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SCUTTLEBUTT 3791 - Friday, March 8, 2013Scuttlebutt 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: Hall Spars & Rigging and North U. "IT WAS MAGIC. I DON'T KNOW WHY" By Kimball Livingston, Blue Planet Times Once upon a time ocean racing was going gangbusters. Every new boat seemed important, and the new boats kept on coming. In the 1970s, the racing yacht Imp was born in a sketch on a napkin at the bar at The San Francisco Yacht Club. No one could have imagined what was coming. Even the paint job was shocking for the day, and the crew looked more like a rock band than yachties, but hey, we're talking San Francisco, and in their 1977 world tour they rocked that world and won most of their races. That would include SORC and then the Fastnet, as the top boat in the "world championship" of ocean racing, the Admiral's Cup. RIP, Admiral's Cup. RIP, SORC. RIP, IOR. Jimi, Janet . . . That whole scene is gone. But it came back, briefly, on Wednesday evening (March 6) when Storm Trysail Club Commodore John Fisher presented the Seamanship Award to the crew of Imp, and many an old tale surfaced. Some of them may even have been true. Fisher made the presentation in SFYC's Cove House, just steps from where Imp's napkin sketch played out in the long ago. Bill Barton read from the 1979 Fastnet storm chapter of his book, 'The Legend of Imp' recalling dark hour after dark hour with the odometer pegged at 60 and the wind blowing the top fifteen feet off the waves and every move a struggle when "struggle" can't really tell the story. Finally, dawn broke, and after weeks of gray skies, Skip Stevely recalled, "The sky was clear. It was the prettiest weather I've ever seen in England." Salt water mountains notwithstanding. Storm Trysail's Seamanship Award is unique in recognizing all of the crewmembers. It was first awarded to the crew of Tenacious, Ted Turner's '79 Fastnet Race winner, and then to the crew of George Coumantaros' Boomerang, in 1996 the first boat ever to finish a Newport-Bermuda in a long weekend. Boomerang was designed and rigged to not have to reef below 40 knots true, and she found her weather. I once compared Imp and crew to ensemble players in a theater that, strangely, catch fire and become more than players, their vehicle more than a play. Skip Allan gets that. "It was magic," he said. "I don't know why." -- Great photos here: http://blueplanettimes.com/?p=10440 THE BOOK: From the website for the 'The Legend of Imp': "The 40-foot boat designed by Kiwi Ron Holland for David Allen of Belvedere, California took the yacht-racing world by storm from her launch in January 1977. She has had a magical life through seven different owners over a 33-year life span and is still winning races today. She spawned a large family of clones and pseudo clones, all seeking a piece of her magic. None could recapture it." More here: http://www.implegend.com/ FOIL FOCUSED Behind the scenes at Oracle Team USA, Joseph Ozanne crunches numbers using mind-numbing equations all in the name of a faster time around the racecourse for his team's AC72. Ozanne is the team's wing design leader and is also responsible for the performance prediction functions. Much of his work in the current campaign involves the daggerboards, which he believes will be critical to a team's success in the 34th America's Cup. Now on his third campaign with Oracle, the 34-year old Frenchman has had plenty of experience working with the best in the game. Is the wing more important that the foils on the 72s? "No. You need to consider that the foils are now the main driver of performance on these boats. It's critical to have it right. Last Cup I was a wing designer, and then everybody believed that the wing was the key but that's not true. The reality is that on this boat, the multihull, we try to minimize the drag. That's the goal overall. Where you can really make big gains is under the water, and you really need to have it correct. The foils and the windage are two areas where you have to focus because boats are going 40 knots, and the faster you go [the more] you're going to create drag. The most efficient way to do that is to lift the boat to reduce the volume of the floats, so you need to lift your boat out of the water. You can do that with foils, but you can't do that with the wing because it is vertical." Sailing World, full interview: http://www.sailingworld.com/blogs/racing/americas-cup/foil-focused 10% OFF LEWMAR AT HALL Spring is fast approaching, and Hall Spars & Rigging would like to help you get started with all the necessities. It's Lewmar Month - - during the month of March, get 10% OFF all Lewmar products, and start the season off right! http://www.hallspars.com http://www.facebook.com/HallSpars MOTHER NATURE FAILED TO DELIVER Miami, FL (March 7, 2013) - The fourth annual BACARDI Miami Sailing Week (BMSW) presented by EFG Bank has been underway for three days with 56 Star teams competing for the 86th Bacardi Cup. Today sailors in the Audi Melges 20, Melges 24, Viper 640 and J/70 classes were to have their first day of racing on Biscayne Bay, however, Mother Nature must have had other plans as she delivered only enough breeze to allow one race to be sailed in each of those classes. For the Star sailors, who had a planned lay day, it was a day to enjoy the renowned Bacardi hospitality. Of the 45 Melges 20s racing, 15 picked up DNF (Did Not Finish) points, when they failed to cross the finish line before the time limit for racing expired. "The start was light and it just got lighter," said James Wilson (Rye, N.Y.). "I think our strength was to do well in the strongest wind we found. We faced many challenges and needed to be careful off the starting line. Our goal was to keep the boat moving and we had to do many adjustments. The Race Committee did the best they could all around and also by shortening the course." Finishing second was Tony Tabb (Winnetka, Ill.), with Marcus Eagan (Madisonville, La.), Marc Hollerbach (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) and Paul Reilly (Chicago, Ill.) completing the Melges 20 top-five. In the Melges 24 class, all 18 teams completed the circuit around the marks, with Chesapeake Bay sailor Catherine Evans (Annapolis, Md.) taking the win on the opening day of the series. "I'm kind of used to these conditions," said Evans. "I have an amazing crew and despite the shifting conditions we were able to manage to get the top result. This is a fantastic event and I definitely have the right boat name [Mojito] for it! The Race Committee made a good move to call it a day after race one, we would have had a bad second race." Finishing second in the Melges 24s was Alan Field (Los Angeles, Calif.), followed by Don Wilson (Chicago, Ill.), Bent Dietrich (Hamburg, GER) and Bruce Ayres (Costa Mesa, Calif.). Racing for all classes resumes Friday, March 9, and will conclude on Saturday, March 9. Full report and results: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=15325#15325 WHAT'S NEW FOR THE ORR RULE IN 2013 The Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) was first used in the 2006 race season, and is now the prominent rule for distance racing throughout North America. Events such as the Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas Race, Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, and the Marion to Bermuda Race all use ORR. ORR is based on a non-public Velocity Prediction Program (VPP), with the performance factors having recently gone through some small modifications. Here's what's new for the ORR Rule in 2013: - Hull Drag: the model for wave drag (residuary resistance) has been adjusted slightly to include the results of new tank test data - Sail Aerodynamics: the algorithm for de-powering offwind sails (man and spinnaker) has been adjusted to reflect wind-tunnel test data - Sailing Dynamics: adjustments to how dynamics such as tacking and accelerating effect the ratings (boat speed predictions) - Rudders: the effect of rudder span in generating lift has been reviewed, particularly with respect to deep rudders - Code Stability: the calculation of best downwind VMG has been made more robust, in particular for very light boats with very large sails ORR website: http://www.offshoreracingrule.org/ STEPPING UP YOUR GAME WITH FITNESS There are about a million different factors that go into making awesome, unbeatable sailors. These factors include both controllable and somewhat uncontrollable variables. For instance, while the next guy on the starting line might have a magical hole and an incredible God-given talent for keeping his position on the line, you might excel at the ability to crush him upwind by keeping your boat flat solely because you've got a knack for woodworking and have built yourself a hiking bench... and practice on it regularly. Now while some of these talents other sailors have may seem unfair if you were not 'born with it,' there are some controllable factors that can instantly boost your game and make you a more competitive force on the course. The number one way to increase you skills and your level of play is through fitness. Fitness not only keeps sailors physically on top, but it also increases our mental endurance and our ability to clear our heads after an event. Like any other competitive sport, sailing is innately linked to fitness. However, unlike soccer or lacrosse, where players will constantly run or sprint and repeatedly use particular muscles during a game, in sailing, much of our sport depends on weather. Therefore, no matter the regatta or length of an event, competitors must always be prepared for a full range of activity and movements. -- SpinSheet, read on: http://issuu.com/cdeere/docs/mar_ss_2013/74 SEMINARS WEBINARS CLINICS COACHES You can spend a lifetime learning to be a better racer. North U accelerates the process with Rules & Tactics seminars and webinars, Expedition webinars, fleet clinics, match racing clinics, and private coaching. Top instructors and decades of experience make North U your source for accelerated learning. Learn More, faster. 800-347-2457, http://www.NorthU.com SAILING SHORTS * Miami, FL (March 7, 2013) - Racing at the Gaastra 52 World Championships was abandoned today when winds proved too little to complete a fair race. Race 5 of the series was started in very streaky and shifty conditions, and after over an hour and within only 300 metres of the shortened finish line at the second top mark, Tony Langley's Gladiator was ahead of the pack when the time limit expired. Several teams filed for redress but the International Jury dismissed the requests. Racing continues Friday and concludes Saturday. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/52-030713 * Muscat, Oman (March 7, 2013) - If Wednesday was all about the new talent at the Extreme Sailing Series, today was about experience with the established teams using their knowledge of the short stadium style race courses to make the most of the light winds. The stage is set for the final day on Friday with points tight between Red Bull Sailing Team, The Wave, Muscat and Alinghi at the top. Currently in the lead is light air specialist Roman Hagara and his Red Bull Sailing Team. -- Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ESS-030713 * Details for the 2013 Bermuda One-Two Race are now available online. This is the 19th running of the biennial race between Newport, RI and St. George's, Bermuda, with race distance at 635 nm each way. The race is sailed in two parts: Leg One is singlehanded from Newport to Bermuda, and, following a brief layover, Leg Two back to Newport is doublehanded. The race is run by the Newport (RI) Yacht Club and the host in Bermuda is the St. George's Dinghy and Sports Club. The start of Leg One is June 8. Details: http://www.bermuda1-2.org/ FINALLY... THE DAY HAS COME The Scuttlebutt newsletter was launched in 1997, and the website followed in 2003. A lot has happened since then, and it is time for these two platforms to get a well needed makeover. This weekend is when the heavy lifting occurs. Once we launch the new website, there will continue to be a period of construction. Please excuse our dust as we seek to provide access to the catalogue of information that has been posted online for the past ten years. While we hope the transition goes smoothly, it probably won't. We are transferring the e-Newsletter subscriber list to a new provider, so if your Monday edition does not arrive to your email inbox (and you can't find it in your spam filter), send us an email at subscribe@sailingscuttlebutt.com Thanks for your commitment to Scuttlebutt and for your patience during this step into the future. 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 Chris Caswell: While I would dearly love to be so clever and insightful as Mr. Rave suggests (in Scuttlebutt 3790) that "No more expensive way of going slowly has been invented by man than sailing" is a Caswellian quote, it was actually said by yacht designer, bon vivant and good friend, the late Gary Mull. I included the quote, which is so true, in my book, "The Quotable Sailor". * From Malinda Crain, Chair, US Sailing Youth Championships Committee: We would like to thank John Lambert for his note in Scuttlebutt 3789, as it provides us another opportunity to share information about the upcoming 2013 US Sailing Youth Championships, to be held in Corpus Christi, TX, August 12-16, and to provide some details about the event that may have been overlooked. The US Sailing Youth Championship Committee works hard to ensure that the US Youth Champs is the premier youth sailing event in the country. We are constantly evaluating the criteria for selection, the equipment to be included, the venues and the economic value for the sailors and their families. As examples of this, three years ago we moved the event from June to August, so the sailors could be at their best; and two years ago we voted to include the I-420 in the event, in addition to the C-420, beginning in 2013. As a committee, we are cooperating with the Olympic Sailing Committee to make Youth Champs a stepping stone on the Olympic Pathway, should a sailor be interested in this pursuit. This year, the US Youth Championship will also be a qualifying event for the 2014 ISAF Youth Worlds Team. With this addition, it is necessary to include the equipment that ISAF has chosen for the Youth World Championship. -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=15322#15322 * From Rebecca Sterling: Interesting comment in Scuttlebutt 3790 by the esteemed editor regarding the purpose of yacht club summer junior programs. Of the three objectives he mentions, the programs I see seem to fulfill two of them: fill a child care slot for parents and strive to create youth champions. It is unfortunate that the two ends of the spectrum are being satisfied, while the much bigger middle section - instilling a lifelong love of sailing - is getting overlooked. But in this society where measured progress and ego fulfillment rule the day, these programs are merely a sign of the times. * From Amando Estela: Regarding the future of clubs, the article you posted in Scuttlebutt 3790 from Afloat Magazine resonated with us over here in Spain, as I'm sure it does all over the world. The transition from chaperoned and funded sailor to solo and self-funding young-adult is not a straightforward one. This is particularly the case when it occurs at such a transitional time in their life when they are exposed to an explosion of new and exciting external influences - sure, around sport - but also work and not least social life! Here at SailX.com we have just launched a new (and free) product which we hope will help clubs better navigate this transition. This product gives clubs the ability to build and manage their own private and custom-branded "members-area" on SailX (complete with lots of interesting statistics on the group and individual racing), the ability to run their own private racing and training sessions online (including race setup and replays, etc) plus the ability to present themselves to the SailX community worldwide - now 31k+ registered users and growing fast. We created this offer in response to the growing pressure on clubs and in the main the offer is designed to help clubs retain (and maybe in time even grow) their membership over time - plus to help them monetize their club assets. An overview of the offer is available for your readers to download at kttp://www.sailx.com/clubs * From Jan Visser: In regards to Glenn McCarthy's comments and the expense of sailing. He is right on every point but I don't know of a youngster that is going out with the intent of buying a 70' whatever. In 1991, I was looking for something for my son to do to keep him busy when I stumbled upon an ad in the local newspaper for a sailing program. I investigated and signed him up, and off we went one of the wildest ride that I have ever encountered and am still on. I did run into a bit of noses in the air, not to worry, it was only a couple of weeks that summer. The next summer was spent from the day school was out until the end of that summer sailing. The third year was the same with one exception. The noses in the air got a little worse, and when the summer ended, there were thoughts running around in my head that really did not make a whole lot of sense. Regardless, on the 2nd of January the following year I filed Articles of Incorporation and in June I launched a summer sailing program. No boats, dock or any idea where they would come from. Here I was, a single mom working 40 hours a week, making things work. Boats were donated to us, a couple of used Lasers were bought, and I found some Level 1 US Sailing Certified instructors. There was a new game in town and we are still at it. -- Forum, read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=15323#15323 * From Ray Tostado: When I withdrew from "serious racing" to "fun racing", what factored in to my decision was that to maintain a top of the line IOR boat, back in the '80s, was no longer justified to my life style and income. It was a matter that the replacement cost of my original sail inventory of 14 bags to be competitive, had climbed 400% from the original package, in 8 years. Nearly equivalent to the original launch cost for my CF 41 two-tonner Juarez itself. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Enthusiasm spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment." - Norman Vincent Peale SPONSORS THIS WEEK Gowrie Group - Harken - North U - Grand Ambition - Gladstone's Long Beach - Block Island Race Week - North Sails - Waterline Systems - APS - Ullman Sails - Hall Spars & Rigging - Need stuff? Look here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers | |||
