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SCUTTLEBUTT 3595 - Monday, May 21, 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 and Doyle Sailmakers. BATTLE OF THE BOARD EVENTS Britain's four-time kiteboarding world champion Steph Bridge says the Olympics should find room for both kiting and windsurfing. Kiteboard racing will make its Games debut at Rio in 2016 after the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) axed windsurfing at their recent Mid-Year meeting. "I know windsurfing's not gone forever, absolutely," said Bridge. "Without windsurfing, kiteboarding wouldn't be where it is. But it's important to get clear - they are two separate sports and both deserve to be in the Games. If they have to lose one of the sailing classes, so be it." The windsurfing fraternity has been critical of the decision and thousands have signed an online petition to have it reinstated. Britain's Beijing bronze medallist windsurfer Bryony Shaw branded it the "death of the sport" and Athens bronze medallist Nick Dempsey said it was a "bizarre" decision. But as one door closes, another one opens. "I was stunned. I couldn't believe it," said Bridge. "I keep waking up thinking what a great thing this is, what an opportunity for the young and everyone involved all over the world. Suddenly there's a clear pathway." The 39-year-old Bridge, who will defend her world title in Sardinia in October, was part of the group from the International Kiteboarding Association who lobbied ISAF and the International Olympic Committee to consider the sport and took part in the final evaluation trials in March. "It became clear that what mattered was that kiteboarding was a sport that ticked lots of boxes," said Bridge. "It's accessible, it's easy to learn from a young age, it's quick, very visual and high impact, it doesn't cost much money, you can travel all over the world with the kit and you can do it in winds from six knots to 35 knots with the same equipment. "It can also be done close to the beach - and there's that lifestyle thing with the sand between our toes - and not at a yacht club a million miles away. It's more accessible from a spectators' point of view." -- BBC, read on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18045491 TOO SOON? Equipment and event selection for the Olympic Games often has a backwards feel to it. The experts advise one thing, yet the ISAF Council chooses another. The memo then comes from ISAF: "Here is the planet we are headed to, now go build a rocket ship to get there." Regarding the ISAF decision to switch the board event from windsurfing to kiting, the concern now is if this decision came four years too soon for kiting. When ISAF opened the door for kiting to be considered for 2016, the kiting community jumped at the chance. Interest was built, and the finest kiting ambassadors were at the ISAF evaluation event last March in Spain. ISAF was duly impressed. In all likelihood, kiters looked at this as a step toward the 2020 Games. Arguably, that would have allowed the genre to mature, for course racing to grow from top to bottom, and for the equipment rules and race schedules to be refined. With now only four years, there will be a tussle for ISAF to get what they want, and for kiting to maintain the elements of their game that have taken them this far. And some of these items are in conflict. With the uproar coming now from the windsurfers, is the ISAF decision solid? "ISAF cannot comment on any suggestion that the decision could be changed and is now working towards the implementation of the decision and the introduction of kiteboarding to ISAF Events," explained Jerome Pels, ISAF Secretary General. "There are regulations in place to ensure that decisions on Olympic Equipment cannot be overturned just like that, the next time a meeting is held, so there are rules that this cannot happen with a simple majority, but it needs a special majority, which I think is 2/3rds." That would require turning a 19-17 vote for kiting into a 12-24 vote opposed at the 2012 ISAF Annual Conference in Ireland on November 1-11. Makes us wonder if ISAF creates these controversies to bolster meeting attendance. The battle of the board events is on! - Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt ON THE OLYMPIC TRAIL - ANNA TUNNICLIFFE US Olympic match racing skipper Anna Tunnicliffe shares her thoughts on fitness, team dynamics, Olympic sailing, and what might come next in her storied career. Check out this latest addition to the Harken/McLube interview series with the US Olympic Sailing Team at http://www.harken.com/Interviews/Tunnicliffe-Match_Racing.php HEADING HOME It was October when the six teams in the Volvo Ocean Race began their 39,000 nm march around the world. Their start was in Spain, and have thus far been to South Africa, UAE, China, New Zealand, and Brazil. Their stay in the USA concluded this weekend with the PORTMIAMI In-Port Race and the Leg 7 start to Portugal. Here is the update: * (May 19, 2012) - Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi cemented their reputation as formidable in-shore contenders by winning the 10-leg, 8.2 nautical mile PORTMIAMI In-Port Race. Despite their fifth position in the overall standings, this is now their third In-Port victory, more than any other team in the seven buoy races contested. But this victory was not without drama, as softening winds throughout the race shuffled the positions from start to finish. "That was a pretty strange race," Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker said. "The last in-port race we had no training time, this time we made an effort to have two training days and it paid off." While the race results did not change the order of the overall standings, it significantly tightened the gap amongst the top four teams. Depending on the finishing order of Leg 7, Telefonica, Groupama, Camper, and Puma could be near level on points. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-052012 ------------------------- * (May 20, 2012) - The Volvo Ocean Race fleet headed out of Miami and straight towards a tropical storm on Sunday after making a slow start to Leg 7. With a gentle breeze blowing, Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing lead around the six-mile course, although overall leaders Telefnica now hold a slim advantage. The fleet was headed out into the North Atlantic where the first major obstacle they will face will be Tropical Storm Alberto, the first of the 2012 hurricane season, lying off the east coast of the United States and holding winds of up to 45 knots at its centre. "The storm is the source of pressure for us to get north and east on so it's important to try to feed into that pressure first," said PUMA navigator Tom Addis. "You don't want to be the wrong side of that low because the current against wind in the Gulf Stream would give quite a heinous sea state. It looks like there will be plenty of good downwind in the next leg, a reasonably fast leg, which we always enjoy." "The first boat to reach the lower part of Tropical Storm Alberto will stretch their lead but the big question facing the fleet is how close to the centre of the system to go," Volvo Ocean Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante. "Winds are forecast to hit 45 knots, which are no good for anything apart from breaking boats. This storm needs to be treated with plenty of respect." Leg 7 is expected to take around 11 days to complete. -- Event media PORTMIAMI In-Port Race results 1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 74:09 2. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), +00:33 3. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), +02:02 4. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), +02:11 5. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), +2:35 6. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), +6:28 Leg 7 - Miami, USA to Lisbon, Portugal (3,590 nm) Standings as of Sunday, 20 May 2012, 23:38:32 UTC 1. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 3546.0 nm Distance to Finish 2. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 0.3 nm Distance to Lead 3. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 0.8 nm DTL 4. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 1.2 nm DTL 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 1.4 nm DTL 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 2.6 nm DTL Tracker/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 MULTIPLE FACTORS Volvo Ocean Race organizers have selected the successful candidates who will go through to the final stage of the bid process to become host cities for the 12th and 13th editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, scheduled for 2014-15 and 2017-18. Of more than 60 applications received, a record number of 33 will progress through to the Candidate phase. "When selecting a route for the Volvo Ocean Race it is important that we consider a range of factors including sporting, commercial, heritage and legacy," explained Knut Frostad, Chief Executive of Volvo Ocean Race. "This formal host city bid process allows us to choose the best possible route by identifying the strongest host city partnerships that will benefit the race, its hosts and the event's growing global audience." -- Full report: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/12/0519.txt A TRICKY KIND OF GAME Venice, ITA (May 20, 2012) - French skipper Loick Peyron continued to demonstrate the form he had shown all week, leading his Energy Team (FRA) to a spectacular win on the final day of America's Cup World Series fleet racing in Venice. This cemented the win for Peyron and his French crew, who were perched atop the fleet racing leaderboard throughout the event, demonstrating an impressive command of the Grand Canal race area. "I think the lighter conditions were good for us," Peyron, the veteran multihull sailor, said. "I'm used to this kind of tricky game, trying to be as cool as possible. The pressure was in the red zone, but it made for an exciting race for sure. This was a big victory for us. We are a small team, and hopefully this is just the beginning." Before the final fleet race on Sunday, Terry Hutchinson (USA) led Artemis Racing to defeat Brit Chris Draper's Luna Rossa-Piranha to win the Match Racing Championship. This is the second consecutive Match Race event win for Hutchinson. In the light, shifty, and tricky conditions, Artemis Racing led off the start and protected a narrow lead early before stretching away in the middle of the race for a hard-earned victory. "We've had a good result in Naples and now here, in quite different conditions," Hutchinson said. "The nice thing about the match racing at these regattas is we've executed on our game plan. We're starting to feel with the training in the boat that it's paying off for us." The final event of the 2011-12 AC World Series will take place next month in Newport, Rhode Island from June 26 through July 1, 2012. At the conclusion of racing in Newport, the 2011-12 AC World Series champion will be crowned, with Oracle Team USA - Spithill holding a narrow lead over Emirates Team New Zealand. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/AC-052012 ABANDON SHIP At around 22:30UT on Friday 18 May, approximately 330nm northeast of Bermuda, the yacht Outer Limits struck a submerged object, believed to be a whale, and sustained damage to the hull causing significant water ingress. Whilst the yacht's emergency pumps were able to contain the leaks, skipper Joost Gehrels, doubted that the boat could safety return to Bermuda and issued a MayDay to request immediate assistance. Using the yacht's satellite telephone he also contacted RCC Bermuda. The Netherland's flagged Hanse 370e, was taking part in the ARC Europe rally and on route from Bermuda to Horta, Azores when the incident occurred. RCC Bermuda contacted vessels in the area and diverted the merchant ship E R Melbourne, and the ARC Europe rally yacht Halo, which was 15nm away to assist. The E R Melbourne, a 36,000 tonne container ship, reached Outer Limits' position at approximately 00:10UT 19 May, and commenced evacuation of the crew. Within an hour, the 4 crew members of Outer Limits were safety aboard the merchant ship and the yacht Halo was then asked to stand down. Outer Limits was abandoned, at approximate position 34 19N 59 04W. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/ARC-052012 PROUD TO BE AMERICAN When Mark Mendelblatt wanted to qualify for the Olympics in the Star class, he teamed up with Doyle Sailmakers to obtain the speed he needed. Utilizing innovative 3D modeling and rigorous testing, Doyle's Technology Team continues to develop fast, winning One Design sails. Designed and crafted in the USA, Doyle sails will proudly power Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih in the 2012 Olympics. Since 1982, Doyle Sailmakers has been committed to supporting sailors like Mark and Brian. Whether your goals are racing, cruising or anything in between, teaming up with Doyle will deliver the results you need. http://www.doylesails.com SAILING SHORTS * Falmouth, UK (May 18, 2012) - It has been a week of extremes at the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK and the final day was no different. Though a medal race was attempted, it was soon abandoned and an hour later racing was completely abandoned for the day as the wind disappeared. This left Ben Ainslie (GBR) as Finn World Champion for the sixth time. Ed Wright (GBR) took the silver while Jonas Hogh-Christesen (DEN) took the bronze. Britain held four of the top ten positions, with American Zach Railey finished tenth overall. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/Finn-052012 * Barcelona, Spain (May 19, 2012) - The final count at the 2012 470 World Championships for the doublehanded Olympic dinghy was 154 teams from 42 nations. Australians Mathew Belcher/ Malcolm Page led from the first race to take their second world championship since teaming up in 2008. On the women's side, Brits Hannah Mills/ Saskia Clark did just enough in the medal race to win by two points. The North American contingent, however, did poorly, giving thought with how doublehanded talent is being developed. Top finishes were Luke Ramsay/ Michael Leigh (CAN) in 22nd and Americans Amanda Clark/ Sarah Lihan in 19th. -- Event website: http://worlds.470.org/eventsites/default_s1.asp?eventid=66686 * Boltenhagen, Germany (May 20, 2012) - Light winds on the final day of the Audi Women's Laser Radial World Championship forced umpires to award total of ten yellow flags, the majority for rocking the boat. Several of the favorites were derailed, with a 5-8 by Gintare Scheidt (LTU) elevating her to the title. Solid scores by 18-year-old American Erika Reineke helped her to not only win the U21 ranking but also pull her up to 8th overall. -- Event website: http://www.laserworldchampionship.com/en/home.html * Annapolis, MD (May 19, 2012) - With only three points dividing the top three at the Star class Western Hemisphere Championship, the decisive final race proved to be a non-starter for the 30-boat fleet as light winds and strong current slowed the fleet as time expired. Leaders Tomas Hornos/ Kip Gardner (USA) beat out early series leaders Peter McChesney/ Shane Zwingelberg (USA) in second and Peter Vessella/ Austin Sperry (USA) in third. Details: http://www.starclass.org/search.cgi?Action=view&Event_id=2497 * (May 20, 2012) - The Atlantic Cup began Leg 2 of their Class40 circuit on Saturday, leaving New York for the doublehanded sprint leg to Newport, Rhode Island. As of 8pm EDT, Americans Dave Rearick and Matt Scharl and their new Kiwi 40FC Bodacious Dream led the 14 boat fleet with 30 nm remaining. The final stage on May 26-27 will host an inshore series in Newport with six crew onboard. -- Race website: http://atlanticcup.org/race/ SCUTTLEBUTT SAILING CALENDAR Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar 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 Artie Means: Nevin Sayre's headline article in Scuttlebutt 3593 was a bit misleading about kite racing. As he references, the guys who kite race really are on the cutting edge. I would seriously doubt that anyone who had the sailing or boarding skills to ride a course race board would end up with 150 stitches. Additionally, I doubt that any of the referenced 110 deaths came from course racers. Course racing is what goes to Rio, not the freestyle kiters. I've been kiting for 6 years and find it much safer than my other hobbies; snowboarding, wakeboarding, and sailing big boats. Being a new sport, there are too many people taking the freestyle route; that don't take lessons, don't understand the wind, ride dangerous gear, and try to do the 'magazine cover' tricks that they aren't qualified for. This unfortunately leads to Nevin's very general statistics. We shouldn't confuse these statistics with the course racing (now Olympic) crowd. But, as in any sport (try riding an ice covered half pipe half pipe or downhill skiing at 80+ mph), if you try to go beyond your ability there are consequences. While riding within your means, kite racing is incredibly safe. As for the pipeline, learning to sail is the kitesurf pipeline. Kites are waaaay too similar to the skiffs; just cheaper, faster and more fun. The current top crop, of Johnny Heineken, Brian Lake, Adam and Andrew Koch, Cameron Biehl, Ty Reed, etc, were all epic junior program and college sailors. Thus the pipeline is already up and running. Considering that the US dominated the last few Worlds, it seems like while this very loose 'pipeline' could obviously be better, for now it does get results. To top it off the gear is affordable (1/10th the cost of a 49er), easy to transport on an airplane, the speeds are epic and the sport is just way too much fun. * From Reynald Neron Further to your story on Ocean pollution (in Scuttlebutt 3594), I would like to let you know about two recent shopping experiences: I went into a supermarket in Fort Lauderdale two weeks ago, bought one bottle (2 litres) of fizzy drink. At the cashier, the lady placed it into not one but two plastic bags. When I told her I do not need a plastic bag to carry one bottle, she looked at me surprised, and said everybody else does. Last week I went in a Supermarket in the south of France, buying plenty of the yummy food they have there. At the cash register, I had to buy two bags that will get re-used. They do not have plastic bags anymore. The French survived the transition from plastic to reusable bags. Forum thread: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13817 * From Jay Sacco, Austin, TX: Statistics being what you make of them, I was interested to see how sailing deaths (in Scuttlebutt 3593) compared to the total number of deaths in 2011. The info on page 47 of the USCG report answers this question: http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/workflow_staging/Publications/557.PDF All sailing vessel deaths (Aux Sail, Sailboat (only) and Sailboat (unknown) equaled 3.7% of all boating fatalities in 2011. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to look at this, but overall, this statistical tidbit makes me glad to be a sailor and happy to be amongst other sailors while on the water. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better. Get over it. 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