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SCUTTLEBUTT 2909 - Monday, August 17, 2009Scuttlebutt 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. Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Today's sponsors are O’Pen BIC and Kaenon Polarized. CST COMPOSITES MOTH WORLDS Cascade Locks, OR (August 15, 2009) - 33-year old Bora Gulari (USA) handily took two races in the final day of the 2009 CST Moth World Championship, winning the event and becoming the first American in 33 years to win the title. Racing got underway about 11am in 14-15 knots, the lightest breeze of the week, in very flat water and under cloudy skies. “I can’t believe I’ve done it,” said Gulari, from Detroit, MI. “It’s been a fantastic competition and everyone here has been great. I worked hard for this, and put in a lot of time training with George Peet and I couldn’t have done it without his motivation. He’d get me out there and keep me on it all year. It feels wonderful to be in top place. Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI) is an awesome sailor and has sailed so well, and Nathan Outteridge (AUS), well, he’s the smartest out there on the course and he pushed me so hard. It’s been so great to sail with these guys."-- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8044#8044 Top Ten Finishers Overall: 1. Bora Gulari (USA) 24 points 2. Nathan Outteridge (AUS) 36 points 3. Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI) 40 points 4. Dalton Bergan (USA) 49 points 5. Simon Payne (GBR) 66 points Complete Results: http://www.mothworlds2009.org/2009CSTMothWorlds1.10.htm SailGroove video: http://www.sailgroove.org/videos/coverage/view/235472 Photos from Thierry Martinez, Sharon Green and Amory Ross: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/09/0816/ * From Jonathan McKee: “In some ways, Gulari’s win is a testament to the rise of the US Moth Fleet, which has gone from nearly nothing to both strength and depth in less than 2 years. The financial support of Harken and Team McLube has been instrumental in this development. With 5 Americans in the top 11 places, and 13 of the top 25 places, it was not only Bora who made huge progress this year. But Bora was undisputedly the top dog, who unselfishly brought the rest of the US contingent along on his personal quest for excellence.” -- Scuttlebutt Forum, complete post: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=8046#8046 BOAT TRACKERS - HOW DO YOU FEEL? By Joe Hummel "Archimedes II", C&C 110 The Chicago Race to Mackinac this year was another for the books: long, slow, with big losses and gains to be made playing the shore breezes vs. offshore vs. Michigan shoreline vs. Wisconsin shoreline. During the 100th running (last year) of the Chicago Mac, onboard boat trackers were required and provided a great way for family and friends to follow the race at home online. They also allowed those competitors with internet access the ability to track each other during the race. This year, trackers were optional for the Chicago Mac, and about 1/3 of the fleet opted out. Personally, I'm a fan of the trackers, since I find it (a) valuable tactical info, and (b) it helps keep the crew in the game whether leading or following. However, it seems unfair that those without trackers benefit from the tactical info yet remain invisible to us. I'm okay with that, and will continue to carry a tracker as long as they are available, but I'm curious how the 'buttheads out there feel about GPS trackers. * To help gather information, please respond to two survey questions and provide your comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/09/0814/ THE NEW AGE IS SPREADING Pleon YC and Duxbury Bay Maritime School are the latest junior programs to add O’Pen BICs. They wanted something modern and fun to appeal to those kids who otherwise lose interest. And it’s working! Now these kids are psyched to bring their boats to the U.S. O’Pen “Un-Regatta” at New Bedford Community Boating. O’Pen BICs already added at many junior regattas. And the sailing staff and parents are loving it too. Just two minutes to rig, completely self-bailing, no maintenance, and less expensive. Capsizing is part of the fun! Bottom line? Kids can’t wait to sail O’pen BICs. - http://www.OpenBIC.com KEEPING HER OPTIONS OPEN Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Laser Radial, was in Sheboygan, Wisconsin last week at the site of a newly opened training site for the U.S. Olympic sailing team. But Anna wasn’t there to train on her Laser Radial. No, she was there to match race. Here are a few excerpts from her update: > “We sailed in the new Elliot 6m’s, the selected boat for the 2012 London Olympics Women’s Match Racing Discipline. This was the second time I had seen the boats, but the first time I had sailed the boats, and I had a fabulous time. The set up in Sheboygan was pretty much perfect. They have eight new Elliots available for practice; full access to a yacht club and a sailing center for our briefings and debriefings; a huge number of volunteers that made the camp run very smoothly; and a pleasant, quiet little town that was very easy to get around. “ > “I personally think the boat will be great for women’s match racing in the Olympics. It is a fast boat that responds quickly, and is very physical. When I first got into match racing, I sailed Sonars and J/24’s, which are by no means fast, but great for match racing. The Elliot is going to take women’s match racing to the next level. It will be much faster paced, which will force us, as competitors to know the game much more thoroughly. On top of that, it is quite physical.” > “After just getting done with Radial Worlds, I was looking to take a little break from the Laser so I decided to do match racing for the next couple of months. I’m very much looking forward to racing the boats in Weymouth, England in September for the Sail for Gold regatta. Weymouth is the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games, so being able to sail at the venue, in the boats for the Games, will be exciting. I haven’t decided officially which discipline I am going to compete in yet, but I need a break from the Laser as I’ve sailed it non-stop since December.” Full report: http://www.annatunnicliffe.com/content/view/276/1/ TRIVIA QUESTION The year was 1969 and while music history was being made in upstate New York at Woodstock, and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, there was another important event taking place in the rough waters of the largest ocean. What was it? DENIED Thomas Coville has abandoned his planned attempt to improve on the solo North Atlantic crossing record that he holds. His 105-foot maxi-trimaran Sodeb'O has been on stand-by in New York for the past two months, but has not encountered the optimal weather conditions needed to improve on his record time of 5 days and 19 hours. Regarding the weather system in late July that enabled Pascal Bidégorry and his crew aboard the 131-foot maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V to set a new crewed North Atlantic crossing record, Coville said, “Their conditions were really suited to their big boats in crewed configuration. These conditions could at no time be favourable for single-handed sailing in the sense that the low, which carried them to the other side, was going much too fast for a boat driven by a single man as is the case for Sodeb’O.” Coville will deliver the boat home this week either in single-handed or crewed configuration, from which point he will begin “a public relations programme in La Trinité-sur-Mer followed by some further testing on the race zones of North West France, in order to round off 2009. -- http://www.sodebo-voile.com/actu/news-eng.html FIRST TIME IS A CHARM Genoa, Italy (August 15, 2009) - The Swiss America’s Cup defender Alinghi 5 docked out of its temporary base in Genoa, Italy, this afternoon in a light southwesterly breeze and flat seas for its first hours of saltwater sailing. “Today was the first day in saltwater for Alinghi 5 and even though conditions were light; everything was good,” said team skipper Brad Butterworth. “We have received a great welcome from Genoa and huge support from the Amico yard and the Yacht Club Italiano and we look forward to some more sailing Monday with a little more breeze.” Training will continue in Genoa before the boat is transported to the 33rd America's Cup Venue in Ras al-Khaimah, UAE. -- Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alinghiteam/sets/72157622043815502/ ANTI-AGING PRESCRIPTION When up to a hundred doublehanded dinghies converge on San Francisco Bay this week for the 2009 SAP 505 World Championship sponsored by SAP and APL and hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club, one team will rate somewhere between a favorite and an enigma. The skipper - Howard Hamlin of Long Beach, CA - won it all in 1999 and has finished second five times and third twice since, but for the class's 54th Worlds he'll be breaking in new crew. With his regular, Andy Zinn, unavailable because of a business commitment, Hamlin went for local talent. First he asked Morgan Larson, who won the Worlds at nearby Santa Cruz in 2004, but Larson declined and suggested a buddy by the name of, uh - oh, yeah, Paul Cayard. Hamlin fired off an e-mail to this guy Cayard and received a quick response: "I'd love to. What are the dates?" Cayard's only concern was that "I don't want to hold you back." After all, Cayard is 50 now, although he is six years younger than the skipper. On the other hand, they have been hitting the gym hard lately. "This is my next anti-aging prescription," Cayard said. "The first dose was the Olympics at 45." -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/09/0816/505worldspreview.htm CAM LEWIS IS NOT BLIND He’s simply aging, like we all do. One day he realized he couldn’t read navigation charts and weather details or the instrumentation when flying his float plane. Frustrated, he went to his eye doctor and got a prescription for Kaenon Polarized Freestyle Progressive prescription sunglasses - an individually customized multifocal made to his exact personal measurements. How’s his performance now? He sees farther and sharper, while noticing every detail up close. Kaenon Polarized prescription SR-91 lenses - the medical device for your eyes. Ask your eye doctor for a prescription. Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. http://www.kaenon.com TRIVIA ANSWER In 1965, Sharon Sites Adams was the first woman to sail solo from California to Hawaii, and she trumped that accomplishment in 1969 with her journey across the Pacific Ocean, sailing solo in her 31-foot ketch from Japan to San Diego in a voyage that took 75 days. SAILING SHORTS * (Niterói, Brasil) - Competing amongst 211 sailors from 47 countries, Sinclair Jones from Peru has become the 2009 Optimist World Champion. The twelfth and final race allowed for a second throw out, but Jones quieted the competitors by smoothly staying in the top ten for the final 5 races to take the lead for good. The top North American was Christopher Williford (USA) in 16th, who had started the event strong but stumbled with two OCS scores in the second half. -- Results: http://www.cncharitas.com.br/boletins/ACUMULADO_8142009_4-43-12_PM.HTM * (Long Beach, CA) - After opening the Naples Sabot National Championship with an 11th, Connor Kelter of Newport Harbor YC stayed in the top five for the remaining five races to win the event, overcoming early leads by Kate Rakelly (Mission Bay YC) and Will Ladow (San Diego YC), who finished in second and third respectively. Hosted by Alamitos Bay YC, the Nationals began with an elimination series that pared the fleet down to 140 boats, with 35 sailors finally competing for the championship trophy. -- Results: http://tinyurl.com/m7jqru * Chicago, IL (August 16, 2009) - For the third and final day of the Verve Club, the word of the day for the 160 teams was carnage. Thankfully all competitors and race committee are accounted for after a wet and wild day on the lake, complete with blown spinnakers, broaches, man-overboards, and even a capsized race committee boat. Beginning the day in 15-20 knots, it was the afternoon storm cell that really shook up the regatta, as puffs up to 30 knots forced a number of boats to retire, Circle C to abandon their second race of the day, and required assistance from the Coast Guard. -- Full report: http://www.vervecup.com/profiles/blogs/verve-cup-sunday-race-report * (Erie, PA) - As their final tune-up prior to the Snipe Worlds next month in San Diego, CA, Ernesto Rodriquez and Megan Place of Miami, FL beat out 51 other teams to win the Snipe North Americans Championships, hosted by Erie Yacht Club on August 14-16. Maintaining all top six scores in the five race series helped Rodriquez and Place to build up a 16 point lead over runner up Gonzalo Crivello and Hillary Noble of St. Petersburg, FL. -- Final results: http://www.erieyachtclub.org/2009snipena/results.htm CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Please submit 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 John Harwood-Bee: Let me see now…. Fastest vessel Around The World - Multihull Fastest Vessel across the Atlantic - Multihull Americas Cup 33 - Multihulls Most exciting Cowes event - Multihulls Fastest growing sailing interest - Multihulls 2012 Olympic Sailing - NO MULTIHULL…..Priceless! Right, that makes sense then. Are the brain dead cretins who make these decisions so arrogant that they completely ignore a major section of the sailing world or are there vested interests at stake? I confess I am no fan of the Olympics, believing that it is an expensive (and often corrupt) jolly at tax payers ( i.e. me) expense. I am now going to be paying for this self-indulgent carnival without having the benefit of watching the one activity that would give me pleasure. What a shame that we cannot veto London and let some other poor sap have it. * From Tom Sessions, Rocky River, OH: I’m sure the volunteers at last week’s US SAILING Junior Championships have worked very hard hosting the regatta and did a great job. I too, have Chaired local regattas, as well as the 2007 J/22 North Americans at my home club of Cleveland YC. I know how much work goes in to planning these regattas. Thank you to the volunteers. However, I would be remised if I did not provide honest feedback about the results tab of the Regattas Web Site. Where are the home YC’s listed for these Jr. Sailors? Our YC has been fortunate to have six teams qualify for the Finals over the last 20 years. As a Trustee, each year, we approve tens of thousands of dollars to our Jr Sailing Program, for it is the lifeblood of our next generations’ membership & sailors. For these Junior Sailors to make it to the “World Series of Jr. Sailing” and not have the proper acknowledgment of their home yacht club is simple unacceptable. Here are the results: http://tinyurl.com/o7o3pa * From Bill Gibbs: While it is unfortunate that the IOC has declined to increase sailing events to 11, allowing multihulls back into the Olympics, we should remember that it was US SAILING that led the ISAF to exclude multis in the first place. Since US SAILING and ISAF decline to promote Multihull racing, do we Multihull sailors have an alternative organization to support? Maybe we need one. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: I believe it was not about US SAILING not promoting multihulls, but rather which events did the US SAILING Olympic committee feel it could best compete in. For them, success leads to better fundraising, which then leads to more success. Not sure that makes the reality any different, but it does explain the motivation, and you can then debate on whether it justifies it. If you are curious why the U.S. does not invest money to develop better multihull sailors, here is their response: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/tt/#dean * From Ned Jones: Regarding the video of George Szabo/Rick Peters winning the Star World Championship, knowing both George and Rick personally, I appreciate their enthusiasm, but more importantly their sincerity with regards to the traditions and love of the Star Class. Their win and subsequent comments in the video embody what a career pursuing a Gold Star has historically stood for. Sailing hard, consistently, and appreciation for those actions, both for this current win and what a win stands for in the context of the history of the International Star Class. A Gold Star stands alone in our world of international competition. Truly, they are at the top of the heap. (Here is the video: http://tinyurl.com/ppfaqu) * From John Alofsin: If there are truly to be no ISAF rules for the Deed of Gift match then I suggest BMW Oracle invest in an electronic pulse generator that will, just before the start of the race, disable the engine and electronics on Alinghi. I wonder how well the boat will sail without being able to use any winches? CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION An ‘enema’ is not a friend. Special thanks to O’Pen BIC and Kaenon Polarized. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
