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SCUTTLEBUTT 2722 - Tuesday, November 11, 2008Scuttlebutt 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. Today's sponsors are Harken and North Sails. AMERICAN MATCH RACE CENTER GETS LAUNCHED Match racing is getting a boost in the United States. After a year of dreaming and planning, Chicago based Donald Wilson has founded the Chicago Match Race Center, with the simple mission of promoting and elevating match racing in Chicago and the United States. Eight new Tom28s have been ordered and will be delivered to Chicago in April 2009, which will add to the existing two Tom28s that are already onsite. The fleet will primarily race out of Chicago's Belmont Harbor, where any competent sailor who wants to get into match racing will have an opportunity. In addition to the hosting of regattas, there will be weekly training sessions with professional coaches, R/C, and umpires. The founder Donald Wilson, a long time avid fleet racer, started match racing just three years ago. Highlights of his year’s regatta schedule include the Ficker Cup, Prince of Whales USMRC, and most recently the Bermuda Gold Cup. In Bermuda he finished 12th out of 24 teams but was the second best American team. Disappointed with the average performance of the seven American teams in Bermuda, Wilson returned with renewed enthusiasm for promoting match racing. Wilson says, “There are so few venues in the US able to host Grade 1 and 2 match races. Americans are not getting the exposure and experience at the top level. We plan to change that.” Aiding in forming the Chicago Match Race Center is 2007 Match Race World Champion and 2008 Etchells World Champion Bill Hardesty. Hardesty states, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for match racing in the United States. It takes a special guy like Don to get this off the ground. Now it is our responsibility as match racers to take it to the next level. We need to get better and will be putting in some serious practice time. For regattas, we will sail close to shore for spectator visibility and try to mimic the success that can be found in Europe and other parts of the world.” Hardesty is to serve as the Director of the Chicago Match Race Center. Key West Match Race 2009 will open the CMRC’s season. It will be a BYOB Melges 24 event held the weekend immediately following Key West Race Week. Information on boats, training, regatta invitations, and sponsorship can be found at: http://www.chicagomatchrace.com MAKING CHANGES TO THE SPORT Madrid, Spain (Nov. 10, 2008) - The ISAF Annual Conference is now in its fifth day. Here are some of the recent issues discussed by committees whose role it is to make recommendations to the ISAF Council: * The Match Racing Committee brought together a big audience with the discussion focused on the Women’s Keelboat Match Racing event at the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. The key topics in the meeting were the selection of the equipment for the event and the timing of that selection. There was a contingent that wanted to name the equipment as late as possible to keep to the traditional match racing structure of using different equipment around the world, but it was narrowly decided to select the equipment this November. Regarding the choice of equipment, Dina Kowalyshyn (USA) presented the views of the Working Party: “We endorse the view that supplied equipment is firmly a part of the match racing discipline and that should continue to be the case.” After reviewing the equipment available, and considering presentations by the Elliott 6m, Laser SB3, Sonar and Yngling classes, the committee’s top choice was the Elliott 6m, already used widely in match racing events in Oceania including at the 2008 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship in Auckland. * In the Windsurfing Committee meeting, it was the recommendation to select the RS:X equipment used for the first time at the Beijing Games. In making their decision, the Committee pointed to solid base the class has now established and its wide spread across nations. The Windsurfing Committee also made a strong statement in support of kiteboarding joining the ISAF family. They supported application of the International Kiteboarding Association for status as an ISAF International Class and also recommended the approval of Submission 175-08, to add a representative from the kiteboarding community to their Committee. Complete report: http://www.sailing.org/26085.htm GIFTS FOR THE SAILING-OBSESSED When your friends do nothing but eat, sleep, and talk sailing, your shopping list is easy. For surefire holiday hits, take a trip to Harken’s online store for must-have sailing accessories. Find cool sailing tees, detail-enhancing shades, hats, belts, and more. Pack your gear in a Roll-Top Wet/Dry Bag or grab a Harken Hoister to stow your small boats and bikes aloft. For great gifts under $30, $50, and $100, visit http://www.harken.com/Christmas/Christmas2008.php HORRIFIC CONDITIONS RAVAGE FLEET (Nov. 10, 2008) - For the thirty sailors who started the sixth edition of the Vendée Globe, the Bay of Biscay is living up to its reputation as the fleet encounters some rough weather. The SW'ly wind will continue to strengthen and is expected to reach 40/45 knots as the cold front moves in with gusts up to 55 knots. The state of the sea corresponds to these conditions with 7-metre high waves. The cold front is expected to pass over sometime after 21h Monday night, and then the wind will be veering westerly and north-westerly while easing off to 20/25 knots with gusts of 35 knots in squalls. The cross seas will be calming down, but very slowly. -- Race website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en * As Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) still had some of his team on board during the final Vendée Globe start countdown (four minutes before the gun was fired), the International Jury has given him a penalty of four hours. * The IMOCA Class expressed during its last Executive Committee meeting a desire of stability, and for these reasons, whichever modifications proposed during the General Assembly in spring 2009 will not go into effect until after the end of the Barcelona World Race 2011. It was expected that the class would address cost cutting and construction issues that would improve the affordability and safety of campaigning an Open 60. -- http://www.imoca.org * Start photos from Gilles Martin-Raget and Thierry Martinez: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/1110/ Standings at 1500GMT 1. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 23491.4 miles Distance to Finish 2. Loick Peyron (FRA), Gitana, +10.1 miles Distance to Leader 3. Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement, +12.1 miles DTL 4. Kito de Pavant (FRA), Groupe Bel, +14.2 miles DTL 5. Sébastien Josse (FRA), BT, + 15.9 miles DTL A tally of the 8 breakdowns and failures among the 30 entrants: FIRST: Dominique Wavre was back in port at Les Sables d'Olonne shortly before 1700 hours on Sunday, with electricians and computer analysts immediately aboard Temenos II to address a problem within the computer system managing the onboard power. Following the replacement of a faulty part, Wavre was able to cast off again at 2245 hours to restart. SECOND: Thanks to the AIS tracker on the onboard computer, Cheminées Poujoulat's support team appears to have identified the boat with which Bernard Stamm collided. In fact, Stamm's team report that is is not to be a fishing boat, but an 80-metre long Maltese cargo vessel which is believed to be a freight carrier. According to reports the paint from the ship's hull side matches that left on the Open 60's hull side. Now in Les Sables d'Olonne, the team is repairing the broken bowsprit and hull damage with hopes of returning to the race on Tuesday. THIRD: 2001 winner Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia: "I had a small leak in the ballast system and underestimated its importance and the damage. This morning I started up the engine and after 40 minutes of charging, I could smell something burning. The engine was taking a swimming lesson and didn't appreciate it." Desjoyeaux hopes to be in Les Sables d'Olonne by late Monday night, with his shore team diligently seeking spare engine parts today despite the Armistice bank holiday. FOURTH: Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty, the skipper of Groupe Maisonneuve, has returned to Les Sables d'Olonne because of a damaged deck panel that will take two or three days to repair. FIFTH: Derek Hatfield on Algimouss Spirit of Canada is citing some form of electrical problems as the reason to return to the start port of Les Sables d'Olonne. SIXTH: Yannick Bestaven on Aquarelle.com has been dismasted and is heading to Les Sables d'Olonne. SEVENTH: Groupe Bel skipper Kito de Pavant has broken his mast, boom and one of the carbon deck spreaders. Bel was positioned 260 miles from Les Sables d'Olonne, and was likely headed there. EIGHTH: Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss reported structural problem Monday evening after finding a crack on the port side hull, the opposite side to the recent repair. The boat is taking on water, but at a manageable rate. He is currently approximately 290 miles from the port and expects to return to Les Sables d’Olonne by late Tuesday. * Vendée Globe rules stipulate that if they suffer damage, the competitors may only return to Les Sables d’Olonne to carry out repairs before heading off again. They must cross the start line by 13h02 on 19th November. FINAL WEEK IN CAPE TOWN (Nov. 10, 2008) - It has been a week since the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race’s first leg in Cape Town, SA, with teams now shifting their attention from boat repair to training for the second leg. A new and untested route for the race, the 4,450nm distance to Cochin, India begins on November 15th. PUMA Ocean Racing and Green Dragon became the first teams to return to the water, with both hoisted in on Monday morning. The two Telefonica boats had their masts stepped on Monday, but remain in their cradles. * Ericsson 3 skipper Anders Lewander has announced crew changes ahead of leg two to Cochin, India. Returning to the starting lineup is Swedish trimmer Martin Stromberg, who missed leg one due to an injury. His replacement, Norwegian Eivind Melleby, will remain on board, as the Danish sailor Stefan Myrälf, steps down. * Guy Salter, Ericsson 4 media crew member, describes a typical day: “My day usually would be to get up and make the boys some breakfast at around 04:00. Then I get my cameras ready and get up on deck. I’m usually up there more or less for the duration of the day – about 12 to 14 hours. I go down below and start to process the video and still pictures. I average about six or seven hours of sleep a day, and I’m lucky, I get to have it all in one go.” Overall Leaderboard (Provisional) 1. Ericsson 4, 14 points 2. PUMA, 13 points 3. Green Dragon, 11 points 4. Telefónica Blue, 10 points 5. Telefónica Black, 7 points 6. Ericsson 3, 5 points* 7. Delta Lloyd, 4 points 8. Team Russia, 4 points *Scoring penalty: http://tinyurl.com/illegal-keel 'HARNESSING' RESULTS! Ethan Bixby and Erik Boothe scored 3 bullets to capture the 505 European Championship in Sicily in October. Racing with a 100% North Sails inventory including a 3DL main, Dacron jibs and a North trapeze harness, Bixby and Boothe won by three points to capture the title among the 70-boat fleet. When performance counts, the choice is clear: http://www.northsails.com * A photo of Bixby/Boothe was featured last Friday in Scuttlebutt’s PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/1107 SAILING SHORTS * (Nov. 10, 2008) - Five of the remaining six competitors in the 804-nm 2008 Long Beach to Cabo San Lucas International Yacht Race - including the smallest boat in the race, Bob Lane’s Andrews 63, Medicine Man - were projected Monday to break the race record of 3 days 3 hours 46 minutes 24 seconds when they finish Tuesday morning. However, the leading favorite to break the record, Doug Baker’s Magnitude 80, broke their mast Sunday morning, and are now berthed in Ensenada. -- Detailed accident report from Mag 80 navigator Ernie Richau, along with a daily recap: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6664#6664 * The Southern Star, a French 75-foot sloop, left Norway mid-May to start a one-year circumnavigation of North America, sailing through the fabled Northwest Passage this summer before arriving in San Francisco on Sunday, November 9. From San Francisco, the Southern Star will sail down the coast to Panama, and finally back to Norway. The main goal of this expedition is to investigate and raise awareness around climate change. The crew is a mix of scientists, journalists and crew partners. Leading the team is skipper Olivier Pitras. The Southern Star will be docked at the St. Francis Yacht Club until November 18. -- http://www.69nord.com * The 2009 vernal (spring) equinox will officially occur on March 20th, which is the time when all the ‘buttheads are to burn their socks after surviving another Northern Hemisphere winter. The tradition of sock burning draws large parties with huge fire pits, where the celebration marks the return of bare feet into boat shoes or flip flops. But when does the sock season begin? The Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis, MD - deemed by Sail Magazine as “One of the World’s Top Sailing Bars” - says it starts on November 13th, and is hosting a Sock Donning Party to help get the winter season started. -- http://www.boatyardbarandgrill.com * From Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, in Oak Point, Texas, 41 women sailors representing six U.S. states, Canada and Mexico took part in the Road to Rolex Clinic at the Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club (DCYC). Coached by international competitor and coach Elizabeth Kratzig (Corpus Christi, Texas/Miami Beach, Fla.) and designed to prepare women sailors for US SAILING’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC), the three-day clinic featured drills on the water in International J/22s, as well as classroom learning about keelboat racing. -- Full report with participant list: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/1110 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get 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 Andrew Flynn, Chandler, AZ: I caught ESPN Classic's broadcast of the Chicago to Mackinac race, as hosted and produced by Gary Jobson. While Gary is most knowledgeable, he did mention in a large sweeping crescendo as they approached the Straits of Mackinac that the Mackinac Bridge "links the United States and Canada". As a Michigan native, I was surprised to learn that the Upper Peninsula of Michigan had been annexed by the Canucks. This should have been mentioned during the presidential debates, how the Bush administration was asleep at the wheel! For the record, the Ambassador Bridge (Detroit) and the Blue Water Bridge (Port Huron) and the International Bridge (Sault Ste. Marie) are the only bridges to link the US and Canada in the Great Lakes. => Curmudgeon’s Comment: I spoke with Gary, who is aware of the miscue and has corrected it on the DVD. * From Maurice Cusick, Esq. Newport: Regarding the Vendee collision "while he was working inside the boat", remember what I wrote on this page just a few years ago: You still have to keep a lookout under the law. It does not matter if you are solo or a fisherman. * From Ray Tostado: Given the financial crisis people seem to have taken a code of silence recently; but not I. What I observe during these harsh economic realities is a downturn in almost every aspect of the sport of boating, save for the big ticket items where buyers are unaffected by the economy. Having lived through more than one of these bubble events I hope that history repeats itself. During those past times many innovative designers and builders had a chance to take a deep breath and not be pressured by any need to keep up with anybody. "Head above water." was the only ambition. But during these moments of rest, minds can think towards the future rather than only the present. In power boating new ideas already are offering 20%+ fuel savings. I expect that in the months, maybe few years to come, sailboat designs will make significant breakthroughs in speed and comfort. Whatever proves well on the race course eventually makes its way to the consumer production line. There will be no demand to get it ready for market the next quarter. Refinement studies will be extended, quality assurance will become a given. All in all, a better world will emerge; if only we have the conviction and determination to survive. In the mean time, we should all enjoy what we have; even make an effort to share with those who have not been able to retain their ownership in the world of yachting. * From David Barrow, Chairman, British Marine Federations International Committee: I know that Scuttlebutt is a non-commercial operation but this will obviously be an opportunity for your readers, many of whom are actively involved in the marine industry. A few years ago under the previous Chairman a unique event was developed which is really helpful to OEM suppliers globally called “Meet The Buyer”. This gives anyone, who is a supplier to the Marine industry an opportunity to buy a meeting slot with a major supplier for between £50-100, this is a non profit making exercise for the benefit of the marine trade world-wide. Buyers include Hanse, Shipman, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, CNB, Oyster, Riva, Rodman, Numarine, NCP, Prinz, Piculan, AD Boats, Johnson, Trinity, RMK Turkey, Mulder, Palmer Johnson, Coach. Each supplier submits their company profile and then you are invited to prioritise the Buyers you wish to see. The Buyers see your information and decide if they want a meeting and then the meeting schedules are produced. This way meetings you are accepted for are confirmed and you know that you both want to sit down and discuss the product further. The meetings take place at the London Boat Show (Jan. 13-14) and application closes on the 12th of November. Further information at http://www.bmfmeetthebuyer.co.uk CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat? (If you need a Gilligan’s Island fix, here are over 50 full length episodes: http://video.aol.com/show/gilligans-island) Special thanks to Harken and North Sails. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
