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SCUTTLEBUTT 2569 – April 7, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. OLYMPIC EVENTS – CHANGE IS IN THE WIND Among the more vociferous yachting federations seeking the International Sailing Federation’s move to reconsider the slate of sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games has been the UK’s Royal Yachting Association (RYA). When the international sailing community was expecting the events to include a modern high performance dinghy for women and a multihull event among the ten fleets – and neither was selected – the RYA lobbied ISAF and fellow Member National Authorities, believing that the decisions taken were not in the best interests of the sport of sailing throughout the world, and requested that ISAF reviewed its decision on three grounds: * That the current list of events will not maximise media interest. * That the decisions are likely to attract fewer nations and young sailors into the sport of sailing * That an amendment to the previously agreed voting procedure was hasty, and the process ultimately used for selecting events was flawed Now that ISAF has agreed to re-open the discussion surrounding the sailing events for 2012 at its mid-year conference at Qingdao, China, in May, Scuttlebutt has initiated a poll of the ‘buttheads to see whether the Council should stay firm with the current list of events, or if they should make changes. As of the publication time of this newsletter, the vote thus far is that changes should be made (more so with the men than women), and the lengthy list of comments provides a plethora of suggestions. A frequent comment regards why events have to be all men or all women, and not open/ mixed. Our understanding is that this is now an Olympic requirement. To place your vote and comments, and to check on those of others, go to http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/08/0403 INTERVIEW WITH COACH STEVE ERIKSON Two time Star World Champion on coaching American 2008 Olympic Star representatives John Dane & Austin Sperry: * How did you get involved in the Dane-Sperry Olympic campaign? ERIKSON: I have known John Dane since the early '80s. I sailed in last years Olympic Classes Regatta with Mark Reynolds, whose company Quantum Sails are building the sails for the team. During the event,Mark was invited to dinner with the teamto discuss developments for this summer's sail development and I was invited along. I threw in my two cents from some of my recent America's Cup experiences (wind tunnel, flow and roach profiles). Whenputting together a summer calendar, Dane-Sperry thought it was a good idea to have Mark come over to China for some sail development. They then extended an invitation to me to crew with Mark and be involved in the program. When my previous Bacardi Cup plans (crewing) fell through...I put a quick call into Austin, asking if they'd like me in the coach boat, to keep some continuity to the summer ahead. It's now the Worlds andI am still in the coach boat. *You have an outstanding background, being a world champion, Olympic champion, Whitbread champion and Americas Cup campainger. How have these accomplishments been instrumental in your career as a coach and or personal life? ERIKSON: Between 1987-2007, I participated in six Americas Cup Campaigns, with three teams reaching the finals and won seven World Championships...ranging from 22' Star Boats to 80' Maxi Yachts. The accomplishments are really only the end result. More importantly, it was the process and the people I have had the opportunity to associate myself with, who to me are the reason why I coach. The lessons I have learned, I continue to use daily. I have never considered myself a "great sailor"; but, I have sailed and hung out with a lot of the "true greats"! -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0404a/ AMERICA'S CUP: LIFE AFTER CAHN With the date for the next America’s Cup now in the hands of the New York Supreme court, the tough question is what will happen next? Justice Herman Cahn seems to be sticking closely to the Mercury Bay decision – in that the role of the Court is to interpret the Deed of Gift against the actions of the parties – and confirming or denying compliance. Given that this Match is being conducted in the absence of Mutual Consent on any point, the America’s Cup could be headed for some bizarre twists. Out of the courtroom, Alinghi probably hold more cards than many give them credit. The risk from the Challenger’s perspective is that Justice Herman Cahn will rule that the original Match dates of July 2008 are binding as stated in the original Notice of Challenge. That will give BMW Oracle Racing a little under three months to get their multihull from the building site in Anacortes, WA to the yet to be named Match venue. October 2008 is a more comfortable date - while still cutting off the potential for Alinghi to start the design and build process for a similar sized multihull. Currently BMW Oracle's multihull is still under construction and is yet to emerge into its assembly phase in the tent constructed outside the build facility. At that point the hulls must be assembled and fitted out. Then it will be interesting to see if the multihull is sea trialed in USA, but the chances are that it will not. Then it must be flown to a yet to be advised Match venue, assembled and put into sailing mode, sea trialed and then put into race mode. That is a lot of work to get through by early July - and barring mishaps, which are always on the cards with this type of boat - three months is a more comfortable sea trialing and work up period. – excerpt from Sail World, read on: http://www.sail-world.com/nz/index.cfm?nid=43264&rid=6 LOOK GREAT, GO FAST, AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF Team McLube’s new environmentally friendly citrus-based Hullkote Speed Polish does it all for you. Hullkote cleans, polishes, and protects in a single fast, easy wipe-on/ wipe-off application and gives your hull that deep showroom quality shine. Race proven fast, Hullkote completely seals all surfaces, keeps your hull cleaner, lasts longer, provides the best UV protection available, is entirely safe to use and is environmentally friendly… no harmful petroleum distillates like most other polishes. Learn more about Hullkote by visiting the Harken/ McLube booth at the Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show, and watch this space for more info coming soon: http://www.mclube.com/sailkote/index.php * The Strictly Sail Pacific will be held again at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA on April 16-20, 2008, and Scuttlebutt has discount tickets. To purchase, go to http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/banners/strictlysail NO MAN LOVE BETWEEN BUTTERWORTH AND DALTON Brad Butterworth believes Team New Zealand is on the cusp of going broke and has no chance of sailing in another America's Cup if managing director Grant Dalton stays at the helm. In an explosive interview with the Sunday Star-Times the Alinghi skipper and former America's Cup winning Team NZ sailor: * Slams Dalton's decision to sue the Swiss syndicate, saying it was an act of betrayal that will ultimately lead to his demise. * Reveals that he barely speaks to his friend and former sailing partner Russell Coutts because of the legal battle between Alinghi and Coutts' BMW Oracle syndicate over the next America's Cup. * Says Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli essentially ensured Team NZ was at last year's America's Cup in Valencia by arranging sponsorship and providing finance to the Kiwis. Dalton denies the claims. But Butterworth has documents and details that appear to reveal that Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli not only saved Team New Zealand with a loan in 2003 but set up a sponsorship deal with Spanish brewer Estrella Damm so the team could compete in Valencia. He also financed the air freight of a Team NZ boat when it was cash-strapped and shared last year's regatta spoils, writing a multi-million-dollar cheque to Team NZ from its profits. -- Read on: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4466727a1823.html CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar CHANGES ANNOUNCED FOR TRANSPAC RACE There’s a new wave in ocean racing, and the Transpacific Yacht Race will ride it to Hawaii in 2009. The Trans Pacific Yacht Club board of directors has posted an Advance Notice of Entry Requirements for the 45th race from Los Angeles to Honolulu next year with two key changes: a maximum length overall (LOA) extended to 30.48 meters (100 feet) for fastest elapsed time or course record contenders and the free use of stored energy for sail hoisting, trimming and adjusting---essentially, ending a Transpac ban on powered winches. Entry chairman Bill Lee said, “We wanted to set a limit consistent with the major races in the rest of the world, and 30.48 is where it’s going. This should include all of the modern 100-foot racing boats, and is consistent with the International Maxi Association’s maximum size for racing boats.” The 30.48-meter limit matches that established recently by the International Maxi Association. Other changes include: * A multihull fleet with a minimum of two entries and no maximum size or rating limit but a minimum LOA of 45 feet. * Heavy cruising Aloha Division-type boats which are not contenders for the course record are permitted to enter and compete for Aloha division prizes, even if they exceed 30.48 meters in length. * Minimum LOA of 26 feet for monohulls and a rated speed equal to that of a Catalina 34 with spinnaker and 155% jib. * Minimum crew will be two, and the use of auto pilots will be allowed only on boats competing for double handed prizes. * A tungsten bulb that meets all of the conditions of the IRC grandfather is permitted. Complete announcement: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0406 UNDERWAY AGAIN The Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race is underway again. The race started from the maritime city of Liverpool in the North West of England back in September 2007, with ten identical 68-foot yachts led by a professional skipper and crewed by individuals who paid for the opportunity to compete in the event. Scheduled to compete a seven-leg route, the fleet was on the fifth leg from Qingdao, China to Santa Cruz, CA, with a brief pitstop in Hawaii, when the race was halted on March 13th following the dismastings of two boats on this 4,400-nautical mile leg. The fleet headed to Ala Wai Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, and with logistic hurdles overcome, the masts and rigging for the two boats were replaced (Durban 2010 and Beyond and westernaustralia2011.com) along with the replacement of rigging fittings for the entire ten boat fleet. With a thorough inspection of the fleet, the race got underway on April 5th after a start in a stiff breeze off the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The leg from Hawaii to Santa Cruz is expected to take the fleet around 14 days to complete, giving an ETA into Santa Cruz of April 19th. Due to the delays in Hawaii, the Clipper Race Team has made the decision to shorten the Santa Cruz stopover to make up time and is currently looking to start the next leg on April 23rd, which takes the fleet from Santa Cruz through the Panama Canal to Jamaica. -- Race site: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com ARE YOU PREPARED? Wherever your offshore plans take you - to Bermuda, Mackinac or beyond - now is the time to check the rules and your sail inventory. Bring your sails to your local Doyle loft to be inspected and repaired. Don't wait until the last minute to order your storm jib! Call 800-94-DOYLE or visit http://www.doylesails.com SAILING SHORTS * Auckland, NZL (April 6, 2008) Claire Leroy of France secured her second consecutive world title Sunday at the BSPORT ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship. Claire Leroy (FIN), Silja Lehtinen (FIN), Liz Baylis (USA), and Josie Gibson (GBR) all reached the semifinals in straight wins during the quarterfinal round, knocking out the remaining Southern Hemisphere opponents in the process. After Leroy got past Gibson, and Baylis coming from behind to beat Lehtinen, the finals were thwarted by a lack of wind, forcing the final placings to be determined on countback, with American Liz Baylis taking silver and Silja Lehtinen of Finland bronze. -- Event site: http://tinyurl.com/yo6ugp * Blanes, Spain (April 5, 2008) Going into the Medal Race on Saturday at the 2008 Yngling European Champions, seven points was the difference between the first six boats. After the full-length, twice-around, windward-leeward course, the final leg to the finish found Sarah Ayton (GBR), Sally Barkow (USA), Renee Groeneveld (NED), and Mandy Mulder (NED) all side to side, with a late jib by Barkow’s team providing them the win by a foot over the Brits. Ayton’s team retained the overall title by a single point over the Americans, with Groenveld three points further back in third. -- Event website: http://cvblanes.esportcatala.com * (April 6, 2008 - 10:22) Lionel Lemonchois and his ten crew celebrated their first week at sea in their North Pacific record attempt last night at 21h45’45’’ UT. Conserving a comfortable 551 mile lead over the reference time for the San Francisco to Yokohama, Japan route, the 33 metres maxi-catamaran Gitana 13 equipped by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild is making headway on a reach as the crew prepare to negotiate another cold front late today. -- http://www.gitana-team.com/en/gitana/index.asp * Pirates seized a French sailing yacht off the coast of Somalia last Friday and have taken the 30 member crew hostage. La Ponant, a 289-foot three-mast luxury sailing vessel, was heading to the Mediterranean Sea from Seychelles when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden. There were no passengers on board at the time. The International Maritime Bureau lists Gulf of Aden and Somalia waters as a piracy prone area. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre received 31 actual and attempted attacks in 2007, although many go unreported, and recommends vessels not stopping in Somalia keep at least 200 nautical miles away from the coast. -- Orlando Sentinel, complete story: http://tinyurl.com/3fbga9 * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Pan American Games sailing gold medalist Pedro Tinoco Amaral of Brazil was shot and slightly wounded during a fight early Saturday morning. Police said the 23-year-old Amaral, who won the Snipe category at the 2007 Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro, was shot in front of a nightclub while defending a friend during a fistfight. Police said a single bullet entered and exited Amaral's upper left thigh without causing any major damage. He was treated and released from a hospital. -- International Herald Tribune, http://tinyurl.com/4345wg * The Herreshoff Marine Museum and America's Cup Hall of Fame announced that Mr. Lawrence A. Fisher has been welcomed aboard as the museum's new Executive Director. The appointment follows a nationwide search conducted by Egmont Associates of Boston, MA who specialize in executive recruitment for non-profit institutions. Mr. Fisher comes to the Herreshoff Museum with more than thirty years experience in the planning, design, and administration of museums and cultural heritage organizations. -- Complete announcement: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5973#5973 * Organised by Yacht Club Cagliari (ITA), the second event of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2008 - The Cagliari Cup on April 23-27 - is full of promises, with no less than ten strict one design RC 44’s and world class sailors such as Ben Ainslie, James Spithill, Russell Coutts, Sébastien Col, and Cameron Appleton competing. Following their first event in Dubai, the RC 44 fleet is currently in transport, and will reach Italy (La Spezia) on April 9, and then will be transported to Cagliari by Moby Line. -- http://www.rc44.com OWN A LEGEND Kialoa III, an incredible sailing yacht and one of the greatest maxis, is for sale. Certainly the most beautiful S&S/ Pedrick/ Palmer Johnson. Very nice full interior, great owner's stateroom, guest, four heads, huge salon. Set up for cruising and fun racing. 79 x 17.6 x 12. For details, contact mailto:Brad@occsailing.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 Burleigh J. Brewer: Last month there was an incident in Mexico with the 100-foot Northstar yacht, BESEME. In transit they were approached after dusk by a RIB carrying six men wearing ski masks, and a machine gun mounted on the bow. The RIB hailed BESEME on channel 16 claiming to be the Mexican Navy and ordered them to stop and be boarded for an " Inspection". One of the guests aboard BESEME was a retired US Coast Guard officer. They replied to the "Navy" boat to identify the Mexican Navy boat by name and number and the commanding officer. No reply. BESEME call to the US Coast Guard via Sat phone and was put in touch with the Mexican Navy. BESEME was told that the Mexican Navy does not operate that way so BESEME continued on. The RIB made several attempts to pull alongside and board but BESEME open full throttle and pulled away. The RIB followed for about six miles. It is uncertain if the RIB was manned by pirates looking to rob the boat, or drug runners looking to steal the boat and run drugs. Either way extreme caution should be exercised when being approached by unknown vessels on the Mexican coast. Having US Coast Guard contact numbers for the sat phone is probably a good idea too. Traveling in pairs would be another good idea for slower boats. -- To read the complete incident report (and provide comments): http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=5974#5974 * From Bill Gibbs: I don't see how US Sailing can claim to represent multihulls after booting them out of the Olympics. I would hope that any mandatory membership for racing would have a suitable exclusion for all us non-represented multihull racers. * From Andrea Falcon: The Women's Match Racing worldwide is probably the fastest growing aspect in our sport today, as Henry L. Menin, Chairman, ISAF Match Racing Committee, wrote last week (in SBUTT 2566). Ok, but the Men's Match Racing worlwide is a reality, a big reality, already very well grown, and still growing! Come on, everybody knows that what ISAF decided last year for the 2012 Olympics is absolutely silly: no multihulls, match race for women (which is good) but not for men and, even it was for only 24 hours, the Star class out of the Games. Everybody, except ISAF Committees' members. * From Jim Champ: (regarding Anne Newton’s letter in ‘sbutt 2568, who asks why the Yngling is an Olympic boat) Because the Yngling was the “only” remotely suitable keelboat class with anything approaching worldwide distribution… and still is. Other alternatives are basically found principally only in Europe, only in the Americas (like the J/22) or in the ex British Commonwealth and don't have any degree of worldwide popularity. The Yngling was the only class with some kind of numbers in all three of Europe, the Americas and Oceania. You can check this out n the class annual reports on the ISAF website. * From Howard Bentley, San Francisco, CA: (regarding the America’s Cup) I wonder how popular, football, basketball, and baseball would be if one team got to rig the game, officials, and rules. About as popular as yacht racing, I suppose. * From Alfred Poor: Alinghi — I mean, SNG — says that they can’t build a competitive multihull in time for an October start. As a folk music fan, I turn to a traditional tune for a solution: Mattie Groves. In the song, the Lord Arlen finds Mattie Groves in bed with his wife. He calls Mattie out, but Mattie complains that he is unarmed while Lord Arlen has two swords. Lord Arlen then shows nothing but class: “Well it's true I have two beaten swords, they cost me deep in the purse But you will have the better of them and I will have the worst.” If SNG can’t get it together in time, and GGYC has had a sizable head start on development, then let’s turn this into a one design race. GGYC continues on and builds two (or four or whatever) of the new boats, and lets SNG take their pick of the hulls. SNG pays for half of the cost. Once the hull design is frozen and construction started, each team is free to develop the rig and the rest of the trimmings as they choose (under whatever limitations the rules might require). This eliminates the development time for SNG, and guarantees that both sides are equally benefited by GGYC’s head start. This also would inject some much-needed class into the whole mess; I’m sure that Lord Arlen would approve. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week. Special thanks to Team McLube, Doyle Sailmakers, and Orange Coast College. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
