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SCUTTLEBUTT 3618 - Friday, June 22, 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: Hall Spars & Rigging and Doyle Sailmakers. BUOY RACING, SAIL COMBINATIONS, AND DIVERSITY The Volvo Ocean Race fleet now waits in Lorient, France for its final leg next week to Galway, Ireland. The Groupama team, led by French skipper Franck Cammas, sits on top of the rankings, with nearly a lock on the title. For Groupama to lose, it will require another team to win out in the two remaining In-Port Races and probably the final 485nm dash to Galway too. The most likely candidate is American Ken Read's PUMA team, which sits second overall and is the leader of the In-Port Series. Ken shares a few comments here... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * To what do you attribute your In-Port Race success? KEN READ: I'm not sure. Definitely we spent a bit of time racing around the buoys with the boys but our Hanuman, Rambler, Mar Mostro experience in closed course racing was as much a team building exercise as anything. We have had our ups and downs around the buoys and I know we are driving our sponsors and fans nuts by not winning one yet. But with that said, we are the most consistent to date and that is all you can really ask for. There are two big ones left, though, and we have to nail these last two in order to have any chance at winning this thing. * Groupama got away from you on Leg 8 (Lisbon to Lorient) when you really needed to beat them. Were you too conservative when the conditions got extreme? KEN READ: We simply had two bad scheds (note: a sched is 3 hours) with the wrong sail combination up. Once you go with a combination, you are pretty stuck with it in 40 to 50 knots of breeze. We went with all our furling sails as we did in the Southern Ocean. Roller furling FRO (fractional reacher) on the end of the sprit, roller furling #4, and a roller furling staysail. We furled and unfurled depending on the conditions. When the breeze was at its windiest, we chose to go with less reefs and the #4, and didn't get as deep as the others. We had similar speeds, but were just too high with that combination. We saw the problem and got the FRO out and put reefs back in and gained a good chunk back, but it was too late to catch Groupama and Camper. * When you announced your intention to skipper the PUMA team in the 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race, you noted how you had done a lifetime of buoy racing and were looking for some diversity. How do you feel about it now? KEN READ: After two laps of the planet...bring on Windward-Leeward racing again! Seriously, I think variety is the key to sailing. Around the Island racing, short point to point racing, Triangles, Windward-Leewards, etc. We need to stay fresh and diversify always. Block Island Race Week has the Around the Island Race to break up the week. There is no reason any regatta can't throw in some new twists. And most likely it would bring another set of winners to the podium when you do that. Spreading around trophies is key. 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 REACHING OUT TO GENERATION Y As part of an effort to make the 238-mile Vineyard Race in Long Island Sound more inclusive, the organizers have announced the formation of the Corinthian Challenge open to high school and college sailors. "We've made great strides in recent years restoring the Vineyard Race to its former glory," said Diane McKeever, chairman of the 2012 Vinyard Race, hosted by the Stamford Yacht Club. "The Corinthian Challenge is the latest change to help grow the number of entries and make the race the pre-eminent distance race on Long Island Sound." The Challenge, created in partnership with David White, head sailing coach at Sacred Heart University, is open to all high school and collegiate sailors between the ages of 14 and 24. At least two thirds of the crew for each entry in the Corinthian Challenge must fit in the age range. In addition, each boat will be required to have two advisers, 25 or older, aboard. There will be separate scoring for eligible boats, details to be announced in the Sailing Instructions. "This is a great opportunity to grow interest in offshore racing for high school and collegiate sailors," White said. "The Vineyard Race, which takes place at the start of the school year for most students provides an early season opportunity for team building and bonding." The 2012 Vineyard Race starts at noon August 31 off Stamford Harbor. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/VR-042212 WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU? Whether your vessel is ten feet long or over a hundred, Hall has got you covered. We're proud to cheer you on in Porto Cervo, St. Tropez, from Newport to Bermuda or anywhere you sail, and supply exceptional spars, rigging, service and parts to help you succeed. Congratulations to JV72 Bella Mente, TP52 Vesper and IRC52 Interlodge for impressive performances at the NYYC Annual Regatta, and to Rogers 82 Aegir and RP85 My Song in the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta. For more news, and to catch the last week of Harken Month discounts in our rigging store, go to http://www.hallspars.com BIGGEST EVER The ACO Musto Skiff World Championship will be held June 26-30, and will be the largest ever gathering of single-handed spinnaker dinghies in the history of the sport. There are currently 108 entries from 11 countries for the event at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, the venue for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Previous championships have seen strong turn outs in the 70's and 80's but this fleet will be the first time the class has achieved the "ton up". The class, by sailing standards, is relatively young having been designed in 1999 in response to ISAF's call for new designs of dinghies for consideration as equipment at the games. Although the Musto Skiff dominated the ISAF trials in 2000, it was the 49er that was selected for the games. However, the class has gone on to become very popular. As a lightweight one person trapeze dinghy with wings, trapeze and asymmetric spinnaker, the class is sailed in 22 countries and achieved full ISAF status in 2007. "A successful class requires a great boat but the sailors and the association are also important factors," said Rick Perkins of the class association. "The class association has always been open and progressive with communications. We have fostered a culture of openness and sharing amongst the sailors which means that at events the atmosphere is always friendly and sailors are always helping each other to improve" Worlds website: http://tinyurl.com/Musto-062112 Class website: http://www.mustoskiff.com/ SAILING SHORTS * Miami, FL (June 21, 2012) - After extreme conditions cancelled racing on Wednesday at the U.S. Snipe National Championship, the 44-boat fleet was able to complete three races today. With only one day remaining, ten points separates the top four teams, with Brazilians Bruno Bethlem de Amorim and Daniel Seixas Claro holding a six point margin over second place Ernesto Rodriguez and crew Cate Gundlach of South Florida. -- Full story: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14036#14036 * St. Petersburg, FL (June 21, 2012) - The opening day of the 2012 Rose Cup, a national youth match racing event to be held on June 21-24, saw Will Holz of Chicago Yacht Club remain undefeated after 8 matches. Racing is in Sonars with teams of four aged 16 to 20 years. The winning skipper of the Rose Cup receives an invitation to the prestigious 2012 Governor's Cup in Newport Beach, California on July 17-22, as well as the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Harken Youth International Match Racing Championships on February 20-24, 2013. Details: http://www.matchracingresults.com/2012/rose-cup-youth-regatta/event.php * America's Cup defender Oracle Team USA owner Larry Ellison has reached a deal to buy 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The sale price for the property, which comprises the vast majority of the island's 141 square miles, was not immediately clear. The Maui News previously reported the asking price was between $500 million and $600 million. Ellison plans to pay cash. The deal involves 88,000 acres of land, plus two resorts, two golf courses, a stable and various residential and commercial buildings. -- Huffington Post, full story: http://tinyurl.com/HP-062112 * SAIL Magazine announced that Robert Rich of Round Rock, Texas won SAIL's Crew for a Day contest. This earns Rich a spot as a guest racer on board an AC45 during the America's Cup World Series on June 28 in Newport, Rhode Island. SAIL's Crew for a Day contest, which is sponsored by West Marine and Harken, had over 1,000 entries. Contest entrants were asked to describe in 50 words or less their greatest personal moment in sailing. -- Soundings Trade Only, full report: http://tinyurl.com/STO-062112 * The four-alarm blaze that ripped through San Francisco's Pier 29 on Wednesday caused more than $2 million in damage, the fire department said. The site is part of a triangular-shaped pier that will play a central role during the America's Cup in 2013. America's Cup officials said they did not think the damage would "impact our plans for the site and we look forward to moving ahead with the future construction of the America's Cup Village at Pier 27/29." -- SF Business Times, read on: http://tinyurl.com/SFBT-062112 EIGHT BELLS Jim Drake, the co-inventor of the "Windsurfer" and father of modern windsurfing, has passed away at the age of 83. Drake, a North American aeronautics engineer, had improved an earlier design by Peter Chilvers and Newman Darby. In the 1970s, Jim Drake and his partner Hoyle Schweitzer submitted the patent for their "Windsurfer" design, based on the Newman Darby's techniques. They credited him for their version of the sailboard. Jim Drake learned from Darby's developments and upgraded the board and rig layout, as well as the universal joint which stands modern and used all over the world. Drake was born in California in 1929. Thirty five years later, he was trying to develop a kite powered surfboard that would allow him to sail down the Potomac River. Later, he meets Hoyle Schweitzer - a keen surfer - and they decide to build and test their first models in Marina del Rey. After falling several times, he knew he had to introduce the uphaul. Watch an historical video documenting these water tests, here: http://youtu.be/TqkMRkcGXiY By 1967, they had already named it "Baja Board" but, interestingly, it was a Public Relations professional who found the perfect word for their sailing concept. "I have the perfect name for it! The Windsurfer!", the PR yelled. Name accepted. In 1973, Jim Drake sells his half of the patent to Windsurfing International, owned by Hoyle Schweitzer, for $36,000. The windsurfing business grows and is very popular in Europe during the 1980s. The US courts decide that the "Windsurfer" is strongly inspired in Peter Chilvers and Newman Darby's prototypes and Schweitzer closes his Windsurfing International. Jim Drake's contribution to the sport of windsurfing is decisive. "I have an optimistic view about the sport (...) The one that's brought on by the media is the picture of the sport as being this athletic circus trick of jumping waves and whirling around this great wide ocean", Drake once told. "Well, that's simply not what the sport is. Just not at all. It has much more broad application and pleasures to it. Because people who are athletically inclined but not as superbly coordinated as Robby [Naish] can enjoy the sport in many regards without having to ever get airborne". -- Surfer Today, http://tinyurl.com/ST-062112 SHOCKWAVE'S SECRET WEAPON Congratulations to George Sakellaris and Team Shockwave for winning overall in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division under both ORR and IRC scoring and claiming the combined Gibbs Hill and St David's IRC North Rock Trophy in the 2012 Newport Bermuda Race. Shockwave was powered by a full Doyle inventory including a new secret weapon - an ultra-lightweight, high-performance, Stratis Code O on an innovative furling system. This powerful Code 0 carried Shockwave for about 40% of the miles covered and to speeds as high as 24.9 knots! To learn more about the science behind the sails, visit http://www.doylesails.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include kelp check, Hobie Day, sprit fight, celebration, hangover cure, guest pass, recreation, and uninvited visitor. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0622/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK CNN's Mainsail show looks at the origins of kiteboarding, and reviews how it has become selected as an Olympic event for the 2016 Games. Host Shirley Robertson travels to San Francisco to visit where kiteboard course racing was born, and to observe the close friendship and rivalry of kiteboarding's top three competitors. Shirley also takes a look at whether the sailing world can learn something about speed from Kitesurfing. Click here for this week's videos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/12/0622/ Bonus Videos: * This week on America's Cup Uncovered Episode 44, we are going to be looking at a skipper who is on his way up. We meet Nathan Outteridge, the skipper of Team Korea, as we go behind the scenes with the team and learn more about the first challenge from Korea. Then it's all eyes on Newport, the final stop of the 2011-12 AC World Series, where ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL is in pole position, with a 4 point lead over Emirates Team NZ heading into racing next week. Tune in on Saturday June 23 at approx 0800 PDT 1600 BST: http://www.youtube.com/americascup * The magnificent yachts in the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta lead the June 22 "World on Water" Global boating News Show then more "eye candy" in the Giraglia Rolex Cup in Saint-Tropez, then more in the Audi Sardinia Cup, the ORC Mediterranean Championships in Cres, Croatia, the finish of Leg 8 of the Volvo in Lorient, France and in "Fresh to Frightening" the Dutch yacht Tonnerre de Breskens wipes out in the RORC IRC National Championships. See it on http://www.boatson.tv or download it free onto your "smart" phone/tablet for viewing anywhere anytime. * With the 2012 Olympic Games now just over one month away, this video provides a peak at the sailing events that will be held in England: http://youtu.be/xv2qhAu_j9c SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.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 Jeffry Matzdorff: Regarding SPOT (in Scuttlebutt 3617), I have the tracking feature which does report my position every 10 minutes. Additionally, when I'm offshore, both my 'Help' and '911' buttons are programmed to send a text message to the cell phone of two land based friends who have agreed to leave their cell phones on at all times and agreed to the below procedures. 1) 'Help' button is pushed notifying my contacts to stand by, we may have a problem. 2) '911' is a message to both contacts to call Search and Rescue and give them my Lat/Lon AND the USCG Search and Rescue telephone number is part of that 911 text message. VERY important * From Markus Schwendtner, International Kiteboarding Association: After Kiteboarding has been chosen as an event for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro at the ISAF mid-year meeting in Stresa, Italy earlier this year, the new sailing discipline made its first appearance at an ISAF Sailing World Cup - Kieler-Woche - in Kiel, Germany last week. While including Kiteboarding as a full event was not possible due to ISAF regulations that allowed only 2012 Olympic classes, the local Kiteboarding fleet was invited to hold two demonstration races on the Olympic class medal race day. The fleet of five kiteboarders were sent out before the start of the first medal race and completed two 15 minute races on exactly the same course as the Olympic class fleets would be competing on. The focus of the Race Management and Jury/Umpire teams were on using exactly the same procedures as they would apply to the medal races of the other classes, including course setting, starting systems, and especially umpiring under RRS addendum Q. The age of the local fleet ranged from late teens to mid fifties including one women who fought her way around the course together with the man. All racing was competitive in winds ranging from 7 to 10 knots. The organizers and ISAF officials found there were no issues and no additional requirements needed to conduct the kite races during a standard sailboat regatta. Kiel Week is to be complemented for taking the initiative to conduct this demonstration for media, TV, spectators, judges, race managers and sailing enthusiasts around the world. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Aspire to inspire before you expire. SPONSORS THIS WEEK New England Boatworks - Kaenon Polarized - North Sails - Gowrie Group SailFast - Mount Gay Rum - Point Loma Outfitting - Gladstone's Long Beach Southern Spars - Ullman Sails - Hall Spars & Rigging - Doyle Sailmakers Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
