|
SCUTTLEBUTT No. 639 - September 5, 2000US OLYMPIC TEAMThe 18 athletes of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team - Yachting have come together in San Diego, Calif., to complete U.S. Olympic Committee (Colorado Springs, Colo.) processing before the 14-hour flight to Sydney, Australia, that starts them on the final leg of their Olympic dream. Several members of the team will be making a one-day trans-Pacific turnaround (after having spent the last few weeks training Down Under) in order to receive the official uniforms and credentials necessary to represent the U.S.A. at the Games of the XXX Olympiad. In Sydney, a total of 400 sailors representing 69 nations will compete in the 2000 Olympic Regatta, utilizing a staggered schedule for the 11 events, which begin with practice races on September 16 and conclude with awards on September 30. The first of two medal ceremonies will be held on September 25 for the 49er, Mistral Men & Women, and Tornado classes. The final medal ceremony takes place September 30 for the Europe, Finn, 470 Men & Women, Laser, Soling and Star classes. Both ceremonies will take place on the steps of Sydney's world-famous Opera House. (For the complete schedule visit: www.ussailing.org/olympics/2000.) Television coverage of the sailing events will be hosted by Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), with race reports scheduled to air every scheduled race day on CNBC during the 7:00 p.m. show starting Sunday, September 17. Accompanying the U.S. sailors are a full support staff that includes Team Leader Hal Haenel (Los Angeles, Calif.); US SAILING's Olympic Director Jonathan Harley (Middletown, R.I.); Boatwright Carl Eichenlaub (San Diego, Calif.); Head Olympic Coach Gary Bodie (Hampton, Va.); US Sailing Team Coaches Luther Carpenter (New Orleans, La.) and Skip Whyte (Warren, R.I.); and coaches Ed Adams (Middletown, R.I.), Russell Coutts (New Zealand), Jimmy Dey (The Dalles, Ore.), Jay Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.), Pierre Jeangirard (Bishop, Calif.), and Kimo Worthington (San Francisco, Calif.). - Jan Harley Updates on the Teams' progress: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/2000 SIDEBAR: On Saturday morning the Curmudgeon received an email note from Olympians Charlie Ogletree and John Lovell that said in part: "We leave (Sydney) for the U.S. today. We fly back to San Diego for one day of meetings and processing. After 24 hours in San Diego, we hop back on a plane and fly to Sydney. It sounds crazy, but we have to do it." CURMUDGEON'S COMMENTS: Huh? That does sound a bit crazy. It must be at least a 12-hour flight from Australia to San Diego. To do it twice in a 24-hour period certainly does not seem like the best utilization of an athlete's time, energy and resources. Also, buried in the last paragraph of US Sailing's release was the mention that New Zealand America's Cup skipper Russell Coutts is going to Sydney as a coach for the US Team. There's no indication about Russell's role with the team, but I'm sure he'll look spiffy in his Red, White and Blue uniforms. ALBATROSS YACHT CLUB RESPONDS The Albatross Yacht Club ("AYC") today issued a response to the decision of the US Sailing Association Executive Committee to suspend AYC's membership in US Sailing, the National Authority for the sport in the United States. According to Tom Grabowski, AYC's current Commodore, the club is reviewing its options but strongly disagrees with the underlying premise for the suspension. The reason given by the Executive Committee was that the club had improperly excluded a competitor from its Tuesday sailing series on Lake St. Clair, Michigan. "What bothers me the most" said Com. Grabowski "is that US Sailing never gave the club any notice or an opportunity to be heard on the matter before the suspension was issued. Had they done so, they would have been informed that we referred the entire matter to an independent jury of four judges who are all certified by US Sailing as experts on the rules. They conducted a full evidentiary hearing and completely exonerated the club." The independent panel ruled that Racing Rule of Sailing 76.1 addresses the circumstances under which a competitor can be denied entry into a regatta and that AYC had met all of the conditions in this case. "It is unfair to punish a club for something that has been found to be proper under the applicable rules. What makes the suspension even more egregious is that the Executive Committee is not even supposed to be involved in this kind of matter in first place. Interpretation of the racing rules is supposed to be the sole province of the judges and Appeals Committee," explained Com. Grabowski. The club has contacted the International Sailing Federation to determine if recourse is available through that body to rectify the situation. SOLUTIONS FROM SAILCLOTH.COM Wish your spinnaker would dry off after dunking, hold its shape after a few heavy air days of sailing, and resist tearing during complicated maneuvers? Next time, ask your sailmaker to use AIRX, a revolutionary new spinnaker fabric from Bainbridge International. AIRX is stronger, lower in stretch and has an ultra water repellent finish. With zero porosity and less tearing, it has a wide range of use for both racing a cruising sailors. AIRX is exclusively from Bainbridge International, where power and performance are cut from the same cloth. For more information, visit http://www.sailcloth.com MELGES 24 WORLDS La Rochelle, France - After winning the final two races at the third Melges 24 World Championship in truly impressive style Giorgio Zuccoli (ITA139 "Ale Ali") finally claim the World title he has been coveting for so long. The final day saw racing in NW 18-20 knots with a difficult chop on top of the underlying swell. In race nine Zuccoli took the lead from the start and was never challenged. Overnight joint leader Morgan Reeser (USA450 "White Loaf") was in third place down the final run when he suddenly found himself without a rig leaving it all between Zuccoli and Brian Porter (USA409 "Full Throttle"), whose sixth place left him well in contention. Race 10 saw Porter and Zuccoli virtually match racing out of the start and up the first beat. As a result Mike Budd (GBR454 "Gul") took the lead with the two favourites down in the front of pack. At the first weather mark Zuccoli just slotted into fifth whilst Porter found himself on the wrong side of a bunch and ended up rounding in the teens. An incident at the top of the run then saw Porter forced into a penalty turn whilst Zuccoli took off downwind with impressive speed. The 2001 Melges 24 World Championship will take place in Ft Lauderdale from November 8 - 17. Final Results (127 boats): 1. GIORGIO ZUCCOLI, Italy, (30 points) 2. BRIAN PORTER, USA (39) 3. CEDRIC POULIGNY, France (62) 4. CHRISTIAN ROMAN /SEBASTIEN COL, France (77) 5. MICHAEL BUDD, Grande Bretagne (77) 7. ARGYLE CAMPBELL, USA (101) 10. SCOTT ELLIOT /MORGAN REESER, USA (107) Event Website: http://www.srr-sailing.com/ LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Rick Hatch - In the Commonwealth countries, the term "R.O." is used to refer to the "registered owner" who, as nautical tradition would insist, is the person who writes the "cheques." In Australia, "P.B.O." refers to the "poor bloody owner", not sail cloth / mylar laminate. -- From Anthony Barran (Edited to our 250-word limit) - Having just competed in the "fast 40" class, as we referred to it, in the latest edition of the Pacific Cup I have found the recent Transpac discussions both interesting and somewhat 'off the mark'. Quite simply, Transpac has always been the "Grand Prix" offshore race on the West Coast. Since the days of Ragtime, Merlin and Drifter big boats have been the way to go. Because it is a big boat race, Transpac, is going to have a very difficult time appealing to the smaller boats. The box rule is going to add something interesting to the mix; but look at the current climate of yacht racing. Not many boats in the 40 foot range are being built outside of a one-design matrix. Further, those recent IMS boats like the Farr 39 and BH 41 are selling for far less than comparable Farr OD 40's and ID 35's. If TPYC is going to return to the numbers they had in the late 70's and early 80's they need to drop their "better mousetrap" mentality. Instead they need to become a market-oriented group that seeks to develop a fun, welcoming event while acting as a missionary for offshore sailing. They need to look beyond the confines of their race and seek to build offshore sailing and welcome new and old, naive and experienced to the fold. They need to sell the fun and wonderment of the offshore experience and develop new blood. -- From Clark Chapin (Regarding Albatross YC) - Although Albatross YC met the requirements of the rules and stated the reason for rejecting the entry, the denial of a competitor's desire to race conflicts with the US SAILING Bylaws. The Bylaws themselves are worded so that US SAILING can be the National Authority for the sport and to comply with the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act and the Constitution of the US Olympic Committee, which requires that pretty much anyone be allowed to participate. This is a condition for receiving funds from the USOC. Any other arrangement leads to exclusion of participants. Article 14 of the US SAILING Bylaws allows for individual or organizational members to bring grievances if they believe that the requirements of the Amateur Sports Act or the USOC Constitution have been violated. The entire Article 14 process was faithfully followed and then Albatross YC elected to thumb their collective noses at the result. Saddled with the responsibility of being a National Authority (and not just a collection of good 'ol boy clubs), the US SAILING Executive Committee did the only thing they could, under the circumstances. Albatross YC should have had better legal advice before they tried to so crudely sidestep a decision that went against them. They have no one to blame but themselves. -- From Tom Dendy - So, I've never been to Albatross YC, never met the competitor in question, and was not present at any proceedings concerning this matter. But with the emotions this topic conjures, I'm compelled to express an Opinion: Here's a case of principles vs. policies. What saddens me is NOT the actions and processes, but the fact that a sailor would drag USSA, its volunteers and officers into this sewer. The Olympic and Amateur Athletes act of 1998 was INTENDED to provide rights of athletes to compete in 'Olympic Games, Paralympic Games or the Pan-American Games' and get eligibility disputes OUT of the courtrooms in the wake of the Tanya Harding fiasco. Most wording in the Congressional record discusses fair access for the benefit of disabled athletes. Like so many other laws in this country, the principles are quickly lost once the policies are put into place. One must conclude that our ousted competitor, in a self-serving political play, pulled words right out the 'Act' and shoved them into the face of USSA. Obviously, someone whose actions get him kicked out of a BEERCAN series, is also loathsome enough to invoke a law intended to help disabled and Olympic athletes. Albatross YC has honor in standing firm for its principles, but US Sailing has obligations to uphold the letter of the law. Too bad that this line has been drawn in the sand - and by an individual whose actions and intentions clearly do not serve our sport or fellow sailors. -- From Myles J. Grant (Re Albatross YC) - Hey this one is just too much! This member (US /supporting. 122820G) is not renewing! US ALBACORE CHAMPIONSHIP Winds- 5 to 20 mph, 38 boats - Four-time US Champions Barney Harris (Arlington, VA) and long time crew, David Byron (San Francisco, CA) never finished worse than third to hold off a strong challenge by the team of Chris Gorton (Sarasota, FL) and Henry Pedro (Toronto, ON) and win the US Albacore Championship by one point. President's Fleet : 1. Barney Harris and David Byron, Arlington, VA (7) 2. Chris Gorton and Henry Pedro, Sarasota, FL (8) 3. Marty Hublitz and Steve Swensen, McLean, VA (19) 4. Jasper and Becky Craig, Pasadena, MD (21) 5. Peter Duncan and Marc Witowski, Severna Park, MD (22) Full results are available at www.my-town.com/sailing 505 EAST COAST CHAMPS New Bedford Yacht Club, South Dartmouth, MA - The 2000 International 505 East Coast Championship ended Sunday in a cliffhanger finish. After six of the scheduled seven races, three teams; Neal Fowler/Dave Dyson, Jeff Boyd/Martin tenHove, and Tim Collins/Mike Mills, were tied with 14 points, with three more teams very close behind. After a race long battle, Canadians Jeff Boyd/Martin tenHove finished second in race seven, to win the 2000 505 ECC by one point. Fowler/Dyson were 2nd overall, Collins/Mills 3rd, Lars Guck/Peter Alarie 4th, Henry Amthor/Jesse Falsone 5th and Ali Meller/Fiona Lockwood 6th. Only seven points separated the top six finishers. The ECC fleet included an Olympian, Olympic trialists, a 12 meter helmsman, and past World, National and North American Champions in the 505 or other classes. It also included a number of newcomers to the 505 class in the past year or two. Contrary to the belief that 505 crews need to be tall, heavy and male, Fiona Lockwood - at under 150 pounds - crewed on a team that was tied for second after five races, and finished sixth overall. Teams came from New England, Canada, Ohio, Maryland, and Virginia. Complete results: http://www.int505.org/usa/events/200008ECC-Results.htm SWAN CUP Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Porto Cervo - The class of the Swan Cup 2000 Regatta was Theo Kinsbergen's 'Defiance'. The Swan 68 has posted five wins from six races - only a penalty taken for a start line incident kept it within reach of the others. In second place in the final standings is the Dutch boat 'Sotto Voce' with Arien Van Vemde. 'Desperado' (Loftus) earned second place in the final race, and that allows it to squeeze past 'Noonmark VI' (Mulcahy) by half a point and jump into the top three in the overall results. 'Desperado' finished strong in the big breeze with two third place results, while Noonmark VI limped home with its two worst finishes to end the regatta. Final Results (100 boats) - 1. Defiance Swan 68 Kinsbergen (1, 2, 3, 1, 1) 8; 2. Sotto Voce Swan 60 Van Vemde (2, 1, 2.5, 6, 4) 15.5; 3. Desperado Swan 65 Loftus (4, 7, 7, 3, 2) 23; 4. Noonmark VI Swan 56 Mulcahy (3, 4, 4.5, 7, 5) 23.5; 5. Island Fling Swan 60 Winkelman (6, 5, 10, 2, 7) 30 Complete results: http://www.swancup.com THE SCIENCE OF COMFORT At Gill we know the quality of our garments will be measured over years of use. That's why we strive to exceed industry standards in everything we do! From the unique way we work with and listen to the world's sailors to the meticulous attention we give to every garment. Whether you're on the US Sailing Team at the Sidney Olympics or facing the extremes of the Southern Ocean sailors want to stay warm and dry. Don't' take any short cuts when it comes to comfort and quality. Choose Gill gear! http://www.gillna.com CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * September 8-10: Larchmont Sailing World NOOD (National Offshore One-Design) Regatta, Larchmont Yacht Club. http://www.sailingworld.com * December 7-10: Crystal Cup at Atlantis, Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas - Short windward-leeward courses off Nassau for ocean racing one-designs, and PHRF classes. (877) 520-2508 SAN FRANCISCO NOOD When sailors began their weekend competition at the San Francisco Sailing World NOOD, held September 2-3 at the St. Francis Yacht Club, the breeze went easy on them. On opening day, winds never built beyond 12 knots. But on the second day of racing, the breeze escalated in intensity--and so did the drama on the water. Every upwind leg was a tightrope walk with wind on one side, current on the other. For the 102 boats and eight one-design classes, finding the right balance was the key to success. In most classes, shallow water and less current lured boats within a stone's throw of the St. Francis YC observation deck, providing the opportunity for competitors to flex their muscles. But further up the beat, a few boats flexed too hard and ran out of water, prompting early retirement. - Cynthia Goss / Chris Pastore CLASS WINNNERS: J/105 (28 boats) Dave Wilson, San Francisco, CA, GOOD TIMIN'(16 points) ; Farr 40 (14 boats) John Kilroy, Malibu, CA, SAMBA PA TI, (4); Express 27 (15 boats) - Pacific Coast Championships Will Paxton, Pt. Richmond, CA, MOTORCYCLE IRENE, (12); J/24 (15 boats) Dave Klatt/Bill Robertson, Oxnard, CA, ZONE, (5); Melges 24 (14 boats) 1) Tim Duffy, Menlo Park, CA, HIGH OCTANE, (9); 11 Metre (6 boats) Mark Varnes/Thomas Dinkel, San Rafael, CA, JAMBA JUICE, (5); 1D 35 (5 boats) Kara Zylstra, San Diego, CA, WILD THING, (8); Antrim 27 (8 boats) - National Championships Dennis Surtees, Point Richmond, CA, ABRACADABRA II, (8). Complete results: http://www.sailingworld.com MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUP Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy - With over 200 million dollars worth of yacht gathered in Porto Cervo for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2000, the race committee had little choice but to cancel the first day of racing in the face of Mistral winds gusting up to 40 knots. For some yachts this will be their first competitive outing, so the danger of breaking gear in such strong winds would be high. Olympic gold medallist Thierry Peponnet is back at the helm of Virtuelle, Carlo Perrone's spectacular silver yacht designed by Andrea Vallicelli. The boat first raced at the Giraglia Rolex Cup back in June but has not been put through her competitive paces since. Whilst the calibre of sailor aboard these sleek yachts would have relished the challenge of today's conditions, the risk of breaking custom-built equipment - which is not easily replaced - was too great. Instead, the balmy conditions in Porto Cervo, the Aga Khan's spectacular harbour created some 30 years ago, offered an opportunity for owners and crew to relax or carry out some last-minute preparations for what is one of the most important events of the year in the big boat scene. The quality of the sailors gathered here is equally impressive. Tomasso Chieffi, the America's Cup tactician, is calling the shots for Roy Disney aboard the American yacht Pyewacket. French America's Cup skipper Bruno Trouble is helming Magic Carpet, whilst Whitbread skipper Ludde Ingvall has brought his hi-tech racing yacht Skandia to Sardinia. He is itching to test his water ballasting system against the yachts that use manpower or canting keels for ballast. The wind is expected to abate Tuesday. - Susannah Bourne QUOTE / UNQUOTE "Next summer the TransAtlantic record will surely be broken. PlayStation will be back and we will have new competitors: The unlimited catamarans which are being built for 'The RACE' will surely target this record in their summer programs." - Steve Fossett SNIPE WOMEN'S WORLDS Treiste, Italy - Norway wins the Roy Yamaguchi Trophy for the thrid time! After a pair of 4ths in the two final races on Sunday, ARIANNE EIKELAND/JANETT KREFTING (Norway) win the 4th Snipe Womens World Championships by 10 points. The breeze did pick up in the last race (a "bora" the local offshore breeze, I'm told) of the mostly light air series providing the most exciting conditions of the series. MUNEKO NAKAMURA /MIHO YOSHIOKA (Japan) move up to second with a solid 5,2 in the last two races. Argentinians MARCELA DOMATO/CECILIA GRANUCCI also had a great last day with a 1,3 finishing them in 3rd. KIMIE ISOBE/ YOSHIMI MATSUURA (Japan) more than likely not liking the heavier breeze, had a 7,8 which moved them down to 4th. CAROL NEWMAN CRONIN/ JERELYN BIEHL (USA) slipped to 5th with 10,7 while LISA FOULKE PLINE/ SHERRY ELDRIDGE (USA) won the last race moving them up to 6th overall. CAROLYN BROWN/ JULIE REDLER (USA) moved up 3 places to 10th and PAM KELLY/ MICHELE BUSTAMANTE finished up 4 places to 12th with a 2nd in race 6. - Alex Pline Regatta website: http://www.ncc.it/stsvela/WWC/Default.htm CORRECTION We got a ton of email messages over the weekend pointing out that the new Etchells World Champion, Vince Brun, grew up in Rio de Janeiro -which is in Brazil, NOT Argentina. For the record, Brun's Etchells win was his ninth World Championship in five different classes of one-design classes. He's won three Soling world championships ('78, '81, '83), two J/24s ('96, '97), two Melges 24s ('98, '99), and one Star ('86). It is also the fifth year in a row he's won a major World Championship. Amazing! But what might be even more amazing is that he's never won the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. THE CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL Don't be so open minded that your brains fall out. |
