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SCUTTLEBUTT 3737 - Wednesday, December 12, 2012Scuttlebutt 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: US Sailing, Ultimate Sailing, and Point Loma Outfitting. TAYLOR CANFIELD - HERE TO STAY Wildcard entry Taylor Canfield (23 years) from the US Virgin Islands won the most coveted event on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, the Monsoon Cup (Dec. 3-8, 2012). As the tour's final stop, it is the hardest event to get an invite to, and its prize purse of MYR 1.475 million (approx USD 475,000) is the largest on the tour. Taylor, who is currently ranked ninth in the international open match race rankings (and rising), shares his thoughts on the win: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * First off, props on representing North America at the big leagues. TAYLOR CANFIELD: It has been a great season, but it wouldn't have been possible without the people that have contributed to the success of USone Sailing Team. I am extremely appreciative of these great sailors that have given many dedicated hours from their lives to come sail with me this season. These are the people accountable for USone's great 2012 season: Rod Dawson, Jesse Fielding, Brian Janney, Tommy Loughborough, Hamish Matthew, Josh McCaffrey, Alden Reid, Tod Reynolds, Stephanie Roble, Maggie Shea, Val Smith, Cy Thompson, Mark Towill, Janel Zarkowsky, and of course my core group of Matt Clark, Hayden Goodrick, Dan Morris, and Mike Rehe. Among this group my crew at the Monsoon Cup was Rod Dawson, Hayden Goodrick, Dan Morris, and Mike Rehe. * What did it take to get an invitation to the Monsoon Cup? TAYLOR CANFIELD: We had received invitations to two events earlier in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) season, finishing fourth at the Chicago Match Cup and we won the Argo Gold Cup in Bermuda. I believe that we demonstrated that we could compete at the level of the sailors on the tour, and this was likely the main reason we received an invitation to Monsoon Cup. * The Monsoon Cup is in Malaysia. What was that like? TAYLOR CANFIELD: Malaysia is definitely as foreign as it sounds, and as we were going there for the first time ever. We had no idea what to expect. First off, the trip to Malaysia was approximately 30 hours, not including the 10 hour time difference and crossing the International Date Line. Getting there at least three days before you actually begin competing is needed to get your body regulated to the time change. Some other big challenges of travelling to Malaysia was the extreme heat and local food. You cannot drink enough water the entire time you are there. You also have to be very careful about the restaurants you choose to eat at. * At what point did you feel that you had a chance to win? TAYLOR CANFIELD: I would say it was at the end of the initial qualifying round robin that I thought we had it in us to win the event. We beat both current World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) and former World Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) to simply secure our spot in quarter finals. * What are the costs and benefits associated with the event? TAYLOR CANFIELD: Luckily for us, there is no entry fee for non-tour card holders to compete in the event with the wild card entry. Some of the costs included air travel, accommodation, and food for the nine days. In the end we won RM310,000 which comes out to just over $100,000 US (which gets split five ways with the crew). More here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/12/1212/ U.S. RANKING: Don Wilson (Chicago, IL), founder of the Chicago Match Race Center, has finished the year as the number one ranked skipper on the U.S. Open Match Racing Ranking List. Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, FL) finishes the year ranked number one in the Women's Match Racing Ranking List. Second in both lists is Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI), winner of the recent Carlos Aguilar Grade 2 Open Match Race. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14973 PERFECT HOLIDAY PRESENTS FOR THE RACING SAILOR IN YOUR LIFE The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2013-2016 is now available in its traditional format and a NEW waterproof edition. Dave Perry has updated Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing Through 2016 to breakdown all of the new changes to the rules, and reworked the 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes to test your knowledge and prepare you for the upcoming season. All of these books make great stocking stuffers for that special sailor in your life, http://store.ussailing.org/browse.cfm/racing-rules/2,8.html FORUM HIGHLIGHTS SAILING'S POTENTIAL FOR SPONSORS Gothenburg, Sweden (December 11, 2012) - The fifth edition of the World Yacht Racing Forum began today with 250 delegates from all over the world. Most of today's sessions focused on sponsorship, and were aimed at bettering the relationship between sailors, events or teams and their commercial backers. How can sponsors ensure brand activation? What are the best ways to promote the sport of sailing? How can our sport generate an income? What should a sponsorship proposal contain? Those were some of the questions debated by today's panellists. "Sailing sponsorship, and sponsorship in general, should be envisioned in a long term perspective," said Sven Osterberg, General Manager, Volvo Event Management Sweden. "And it is essential to plan a long time ahead; at least 1 to 2 years." Leslie Greenhalgh, Marketing Director, Open Sports Management, spoke about her personal experience with Skandia Team GBR, and disclosed some of the key elements of a successful partnership: "It was really important to get immersed alongside the partner in order to understand their needs and objectives. To summarise, it was important to allocate time!" Greenhalgh, on the other hand, said she has witnessed several projects which don't provide enough return to their partners. "This is one reason why some brands have left the sport of sailing. In fact, the hard work begins the day when you sign your contract." Some interesting sessions focused on the revenue streams that can be generated through the sport of sailing. Media visibility, public participation and brand activation are amongst the obvious answers, whilst TV doesn't seem to be. "All sports struggle to sell TV rights, and sailing is virtually impossible to sell," commented Dominique Curchod (Curchod Communications). "The revenue therefore lies in a free distribution, and the visibility associated to it." "The sailing industry has an obsession with television", added Richard Moore, CEO, Capitalize. "Does sailing have a strong appeal to a wide audience on TV? The answer is no." -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14972 DID YOU KNOW? New York Yacht Club has two stations, one in Manhattan, N.Y., the other in Newport, Rhode Is. Being the home of the America's Cup for the longest time, they also must cater to their "social membership." Just how do they maintain a balance of servicing two divergent members (social and yachters)? Their bylaws require "Boats vote." You own a boat, you get to vote. You don't own a boat, you don't get a vote. Yachting will always be their major goal (in support of their Purpose of Being) and the social members get to tag along for the ride. This concept is simple, and has worked in their favor for 168 years. -- December newsletter of the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation: http://www.lmsrf.org/lmsrf/images/stories/newsletters/2012_12_Newsletter.pdf LEADERS GLUED TOGETHER (December 11, 2012; Day 32) - The Vendee Globe leaders' pace across the Indian Ocean has the top duo Francois Gabart (FRA) and Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA) glued together. The intensity of their duel remains as close and tight as an afternoon speed-testing off Port La Foret, the Finisterre training centre at which the leading four French skippers train. "These are amazing times, the boat is sliding so fast and effortlessly, the conditions are great," said François Gabart on Macif. "Nothing is easy, though, the VG is one of the hardest events in the world, there are technical problems and dangerous situations. But in the middle of those, you have magical moments, like what I'm experiencing right now." "François and I have seen each other on our AIS for 24 hours now," said Armel Le Cleac'h on Banque Populaire. "It's a nice way to check my speed is good enough! There's an intense fight for the lead of the race; our daily life isn't that easy. Our routes are quite similar, I've actually seen François this morning as his boat wasn't far from mine. But you can't stay outside too long because of the water crashing everywhere." Behind the leaders, it was revealed today that Alex Thomson (GBR) had damaged his rudder system on Hugo Boss after hitting a floating object Sunday night. The accident, which required around 15 hours for repairs, also destroyed one of his hydrogenerators. Now relying on a limited supply of diesel and the one remaining hydrogenerator, Thomson will be in very strict energy saving mode - running what his team call 'dark mode' - which means very reduced communication with the outside world. Tracking: http://tracking2012.vendeeglobe.org/en/ Top 5 of 20 - Rankings as of Tuesday, December 11, 2012, 20h00 (FR) 1. Francois Gabart (FRA), Macif: 14910.9 nm Distance to Finish 2. Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA), Banque Populaire: 14.4 nm Distance to Lead 3. Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Virbac Paprec 3: 89.7 nm DTL 4. Alex Thomson (GBR), Hugo Boss: 177.7 nm DTL 5. Bernard Stamm (SUI), Cheminees Poujoulat: 192.6 nm DTL Full rankings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html BACKGROUND: Twenty skippers began the Vendee Globe, a solo, non-stop around the world race in the IMOCA Open 60 class. Starting in Les Sables d'Olonne, France on November 10, the west to east course passes the three major capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn before returning to Les Sables d'Olonne. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) set the course record of 84 days in the 2008-9 edition. -- http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ GET READY FOR 2013, WITH ULTIMATE SAILING BEEP! The warning has sounded, the stopwatch is ticking: we're in sequence for the start of a New Year. It's time to order your 2013 Ultimate Sailing Calendar: 12 months of electrifying action in a colorful, super-sized 18 by 24" format. $22.95; two or more for $19.95 each, at http://www.ultimatesailing.com. Plus stylish sailing gear, graphic tops, caps, bags and photos. Order before Dec 14 for delivery before Christmas - just in the 'Nick' of time. Have a stellar start to 2013 with Ultimate Sailing. http://www.ultimatesailing.com DEATH KNELL FOR THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE? When French sailor François Gabart aboard his Open 60 Macif covered an incredible 545.3 nautical miles in 24 hours this week in the Vendee Globe, his pace of 22.3 knots only slightly trailed that of the fastest fully-crewed 24-hour record speed of 24.85 knots set in the 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race. Gabart, alone on a smaller boat, has been almost able to match the incredible pace of a Torben Grael and his team of professionals aboard the Volvo Open 70 Ericcson 4. Brian Hancock, a sailor and promoter of around the world races, comments on the significance of Gabart's record: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- So what does all of this mean, other than the obvious which is that the French are genetically wired differently from the rest of us when it comes to offshore racing. To me it means that the Volvo Ocean Race is in trouble, and before anyone starts filling my inbox with hate mail, let me point out that I am a massive fan of the VOR and veteran of the event, so I am entitled to my opinion. Hear me out on this one. A decade ago the Global Challenge, Chay Blyth's around-the-world-the-wrong-way race was a thriving event that billed itself as quite simply the toughest ocean race on the planet. You almost had to be superhuman to race around the planet against the prevailing winds and they marketed this point very successfully. Then along came Dee Caffari, a pretty 33 year old British sailor who took one of the Global Challenge yachts and sailed it single-handed, non-stop around the world. How hard could the Global Challenge really be if one person could do it without even stopping? A few years later Blyth's event was gone, the myth shattered. How does this relate to the VOR? Quite simple. In order to be the best you have to innovate, you have to reinvent, and you must never retreat. I understand some of the reasons behind the VOR opting for a smaller One Design boat for their future events, but I view it as the death knell for the race. How do you promote your event as Life at the Extreme, the absolute pinnacle of the sport, when the sailing public and sponsors alike are aware that the Vendee sailors, all alone on smaller boats are matching the pace of the Volvo Ocean Race. All of a sudden it does not seem so extreme, such the pinnacle of the sport. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/BH-121112 SAILING SHORTS * USWatercraft LLC of Portsmouth, RI has acquired the Alerion Yachts, True North, and North Rip brands from Pearson Marine Group. USWatercraft is the licensed boat builder of the J/22, J/24, J/80 and J/105 as well as the Farr 30 and Farr 40. Through this acquisition, USWatercraft LLC will service and manufacture Alerion Yachts, True North, and North Rip. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14970 * The Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2013, hosting seven championship events as part of the biennial regatta's schedule along with the introduction of new classes for Classics, Doublehanded boats and Gunboats. Scheduled from Sunday, June 23, through Friday, June 28, the event will host the IRC North American Championship; HPR (High Performance Rule) North American Championship; PHRF East Coast Championship; J/80 North American Championship; J/109 East Coast Championship; Swan 42 New England Championship; and Beneteau 36.7 Northeast Championship. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/STC-121112 * Invitations have been extended to 12 of the best national youth sailing teams in the world to compete in the February Selection Series for the Red Bull Youth America's Cup. The Red Bull Youth America's Cup, scheduled September 1-4, 2013, begins with the Selection Series in San Francisco on February 9-24. The Selection Series will narrow the field through a rigorous training workshop and regatta, though the number of competitors to advance to the September event is not known at this time. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/AC-121112 THANK YOU FROM POINT LOMA OUTFITTING We'd like to thank all of you that have shopped with Point Loma Outfitting this past year. Your business is truly appreciated, and we hope that we lived up to your expectations. To you and the rest of the readers of Scuttlebutt, we would like to wish you and your families Happy Holidays. We hope your past year was successful, and wish your 2013 to be everything you desire. If there is anything we can do for you let us know. http://www.pointlomaoutfitting.com/scuttlebutt.html 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 Skip Allan: Fred Smales was a class act and friend to all sailors (8 Bells, SB 3736). His pale green Cal-32 ESCAPADE regularly won races in Southern California in the '50's and early '60's against the likes of YUCCA (Don Barber), SPARKLE (Alex Irving), the PCC's, and other Cal-32's. Fred was always smiling as ESCAPADE sailed to the front of the fleet. He knew the advantage of a clean bottom, fresh sails, and knowledgeable crew. I only ever heard Fred raise his voice once. In the summer of 1961, he had bought a new green spinnaker from Burke Sawyer, the salesman at Watts Sails in Torrance. No one had ever done it before. But Fred and Burke agreed it would be really cool to have an Escapade emblem sewn on the new spinnaker. What Fred wanted stitched on his new spinnaker was a Fleur de Lys. Fred left the office, and Burke began scratching his head. What the hell was a Fleur de Lys and where would he find a pattern to make such a thing? I believe it was Bob Hanretty who suggested to Burke that he go down the street and buy a box of Girl Scout cookies, which used a Fleur de Lys as their emblem. Burke came back with a half eaten box of cookies and began sketching. Fred picked up Escapade's new spinnaker with the Fleur de Lys on Friday afternoon for the weekend race. On Monday morning, Fred was back at the loft with the spinnaker, mad as hell at Burke. I could only catch snatches of the conversation out on the floor. It seems Burke's cookie Fleur de Lys emblem on ESCAPADE's spinnaker came out looking like Fred was giving everyone the finger. * From Joe Cooper: With respect to Ned Hal's remarks in 'butt 3736 on the 50th reunion of the Weatherly crew, I was a 7 year old kid in Sydney THAT day in 1962. I was huddled under the covers avoiding getting ready for school and listening to the radio coverage of the race by local sailing press notable Lou D'Alpuget as Gretel surged past Weatherly. I reckon Peter Montgomery must have either apprenticed under or listened to Lou for he has the same furious passion in his voice as Lou had that day. I remember thinking the he was about to bust a gut. I recall he was almost screaming down the crackling AM transmission from Newport. That win really made a huge impact in the whole of Australia, not just the sailing world. The one constant that all players in the America's Cup have in spades is Passion. It was never more in evidence than in Lou's voice that cold dank early spring morning in Sydney's Kings Cross where a certain 7 year old kid was ignoring the pleas from his mum to get dressed for school. I date my contraction of the disease from that morning. FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are recent for sale ads: * Gill woman's "pro spray top " * Camet Hiking pants * New Tag Heuer Yachting Timer For Sale * Unused, crisp North Sails Asymmetrical Spinnaker Tri Radial View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's worth the effort. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Hall Spars & Rigging - Kaenon Polarized - North Sails - APS J Boats - US Sailing - Ultimate Sailing - Point Loma Outfitting Ullman Sails - Southern Spars - North U - Henri Lloyd Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
