expo in Oakland, CA. Here are some links:
Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt
Discount show tickets: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/banners/strictlysail
HENRI-LLOYD'S ATMOSPHERE TEE SPECIAL AT TEAM ONE NEWPORT
Buy multiples of Henri-Lloyd's technical tee and save! These quick drying and
wicking shirts are a must! The short sleeve (HLY30238 - Men's and HLY30243 -
Women's) is $24 and you can buy 2 for $42 or 3 for $55. The long sleeve
(HLY30241) is $29 and you can get 2 for $49 or 3 for $65. Visit
http://www.team1newport.com and put our special SKU SSBSPE and we will adjust
your pricing when we receive the order. You may call 800-VIP-GEAR
(800-847-4327) and speak to a clothing expert! Save now with multiples of this
fantastic technical tee!
SAILING SHORTS
* Entries are still being accepted for a “scholarship competition” that will
award a youth sailor with a completely free three week sailing trip in the
British Virgin Islands with the teen sailing camp “Sail Caribbean”. Entrants
are to be 14-18 years old at time of entry, and will be asked to explain in
250 words why we should use renewable energy and/or protect the environment.
Entry deadline is April 30th. Additional details at
http://www.gallerycollection.com/write-greeting-cards-contest1.htm
* A confirmed slate of 10 world-class women match racers has been announced
for the 18th Annual BoatUS Santa Maria Cup, to be held May 26 30 in Annapolis,
MD and hosted by Eastport Yacht Club. Among the entrants include Claire Leroy
(FRA), who is the top ranked women’s match racer in the world, and Genny
Tulloch (USA), the top ranked American on the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.
-- Full story: http://www.boatus.com/news/PR_Full.asp?ID=375
* After three of the seven regattas that are included in the International
Sailing Federation (ISAF)’s Sailing World Cup circuit, US Sailing Team
AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) members are leading the standings in two of the ten
Olympic events. The Men’s 470 team of Stu McNay (Newton, Mass.) and Graham
Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) remains number one in their class, thanks to three
consecutive top-five finishes at Sailing World Cup events. As a result of two
gold medals and a sixth place at the past three ISAF Sailing World Cup events,
USSTAG’s Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) remains number one in the Laser
Radial class. -- Full report:
http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/ISAF_Sailing_World_Cup_Standings.htm
* Musto, manufacturers of technical sailing clothing, has been appointed
official performance clothing partner to Skandia Team GBR for the next four
years, working with the members of the British Sailing Team in the Olympic and
Paralympic Classes. Musto replaces Gul in this role. --
http://www.skandiateamgbr.com
WHAT’S YOUR RATING?
The Scuttlebutt e-newsletter began in 1997, with the launch of the website
following in late 2002. Within a year, the site was the top ranked search term
for ‘Scuttlebutt’, climbing past all the navy references and the Scuttlebutt
Brewing Company in Everett, WA.
However, since many Scuttlebutt readers receive the e-Newsletter, the amount
of traffic to the website (and traffic rankings) will always be less than if
the Scuttlebutt news was only hosted online. Therefore, it was very exciting
to see how highly Google is ranking Scuttlebutt when it comes to the following
categories:
Sailing News: Ranked #1
Sailing Photos: Ranked #1
Sailing Suppliers: Ranked #1
Sailing Event Calendar: Ranked #2
There are a lot of reasons these days to visit the Scuttlebutt website.
Discover them at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the
Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication
must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might
be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get 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 Dick Rath: Regarding your trivia question and the accompanying story
(in Scuttlebutt 2821), it would have been nice to have mentioned that the
schooner Woodwind, her sistership, and a long list of charter vessels from the
same designer and buildler have been earning their keep for their owners for
over twenty years. The designer of these beautiful sailing vessels, and
perhaps just a many motor vessels, is John Scarano and they were all built by
a dedicated, talented, and loyal group that, along with John's brother Rick,
make up Scarano Boat Building, in Albany, New York.
* From Robin Wallace: (re, Trivia question in Scuttlebutt 2822) I grew up in
Weymouth UK and on many occasions went across the Chesil Beach road to
Portland with my father who warned me NEVER to mention the word 'Ra**it' when
on Portland. The locals called them "furry things"!
Apparently the superstition dated back many years when Portland was very
active quarrying the stone of which many London buildings are built, including
St. Paul's Cathedral - Christopher Wren was at one time the local Member of
Parliament. Whenever one of them "furry things" was seen running in the
quarry, the locals were apprehensive that the “furry things" had felt tremors
in the stone which might precede a fall in which quarrymen could be killed.
My father told me that in 1939 the Weymouth Territorial Army Artillery group
was due to have a competition with their Portland counterparts and managed to
put some dead "furry things" in the Portland ammunition boxes! Result - the
Portland group withdrew from the competition!
Native Portlanders regarded off island visitors as strangers to whom they
referred as ' kimberlins'.
So be prudent in 2012 when you go to the Olympic Regatta at the Weymouth &
Portland Sailing Centre!
* From Reynald Neron: I am glad you did not mention the name of the animal (in
Scuttlebutt 2822). I would have had to stop reading your newsletter. Would
have been a shame, but there is no other way...
Also should I mention you cannot have bananas onboard (but you can say the
word)...had a bad trip once... 40-50knots of winds,....lost the rudder... got
a hole in the hull... electric pump failed....on the manual pumps for 24
hours....my only ever Pan Pan call.....had to be rescued.... then we got towed
to a safe harbour... as we berthed, the person in charge of food then said "at
least we still have some banana cake left..."
I took the whole cake, threw it in the water. About one minute later, the sun
started to shine. Can’t have banana... many people died because of bananas....
* From John Sweeney, St. Thomas, USVI: On the subject of sailor's
superstitions, you may find it interesting that when sailing off of Barbados,
a Bajan will never call attention to or utter the name ‘turtle’. Not
surprisingly, locals can't seem to agree on the origins of this superstition.
One common explanation that I've heard is that it’s a means of showing respect
after years of over harvesting. Like most Caribbean islands, Barbados has all
but abandoned the practice. I suspect the superstition has roots in the
mythology of the Earth being supported on a turtle's shell. Either way, when
racing in the mother of all Mt. Gay events, honor the tradition and resist the
temptation to point out that large shelled amphibian that surfaced just off
your bow.
* From Gary Wood: Dick Carter won the Fastnet in 1965 with (should I name the
boat?) Rabbit, and again with Red Rooster in 1969. He designed and skippered
both boats. The primary crew on his boats were French, including friends of
mine, Jean-Marie Vanek and Patick Legalles. They went on to own the Carter
Offshore agency in Antibes, France. But they really didn’t consider themselves
French, they were Bretons. Perhaps the Bretons don’t fear rabbits, they eat
them. When they talked about racing with Carter, they did not mention fuzzy
hopping animals. They said that they were amazed that he thought the crew
could survive on peanut butter and bread. Of course the French (or Bretons)
had very different ideas about how to eat.
* From Paul Kamen, Naval Architect: (re, story in Scuttlebutt 2821) OF COURSE
shallow water is better for (very high) speed, and the new rules are overdue.
For some time now I've been referring to these thin-water records as
"water-lubricated land speed records." Then again, I'm still bothered by speed
records set by boats that can only sail on one tack, going all the way back to
Crossbow. Someday we'll stage a speed trial in the direction that counts: Dead
upwind.
* From Bill Betts: (re, Tropical Weather Discussion - 2009 in Scuttlebutt
2822) Colorado State apparently is forecasting fewer hurricanes in 2009 than
they predicted last April for the 2008 season (including two majors in 2009
versus a year-ago forecast for four last year), while the Tropical Storm risk
forecast is for the same number of storms as predicted for 2008.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much
earlier age.
Special thanks to JK3 Nautical Enterprises and Team One Newport.
A complete list of preferred suppliers is at
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
|
| |