|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2498 – December 18, 2007Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, featuresand dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. WHERE THE ACTION IS by Bill Lynn As we continue to read about the latest twists and turns in the America's Cup saga and the uproar over which classes were selected for the next Olympics, it's easy to start to feel a bit jaded about the direction in which our sport seems to be headed. But if you want to get your head back in the game and reaffirm your positive attitude toward sailing, I'd suggest a visit to Coconut Grove, FL to sail in the Etchells Jaguar Series. My family's been very heavily involved in the Etchells class, almost from it's infancy (our first boat was hull #16 when it was almost new), and I recall the early days when they were trying to get a Midwinter regatta going. J-24s, Lightnings, Snipes, etc. all had pretty well-attended Midwinters in Florida, but the first couple of Etchells Midwinters were very low-key affairs with only a handful of boats. Now? Different story. Seventy-three boats showed up recently for the first of the four events of the Jaguar Series hosted by Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, and it wasn't just any 73 boats. The list of participants read like a Who's Who of sailing including world champions Jud Smith, Dirk Kneulman, Vince Brun, Andy Beadsworth, Bill Mauk and Bruce Burton (that's 6 Etchells world champions showing up for a weekend regatta) as well as a deep, deep fleet of longtime Etchells hotshots like Peter Duncan and Scott Piper and very talented class newcomers like John Kolius and Tom Lihan. Even the coaches were world-class with Morgan Reeser, Ed Adams and Moose McClintock watching the races and offering pointers to their clients. -- Read on: http://atlantisweathergear.blogspot.com/2007/12/where-action-is.html CLASS ACT: THE J/44 WINNING FORMULA “When we go into the final race of a series, any one of about five boats can win…and not one person has ever complained that they lost a race because of the sails,” says J/44 Class President Jim Bishop. From crowded roundings at the top of 1.5-mile upwind legs to ten J/44s finishing within 90 minutes in the Bermuda Race, sailors in this owner-driven one-design class are enjoying some of the best big boat racing around. The venerable J/44 is arguably the most successful American one-design offshore yacht ever built, and many sailors consider it the “perfect boat.” Furthermore, you’re unlikely to find a group of owners more dedicated to true one-design competition - and introducing young sailors to big boat racing - than the J/44 One-Design Class Association. Bishop and Class Director Tom Castiglione share the class’s formula for success in the December issue of WindCheck Magazine. Read the full story (on Pgs 49-51) at: http://www.windchecklis.com/pdf/dec07/dec07final.pdf HIGH NOON AT THE ACUP CORRAL by Kimball Livingston, SAIL WEST Maybe a multihull match in '08 is the best next thing. We're all tired of being mired. The pros who thought that America's Cup 32 was the launching pad to a secure footing know already how wrong they were, and compared to the abyss of legal appeals, six-guns at the back of the corral would do fine. It wouldn't be like '87, you know. People are confused about that. In '87, Conner's cat just waltzed away from the Kiwi Big Boat, which was never really a good boat (in the San Diego slop, you could feel two waves at a time working the hull). The Big Boat was a very beatable boat, and if the defenders had matched it with their own big boat, that would have been one of the most celebrated America's Cup events ever. The world was keen. Sports Illustrated was ready to go big with it, and so were all the major news outlets. Until the catamaran defense turned it into a bilious mismatch—yes, I'm oversimplifying, and perhaps if I had been in the meeting, I'd have voted for the catamaran too—and until the endless court battles turned everyone nauseous, then off. From the earliest decisions made by San Diego Yacht Club after winning in Australia to Michael Fay's decision to enter a sideways challenge, the 1987 affair was an avalanche of actions with unintended consequences. Would I be wrong to say that 2007, so far, fits the theme? But with both camps armed with big multihulls, the match is not, in concept, a mismatch. -- Read on : http://sailmagazine.blogspot.com/2007/12/high-noon.html WRAP YOUR MAINSAIL FOR CHRISTMAS! Avoid the malls and wrap your mainsail with the perfect mainsail handling solution. Doyle Sailmakers is offering a 15% discount on StackPacks and Cradle Covers ordered before December 21, 2007. Contact your local Doyle loft, 800-94-DOYLE, or visit us online http://www.doylesails.com/scuttlebutt.htm BAREBOATS DOMINATE CARIBBEAN CIRCUIT Record numbers of bareboats have entered the 2008 St.Maarten Heineken Regatta, with one Holland travel agency filling 64 boats with more than 500 hundred sailors to compete in the event. Now in its 28th year, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta in March is high on the list of must do events, and in 2008 it expects to play host to more that 250 competing boats sailing in several different classes. In the regatta’s early days there were no bareboats, they were yet to be introduced, and the only way to take part in the event was with your own boat or as part of the crew of a friend. Tough indeed for those wanting the sparkling sailing of the Caribbean yet their own boat was an ocean away. The rise of the bareboat industry altered the Caribbean racing scene forever, and the St.Maarten Heineken Regatta led the charge … but it wasn’t without a fight. For the first few years, the cruising and racing classes looked down on the bareboats as a bit of a joke, but that all changed when the latest bareboat designs proved to be fast and highly competitive. Perhaps due to the quality of the boats, top sailors were choosing the bareboat option, and since there were a lot of common brands amongst the bareboat fleets, the racing was near one-design in its closeness. The CSA rating rule did a decent job of making tiny adjustments for things like two or three bladed props, which further stimulated great competition. There will be six classes of bareboats in the 28th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, which takes place from March 6-9 2008, and is the largest regatta in the Caribbean. -- http://www.heinekenregatta.com BARCELONA WORLD RACE Open 60 doublehanded round the world race (started Nov 11; 25,000-miles) (Day 37 - December 17, 2007) The latest casualty is the dismasting of Veolia Environnement, occurring Monday (1800 GMT) while sailing in 22 knots of wind with full mainsail and gennaker. It was in a stronger 30-knot gust when the bow dove into a 2-3 metre wave ahead, and the mast broke suddenly 3.5 to 4 metres up from the deck. The team, which was in third position at the time of the incident, is approximately 1660 miles southwest of Australia and will proceed there under jury rig and engine. Those at the back of the Barcelona World Race fleet are preparing for heavy weather as a classic Southern Ocean depression is poised to sweep over them in the coming days. Educación sin Fronteras will be the first to get hit, with the winds forecast to rise above 40 knots over the next 24 hours. Temenos II has reported a growing rust spot on the keel that they believe might suggest a weakening of the keel structure. The team has decided to make a stop to investigate in New Zealand, though that is not for some 4,000 miles. At the head of the fleet, the race leaders are now at 48-degrees (S) latitude and are climbing to the north towards the Australian safety gate. Following that, the next mark of the course is the scoring gate at Cook Strait, still some 3 000 miles away. The preliminary ETA at New Zealand for the leaders is sometime on December 26th. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.com Positions at 18:00 GMT - Distance to leader (+gain/-loss since previous day) 1-Paprec-Virbac 2, Jean-Pierre Dick/ Damian Foxall, 14268 nm DTF 2-Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson/ Andrew Cape, 115 nm DTL (+42) 3-Temenos II, Dominique Wavre/ Michéle Paret, 1217 (-49) 4-Mutua Madrilena, Javier Sanso Windmann/ Pachi Rivero, 1949 (+42) 5-Educación sin Fronteras, Servane Escoffier/ Albert Bargues, 2630 (+57) Retired - PRB, Vincent Riou / Sébastien Josse (broken mast) Retired -Delta Dore, Jérémie Beyou/ Sidney Gavignet (broken mast) Retired - Estrella Damm, Guillermo Altadill/ Jonathan McKee, (rudder damage) Retired - Veolia Environnement, Roland Jourdain/ Jean-Luc Nélias (broken mast) * Mast manufacturer Lorima is having a run of bad luck, as they were the builder of the three Open 60 masts that have broken in the Barcelona World Race, along with Britair’s Open 60 mast that broke nearly two weeks ago in the 4,200-mile Transat Ecover BtoB from Brasil to France. All the remaining entrants in the Barcelona World Race had their masts built by Southern Spars. * (Day 24 - December 17, 2007 - 16:28 UTC) The solo singlehanded round the world record attempt by Francis Joyon and his 97-foot IDEC trimaran finds him in the final stretch of the Indian Ocean, riding the 52-degree latitude under Australia. He expects to reach the 146-degree longitude directly south of Tasmania on Tuesday, which marks the border between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. With 11,738 nautical miles remaining, Joyon’s most recent 24-hour data shows an average speed of 21 knots and a distance covered of 504.9 nm. -- http://www.trimaran-idec.com FROM THE OLYMPIC TRAIL Sydney, Australia (December 17, 2007) Conditions took their toll on competitors for the third day at the Olympic class Sydney International Regatta on Sydney Harbour, as two competitors were carted off to hospital; one with a suspected broken ankle, another with a nasty cut to his forehead, not to mention the numerous breakages amongst gear on boats. The day started well enough with a steady southerly breeze, but winds coming from the south and sou-west increased once racing was under way, with strong winds in the 25 knot range and big gusts hitting the various Olympic and Youth classes sailing at the Yachting NSW organised event. Racing continues through Tuesday, with preliminary positions for top North American entrants: Laser (Gold): Michael Leigh (CAN) 1st, Bernard Luttmer (CAN) 2nd, Abe Torchinsky (CAN) 7th of 43 470 Women: Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (USA) 4th of 19 49er: Gordon Cook/Ben Remocker (CAN) 5th of 27 Laser Radial: Tania Elias Calles (MEX) 6th of 45 Tornado: Oskar Johansson/Kevin Stittle (CAN) 6th of 12 Finn: Zach Railey (USA) 9th of 24 470 Men: Stu McNay/Graham Biehl (USA) 13th of 36 29er: Max Fraser and David Liebenberg (USA) 10th of 31 Complete results: http://www.nsw.yachting.org.au/?page=33890 3..2..1.. ACTION (KEY WEST 2008) It's a promise. High speed action: on and off the water at this year's Key West Race Week (but then again, that's always been part of the course). Rig Pro will have its fully staffed mobile rigging shop on-site at Key West, with a complete inventory of top quality cordage and hardware to keep on-the-water action at its premium. For pre-race orders call us: 401-683-6966 and we'll deliver on-site. And if you want the low down on the rig of the latest IRC66 Numbers which is sure to see high speed action at Key West, check out http://www.southernspars.com SAILING SHORTS * The Mumm 36 Mummbo was forced to send out a distress signal after the yacht's keel cracked during a delivery from Townsville to Sydney, Australia. It is believed that the damage occurred due to a rough sea, and was first noticed when the boat went down a big wave. Said owner Greg Kearns, "The boat then started making some strange noises down below, and there was a weld in the keel that had torn apart and the whole keel was sort of wobbly.” A Water Police Launch provided escort to the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club. -- Sail World, full story: http://tinyurl.com/388g55 * (December 17, 2007) Keel failure has forced the New Zealand maxi Maximus out of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Owner Bill Buckley’s worst fears were realized Monday afternoon as his 30 tonne boat was lifted out of the water to inspect the 20cm crack just back from leading edge at the top of the fin. It is the second incident in as many years for Maximus, which was forced out the race last year after being dismasted in the early hours of the first morning at sea. -- http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com * Annapolis, MD (December 16, 2007) Fawcett Boat Supply briefly closed its doors to take inventory last Wednesday after the six-decade-old business filed for bankruptcy protection last week. But the owners called the Chapter 11 proceedings a temporary setback. President Steve Ripley blamed the company's recent financial woes - including the inability to keep the shelves stocked sufficiently - on its failed wholesale company it had purchased two years ago. He vowed to keep Fawcett open. -- Capitol Online, full story: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/12_16-25/BUS * (December 17, 2007) Cruising World magazine announced the winners of the 15th edition of their Boat of the Year awards, with the Tartan 4300 and the Delphia 33 topping the list for the 2008 awards. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/2m858x EIGHT BELLS Long time Senior Judge Jack Sheahan, 79, passed away early in the morning of Friday, Dec. 14, 2007. Jack’s volunteer service extends back to 1952 when he was an YRA representative, and has since devoted much of his time to Area C. In 1988, Gardner Cox wrote of Jack, " This is truly a dedicated man in both the areas of race management and of Judging and Area C would be a lot poorer in the last 15 years if had not been for his Service -- qualitatively and quantitatively." Jack had worn many hats in his many years of volunteer service for US Sailing, MAYRA, and in the PHRF Mid-Atlantic region. A Memorial Mass will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 10 A.M. at SS Peter and Paul Church, 1325 Boot Rd., West Chester, PA. Int. West Laurel Hill Cemetery. Family will receive friends between 9:15 and 10 A.M. in the Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to The American Cancer Society, 1615 West Chester Pike, Suite 102, West Chester, 19382. -- Jim Walsh, US SAILING Competition Division Chair "CHRISTMAS IS NEXT WEEK?" Don't worry, your local Vanguard dealer has fantastic last minute deals for those on your list. If someone you know has been especially good this year, there is always the 2008 Boat of the Year - SB3. Or the 2008 Dinghy of the Year - Vago. Visit http://www.teamvanguard.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 Ashley Metz, Chicago Program Director, Reach the World: To continue with the current thread about expanding the world of sailing beyond racial barriers -- the nonprofit, Reach the World has been working with public school classrooms in New York and Chicago, connecting the students with travelers on actual journeys across the globe. Traveling educators post customized curriculum, stories, pictures, and video about their international adventures. Students track the voyages, email the travelers throughout the school year, and work on projects related to the trips. Our program teaches global studies and technology skills, arguably two of the most poorly addressed, yet essential areas of study for today's students, through an engaging and inspiring medium. Every spring, we take our kids on field trips that further connect what they're learning in the classroom with the real world. Last year, they all spent a day on boats. Currently, we are searching for economical ways to take 800 kids sailing in smaller boats this year. The sense of adventure and exploration involved in sailing are important on so many levels, and the response from the kids has been extremely positive. As an organization, and I speak for the Chicago branch that I manage, our goals are to expand kids' minds by pulling on all sides. For most of them, they are introduced to sailing in the classroom when they first learn about the journey, then they learn about life on a boat, and people and cultures all over the world. To a kid who's never been on a boat and barely left their city block, working with our program can lead to quite a transformation. Details at http://www.reachtheworld.org * From Bill Tyler: (regarding Alinghi’s threat to appeal) It becomes more obvious every day that the last thing Mr. Bertarelli cares anything about is the America's Cup and what it has meant to sailors the world over for so many years. The only thing that matters is his monumental ego and making a ton of money on the event. For years now the debacle of the cup defense with Dennis Connor's multihull has been held as the low point in the history of the Cup. We no longer have to concern ourselves with that, as Alinghi has set about to destroy the entire concept of racing for the Cup and turn it into a never-ending court battle. Lose in court? Change lawyers and start over. Been proven wrong? Not when there are more lawyers to be hired. Very sad! * From Paul Webster: It is starting to make me ill that Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli is so interested in changing everything about the Americas Cup, because he feels it could be done better. If he does not like the way it is done, don't race for it and leave it alone. No one asked him to race for it so leave it for those who do it for the love of Americas Cup tradition. * From Matthew Reid: As a Hawaiian resident and sailor for 24 years, I have found the Ala Wai conundrum to be quite fascinating. Mr. Disney has some valid points (in Issue 2494), especially regarding the parking fees. Anyone who has walked around the docks cannot help but notice the huge amount of semi-derelict live-aboard vessels that populate the slips (many leaking fluids). No offense to the inhabitants, but, in general, most are nothing more than the floating equivalent of homeless squatters who have found a niche in the bureaucracy in which to exploit. It is a simple and lazy lifestyle that is great for some, but really takes away from the bigger picture of a vibrant and functional harbor. As the issue is compounded by a couple of other things, one being Hawaii's geography that has very little safe harbor areas versus the huge amount of coastline, and another is the displacement of the folks who do live-aboard. One thing is certain, the Ala Wai could become much more like the new harbor at Ko'olina. No derelict vessels there, I assure you. In comparison, Ko'olina is a beautiful and inviting place to be. I will be pleasantly surprised if there is a resident of Ala Wai Harbor who rebuts this letter...however, my feeling is that there are no 'buttheads in that group. GIVE THE GIFT OF SCUTTLEBUTT Ever since the early days of the Scuttlebutt newsletter, readership growth has been by word-of-mouth. With the holiday season at hand, the best present you can give your friends (and the Curmudgeon) is to continue spreading the word about the publication. To make this easy, click on the link, and then add names from your contact list. Thanks in advance for the support! Here is the link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/wordofmouth CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION The four stages of life: 1) You believe in Santa Claus; 2) You don't believe in Santa Claus; 3) You are Santa Claus; 4) You look like Santa Claus. Special thanks to Doyle Sailmakers, Southern Spars, and Vanguard Sailboats. A complete list of Scuttlebutt’s preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
