As the centerpiece of the San Diego Hall of Champions, the Breitbard Hall of Fame honors outstanding athletes from San Diego as well as athletes who have achieved stardom for local teams.
Sailing is among the 20 sports recognized by the Hall, with the list of inductees including Dennis Conner, Gerry Driscoll, Joe Jessop, Lowell North, Malin Burnham, and Mark Reynolds. And the list just grew again as JJ Fetter was inducted on Monday, February 22, 2010.
After becoming only the third female sailor in the history of intercollegiate sailing to win All-America honors, Fetter went on to win two Olympic medals, four world championships, compete against men in match-racing events around the world and serve as tactician and starting helmsman during much of the 1995 America’s Cup campaign on the all-female crew of the Bill Koch-backed Mighty Mary. During this period she was named the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year four times.
The Breitbard Hall of Fame’s annual Salute to the Champions dinner is a major event in San Diego. Prominent civic leaders, elite athletes, local media personalities… and fans, lots of them. Many inspirational stories and worthy honorees. Very impressive evening.
There is a saying that you should be nice to people on your way up because you will get to meet them on your way down. I wonder if the people that made it on the list below, which include Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli at #11, failed to live by this virture.
“Ashes to ashes , dust to dust”…The Book of Common Prayer
“Remember Caesar, thou art mortal” – William Shakespeare
The media creates and distributes hundreds of lists of the most powerful, the richest, and the most visible people in the world, along with the most important, highest paid, and best performing CEOs, most influential political figures and most famous celebrities. Recently those lists have included chronicles of top women executives, most promising executives under 40, and the wealthiest athletes.
Many companies and people on these most powerful and most respected lists don’t stay there for long. Toyota was on almost all the corporate best and most valuable brand lists. Just three years ago, Bank of America CEO, Ken Lewis, was one of the most admired financial executives in the world.
Many of the people who hold important titles and appear in the press regularly are not powerful at all. These people often have very little influence themselves. The organizations that they work for are often ineffectual as well. The world is filled with figureheads and frauds.
24/7 Wall St. looked across the worlds of celebrity, wealth, fame, corporate power, national and international politics, and religion to find a number of people who are much less important than they seem to be. This list is the result of the research about the large population of pretenders and the universe of people who hold the offices, run the companies, and walk the red carpets, but have little if any control over anything in particular.
To qualify for this 24/7 Wall St. list, a person had to be well known, at least in his or her own field or country, had to be under 100 years of age, and percieved to hold a position of power or influence well beyond the reality of his station.
Click here for the 24/7 Wall St. 2010 list of the “100 Least Powerful People Under 100 Years Old”
Scuttlebutt is home to the elite marine businesses in the sport, and the ads this week are a suitable reflection of that claim. For both teams competing in the 33rd America’s Cup, they have sought out the skills and products from the companies below:
KOSTECKI CALLS THE MOVE OF THE MATCH! Wearing Kaenon Polarized Hard Kore Copper 28, John Kostecki saw it coming. He trusted what he saw, and he made the call - the Call of the Match! America’s Cup 33, was purely about technical innovation. Pete Melvin, who wears Jetty G12, pushed Russell Coutts to develop the Wing. The Wing was the game-changer. The sailors chose Kaenon Polarized patented SR-91 lenses - the sailor’s tool - their visual game-changer. Congratulations JK, Russell (Lewi G12), Dirk (Kore G12), Joey (Hard Kore G12), Rosco (Hard Kore C28) and Thierry (Hard Kore G12)! Kaenon Polarized. Evolve Optically. http://www.kaenon.com
ALL FIVE AMERICA'S CUP HULLS POWERED BY NORTH Congratulations to both BMW Oracle and Alinghi on two very exciting races during the 33rd America's Cup! Both powered by North sails, the American tri and the Swiss cat provided spectacular racing from both the waters off of Valencia and (for most of us) on computer screens around the world! The North Sails team feels fortunate and proud to have taken part in the development of these two projects. What we learned helping two extreme multihulls stretch the performance envelope will help make sailing better for all North Sails customers. When performance counts, the choice is clear: http://www.northsails.com
THREE STRAIGHT Hall Spars & Rigging, after supplying Cup-winning spars for Alinghi in 2003 and 2007, was once again aboard the America's Cup winner in 2010. From the early "soft sail" rotating masts to major components for the innovative wing mast, Hall figured prominently in BMW Oracle's spar program. Join the world's most successful sailing teams and start your next winning streak at Hall Spars & Rigging. http://www.hallspars.com
To ensure fairness during the 33rd America’s Cup, the skilled positioning of the on-the-water umpires will be supremely tested during this high speed event. For the four person International Umpire Team officiating the 33rd America’s Cup - Bill Edgerton (Great Britain), Chief Umpire; Gerard Bosse (France); John Standley (Australia); and Roger Wood (New Zealand) - past lessons will help to determine where the Umpires should station themselves… and hopefully avoid getting too close.
Dyer Jones, Regatta Director during the 32nd America's Cup, shares this story from the Umpire diaries: “John Standley and Gerard Bosse are the two Umpires that still hold the ‘Monkey’. The monkey is a stuffed animal (looks like Curious George), awarded to the Umpire(s) that pull(s) the biggest operator error during competition. They were umpiring together during one of the Acts leading up to the 32nd America’s Cup when LUNA ROSSA went around a leeward mark trailing a spinnaker sheet. Following closely in the Umpire Boat, they fouled the trailing sheet in their prop and pulled the spinnaker out of the yacht. Talk about a surprised foredeck crew and a ‘chase boat’ drop.
“They've been trying to get the ‘monkey off their back’ for several years now. I mean literally - they had to carry it on the Umpire Boat when they umpired together, and had to bring it to all of the dinners we had for the race officials - always in hopes that someone else would have earned it.”According to Standley, he has taken full responsibility for the monkey. “Both Gerard and I were together, but it was my role to position the boat, and while we couldn’t see the trailing sheet, I have accepted the monkey as my own.”
On anointing the next recipient of the monkey, Standley comments, “As the holder of the monkey, it is now for me to award it for an incident that I deem worthy.” Given the lack of opportunities thus far in the 33rd Match, Standley is looking wise in his decision to leave the monkey home in Perth.
The AC 33 Umpire Team: Bill Edgerton (GBR), John Standley (AUS), Roger Wood (NZL), Gerard Bosse (FRA). Photo courtesy of Look to Windward.
National Public Radio - Only A Game: 6m:05s, featuring Alinghi's Paco Torre and Ed Baird, BMW Oracle's Tom Ehman, sailing great Paul Cayard, and San Francisco Chronicle's Paul Oliva).
These two interviews were conducted by Cory E. Friedman:
David Pedrick, winning America's Cup yacht designer
Arthur Spithill, father of BMW Oracle Racing skipper James Spithill
Getting on the water to really watch the America's Cup is a challenge. Other than absorbing the excitement from the crowd, spectators are typically herded too far from the action. Either you get on a fast RIB to skirt the Marshalls, or on a monster power boat with good food and satellite television to watch the races. Neither is quite the 50 yard line at the Super Bowl.
While the race schedule is wholly dependent on the weather, the basic scoop is that the Match will be won by the yacht to first win two races. Race warning signal is at 10:00 am, with race to start at 10:06 am. Races will be attempted every other day beginning Monday February 8th. If a race is not started on a given day, or is abandoned for whatever reason, racing will continue on the next scheduled race date, (Wednesday the 10th, Friday the 12th, Sunday the 14th, etc.).
Here are some of the online options:
The event website for the 33rd America’s Cup will provide live online coverage with Peter Montgomery, Andy Green, and Cam Lewis commentating for the official Host Broadcaster. - http://www.americascup.com
ESPN360.com (USA only) will carry the live coverage from the Host Broadcaster with Gary Jobson and Randy Smyth commentating. All races will also be available for replay. - http://www.ESPN360.com
Boatson.tv has secured the Host Broadcaster live pictures from the course in Valencia and other general Americas Cup programme which can be watched live on their special Americas Cup TV video players. - http://www.boatson.tv
BMW Oracle Racing has gotten involved in a big way, and will be hosting the official live feed of the racing from the Host Broadcaster in addition to producing additional online coverage. Here is their plan:
The first live streaming event on the website is scheduled for Friday, February 5 at 19:30 CET (13:30 EST, 10:30 PST) when team founder Larry Ellison (USA), CEO Russell Coutts (NZL) and skipper James Spithill (AUS), meet the media at the BMW ORACLE Racing team base in Valencia, Spain.
"Race Day" programming kicks off on Monday, February 8, the first scheduled race day of the Match.
"Race Day" consists of several blocks of live programming, bringing an unprecedented, live, behind-the-scenes look at the team to sailing fans worldwide:
The Dock-Out Show – watch the team prepare for battle as they leave for the race course.
The Morning Show – an insider’s look at the history of the America’s Cup, the 33rd edition of the oldest trophy in sports, and BMW ORACLE Racing, live from the Oracle Cinema at the Team Base.
The Pre-Race Show – news and analysis ahead of the racing.
The 33rd America’s Cup Match – we will then carry the official live feed from the Host Broadcaster, bringing you all of the action from the race course. Racing is scheduled to start with a 10:00 warning signal ahead of the 10:06 start gun.
The Post-Race Show – analysis of what happened on the race course, featuring expert commentary.
The Dock-In Show – cheer on the American challenger as the team returns to shore following the race.
"Bail Out" Makes Annual List of Top Ten Boat Names
ALEXANDRIA, Va., February 4, 2010 - Boat names can reveal much about the personality of a boat owner. Or, they can also serve as signposts of the modern era. With the release of the annual Top Ten List of Most Popular Boat Names by Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.), one newcomer to the list stands out. "Bail Out, the number five pick, clearly speaks volumes about what's on boaters' minds," said BoatU.S. President Nancy Michelman. "With today's economic uncertainty, naming a boat Bail Out could indicate that boating is a survival mechanism for the family that will keep them afloat," she added.
The list is assembled each year by the BoatU.S. Boat Graphics service which offers a free library of over 8,500 boat names and also allows boaters to easily select, custom design and preview boat names online - without having to pay up front. For more information or to view videos on how to install a vinyl boat name, visit the online service at www.BoatUS.com/boatgraphics . A list with the annual top ten boat names -- starting from 1991 -- can also be found at the Web site.
Here is the Top Ten List of Most Popular Boat Names : 1. Second Wind 2. Seas the Day 3. Lazy Daze 4. Jolly Roger 5. Bail Out 6. On the Rocks 7. Pegasus 8. Serenity Now 9. Namaste 10. Comfortably Numb
Not sure what the sport really needs, but this can't hurt. This comes from IndiaInfo.com
Katrina Kaif has now a days developed a new hobby. The leggy lass has got hooked to yacht sailing. The actress, who is a big fan of water sports, wants to learn yacht sailing professionally. A source said, "Sailing as a sports activity has always fascinated Katrina. She always wanted to take lessons to master the art. There are several courses offered in the UK and Kats wants to give it a shot."
Kats has even discussed this with her brother, who also enjoys water sports. "In fact the two may take up this sailing course together,” added the source. “Kats loves the sea. She feels a sense of freedom when she indulges in these water sports. But due to her busy schedule, she could never take time out to seriously pursue this hobby of hers. Now, she has decided to spare time from her film schedules to go abroad with her brother and learn yacht sailing,” the source says.
A new boat show was launched in San Diego on January 28-31, 2010, located at Harbor Island and titled the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show. With the temperatures in the teens at other parts of the country, Scuttlebutt's Craig Leweck went on a field trip in his own town to check out the new show.
Bora Gulari and George Peet drove cross country for it, the Seattle contingent sent their boats with a freight carrier to it, and the burgeoning fleet of home built boats in Long Beach came for it.
The International Moth class in the United States held their Pacific Coast Championship last weekend in Coronado, CA, but this event is more more than a regional trophy.
The PCC's has become an annual retreat for the Mothist, where shared information and group improvement is the mission. Good vibes are distributed as well.
San Diego Hall of Champions, the Breitbard Hall of Fame honors outstanding athletes from San Diego as well as athletes who have achieved stardom for local teams. 
