Medemblik

Over one week ago, the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, Holland was among the final events the Olympic fleet would compete in before they focus on their final training for the Qingdao games. In 2009, the Medemblik event will be among the seven events that form the inaugural ISAF World Cup Circuit. Journalist Lynn Fitzpatrick was onsite to report on the Olympic event, and provides some insight into the facility that hosted the 566 entrants:

"Situated approximately 40 kilometers north of Amsterdam, the Medemblik Regatta Center has just about everything going for it. Medemblik is an old community by any standard (founded in the 10th century and established as a village in 1289). Medemblik is a small community (7,600 population). It has lots of tightly packed, well-maintained two story homes; church steeples dotting the skyline; and a main street with outdoor cafes, bars, bakeries, a grocery store and a castle protecting the main harbor entrance." -- Read on

Ragtime

‘A Brush with Sail’ newsletter has been following Californian Chris Welsh’s reconfiguration of the underwater profile of his John Spencer designed ‘Ragtime’. She is an ex Auckland, New Zealand yacht, that was launched as ‘Infidel’, way back in 1964. Here is a reprint of a photo above by Steve Welsh and an update by Chris that was in the June newsletter:

"‘Ragtime’ is back in the water and moving well. As part of the measurement process for IRC we weighed the boat: 23,910 pounds with rig. This has to be the lightest she has ever weighed, with the most sail area and least drag. Net, she weighs 3,000 lbs. less than when I got her, has 10% more sail area (mast is 6.5' taller than the first mast), and 5-6% less drag. Looking back to the original launching, she had the same amount of lead (8,000 lbs +/-), but the C.G. of the lead was three feet higher and the fin had significantly more volume so the righting moment was far less. The original keel fin and skeg rudder had to be very ‘draggy’ by comparison." -- Click here to read on (go to Page 21)

Chris got to wondering what other boats have had as active and successful a career as Ragtime, and sent Scuttlebutt this letter:

"Amidst a slow race this weekend we started to speculate if any racing boats out here anywhere have done the racing miles and total miles Ragtime has done. We calculate she has 14 Transpacs at 5,500 miles round trip, 20 Mexico races at 1,800 round trip, and another assorted 10,000 miles on Coastal Cups, Ensenada Races, and local racing. Add it up and we are at 123,000 miles under the keel, half of which was racing.

"The 2008 Tahiti Race and sailing on to New Zealand will add another 7,000 miles to that. Five or six times around the globe, more or less. Like the Mount Gay hat collection challenge, what mileage under the keel have other race boats done, racing and/or with deliveries?"

Additional links:
Photos of the old and new keel
Background story from May 2007

Hiking simulators

Laser hiking bench



Optimist hiking bench



Virtual hiking bench




From the Virtual Sailing website:
Virtual Sailing, manufacturers of the only advanced sailing simulator "VSail-Trainer", have begun a coaching trial in Melbourne, Australia. The trial aims to explore novel methods and develop new protocols for teaching youngsters how to sail. We already know that Generations Y and Z relate differently to the learning styles of previous generations. They are much more into Enquiry Learning and don't relate as well to Instructive Styles. Using the "VSail-Trainer" the students will learn at their own pace in a non-threatening environment. "It doesn't take them long" says Virtual Sailing coach John Mooney. "After all, how long is it since you saw an adult instruct a teenager on how to use a mobile phone?. This generation is not afraid to experiment and try things, it is like a game to them"

Women's Ass Size Study

Submitted by a 'butthead who prefaced it by saying, "You probably won't use this but you will enjoy it."

There is a new study just released by the American Psychiatric Association about women and how they feel about their asses. The results are pretty shocking:

1. Only 5% of women surveyed feel their ass is too big.
2. 10% of women surveyed feel their ass is too small.
3. The remaining 85% say they don't care; they love him; he's a good man and they would have married him anyway.

Just don't 'double dog dare' us next time.

Creative Marketing

The tough economy and rising fuel prices has at least two groups taking a proactive stance to insure that these factors don’t stand in the way of their operations. A couple weeks ago RIBCRAFT, a Marblehead, MA based RIB manufacturer, announced that they were hosting a Free Gas Promotion, where they would provide a $1,000 gas card for customers who purchase any new RIBCRAFT rigid inflatable boat (RIB) 19' and greater between May 15th and June 30th. On the event side, the 2008 J/22 Worlds, which will be held in Rochester, NY in August, is offering a $150 gas card to any entrant that drives over 400 miles from their home base to the event, and a $300 card for teams driving over 800 miles. While the large J/22 fleet in Annapolis, MD might be out luck (384 miles away per Google Maps), this might be just the push that the Gulf Coast contingent needs to drive.

Have you heard of any other interesting marketing ideas? Add them in the Comments section.

BIRW housing

Sara Watson from Goetz Custom Boats passes on this info from the Hotel Viking:

We are offering anyone associated with the Newport to Bermuda Race a highly discounted rate for staying with us the dates of: June 16/17/18/19th. The discounted rate that we are offering each evening is $259 plus 13% tax. The rate would be for a Newport Room which is an oversized room about 310 sq feet. This room has one king, or two queen beds (which is great for multiple people in one room) and is of an English Country Inn type décor. These rooms have pillow top mattresses, and featherbeds, as well as marble baths. I've been in contact with Nick Nicholson, chairman of the race and offered him this rate as well. The toll free number to call to make reservations is 1-800-556-7126, our website is www.hotelviking.com if anyone wants to be proactive in finding out more about our hotel. Lastly, my personal information is below.

Warmly,
Sharon Longo
Reservations Supervisor
Hotel Viking
A Noble House Hotel
One Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Direct Line: 401-848-4881
Fax: 401-848-4852
Email: slongo@hotelviking.com

Diversity

This Letter to the Editor had us laughing out loud:

* From Cressida Robson: I followed your link from this story (in Issue 2602) … “ISAF is currently accepting nominations for members of the Committees, Sub-Committees and Commissions of the International Sailing Federation for November 2008-November 2012..... -- http://www.sailing.org/23396.php”

.....and I just loved the photo and caption...nothing to me says more about why we have ended up with the classes and events we have at the Olympics. Diverse? Three white shirt and tie, grey haired men? I don't think so.

Dress code

The 2008 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Assocation Nationals will be held in Newport, RI at the New York Yacht Club, which apparently warranted a notice to competitors regarding the dress code:

Jacket & tie/Dresses will be required at the Awards ceremonies for each event. The New York Yacht Club does have a no-denim policy on the grounds, but that is mainly enforced at the main house where we will only be holding the Team Racing banquet. Other functions will be in the Sailing Center. Shorts and a t-shirt (and shoes) will be fine.

Automated replies

A morning task for the Scuttlebutt editor is go through all the email, particulalry the automated replies that some of the e-Newsletter subscribers use when they are going to be away. It is kind of monotonous, but it does help us keep track of some folks too. Here is one from today:

I will be offshore for about a week and out of email range. Any urgent issues please contact Kimo Worthington at kimo.worthington@puma.com.

Thanks. Sorry to bother you.

Regards,

Ken Read
Puma Ocean Racing

Yellow jersey

CAREFUL WHAT YOU CLAIM
There is a Curmudgeon’s Observation that says, “There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.” Well, the same might go for one of the innovative ideas being announced by the organizers of Kiel Week in Germany, which is one of the premier European events. A press release last week from the event publicized how they were presenting “a world premiere in sailing” and how they “want to pass on our recommendations and new ideas to ISAF which may contribute to a better future of sailing.”

The idea they have come up with was to utilize the “yellow jersey” concept, which is widely used in bike racing, wherein the leading crew in each division at Kiel Week would wear the jerseys. This is a great idea, or at least it was when witnessed in action three years ago at the 2005 US Snipe National Championship, held in San Diego, CA. At the end of each day, the pomp and circumstance of the Tour de France would be replicated, and the jersey would be transferred to the new leader, or would be re-awarded if the leader did not change. Great fun at the end of each day, with the traditional flowers being replaced by cool beverages!

Here is the Kiel Week release:
(May 16, 2008) Kiel will present a world premiere in sailing: the world-wide known “yellow jersey” will be introduced to Kieler Woche 2008 (June 21 to June 29). “We want the various spectators to better recognize the overall leading team in each boat class” states Jobst Richter, Race Director of the Kieler Woche organisation. With this novelty in sailing the organizers intend to contribute to a broader understanding for spectators and visitors, as well as a better media coverage of the Grade 1 event Kieler Woche. Like in cycling the No. 1 crew of each boat class will wear the “yellow jersey” on a day to day basis, thus defending the overall lead of the preceding race day. Additionally, the overall second and third teams will wear differently coloured jerseys, which may also change from one crew to another on a daily basis. Although Kieler Woche is 25 years older than the World Sailing Federation ISAF (100th anniversary in 2007), the Kieler Woche organisation wants to contribute with the innovation “yellow jersey” to the development of the sport on international level. “We want to pass on our recommendations and new ideas to ISAF which may contribute to a better future of sailing; we decline to solely react on ISAF’s decisions and conclusions” explains a self-confident Jobst Richter and continues: “We do not try to “invent the wheel”, but the sport of cycling and the famous “yellow jersey” caused us to introduce this striking “uniform” to the International and Olympic part of Kieler Woche 2008 for the first time.

Mast steps

The where, when, why of deck stepped versus keel stepped:

From Paul France - NZ
Can anyone explain clearly why we carry masts down through the cabin to the keel. I look at my 1970 IOR One-Tonner and don't understand it. To my mind for that boat, the shorter the length of alloy extrusion you have to keep in column the better, but there's this mast going all the way down to the keel. So why don't we step the mast on the deck and have a strut below?

From Scuttlebutt:
While we weren't there that day when they decided that keel-stepped was a better idea, we believe that the issues mostly have to do with deck compression. There is a lot of load on the rigs, and rather than dealing with the structure needed to keep the decks from sagging (and thus loosening rig tension), the simpler solution was to run the mast down to the bottom. Also, there are boats that have hydraulic rams at the butt to tighten the rig by raising the mast up. Other advantages have to do with mast bend, as you can either induce bend or restrict it by either moving the mast butt fore and after or by adjusting the mast chalks. We suspect the mast butt is also better mounted down low with only vertical loading rather than at the deck with more varied loading demands.

From Paul France - NZ:
Thanks for that. I'll try to locate someone who was there on that day, or maybe a designer/engineer. If I get a better answer, I'll let you know. Cheers and be assured I get a lot of pleasure out of Scuttlebutt

Additional thoughts? Post them in the comments section.

ISAF Sailor Code

Athlete endorsements is common in advertising, but not that common in sailing magazines. One of the reasons may have to do with the ISAF sailor classification code:

AVOIDING THE PITFALLS OF THE CLASSIFICATION CODE
The ISAF Sailor Classification Code exists as a service to provide Events and Classes with an international system of classification for sailors. While Events and Classes are not under any obligation to use a classification system, many do (such as the J/105, Melges 32, Farr 40, etc), and the ISAF Code is the only system that can be used. In simple terms, the Code is broken into three groups: Group 1 are the amateurs, Group 3 are the pros, and Group 2 is like an AA meeting for those trying to become Group 1 again. When the code is used, it is typically used as a means to minimize the influence of Group 3 sailors, either by limiting their numbers or responsibilities onboard.

But did you know that a Group 1 sailor could easily lose his amateur status by something as simple as advocating the sails he or she uses? It is not unusual for the top sailors in a class to get a discount on their sails, but they better be careful in how that discount gets explained, as a Group 3 sailor is, among other things, someone who “has been paid for allowing his or her name or likeness to be used in connection with his or her sailing performance, sail racing results or sailing reputation, for the advertising or promotion of any product or service…” The definition of paid is critical, which the rule considers “…the acceptance by a sailor of … any financial benefit … or compensation in any form …”

Alastair Fox, Events Manager for ISAF, explains further, “Simply getting a discount for sails or any other equipment is not an influence on a sailor’s classification. What IS a Group 3 activity is being paid for having your name used for promotion or advertising. Pay would include receiving a discount. So a Group 1 sailor should not be wary of getting a discount, only of having his name used for publicity and being paid for it - not just by way of discounts but ‘in kind’ or for money. Most such sailors in our experience are already Group 3 anyway for other reasons. Getting a discount in return for advertising on the boat, if the class allows it, is also perfectly acceptable.”

So the message should be, adds Fox, “That if you want to be a Group 1 sailor, go on getting discounts if you can but don’t get involved in advertising or promotion of your name or success in return.” For additional information on the ISAF Sailor Classification Code: http://www.sailing.org/classification

Style factor

So far PUMA is winning the style race versus the Green Team as the boats leave their respective build sites.

Gas alternative

Gas prices are climbing, and alternatives must be found.

Inflatable glider

Why do I think that the US has too many laws for these things to ever be sold there:



Found here while clicking thru our blog list.

Sailing language

SAILING AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
by John Riise, Latitude 38

It's not like it's ever going to happen, but I've long felt the world - at least the sailing world - would be a better place without all the salty lingo of days gone by... especially when it comes to drawing new people into the sport. On top of wind angles, heeling, sail trim and everything else that newbies have to soak up, why further confuse them with a blizzard of outdated words to explain what can much more easily be passed on with 'regular' English?

Doesn't 'downstairs' convey the idea more accurately than 'down below' (which is redundant anyway)? And 'port' can mean either a direction - or that glass thing in the side of the cabin that you look through. So how about 'left' and 'window'? Is it 'anchors aweigh' (up) or 'anchors away' (down)? And 'knots' . . . would that be a measurement of speed, or do you want me to attach a rope to something? And WHY knots? Why not miles per hour? Easy to understand for both terrestrial or maritime drivers (not helmsmen).

Front, back, middle, right, left, - all in common usage and readily understandable. Forward, aft, athwartships, starboard, port - a bit ambiguous, open to interpretation (how FAR forward? Athwart-what?) or requiring some little ditty to remember (lessee, 'port' has four letters and 'left' has four, so...) You don't have to learn a whole new language to drive a car or learn to swim, so why do it with sailing? Sure, every sport requires that you learn a few new words, so we'd have to keep 'mast', 'rudder', 'keel' and a few others. But otherwise, let's put pointless nautical lingo out to pasture with Latin and use it only when necessary for historical purposes or pirate movies.

Certification process

SHOULD CERTIFICATION FOR JUDGES/UMPIRES BE UPGRADED?
by Ernie Bain, Jr., Senior Judge and Umpire

I believe US SAILING Judge's/Umpires are in a professional category, just like any other professional classification. These other professional classifications are required to take a test to qualify for certification when they start their profession, and then each year thereafter are required so many units annually, depending on their profession, to keep their certification. They can receive these units by attending seminars and/or through home study courses by mail or the Internet. If they do not obtain these units in a given year, they lose their certification and to be re-certified must re-take the test. The main intent is to upgrade the knowledge of their profession, i.e., keeping them abreast of any changes in their field.

Currently, US SAILING only requires a test every 4 years, wherein the individual "crams" the rule book every 4 years to pass the test. Of course, that individual must have been active in regattas, both locally and out of their area, and is required to have been a Chief Judge/Umpire for some of these regattas. My suggestion is to follow the certification for other professions, i.e., annual participation in seminars/ round tables and home study courses through the mail and or the Internet, to be filled out and sent to a certified organization, for unit certification. I know many Judge's/ Umpire's are in agreement with this concept, and it would seem to be a better model for maintaining the skills needed for the position.

Swiss skew poll results

Apparently the America’s Cup defender Alinghi felt sufficiently threatened by last week’s Scuttlebutt poll regarding a Deed of Gift interpretation, that they initiated an email campaign to skew the results in their favor. Surely, they are not the first to influence a survey, however, it was gutsy for the source of the email to be Alinghi’s club, the Societe Nautique de Geneve. Here are some of the lowlights:

* They told their members how to vote, not to review the information.
* They told their members that the issue contradicts the rule from previous events, without telling them that this next event is bound by the Deed of Gift, wherein previous events could modify the Deed of Gift.
* They told their members that Scuttlebutt had organized the survey to prove that its readers support the idea that Alinghi must build the whole boat in Switzerland, which if true, would damage their defense.

It is this last point that really shook the hallways of Scuttlebutt World Headquarters. Sadly, the Swiss find Scuttlebutt as being a propaganda tool of the BMW Oracle Racing campaign. Nothing could be further from the truth, and we take offense for being blamed for their problems. Interestingly, this issue regarding boat construction got started in Seahorse magazine by columnist Paul Cayard, who is the Sports Director for the Desafio Espanol team. Remember them? They are the Spanish syndicate that Alinghi had enlisted as their Challenger of Record to present the much disputed Protocol for the 33rd event, and the team the courts later rejected for not fulfilling the terms of the Deed of Gift. Guess it is true… what comes around, goes around.

SNG email: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0509
Poll results: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/08/0505

Afterguard Regatta 2008

Dang, we love it when the cheerleaders come on the field:

College Sailing Alumni Regatta May 29, 2008

The events include an alumni regatta for all ex college sailors on Thursday May 29th . THE AFTERGUARD REGATTA!

Yes, I know it is a Thursday...
Yes, I know that it is during the workday...
And Yes,,,,, I remember that College Sailing was THE best time of our lives!

It won't ever be easier than this to get back into a college style dinghy regatta!. The regatta will be sailed in Salve's brand new 420's, and will sail out of the NYYC Harbour Court facility. Salve Students are running the races, and it will be a blast.
a.. Show up.
b.. Sail.
c.. Have a Cocktail and lament on how our generations were better than these young whippersnappers~!
Report Time:
12:00
Racing: 1-3:30 to 4 ish.
Beer, wine and cocktails and a little food at NYYC after sailing.

All you J/24 sailors will still make your 5 O'Clock report time over at Sail Newport!

What say you! Details at http://www.nyyc.org/collegenationals

Email me back if you can make it. Find a skipper or a crew, or we can set you up with a Salve sailor....
Pass it on to your former College Teammates in the area to see if they would like to join in.

Brad Read
BUDS 1986

_____________________________________________

Brad Read
Executive Director
Sail Newport
www.sailnewport.org
brad.read@sailnewport.org
401-846-1983

"We are India. How can we help you?"

THIS IS INDIA. IT'S WHERE YOU CALL WHEN YOU HAVE A TECHNICAL PROBLEM WITH YOUR COMPUTER.

Golf tips

For the 'buttheads that are mix'n sports...

The Gospel According to St. Titleist

1. Eighteen holes of match play will teach you more about your foe than 18 years of dealing with him across a desk. Grantland Rice

2. Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five. John Updike

3. It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place the world is when one is playing golf. Robert Lynd

4. If profanity had any influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is. Horace G. Hutchinson

5. They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. GardnerDickinson

6. If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork as poorly as they do a golf club, they'd starve to death. Sam Snead

7. Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. William Wordsworth

8. If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt. Dean Martin

9. If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don't have to waste energy going back to pick it up. Tommy Bolt

10. Man blames fate for all other accidents, but feels personally responsible when he makes a hole-in-one. Bishop Sheen

11. I don't say my golf game is bad, but if I grew tomatoes they'd come up sliced. Arnold Palmer

12. My handicap? Woods and irons. Chris Codiroli

13. The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody would put a flag stick on top. Pete Dye

14. I'm hitting the woods just great; but having a terrible time getting out of them! Buddy Hackett

15. The only time my prayers are never answered is playing golf. Billy Graham

16. If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball. Jack Lemmon

17. It's good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling. Mark Twain

18. Don't play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty. Harry Vardon

19. Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at either of them. Jimmy DeMaret

20. May thy ball lie in green pastures, and not in still waters. Ben Hogan

21. If I hit it right, it's a slice. If I hit it left, it's a hook. If I hit it straight, it's a miracle. All Us Hackers

22. The difference in golf and government is that in golf you can't improve your lie. George Deukmejian

And Finally. .

23. Golf is a game invented by the same people who think music comes out of a bagpipe.

With age comes wisdom

A guy is 85 years old and loves to fish. He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, "Pick me up." He looked around and couldn't see any one. He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say again, "Pick me up." He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.

The man said, "Are you talking to me?" The frog said, "Yes, I'm talking to you. Pick me up then, kiss me and I'll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because I will be your bride!"

The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front breast pocket. Then the frog said, "What, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride."

He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said, "Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog."

With age comes wisdom.

No curtains

Among the positive attributes of the last America’s Cup was in its openness. Past Cups had pushed away the people, but this one welcomed spectators. The Acts brought the Cup boats to various countries, and the shielding curtains that hid the underbody of the boat were permanently pulled down prior to the Challenger Series (formerly known as the Louis Vuitton Cup). The fans once again felt connected with the event.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the next Cup, there does seem to be a continuation of the openness. Many of the documents, whether they are court papers or formal letters between the Clubs, have been getting posted online. Talk about bringing the sport to the people! The latest point-counterpoint between the two teams was reported in Scuttlebutt 2587, which had to do with the Swiss feeling like the American team was not fulfilling the terms of the Deed of Gift regarding some documentation about their boat. Below are the formal letters each team exchanged on the subject:



And now another letter on this subject:



Link to complete SNG letter, dated April 28, 2008
Link to complete GGYC letter, dated April 29, 2008
Link to complete SNG letter, dated May 6, 2008

Marketing coup

Founded in 1826, Skandia Cowes Week in the UK has become the largest sailing regatta in the World, with some 1,000 boats competing in 32 classes. All the focus on the event opened the door for LaserPerformance (Europe) Ltd and Volkswagen to partner now for the second year in hosting a championship of champions concept event called the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes, which is held on the Friday (August 1st) prior to the exceedingly popular race week.

The 32 previous year’s class winners race in identical Laser SB3s off Cowes in a one-day, three race regatta, vying for the top prizes of a Volkswagen Touareg, Laser XD and Laser BUG. To lure the SB3 fleet to donate their boats for this event, they include the owner as crew, and award prizes of a family holiday, a new main, and a new jib to the top three boat owners. The boat’s are heavily branded with logo marks, and based on the renewal of the event, the formula for sponsors and sailors must have worked.

Event branding

The open-air ballpark that’s home to the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball has had a few names. The park opened in 2000 as Pacific Bell Park, which was changed to SBC Park, which is now AT&T Park. The Mumm 30 class is now called the M 30, and rumors are that it could change again. Then there is the name of the America’s Cup challenger series, the Louis Vuitton Cup. What will that be called now with the departure of the fashionable luggage company.

College students the world over learn about branding pretty early on in their marketing studies, but the world of sponsorship must be adding some chapters to the book. How about the website factor, and the use domain names that incorporate the sponsor’s name? When the sponsor moves on, and the site must be renamed, gone are all the search rankings and links that had been built up? The M 30 class can still be found at mumm30.org. Google “Louis Vuitton Cup” and you will get 209,000 listings. Adios, amigo!

The value of sponsorship is another discussion. This one is about branding, and a recent event to join the fray is the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association's (CBYRA) Junior High Point Regatta Series, a long-time annual summer racing tradition, which has entered the realm of "Cup" racing. Venerable Swiss watch maker CORUM, has partnered with CBYRA, offering a minimum five year sponsorship commitment that includes a perpetual trophy and multiple college scholarships for the Champions in the Laser Radial and 420’s classes, skipper and crew; total valued equaling $2000.00 for each sailor.

For a minimum of five years, The CORUM Cup will be talked about by sailors throughout the Chesapeake. Maybe longer. However, the odds are good that when these junior sailors grow up and talk about the good old day, about the events they did, they will remember the CORUM Cup, and then have no idea what they call it now. While there is no reason to suspect that the new partnership between CORUM and the CBYRA is anything less than a win-win for all concerned, it does make you wonder where tradition fits in.

Women's Olympic match racing

When it comes to debating the Olympic events for the 2012 Games, the multihulls have taken the spotlight. However, lying in the shadows is the Women’s slate, and in particular, the one vote difference between Keelboat match racing and the Two person dinghy high performance. Only four events could be selected, and these two events finished fourth and fifth in the voting. Now with the ISAF Mid-Year meeting putting the event list for both the men and women under review, it appears that the women’s keelboat contingent is not taking any chances.

The Yngling class, currently used as the equipment for the women’s keelboat event at the 2008 Olympics, would like to be considered for the 2012 games. They have compiled a report that discusses the boat’s favorable boat handling aspects for match racing, the class’s ability to help ISAF supply the boats (a condition of the event), how worldwide availability is guaranteed by six Yngling builders around the world, and how the most recent World Championship attracted sailors from all six continents. They noted what changes could be made to the boat to improve it for match racing, such as replacing hobbles and harnesses with normal hiking straps, and limiting the rig trimming possibilities, and how these changes could make the boat even more affordable for the Olympics. -- Click here for complete report

The Women’s International Match Racing Association is also very keen in solidifying the Olympic status of the keelboat match racing event, and has distributed a paper by the ISAF Match Racing Committee of their preliminary recommendations for the event. Some items of interest include how there is a charitable foundation under the direction of Mr. Terry Kohler that is prepared to cover the cost of designing and building the boats to be used, in conjunction with contributions of equipment (spars, poles, booms, hardware, etc. from Harken and Southern Spars and sails by North Sails). They are considering a 12-team event and a four person boat, which is the crew size used on the women’s match racing circuit, and that the boat be 6.5-7.5 meters in length. -- Click here for complete report

Irish Olympic selection drama

There have been many aspects in sailing that have trickled down from the America’s Cup. Historically, they have had to do with materials and design, but the latest fad – litigation – is becoming exceedingly fashionable in Olympic circles. The US has been embroiled since October in a dispute involving the women’s boardsailing rep, and now the Irish are getting into the act. With three teams vying for the lone berth, and with a system for selection that appears to include both nominated events and subjective committee determination, there is holy hell being raised by one of the teams that – you guessed it –were not selected.

When it was recently announced that Peter O'Leary and Stephen Milne were chosen, it was Max Treacey and Anthony Shanks that were overlooked as were Maurice O'Connell and Ben Cooke. Treacey is now appealing against the decision made by the Irish Sailing Association. Said Treacey, "We truly believe that our record stands for itself. Without reflecting on any other sailors, Anthony and I won outright on the water, we alone qualified the country, we are the highest placed Irish Star sailors in the World Rankings, we won the nominated events by an indisputable margin, we were 4th in the Grade 1 Spring Europeans last year against virtually all of the current nominated countries for the 2008 Olympics, we are the only Irish sailing team this year across all classes to have attained the status of 'world class athletes' with the Irish Sports Council."

As the stakes increase, so do the risks. The Olympic world has become a high stakes game… just look at the number RIBs and support personnel at an Olympic class event. Any selection system with a quotient of subjectivity is going to get beat up by those on the outside looking in. If there are any other disputes that we failed to mention, you can add them to the comments section below.

Complete article on Tim Jeffery Telegraph blog.

Bermuda Race Week

Our memory of Bermuda is extremely fond, which hopefully is not due it being twenty years since we had been there. We recall amazing scenery, thrilling moped rides, dark and stormy drinks, and vital snooker games. What more could you want? We saw that San Diegoan Chris Busch took the big Etchells prize last week at the 2008 Bermuda International Invitational Race Week from local celebrity sailor Peter Bromby, and asked him for a quick report:

“The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club put on a great event as usual with nice parties and some fantastic sailing on the Great Sound. The racing was close throughout the 11 race series and came down to the last race between us and Peter Bromby, who had a one point lead with 2 drops counted and a team from New England which was two points back. Bromby got into a foul right out of the start and had to do a 720. We had a nice start and stayed in a tight pack of 5 boats throughout the 3 lap race. We ended up 2nd in the last race and won the series by two points over Peter Bromby. There was a tie for third with Martin Verzina winning to finish out the top three. Crewing for me was Tim Lynch, San Diegan now living in Bermuda and Phil Worboys from Bermuda. Congratulations to the Bermuda Etchells Fleet for organizing a great event. “ -- Regatta link

Trouble for kangaroos

From the Wall Street Journal:

Should You Eat a National Emblem?
May 2, 2008

Last month's announcement that 400 kangaroos would be culled in Australia's capital, Canberra, attracted considerable international attention. The imagery was too good to ignore. Australia's national emblem, the kangaroo, was to be slaughtered en masse in the home of our parliament, high court and the national art gallery. Surely this was akin to clubbing giant pandas in Beijing or rounding up Bengal tigers in New Delhi.

Australians' connection to our national emblem, however, has always been somewhat more ambivalent than the international perception. Yes, when our yachtsmen won the America's Cup in 1983 they did so under the banner of a boxing kangaroo. And a whole generation of children grew up watching a television show entitled "Skippy" starring an almost omniscient kangaroo that, when it was not communicating with humans, was pulling people out of burning buildings.-- Read on

Feel Good Friday

Feel good story:

What does a fleet (Carlyle Sailing Association's #266 outside of St. Louis) do when their home (Carlyle Lake) is so flooded you can't hold your annual event (the Mid-Continent Lighting Regatta)? You move it up the highway 2 hours to Lake Decatur, to Fleet 74, where you've competed for decades. This past weekend, the great folks at Commodore Decatur Yacht Club worked with members of Lighting Fleet 266 to move and host the Mid-Continent regatta under cool, shifty and very puffy conditions. The event went off without a hitch thanks to EVERYONE getting involved from both fleets to make it happen. The event was dominated by Dan Moriarty with crew members Tobi Moriarty and Rick Bernstein who finished with an impressive 1, 1, 1, 1, 4. Matt Burridge from CSA was 2nd despite a capsize, followed by Sheboygan's Todd Wake 3rd; Bill Faude from Chicago 4th and Terry Burke from CSA 5th. It just goes to show, it's not the venue, it's the people that participate that make great events greater.

Simon Eve

Feel good bonus story:

The growing Viper 640 sportsboat class made their first appearance at Charleston Race Week in April 2008 with ten Vipers sharing the starting line in Charleston harbor. The most important trophy for the three day weekend was awarded to Simon Eve. Simon is 14 and this was his first regatta in a Viper. Simon won the Ronstan/Selden award for "Viper Sportsperson of the Regatta". The award is determined by each competing skipper voting on which competitor most represented the Corinthian spirit of our sport by making the regatta the most fun for all other participants.

Fourteen year old Simon won by a landslide........continued

Green boats

It started in Issue 2585 with a cute story about bananas and bad luck. In #2586, the ‘buttheads chimed in about bad luck with green boats and setting sail on Fridays. Memories were stretched in ‘butt 2587 when the Ron Holland designed 40-footer IMP was mentioned, which was famous in the late 70’s for victories and its fading green paint job. Next to be mentioned was Evergreen, another famous late 70’s winner and member of the green boat hall of fame.

Photographer Sharon Green shares this image (above) of her dad Donald Green’s boat Evergreen, practicing in Hamilton Bay, Ontario for the 1978 Canada's Cup.



Johnny May sent in these images of IMP, now owned by George Radley of Ireland, which is seen here during the 2007 Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race.

Austin Powers

The Austin Powers series of movies so far consists of the following films:

1997 - Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
1999 - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
2002 - Austin Powers in Goldmember

So now eleven years later, one of the 195 entrants this week at the US Opti Team Trials in Annapolis, MD. is also named Austin Powers. Coincidence?