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SCUTTLEBUTT 3642 - Friday, July 27, 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: Camet and Quantum Sails. ALEX THOMSON SMASHES ATLANTIC RECORD (July 26, 2012) - British solo sailor, Alex Thomson has smashed the single-handed monohull transatlantic record, by more than 24 hours, crossing the finish line at Lizard Point, off Falmouth in Cornwall, in time to get back for the London Olympic Opening ceremony. The 38 year old sailor crossed the line at 17:17 GMT (18:17 BST) setting the new time at 8 days 22 hours 8 minutes, beating the previous record, subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council, which had been held for 10 years. "It has been a long few days," said Alex. "The first half from New York was great with weather conditions in our favour, but things started to slow down the closer I got. But the wind has held out this morning and it's so fantastic to have broken this record." Alex set sail from New York on July 17th at 19.09GMT to cover 2800 nautical miles in a quest to break the record for what is officially known as the 'West to East Ambrose Lighthouse to Lizard Point Under 60ft Single-Handed Monohull Record, Male', which sat at 10 days, 55 minutes and 19 seconds, and was set by Swiss sailor Bernhard Stamm 10 years ago. His secondary aim was to get home in time for the 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in order to support Chairman and good friend, Sir Keith Mills. "When I set off I had no idea if I was going to be able to do it. And it has been hard. Lack of sleep, broken instruments on the boat and constant exposure to the elements has really taken it out of me. But it's such a good feeling to have beaten it by such a great margin," said Alex. But the record breaking achievement is only half of the story. Alex is in fact lining up to attempt to be the first Brit ever to win the grueling single-handed round-the-world race, the Vendee Globe, leaving from France in November on board his 60ft monohull, HUGO BOSS. And this record breaking achievement puts him in good stead. "This record attempt was also a training exercise for the Vendee Globe," said Alex. "We felt this record attempt would put me under real pressure and stimulate race conditions and I have felt a real value in it." -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/cgzg6vu BEN AINSLIE - HOPES OF A NATION Ben Ainslie talks to Robert Deaves of the International Finn Association, about his fifth Olympic Games and his final preparations going into what is undoubtedly the most important regatta of his life. After winning Silver in the Laser in 1996 and Gold in 2000, Ben Ainslie moved into the Finn class and won back to back Gold medals in 2004 and 2008. Now, in 2012 Ben is on the brink of becoming the most successful Olympic sailor of all time. Currently this accolade is held by another Finn sailor, Paul Elvstrom, who won four Olympic Gold medals from 1948 to 1960, the first in a Firefly and then three in the Finn. If Ainslie wins Gold on Sunday, 5 August, he will beat Elvstrom's record and enter the history books yet again. Though he is still the outright favourite to take a third Finn Gold, it will be no easy task. At 35 he is one of the oldest sailors in the Finn fleet, and sailing what could potentially be his last Olympic Games. But in this highly competitive fleet he has almost completely dominated the 2011 and 2012 seasons, notching up impressive victories at the 2011 Olympic Test Event and the 2012 Finn Gold Cup, his sixth Finn World Championship. First we asked him what is so special about this Olympics."Really because it's a home Olympics which makes it very special. I was in Trafalgar Square when they announced that London had won the bid for 2012, the atmosphere was electric and that's when I decided I wanted to continue my Olympic career and be a part of it." Ben's profile within sailing and especially within UK sport is at an all time high. His image has been used to publicise the London 2012 Olympic Games in a way that a sailor has never been used before, and he carries the hopes of the whole nation to win the Gold. In light of this does he regard the 2012 Olympics as the most important regatta in his life? "It is the most important regatta in my life right now, but they were all important to get to this point. In my mind I focus on the event and what I have to do to be successful, I can't worry about anything else." -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/cq9f9fb RATED # 1 AGAIN... Once again the CAMET women's and men's shorts have been rated # 1 amongst all padded sailing shorts in the US market. Best in quality, comfort, drying time, pocket location and UV protection our shorts are lightweight and abrasion resistant. Combine Camet shorts with Code Zip shirts made out of a lightweight, fast drying, moisture wicking fabric (designed with a mini mock neck for sun protection and a 1/4 zipper for ventilation) and you will have the best of the best. Our products are manufactured in the USA. http://www.camet.com/?Click=2221 SCHEDULE FOR OLYMPIC SAILING STARTING SUNDAY The waters of Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour will be the locations for ten sailing events in the 2012 Olympics. The schedule for the sailing events is extensive because there are so many races. As of right now, NBC does not have any television programming scheduled for any sailing event, although there is a disclaimer that says the programming could change at any time so continue to check. Below is a detailed schedule of events - all times are EDT. July 29 7:00 a.m. Men's Finn - Race 1 8:30 a.m. Men's Finn - Race 2 8:30 a.m. Women's Elliott 6m - Round Robin 8:35 a.m. Men's Star - Race 1 9:50 a.m. Men's Star - Race 2 Schedule at: http://tinyurl.com/d2bz8k9 * In case you don't subscribe to NBCOlympics.com email newsletters, here is a sample from today titled Counting down to the Olympic and Paralympic Games: http://olympics.ussailing.org/ * If you didn't catch the NBC Wednesday Nightly News with Brian William, here is the link to a profile on the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team and how elite athletes train for the Olympic Games that aired on the show: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/48327879/ US SAILING CHIEF AIRS DOPING CONCERN (July 26, 2012) - America's Olympic sailing boss Dean Brenner says it would be naive to suggest his sport is immune from doping. Olympic sailors have placed an increased emphasis on fitness in the run-up to the London Games, with most spending hours in the gym building hulking physiques capable of hauling ropes and pumping sails to gain extra speed. Muscular bodies are more important in some sailing classes than others, but the evidence of the gym work some sailors have put in is clearly evident at the Olympic sailing venue in Weymouth, southwest England. The American sailing team on Thursday highlighted the massive focus they've placed on fitness since 2008, with Finn competitor Zach Railey saying he's put on 18kg to cope with conditions at the Olympic venue in Weymouth, southwest England. Brenner, US Sailing's director, says he's not heard of any instances of doping - but suggested it would be naive to think it won't happen in the future. "There are systems in place and we trust the systems but like every other sport fitness is becoming increasingly important in sailing and I think the importance curve has got very, very steep," he told AAP. "It's changed very, very quickly and our sport is dramatically different to what it was certainly eight years ago, 12 years ago. I don't know of anything in our sport yet but, you know, you'd be naive to suggest it'll never come." -- Full story: http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8506215 MODIFIED ACWS FORMAT REWARDS CONSISTENCY San Francisco, CA (July 26, 2012) - After a variety of formulae were tried out in the first season of the America's Cup World Series, the format of the events has been modified for the next season beginning August 21-26 in San Francisco confirms Iain Murray, Race Director. First, unlike last year, the format will stay the same at every leg: five days of racing finishing with the big final on Super Sunday. Second, the races raced before the big final will have a higher weighting in the overall rankings. "In short, the impact of each race in the fleet racing and match racing has been increased in the season's overall rankings", explained Murray. At each leg, racing will begin on Wednesday afternoon with the match racing. Over the following three days up until Saturday, two fleet races will be run with points counting towards qualification for the match race semi-finals. On the closing day, Super Sunday, the top four teams in the match racing overall rankings will meet in the semi-finals and the winners will face each other in the final big duel. Finally, all the teams will compete in the final race in the Fleet Race championship. Just one small adjustment has been made to this schedule, which will reward consistency: for the first event in San Francisco, the semi-final and the final of the match racing (which will usually take place on the Sunday) will be raced on Saturday afternoon, in order to make the most of the best weather conditions, as if racing began too early on Sunday, there would be the risk that the match racing would take place in light and variable conditions, before the sea breezes had time to develop. Racing will be shown on TV from Friday through Sunday, with the highlights of Thursday's racing also being shown. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/bpl9726 FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE BAR FOR FIRST PAC CUP FINISHERS (July 26, 2012) - At 1650 hours on Thursday, the crew on Icon, the Perry 66, was likely licking their lips knowing a frosty cold beverage sits less than 164 nm away. They're currently leading the 2012 Pac Cup fleet into Kaneohe Yacht Club, looking to a Friday morning arrival. Hot on their heels is Double Trouble, the J125, in the same breeze 12+ knots from 230 degrees, with just 242.20 nm from paradise, and currently sitting in first overall. Said DT navigator Skip MacCormack earlier today, "This boat has been LIT UP. We have been pushing hard. The last two nights were spent sending it into complete darkness. There has been no visual reference what-so-ever until last night when we had stars to drive by for 30 minutes until we were engulfed by another big, black, horizon eating rain cloud. No throttling back, keep pushing, pushing, pushing to get to the leverage point first in an attempt to remove options from our competitors. We have now gybed and are headed to Hawaii. Now we are officially allowed to talk about that first Mai Tai. No more of this unofficial talk. So far, Jody (MacCormack) has the boat speed record at 20.8. She is killing it, having gained huge confidence in her driving skills." Medusa, the Santa Cruz 52 skippered by Jay Spaulding is sitting 351.80 nm behind Double Trouble but still comfortably in front of J World's Hula Girl who has 415 nm left in this race. From Hula Girl, Wayne Zittel talked of sleigh rides today, "It's been a wild couple of days. Early Tuesday morning, we entered a solid band of breeze, which lasted for about two days. Winds were mostly 20-25 knots, with occasional squalls pushing things to around 30. Hula Girl was dancing with the waves, ticking off prolonged runs at 15, 16 knots and occasional leaps over 20. Just a complete blast, but nerve wracking... the squalls come on fast, and last a loooong time. You see the darkness come up behind you. Then you feel the rain. Then the wind is on you, the boat literally takes off, and your sleigh ride has begun. You'd better bring your A game. But we have taken some lumps too. We blew up a kite (my favorite 2A. We broke a gooseneck pin (good on the sharp eyes of Tim for noticing it before it became a big issue). We got some debris caught on the prop and strut, then later caught a sheet down there... had to drop the kite and park it for a bit to clear the tangle. We broke an after guy. And so on. Radio chatter indicates that more than a couple boats have has issues, but luckily nothing sounds too major."-- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/cg873bo HATS OFF TO THE CHAMPIONS Each day of the Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship held in Newport, RI yielded a different leader, keeping everyone in suspense until the final day. Congratulations to Quantum customer Jim Richardson on Barking Mad who clinched the title by six points. The week before, the J/24s were battling for the US National Championship in shifty winds at Lake Dillon, CO. Skipper John Mollicone dominated the event on 11th Hour Racing, powered by Quantum Sails, to take the title. The crew, which included Tim Healy of Quantum Newport, finished the event with 13 points and a 21-point lead. http://www.QuantumSails.com ILCA YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DAY 2 Jarvenpaa, Finland (July 26, 2012) - Two days of racing have been completed at the International Lightning Class Association's Youth World Championship held at Tuusulanjarven Purjehtijatry. 16 Teams from 8 countries made the trip to see who would take home the title of 2012 Lightning Youth World Champions. Five races have been completed with fare competition and complimented by very nice sailing weather. Conditions could not be any better on the Lake. The Canadian Team of Adam MacDonald, Abby Bennett and Sam Jones hailing from the Buffalo Canoe Club, Point Abino, Ontario are currently sitting in first place with 11.3 total points. After a small setback in Race 3 where redress has been given, the Team has been consistently in the top 3 of each race. Just behind them is the USA Team of Timmy Crann from the Metedeconk River Yacht Club, Brick NJ with crew Lauren Jones and Ali Blumenthal. Again consistency is paying off and the team is 4 points out of first. Another American Team from the Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH, Mike Gemperline, Scott Vining and Stu Wallace round out the top 3 with 21 points. Racing continues tomorrow, with two scheduled races. A final 8th race is scheduled for Friday. -- Report at: http://tinyurl.com/cmnvuha GONE SAILING The editor for the Photo and Video of the Week is on vacation this week. Look for these features to return next Friday. Please keep sending in your submissions to the Scuttlebutt editor: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com SAILING SHORTS * Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic (July 26, 2012) - Yokoyama Elisa Yukie is the new Optimist World Champion for 2012. Yokoyama and Neo Samuel Jiun Jie (Singapore) had their own battle for first place and the rest of the fleet didn't seem to be important to them. They both scored a bullet and had only one point difference when going to the final race. Right behind them was their compatriot Goh Jessica Kai Ling who also scored a bullet and was only one point behind second. Singapore therefore claimed the top three spots on the podium. -- Full results at: http://www.optiworlds2012.org/ * The fourth day of the SAP 5O5 World Championship was a good day for the French with four teams finishing in the top 20. La Rochelle locals Bertrand Loyal and Laurent Nevo had great boat speed and led the fleet around the course with a comfortable lead. They had a great start, making the most of the wind shift and held onto first place for the duration of the race. Jorgen Bojsen-Moller/Jacob Bojsen-Moller (DEN) are in second, and Edward Conrads / Brian Haines (USA) sit in third. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/bra796b * (July 25, 2012) - The Marblehead Junior Race week, hosted by the Pleon Yacht Club, saw over 350 kids actively participating and over 270 boats, including Opti, Open Bic, Laser, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, and 420 fleets. Conditions varied with a huge squall on day 2, and a fabulous third day with a NW breeze. -- Results at:http://tinyurl.com/chdqwtg 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 Lori Ruddiger: I am very saddened to hear of Hal Ward's passing. My supportive love goes out to his family and all the community feeling the loss of such a gracious friend and sailing sportsman. I have so many fantastic memories that I cherish that were created by Hal, a person who knew how to live life to the fullest, took us along and showed us how to do the same - the best gift ever. I love you Hal, and please don't get Mark into too much trouble now, okay? * From John Sweeney (re, Scuttlebutt 3640): Pilot Advice: The probability of survival is equal to the angle of arrival. ?? Wouldn't that be 'conversely proportional to the angle of arrival'? For example an 89 degree angle of arrival has approximately 1 percent chance of success. * From David Pelling: Curmudgeon, are you sure about that? I would have thought that if I arrive at an angle of 90 degrees to the ground my probability of survival would be quite low! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Did you know... the San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile U.S. National Monuments. SPONSORS THIS WEEK Soft Deck - Hall Spars & Rigging - US Sailing - North Sails - Pure Yachting Harken - Team One Newport - Allen Insurance and Financial Ullman Sails - APS - Camet - Quantum Sails Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
