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SCUTTLEBUTT 3085 - Wednesday, May 5, 2010Scuttlebutt 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. Scuttlebutt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Scuttlebutt on Facebook: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/facebook Today's sponsors: North Sails, Flexofold, and US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. GOING UP AGAINST A NATIONAL HERO Bryan Boyd of Annapolis recently announced a full time Finn campaign for London 2012. In doing so he is going head to head against the 2008 Olympic Silver medalist Zach Railey of Clearwater, Florida. Both are currently competing in the fourth leg of the 2010 ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, France. Boyd treated 2009 as a 'test year' before deciding to commit to a further two or three years hard graft in the Finn. After placing fourth in the 2004 trials, winning the pre-trials in 2006 and then placing fourth again in the 2008 trials (held in 2007), what made him decide to do it all again at the age of 34? "This has been building up in me for years. In 2004, I got a good first hand look at what it takes on and off the water to succeed. Kevin Hall basically made mincemeat of the rest of the US sailors with a talented, funded, and professional program. I knew then that it would be difficult to move forward without all three of those components, and I only had talent going for me at the time. For the 2008 quad I was a glorified weekend warrior." "I was working hard to grow my construction business at home, and Finn sailing was just for fun. Enter the 2012 quad, and suddenly the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics has built a program to provide the funding and the professionalism. I think knowing and believing that the USSTAG would support me in bringing my absolute best effort to the game was the key component that lured me back into Olympic Finn sailing." Is Boyd distracted by going up against a national hero? "Zach and I have an excellent training relationship. Part of that comes from the coaches coming to all of the sailors early in the quad and selling the benefits of the team culture. Another part is a byproduct of our shared pragmatism about the whole thing. I firmly believe that the best way to prepare for our Trials selection is to prepare myself for winning a medal against the best sailors in the world, not to focus on how I can beat Zach in a regatta. 2008 was 2008. There is no other class that pushes forward as hard as the Finn in raising the game." -- Read on: http://www.finnclass.org/features/bryan_boyd_interview.htm HOW BIG IS A FINN SAILOR? Ed Wright (GBR), European Champion 2006, ISAF Sailing World Cup winner 2009: "Physically, mentally, technically the Finn is the most all round demanding boat of them all. It's for men, not for the weak. It is the only dinghy a man can sail in the Olympics." At the end of 2009 the Finn class carried out a survey of its top sailors to accumulate data regarding the weight, height and age when they started sailing the Finn, to try and build a picture of the current fleet and to examine how these factors have changed over the years. For this statistical analysis the target group was the top 50 ranked Finn sailors in the world as well as a whole group of new young sailors coming into the class. The results that followed and its analysis make for interesting reading. Tomas Vika (CZE): "The most important thing is that there is no other Olympic dinghy class for guys like me who weigh more than 85kg (187 lb). The Finn is called the 'heavyweight' dinghy, but it's not so simple: If you are more than 180cm tall (~5'11") and you want to work on your physical condition in a gym you will always weigh more than 85kg and that is the reason why Finn has to stay as an Olympic dinghy in future years." Nachatar Johal (IND): "The Finn gives so much flexibility in having a mast and sail designed specifically for yourself. It is very tactical sailing with not much boat speed differences in top sailors and relatively new sailors. Very cooperative, friendly and helpful international fleet. I don't have to starve myself to remain 80kg for sailing the Laser and I can eat properly." It is a widely reported fact that people across the world are getting taller and heavier through better diet and better standards of living and this is reflected in the results of the survey. Perhaps as a result of this, sailors are also starting in the Finn much younger than their predecessors did. In fact the average age for starting out in the Finn has dropped from 24.7 in the 1970s to just 17 in the 1990s. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/10/0504/ => Curmudgeon's Comment: If you think you may be big enough to sail a Finn, a rare occasion is occurring this summer as the 2010 Finn Gold World Championship will take place on San Francisco Bay August 27 - September 4. Details: http://www.finnclass.org/FGC%20Results/finn_gold_cup_2010.htm NORTH-POWERED BOATS TAKE CENTER STAGE AT ANNAPOLIS NOOD North-powered boats won eight classes at the Sperry Top-Sider Annapolis NOOD. Congratulations to: Tony Parker (J/24); Greg Fisher (J/22); Rod Jabin (Farr 40); Pete Firey (Beneteau 36.7); Bodo Von de Wense (Farr 30); Bob Rutsch (J/30); Jimmy & Mike Praley (Cal 25) and Peter McChesney (J/105). Racing with North CSD upwind sails, McChesney commented on the durability of his 2-year-old jib. "I had a good look at it before racing and the draft is nice and forward like a brand-new sail. Great (boat) speed helped us make smart decisions to get to the top of the fleet." http://na.northsails.com * North Sails has agreed to become the official sail drop off point for Sails to Save Haiti, nationwide. This partnership will help accommodate those sailors who can donate their used sails to help provide shelter for the Haitian community. -- Details: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9726 AMERICA'S CUP PRESS CONFERENCE PREVIEW By Stuart Streuli, Sailing World Should we be concerned that the first press conference for the 34th America's Cup - potentially the first America's Cup to be held in American waters in two decades - is to take place in Rome, Italy, on Thursday, May 6? And, no less, in Rome at noon, aka 6 a.m. on the East Coast and 3 a.m. in the Cup's new hometown of San Francisco. Now that's a fine how-do-you-do for all the general interest media from the Bay Area. (Do you stay up late, or get up early? Or do you skip it altogether? To be streamed live at www.americascup.com) I want to say no, that it's merely a sign of a new era of cooperation between the defender, the challenger of record, and the predominantly European syndicates that are likely to compete for the 34th Cup. Or a magnanimous gesture on the part of the defender. Or maybe that a press conference in San Francisco wasn't logistically a fit in the middle of a busy European big-boat schedule - Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison wrapped up a RC 44 regatta on Tuesday. But I can't shake the feeling that if you're a fan of seeing the America's Cup back on American waters - as I am - this isn't a good start So the first thing I'll be looking for is any hints that Larry Ellison's stated desire to host the regatta in the United States, specifically San Francisco, has ebbed. Ellison isn't expected to be at the press conference, Russell Coutts will be there representing BMW Oracle Racing, with the challenger of record, Mascalzone Latino Audi Team and the Club Nautico di Roma, represented by syndicate founder Vincenzo Onorato. It will be interesting to see how Coutts responds to questions regarding the location of the regatta. At one of the final press conferences in Valencia, not long after Ellison stated his desire to host the Cup in San Francisco, it was Coutts who hedged slightly by stating they would look for the best venue, regardless of nationality. For some of the things to watch for from the press conference, along with audio interviews with principles from the three U.S. cities bidding for the America's Cup (Keith Stokes, of Newport, R.I.; Troy Sears of San Diego; and Michael Cohen of San Francisco), go to http://tinyurl.com/2gxtgzv SCUTTLEBUTT TRIVIA The High School racing schedule holds its double-handed national championship (Mallory Trophy) on May 7-9, 2010 in Greenwich, CT. Among the seven districts that comprise the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA), which district has dominated this championship in the past ten years? (Answer below) 500 MILES IN 6 DAYS UP THE ATLANTIC COAST Fifteen two-person sailing teams will soon be taking on the 500-mile endurance event -- The Tybee 500. Competing in either the Nacra 20 or Formula 18, this annual race begins May 10th from Islamorada in the Florida Keys and continues up the coast for six days to Tybee Island, GA. Here is the schedule for the six legs: Day 1 (May 10) - Islamorada, FL to Hollywood, FL Day 2 (May 11) - Hollywood, FL to Jupiter, FL Day 3 (May 12) - Jupiter, FL to Cocoa Beach, FL Day 4 (May 13) - Cocoa Beach, FL to Daytona Beach, FL Day 5 (May 14) - Daytona Beach, FL to Fernandina Beach, FL Day 6 (May 15) - Fernandina Beach, FL to Tybee Island, GA Beginning in 2003, the eighth edition of the Tybee 500 will require teams to carry enough food and drink to compete in each leg, some lasting up to 20 hours. Each team must depend on their own abilities and equipment while they are offshore up to four miles and out of site of land or other competitors. Satellite tracking beacons on each boat will enable a real-time view of the race on the website while the teams are offshore. Sailing teams will have dedicated ground crew to follow them up the coast, providing support equipment to help with repairs and replenish supplies for each leg. With each leg starting and finishing on the beach, the surf transition zone literally presents a 'make or break' moment for each team and their ground crew. Tybee 500 website: http://www.Tybee500.com Tybee 500 on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tybee500 SEEKING TO RAISE THE BAR ICAP Leopard, the 100ft super-maxi racing yacht owned by Helical Bar PLC chief executive Mike Slade, is now berthed in New York's financial district as she prepares to launch her assault upon the west-to-east monohull transatlantic sailing record. Since her launch in 2007 ICAP Leopard has broken 12 major offshore racing records, including the fastest elapsed time ever set in the prestigious Rolex Fastnet Race. This voyage will see her tackle the well-trodden path between Ambrose Light, NY and the Lizard Point, which marks the entrance to the English Channel. Her target for this attempt will primarily be the record for monohull yachts with power-assisted systems of seven days, 19 hours and 21 minutes that she set in June 2008. However, since setting this benchmark the yacht has undergone a series of modifications and the crew are confident that, given the right conditions, Mari Cha IV's outright monohull transatlantic speed record of 6 days 17 hours and 52 minutes will be achievable. Chris Sherlock, ICAP Leopard's boat Captain commented: "We can't wait to get stuck into another attempt on the Atlantic record. Last time a tight weather window forced us into accepting less than ideal conditions for our record run but we have slightly more leeway this time. Our weather window will open on the 11th May and then we will have roughly three weeks to plan our departure. This should allow us to set ourselves up for the best possible weather pattern." -- http://www.leopard3.com PERFORMANCE MATTERS Under sail or under power; daysailing, cruising or racing - performance matters. The single most important thing you can do to improve the performance of your boat is to change to a low-drag, high-thrust Flexofold propeller. The attention to design and manufacturing details is apparent at first look. Relentlessly refined for maximum efficiency under power and lowest drag under sail -Sail faster & further, motor at lower RPM with a Flexofold sailboat propeller. Click the link for more information: http://tinyurl.com/FlexoFold-scuttlebutt QUOTE / UNQUOTE "It is very important for me to bring the French sailing world into the Volvo Ocean Race because we want to be the world's number one offshore sailing event and France is the world's biggest country in offshore sailing, so if they are missing from our event, there is something wrong in my view. You can argue that the French have focused a lot on single-handed sailing, which is a different discipline, but still, France used to be one of the biggest countries in this race. The fact they left was due to a lack of communication and a lack of working together." - Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race on Valencia Sailing website: http://tinyurl.com/2cxq3ar SAILING SHORTS * The Northeast Maritime Exhibition is coming to Mystic Seaport for the weekend of May 14-16, 2010. New and brokerage yachts will be available on the Mystic River along with an array of nautical vendors. -- Details: http://tinyurl.com/28aaug4 * (May 4, 2010; Day 15) - The warm wind for the Clipper 09-10 Round The World Yacht fleet has been replaced by choking humidity and random squalls, condensing the distance between the top positions near the Nicaragua coastline. The 'Spirit of Australia' team only has a 1nm lead over 'Qingdao' with 663 nm to Panama, where the nine teams will transit the canal before resuming the race to Jamaica. -- Event website: http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com * Gmunden, Austria (May 4, 2010) - For the final day of the RC 44 Austria Cup, there were only three points between BMW ORACLE Racing (Larry Ellison/ Russell Coutts) and RC 44 Challenge (James Spithill/ John Kostecki) ahead of the last race, with the teams tied when it was completed. Ellison's team survived the tie breaker to win the fleet racing, and by virtue of their win in the match racing segment earlier, took the overall title as well. -- Class website: http://www.rc44.com/en/regattas/news/index.php * Barbados, West Indies (May 4, 2010) - Chips Howarth & Vyv Townend (GBR) increased their lead on the third day of the Fireball World Championship by winning both races held in winds of 12-14 knots. The early domination by Great Britain among the top ten standings is beginning to wane as there are now two Australian teams and one from the Czech Republic joining them. -- Event website: http://www.fireball-worlds.com/ EIGHT BELLS Scott Leigh, Publisher of the West Coast boating magazine Dockside, passed away on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at his home in Gig Harbor, WA. He was 60 years old. Scott was a North Dakota transplant. Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, he attended the University of North Dakota, where was a star hockey player, one of the Fighting Sioux. Sometimes described as almost a Southern gentleman, he had many interests including skiing, cooking, gardening and golf. It's a challenge covering all that Scott did: he was at true Renaissance Man. But since the early 90's, it has been boating and Dockside that have been his passion. What started out as a 32 page, newsprint throwaway magazine called Boating Digest, published in a tiny corner of a warehouse in Costa Mesa, Ca., grew into a well-respected full color magazine, covering the entire West Coast. A memorial service will be held on May 15 from 2-4:30 pm at the Canterwood Country Club, Gig Harbor, Wa. For more information, please contact Michael Lanza Funeral Directors at 253.851.7608. -- Complete obituary: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=9775 TRIVIA ANSWER Eight of the past ten winners of the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) Fleet Racing Championship (Mallory Trophy) have come from the Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association (PCISA), which includes schools in California, Hawaii, and Arizona. Amassing the victories were Newport Harbor HS (3) in Newport Beach, CA, Point Loma HS (3) in San Diego, CA, and Coronado HS (2) in Coronado, CA. Only Severn School in Severn, MD and Antilles HS in USVI interrupted the PCISA streak. -- http://www.highschoolsailingusa.org ATLANTIS SALUTES TEAM TUNNICLIFFE Atlantis WeatherGear salutes US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics' (USSTAG) members Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi for winning a silver medal in the Women's Match Racing event at the 42nd French Sailing Week. This was their second podium finish in this year's ISAF Sailing World Cup series, after winning gold at US SAILING's 2010 Rolex Miami OCR in January. Atlantis is proud of the entire team and to be USSTAG's Official Apparel Partner. Remember to enter to win a trip for two to the Bitter End Yacht Club and Official USSTAG gear in Atlantis' sailor's paradise sweepstakes: http://www.atlantisweathergear.com/about-you-SP-enter.html LETTERS AND FORUM Please email your comments to the Scuttlebutt editor (aka, 'The Curmudgeon'). Published letters must include writer's name and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). One letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Dayton Colie: This is a response to the responses regarding Nick Hayes' "What's Really Wrong with Yacht Clubs" article (in Scuttlebutt 3078). I'll start with some personal demographics. I'm a 35 year old married sailor dad with a seven year old and a two year old. I joined my yacht club recently, despite the steep initiation fees and reasonable annual dues. I live in Charleston, S.C., and waterfront access is at a premium. The venue is awesome, and I didn't mind making a few personal sacrifices to pay for it. My oldest daughter is starting to really get in to sailing, and I love having her on my boat. I'm not going to get into my personal sailing background right now, as you can Google me and find out that information. Joining a yacht club is financially feasible for young families. I planned for the initiation fees in advance, saving a little here and there when I could. I was on the waiting list for a year and a half, so I had a goal, and that made things easier. When my name came up on the waiting list for membership, I was short due to a recent increase in dues. I looked around my house and sold things on Craigslist and Ebay that I hadn't used in a while. I quit drinking expensive coffee. I started bringing my lunch to work. My car is not fancy. I began to simplify my life and hobbies. I skipped out on gym membership, and exercise daily on my own. My club's annual dues cost less than a gym membership. Many clubs cost less. I'm currently saving for a second boat using the same habits I developed for amassing the amount of cash needed for the initiation fees. After reading this, some people might think I'm some sort of doctor, lawyer, or engineer. I did this on the salary of a public school teacher. I became a teacher, in part, so I could sail whenever I wanted during the summer. One of my life goals as a teenage sailor was to sail more, stress less. Joining the yacht club has helped me sail more. Selling stuff I no longer use and simplifying my life enables me to stress less. * From Michael Roth: A while ago a good friend and lifelong sailor Joe Cochran told me, "We looked around on where to live and decided we did not want our kids hanging on street corners or in malls for excitement so we moved as close as we could to the Kaneohe Yacht Club." I have taken his advice and drive my son to our yacht club at every opportunity. He has been on boats since he was 6 months old. At age 8 he has more friends there than I do, but that is to be expected as I am a Staff Commodore. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION A programmer is someone who solves a problem you didn't know you had in a way you don't understand. Special thanks to North Sails, Flexofold, and US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. Preferred supplier list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
