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SCUTTLEBUTT 3344 - Wednesday, May 18, 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: North Sails, APS, and LaserPerformance. DEFINING A GROUP 3 SAILOR While the marine industry has long existed, it is the emergence of paid sailors and coaches in amateur events that has changed the landscape. There is nothing in the rules of the sport that prevents a person from asking for, say, $1000 a day to crew on a boat. It is purely up to the event organizers or class administrators to determine whether they want to maintain an amateur atmosphere or not. The challenge of the ISAF Classification system is to fairly determine what types of activity warrant a sailor to be classified as Group 3 (professional), and what is permitted within the Group 1 (amateur) classification. During the past week, Scuttlebutt has provided many of the employment scenarios that exist and how they are classified. But we have yet to provide the Group 3 rule... until now: A Group 3 competitor is a competitor who, within the Qualification Period (A) Has been paid for work that includes: (i) Competing in a race; and/or (ii) Managing, training, practising, tuning, testing, maintaining or otherwise preparing a boat, its crew, sails or performance enhancing equipment for racing, and then competed on that boat, or in a team competition, in a boat of the same team; or (B) Has been paid: (i) To provide a boat or its sails; or (ii) For services in connection with providing a boat or its sails; and (iii) Then raced on that boat, or in a team competition, in a boat of the same team. However a Group 1 competitor who, as an owner of a boat, is occasionally paid a charter fee to provide that boat for a racing competition shall remain a Group 1 competitor if he/she does not steer that boat in the competition. If the competition is a team event this dispensation shall only apply if he/she does not steer any boat in the same team as the boat chartered; or (C) Has been paid for work (except coaching), in a marine business or organisation, which requires knowledge or skill: (i) That is capable of enhancing the performance of a boat in a race; and (ii) Which can be utilised by the competitor whilst on board a boat when racing; or (D) Has been paid for work that includes the coaching of (i) Any competitor, crew or team to prepare for or compete in any of the following: - The Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions and Qualifying Events; - Regional Games; - America's Cup Match, Acts and Series; - Grade WC or Grade 1 Match Racing Events; - World and Continental Championships of ISAF Classes; - ISAF Events; - Global and Trans Oceanic Races; or (ii) A National, State or Provincial Team; or (iii) A Collegiate or University Team where the work is the principal paid activity of the competitor; or (E) Has been paid for allowing his or her name or likeness to be used in connection with his or her sailing performance, sail racing results or sailing reputation, for the advertising or promotion of any product or service; or (F) Has publicly identified himself or herself as a Group 3 competitor or as a professional racing sailor. Complete resource for the ISAF Sailor Classification Code: http://www.sailing.org/classification/index.php CAUGHT IN THE CLASSIFICATION QUAGMIRE By Len Bose, Yacht Broker I should be flattered that ISAF has a Sailor Classification system that believes I have the skill level of a Group 3 professional sailor. But I am not. Everyone who knows me can attest to how on my best day ten years ago, I might have been able to hang with the top of Group 1 (amateurs). Instead, ISAF doesn't recognize me as a professional sailor for my sailing skills, but because I introduce and promote novices into the world of yacht racing. For example, I have a business executive who has always wanted to go sailboat racing and has never stepped on a race boat. I find the right boat, yacht club and recruit some local sailors, etc. At this point if I wanted to remain Group 1, I would have to push my customer off the dock and say good luck. I trust we all understand that the novice keelboat racers need further support to keep their interest up. My advanced skilled customers do not need the same attention as the novice sailor. They have a skipper and an established crew and have raced the local circuit for years. In an effort to encourage ISAF to base their Classification more on skill rather than job description, let me present one more example. Let's say that same business executive wants to compete in a Fishing Tournament, and if we use the same classification system, overnight I have become a professional sports fisherman. Wow, and I have no intention of ever cleaning a fish. Under this system I am penalized, discouraged to participate in and promote the sport I love. At the age of 51, I really do not see myself being invited onboard any TP 52's anytime soon? I just want to go sailboat racing with my friends. CONGRATULATIONS US OPTIMIST TEAM RACE WINNERS North Sails would like to congratulate the Lauderdale Yacht Club Opti Team - representing the USA - for winning this past weekend's Venice Optimist Europe Cup! Wade Waddell, who also won the U.S. Optimist Team Trials a week ago, raced with North's CZero5 crosscut sail while teammates Alie Toppa raced with a North DZero6 crosscut sail and Liza Toppa opted for the North P-5 radial sail. Mack Fox and Sophia Reineke rounded out the five-person team to beat the Italian National Team in the finals. The CZero5, DZero6 and P-5 sails are the cornerstone of the North Optimist sail family of designs and are the product of a year-long testing session headed by North One Design expert Garth Reynolds. When performance counts, the choice is clear: http://www.onedesign.com/class/optimist/optimist.html KISS OF DEATH? (May 17, 2011) - The Royal Swedish Yacht Club (Kungliga Svenska Segel Sallskapet, KSSS), represented by Artemis Racing, has become the Challenger of Record (COR) for the 34th America's Cup. This follows the announcement last week that the Italian Mascalzone Latino team had withdrawn, which had entered under the Club Nautico di Roma (CNR) burgee. CNR had been selected by the Golden Gate Yacht Club to be the Challenger of Record, but CNR announced today that they were also declining the COR role. The traditional role of the COR is for the first entered challenge to work with the Defender in establishing the rules for the next event. As the Deed of Gift for the America's Cup states, "The Club challenging for the Cup and the Club holding the same may by mutual consent make any arrangement satisfactory to both as to the dates, courses, number of trials, rules and sailing regulations, and any and all other conditions of the match,...." For the 1970 America's Cup, interest in challenging was so high that the New York Yacht Club allowed the Challenger of Record (the original yacht club presenting the challenge accepted for the match) to organize a regatta among multiple challengers with the winner being substituted as challenger and going on to the actual America's Cup match. This innovation has been used ever since, except for the default Deed of Gift matches in 1988 and 2010. But what the COR has never been able to do is win the America's Cup. Did Artemis Racing, seen as one of the strongest challengers, just accept the 'kiss of death'? KSSS announcement: http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-051711 TRANSPORTATION: Known as the "People Plan", Peter Albert has been tasked with the job of figuring out how to move people around the San Francisco city during the next few years of America's Cup events. In his position with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Urban Planning Initiatives), he seeks to not only provide solutions for the event but also provide a legacy effect that will continue to benefit the City long after the Cup. Scuttlebutt colleague Michelle Slade, who published her conversation with Peter, notes that the "one thing that continues to impress me is the integrity and smarts behind those whom the City has put in place to make AC34 happen. Peter Albert is no exception." Read on: http://tinyurl.com/SailBlast-051711 TWO HORSE RODEO AT THE MELGES 24 WORLDS Corpus Christi, TX (May 17, 2011) - After light winds yesterday opened the racing for the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship, the second day saw crystal clear skies and a building breeze of 15 up to around 19 knots to set the tempo. And if these conditions continue, the rest of the fleet might be watching a two horse rodeo between the Americans and Italians. Reveling in the windier conditions, Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle and Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing spent both of today's races engaged in their own private battle at the front of the fleet. Bressani led the first race of the day from start to finish, with Porter chasing hard throughout in second. But it was the second race that was less decided. While Porter led at the windward mark ahead, Bressani needed some passing lanes on the first run to round the leeward mark just behind Porter. Holding positions on the second beat, it was all on for the final run to the finish. Bressani had reduced Porter's lead to just a few lengths, and the Italian appeared to be gaining with every gust. In the last few feet to the finish, Porter was coming in at pace from the right, and rolled into a gybe in front Bressani coming in from the left. With Bressani at full speed on layline to the finish, Porter was just able to complete his gybe in time enough to surf home, with only a few feet to spare. Holding an 11 point lead, reigning World Champion Uka Uka Racing tactician Jonathan McKee likes their chances. "We are obviously very happy with the way things went today," said McKee. "We managed to get off the line quickly and we felt we had good boatspeed in those conditions. The wind was pretty steady and there wasn't a consistent side of the racecourse which seemed to pay. It was more about finding the best pressure downwind and avoiding the bad sets of waves upwind." With the normal weather system in Corpus Christi now appearing to have re-established itself, local opinion suggests that Wednesday may bring windier conditions still. Racing continues through until Saturday May 21, with two races per day scheduled. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/M24-Worlds-051711 Day 2 Standings - Top ten of 32 1. Lorenzo Bressani (ITA), UkaUka Racing, 6-2-1-2, 11 2. Kristen Lane (USA), Brickhouse 812, 8-1-10-3, 22 3. Flavio Favini (SUI), Blu Moon, 3-6-8-5, 22 4. Andrea Racchelli (ITA), ALTEA, 4 -7-7-4, 22 5. Conor Clarke (IRL), Embarr, 2-5-5-11, 23 6. Alec Cutler (BER), hedgehog, 9-8-3-7, 27 7. Brian Porter (USA), Full Throttle, 16-9-2-1, 28 8. Alan Field (USA), WTF, 1-11-11-8, 31 9. Riccardo Simoneschi (ITA), AUDI, 7-12-4-9, 32 10. Eiichiro Hamazaki (JPN), Esprit, 11-4-9-15, 39 Full results: http://tinyurl.com/M24-Worlds-2011-Results LIVE UPDATES: Here are two sources that will keep you close to the action... http://www.melgesworlds.com/index.php/the-event/event-news/ http://www.sailingupdates.com/view/42/ WHEN THE CHOP IS STEEP As teams prepared at the venue for the 2011 Melges 24 Worlds, it was quickly apparent that the shallow race course kicked up a steep chop whenever the wind blew hard... which was often. Commenting on what this means are two of the event's top tacticians, Richard Clarke (Alec Cutler, Hedgehog) and Steve Hunt (Alan Field, WTF): Richard Clarke (CAN): The waves build into some of the steepest and nastiest I've seen. They come in sets of four and can drop a Melges 24 boat speed to under 5kts. The frustrating thing is that a boat two boat lengths away can miss the set completely and can gain up to a boat length. It can affect your boat speed so dramatically that tactically it's better to start on the up wave end of the line so you spend less time on the wavy tack. Hiking hard on a 24 is physical; we sail with four so there is added emphasis to push it. When my 205 pounds comes off the rail to adjust the jib sheet, our boat speed suffers. I wish that I had eyes on the top of my head as it's hard to see the pressure and shifts while folded in half. I have no issues with the boat being physical, it's a sport after all and we can all compare bruises at the end of the day. Steve Hunt (USA): With the chop being so steep it is easy to plow into a wave as you blast downwind doing between 15-20 knots (top speed for us 20.2 so far with 18.9 sustained for 10 seconds), and rather than plow into the waves you want to head up to avoid submarining. The issue when you head up in a big puff is that you get overpowered and wipe out so therein lies the challenge. Plow into the wave, or head up and hope you don't wipe out. Some teams are experimenting with flatter and twistier kites to allow them to head up without wiping out. The driver has to make many quick decisions to keep the boat going fast. Hiking in big chop is not the most fun thing to do. When the bow slams into a wave your hips rub fore and aft on the life line and after a few days it gets painful. Usually hiking in the Melges 24 is tough, here it is tougher. Hiking pads are a must. I think you need a strong kite trimmer and your team should be max weight, but beyond that you can finesse your way through. I remember getting beaten badly in big breeze and chop in the 470 by scrawny skippers who looked like they had not eaten or lifted a weight in years. So steering technique and proper sail trim are the most important thing. ICSA/APS TEAM RACE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP It's that time of year again - a battle for the Glory! Top college team racers are headed the way of the beautiful Pacific Northwest on May 27. The promising wind of the Columbia River Gorge at Cascade Locks, OR along with some heavy competition make this year's Team Race Championships top notch. Who will be the fastest in the breeze? We'll soon find out. As the "World Leader in Outfitting Performance Sailors," we outfit the best of the best. That is why APS is proud to be the title sponsor of the ICSA Team Race Nationals. Good luck, Sailors! -- http://bit.ly/apsheartsicsa PREPARING FOR THE GORGE: POST-SEASON TRAINING AT TUFTS By Max Bulger, Tufts '13 (May 17, 2011) - With college sailing's spring championships at the Gorge a little over a week away, every qualifying team is well into their post-season training. Classes have ended, final exams are over, textbooks have been thrown from third-story windows and everyone's minds are on Cascade Locks, OR. Sailing in the Gorge is far removed from conditions us Jumbos usually see on Mystic Lake. And, if you've sailed our boats in the last year, you know Larks with square-head mains and tapered carbon rigs are NOT like the CFJs that will be used in Oregon (they're way more fun). So, until Nationals are in Larks, the Tufts team is displaced every year for post-season sailing, looking to the generosity of our New England region to find alternate venues and equipment. This year, as in many years past, we owe Brad Churchill and the rest of the Boston University sailing team a huge amount for letting us borrow their boats. We showed up at the BU boathouse on a 50 degree, drizzly morning yesterday (Monday), and removed the masts from eight of their boats. With the rigs and sails in Brad's coach boat, we set off in tow down the Charles River. A handful of bridges and confused spectators later, we were in the locks. If you've never been sealed into the Charles River locks in a dismasted FJ on a towline before, you should try it. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=11857#11857 CALENDAR: Here are the dates for the three National Championships that will be sailed on the Gorge... Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women's National Championship, May 23-26 ICSA APS Team Race National Championship, May 27-29 ICSA Gill Co-ed National Championship, May 30-June 1 Full details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=11856 SAILING SHORTS * Corona del Mar, CA (May 15, 2011) - Eight teams came to the second annual Youth Match Race Clinic & Regatta, hosted by Balboa Yacht Club. The event was won by San Diego Yacht Club, with the team of Nevin Snow, Jake LaDow and Jake Reynolds going undefeated. By virtue of winning, they will advance to compete in their third Governor's Cup Challenge in July. The Nick Scandone Sportsmanship/Leadership Memorial Trophy was presented by Nick's wife, Mary Kate Scandone, to the Annapolis Yacht Club team, as the racers that most epitomizes Nick's memory. In 2010, they were also honored with the prestigious award. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=11861 * Charleston, SC (May 17, 2011; Day 4) - Overall leader Brad Van Liew (USA), who has won all four legs of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, need only finish the final 3,600-mile fifth leg from Charleston, USA, to La Rochelle, France to claim top honors. However, Van Liew does not appear to be throttling back, and has now opened a 27 nm lead on Chris Stanmore-Major (GBR) with 2670 nm to the finish. -- http://www.velux5oceans.com/ * The International 420 Class Association has announced the launch of a free online Training Video to provide coaching and training tips for both the beginner and experienced 420 sailors. This is the first specific training video produced by the International 420 Class Association and introduces a range of specific techniques, and demonstrates how to master them in different wind and sea conditions and what to consider when undertaking a range of manoeuvres. The video was developed by the class in partnership with Nick Drougas and Icarus: http://www.prosailingcoach.com/?page_id=45 EIGHT BELLS Dick Jennings, one of my oldest and dearest sailing friends, died this morning, May 17, 2011 at 10:30am. He passed peacefully, on his own terms, and surrounded by people who loved him dearly. I met Dick when we were racing in the 1968 Chicago's Yachting One-of-a-Kind Regatta. I worked for North Sails, and Dick had a Soveral 24. I made some sails, he won some races, and our life-long friendship began. Dick's first one tonner Pied Piper, an aluminum Housemann, dominated the Mac races in his class. He partnered his next Pied Piper Peterson one tonner with Lowell North to win the One Ton World Championship. Dick competed in 35 years of Mac Races. Next came the Peterson two tonners from New Orleans, winning the SORC and Great Lakes Races. A meeting with Bill Lee led to the building of the Santa Cruz 70 Pied Piper in 1986 and the start of the GL70 Class. He won many Mac races and in 1987 he broke the 78-year old record. With his SC 70 Blondie, he won numerous races in the Caribbean circuit. What a ride we had and the best thing of all was his crews and the way he was able to find, train and befriend some of the most wonderful guys and girls to be great crews, some working on his boats, some in his business and some like me just being part of the ride. Thanks, Dick. -- John Rumsey NOTE: A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held in Chicago, date to be determined. LASERPERFORMANCE'S SUPERCHARGED CLUB 420 IS COMING! For over 37 years LaserPerformance has refined and optimized the Club 420 to be the best out there. Based on feedback from many of the top youth sailors and coaches, LaserPerformance has developed a new high end package with the very best lines and features available. Look for details about the new model coming out this spring. -- http://www.laserperformance.com 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 Bill Mais: In response to CLASSIFYING SAILMAKERS in Scuttlebutt 3342, where it said that a sailmaker that makes a sail for himself for his own boat is a Group 3, why pick on the sailmaker? What about someone who studied meteorology? What about a surfer? What about someone who just sails a lot? And don't forget the chess player with that whole strategy thing. From guessing the next wind shift, to the four move checkmate, each of them brings knowledge and skill that is utilized to improve the performance of the boat. Shouldn't they all be Group 3? Oh, and please don't leave out the rich owner - talk about an unfair advantage. The other loophole I don't understand is time. You are considered a professional on your first day of sailmaking. But two years after an entire career of sailmaking you can be reclassified to being an amateur? Fletcher is right (in SBUTT 3342) - if you get paid to sail you are a professional. 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 ads: * Beneteau 40.7 for sale * Sonars wanted * Hiring a Saturday Sunfish Sailing Instructor/Program Director * New Simrad Autopilot TR22 / HR22 Remote Control for Sale View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads FREE PUBLICITY The Marine Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum was created so companies could get guaranteed exposure by posting their own personnel, product and service updates online. In addition to website traffic, Scuttlebutt editors randomly select updates each week to include in the Thursday edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter. Here is the link to post Industry News updates: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/industry_news CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION People will buy anything that is one-to-a-customer. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Quantum Sails - Kaenon Polarized - West Marine - Atlantis WeatherGear Interlux - North Sails - APS - LaserPerformance - Ullman Sails US SAILING - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - Gowrie Group Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
