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SCUTTLEBUTT 3552 - Wednesday, March 21, 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: North Sails and APS. (SHOULD BE) MOST POPULAR REGATTA IN THE WORLD Racing in Mexico is a well kept secret. Think Caribbean, but to the west. Warm temps, cold beverages, epic hospitality. Last week was MEXORC on March 11-17. Following the 1000nm San Diego to Puerto Vallarta race, MEXORC hosted keelboats from the United States and Mexico, using ORR for five days of racing on the beautiful waters of Banderas Bay in Puerto Vallarta. The sailors have now returned home with their stories. Scuttlebutt has gathered the daily reports from Ullman Sails... below is an excerpt: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Skipper-owner Wayne Zittel from JWorld Hula Girl said it perfectly, "Seriously. I don't get it. For the life of me, I can't fathom why this isn't the most popular regatta in the world. I absolutely love MEXORC!" Every sailor who was at this year's regatta will say the same statement, it was an amazing week of racing with races being decided by only seconds after hours of racing, and it was very competitive, fun and exciting. To start the week off, I think the first amazing story is Manouch Moshayedi's TP-52 RIO only missed race #1 and was on the water racing on day#2. This is amazing because only days earlier, RIO had completely sheared their bulb from the bottom of their keel after hitting shallow water on final approach to finish the SD-PV race. The bulb was under water and no longer with the boat! Team RIO worked several days with local help to recover the bulb and amazingly bolt it back on the boat and with confidence made it to the race course to start racing on the windiest day of the regatta and won a race! Truly a great job to Manouch and Team RIO! Each class throughout the week had amazingly tight races with several boats only being separated by seconds to determine who beat who. There was no chance for a bad start and recover; there was no chance for bad tactics or sail and boat handling expecting to keep a front spot. The time on time scoring from US Sailing really works! For example, the last couple of years in the Las Caleta's race that is a pursuit start with the order of finishing determine your result; the first 5 boats have all been from different classes! This means the time on time scoring is not favoring large or small boats, the guys at US Sailing, Jim Teeters and Dan Nowlan work real hard to have the handicapping give each boat their maximum potential. Nice going guys! At the mid week point, I know all the crews were ready for the lay day and relax. In such a beautiful area of Mexico, it is nice to slow down and take a deep breath taking in the scenery, the local culture and a beer of course! I think I can speak for all the racers that they felt and were 100% safe here in Mexico. There were absolutely no problems that you have read or heard about in the news. Many sailors went fishing and caught yellow fin tuna while others spent some time at the pools at the Marival Resort and Residence. Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/12/mexorc/ ONION PATCH The classic 635-mile Newport Bermuda Race, with its exciting Gulf Stream crossing, is referred to as the 'Thrash to the Onion Patch'. But have you ever wondered about the history behind the 'Onion Patch' name? When asked on Facebook, here were some of the replies: Paul Brown... We all know that the term comes from the Race to the home of the Bermuda Onions; but maybe the question is actually who first said it? Paul Warren... Name comes from Bermuda's "native" crop, Bermuda Onion, grown here and exported to the world. Glenn Uhler... The so-called Bermuda onion is a moist onion that grows in warm climates like Florida and Bermuda. Don't know for sure, but there could have been an onion patch behind the yacht club, or an onion placed on top of the trophy. Harry Powell... Bermuda grows the best onions in the world, big export crop years ago (1800s-early 1900s) prompting the nickname for Bermuda, the "Onion Patch." Bermudians are known to some as "Onions." This all predates the first Bermuda race, in fact big onion crops were in their twilight before the first race but the nickname stuck and race has long been known as the race to the "Onion Patch." Colin McGowan... Well after the British brought onions from England to Bermuda, the people of Bermuda started being called Onions, and their island home, The Onion Patch. Perfect name for a series of races to and in beautiful Bermuda. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt 750 N.A. NORTH SAILS VICTORIES IN 2011 & COUNTING... If you are a North Sails customer who finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd at any regatta in North America during 2011, we want to congratulate you by sending you a free North Sails hat! We have collected over 750 names so far and the list continues to grow...! This offer ends on April 1, 2012 so please visit our Web site to find your name (or request we add it) and RSVP for your free North Hat. When performance (and results) count, the choice is clear: http://na.northsails.com AN OLYMPIC SKIFF FOR WOMEN: SIX CONTENDERS Following the ISAF trials event in Santander, Gael Pawson provides a quick look at the six contenders for the Women's Olympic Skiff spot. The sport is crying out for a women's Olympic skiff. I have had so many conversations with young female sailors over the last few years, especially after the Europe was dropped in favor of the Laser Radial. Quite simply none of the women's boats are particularly fun to sail. The men on the other hand have had the 49er and they still have the Finn. While we can understand the reasoning of moving the women's singlehander to the Radial, it is a boat designed for the full rig and it is way, way less enjoyable to sail than the Europe. Finally it seems ISAF are set to decide on a women's skiff class for 2016 - mind you we have been here before, and many of the manufacturers put in a lot of time and effort into the last women's skiff trials in 2007, before the possibility of the event for 2012 was dropped in favor of Women's Match Racing. But this time it looks like the move will happen. A women's skiff class would bring a sense of logic to the line-up for 2016 - with men's and women's singlehanders (Laser/Radial), doublehanders (470), skiffs (49er/TBD), wind or kitesurfing (TBD), and a mixed class (the multihull) - with just the Finn remaining as a bit of an anomaly as an extra men's singlehander. The trials for both the women's skiff and the mixed multihull kick off on March 17 in Santander. so which boats are in contention for the skiff slot? Read more on Boats.com: http://tinyurl.com/Boats-032012 A TIMELY TIME OUT (March 20, 2012; Day 3) - In a complete turnaround from the atrocious conditions the six-boat Volvo Ocean Race fleet has been forced to endure since the start of Leg 5 last Sunday, the famous Roaring Forties have been reduced to a 'simpering' six knots as the leading five boats pick their way carefully across a ridge of high-pressure. It's likely to be only a brief reprieve of 18 hours, but it is a timely time out. "I can't believe I actually told people on the dock I was excited for this," said Puma's media crew Amory Ross. "Naivety, in a nutshell. Sleep has been elusive, eating has been undesirable, and most everything is already wet. We've been in windier, we've been in wetter, and we've been in rougher, but it's the combination of it all that makes doing anything effectively hopeless." The calming conditions will allow the M.A.S.H. unit onboard Puma to assist two crew injuries that almost resulted in detouring 500 nm to the Chatham Islands for an emergency evacuation. Helmsman Thomas Johanson dislocated his shoulder after being washed across the boat's cockpit by a wave and bowman Casey Smith was confined to his bunk by a reoccurrence of a pre-existing back injury during a routine sail change. Happily, after taking medical advice from race and team doctors back ashore, Puma onboard medic Jono Swain successfully re-located Johanson's shoulder. "Jono just slowly popped his shoulder back in place and all of a sudden you saw his eyes open up," skipper Ken Read said. "It was instantaneous relief. He was back on deck today having a drive, so he's recuperating quite quickly." However, Read said Smith's back injury was a trickier scenario which they were treating with pain medication and could still require him to be taken off the boat at Cape Horn. "He's a tough guy, he's a team guy, so essentially we said let's at least get to Cape Horn and if there's no improvement by then, we'll figure out a way to get rid of him. But up until then there's not a whole lot of options. Right now he's still in pain,'' Read said. -- Event media Leg 5 - Auckland, NZL to Itajai, Brazil (6,705 nm) Standings as of Tuesday, 20 March 2012, 22:05:03 UTC 1. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 6040.9 nm Distance to Finish 2. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 1.1 nm Distance to Lead 3. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 1.5 nm DTL 4. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 11.6 nm DTL 5. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 16.0 nm DTL 6. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 364.5 DTL Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com SAILING SHORTS * The 2012 edition of the International Rolex Regatta will prove to be the most diverse ever, with entries from the USA, Russia, Sweden, The Netherlands, Monaco and beyond. The three-day event, scheduled for March 23-25, is hosted by St. Thomas Yacht Club. The International Rolex Regatta is one of only two in a line-up of several springtime Caribbean regattas to host dedicated racing under the internationally recognized IRC handicap system. Currently, the St Thomas Yacht Club anticipate dividing the fleet into two IRC classes, four classes for CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association) handicap racing and one each for IC-24s and Beach Cats. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/IRR-P-2012 * The Volvo Ocean Race will be making its only North American stopover in Miami, with the fleet estimated to arrive by May 6th. During the two weeks that the fleet is in Miami, the event village will host sailing and extreme water sports activities, educational programs for children of all ages, interactive pavilions, food, drinks, and more. If you are interested in volunteering please email volunteer@volvooceanracemiami.org or go to http://volvooceanracemiami.org/volunteer. * (March 20, 2012) - The America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) announced today that chairman Richard Worth will now head America's Cup World Series Development, allowing him to focus exclusively on finding new America's Cup World Series venues and generating increased broadcast revenues from the circuit. In the interim, the CEO's role will be filled by Stephen Barclay, a Board Member of ACEA. Additionally, Gary Lovejoy (Director of Media Production) will revert to a consultancy role before leaving the Event Authority in September. Denis Harvey will take on more responsibility in his role as Production Executive of America's Cup Television. -- Full report: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=528 GET THE BALL BEARINGS ROLLING - 10% OFF HARKEN AT APS! Don't let those wimpy blocks and crusty cleats keep you off the water this spring. With 10% off all winches, blocks, cleats & more, this month is the time to upgrade. Need a little more to rock your boat? We're including a free gift on all orders over $100. From Document Cases to Transition Back Packs, you're benefitting in more ways than one this March. Get the scoop here. http://bit.ly/Harken 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 Stu Johnstone: Fascinating reading the latest Yachting Australia Sailing survey (in Scuttlebutt 3548). I believe many of the "top six insights" are a recipe for what has been done by our family over the course of time -- how to grow sailing as a recreation first to include family and friends, then worry about evolving interests like cruising and racing later. It's a universal challenge to attract and keep people involved in the "joy" of sailing - that's what attracted me to sailing in the first place. Few recreational pursuits allow the participant to simply be one with nature -- listening, feeling, seeing nature in all its quietness and magnificence. Perhaps hiking in remote mountains, listening to the breeze rustle trees and taking in the magnificent vistas or cross-country skiing through the deep woods listening to snow falling off trees and the skis crunching the snow underneath, are just some examples. In other words, "relaxation is consistently the most important reason for participation in sailing". I'm not surprised, it's the best way to escape the pressure of day-to-day living and enjoy the beauty of nature, the sea, the wind and waves at your fingertips -- and even better to share with a loved one or friends. -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13445#13445 * From Christopher Princing: Dawn Riley makes some great points (in Scuttlebutt 3551) and she and her organization are certainly at the top of this effort to move kids into sailing. We live in a different world now. When I was a kid 25 years ago, we played school sports and then come summertime we spent the summer hanging out with our family. I was lucky as that meant I got to go sailing on a Sunfish every weekend along with my twin brother Matt. Today, the kids all play on travel sports teams, and the culture is you play year round. If you decide not to play, you risk being left out of the cool kid group and being "drafted" in the next season by a team you don't want to be on. These travel teams put incredible pressure on the parents to sign their kids up for the whole year - sometimes in multiple leagues and the parents end up in hotel rooms, at out of town venues every other weekend for 12 months of the year. It is no wonder our sport is getting smaller; how can these parents be expected to introduce their children to sailing or afford it. -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13456#13456 * From Marc Jacobi: Regarding junior sailing, I'm amazed at the institutionalized stratification between adult and junior sailors at clubs here on Long Island Sound. Separate clubhouses, separate events, no juniors in the main clubhouse--it's as if they're second class citizens. I've suggested to my club that, for our Wednesday night big boat series, each boat be required to have at least one junior (18 or younger) sailor on board. Imagine how valued youngsters would then be to the big boat skippers who so desire winning this "fun" series, and the opportunities juniors would have! Everyone benefits when generations interact. Kids learn new skills and get valuable access to/mentoring from adults who aren't parents (so important during the peak junior-sailing years); adults get energetic, enthusiastic (and loyal) crew. Win-Win, and it feels good too. * From Sue Caverty: After I read the 'Busy Week' story in Scuttlebutt 3551, I nearly coughed up a fur ball. For the event authority to schedule their AC World Series event at the same time and location as Fleet Week in San Francisco is highly concerning. It is absolutely, unequivocally impossible to park anywhere in the city on the Fleet Week weekend. Impossible, especially along the coveted waterfront areas. Has anyone from the AC event authority actually been to a Fleet Week? I just don't think it's possible to run anything on the water during Fleet week and for the few days before the big shows on the weekend. I just don't see it. The Bay is PACKED Fri-Sun (October 6, 7, 8) with spectator boats and there's no way you could stop that, not even Larry Ellison. Not to mention the small airside conflict with a few fast planes flying around - can't see this as being heli friendly! COMMENT: The first week of October in SF is also heavily impacted by the Oracle OpenWorld trade show, while that same week attracts the kings of the marine industry to Annapolis for the US Sailboat Show. Busy. Very busy. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt * From Moose McClintock: As a side note to Gavin's winning the Ficker Cup and then the Congressional Cup (as reported in Scuttlebutt 3551), the way this is presented makes it sound like Gavin was the first to do this. In fact, Terry Hutchinson, just out of college, won the Ficker Cup and then the Congressional Cup in 1992. Also interesting is that Terry had no match racing experience at the time so for anyone who dreams about completing this rare double, it's been done, you can do it, too. * From Jenny Howells, Technical Manager, RORC Rating Office: Regarding the Onion Patch Series, for readers wondering what type of rating certificate they need to take part in the series, it is scored using the IRC rating system. Therefore any boat worldwide that holds a valid 2012 IRC certificate can take part (although the Newport-Bermuda Race also requires ORR measurement). For those not familiar with the IRC rating system, owners in the US can talk to the Offshore Office at US Sailing or see their webpage http://offshore.ussailing.org/irc.htm, or visit http://www.ircrating.org for an overview of the Rule and contacts in other countries. * From Georg Boldt: This may be somewhat of a shot in the dark, but I am trying to get in touch with the previous owner of a yacht I am looking to buy. I have been unable to find a number or email address to him but maybe someone can help. His name is Gerhard Kistemaker and he wrote a small piece on the Bol d'Or Mirabaud for Scuttlebutt 1351 (June 16, 2003). Does anyone know how I may be able to get in contact? CLUB MEMBERSHIP AND MORE Scuttlebutt is not just about sailing news. There is more... * Scuttlebutt Sailing Club: The official club of the Scuttlebutt newsletter, officially sanctioned by US Sailing since 2001, and officially available to all Scuttlebutt readers. Membership card and window decal included. * Scuttlebutt Store: Accessorize with club coffee mugs and burgees, plus T-Shirts with one of the Curmudgeon's famous observations. T-shirts support breast cancer research. * Classified ads: A free marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, and for businesses to post job openings. * Event calendar: This self-serve tool is the easiest way to communicate event information to both sailors and sailing media. All at Scuttlebutt: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION If you cannot fix it, feature it. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Doyle Sailmakers - Summit Yachts - North U Atlantis WeatherGear - Ribcraft - North Sails - Mount Gay Rum J Boats - Ullman Sails - Southern Spars - New England Boatworks Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
