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SCUTTLEBUTT 3137 - Tuesday, July 20, 2010Scuttlebutt 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: North Sails, Atlantis WeatherGear, and LaserPerformance. ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF A MATCH ON SAN FRANCISCO BAY Sailing may not be as popular as football in this country, but hosting the world's premier regatta would pack at least three times the economic punch for San Francisco as a Super Bowl. That's the assessment of a new economic study obtained by the SF Chronicle that found that holding the next America's Cup here in either 2013 or 2014 would infuse $1.4 billion into the Bay Area's economy - the vast majority of it in San Francisco - and generate 8,800 jobs, from prep cooks to engineers. Hosting a Super Bowl generates between $300 million and $500 million on average. All told, including statewide and national impacts like extended tourism, the series of yacht races in San Francisco Bay would generate $1.9 billion in economic activity and create about 12,000 jobs, according to a city-commissioned report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and Beacon Economics, which is to be released today. "This is not just a big deal for San Francisco," Mayor Gavin Newsom said. "It's a big deal for the entire state of California, and, one could argue quite appropriately, for the country." The figures are notably less than the $9.9 billion projected in a report that international insurance conglomerate Allianz Group released in 2007. That report included about $4.5 billion from future tourism and tech investment after the race, factors that the economic institute's analysis does not count. While taking note of that earlier study, the authors of today's report said they "consciously made an effort to be conservative in our analysis" and focused on "direct, quantifiable benefits." "We asked these economists to take a conservative approach, because even under the most conservative scenario, the benefits of this event are quite staggering," said Michael Cohen, head of the city's economic development office. "We want to make sure the economic benefits to San Francisco are reliable and certain." The 159-year-old sailing race ranks behind only the Olympics and soccer's World Cup in terms of spectators and economic activity, said the report from the council, a privately supported public policy group. Software billionaire Larry Ellison, who owns a home in San Francisco and whose BMW Oracle Racing team captured the cup in February in races off the coast of Valencia, Spain, has said he's eager to bring the contest to his home waters for the first time. As winner of the last cup, Ellison's team, sponsored by San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club, gets to choose where to defend it. But Ellison, co-founder of Redwood City's Oracle, is committed to picking the best venue for the 34th America's Cup, a team spokesman said. Spain, Italy, France and Portugal are also vying for the coveted race. A venue should be chosen by the end of the year. -- SF Chronicle, read on: http://tinyurl.com/2dwmxdg 62 PAGE REPORT: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0719/ SAVING (OLYMPIC) SAILING The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) is concerned about the future of Sailing as an Olympic event. In May 2010, a special committee published their draft report that focused on the problems of Olympic Sailing, which are many when compared with other Olympic events. Solving the issue depends on what side of the fence you stand. From the outside, Olympic Sailing is a mess. It is hugely expensive for competitors and hosts, it provides very little revenue from spectators and media rights, and it is highly technical. However, from inside the sport, Olympic Sailing has evolved to what it is based on what it was. An Olympic Sailing event isn't that much different than most regattas, other than the parties aren't very wild and there is nearly as many coaches (and RIBs) as entrants. Like most everything else in our world, success at the Olympic level has escalated, and now requires more effort and focus. For Sailing, more effort translates quickly to more expense, thus uncomfortably dividing the haves and the have nots. For the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which seeks to bring the world together through sport, Sailing is not the best component of their formula. To the rescue, at least in their eyes, is the International Kiteboard Association (IKA). The IKA is an International Class Association of ISAF and is responsible for the global administration of this part of the sport. They believe that Kiteboarding has all of the things that the Olympic Sailing events do not, and provides the solution for all the problems that the IOC has with Sailing. To state their case, the IKA has published a strategy paper that highlights the following key issues: - Make sailing accessible and affordable - Make sailing attractive to the youth of the world - Make sailing attractive to media and spectators - Reduce costs at the Olympic Games - Simplify qualification systems for the Olympic Games The strategy paper states the shopping list of problems with Olympic Sailing, many of which are broad problems for the entire sport, and how Kiteboarding can provide the solutions. Given how ISAF is not an organization known for its 'visionary' aptitude, it would be a shocker to see Kiteboarding become an Olympic event. However, given that the IOC provides ISAF with 65% of its income (2004 figures) so as to manage Olympic Sailing, keeping Sailing in the Olympics will prevent ISAF from having to drastically redesign itself, and may motivate them to think outside the box. -- Scuttleblog, http://sailingscuttlebutt.blogspot.com/2010/07/saving-olympic-sailing.html IKA STRATEGY PAPER: http://tinyurl.com/IKA-strategy-paper STILL THINKING GREEN...? As part of North's 10+ year commitment to recycling/repurposing sails, we are once again going to make it worth your while to THINK GREEN and BUY BLUE. If you buy a new North sail July 5th through September 3rd, 2010 (in North America only) and recycle your old sail, you'll automatically receive 25% off the purchase price of your new North sail. We'll also send you a pre-paid UPS return label with your new sail so you can return your old sail to our recycling center. A free tote bag made from recycled sail cloth by Sea Bags, Inc. will also be sent to you! For complete details, click here: http://www.na.northsails.com/tabid/14647/Default.aspx PURE MICHIGAN BAYVIEW MACKINAC RACE A total of 206 sailboats in 22 classes raced in the 2010 Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac Race, starting from Port Huron, MI on July 17th under blue skies and a light 12 knot breeze and ended with a rainstorm and 20-knot gusts on Saturday in Lake Huron. Entrants ranged in size from 28 to 86-feet in length with approximately 2,500 sailors, and were competing on either the Shore Course (204 nm) or the Cove Island Course (254 nm). Beau Geste, the 80-foot maxi out of Hong Kong, was the first to cross the finish line in the Pure Michigan Bayview Mackinac race at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday, ahead of Doug DeVos' 86-foot Windquest that finished at 8:18 p.m. Beau Geste crossed in a driving rainstorm, with visibility so bad it was difficult to see the boat until it was close to the finish, even with its 130-foot mast and sails. Owner Karl Kwok said they had a little bit of everything during this race. "It was a very dramatic start because of the rain squall. Visibility was really bad news," Kwok said. They had high winds, holes with no wind and finally rain over the last leg of the race."We were doing 23 knots at one time." Beau Geste will be in Mackinac Island harbor until after the awards party Tuesday, when it leaves for the Chicago to Mackinac race next weekend."We did the Chicago race in 2005 and didn't do very well, so we have some unfinished business there," Kwok said. -- Detroit Free Press, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2du5va7 START STORY: http://tinyurl.com/Scuttlebutt-Forum-BYC-Mac-2010 STANDINGS: Philip D. O'Niel III and his team aboard the TP 52 Natalie J led an IRC A sweep of the top five overall positions on the Cove Island Course, while the Shore Course had variations of the C&C 35 hold down the top six overall places. Complete standings: http://www.byc.com/mack/results.cfm NEXT: Three thousand sailors from 15 different U.S. states as well as Ontario, Switzerland, and as far off as Hong Kong, are preparing for the 333 mile Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, presented by Veuve Clicquot. The Mac, as it is affectionately known, kicks off July 24th, 2010 with 21 different sections making up this year's 360+ boat fleet. -- http://www.cycracetomackinac.com 2010 USODA LAYLINE NATIONALS Over 300 young sailors are expected to descend on Deltaville, Virginia this week for the 2010 United States Optimist Nationals, hosted by Fishing Bay Yacht Club. Here is the report from the first event where 110 sailors were divided into 24 teams for the Team Race Championship (July 17-19): Following the 2nd round, the teams were re-grouped into Gold and Silver divisions with the top teams put into the gold division and the bottom half in the silver. The teams in the Alpha group, LISOT Blue, Lauderdale YC 4, ISV 1, and LOOT gold had the best chance of winning the championship. Ultimately it came down to LISOT Blue and Lauderdale YC 4 that were only separated by 3 points at the top of the standings. Whichever team won the final race worth 6 points would take the championship. Most of the action happened after the first beat. It was the 3rd and final legs where most of the changes in position occurred. Each team used an impressive level of teamwork to force its competition into unfavorable positions. The Lauderdale YC 4 Team finished with positions 2-3-4-5 to secure the championship. The winning team was comprised of Wade Waddell, Liza Toppa, Alie Toppa, Christopher Williford and Duncan Williford. The LISOT Blue Team of Alexandra DelBello, Reiner Eenkema van Dijk, Drew Gallagher, Ty Ingram and Harry Koeppel finished 2nd. In 3rd were Andy Widmeier, Justine O'Connor, Ben Kern, Ian MacDiarmid, Nic Muller, and Wiley Rogers on Team M One. The next event will be the Girls Championship on July 20th, with the Fleet National Championship scheduled for July 21-24. Event website: http://optinationals2010.org Event reports: http://tinyurl.com/USODA-2010-Natls Sailgroove video: http://tinyurl.com/SG-USODA-2010-Natls NEW YORK YACHT CLUB RACE WEEK Newport, RI (July 19, 2010) - The first session of the biennial New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, which finished up yesterday for seven classes, has also now concluded for five more one-design classes that have been racing since Saturday. The catch, however, was that today's first race had to be abandoned and then competition cancelled when severe thunderstorms passed over Rhode Island Sound, leaving winners to be determined by cumulative standings posted yesterday. The circumstances left J/105 skipper Damian Emery (Shoreham, N.Y.), sailing his J/105 Eclipse in the largest class here (20 boats), very happy. He is now the 2010 J/105 East Coast Champion, a title he also won in 2008 at this regatta, coincidentally under similar circumstances when a storm aborted racing on the last day. "The difference was that then, we shredded all of our sails because we didn't get them down fast enough," said Emery at the early afternoon Rolex Awards Ceremony where the sky had returned to sunny blue. "This time, we could see the front coming through and we were the first to drop our sails." On-demand video by T2p.tv will be available after 9 p.m. ET each evening of Race Week. Complete event report: http://nyyc.org/archives_public/article_793/ DISCOVER: THE BEST GEAR FOR "IRISH SUMMER" Cork, Ireland is a beautiful place, but cold wind and rain are a fact of life there - even in July. Cork Week 2010 was no exception, and the crew of the American IRC 52 Interlodge was happy that they had a full kit of Aegis jackets, spray tops and hybrid bibs to keep them warm and dry. Take a look at "summer" in Ireland at the Atlantis Facebook page (http://tinyurl.com/awgfb10), and check out the ultimate combination of performance, style and value at Team One Newport, Landfall, APS, Point Loma Outfitting, ST Preston, Fisheries Supply or at http://www.AtlantisWeatherGear.com ETIQUETTE IS A WEIRD SUBJECT By Tillerman, esteemed blogger Different customs often mystify me. For example... Let's say you are sailing in a long Laser regatta. Currently you are trailing the leader by one point. In the final beat of one race you are sailing just behind the regatta leader in about 10-12 knots of breeze when he capsizes. Do you... (a) wait until he recovers from the capsize and then continue racing. (b) sail past him to gain at least one point on him in the overall regatta score. (Note - there is no safety issue. Your competitor is in no danger.) Of course the answer is (b). Capsizes are one of the risks of the game. Maybe he had some equipment failure or maybe he was clumsy or maybe it was just bad luck. Whatever the reason, you have every right to continue sailing and secure an advantage over him. You might need that point later in the regatta. But... apparently in cycling the answer is (a). The cycling world is in uproar today (Monday) because some character called Alberto Contador took the lead in the Tour de France when he didn't wait for Andy Schleck after Mr. Shleck's chain fell off. From what I can gather there is an "unspoken rule" in pro cycling that you don't take advantage of a fellow competitor's misfortune. How strange! I don't get it. Can somebody please explain the reason for the different etiquette between the two sports? Is it because cycling is a kinder, gentler, more "gentlemanly" sport than sailing? -- http://propercourse.blogspot.com/2010/07/etiquette.html SAILING SHORTS * Chicago, IL (July 19, 2010) - Providing a stadium-like setting in the lakefront park adjacent to the entrance of Belmont Harbor, the Chicago Match Race Center (CMRC) hosted their Summer Classic A & B Regattas, providing teams with the opportunity to compete in two ISAF Grade 3 match race events within a four day period (July 16-19). Eight teams did both events, with two new teams in each event to round out the 10 team field. Racing in the CMRC's Tom28 match race boats, Bill Hardesty (USA) won the A regatta while Sally Barkow (USA) won the B regatta. -- http://www.chicagomatchrace.com/PressRelease/ * Boston Whaler and the Costco Auto Program have launched an exclusive pilot program to bring Costco members special pricing on Boston Whaler's Super Sport, Montauk and Dauntless models, according to a release. Boston Whaler will also provide Costco members with exclusive incentives up to $2,000, all additional incentives available through other national promotions, and a $500 Costco Cash Card after completing a post purchase Costco member survey. -- Boating Industry, read on: http://www.boating-industry.com/output.cfm?id=2575837 * During meetings held in Erquy, France after the 2010 Formula 18 World Championship (July 3-11), the World Council agreed on the proposal from Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA to hold the 2012 World Championship during the second week of September 2012. Created in 1993, the Formula 18 class only defines maximum authorized characteristics such as length, width, mast height, sails surfaces, weight or permitted materials so all boats have similar performances. Those box rules permit a close competition among catamarans manufacturers, more than 15, to build the fastest F18 boat. -- http://www.abyc.org/event.cfm?id=378 * It's been a good weekend for all those hippie builders of Santa Cruz Yachts in the 1970s. The Santa Cruz 50 still lives a strong life in ocean racing, and Horizon, a SC 50 from Dana Point, CA, is the overall leader in this year's 2,070 nm Pacific Cup race from San Francisco, California to Oahu, Hawaii. Another, Deception, from St. Francis YC, is third overall with newcomer R/P 45 Criminal Mischief from Tiburon, CA squeezing between them in second. All of the 54 starters should be in by the end of the week. The committee had a busy Saturday with seventeen boats streaming in. -- http://www.norcalsailing.com/entries/2010/07/18/PacificCupFin.html * The Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race, which started on July 1 and 3 for the contest between Victoria, British Columbia and Lahaina, Maui, saw eight of the nine starters complete the 2,308 nm route. Winning overall was David Sutcliffe's Beneteau First 47.7 Kinetic from Vancouver, BC. -- Full report: http://www.vicmaui.org/index.php?articleid=208 LETTERS AND FORUM Please email 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 Robert Wilkes: (re, USA results at Youth Worlds in Butt 3136) Your readers may be interested to note that nine of the ten USA representatives (including crew but excluding boards) at the ISAF Youth Worlds were former Optimist sailors, six of them having represented USA at IODA world and continental championships in 2007-8. The results are indeed "a true testament to the high level of rising youth talent" and, on the basis of the excellent USA results in the recent IODA North Americans, the best is yet to come. * From Jeffrey Brown, Stamford, CT: In reading your notable posting of the passing of Master Navigator Mau Piailug (Scuttlebutt 3136), I was reminded of a great reading book on the same subject, written by Mr. Stephen D. Thomas (documentarian film maker and former host of TV show "This Old House") titled: The Last Navigator. If I recall correctly, the book tells the story of how Stephen, an accomplished sailor himself, was taught the dying art of ancient Micronesian navigation by an elderly Polynesian/Caroline Islands master navigator. Like Mau Piailug, Stephen's mentor was another of the dying experts in the ancient art of Pacific Ocean wayfaring. Stephen also filmed a documentary of this effort (not sure if available on DVD), as shown on PBS. In order to convince the "Master" to teach him navigation, Stephen had to learn their language and then be indoctrinated into the tribe, to become a formal member. He then spent many, many months learning the stars, currents, birds and other biosphere characteristics, in an effort to become a "Master Navigator" himself. His "final exam" was to sail several hundred miles between the Caroline islands, aided only by the Micronesian navigation knowledge he was taught. I was lucky enough to meet Stephen at a local "Home Show" years ago and after I left and came back with a copy of The Last Navigator, got him to autograph it and give me a personal synopsis. One book source is Stephen's website: http://www.stevethomashome.com/navigator.html LASERPERFORMANCE AND OLYMPIC HOPEFULS TEAM UP FOR USSTAG Kyle Rogachenkco and Paige Railey will be competing, not on the racecourse, but in a friendly challenge to benefit USSTAG. At the end of this month, two Lasers donated by LaserPerformance will be auctioned off at a fundraiser hosted by the New York Yacht Club. Check out the Laser Challenge web site to find out more http://web.me.com/rickeyzero/LaserChallenge/The_Laser_Challenge.html Sail Legendary, LaserPerformance.com CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM If the front of your car says 'DODGE', do you really need a horn? Special thanks to North Sails, Atlantis WeatherGear, and LaserPerformance. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
