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SCUTTLEBUTT 3439 - Monday, October 3, 2011Scuttlebutt 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: APS and Quantum Sails. FOR THOSE ABLE TO WALK THE WALK With the America's Cup, there is a lot of initial talk about the teams planning to compete. There are eight teams currently entered, but who knows how many will be sufficiently funded to bring their campaign to San Francisco in two years time. Same situation for the Volvo Ocean Race, except now we know who will be on the start line October 29th. The most competitive line-up to contest a Volvo Ocean Race is now assembling in Alicante, Spain. The six teams poised to battle it out for the honour of lifting the Volvo Ocean Race trophy are Team Telefónica, Team Sanya, Groupama sailing team, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG Propulsion. Time has run out for a possible seventh team to enter the race, which begins with an In-Port Race on October 29 before the 6500 nm first leg to Cape Town sets off on November 5. The six crews boast between them eight Olympic medals - four gold and four silver - and 106 circumnavigations in the Volvo Ocean Race/Whitbread Round the World Race alone. "The arrival of all the boats in Alicante is a major milestone for the Volvo Ocean Race and it's great to see them all in port, said Knut Frostad, Chief Executive of the Volvo Ocean Race. "Having the teams here next to each other really brings home the enormity of the challenge that lies ahead. Personally I think it is a big achievement to have the most competitive fleet ever on the start line considering the crisis Europe is in. A section of the port has been turned into a temporary boatshed for the teams as they make last-minute adjustments to their cutting-edge 70ft racing yachts. Their immediate focus will be a short qualification race, starting from Alicante on October 7. The 600-nautical mile passage will allow the teams - and race organisers - to iron out any 11th-hour problems and will be the first opportunity for each team to compare their performance with that of their rivals ahead of the first In-Port Race. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-100211 VIDEO: During the race, the multimedia team will be producing daily news updates, a weekly 3-minute news round-up and highlights from each of the 9 legs and 10 in-port races -- which will be available online through our YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos INVENTING THE WHEEL A year from now, ISAF will announce what type of boat will be used for the new Women's two-person skiff event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. The 29erXX is the leading favorite for selection, and they are not wasting any time testing possible race formats to suit the ever growing demand to heighten the presentation of sailing in the Olympics. At the EUROSAF High Performance Grand Prix this month in Spain, the 29erXX will have two days of regular fleet racing, plus half or a full day for the Seiko Speed Challenge. The Seiko Speed Challenge will see boats making timed runs with the added attraction of Seiko putting up US$500 prize money for the winner. Another day will be spent trying an innovative new race format borrowed from the winter X-Games and Olympics, where it is known as 'snowboard cross'. "The way it works with snowboarding in the Olympics is that they have some qualifying rounds, where you'll have four snowboarders competing at a time, the top two moving on each time," explains Class President Jennifer Glass. "It is a way of qualifying part of the fleet on. We'll modify it so that you have two or three tries to qualify, with an eight boat semi-finals." The courses for the 29erXX cross have yet to be finalised, but are likely to comprise a short upwind start, downwind with some slalom and possibly a reaching finish. "It will be short, focused on downwind, with definitely some gybing and slalom to it," says Glass. "When it is done with snowboarding in the Olympics there are lots of twists and turns and jumps, so people are fighting for the inside around a corner or the fastest line over a jump. We are looking to translate the same thing into sailing." Of particular attraction to the 29erXX sailors, says Glass, is the EUROSAF organisers intend to remain flexible over which format of racing they will hold on a particular day. "So you can wake up and see what the conditions are like and choose the right event for that day to make it fun for the sailors. The aim is not to hold the speed challenge on an 8 knot day, we put that on the 15+ knot day. I think that the EUROSAF guys in charge of this event are really creative and willing to try different things and do what is right for the sailing to make it exciting for the spectators." Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/11/EUROSAF_0929.pdf ATTENTION COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL SAILORS, PARENTS, AND COACHES APS is committed to the future of the sport! As the Title Sponsor of the ICSA Team Race Nationals and the Official Outfitter of Scholastic Sailing, APS wants your team to be prepared on the water. Not only does APS give College and High School sailors a great discount, we offer special pricing on customized team gear. On our site, you'll find the APS What to Wear Guide and APS recommend Technical Gear so you'll be sure to outfit properly from head to toe! Check out our new Scholastic Landing Pages here: http://bit.ly/APSschoolin GULARI TAKES MELGES 24 TITLE Fontana, WI (October 2, 2011) - After eight races for the 38-boats, the 2011 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship came down to the final leg of the event before Bora Gulari on New England Ropes could seal the victory. "Not often does it come down to the last gybe as to whether or not you win a championship or not," said Gulari. "Needless to say, there was a lot of tension in the one and only race today. The last time I was this close was in 2008 when Brian Porter stole the win on the last leg of the last race, so it feels really good to have held on to win." Sailing with Gulari was Jeremy Wilmot, George Peet, Dan Kaseler and Chris Fortine. Gorgeous sunshine was on tap on Lake Geneva along with some very light, shifty breeze to commence the start. Gulari shot off the line, as did Kristin Lane, Alan Field on WTF and Philip Werhiem at the helm of Peter Cucci's Matador. At the top, Lane pulled into the lead, followed by Werhiem and Gulari in third. Brian Porter took fourth and Nathan Wilmot (steering Embarr) was fifth. Downwind, multiple lead changes occurred with Gulari moving to the front of the pack, Werhiem now in second both heading left. Porter moved up to pass through the right-side gate in third. With a shortened, change of course, Porter cashed in with his choice as the breeze filled in nicely off of Cedar Point, Wilmot also coming along well. Werhiem was quick to see the same breeze that Porter was enjoying, moving across the course and maintaining the lead position. Porter looked to have the upper hand, but Werhiem rounded in sync fending off Porter one final time. Downwind the two dueled to the finish with Werhiem taking the win. Further back the excitement continued as Gulari watched Wilmot move ahead of him at the mark, yet out sailed him at the finish with a final gybe to port and across the line less than a boat length ahead of Wilmot. It was an epic, right-down-to-the-wire finish and Gulari's team celebrated as they made the gybe for the finish. -- Full story: http://www.usmelges24.com/?p=news/&id=1320 Final results (Top 5 of 38) 1. New England Ropes, Bora Gulari, 1-5-2-4-(7)-3-1-3, 19 pts 2. Embarr, Conor Clarke, 4-3-1-(6)-3-2-3-4, 20 3. Full Throttle, Brian Porter, 3-(17)-5-1-1-7-9-2, 28 4. Babs, Harry Melges, 2-1-10-(OCS)-2-8-2-8, 33 5. Brick House, Kristen Lane, (14)-9-6-3-8-5-6-5, 42 Full results: http://tinyurl.com/M24-US-NAT-100211 SAILING SHORTS * Glen Haven, NS (October 1, 2011) - Fifty one entrants competed in the four day Trihedral Canadian Yachting Association National Sailing Championships in St. Margarets Bay, which was also the National Qualifying Regatta for the Laser & Laser Radial classes. Final winners are Isabelle Bertold (Laser Radial, female), Hugh Macrae (Laser Radial, male), and Chris Dold (Laser). -- Event details: http://tinyurl.com/CYA-092811 * Chicago, IL (October 1, 2011) - Gale force winds continued today on Lake Michigan, yet despite the cold blustery conditions the action always remained hot for sailors and spectators alike in the final day of the Chicago Match Cup, held off the east end of Chicago's famous Navy Pier. In a spectacular series of Semi-Final and Final matches, Australian Keith Swinton and his crew of Olaf Lundgren, Jakob Gustafson, and Rick McGarvie have won the Chicago Cup and $15,600 of the $65,000 prize money purse. -- Full report: http://chicagocup.org/news/article.asp?n=1080 * Annapolis, MD (October 1, 2011) - After losing the opening race of the final match, American Anna Tunnicliffe rolled through three straight wins against Julie Bossard (FRA) to win the ISAF Grade 1 Santa Maria Cup International Women's Match Racing Championship. Using J/22s, Tunnicliffe sailed with her Olympic crew of Debbie Capozzi and Molly Vandemoer, with Liz Bower Lewin joining the team on bow. Liz was awarded the Eleanor Ruth Wilcox Memorial Trophy for Top Bowperson and overall best smile. -- Event website: http://www.santamariacup.org * Shoreacres, Texas (October 2, 2011) - Making their first appearance at the 2011 U.S. Team Racing Championship, Minor Threat came away with the prestigious George R. Hinman Trophy on Sunday. Comprised of skippers Cy Thompson, Charlie Buckingham, Tyler Sinks and crew Kelly Stannard, Lucy Wallace and Alex Taylor, Minor Threat went 9-1 in today's six team Championship Stage, a Double Round Robin. Finishing second was 2009 champions New York Yacht Club Team Extreme with Larchmont Yacht Club finishing third. -- Full report: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/2011/2011_USTRC_Recap.htm * San Diego, CA (October 2, 2011) - Consistency was king for Raul Rios and Marco Teixidor (PUR) in their route to winning the Snipe North American Championship. Only slipping from the top three once in the eight race series, Rios/Teixidor eventually built a seven point margin over second place finisher Augie Diaz/ Kathleen Tocke (USA). In third was Doug Hart/ Reece Bernet (USA). Thirty-eight teams from seven countries participated. -- Final results: http://tinyurl.com/Snipe-NA-100211 * Larchmont, NY (October 2, 2011) - Representing the great state of Texas the Le Tigre team led by Glenn Darden and Reese Hillard put on a clinic at the three day J/80 North American Championship to take the title. Posting top two scores for eight of the eleven races, Darden/Hillard took the title without needing the final race. Eleven points further back in second was Les Beckwith who finished even on points with Kerry Klingler. -- Event website: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=473 * Sarnia, Ont (October 1, 2011) - Twenty one teams competed in the three day Viper 640 North American Championship, hosted by Sarnia Yacht Club. Despite a hot start through four races by Jeff Jones and Justin Scott, the final two races saw Brad Boston/ Lee Shuckerow post bullets to take the title. Jones and Scott were second and third respectively. -- Event website: http://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=468 * Newport, RI (September 30, 2011) - Media mogul Ted Turner returned to the sport he mastered many decades ago when he helmed the iconic American Eagle -- the 12 Metre he once owned and raced around the world -- in the 2011 12 Metre North American Championships held in Newport, R.I. over September 23-25. Turner's well-honed skills earned him first place in the Traditional division as well as the Pine Brothers Sponsor Trophy for Best Overall Performance. -- Report/Photos: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12696 * Nice, France (October 2, 2011) - The all-French team of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild celebrated victory today in Act 7 of the Extreme Sailing Series on home soil in Nice, France, only securing their win over Terry Hutchinson's team on Artemis Racing in the final moments of the final race. The 11 international Extreme 40 teams competed in 29 races over five days of competition, at the Extreme Sailing Series debut in Nice with a mix of open water courses and stadium racing with the course was set just meters off the beach. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ESS-100211 * Rovinj, Croatia (October 2, 2011) - Team Aqua with owner Chris Bake (CAN) and skipper Cameron Appleton (NZL) achieved a double victory on the final day of the Adris RC44 Cup, winning a third event victory of the season and being crowned 2011 RC44 Tour Champions with an event to spare. Oracle Racing stay second on the overall title standings, two points ahead of CEEREF who are in turn two point clear of Artemis Racing. The final event of the 2011 RC44 Championship Tour, which doubles as the RC44 World Championships, will take place in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote from 16-20th November. -- Full report: http://rc44.com/news/view/team_aqua_crowned_2011_rc44_tour_champions SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar EIGHT BELLS Longtime photographer John T. Hopf, of Newport, RI, has passed away at the age of 91. He is best remembered for his aerial photography of the post-war America's Cup races in Newport from 1958 to 1983. Amongst the most notable of his aerial action shots is the sequence of "the shot heard 'round the world". This was the famous starting line incident between INTREPID (Ficker is Quicker) and GRETEL II (Gentleman Jim Hardy) during the 1970 Cup Defense in the waters off Newport. Hopf's overhead sequence features the puff of smoke of the starting cannon, flags indicating wind direction and contact of Gretel's bow with Intrepid just abaft her port chainplate. It was as close as you can get to an "instant replay" using 1970 America's Cup coverage technology. Associated Press staff worked with Hopf in his darkroom and faxed his momentous shots to the world via the wire services. This Cup incident likely played a major role in promoting the use of an International Jury at the Cup races, and ultimately the development of the advanced umpiring system which we saw at Auckland and Valencia (and which is now widely used in match and team racing). One of the biggest regrets that this native Newporter had was that we lost the Auld Mug on his birthday....and he wasn't even there to cover it! Hopf had covered earlier races in '83, but he was in the hospital on September 26, 1983, and had to watch AUSTRALIA II cross the finish line at BLACK KNIGHT on television. -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12698 MEET BRAD VAN LIEW AT THE ANNAPOLIS BOAT SHOW This week at the Annapolis Boat show, Quantum welcomes Brad Van Liew for a series of entertaining talks on his Velux 5 Oceans victory. With his win, Van Liew became the first American to officially complete three solo races around the globe. Van Liew will take questions and sign autographs following his presentations on Friday and Saturday. Returning with new cruising seminars is the highly popular Jack Klang, who is recognized as one of the country's best sailing speakers. Also see Quantum's expanded line of cruising and racing sails and register for a chance to win a Tide Marine Strong Track System. More information here: http://www.quantumsails.com/News/?p=767 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 David Greening: Regarding the story 'Fair Sailing at Risk for Olympics' in Scuttlebutt 3438, I think that your answer lies in the lead column by Rod Davis. The early rounds of the Olympic series will be a Regatta but the organisers want the final to be a Show. It is ironic that for all my sailing life, the Royal Yachting Association have pushed to develop an Olympic centre at Weymouth, because Weymouth Bay is probably the best small boat venue that England has to offer. Yet, they are prepared to compromise the most important races held in the four year cycle by racing in Portland Harbour, which I can assure you in any wind direction is less "fair" than racing in the Bay. * From Ed Cesare: I read with interest Rod Davis' customarily well written piece in Butt 3438 via the October SEAHORSE. I receive Seahorse as a member of RORC and absolutely love it. One of my favorite sections is Mr. Davis' monthly column. It is always thoughtful and well written and his perspective as winning skipper turned coach / American turned Antipodean is interesting. This month though, I'm not sure I get the point. Is it that we are in danger of letting professionalism edge out grass roots competition? The title of Mr. Davis' piece is "The Biggest Question of All" I guess I would ask him a question: does Major League Baseball (known to fans of the game as "the Show") edge out tee-ball, little league, Babe Ruth, American Legion, high school and collegiate baseball? I would submit that just the opposite is true. I could go on and on with my views on this topic but would simply say that as a sailor and as a sports fan I have watched the Americas Cup World Series on the Internet - sometimes live, sometimes on You Tube at my convenience - and think it is simply spectacular sailing and spectacular sport. I don't understand the problem. * From Eric Camiel: In the photo section of Scuttlebutt 3438, there is a photo labeled: "Here's a photo from 2004 of the "good old days" before keelboat hiking became de rigueur". In the 60's it was not only not de rigueur but it was illegal to hike with your torso outside the lifelines. That rule was changed, and while the current rule allows for more comfortable hiking around the buoys, it changed the nature of distance racing, greatly increasing crew fatigue and decreasing crew interaction and safety. Also, it profoundly changed boat and deck design. It has produced boats which are totally dependent on crew weight on the rail and are much less family- and cruise-friendly. I remember a discussion at the time of the change with Rod Stevens who accurately predicted these unintended consequences. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Any error in any calculation will be in the direction of the most harm. SPONSORS THIS WEEK APS - Quantum Sails - West Marine - Atlantis WeatherGear Lewmar - North Sails - International Rolex Regatta - Ullman Sails Melges Performance Sailboats - Point Loma Outfitting Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
