|
SCUTTLEBUTT 3223 - Thursday, November 18, 2010Scuttlebutt 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: Ullman Sails and Harken. WHAT FLOATS YOUR BOAT? "Head to head competition is the essence of sports." "Nothing beats a VO 70 going through waves at 30+ knots!" "Olympics has it all. Close racing, action, nation against nation." These were some of the shorter comments that came from the participants of the Scuttlebutt poll that asked "Which sailing show would you watch?" The genesis of this question comes from an interest among sailing's highest profile events to grow a television audience. And we wanted to know, if you had to make a choice, which would be most preferable to watch: * America's Cup - match racing in 72-foot catamarans * Olympics - one design racing, 9 fleet race events and 1 match race event * Volvo Ocean Race - around the world race in 70-foot crewed keelboats This poll comment hits on the motivation of watching sport: "It's almost a toss-up between the America's Cup and the Olympics. Pre-race publicity and race familiarity promotes interest in seeing a contest. I don't even know all of the soccer rules, but I'll watch some of the World Cup finals because of media hype and rooting for the homeland if we are in it. The America's Cup draws that kind of interest along with space age technology on display. If the Olympics (sailing) garnered more pre-race press notice, then it would be the clear winner. The Olympics offers better real racing plus variety that is more exciting." To avoid how past television coverage of these events affect the vote, the question is prefaced by saying that all three events would provide well produced, highly watchable programming, the shows would build on each other through a season of scheduled programming (like most sports), and the shows would seek to engage and interest us. The poll closes Thursday at noon (PT). VOTE HERE: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/10/1116 BOATING DROPPED FROM MOST WANTED LIST (November 17, 2010) - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today updated its Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. The annual list, aimed at state governments, has added "motorcycle safety" while dropping recreational boating for the first time in 16 years. The agency said "substantial progress" has been made in boating safety. "State governments are in a unique position to effect the most significant improvement in certain areas of transportation safety," NTSB chairman Deborah AP Hersman said in a statement. "Our Most Wanted List spotlights those states that have made noteworthy progress in better protecting the traveling public - and those that have not." The NTSB added recreational boating to its Most Wanted list in 1994, and asked states to require personal flotation devices (PFD) for children. It also asked them to implement training and licensing requirements. Since then, 70 percent of the states have responded to those recommendations. Hersman said that while NTSB has removed boating from the Most Wanted List, the agency will continue to push for action in the remaining states. The statement noted that about 700 people die each year in US boating accidents. -- IBI Magazine, http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20101017111549ibinews.html MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF QUALITY SAILS & SERVICE No matter your sailing goals, Ullman Sails has been dedicated to building performance sails for over 40 years. Our group is a strong collection of international sail lofts that specialize in serving their local markets. With a rich combination of experienced designers and skilled sailmakers, we ensure every Ullman Sails customer benefits from our international collaboration. We're ready to answer your questions and customize a plan to fit your budget. So whether you're contemplating an addition to next year's racing wardrobe or the most durable sail inventory for your upcoming cruise, invest in your performance. Visit us at http://www.ullmansails.com AS THE LOSERS SEE IT By Kimball Livingston, yachting journalist If you're looking for an epicenter of excitement about the future of America's Cup racing, I suggest you look to - Newport, Rhode Island. Huh? Their bid to host America's Cup 34 may have come up short, but the citizens of Newport figure that even a pre-event will be bigger than the AC matches sailed there before the wing-keeled wonder whisked the Cup off to Australia. The quote on that comes from the executive director of the state Economic Development Corporation, Keith Stokes, who is plenty stoked. He believes that a pre-event on the AC World Series tour will be "much larger in scale than the last America's Cup match here, or the ones before that." So the "America's Cup RI 2013 Planning Committee" kept right on rolling, and kept the name, even after the big event slipped away. Their redefined goal is not to stage just one regatta but to leverage an AC pre-event to build new shoreside facilities and create what Stokes calls, "a long-term, sustainable, sailing events center. The AC World Series tour provides that opportunity. What we saw developing in Auckland and Valencia gives us the sense that the future of America's Cup is going to be much larger, with more public interface. What Newport hasn't had in the past is a dedicated facility to support events of this capacity." No venues have yet been named for the tour, but Stokes' people have been assured that Newport is high on the list. It is, after all, a capital of international yachting and steeped in history. Stokes says, "I'm bullish." -- Read on: http://kimballlivingston.com/?p=5325 MATCH RACING CHEERLEADER The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY will host the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Match Racing National Championship on November 19-21. This is the first year for the match race format, which had previously been held as a fleet racing event. On the change, it is possible that one is more excited than Dave Perry, Chairman of the US SAILING Match Racing Committee: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I personally am thrilled that the ICSA has transformed the Sloop program into a Match Racing program. To use the skiing levels, match racing is a Black Diamond in sailboat racing, requiring advanced skills in boat handling, making a boat go fast, and tactical decision making to be successful. Any of us who have match raced have seen our fleet racing directly improved by the intense challenges match racing provides. Simply put, when you match race, it is often as if someone has run a 2000 volt cable into you...it is intense, electrifying and sometimes terrifying! Match racing keelboats is a great way to play the game of sailing, particularly for those who enjoy close aggressive boat-to-boat tactics. It is also forgiving of individual weight, so for those sailors who have trouble squeezing into a 420 or FJ, it is perfect. And with match racing being an Olympic event for women now, it is another great opportunity for women to train and perfect their sailing skills with a chance to go for the Olympics at some point. For all the sailors, there are ample Open events, culminating in a professional World Match Racing Tour, with an overall cash purse of over $1,000,000 annually. It's been too long that an American team has won this Tour; it is not a stretch to think that the next American World Match Race Tour winner will begin their match racing career in the ICSA Match Racing program. That there are ten teams at the first ICSA Match Racing National Championship is great (representing the seven college conferences). Even better is that many conferences had many teams try to qualify, and within those teams, there was competition to be on the team going to the regional qualifiers. This means there is a lot of interest in collegiate match racing right out of the box, and it will be great to see this interest expand over the next few years. Event website: http://www.collegematchrace.com/ SPLIT SCORES ACROSS THE FIELD Dubai, UAE (November 17, 2010) - After three previous days of competition at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai, the top two teams in the field, BMW Oracle Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand, were finally matched up today to gain precious points in the standings. But it was a day of split scores for each of the three pairs of teams that sailed two races, but none were closer than between the American and the Kiwi teams. After two 30-minute races on short courses with tight, physical racing, their finishing delta between the two races was 20 seconds... and 19 seconds came in the first race for BMW Oracle Racing. Their one second loss in the second race was nearly a win as a surge on the final downwind run came up just five meters short. Despite suffering its first loss in eight starts, the American team's lead in the standings is good enough to assure victory in this first round of the two-week regatta with two races to sail. Current standings (Team, Country, Helm, Tactician) 1. BMW Oracle Racing (USA), James Spithill/John Kostecki, 7-1, 7 pt 2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Dean Barker/Ray Davies, 4-3, 3.5 pt* 3. Artemis (SWE), Cameron Appleton/Iain Percy, 3-4, 3 pt 3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS), Francesco Bruni/Rod Dawson, 3-5, 3 pt 3. ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), Sebastien Col/John Cutler, 3-5, 3 pt 6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA), Gavin Brady/Morgan Larson, 3-5, 2 pt* * Scoring penalty deducted by Umpires LIVE COVERAGE: ESPN3, the online member of the ESPN sports network, will be airing live the final three days (November 25-27) of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai. Show time on the website is listed at 3:30 am ET. - http://espn.go.com/espn3/ BACKGROUND: The Louis Vuitton Trophy series was designed to be a cost-effective format for match racing competition in Version 5 America's Cup Class boats. Racing will continue to the November 27th. The event website will have live streaming coverage with VirtualEye for the entire regatta, with video highlights after racing. Look for enhanced live coverage of the final days of racing. Event website: http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/home/ HARKEN NEXT GEN RACING BLOCKS ARE HERE The Harken T2, the lightest soft attachment block ever designed, is on sale now. Featuring an on/off loop system through the center of the sheave for strength, the T2 lets you instantly reconfigure systems or remove them completely for safe storage. This tough block has no metal parts to weigh it down and comes in an optional lashed version. Use loops, tie around your boom, create fair leads in tight spaces, or invent your own system - the Harken T2 goes where no block has gone before. Check out the new design at http://www.harken.com/press/Harken-T2-Soft-Attach-Block.php SAILING SHORTS * Perth, Australia (November 17, 2010) - The ocean off Fremantle was filled with sails today as boats from eight Olympic events competed in the second day of racing at the Perth International Regatta. The event is being dubbed the "Pre-Worlds" in reference to the 2011 ISAF Combined Worlds to be held there in a year's time, which many countries will use as a key determinant for Olympic team selection. Details here: http://www.sailing.org/34725.php * (November 17, 2010; Day 32) - After one month at sea, Polish ocean racer Zbigniew Gutkowski sailed into Cape Town this evening to claim second place in the first ocean sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. The 36-year-old, known as Gutek, crossed the finish line off the South African coast at 10:03pm local time, 31 days, six hours and three minutes after leaving La Rochelle in France. American Brad Van had claimed the top spot in the 7,400 nautical mile leg when he finished on November 14th. -- Race website: http://www.velux5oceans.com * (November 17, 2010; Day 18) - It will soon be hectic for the 3542 nm Route du Rhum (France to West Indies) when the 41-boat Class 40 fleet start arriving late Wednesday or Thursday. The Class 40 race has race watchers twitching with anticipation as Thomas Ruyant closes to within 380 miles of the finish on Destination Dunkerque, with a lead now of only 57.5 miles ahead of Nico Troussel (Credit Mutuel de Bretagne). -- Event website: http://www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php * US SAILING's Safety-at-Sea Committee has awarded an Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to David Knapp of Tampa, Fla. and the 18-foot gaff-rigged catboat Miss America for rescuing a sailor in Tampa Bay. The Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal is awarded by US SAILING's Safety-at-Sea Committee to any person who rescues or endeavors to rescue any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other perils at sea within the territorial waters of the U.S., or as part of a sailboat race or voyage that originated or stopped in the U.S. -- Full report: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/Knapp_Hanson.htm * Last weekend at US SAILING's One-Design Sailing Symposium, presented by Gowrie Group, five awards were presented to recognize outstanding individual and organizational achievements in one-design sailing. The award categories are: Service, Leadership, Club, Regatta, and Creativity. These awards highlight role models of creative leadership in one-design sailing. -- Full report: http://media.ussailing.org/Latest_News/2010_ODSS_Awards_rls.htm * Thirty-four teams will travel from across the country to compete in the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) Sugar Bowl Great Oaks Regatta at Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans this weekend. The Great Oaks challenges high school teams who have not qualified for the ISSA Mallory (Doublehanded) National Championship within the past three years, sort of like a non-BCS thing, but the competition is no less fierce. Many teams use the experience gained in the Great Oaks to qualify for the Mallory in subsequent years. Scores will be posted in near-real time at http://www.southernyachtclub.org WHO SAYS THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH? The Scuttlebutt Event Calendar is a free, self-serve tool that is powered by the most utilized database in the sport. Used primarily for event marketing, the crew list service is also widely accessed to help connect available people with skippers in need. To view all the events, or to post your own event, visit the calendar at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATES The Industry News category of the Scuttlebutt Forum provides an opportunity for companies to announce new products and services. Here are some of recent postings: * Kerry Klingler joins Quantum Sails to lead J Boat Division * Selden Reversible Winch tops DAME Awards 2010 * iPhone application for marinas and services * Spade Anchor USA is online View and/or post Industry News updates here: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/INDUSTRY_NEWS_C15/ 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 Lynn: (re, rule question thread in Scuttlebutt 3221/3222) It kinda sucks that big boats can squash little boats, but the problem is any rule outlawing it is pretty much unenforceable. How do you determine that the big boat tacked on the little boat too many times? * From Andrew Palfrey: (re: Bill Allen's report in Scuttlebutt 3222) Whilst we could debate the merits of not having a keelboat for men in the Olympic Games, at the expense of what looks like being in there for 2016, I thought Bill's dignified position on the Star Class's behalf summed things up very well. Bill and his team of class supporters would have been very disappointed with the outcomes in Athens from a Star perspective, but he is forward thinking enough to put the sport first. The Star has been going strong for 100 years next year and has been in and out of the Olympics over that journey. The Star class and the majority of its people don't need the Olympics. But there are some very compelling reasons to have a technical sailing craft in the Games that is sailed and enjoyed by some of the highest profile athletes in the sport of sailing. * From Jim Champ: (re, Suspended Sailor list in Scuttlebutt 3221) It would make sense to seek comment from ISAF, but I seem to remember that the specified events listed are the only ones that ISAF has the authority to impose bans for without unwanted attention from the bloodsucking/legal profession. I imagine other organizations have (and should use) the power to impose bans on such sailors from events that fall within their individual jurisdictions. * From Jim Fulton: Paul Henderson's comments (in Scuttlebutt 3221) are spot-on. In the 1990s, I raced a Thistle with results that varied between mediocre and dismal--mostly the latter. For the last ten years I have mostly been cruising. However in October, I entered my 1975 Bristol 34 in the Good Old Boat Regatta in Annapolis. This was a really fun event! The best part was the second day when my crew consisted of my ten-year old twin grandchildren and their mother. The kids watched the other boats, my daughter watched the kids and took some pictures, and I sailed the boat. We came in fourth (not saying how many others were racing). The kids absolutely loved it and want to race again. This is a big deal because they haven't really liked sailing much--too boring when the wind is light and too scary when the wind pipes up. But they're both competitive, and I think the race helped to put what was happening on our boat into sort of context for them. It was also good for me. Although my boat was designed as a cruiser/racer it is set up and equipped more for cruising, and I don't want to change that. But it was good to be able to get out and compete again. It was also good to be able to fan the spark of interest in two potential new sailors. We'll be back! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION I never judge a book by its cover. I use the paragraph on the back that tells what the story is about. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Ultimate Sailing - Interlux - Summit Yachts - North Sails Ocean Racing - Doyle Sails - Atlantis WeatherGear - Lewmar Ullman Sails - Harken - The Pirates Lair - Team One Newport Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
