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SCUTTLEBUTT 3668 - Tuesday, September 4, 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: Atlantis WeatherGear, Team One Newport, and Soft Deck. HOW WILL HISTORY JUDGE THE 34TH AMERICA'S CUP? Australian Will Baillieu was on the handles in 1983 when Australia II won the America's Cup, breaking the longest-running winning streak in the history of sport (132 years). What Will remembers is what the event was, and has concerns about what the event is now. Read on... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A quote in Scuttlebutt 3666 from professional snowboarder Travis Rice: "We're living in a world where it's hard to do dumb s---. What's amazing to me about sailing is how boundless it is. You're not protected by this safety net of stoplights and safety features. You're truly at the mercy of your own decisions, and if you're an idiot you're going to get smacked." Like...wow! The real value of "Cross Promotion" has never been more apparent. Travis has enlightened us with this account of his experience aboard an AC45. I am sure we are all grateful that the event got his attention at all. Travis assures us that this style of racing will take sailing "...from this frumpy old man's sport to something that people are way more interested in watching." Like...even people of his generation might be interested in it! Well, why stop there Travis? Why not include a Vegas Pool Party leg in the next AC event? At least on the AC45s there is room on deck for Prince Harry, a snooker table and a few naked ladies. Or, possibly tequila shots and laybacks during the downwind legs? Anything to make this event more watchable for Gen Y. We don't want their attention to stray, and we certainly don't want any of those frumpy old men to have anything to do with it. Maybe we could introduce an element of Big Brother to America's Cup; put a crew of complete strangers on each boat and just see what happens as they race the AC series. How about "Survivor - America's Cup"? We could lay mines on the course. Exploding boats would make great television; audience numbers would be huge. What Travis seems to have overlooked is that America's Cup is a match race, with a very long history; the very pinnacle of sailing. Boat on boat, tactical racing, involving rapid and complicated decision making, much of it subtle. It is about high performance, low tolerance, up close racing, between two boats. AC boats have been traditionally sailed by very fit, young athletes with marvelous skills. "Frumpy old men" are required to fund them, as they still are now. The history of the event and the subtleties of match racing may be lost on Travis Rice and others of his demographic, but surely not to just about anyone else. Does the event really need to compete for audiences with tacky TV reality shows? Does it really need these Christmas Cracker boats? Fast boats might add an extra element in the potential for catastrophic failure, but they make for poor match racing. The last AC Deed of Gift "match" was surely testament to that. The lack of challenger syndicates for the 34th AC is a worrying sign, but it's not for any lack of bells and whistles. The dressing up of the America's Cup for uninformed TV audiences with notoriously low attention spans, has cheapened the event and turned it into just another reality TV spectacle. This is a genre that has been almost done to death already. Inevitably it will be consigned to the TV wastebasket, when people get bored and change channels. And where will that leave America's Cup? Source: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14437#14437 DARK AND STORMY OR "DARK 'N STORMY" Something fresh for everyone! The Atlantis 2012 styles are designed with both racing sailors and the less hard-core in mind - gear that will keep you dry and performing your best on the water and looking your best on shore. Cold weather or warm weather, dark and stormy or "Dark 'n Stormy", Atlantis is with you all the way. Discover a new level of comfort. Discover your Atlantis. http://www.atlantisweathergear.com/NewFor2012 SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE By Michelle Slade, MIJ After decades of owning and racing monohulls, Peter Stoneberg jests that his life was ruined the day he stepped foot on a catamaran...but for which he'll be forever grateful. The occasion was some five years ago and he's never looked back, even after flipping his catamaran Shadow, a ProSail 40, twice in and around the bay, sustaining significant damage. "Clearly multihulls are the way of the future," Stoneberg said. "I think they are the most exciting boats in the world to sail." Even five years ago, multihull sailing was still considered the "darker" side of sailing, the boats themselves lacking the traditional lines, grace and mystique of the monohull. Liken it to windsurfing versus kiteboarding, or downhill skiing versus snowboarding, the general consensus was about the same: multihulls were not really to be taken seriously, especially on the race course. However, San Francisco just hosted the America's Cup World Series, the biggest sailing event ever for the Bay that entertained over 150,000 people who watched AC45 catamarans race along the city front. Over in Tiburon (CA), the fastest boat on the planet, l'Hydroptere DCNS, a 79-foot trimaran, is presently moored in front of the Corinthian Yacht Club. She holds the overall world record for a nautical mile at a speed of 50.17 knots. And, this year, a sailing regatta that's been held annually on the Bay since 1964, the Rolex Big Boat Series (BBS) has for the first time added a multihull division. BBS will be contested Sept. 6-9, hosted by the St Francis Yacht Club. Stoneberg, St FYC Commodore, was right behind the effort to get multihulls on board. "New innovations like some of the multihulls will continue to make BBS a great regatta," Stoneberg said. "I think people are looking for different boat classes for their sailing pleasure, at short-hand and single-hand boats, team racing and match racing. The St FYC has responded to these trends: we did the first kiteboard race five years ago, now it's in the Olympics." BBS has seven multihulls signed up to race this week, from 33 to 45 feet, including an SL33 which is a new design all-carbon foiling catamaran being used as a training boat by America's Cup teams Emirates Team NZ and Luna Rossa. Stoneberg will be racing Shadow, built in 1987 and the first of the ProSail models that were sailed by top U.S. sailors including Bay Area's Tom Blackaller, Randy Smyth, Dennis Conner and Cam Lewis. Stoneberg's boat was once owned by Connor, who bought the boat to train on in preparation for the Stars & Stripes 60 catamaran on which he skippered - and won - the 1988 America's Cup. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/MIJ-090212 TURBO SAILING: USING YOUR STAYSAIL By Tony Bull, Bull Sails More and more on the race course we are seeing staysails becoming increasingly prevalent again. Once upon a time the staysail was a very popular sail. In the days of the RORC rule in the late 60's it was commonplace for every serious racer to have a reaching rig of overlapping staysail and a series of yankees for different wind conditions. In the IOR days that followed there spawned a whole range of "under the spinnaker" style staysails, mostly sporting ridiculous names; Tall Boys, Lazy Boy's, Golden Dazy Staysails and even the ubiquitous Blooper and numerous others as all sorts of combinations and rigs were tried. As the IMS and later the IRC rules came along, the staysails narrowed down to two main groups, sensibly called the Spinnaker Staysail for off wind work and the Genoa Staysail as the name implies for closer to the wind. The use of these sails requires a lot of thought and attention, if not used correctly they can slow a boat down drastically, but when used acceptably they provide a real turbo effect. They do however require constant monitoring and attention. Far too many times people assume they are simply a sail you just hoist and think the extra area will do the job, like any sail they need to be trimmed and if left alone can be extremely detrimental. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14434#14434 A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION The Canadian Yachting Association has announced the appointment of Chris Cook to the new position of Development Team Manager. CYA has been developing a strategy for High Performance Sailing to embrace the next two Olympic/Paralympic Quadrennials. Entitled the 2020 Vision, the plan embraces a comprehensive approach to bridging the gap between provincial and national levels and international performance. The Canadian Sailing Development Team will focus on this area, using Chris's skill and experience to identify and nurture talent in a world class structure leading to consistent long term success on the International Stage. CYA President, Alan Lombard, commenting on the appointment, said, "CYA is determined to put in place a long term sustainable structure that will equip our young sailors with the skills and experience to perform at the highest levels. Chris Cook's appointment is one of a number of exciting initiatives that CYA is putting in place" CYA's High Performance Director Ken Dool said, "CYA is determined to achieve results through the creation of a system that is both robust and World Class. The addition of Chris in a development coaching capacity will help direct young athletes towards achieving both personal and federation goals." Chris is a high performing Finn sailor who finished 5th in the 2008 Olympic Games and had numerous podium finishes at International and North American based championships including a recent Bronze Medal finish at the World Cup Event in Palma in 2012. Chris was on target to compete in his second games this year until struck by illness in the final trial. His immediate support for his fellow Finn sailor, Greg Douglas, who benefitted most from Chris's withdrawal, was a display of his high quality sportsmanship. Chris will take up his role effective immediately, joining the current High Performance Management Team of Brian Todd, Steve Mitchell, Erik Stibbe and High Performance Director Ken Dool. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/CST-090212 COMMENT: Kudos to Canada for quickly addressing the need to enhance their youth development. For North America to get back on the podium at the 2016 Olympics, an improved plan among neighboring countries for the post-Optimist years must be part of the program. - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt CHARGE ME UP SCOTTIE You know what we're talking about. That feeling when your last bit of power disappears just when you need your phone or tablet the most! Grrr... Well, the Experts @Team One Newport have found THE solution for this risk we take living in an electronic world. The Power Traveler series of (extremely) portable battery backup and solar charging systems! They can be used for laptops, tablets, phones, GoPro or anything that can be plugged into a USB port or similar charging platform. Check them out @ http://www.tinyurl.com/chargemybattery or call 800.VIP.GEAR (401.847.4327). Never let your portable device run out of power again. SAILING SHORTS * Weymouth, UK (September 3, 2012) - Three days of competition is now complete at the 2012 Paralympic Sailing Regatta, with events held in Single-Person Keelboat (2.4mR), Two-Person Keelboat (SKUD18), and Three-Person Keelboat (Sonar). Mostly light winds have prevailed, but with six of the 11 races now completed, a discard in the scoring is permitted. Leading the North American contingent is SKUD 18 team Jen French/ JP Creignou (USA) in third, just two points off the lead. Competition concludes September 6. Results: http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/london2012/paralympic_results_2012.php * Gimli, Manitoba (September 1, 2012) - The Craig & Ross Canadian Youth National Sailing Championships concluded today after four days of racing on Lake Winnipeg. Wind varied throughout the week, with racing held in the Laser, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, Club 420, 29er, and Techno 293. Competitors from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia came together for the first stage of the selection process for the 2013 ISAF Youth World Team. Details here: http://www.sailing.ca/features/craig_ross_cya_youth_national_championships/ * America's Cup defender Oracle Team USA took their first AC72, 17, sailing for the first time on Friday, August 31. After two hours, the session on San Francisco Bay was stopped due to a daggerboard failure in the starboard hull. Boat and crew returned safely to the team's Pier 80 base, with no announcement yet on when they would resume testing. Photos and video here: http://oracle-team-usa.americascup.com/news/3336/17-first-sail * Port Washington, NY (September 2, 2012) - Light winds prevailed for the fourth and final day of the Knickerbocker Cup, the third stop on the ISAF Grade 2 US Grand Slam Series. In the Finals and Petit Finals, William Tiller (NZL) went up one nil over Nicolai Sehested (DEN) and Sally Barkow (USA) went up one nil on David Gilmour (AUS), respectively. After waiting several hours for wind with a 3:30pm deadline looming, a building southerly breeze gave Tiller another win to take the title 2-0, with Sehested finishing second and Barkow third. -- Daily reports: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14443#14443 * Cardiff, Wales (September 2, 2012) - With five boats mathematically capable of winning Act 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series going in to final race, it was the American Morgan Larson skippered Oman Air who would win the title and deny Leigh McMillan (GBR) helming The Wave, Muscat his fourth straight win. McMillan holds the season overall lead with two Acts remaining, with Larson in second. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ESS-090212 * The Extreme Sailing Series has been forced to cancel Act 6 of the eight-Act global tour to be staged in Trapani, Sicily on September 13-16. The Province of Trapani and the regional government of Sicily have failed to execute their financial and operational obligations, necessary to host the event. Trapani had hosted Extreme Sailing Series events in 2010 and 2011. The next Act will be in Nice, France on October 18-21. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ESS-090212a * St. Moritz, Switzerland (September 2, 2012) - A fantastic Final battle between two-time St. Moritz Match Race winner Mathieu Richard (FRA) and Keith Swinton was won by the young Australian whilst Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) gave his overall Alpari World Match Racing Tour challenge a boost with a third-place finish today. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) and Ian Williams (GBR), who were knocked out earlier in the event, still retain the top two positions in the overall season rankings. The tour will resume at Match Race France in Marseille from September 24-29. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/WMRT-090212 * An average of 860,000 people tuned in to watch America's Cup World Series on San Francisco Bay last Sunday (Aug. 26), NBC said. The nationwide TV audience - which equates to a rating of 0.6 - "is a good number," said a spokesman for NBC Sports. "It proves there is an audience. We're going to build on that." -- SF Business Times, read on: http://tinyurl.com/SFBJ-090212 * (September 2, 2012) - Dr. Edmund B. 'Ned' Cabot, a retired surgeon and scion of a Boston Brahmin family, drowned Saturday off the coast of Newfoundland, when a rogue wave swept him from his yacht, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said today. Cabot, 69, a lifelong sailor, had participated in the 2009-10 Around the Americas campaign, a sailing circumnavigation of the American continents with the mission of inspiring, educating, and engaging citizens of the Americas to protect their oceans. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/B-090212 * San Francisco, CA (August 31, 2012) - Kiteboards, led by Johnny Heineken's record time, celebrated their recent upgrade to an Olympic class in style Friday by sweeping the first seven places in the Ronstan Bridge to Bridge Race, while New Zealand's C-Tech, the first 18 Skiff to finish, claimed the championship in the Nespresso International 18 Skiff Regatta hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. -- Daily reports: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14238 EIGHT BELLS In order for our sport to succeed, we depend on volunteers - here's a brief tale of a great volunteer / sailor we just lost. Claire Titgemeyer gave back, paid it forward, however you want to describe it. She was an amazing giver. If you've raced through the Lake Erie area or traveled to regattas, like SORC, KWRW, Charleston RW, Cleveland RW, Miami OCR or sailed in J22, J24, Highlander, Thistle, Ensign and countless other championship events, you've benefitted from her volunteerism and been a part of her legacy. Claire didn't "run" many races, but boy did she help...she loved greeting crews at a registration desk, weighing in the "cuties" in their skivvies, trying to make weight and seeing each team as they checked in each morning on the water on the committee boat. She never asked for thanks, she knew how much it meant to all of us that we have good races, friendly faces and that our sport / clubs were successful hosting great sailors and great events. She wasn't in the spotlight, was happy to be a part of it all and never asked for recognition. She sailed too, rarely at the helm, but she could trim a main and provide moral support for a crew like no other, in my family racing "glory days", she fed us, "beered" us and made sure we had a fun, but safe experience. She was involved in sailing for over 50 years and she loved being on the water. Just last month she was actively racing with a women's ensign team out of Edgewater YC - that is when she wasn't at a registration desk or at the transom of a committee boat checking in, recording times or just smiling at the competitors! We lost Mom (Mimsie, Claire or Mrs T - whatever you called her) last night (Aug. 30). She had a hell of a fight with a damn mean cancer! She was an amazing woman, not only did she give to the sport of sailing, she was a teacher for 37 years, volunteered with local women's organizations, worked the bookmobile at local hospitals, sang joyously in church choirs, directed musicals, mentored students during their student teaching classes and so much more...she touched so many lives in her 74 years on earth! So - I'd like to say thanks to Mom for showing me how give back. My hope is that I can live up to her standards and that others can be motivated by her giving spirit and caring heart. - Mike Titgemeyer (Mikie), Cleveland, OH/ Annapolis, MD SOFT DECK Soft Deck's non skid is easy to install, and provides amazing traction wet or dry. Our soft, barefoot friendly material with a peel and stick backing can be installed over existing nonskid in minutes, and won't tear up your knees or elbows. More information at http://www.Soft-Deck.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 Phil Garland: Stephen Kasnet's letter (SBUTT 3667) refers to Alan Gurney's 33' design "Hotfoot" (not Hotspur). She is still owned and sailed by Chuck Blair's step-son George Brush on Martha's Vineyard. George tells stories about Chuck and how fanatic he was about weight on the boat. He would ask if anyone wanted water they could put it in the kettle. She was one of Alan's great designs. * From Norm Rabe: Art Ahrens covered the basics of a "A Staysail for Racing" for the C&C 30 and for my Ranger 26 (in Scuttlebutt 3668). These boats were somewhat underpowered and any addition of sail area was welcome. The staysail should help keep flow attached to the mainsail. If the spinnaker begins to fold, blow the staysail; as the wind lightens, douse the staysail as it is hurting the spinnaker. A well trimmed staysail gets into the mind of a competitor as you pass him. SELLING. BUYING. HIRING. The Scuttlebutt website provides a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. For free. As a bonus, each week the Scuttlebutt newsletter includes some of the recent ad postings. Have an ad? Post it in the Classified Ad section of the Forum. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION I am fluent in three languages... English, Sarcasm, and Profanity SPONSORS THIS WEEK Atlantis WeatherGear - Team One Newport Soft Deck - APS - North Sails - e-Sailing - Ullman Sails Ribcraft - Summit Yachts - Premiere Racing Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
