Falling short

The length of the Scuttlebutt newsletter can easily get too long some days, and we consciously look to limit the content to keep the ‘buttheads from having to refill their coffee cup before getting to the Curmudgeon’s Observation. It is not possible to cover every event that occurs in the sport, but some definitely deserve exposure based on their importance. The US Youth Championship is arguably the most significant event for juniors in America, and is one of those events that has significant interest in all corners of the country. We saw the Youth Champs as an event that deserved daily updates in Scuttlebutt.

Providing event coverage depends largely on our ability to access event information. When it came to the Youths, they had created a dandy site that included a section for on-the-water commentary, daily reports, and results. Unfortunately, what seems to happen occasionally is that the event volunteers are unable to keep up with all the features they have created. While the commentary was pretty neat, the daily reports were posted late, and on one of the race days, the results weren’t posted at all.

The bar has been set pretty high these days when it comes to online event coverage. Results can be posted to the event website before the sailors hit the showers, and daily reports are often not far behind. While we know this all can be done, we know it is still a lot to ask from a volunteer organization. However, the one thing that we know can be done – and we feel must be done for important events – is that results get posted in a timely fashion. No excuses. The results are initially called preliminary, and when the smoke has cleared and any protests heard, the results become final.

On the one day that the Youths failed to post the results, the Scuttlebutt editors got frustrated. It was too late to call – plus we had no one’s number to call (some events provide the media with this information). We did our best to provide the facts of the day, but could not help ourselves from providing an editorial comment about our disappointment. This angered some folks from the event, and we can understand that. Running the event for the kids is paramount, and we assume that was where there focus was. However, our focus was in serving our audience, and trying to do our best to support youth sailing, and on that day we felt we couldn’t do it.

Four and a half hours of television

The third race of the 32nd America’s Cup proved one thing – a yacht race television show can be riveting. Tight start, huge leads, major splits, 3 passes, a horrid leeward mark rounding – all in minimum winds - and a final winner that wasn’t known until mere boat lengths from the finish. This race set many records, but think about it… this was 4 ½ hours of great television.

Watching Versus, they even seem to be getting some recognizable companies to retain ad space. Commercials from UBS and Troy Sears/ Next Level Sailing are now among those from Mobil, Harley Davidson, Captain Morgan Rum, Pacific Life Insurance, Motel 6, Nissan, Tanqueray gin, Hennessy Cognac, Travel Texas, and Edward Jones Investments.

Don’t criticize the commercials… celebrate the recognition that these companies are giving the event. There are times when Versus goes to commercial and misses events on the racecourse. There are no time outs in sailing. The producer rolls the dice and sometimes they are wrong, but televising the America’s Cup is an expensive event to cover and they have to pay for it. Within the body of the race they need to get in 10 commercials. When the race length is about 90 minutes, it means they need to get a commercial in approximately every 9 minutes.

Versus is now providing replays of vital action missed during the commercial breaks. It’s all good. Heck, I still can’t believe I watched 4 ½ hours of television today. The wind wasn’t nuking, the boats weren’t being launched off waves, masts weren’t breaking… and still it was great to watch.

Pete died

Pete, the oldest sailor at the club, died. So his sailor buddies went to the local paper to put a notice in the obituaries. The gentleman at the counter, after offering his condolences, asked what they would like to say about Pete.

Pete’s pals replied, “Just put 'Pete died'.”

The gentleman, somewhat perplexed, asked, “That's it? All you want is 'Pete died'? Surely, there must be something more you'd like to say about Pete. If it's money you're concerned about, the first five words are free. We must say something more.”

So the sailors pondered for a few minutes and finally said, “Okay, you put ‘Pete died. Boat for sale.’”

Where are they now

For future filing in the ‘where are they now’ folder, here is an email the Scuttlebutt editors received from a new business in Nassau, Bahamas:

SailNassau (started in mid 2006) has two America’s Cup yachts, NZL10 and NZL12 that were part of Team New Zealand’s 1992 campaign in San Diego. The yachts have been fully refurbished and operate in Nassau, Bahamas taking tourists and corporate groups out match racing infront of the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. Passengers become the crew and are encouraged to take the helm, exert energy on the grinders or simply to sit back and enjoy the action. The trip suits all levels of experience and ability. The yachts have been modified to carry 25 passengers per yacht. This adventure is more diverse and dynamic than any other in Nassau and is steeped in a vast and colourful history – a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Poor Man’s Olympics

If you are a city that would like to bid on hosting a huge sailing event, and the Olympics is a bit more than you want to take on, the Volvo Ocean Race route doesn’t pass by your port, and you are not in the America’s Cup game, it is starting to look like the ISAF Sailing World Championships is the next rung on the ladder.

First run a year before the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the event gained significant prominence in 2003 when hosted by Cadiz, Spain, where 71 nations participated with 993 boats and 1472 sailors, and 450 journalists attended. The four-year cycle for the Worlds has remained, and with it being held in the year prior to the Olympics, the event is widely used for determining which countries and sailors will be attending the Games.

In 2007, all the top Olympic sailors will be in Cascais, Portugal for the ISAF Worlds to be held June 28-July 13. As for the next event in 2011, it appears to be “game on” for the cities hungry for a piece of the pie. Already, Scuttlebutt editors have received bid notifications from a group in Perth, Western Australia and in Kiel, Germany. This event brings significant revenue to the host city, but is hugely expensive to run, and likely can only be done with considerable government funding. When you play on this level, you need public support on your side. So if you haven’t yet announced your intention to bid for the 2011 gig, it’s time to get on your horse, as your Google ranking is already behind two other towns.

Happier times

Despite the Luna Rossa team getting blanked 5-0 by Emirates Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton finals, they can still take solace in the magnificent spanking they gave BMW Oracle Racing in the Semi-Finals at the start of race 5, earning two penalties on the American entry. Trophies get forgotten, but the memory of this America's Cup career-ending blow to BOR skipper/ helm/ CEO Chris Dickson will live forever. Here is the five-minute start sequence:

Onboard hoops

It’s nice being right. Watching Versus, Peter Isler just confirmed what we thought all along. Craig Hummer just asked him how the teams handle the postponements, and Peter offered how it is apart of the sport, sailors are used to it, and you remain patient while staying cool and chatting with your teammates. However, he said the best times during the many postponements of the early Round Robin series was when the BMW Oracle Racing afterguard would shuttle over to Larry Ellison’s 450-foot ‘Rising Sun.’

We said back on April 19 how it seemed so wasteful that these teams spent all day on the boats during postponement. When the forecast was dismal on these days, they could get indoors and continue preparing for the day. But what we didn’t realize was that for the BOR team, these excursions to Ellison’s yacht also included playing some hoops at the onboard basketball court. Gotta love the pro end of this sport.