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SCUTTLEBUTT 3541 - Tuesday, March 6, 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: North U, Atlantis WeatherGear, and Soft Deck. DOWN BUT NOT OUT While the domination by Brad Van Liew in the 2010-11 Velux 5 Oceans race earned him a nomination for US Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, it did not provide him the financial support needed to sustain his Open 60 campaign. As reported in Scuttlebutt 3540, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court was forced to step in, but as Meaghan Van Liew explains below, Brad may be down but he is not out: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- News of scandal, failure and controversy seems to permeate the news these days. I understand the job of reporting includes sharing the stories of success, and failure, and everything in between. As the closest source of experience and information about Brad Van Liew, I am compelled to write a short and candid explanation. It is heartbreaking that Van Liew Ventures has declared bankruptcy, after fifteen years of business. There were extraordinary times (sponsorships with mainstream American brands, multiple victories, international press, and amazing relationships) and challenges (dismastings, product failures, financial strife, and the ever-present obstacle of convincing companies to invest in an unusual sponsorship property). As a team we always aimed to under promise and over deliver. The bottom line is that Brad was recruited to do the last race (Velux 5 Oceans) and the expectations of a large fleet and mass media were not realized. We could not attain a title sponsor, and therefore it was a race of survival, on the water and on land. We are thankful for all the amazing support of the sponsors and hundreds of individuals that felt compelled to be part of an historic American victory. The original business may be gone now, but believe me when I say Brad is alive and well and yes... still sailing. His new business (as seen at www.oceanracing.org) is focused on sail training, maritime events, speaking engagements and consulting. Sailing with the international Maserati team is not a bad gig either! They will be blasting off shortly for some more speed records in the Atlantic (www.maserati.soldini.it). Brad is not a quitter and although activities on the water or in business can seem devastating, one can crumble or one can move on and seek a better future. Brad's inclination was not to respond to this news. However, I feel it is important to know that while Van Liew Ventures may be out of business, Brad Van Liew is not. Thanks to all those individuals in the marine industry (and not) that have expressed their compassion and care during this difficult time. WINTER WORLD CHAMPS The World Ice and Snow Sailing Association wrapped up their 2012 World Championships last week in St. Ignace, Michigan (Feb. 20-26). The Straits of Mackinac, recognized by some sailors as the last stretch of the iconic Chicago-Mackinac Race, are also known as the international ice bridge in winter. Despite getting nearly twenty feet of snow each year, the ice in the straits is generally clear of snow because of constantly howling winds - perfect for a WISSA World Championships! Except this year for the first time in recorded history, the ice never came. Racing moved to nearby Chain Lake, which was not big enough for all three classes to race at once. The three classes at the event are: - Sled Class: Any sled powered by windsurfing rig where rider is standing - Hand Held Class: Any wing held directly by hand - Kite Class: Any wing connected by line Kites used the snow covered course whiles sleds and wings ran Short Track Slalom [STS] on a plowed area of ice - again - props to the organizers & volunteers who made this possible! Winds on Chain Lake were a fraction of what was expected, but competitors from Finland, Canada, Sweden, USA, Latvia, France, Russia, Switzerland, Cuba, made the best of it. Results are found at http://www.wissa2012.com/results BACKGROUND: The WISSA Ice & Snow Sailing World Championships are the longest running international competitions in the history of windsurfing, kite sailing, and wing sailing - ironic given that at least two of those are perceived as water sports. Next year's contest will be in Kalajoki, Finland, and 2014 will be in Quebec. -- http://www.wissa.org FAST IN ALL CONDITIONS Optimum sail shape varies with wind speed and sea state. In smooth water a flat shape with little twist provides high pointing and excellent speed; but a narrow groove and poor acceleration. In chop a deeper more twisted shape provides a wider steering groove and better acceleration; but lower pointing and speed. Learn how to achieve full power, get the best mix of power, balance power between the main and jib, and how to evaluate your performance at a North U TRIM Seminar or Webinar. And then we turn downwind. Full info at http://www.northu.com RECORDS FROM THE HARD The World Sailing Speed Record Council was established in 1972 to provide impartial results for increasing numbers of claims to high speed sailing craft. The organization was empowered by the International Sailing Federation to establish the standards that records must follow, and to insure that the results are accurate. But the domain of the WSSRC is soft water only. Here we have an update from Jeff Brown regarding hard surface sailing - ice and land: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is some news for Iceboards in the northeast. This video has some unique features with use of Dashware to show realtime speeds in sync with GPS speed data output and video time, along with GPS track data overlay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NixkmV8d3lM On February 12th, we set new official GPS World Record speeds as recognized by the World GPS Surfing Record Committee (WGPSSRC). Five other participants each surpassed the 50 knot barrier! Ice Record Rankings page: http://tinyurl.com/GPS-ICE-030512 Record Committee: http://tinyurl.com/GPS-KITE-030512 These speeds are quite accurate, by using two specialized GT-31 GPS units, averaged together, for a specific time period of a single 10 second speed run. This has become a universal standard for GPS speeds as practiced by windsurfers and kitesurfers around the world. Record claims must be submitted to the WGPSSRC for complete review of data, in depth study of accuracy, including the # of satellites locked in! There is also a special protocol to be followed to make any record claim. Other "fun" rankings on the site are under more liberal submittals and use an average of your best 5 runs, each 10 seconds long and then averaged together. Anyone can upload their GPS data to be listed in those rankings. The Top 10 on upper right reflects the current "Fun" category. Here is a standard fun ranking overall for all crafts, ice & land combined: http://www.gps-icesailing.com/default.aspx?mnu=rankings Two other sister sites: http://www.gps-kitesurfing.com/default.aspx http://www.gps-speedsurfing.com ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE (March 5, 2012; Day 15) - As the Volvo Ocean Race media man Yann Riou on Groupama 4 reported today, "The days are tending to become a little monotonous". And we can well understand this sentiment since Franck Cammas and his men have been on the same point of sail for over a week! Seven days heeled over on port tack, in a breeze varying between 8 and 25 knots, where the only manoeuvres involve shifting the stack of sails longitudinally and switching from the J1 to the J2 genoa, then back to the J1 or the Code 0. Stadium sailing, it is not. Then there is the stifling heat of the equator, with the sun directly overhead, without the possibility of really opening the hatches to get some air circulating down below. The onboard atmosphere is both sticky and heavy, and it will be another three to four days before the tropical heat fades as a result of a more temperate austral autumn offshore of New Zealand. Glamour sailing, it is not. The story today was the merging of the east and west factions. The eastern boats are burning gauge for bearing, while the clocking forecast of the ESE winds are drawing the western boats to the east before it becomes too late. The meeting area is just west of New Caledonia, where all the teams will offer enough berth to avoid its shadow before turning left for the finish. - Source: Groupama 4, Scuttlebutt Leg 4 - Sanya, China to Auckland, NZL (5,220 nm) Standings as of Tuesday, 06 March 2012, 1:01:15 UTC 1. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 1197.8 nm Distance to Finish 2. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 98.4 nm Distance to Lead 3. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 157.1 nm DTL 4. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 213.7 nm DTL 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 251.3 nm DTL 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 344.1 nm DTL Tracking/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos Race schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule 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 CHINA SEA - 2, RACES - 0 When the Volvo Ocean Race sought to start their leg from Sanya, China to Auckland, New Zealand on February 19th, a voracious storm thought otherwise. But with huge crowds and television coverage planned for the Sunday event, they forged a solution for an inshore race that would restart on Monday when the offshore conditions eased. This past weekend, the Clipper 11-12 Race fleet was to depart on Sunday (Mar. 4) from Qingdao, China for their 6000 nm leg to Oakland, CA. But when difficult weather conditions and poor visibility blanketed the race course, the China Sea would soon be halting its second race. With an exceedingly lavish departure ceremony shown live on Chinese television, the show had to go on. An icy blast brought snow showers sweeping across the Olympic Sailing Centre just before the boats were to leave the harbor. But rather than remain in harbor, the fleet motored to a waypoint 25nm offshore to wait out the storm. That moment finally came Monday morning when the race got underway at 0235 UTC (1035 local time). The fleet is expected to arrive in Oakland, California between 1-7 April and will be hosted by the 2012 Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show in Jack London Square. BACKGROUND: The Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race started on July 31st from Southampton on the UK's south coast and will return to the Solent in July 2012 after 40,000 miles of ocean racing - the world's longest ocean race. Over 500 people representing more than 40 nations plan to compete among the 10 equally matched 68-foot long masthead cutters designed by Ed Dubois. They can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more of eight legs. http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com DISCOVER: BRAND NEW GEAR FOR A BRAND NEW SEASON 2007 marked the rebirth of Atlantis WeatherGear, and the brand's return to the performance sailing arena with a line of performance sailing gear designed by sailors for sailors in the seaside town of Marblehead, MA. Since then, despite some pretty gnarly conditions, we seem to have stayed on the lifted tack, and we continue to build out our line. From world-class performance sailing gear to our sailing-inspired Deck-to-Dock line, we make gear for the coastal lifestyle we live - and love. Check out the new 2012 line: http://www.facebook.com/AtlantisWeatherGear. Discover Life on the Water. Discover Your Atlantis MELGES 32 WINTER CIRCUIT Miami, FL (March 4, 2012) - After two days of racing at the 2012 Melges 32 Miami Championship, racing was called off on Sunday as a fast approaching cold front was expected to deliver severe weather and high winds beyond class rule limitations. The winner in the 26 boat fleet after six races was Alec Cutler aboard Hedgehog, aided by tactician Richard Clarke, crew members Max Skelley, Mike Wolfs, Eric Dorman, Charlie Pucciariello, Sarah Callahan and Alan 'Budda' Nakanishi. With the conclusion of the Melges 32 Miami Championship came the end of the 2012 Midwinter Championship Series. The Series consisted of combined scores from the 2011 Gold Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Miami. A total of thirty-two teams competed in the Series and atop the field is Champion John Kilroy on Samba Pa Ti. Steve Howe on Warpath place second overall and initially lead the Series starting with a big win at Gold Cup and a fifth in Key West. A disappointing 13th in Miami surrendered his MCS lead. Rounding on the top three was Joel Ronning's Catapult. Miami report: http://www.melges32.com/?p=news&id=876 Series report: http://www.melges32.com/?p=news&id=877 John Payne photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0305/ FREE CLASSIFIED ADS The Scuttlebutt Classified Ads provide a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Here are some recent ads: * Hiring at Regatta Point Community Sailing, Worcester, MA * Profurl Furler for sale * 1981 Pearson Flyer for sale * Hylas 42 for sale View/post ads here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/classified_ads SAILING SHORTS * Miami, FL (March 5, 2012) - Conditions were near perfect as 51 teams of Star sailors headed out on Biscayne Bay for the first day of racing in the 85th BACARDI Cup. Headlining BACARDI Miami Sailing Week (BMSW) presented by EFG Bank, the Stars will race alone through Thursday, March 8, after which they will be joined by the Viper 640, Audi Melges 20, Melges 24 and J/80 classes. The Austrian team of five-time Olympian Hans Spitzauer, sailing with Gerd Habermueller, won today's series opener. Racing concludes for all classes on Saturday, March 10. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13371#13371 * Long Beach, CA (March 4, 2012) - One hundred thirty seven dinghy entries competed in the Southern California Yachting Association's annual E.E. Manning Regatta, organized and hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. Winners among the seven divisions were Chuck Sinks and 16-year-old offspring Scott who won the Snipe and CFJ classes, respectively. -- Full report: http://www.abyc.org/event.cfm?id=476 * St. Petersburg, FL (March 5, 2012) - Forty-one teams are competing this week at the Thistle Midwinter's East Championship, hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club on March 5-9. Paul Abdullah rolled a 2-1 to lead the field after the first day, with defending champion Greg Griffin two points back in second place. -- Results: http://twitter.com/#!/skipdieball/status/176812830438330368/photo/1 * Yale University sits on top of a very deep field at the beginning of the 2012 spring college team racing season. Rankings are based on college teams' performance in team race regattas and an average of the polling from the Team Race Ranking Panelists: Ken Legler (Tufts), Bill Healy (Yale), John Vandemoer (Stanford), Ward Cromwell (Charleston), and Brendan Healy (Navy). Here are the latest rankings for 02 MARCH 2012: http://www.sail1design.com/rankings/icsa-rankings * The 125 nm spring race from Newport Beach, Calif. to Ensenada, Mexico has been renamed the Lexus Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race. The luxury car company is now the new title sponsor for the 65th annual offshore race that starts Friday, April 27. With 170 boats already entered, the N2E is in resurgence toward its traditional levels of participation, and is expected to far exceed last year's total of 175. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13370 SOFT, PEEL AND STICK NONSKID DECKING SOLUTION. Easy to use, great traction even when wet, barefoot friendly, installs over existing nonskid in minutes. We now offer Sabot Kits for most popular models starting at $69.95. Available at Sailing Supply in San Diego, or 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 Eric Sorensen: For Mike Hobson and his solution on GPS coordinates using a VHF (in Scuttlebutt 3540), the VHF has to have the AIS broadcast for it to show up on another boat's GPS with AIS ID. If all mark and committee boats have this they can see each other on the screen of the GPS. It does require a GPS that can interface with the VHF. A handheld of either will not work. It can get expensive, but then it is easy. * From Peter van Muyden: The Garmin Rino GPS units contain a GMRS radio. The geographic location of the GPS's are sent as waypoints when two radios are communicating. There is an option to broadcast waypoints between radios that use the same frequency. Geographic locations of other radios can be polled. * From John N. Dennis: I am truly sad for Brad and his family on the loss of Le Pingouin and his personal bankruptcy (in Scuttlebutt 3540). That Brad could not find sponsorship in the USA for his last race is very sad. Twice Brad swept all legs of this race in 2002-3 and 2010-11. Brad would go out of his way to help all of his fellow competitor in these races. A finer person would be hard to find. Brad also led the building of South Carolina's sail training ship and development of a fantastic waterfront program along with his wife. To be sued for rent by a landlord after he had left the organization is disgraceful. Go break some records Brad. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong, and an even bigger one to keep his mouth shut when he's right. SPONSORS THIS WEEK APS - Gowrie Group - North U - Atlantis WeatherGear - Soft Deck North Sails - JK3 Nautical Enterprises - Ullman Sails - The Pirates Lair Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
