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SCUTTLEBUTT 3640 - Wednesday, July 25, 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: Harken, Team One Newport, and Allen Insurance and Financial. ERIKA HEINEKEN NEW NORTH AMERICAN KITEBOARD CHAMPION 26-year old Erika Heineken, from Marin County, Calif., is the new women's North American Course Racing Champion. It's her first major kiteboarding win, and she shares the success with brother Johnny Heineken, who was also crowned the 2012 men's North American Course Racing Champion this past weekend. Sailblast chatted with Erika this morning and she sounded super excited to have won this event. I didn't ask but assumed she was NOT spending the day at her job as a mechanical engineer for the Department of Public Works in San Francisco; hopefully she was taking a day off to celebrate her success. How did it feel to be up there on the podium? EH: It felt great! Seemed like you were in the game the entire event? EH: Yeah, I sailed really consistently. I got in a few tangles which didn't help my overall score but I sailed really consistently in both the qualifiers and the gold final series races. I was the only girl to make the gold fleet which was cool! I ended up getting 23rd overall and I think the next girl finished 25 spots below me. So I was pretty much racing against the guys which I'm used to and I love! What training did you do to prepare for the event? EH: My training regimen includes just sailing here - all summer. I haven't traveled, I've just been sailing at Crissy and it's been amazing. We've had the best summer here I can imagine. Were you happy with your result? EH: Yeah! I wanted to get top 20 but once I saw who registered - we ended up getting a huge group of the best international men - once I saw that they were going to come I knew I wasn't going to finish as high but at the same time it was super exciting to be racing against the best in the world in my home. None of the good international girls showed up which was kind of disappointing. I'd like to see where I stand in comparison to them before I go to the Worlds in October. Is there a range of conditions better suited for you? EH: Yeah - I'd say 20-30 knots in chop I'm really fast! When I'm on my 7m, I'm pretty fast, when I'm on my 9 - well, I'm getting better on that - but this summer 90% of the days I've been on my 7 and it's been just wonderful. That's the one thing going into the international fleet is that I need to figure out how to get more light air practice. Do you see yourself windsurfing again? EH: I'd love to go out if the gear was rigged ready to go and conditions were perfect, but I'll never go back to . rigging again. Kiting is more exciting. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/dyx2yuz INTENSE FEW WEEKS FOR SOLO SAILOR RONNIE SIMPSON Ronnie Simpson has drawn a name for himself this past six months, not only as a single-handed sailor but also for his work in initiating and organizing wounded veteran sailing clinics. He won the 2012 Double-Handed Farallones overall on his Moore 24, and most recently took first in class in the Singlehanded Transpac. Here Simpson recounts his Transpac experiences: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, my second Singlehanded Transpac is in the books. I battled boat problems, weather problems and an intensely competitive fleet, but in the end managed to come from behind and snag the class win. This race required an incredible effort and it's with a lot of gratitude and humility that I write this article. Here's how it went down on the Moore 24 "Hope for the Warriors/ US 101". The race started on Saturday June 30 in Tiburon, CA. It was another beautiful, sunny summer morning and while I should have been excited, I was secretly a wreck. Part of me was scared to death about heading out into the Pacific on a tiny Moore 24, while another part of me was lost in thought and reflection as June 30 is the anniversary of my Iraq injury; always an emotional day for me. I put on my sunglasses to hide the forming tears and played Rage Against the Machine on 101's stereo to hide my emotions and fear. My good friend Phil MacFarlane shoved me off the dock and I sailed around in the pre-start area with the rest of the fleet. There were to be 6 boats in my class: a Pogo 2 Mini, 2 Moore 24's, an Express 27, an Olson 30 and a Hobie 33. I was completely disorganized and still lost in thought when the race started. Bang! The gun goes off and it's on. Jerome Sammarcelli on the Pogo 2 "Team Open Sailing" took the pin end on a port tack and dominated the start. He's the most accomplished buoy racer in the fleet and it clearly showed. I made a quick tack and hid the fact that I was completely zoned out to take 2nd off the start. I don't know what my issue was, but the first few miles of the race were not my best sailing. I sailed out of the Golden Gate Bridge in last place in my class. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/bl7qf5c TELL YOUR OTHER SANDALS TO TAKE A WALK Harken Sport Beachcombers are no ordinary sandals. Not only do they have orthotic-quality foot support, they have the same 360-degree grip that made our deck shoes famous. Our padded straps dry quickly and prevent blisters. Non-marking soles keep your deck clean, and they also float just in case (just tell em it's a man overboard drill). Men's and women's full sizes - get a pair now at http://www.harkensport.com/cat/new.html or http://www.amazon.com. NEW WORLD SPEED CHAMPION (July 22, 2012) - After 6 legs in difficult conditions, the fastest man and woman on the water are still Rob Douglas (USA) and Charlotte Consorti (FRA), following the IKA Speed Sailing World Championships in Salin-De-Giraud, France. Sylvain Hoceini took second in the men's, with American Damien LeRoy in third. Marie Dessandre Navarre took second in the women's, with Jessica Winkler in third. Two races were held on day 1, and Douglas, the fastest sailor in the world, was ready for battle as he took the early lead with two bullets. According to Douglas, the winds were shifting every direction and making it tough to catch the right puff to carry the riders all the way down the course. Racing finished at 9pm that day and competitors made it back to the race center around midnight. There was another early start the next morning, and with less than three hours sleep, riders were prepared and eager to make their comeback. Douglas stayed in the top three positions racing very consistently and keeping himself in winning contention. The final results all came down to the last day and the last race, and about 5 minutes before the end of the heat. Rob Douglas and Current Speed World Champion Alex Caizergues came down with smoking runs. -- Report at: http://tinyurl.com/c6uc78m 29ER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DAY 2 Travemuender, Germany (July 24, 2012) - More racing in varied conditions brought out the best in the 218 29er teams competing on Day 2 of the World Championship. The morning fleets were treated to light conditions of 6-8 knots in shifting winds as the sea breeze fought to establish itself. As the sea breeze did finally settle in bringing 12 knots, the afternoon sailors enjoyed the great planing conditions which skiffs were built for. The green fleet was first off the beach making up for yesterday's lost race, then everyone sailed three races apiece in their newly shuffled fleets based upon overall results. Spaniards Carlos Robles and Florian Trittle sailed a 2-1-1 today and seem to be in their ISAF Youth Worlds form. Trittle commented that they have, "Speed and good starting. If you catch the big shift, you could do well. We're pretty happy, the conditions were good although a bit light and a bit boring," he said with a laugh. When talking about the qualifying series he commented, "We keep sailing; it's one point less; every boat is a point and every point is important." Americans Christopher Williford and Kai Freisecke sit in second overall, while Noppakao Poonpat and Steven Thomas from Thailand are in third. Racing for the qualifying fleet finishes Wednesday, July 25 with three days of the final series beginning Thursday. Photos are available on the Travemuender website; www.travemuender-woche.de Live reports and daily results: www.29erworlds.org Facebook: Int 29er Class. GO FOR GOLD - GET THE GEAR THE OLYMPIC SAILORS WEAR! Team One Newport has the Olympic Spirit and wants to offer Free UPS Ground Shipping on any order of Sperry Top-Sider, the title sponsor of the US Olympic Sailing Team. Sperry Top-Sider has a new clothing line and shoes that are certain to be grippy and sharp looking on and off the water! Be sure to add OLYMPIC to your cart and we'll deduct any shipping costs on qualifying orders before they ship. GO TEAM USA!!! Offer ends 8/12/12. http://tinyurl.com/teamone-sperry 800-VIP-GEAR FARR 44 GAUCHO WINS ACKROO LAKE ONTARIO 300 CHALLENGE (July 23, 2012) - The Ackroo Lake Ontario 300 Challenge - Gaucho Skipper, Keith MacDonald was very excited to win line honours, crossing the finish line at the Port Credit Yacht Club at 9:55am Monday. Gaucho, a Farr 44 sailing under the Buffalo Canoe Club burgee, is crewed by family and friends that have sailed together for years. Many of the crew got their starts sailing Lightnings at the infamous Flying Beaver Sailing Club from Hamilton, Ontario. 'The race plan was to follow the south side of the rhumb line,' said Skipper McDonald who studied the weather in preparation for the race for the week leading up to the race and changed his plan the night before the as the wind shifted southward. Rounding Main Duck Island was great fun in the six foot waves which was followed by an uphill beat in 18-20 knots of wind and big waves to the turning mark at Ford Shoals. Heading westward Gaucho 'pushed the boat rhumb line' in a light wind going 'as fast as we could west,' said John Aitcheson. 'Maximum VMG was all that was important,' commented Skipper MacDonald. Gaucho felt that they got a little lucky being able to carry their A sail across the lake to the finish line. -- Read on: http://www.lo300.org/news SAILING SHORTS * La Rochelle, France (July 24, 2012) - On day three of the SAP 505 World Championship, variable and shifty conditions affected the top positions. With an easterly breeze of 8 knots, the light air specialists monopolized. The American team of Conrad and Haines, currently ranked 14th in the regatta, took the early lead in the first race of the day to ultimately gain a substantial boost of 9 positions on the leaderboard to 5th overall. The 57th edition of the event is the largest 505 world championship in history, with 190 entrants. -- Event website: http://www.sap505worlds.com/201 * (July 24, 2012) - The America's Cup Express, a train stretching 1.5 miles long, rolled into San Francisco today. The 121 railroad cars are carrying the material required to move the America's Cup World Series and the teams into the host city of the Cup ahead of racing in August and October. The cargo includes the race boats - the powerful AC45 wing-sailed catamarans that have been thrilling crowds and challenging the best sailors in the world as the Series has moved around the world over the past year. Now, the racing is coming to San Francisco for the first time. -- Read on: http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=839 * Auckland, New Zealand (July 24, 2012) - In a video interview, Emirates Team NZ meteorologist Roger (Clouds) Badham assessed the likelihood of their AC72 getting out on the water anytime soon. "It's a trade-off between finding the right breeze. They would like to be under 10 knots and maybe even down to five knots. We're trying to get the boat as ready as quickly as we can." Badham says conditions don't look good until possibly Friday, or even Monday-Tuesday next week. -- Story at: http://tinyurl.com/bttvgzr * Washington D.C. (July 23, 2012) - Beginning this week, the National Marine Manufacturers Association is distributing 100,000 E15 warning labels to NMMA member boat manufacturers across the country to place on their boats in hopes of alerting boaters to the potential dangers of fuel with a high volume of ethanol. The labels will help educate boaters that E15 should not be used in their boat. -- Read on: http://www.nmma.org/news.aspx?id=18185 SELLING. BUYING. HIRING. The Scuttlebutt website provides a marketplace for private parties to buy and sell, or for businesses to post job openings. Have an ad? Post it in the Classified Ad section of the Forum. CREDITABLE INSURANCE PLAN Do you sail professionally or cruise or race internationally? Are you an Olympic team member, instructor, coach or US SAILING team member? US SAILING is proud to offer all members a creditable health insurance plan with coverage at home and abroad. 24/7 assistance in your language. http://www.AllenInsuranceAndFinancial.com/ussailing EIGHT BELLS Dr. Hal Ward passed away Thursday, July 19, 2012 of a heart attack. Hal was exercising in his garage on his recumbent bike and was found without a heartbeat. Hal would have been 85 in September but was in wonderful physical shape. His love of friends, skiing and fishing did not slow him down although confined to a wheelchair with Polio which he contracted in 1955 in Acapulco during spring break while attending Medical School at USC. Hal was the owner of the race boats known as Cheval. His race record with these fine yachts are unparalleled, having set the Manzanillo record in his Nelson 68, as well as many first to finish victories in the same yacht. His most famous sailing accomplishment was winning the 1995 Transpac Race on Cheval 95, the Alan Andrews sled. Cheval broke its mast on the last jibe before crossing the Molokai Channel. He would not give up the fight though almost running aground on the reef at Ilio Point. A quick jury rig by the crew got her going the 8 knots she needed and was first to finish having beaten the new Maxi Sayonara as well as Roy Disney's new Pyewackett. Cheval 95 went on to win many races before being sold in 2000. Those of us who were blessed to know him do not need an introduction to the fine human being that he was. No date has been set for services but a celebration of life will be held in the very near future at the California Yacht Club. The date and time will be posted on the Scuttlebutt website when details are finalized. Hal was survived by his wife of 60 years Joyce. -- Full obituary at: http://tinyurl.com/cvarkja 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 (re, Scuttlebutt 3639): It was very interesting to see Icon in a headline on 'Butt 3639. She was my last serious race boat prior to dropping out and doing relaxed racing only on my own boat. I had raced with the fellow who had her built for 5 years, Dick Robbins (the fellow who designed and built the machine that bored the English Chunnel) and her captain, Jimmy Roser. She was built in 2002 in NZ by Marten, raced in Hamilton Race week, Sydney Hobart, and others down there, then shipped on a container ship to Seattle. She was designed by Bob Perry as an ultimate 60' boat but compromises had to set in. She has a cruising interior that weighs 5,000 lbs that can be removed for cruising, a single chunk of SS 3" thick and 36' front to back and 13' long for the keel, with a weighted bulb at the bottom. Her shoal draft is 8' and race draft is 13'. This is a very nice boat! She won the double handed race to Port Townsend from Seattle many times with Dick and Jimmy. She was raced up here by Dick and Jimmy for 5 years or so, setting many records, some that may still stand unless they were eclipsed by the new owner, Kevin Welch (in my YC) and his captain Ian Sloan (a good disc golf buddy and rigger). Icon is always the boat to beat in this arena of sailing. There are a couple of TP 52s and SC 70s that keep her honest but she is very well prepared and updated regularly. Fun to watch her go through the fleet on the Pac Cup. * From Steve Barrett (re, Scuttlebutt 3639): Who is this "Guy" Nowell? I first met Bill Sandberg when he was my "little brother" during a not-"prissy" fraternity pledge program in college back in the '60s. Beyond sharing a love of sailing - at a landlocked upstate NY University - he had a quiet backbone, and no one could bring themselves to dislike him. Yes, he was friendly and, since his college days, has done much for sailing in the Long Island Sound region generally, most recently publishing a sailing magazine - WindCheck - devoted to the sport in the Northeast, after a lengthy and continuing record of rolling up his sleeves to create and support many youth sailing and outreach programs in the western Sound and - more recently - pushing for financial support for the '12 U.S. Olympics/Paralympics sailing teams. Yes, like many sailors, I enjoy colorful language and behavior, but deplore when it's taken beyond the bounds of sportsmanship. Ainslie is unquestionably a fabulous sailor. Likewise Pete Rose could hit a baseball; Tiger Woods hits golfballs; Kobe Bryant drains threes; Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen can act. But last time I checked, people hereabouts have the freedom to express their opinion about what's been widely considered to be unwarranted behavior. Mr. Nowell could do far worse than to emulate a Sandberg. Go team U.S.A.!! [And go Raileys!] * From John Standley (re, Scuttlebutt 3639): I would suggest that, unless your plane enters outer space, that your number of take offs and landings will always be the same. What may be at issue is the condition in which you land! * From Charlie Clifton (re, Scuttlebutt 3639): Guy Nowell wrote, "Stop being prissy, Mr. Sandberg, whoever you are?" Mr. Nowell should have used "Whomever". Besides extrapolating a conclusion far past that written by Mr. Sandberg, the egregious grammar rendered Mr. Nowell's comment unworthy of consideration. That off my chest, I will now return to my tea and crumpets. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "I like to skate on the other side of the ice." - Steven Wright 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 |
