|
SCUTTLEBUTT 3410 - Monday, August 22, 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: Point Loma Outfitting and Sailor’s for the Sea. SURVIVAL IS NO ACCIDENT The entire crew of 21 on the 100-foot Rambler underwent advanced man overboard and safety training just prior to leaving Rhode Island for the Transatlantic Race and the subsequent Rolex Fastnet Race. The training consisted of a thorough inspection of safety equipment on shore as well as a five-hour training session out at sea. Experienced, licensed training professionals at Life raft and Survival Equipment (LRSE) of Tiverton, RI conducted all the training. Unfortunately, the training had to be put to use on August 15 th when the 100 ft. Rambler sailing yacht lost its keel in 15ft. waves and capsized immediately throwing all 21 crew members into the frigid water off the coast of Ireland. Fortunately, all 21 crewmembers survived. According to Jim O’Connor, President of LRSE, “The owner and very professional crew aboard Rambler took all the necessary steps to prepare for this very unfortunate event. Their attention to detail and insistence on professional equipment inspection and training no doubt served them very well in surviving the extremely harsh and dangerous conditions that they had to endure after the capsizing. Ultimately the PLB’s played a very key role in locating the crew as time was running short and the five crew who were separated from the boat did a terrific job of linking arms and forming a circle as we emphasized in all the training exercises. The fact that everyone survived two and one half hours in the water is a testament to their diligent preparation.” -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12439 UPDATE: The 100-ft maxi yacht which lost its keel and capsized off Fastnet Rock with 21 people on board last week has been anchored in Baltimore in west Cork. The hull was righted on Wednesday off Barley Cove, after several attempts, and pumped out. The vessel’s 65-metre mast is lying on the seabed, marked with a buoy for retrieval later. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board has spoken to crew members as part of its preliminary inquiry into why the canting keel snapped, resulting in a sudden loss of stability. The board has been liaising with authorities in the Cayman Islands, where the maxi yacht, worth between $10 and $14 million, is registered. -- Full report: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0819/1224302708860.html GUYS ARE STRUGGLING Not sure how much of a secret it is that women are better than men. They look nicer, smell better, and typically have better manners. In grade school, girls tend to be brighter and more mature than the boys. Other than being stronger and taller, guys are struggling these days. This could be a continental thing. The struggles of men in North America are in full focus. If there are medals to be won at the 2012 Olympics, bet on a gal. The only medals won at the Pre-Olympics were from the American women. In fact, for events with both men and women divisions (ie, RS:X, 470, and Laser), the North American women (in Canada, Mexico, and USA) beat their male teammate in six of the eight instances (plus one tie). This trend has wheels. At the 2011 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship last week, girls won three of the four events. These were open events, where the only restrictions were size and skill. The lone event won by a boy was the Laser Full Rig. Golf clap. Advocates for single-sex education find that it allows teachers to use techniques geared toward the gender of their students. Like a boy’s short attention span. Maybe they had really long race courses at the U.S. Youth Champs. Maybe the women better handled the two week schedule at the Pre-Olympics than the guys. Maybe it’s as simple as... girls rule - boys drool. -- http://sailingscuttlebutt.blogspot.com/2011/08/guys-are-struggling.html WHEN THE WIND KICKS, RESPOND WITH FORCE Point Loma Outfitting is pleased to introduce the second new model of foul weather gear from SLAM. The design objective of the Force 3 jacket and salopettes was to provide protection during coastal sailing, while maintaining durability, at a reasonable price. Following the successful introduction of the Force 2 gear earlier this year, the Force 3 provides greater protection, yet increased breathability. Something we all can appreciate during these dog days of August. Check out the link below to see the numerous attributes this gear has! http://www.slam-shops.com/slam-force-3.html REMAINING SKEPTICAL In a recent interview with the Italian economical newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, 2-time America’s Cup winner Ernesto Bertarelli discusses the event he lost hold of in February 2010 with his defeat by Oracle Racing in the 33rd Match: * What is your opinion on the current situation of the America's Cup? ERNESTO BERTARELLI: What’s happening is under everyone’s eyes. It’s not up to me to express an opinion but up to the international sailing community. For my part all I can do is remind everyone that the America's Cup in Valencia in 2007, which has been universally recognized as the best Cup ever, saw 12 teams on the water of which at least five were legitimate candidates for the final victory (Team New Zealand, Oracle, Luna Rossa, Desafío and Alinghi). Today instead, one can already guess the outcome of the next edition, which does not leave any space except for the American team in control of the competition. I am also skeptical about the interest of the American public in sailing. I cannot believe that there will not be an English or Italian team given how many people are passionate about sailing in both countries! In Valencia in 2007 we had 6 million visitors, a television audience of over 4 billion viewers and we guaranteed all participating teams a share in the revenues generated by the Rights of the event commensurate to their final ranking. * No Italian teams are participating in the next edition. What are the reasons? ERNESTO BERTARELLI: Truly, the only team missing is Luna Rossa, the single Italian team that has its own history, tradition, and that won a Louis Vuitton Cup. Luna Rossa has chosen, as we have, to participate in the Extreme 40 circuit, together with other high-profile teams. Apart from that, I am sure that Patrizio (Bertelli) is the best person to answer this question. * What about Mascalzone Latino? ERNESTO BERTARELLI: Mascalzone Latino has the historic responsibility of not having fulfilled its role as representative of all challengers, of having left the Americans (Oracle) free to write the rules without any real control, and then of having left the scene. * Are you ruling out taking part in the America's Cup in the future? ERNESTO BERTARELLI: Alinghi has won two consecutive editions of the America's Cup in 2003 and 2007, bringing back the Cup to Europe for the first time in 156 years. We are moving ahead on different race courses on which, by the way, we are having a lot of fun and obtaining good results. * What is your current involvement in sailing? ERNESTO BERTARELLI: Alinghi participates in the D35 circuit (35-foot catamarans) that takes place on Lake Geneva and, as of this year, in the Mediterranean. In 2011, we also won the Bol d'Or, the most important regatta on European lakes. In addition to this, we are racing in the Extreme Sailing Series with our Extreme 40. The circuit is structured around nine events this year in four different continents. Among other things in September we will be in Trapani, Sicily, for the Italian leg of the circuit. Complete interview: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12437 HAPPY BIRTHDAY - AMERICA’S CUP Predating The Ashes and Modern Olympics by decades, the America’s Cup is the oldest active trophy in international sport. Today (Aug. 22) is its birthday, celebrating 160 years as the best known event for the sport of sailing. Here are some fun facts: - It's the hard trophy in sport to win - since 1851 it has been won by just four nations have won: Australia (once), New Zealand and Switzerland (twice) and the USA (28 times!). - It’s not named after America. The Cup is named after the boat, America, which in 1851 raced 15 rivals from the Royal Yacht Squadron around the Isle of Wight. America dominated the 53-mile course and beat the runner-up by a total of eight minutes - The Cup is shrouded in secrecy - the America’s Cup trophy is so precious that every care is taken to ensure its safety at all times. Not only is it stored in a secure mystery location, but when it is scheduled to make a public appearance, it travels under armed guard, just like heads of state and famous movie stars. - The Cup itself is an ornate sterling silver bottomless ewer, one of several off-the-shelf trophies crafted in 1848 by Garrad & Co. It was purchased and donated to the Royal Yacht Squadron's 1851 Annual Regatta around the Isle of Wight, which was won by the yacht America Event website: http://www.americascup.com/ OLYMPIC LEGACY When the city of Qingdao held the Olympic sailing event in 2008, it showed the world a spectacular side of itself, and it now wants to maintain that Olympic city image by becoming the Capital of Sailing, the mayor has said. In fact, for the past three years, Qingdao has made every effort to keep the Olympic spirit alive by mobilizing everyone to build that 'sailing city' image, Mayor Xia Geng told China Daily in a recent interview. Qingdao now has the world's first Olympic sailing city museum. And, its Olympic Sailing Center is the country's only seaside tourism-leisure demonstration district and has been designated as a relic protection unit. "By using the Olympic influence and venues we've popularized the sport of sailing and have become a sailing popularization and demonstration city for the young," Xia went on to explain. Qingdao now has 28 professional sailing clubs and 165 sailing schools and clubs for young people. More than 5,000 teenagers have taken part in the city's sailing camps and more than 2,000 of them have become licensed sailors. In addition, more than 100,000 local people have had a chance to sail and the local government has said it will continue to promote the sport. "We're looking for 300,000 people to get involved in the sport by 2014," Xia noted. After the Games, in 2009, the city established an annual international sailing week to promote its own local brand of sailing. That same year, it played host to a world-famous sailing event, the Volvo Global Ocean Race, a real first for Qingdao. It followed that with the world's largest amateur sailing event, the Clipper Global Sailing Race, its third time to host the event. It also held its first International sailing week, with a deliberate doff of the hat to Germany's Kiel Week competition, which is held annually. More than 200 sailing celebrities turned up for the competition. Then, in 2010, on the occasion of the Second Qingdao International Sailing Week, it held an Olympic Sailing City Mayors & International Sailing Summit where the Qingdao Declaration on the International Sailing Sport was signed. Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), called the forum a "commendable initiative". This past May, the city has again showed the world its impressive side when it completed the Qingdao leg of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series. The municipal government established an Olympic Sailing City Development Association as the first national management center for the sport of sailing. It has taken special steps to get sailing and related businesses included in Qingdao's 12th five-year plan (2010 - 2015). -- Read on: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-08/19/content_13146372.htm OCEAN CONSERVATION RESOURCE FOR BOATERS Sailors for the Sea educates and engages the boating community in the protection of oceans worldwide through four programs: - Clean Regattas: certifies regattas to reduce their environmental impact. - Ocean Watch Essays: online essays about ocean health issues with resources for engagement. - Rainy Day Kits: free marine science lesson plans for junior sailors. - Certified Sea Friendly: voluntary certification program for marine manufacturing. Sailors for the Sea is the Official Sustainability Partner of the 34th America's Cup providing expertise in environmental responsibility. Marine life and coastal habitats are straining under the pressure of global use, learn more and join: http://www.sailorsforthesea.org SAILING SHORTS * Thirty teams competed in the J/24 North American Championship, hosted by Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Aug 18-20. While the first two days saw world champions Mauricio Santa Cruz and Tim Healy/ John Mollicone hold the top spot, it was the steady improvement of Travis Odenbach’s team on Waterlinesystems that would ultimately win the nine race series. -- Event website: http://j24northamericans2011.wordpress.com/ * Chicago, IL (August 21, 2011) - The three day Verve Cup Regatta hosted by Chicago Yacht Club saw 123 entrants compete in ORR and one-design on three course circles. While changing winds, rain and thunderstorms limited racing on day two, the bookend days saw quality conditions to allow all fleets to complete six races. The newly launched J/111 is already seeing one design racing, with partners Karl Brummel, Steve Henderson, Mike Mayer winning the six boat fleet. -- Daily reports: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12432 * San Diego (August 20, 2011) - While all recent winners of the Lido 14 Class Championship live in the long shadow of 9-time winner David Ullman, 2011 winner Stu Robertson is getting closer by claiming his sixth title this week against 29 teams in Coronado Bay. The open course venue provided a “pick your side, win your side” style of racing, where the correct side seemed totally random as left and right paid off about equally over the past three day event. Steve Klotz was second and Eric Heim finished third. Full results: http://tinyurl.com/Lido-14-Nationals-2011 * On Friday began the seventh annual Ida Lewis Distance Race (ILDR) with 35 IRC, PHRF and doublehanded boats sailing the only distance race that starts and finishes in Newport, Rhode Island. Ron O’Hanley’s (Newport, R.I.) Cookson 50 Privateer finished first on corrected time in the IRC Class - consisting of eight boats sailing the Block Island Course (150 nm) - and finished the race in just over 19 hours. In the PHRF Class, the largest class in the fleet with 20 boats, Tristan Mouligne’s (Newport, R.I.) Quest 30 Samba took the top spot sailing the Nomans Course (122 nm) in just over 21 hours. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12453 * Skipper John Dane along with celebrity tactician Sally Barkow took top honors at Nantucket Race Week’s International One Design Celebrity Invitational (Aug. 18-19) in Nantucket, MA. Together the Dane/Barkow team narrowly held off a three-peat by Jim Bishop Jr. at the helm, with Dave Ullman as celebrity tactician. Co-skippers Heather Gregg-Earl and Richard Werdiger, with Karl Anderson as tactician, got third. Peter MacCausland with Peter Holmberg, followed by Carlo Falcone with Mike Toppa, rounded out the top five. U.S. Senator and past presidential nominee John Kerry with Gary Jobson were last of the 14 teams. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12452 * Detroit, MI (August 21, 2011) - Nineteen year old Australian Jordan Reece and his team of Henry Kernot and Harry Thurston won the ISAF Grade 2 Detroit Cup in an exciting 5-match Final at the Bayview YC. The team defeated Kiwi Laurie Jury in an exciting Final that went to all five matches in the first-to-three point series. The Detroit Cup is the second stop on the four-stage US GRAND SLAM Series, a series of four consecutive ISAF Grade 2 match race events where the series winner is invited to next year's ISAF Grade 1 Congressional Cup in Long Beach. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12450#12450 * Marstrand, Sweden (August 21, 2011) - Going into the final day of racing at the RC44 Sweden Cup just four points separated the top four teams. It was so tight at the top that the day would see a match race between Team Aqua and CEEREF to decide the eventual event winner and Islas Canarias Puerto Calero jump up the leaderboard to take third place. Next stop for the RC44 Championship Tour is the Adris RC44 Cup in Rovinj, Croatia between 28 September and 2 October. -- Full report: http://www.rc44.com/news/view/team_aqua_by_the_smallest_of_margins EIGHT BELLS Australia's yachting community has paid tribute to ABC pilot Gary Ticehurst, who is feared dead in a chopper crash in South Australia. His colleagues, veteran journalist Paul Lockyer and cameraman John Bean, were also on board the helicopter that crashed near Lake Eyre on the eve of August 18th. The flying skills of ABC helicopter pilot Gary Ticehurst brought ocean yacht racing, with its the dramas and the exhilaration of sailing on the open sea, into the living rooms of millions of people around the world. Flying at extraordinarily low heights he placed his cameraman in a position to get remarkable images of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which were then featured on the evening news bulletins throughout the nation between Christmas and New Year. “Over a quarter of a century he played a significant role in expanding the media coverage of our great ocean race, the Rolex Sydney Hobart, a race for which he developed a personal passion,” Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Harry Linacre said. “In particular, Gary will be remembered for his professional calm during the tragic storm that hit the 1998 Sydney Hobart fleet; he reported the positions of so many yachts in distress, resulting in the rescue of at least 25 yachtsmen from sinking vessels or life rafts, “the Commodore added. Additional detail: - http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=12438#12438 - http://tinyurl.com/abc-net-au-news-2011-08-19 SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Paul Warren, Redington Beach, FL: As I see it, the Volvo Ocean Race organizers had two choices: drop Abu Dhabi as a destination or provide security for that part of the race. I understand that the latter is probably prohibitively expensive, but their solution (stopping in mid-race and safely transporting the yachts and crew to a ‘safe haven”) really just sidesteps the real issue. The real issue is the pirates and their resources. It seems to me that VOR was ill-advised to consider sending the racers through such a dangerous area in the first place. Their decision to proceed with the Abu Dhabi stopover says that politics and greed (sponsors’ $$) won out over common sense and security. In my view, the decision is simple: do you send the yachts into harm’s way (against a “synthetic” threat vs. a natural threats of ocean and winds) or do you avoid that area until the security issues are resolved. Dropping the Abu Dhabi stopover this year might inflict enough economic and political pain on the UAE that they’d join the fight to eradicate the piracy problem so that ALL yachts can safely transit the Indian Ocean without fears of becoming a hostage or dying. * From Matt Carter: A small correction to the information regarding the StFYC Heavy Weather Slalom, which was highlighted as the Video of the Week on last Friday. It said the participants were aged “18 years old to 70-something”, but my son Joe Carter had just turned sixteen this year before competing. So the age range was slightly greater. NOTE: Correction made... here is the link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/11/0819/ CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION Having one child makes you a parent; any more and you are a referee. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Point Loma Outfitting - New England Ropes - Hall Spars & Rigging North Sails - J Boats - Atlantis WeatherGear - Morris Yachts - Ocean Racing Ullman Sails - APS - Premiere Racing - Quantum Sails - Sailors for the Sea Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
