Piracy protocol

Warning: Some may find the following information as inappropriate.

The eating season

Maybe there is some logic to the eating season. Chicken or egg kind of stuff… winter coat for winter. I am talking about putting on some pounds because of the holidays that involve eating.

October - I eat too many sweets due to Halloween.
November - I eat way too much at Thanksgiving.
December - This month is a lost cause because of xmas.
January - Leftovers from xmas plus Super Bowl snacks.
February - Safer month, hopefully no flu, time to exercise.
March/April - Bam… Easter treats.
May thru Sept. - Pretty safe aside from too many July 4th cocktails.

I weigh more when I have lots of clothes on, and hopefully weigh less when I am wearing my summer gear. Glad someone figured this all out.

Shipping costs

I contend that one of the problems with sailing as a sport for Canada and the U.S. is that the continent is too big. It is nice to travel and experience various sites, but when your options to cross these countries are the Panama Canal, the Northwest Passage, or 2+ days of straight driving, you are not going to see too many coasties taking the journey. Dinghy sailors have created multi-boat trailers to tackle the problem, but bigger boats face big bills to take the trek.

Out of curiosity, I read an email sent to me about an online tool for determining shipping cost for boats. I have no idea how good this service is, but it was fun to try uShip’s online Shipping Price Estimator (SPE), which supposedly estimates boat transport cost based not only on distance and boat dimensions, but also on trucking routes and availability.

The SPE dynamically adjusts for shifts in supply and demand in the market. The estimate is powered by the Transportation Price Index (TPI), uShip’s industry tool for tracking transportation prices expressed in dollars per ton-mile. As the TPI changes, results from the SPE will change.

Price estimator found at http://www.uship.com/price_estimator.aspx

Life of Ryan

Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck is in the Caribbean for Antigua Sailing Week. Here is a photo from his accommodations. Sucks to be him.

Media merger

Dennis Conner is at it again. With all that he has done and said, he will forever be a notable personality in our sport. He need not win another pickle dish, he need not compete beyond his local beer can events, and he will still attract attention. He is known at all levels, from the beginner sailor to the U.S. President. To have that reach, you need to be nearly as good off the water as you are on the water.

Proving that he still has his media moves, he caught the attention of the non-yachting press by exercising what may be the most apt method to gain publicity, and possibly help market the sport. What did he do? Dennis asked syndicated radio talk show host Laura Schlessinger to go sailing with him. This Friday, “Dr. Laura” will be joining Dennis’ team aboard his Farr 60 Stars & Stripes on the 125 mile Newport Beach, CA to Ensenada Race.

Recruiting individuals (like Laura Schlessinger) who already have a strong following outside of sailing, and bringing them (and their media interest) into the sport, gets the sport attention outside of the cozy confines of the sailing media. Heck, it may even be good for them too.

Read original story on OC Register

April 23 verdict

The day was April 23, 2009. The setting was Société Nautique de Genève in Cologny, Switzerland.





A meeting would take place today. The meeting would discuss the future of the 33rd America’s Cup. The meeting would be between representatives for the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) and the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC).


Here comes the GGYC contingent.


Representing the Challenger of Record BMW Oracle Racing team for GGYC would be (from left) Manolo Ruiz de Elvira (BOR design team), Melinda Erkelens (GGYC Board member & BOR General Counsel), and Richard Slater (BOR Racing Rules Advisor).


Representing the defending Swiss Alinghi team for SNG would be (from left) Lucien Masmejan (Alinghi General Counsel), Fred Meyer (SNG Commodore), and Brad Butterworth (Alinghi skipper).


Here are the two groups getting ready to meet.


Here is the SNG group after the meeting.

The Deed of Gift match is on.

Click here for the SNG statement.

Click here for the GGYC statement.

Photos by Carlo Borlenghi

Clothing Conundrum

In Scuttlebutt 2829...



CURMUDGEON’S CONUNDRUM
Why is it funny when men wear women's clothes, but not when women wear men's clothes?

Strictly Sail Pacific

Boat shows are a lot like Scuttlebutt. At each show, some things will interest you more than other things. Last Friday I travelled to Oakland, CA to attend the Strictly Sail Pacific show, which had been marketed as “the west coast’s only all-sail show”. About a month before the show it became the Strictly Sail Pacific & Power Boat Expo. I wasn’t interested in looking at power boats, but then I didn’t see too many either.

What I was interested in was experiencing the show vibe, seeing old friends, meeting with Scuttlebutt clients, and testing the Scuttlebutt Twitter page. There had been a lot of concern for the show, as diminishing land space and discretionary income was not in its favor. I understand the show has been bigger in the past. However, any attendee who came away disappointed should pause to re-evaluate why they came to the show.

Everything about the show is online. Information about the exhibitors and their boats/gear/accessories is known in advance. This show had loads of seminars (again, topics known in advance), they were conveniently located, and were free. There were boat displays that were free too, which included new choices like the International Moth, Weta trimaran, and LaserPerformance options, or older classes like the Flying Dutchman and the Finn (but lacking Grateful Dead music).

I can see the expense for national brands to exhibit at boat shows. Keelboat exhibitors such as the King 40 and Santa Cruz 37 might not have attended the Oakland show if not for locally owned boats being available. It would also seem important to make each show an event that goes beyond the show boundary. With the public access to this show, perhaps host street musicians, local artists, etc. To attract the out-of-towner, leverage local items of interest. Having the right number of shows in the U.S. seems vital for the interest of the sport and its suppliers.

I had a great trip as I knew what I wanted and it was all there in one place… at the boat show.

The company you keep

Scuttlebutt 2824 had a story about how Florida yacht broker Robert Moran pleaded guilty Tuesday to filing a false tax return to conceal more than $3 million in UBS account. There have been so many bad UBS stories, and that they have been culable in most. Therefore, it is hard to even embrace a feel good story like the one below. If I was a Marine taking part in the event, I might keep my wallet in a safe place...


‘Heroes Sail’ Takes to the Water April 25
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:23:00 PM
Last updated: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:23:00 PM

SAN DIEGO — Seaforth Boat Rental and UBS Financial Services will sponsor the third annual Heroes Sail event on April 25.

Volunteers from Seaforth Sailing Club, The Rock Church and UBS Financial Inc. will welcome active-duty Marines aboard Seaforth Boat Rental vessels for a three-hour cruise through San Diego’s Mission Bay.

Nine to 10 boats from Seaforth Boat Rental will be used for the event, which has had a big turnout each year, organizers said. Marines who have returned from serving duty overseas and others preparing for deployment have participated in the past.

The Marine “heroes” will meet their captains for the day at Seaforth Boat Rental’s Mission Bay location at 1641 Quivira Road. The boats will depart the docks at 10:30 a.m. and return for a barbecue lunch at 1 p.m.

For more information on how to volunteer or participate, e-mail Christina Antonuccio of Seaforth Boat Rental at canton@seaforthboatrental.com.

Search rankings

When the Internet was young, there were ways for a web designer to trick the search engines. However, now the search engines are pretty smart at ranking websites for relevance.

The Scuttlebutt e-newsletter began in 1997, with the launch of the website following in late 2002. Early searches for ‘Scuttlebutt’ would first find assorted navy websites and the Scuttlebutt Brewing Company in Everett, WA. However, within the first year (maybe 6 mos), sailingscuttlebutt.com was the top ranked site for that search.

However, since many Scuttlebutt readers receive the e-Newsletter, the amount of traffic to the website will always be less than if the Scuttlebutt news was only hosted online. Search engines use traffic as a gauge, so therefore it was very exciting to see how highly Google is ranking Scuttlebutt when it comes to the following categories:

Sailing News: Ranked #1
Sailing Photos: Ranked #1
Sailing Suppliers: Ranked #1
Sailing Event Calendar: Ranked #2

I am really stoked about SAILING SUPPLIERS being top ranked. This is a section of the Scuttlebutt website where we list our valued advertisers, among which are some of the elite companies in the marine industry. They believe Scuttlebutt is a great marketing investment, and apparently Google finds this page to have great value too.

Could Dr. Laura help?

Popular talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who has recently been on the SoCal regatta circuit, makes her living solving other people’s problems. Is it time for her sit down with Ernesto Bertarelli and Larry Ellison to help get the America’s Cup back on track? Does it concern anyone else that, as the New York Courts stated in their April 2, 2009 decision, how “it falls now to SNG (Societe Nautique De Geneve) and GGYC (Golden Gate Yacht Club) to work together”?

Hate is a strong word, but are these two clubs even extending reciprocal privileges to each other? The air has been eerily quiet… could it have been the calm before the storm? Perhaps, as a letter dated April 7th had been sent by GGYC (Ellison’s club) to SNG (Bertarelli’s club) to initiate their negotiations, and now on April 14th the Swiss club has posted a note on their website stating they would like to meet as well. Is it time to get Dr. Laura involved, or should these two gentlemen first become Facebook “friends” and see how that goes before trying to agree on the 33rd America’s Cup conditions.

Twitter, Facebook, etc

I have a landline phone on my desk. I am not sure what it is for. Here is the timeline for Scuttlebutt amid the communication era:

1997 - e-Newsletter
2002 - Website
2005 - Blog
2005 - Forum
2008 - Facebook
2009 - Twitter

GGYC speaks

On April 2nd, when the New York State Court of Appeals found in favor of BMW Oracle Racing and Golden Gate Yacht Club, in the case they initiated in August 2007 against Alinghi and Societe Nautique De Geneve (SNG), America’s Cup fans worldwide waited with anticipation to hear from the calm voice of reason, from the individuals that would get the event back on its tracks. So far, we have only gotten a little of nothing.

Alinghi said they were ready to get back on the water (duh!). Dethroned Challenger of Record Club Náutico Español de Vela said they were disappointed (double duh!). Mascalzone Latino team Vincenzo Onorato owner came a little stronger, telling Alinghi to now get lost, along with all the teams of “cunning professionals who hypocritically supported him until now.” (and then some of the hypocrites spoke too). However, the one voice we did not hear from was BMW Oracle Racing… until now. Here is their brief statement:

“The Golden Gate Yacht Club and its team, BMW Oracle Racing, remain committed to negotiate with the Defender, Société Nautique de Genève/Alinghi, a conventional mutual consent protocol for the next America's Cup that would involve all teams. This follows the April 2 decision of the New York State Court of Appeals confirming the Golden Gate Yacht Club as the Challenger of Record for the 33rd America's Cup.

“BMW Oracle Racing's owner, Larry Ellison, and the President of Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, have communicated with each other since the court ruling. At this stage the club believes it is best to keep communications between the parties private in the interests of reaching a successful conclusion as quickly as possible.”

To sail on PUMA

Sail Newport and the PUMA Ocean Racing Team want to put one of the "buttheads" on "il mostro" for the Volvo Ocean Race In-Port "practice racing day" on Friday, May 8th 2009. This is the day prior to the Boston In Port Race which is scheduled for May 9th, 2009.

Ken Read, Skipper of il mostro says: "These practice days are actually the most fun days of sailing we get to do. There are a ton of starts and short course races that day. The Race Committee is out there working out the kinks and we benefit by blasting around a set up course all day long. The raffle winner will be grinning ear to ear after this day of sailing... Guaranteed....."

Raffle Tickets are $15 per ticket and available by calling Sail Newport at 401-846-1983 or by going online at www.sailnewport.org. Raffle to be held on May 3rd at 5PM at PUMA City in the Volvo Ocean Race Village at Fan Pier in Boston, MA. All proceeds to benefit Sail Newport's Public Access Sailing Programs.

Shoe covers

Here is information that was sent to Scuttlebutt, marketing a product to help eliminate scuff marks and footprints that appear on a boat from people hopping on and off with their shoes on. Tidy Trax is a “hands free” shoe cover... what will they think of next?

Sarno loses credibility

When the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) filed their lawsuit in August 2007, deeming that Société Nautique De Genève had devised unfair rules for the next America’s Cup, their move to denounce the Swiss club’s plan had significant support. However, as time moved on, the desire to get the event back on the water increased, as did the professional sailors desire to get a paycheck again. The strong support that GGYC and their BMW Oracle Racing team had early on, had faded.

One of the more vociferous critics of GGYC had been Shosholoza team’s principal, Captain Salvatore Sarno, the leader of the beloved South African team from the 32nd America’s Cup. In Scuttlebutt 2655 (Aug. 7, 2008), when Sarno was asked whether BMW Oracle was right in appealing, he said, “BMW Oracle has never been genuine and has pursued only their own interests.” Interestingly, after the Appeals Court verdict, Sarno declared, “I think that it is the right verdict and that Alinghi and America’s Cup Management (ACM) made a mistake in accepting the challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup from Spain’s Club Nautico Espanol De Vela (CNEV).”

Applications for the marine industry

From David Tommela: "This is truly astounding. Think of the application of it to the marine industry."

Watch the video

Silver Pandas

The 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship waa held January 31 - February 8 in Perth, Western Australia at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and South of Perth Yacht Club. Fourteen teams competed, representing Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, and USA.

Best known as the Silver Pandas team, Clay Bischoff, Lisa Keith, Colin Merrick, Amanda Callahan, Pete Levesque and Liz Hall, won the last edition of the ISAF Team Racing World Championship held at Gandia, Spain in 2007, and returned as the New York Yacht Club team (USA 1) to successfully defend their title. Click here for their Worlds diary.

The Ice Boat Crew

Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name. Located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is west of Cape Breton Island, north of the Nova Scotia peninsula, and east of New Brunswick. Long before the Confederation Bridge was opened in 1997, which connects P.E.I. to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick, ice boats assisted with the Island's mail service and passenger needs during the long winter months. Their use continued until 1917, when ferry service was finally able to provide dependable, year round service.

The ice boats were small (5 m. long, 2 m. wide avg.), and made as light as possible while maintaining their strength. They were equipped with runners on each side of the hull to allow them to be dragged across the ice flows and snow. Straps attached to the boats and to the crew allowed them to haul the boat, and acted as a safety harness should they break through the ice. Many accidents happened over the years, one of which occurred in 1885 when three ice boats were lost for two days, and their crews and passengers almost died.

Philip W. Farrell was one of the survivors of the 1885 saga, and wrote about it in the poem below (reprinted from the Island Register):

The Ice Boat Crew
You sturdy landsmen, one and all
Pray listen unto me,
Likewise you hardy sailors bold
That plow the stormy sea.
I want your kind attention
While I hereby do relate
The hardships of the ice boat crew
Upon the frozen Strait.

The month was Winter's coldest one,
As you presently shall hear,
The twenty-seventh of January,
and eighty-five the year.
Our ice boats three in number
With fifteen of a crew,
And seven more as passengers
Which numbered twenty-two.

Our friends conveyed us to the shore,
And there we bid adieu.
The dismal fate which lay in wait
was hidden from our view.
The wind north-east, the frost increased,
A raging storm prevailed,
Through blinding snow we were forced to go
And breast the blinding gale.

The afternoon was soon advanced,
we took no note of time,
With weary step and eager glance,
We looked for Cape Tormentine,
The blocks of ice were magnified
by piles of drifted snow,
And oft deceived our anxious eyes
For Uncle Tom's abode.

To reach the capes with light of day,
It was our hope and prayer
Our hopes were turned to bitter doubts,
Our doubts to grim despair.
Alas! the naked fact is out,
What now must be our fate?
For lost we are, without a doubt
Upon the frozen strait.

The wind was now at north-east
The frost below eighteen,
And bravely now we tried to breast
The driving blast so keen.
Imagine our condition,
And with me you'll agree,
Our thoughts will not be pleasant ones,
Upon the frozen sea.

We held a consultation,
then agreed were all our boys,
Since now we had no other course
To camp upon the ice.
And then a rude construction
With our boats we did prepare,
To serve us for a shelter
Through this night so bleak and dreare.

Our sufferings through all that bitter nite
No tongue can e'ver explain.
We hoped to see the morning light
And friends at home again.
We battled with the raging frost
and with the blinding smoke,
was a night of horror
Till the dawn of morning broke.

Our waterkegs were frozen hard
Since early in the day
And thirst and hunger side by side
Were come with us to stay.
We had not tasted food nor drink
Since six o'clock that morn,
And travelled on our aimless way
Beneath a blinding storm.

One of our crew showed symptoms
Of his reason giving away
Brought on by mental anguish
And the hardships of the day,
Exhausted now for want of food,
Our strength began to fail,
Our clothes were wet and frozen hard,
Just like a coat of mail.

The welcome dawn appeared at last,
And keen the wind did blow,
The frost intense kept sweeping past,
At twenty two below.
The sun came out and then went back,
As if it came to see,
Or mock our sad, forlorn state
In doleful misery.

No sight of land could yet be seen,
The storm did not abate
We moved our camp on safer ice
And patiently did await.
Until the hours of evening came,
It might be three or four,
The welcome land appeared at last,
Which proved the Crapaud shore.

Fond hope again, fresh courage came,
Within our sinking breast.
Our boys, though weak for want of food,
Desired to do their best.
Our baggage then we tumbled in,
Without a sigh or mourn,
And something like a sigh was heard,
Come home! it cries, Come home.

Our battle now for life began,
Despair was cast aside,
And bravely struggled every man,
His feelings for to hide.
No food or drink for fourty hours,
Exposed in our sad state
To one of Winter's fiercest storms,
The oldest can relate.

No wonder now our tottering steps
Were growing weak and slow,
We left our boats and grappled with
Our last and deadly foe.
This proved to be a strip of marsh
Tween us and solid land,
Where piles of snow were drifted high
From off the frozen Strand.

This was the saddest time of all
The trials that we went through,
For some so much exhausted were
Could not get through the snow.
But some got to the neighbouring woods
Were sheltered from the gale,
The rest got to the friendly roof
Before Mr. A. McPhail.

The neighbours soon assembled,
A thorough search was made
And those poor fellows left behind
To shelter were quickly conveyed,
A sorrowful sight we did present
To those good people's view
What hardship, cold, and hunger left
Of the hardy ice-boat crew.

The mother's loving kindness
Which in this home prevailed,
Bestowed on these poor sufferers,
By Mrs. A. McPhail.
A greatful heart shall treasured be
And like a star resplendant shine
Where time can n'er efface
To light her resting place.

Beneath the hospitable roof
The frozen ones remained
Till willing hands conveyed them
To their homes and friends again.
But long will faithful memory
Assist us to relate
The hardships of the ice-boat crew
Upon the frozen strait.

Thanks to Peter Harken and Bruce Kirby for sharing this story with Scuttleblog.

Strictly Sail Pacific

Scuttlebutt has discount tickets... click here.

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Subtle Butt

Subtle Butt is a disposable gas neutralizer made of activated carbon fabric with an antimicrobial layer. Each 3.25-inch square shield is held onto the inside of underwear or pants with two self-adhesive strips. Subtle Butt effectively filters flatulence, absorbing and neutralizing its odor.

Aren't you glad you asked.

Cross marketing the sport

It is one of my contentions that the sport of sailing can gain significant exposure in new markets by taking advantage of celebrity moments. Examples? Invite a prominent city official to participate in your Leukemia Cup Regatta, and you are certain to get the local press to buy in. Or how about Antigua Sailing Week, who have former Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon competing in their event later this month. That kind of story can gain worldwide traction.

The phenomena at the 2008 Olympics, when the press learned how Australian 470 gold medalists Malcolm Page and Nathan Wilmot always named their boats after the star of Nicole Kidman films, and how the actress had called the sailors to wish them luck, swamped the search engines. Even now, seven months later, a search of "’nicole kidman’ + Olympics” produces about 582,000 search results. What if the Aussies had asked Nicole to join them for a photo shoot after the Games? Holy smokes, that would have been in every grocery store tabloid.

Guess what I found on the website of Motorsport.com, which is the home of motorsport content on the web? A story about how Firestone Indy Lights team owner Sam Schmidt, who is paralyzed from the chest down, will race out of St. Petersburg Yacht Club aboard a SKUD-18 sailboat April 2 against Jim Guthrie, co-owner of Guthrie Meyer Racing. These two guys competed against each other in the IndyCar Series in the late 1990s, with Guthrie earning the title of Rookie of the Year in 1997. They are known in their sport, and are now taking their audience toward an event in our sport. These are the opportunities that must be marketed hard… is US SAILING listening?

Courts decide America's Cup case

Ha, ha... April Fools. The State of New York, Court of Appeals, will eventually issue their decision, but it hasn't happened yet.

However, if you seeking to live in a fantasy world - if just for a day - you will enjoy Scuttlebutt's April Fools edition.