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SCUTTLEBUTT 1988 -- December 15, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.THE SHORT LIST US Sailing has announced the U.S. sailors who have been short listed for its 2005 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize outstanding on-the-water achievement in the calendar year just concluded. Widely regarded as the sport's ultimate recognition for U.S. sailors, these awards have honored such sailing standouts as Betsy Alison, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, Courtenay Dey, JJ Isler, John Kostecki, Jody Swanson and Ted Turner, all of whom have won the coveted award multiple times. Nominees for US Sailing's 2005 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year are: Kiel Week 470 Men's Champion Mikee Anderson-Mitterling (Coronado, Calif.); Laser North American Champion and World University Games Gold Medalist Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.); Snipe World Champion Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.); Kiel Week 470 Men's Champion David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.); J/24 and Thistle National Champion Mike Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.); Etchells World Champion Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.); A-Class Catamaran World and North American Champion Pete Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif.); 2.4 Metre World Champion Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, Calif.); and Star North American and Snipe National Champion George Szabo (San Diego, Calif.). Nominees for US Sailing's 2005 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year are: Yngling Women's World Champion and winner of the Women's Match Racing World Championship, Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.); Laser Radial World Champion and winner of the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); and Laser Radial World Bronze Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.). -- Marlieke Eaton For additional information on the accomplishments of each nominee this year, please visit www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex RESHAPING THE OLYMPIC REGATTA -- Stuart Streuli With two and a half years to prepare for Qingdao, there are plenty of things ISAF can push for to improve public access to the sport. And I mean push! Some or all of these ideas-none of which are rocket science-may already be on ISAF's agenda, and the organizers at Qingdao may be saying all the right things about how they're going to encourage spectators and media. But ISAF has to be vigilant: the Athens organizers reportedly had plans to increase the public access to the regatta, but scrapped them at the eleventh hour. 1. Get more spectator boats: This is obvious. There should at least be one good-sized boat for every circle and they should receive the live feed from the TV cameras to enhance what spectators can see with their own eyes. 2. Allow public access to the venue: It would've been quite easy to provide spectator access to the sailing venue in Athens, even if just to allow fans to watch the sailors getting ready and sailing out to the course and then coming back in. 3. Bring a course close to shore: Make it possible to see the sailing without getting on a boat. 4. Cover the best action: Whoever produces the television feed must be flexible enough to change the schedule to pick up the best races. The final 470 race in Athens, which had the great pre-start duel between Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham of the United States and Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield of Great Britain, should've been the featured race of the day. It wasn't. - Excerpts from a story by Stuart Streuli, Sailing World magazine website, there is a lot more to this story: http://www.sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=40442&typeID=401&catID=594 MAFIA LINK TO AMERICA'S CUP INVESTIGATED Trapani, Sicily, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Members of the Sicilian Mafia may have been awarded contracts for construction projects for America's Cup qualifying races. Sicilian magistrates are investigating the claims after the alleged head of the Cosa Nostra in Trapani, Sicily, was arrested on extortion charges, the Independent reports. Five local businesspeople were arrested as well. Investigators are looking into the firing of an avid anti-Mafia bureaucrat from Trapani by Interior Ministry Undersecretary Antonio D'Ali. D'Ali is accused by opponents of having close ties with the Mafia. The qualifying race was held in Trapani Sept. 28 through Oct. 9. The construction in question revolves around the revamping of an historic port in the city. - UPI, http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051214-011412-7276r #1 STOCKING STUFFER IDEA! Are you trapped with the holiday blues? Unable to settle on a stocking stuffer for that special sailor? Let Ullman Sails help with special stocking stuffers that will give your favorite sailor twelve months of holiday cheer. Whether cruising, racing, one-design or day sailing, Ullman Sails has the strongest, lightest, and most durable sails this side of the North Pole. If your favorite sailor is ready for the "Fastest Sails on the Planet," contact your local Ullman Sails loft or visit http://www.ullmansails.com - Happy Holidays! "ITALIAN" TEAMS LEAD Key Largo, Fla., Dec. 14, 2006 A mostly professional crew of international sailors led by Australian America's Cup skipper James Spithill has claimed the number one position with two days of competition remaining at the 2005 Corum Melges 24 World Championship at Ocean Reef Club. Conditions inside the reef off the northern end of Key Largo were ideal with a sunny sky, and slight chop stirred by a brisk ten-knot easterly breeze. James Spithill, who now steers the Italian America's Cup contender Luna Rossa for Genoa's Yacht Club d'Italiano, moved into the lead of the the 99-boat fleet with finishes of 8-1 on Wednesday. Spithill is sailing with American brothers Jonathan and Charlie McKee, from Seattle, Washington. Both McKees are double Olympic sailing medalists. A fourth crew member is Manuel Modena, a 49er sailor from Italy's Lake Garda. All four sailors are part of the Italian challenge and not surprisingly they have named their chartered boat Luna Rossa. The "secret weapon" aboard Luna Rossa is their fifth man 11-year-old Mac Agnese, an Optimist sailor from Ft. Lauderdale, drafted because he is a light, nimble and knowledgeable sailor who brings their crew weight up to the maximum allowed 750 pounds. The crew first sailed together in Key West last winter when they took a second place in the Melges 24 Class. "Mac's a great little kid," said Spithill, who is only 14 years older than his youngest crew man. "He trims the traveler that controls the position of the mainsail and is an extra hand to speed up all of our maneuvers. He's just as committed and as involved as the rest of us. I think we're learning more from him than he's learning from us." The second place boat, Marrachech Express, steered by professional sailor Gabriele Benussi and crewed by a group of amateur sailors from Trieste, continued its strong performance today but dropped to second place after Spithill, who took two first-to-finish guns yesterday, ran away from the fleet for a comfortable victory in the last race today.Benussi has won a total of nine Italian Championships, two European Championships and three Worlds. He was third in the J/24 Worlds in 2003 and has featured prominently in a number of ocean racing campaigns in IMS boats. - Keith Taylor Results after eight races (with one dropped race" 1. James Spithill, Luna Rossa, Italy, 35 points; 2. Gabriele Benussi, Marrachech Express, Italy, 36; 3. David Ullman, Pegasus 505, Newport Beach, Calif., 61; 4. Morgan Reeser, Mfatic, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 63; 5. Brian Porter, Full Throttle, Winnetka, Ill., 63; 6. Shark Kahn, Pegasus 492, San Francisco, Calif., 76; 7. Gabrio Zandona, Joe Fly, , Italy, 80; 8. François Brenac, Partner & Partners, France, 98; 9. Nicola Celon, Ale Ali, Italy, 102. 10. John Bertrand, Fusion M, Annapolis, Maryland, 113. New photos posted: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/05/m24worlds/index4.asp Event website: http://www.2005corumm24worlds.com LASER RADIAL YOUTH WORLDS On Wednesday, after six races, the worst performance of each athlete was discarded. Thursday, after eight races, the qualifying phase will be ended. The final phase begins Friday, when the 103 sailors will be divided in two fleets. Standings: 1 Blair McLay (NZL) 5pts; 2. Frederico Melo, (POR) 7pts; 3. Ivan Taritas (CRO) 14pts; 4. 1Antonios Tzortzis, (GRE) 16pts; 5. Jorge Jover Garcia (ESP) 18pts; 6. Daniel Jakobsson, (BRA) 18 pts:7. James Burman, (AUS) 21pts; 8. Pierre Angelo Collura, (FIN) 22pts; 9. Igor Lisovenko, (RUS) 26pts; 10. Kyle Rogachenko, (USA) 27pts; 11. Blake Warner (USA) 29pts. -- http://www.2005laserworlds.com.br/results_youth.html LINE HONOURS Sydney skipper Sean Langman has announced that he will race the 90 foot maxi AAPT in the Rolex Sydney Hobart this year, withdrawing his much loved Open 66, also named AAPT, the boat he has campaigned so successfully over the past nine years. The big AAPT is the line honours winning yacht of the 2004 Rolex Sydney Hobart, racing then under the name Nicorette. I'm not interested at all in handicap," Langman declared at a press conference at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Media Centre this morning. I just want to get there first. There is a Line Honours Division and a Handicap Division in Rolex Sydney Hobart and the press and the public are mostly interested in who gets Line Honours. Langman concedes that the two brand new canting keel 98 footers, Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI, and New Zealand's more conventional giant Konica Minolta are the main obstacles to his line honours bid, but he also knows that last year the pundits gave Nicorette no chance against the 98 footers either. She won because she survived while the bigger boats cracked. He is reinforcing AAPT's bow frames so that he can press the boat hard, but is also mindful of a lesson he learned last year. "The crew broke before the boat," he said. "We were just so exhausted we had to heave to and get some rest. "As it turned out the other boats kept pushing themselves and, while we were out of it, they cracked and we ended up second across the line." Langman will be hoping that the enormous pressure Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI put on each other will lead to mistakes. At the same press conference Mark Richards, skipper of Wild Oats XI, agreed that, ironically, knowing when to back off might be the key to victory this year. "Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI are virtually identical, so it will all come down to crew work and who manages their boat best - whoever slows down when necessary without breaking any gear. I am a speed freak but we will be getting sail off early, reefing at 20 knots Instead of 25. "These boats are very easily driven, so in 35 knots of wind even with three reefs we will still go fast. "In the right conditions we can maintain 40 knots. You are going to see some ridiculous speeds this time. The challenge with these big maxis is slowing them down." -- www.rolexsydneyhobart.com NEWS BRIEFS * World Publications announced the promotion of Dave Reed from Managing Editor to Editor of Sailing World magazine. John Burnham, Sailing World's previous Editor who has been named Editorial Director. Burnham's promotion to editorial director coincides with last week's announcement of Burnham becoming the editor of Cruising World. He now is responsible for the editorial vision of both titles. For the past five years, Reed served as Managing Editor of Sailing World. He first joined the crew of the magazine and its sister title, Cruising World, in 1993 during an internship. * A spectacular structural failure isn't deterring the team from Macquarie Innovation pursuing its dream of smashing the elusive 50-knot mark and sailing's world speed record. The team's latest bid ended prematurely when the aerofoil rig of its asymmetrical trimaran disintegrated during a fast-paced run at Sandy Point, near Wilsons Promontory, in Victoria. Sailors Tim Daddo and Simon McKeon, along with designer Lindsay Cunningham, will be back at Sandy Point in March in another bid to beat the world record of 48.70 knots achieved by Irish-born sailboarder Finian Maynard. - Sail World website, complete story: http://www.sail-world.com/news.cfm?Nid=20517&RequestTimeOut=180&hasFlash=1 * Barbara Kendall (NZL) has her sights on further Olympic success at Beijing 2008. The three-time windsurfing Olympic medallist announced her intention today to campaign for the 2008 Olympic Games. At 38 years of age and a veteran of four Olympic Sailing regattas Kendall knows what it takes to reach the podium and is realistic about what it will take to be back there less than three years from now. With Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals in her possession she is already New Zealand's most successful female Olympian and is keen to add to the tally. -- http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j62Fh0ACC * It is very easy when talking about the Volvo Ocean Race to mention how much the boats cost and how expensive a campaign might be but what is not mentioned quite so often is the official race charity and how the race tries to give a little something back. Today was one of the days it took centre stage as a group of 30 sailors and support staff from the race visited the Philani Nutrition Project in Cape Town which is supported by the official charity of the race, World Childhood Foundation. - www.volvooceanrace.org * Nick Moloney onboard Skandia arrived at the French port of Les Sables d'Olonne on Wednesday to complete his solo tour of the globe: Nick left the shores of Brazil on the 25th November this year, exactly 10 months to the day from when he lost his keel 120 miles south of Rio de Janeiro ending his Vendée Globe race after 80 days at sea. This 4,300 mile journey from Brazil to the Vendée Globe finish port effectively completes his first solo circumnavigation that began over a year ago at the start of the solo non-stop round the world race. www.nickmoloney.com/skandia.asp?artid=2200 * The Volvo Ocean Race Mobile Channel will celebrate its 100,000th download today to demonstrate the growing importance of the mobile telephone as an entertainment and communications tool. The Channel, which has been launched by race sponsor Ericsson, has proved enormously popular as phone users from every corner of the planet tune into audio and video highlights of the race using their WAP-enabled phones to keep them updated about the latest developments. -- http://www.volvooceanrace.com/ HARKEN HELPS DELIVER A VOLVO ONE, TWO PUNCH "The whole boat is shuddering and shaking as we crash through one wave to the next. All the winches and blocks are screaming and cracking like cannon fire under the load," said Simon "Si Fi" Fisher, the British navigator on ABN AMRO Two." The Harken-equipped powerhouses ABN AMRO One and ABN AMRO Two double-dutched the brutal first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race to deliver a winning one, two punch, with both boats breaking the world 24-hour distance record. Their Harken gear never let them down, helping them take the top two spots on the podium. http://www.harken.com/sailing/volvooceanrace.php LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From Olin Stephens: Having been responsible for "Finnisterre's" design I can agree with most of Adrian Morgan's comments about her Bermuda race record. As the CCA rule of 1956 was highly dependent on "ballast ratio" and as neither the heavy bronze mast step cum centerboard structure or the domestic appliances were considered "ballast", her '56 rating was so low that she almost had to win. This anomaly in the rule was promptly corrected by using inclining to check stability, and it was "Finisterre's" crew and handling that won twice again. I can not agree with Adrian that none of her many near sisters was similarly competitive as several of them, including Collie Ratsey's " Golliwogg" registered many wins. * From John Rousmaniere: Adrian Morgan asks about the whereabouts of Finisterre and offers a theory about her success. First, she found a good owner who keeps her in Venice, Italy, where Carleton Mitchell celebrated a recent birthday in her cockpit. Second, can any boat win so consistently for so long, and under a broad range of conditions and ratings, simply because she was well built? * From Bruce Johnson, Chief Designer, Sparkman & Stephens, Inc.: In response to Adrian Morgans' inquiry as to the whereabouts of Finisterre: She is registered with the Sparkman & Stephens Association as having an Italian owner, and sailing in and about the Adriatic Sea. He might be interested to note that currently there is an exact replica under construction in Brazil, being built to the original plans and specifications. * From Robie Pierce: I take nothing away from Adrian Morgans notes, but as one who competed against this legendary yacht and skipper, I have to say Finisterre was also very superbly prepared for racing. Her crew, sails, hull were the very best. I was a very young 19 year and I remember so well when Bermuda radio declared us , Swamp Yankee, a red 1958 Block Island 40 CB, the apparent class and overall 1960 race winner. We had to give Finisterre 1 hr 12 min. This was Swamp Yankee's first ocean race. Our hearts fell into St. Georges harbor when Carlton and his boys pulled in behind us 1 hr later to win her third consecutive (6 year reign) Bermuda Race. A fete which never will be equaled again. 12 min. was a lifetime! In 1960 the top 3 corrected finishers, 1st (Fin), 2nd (Pearson Invicta, E.Pearson skipper) , 3rd (Swamp Yankee) were all under 40' LOA. Wherever you are Finisterre, I hope you have a nice home & caring owner. Good historical read go to; http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_034200_finisterre.htm * From Mike Kennedy: 50 Years ago in Newport Beach, CA there was a sailing instructor named Patrick Royce. He had written a little book, titled "Royce's Sailing Illustrated" that every novice sailor had a copy of. It was a great little book, paperback size but of better quality paper, and could be found, I suspect, on every sailboat under 50 feet in southern California. Amazingly, it's still for sale. Royce loved Finisterre and had lovingly diagrammed every detail of her in the book. We all heard the story of how she was one of the "rule-beaters" but we also read the stories of Mitchell cruising her after winning Bermuda races. * From Alex Stout: Mike Dale asked, "...but how much national pride can be derived from winning a contest that has become little more than a battle of corporate logos, wallets and hired guns?" Ever heard of Lance Armstrong? Any pride? He is the billboard, he makes millions, and races on a team made up of members from many countries (even when he was with US Postal).The sports changed, get over it. * From John Harwood-Bee: Whilst not wishing to participate in the Challenge Business event, I should be grateful if they would act as banker for me in my international transactions. At the exchange rates suggested by yesterday's article I should like them to convert £1million sterling for me ASAP. At those rates it sounds as if they have been taking lessons from the bible (loaves and fishes?). * From Nick Roosevelt: You probably have gotten a ton of responses with this, but 4,750 British pounds = 8,407.5 U.S. dollars, not the "approx $26,110.49", and 8,700 British pounds = 15,399 U.S. dollars, not the "approx $33,102.09", as stated in your piece on Challenge Transat. Curmudgeon's Comment: Nick's right --we have gotten a lot of responses. Our apologies to Challenge Business for dramatically overstating the cost of a berth on their North Atlantic yacht race - Challenge Transat. It looks like a bargain now. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION One sign that you've (finally) grown up is if you keep more food than beer in the refrigerator. Special thanks to Ullman Sails and Harken Yacht Equipment. |
