Ron Holland is a genius

There was a slew of hot designers during the IOR era, with the launch of each boat having exploited the rating rule slightly better than the boat before it. While I suspect it was exciting for them to be involved in such a dynamic period of the sport, it must have also sucked that their boats were so quickly outgunned.

So what is a smart naval architect to do. Ron Holland made a huge name for himself during the 70's and 80's, but this is what he is up to:



Ron Holland is a genius.

Beercanning with Bruce Golison

Before Bruce Golison won the 2010 Etchells North Americans in San Diego, he was concerned that his schedule in the class was not enough to keep him sharp. Bruce's home waters are in Long Beach, CA, so Bruce took the step to join the Lido 14 fleet to stay active.

Wonder what it is like to ride in a Lido 14 with an Etchells champion? The videos below are from when Bruce donned a pair of video sunglasses during a summer beer can race in Alamitos Bay. By the way, his crew Dina Corsi also sailed in the Etchells NA win.

Part 1


Part 2

Vandals attack community sailing program

It is hard to think of too many sports that are as equipment intensive as sailing. Then there is the issue of access to the sport, and the risks of participating. The reality is the list of sports that require the level of education needed to participate as sailing does is short. Really short.

What is the solution to opening the doors of sailing to more people? Some yacht clubs have programs, but they typically are available for only those people who have made the typically significant financial investment in club membership. And then there is Community Sailing Organizations.

One such sailing organization is Sail Martha’s Vineyard (Mass.), which was established in 1992 to offer programs for Island children in elementary sailing, seamanship and wooden boat building, and to attract historic vessels to the community. From modest beginnings, Sail MV has grown into an organization that has taught more than 2,000 children, produced a successful high school sailing team, and now offers an extensive range of programs in maritime education, rowing and sailing for young and old, seasonal and year-round residents.

However, Sail MV has recently suffered unusual and costly vandalism to its equipment, boats, and facility, estimated to be more than $9,000 in damages. The remote location of the facility combined with a limited police force has opened the door for what is believed to be the work of malicious teenagers. While Sail MV is fully insured, they are concerned that if claims are filed, the nonprofit organization's premium costs will rise. The board of directors must decide soon whether to file insurance claims.

The program recently invested in surveillance cameras and motion detection lighting to deter vandals, but the damage done has limited the ability of Sail MV to serve its patrons. “We're maxed out, we've got waiting lists for everything, said Director Brock Callen. “When you lose a boat it has an immediate impact."

Observed Scuttlebutt reader Ken Katz, “I hope that some among us will find Sail MV a worthy organization for donation. I would never have become such an avid sailor were it not for the opportunities offered to me by very similar organizations that bring sailing within the reach of the young and not yet wealthy.”

Donations can be submitted here: http://www.sailmv.com/support-sail-marthas-vineyard.php

Laura Dekker’s Misstated Mission

Whenever these would-be youth circumnavigators reach out to mainstream media to announce their activity, I regularly question its relevance for the Scuttlebutt newsletter. But here I am, providing an update that 14-year-old Laura Dekker left Gibraltar, a British territory bordering the southwestern tip of Spain, on Saturday on the first leg of her global journey.

The Dutch sailor is aiming to become - big shocker coming - the youngest person to sail solo around the world. Mounds of criticism have piled on her dream, or whoever it was that planted the seed for her to take on such a mission. Without being judgmental, there are a few things I need to get cleared from my head before changing tacks:

- RECORD: Call it an adventure, call it an achievement, but just don’t call it a record. For there to be records, there needs to be record keepers. There needs to be guidelines to follow, and Laura’s route is unique compared to those that came before her. No honorable record keeping organization wants to administer this ‘youngest’ record category. The World Sailing Speed Record Council and Guinness World Record both say thanks, but no thanks.

- SOLO: I will give that Laura is the only person on the boat, but she will be far from sailing solo. She plans countless stops along her route, and may leave the boat in port for periods of time to fly home. Hardly a test of solo sailing. Of course when she is sailing, she will be connected to her supporters by all forms of communication equipment. Whenever Laura is feeling anxious at sea, she will scarcely be alone.

- SAILING: Maybe Laura should restate her mission to be the ‘youngest person to travel solo around the world’. Call me a skeptic, but will she be sailing through the Panama Canal? Or the Suez Canal? What about the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden. Will she utilize the engine during the countless stops along her route? Or, are we running loose with the term “sailing”? Is Laura onboard the ‘Disney Dream’ cruise ship that will “set sail” from port to port?

I do hope she is successful and is doing this for the right reasons. As for the inclusion of her updates in Scuttlebutt, I will continue to question their appropriateness, and I hope the ‘butthead community does the same. At least you will be aware of her, as the mainstream media will certainly expose your non-sailing friends to her, so perhaps you can provide them some insight too. -- By Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt

Thanks, Augie and Old Man

You got to love stories like this one from Connie Bischoff:

Augie Diaz and his dad, Gonzalo Diaz, Sr. (affectionately known as “Old Man Diaz”) came to the rescue at the U.S. Snipe Junior Nationals hosted by Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis, MD. This regatta preceded the 2010 U.S. National Championships which are taking place this week in Annapolis. All year long, Coral Reef Yacht Club’s (Miami, FL) 420 youth teams has had the benefit of also sailing in Snipes. This opportunity came through two-time World Champion and CRYC member Augie Diaz and his dad, “Old Man” Diaz of Coconut Grove Sailing Club.

With the Junior Nationals coming up in Annapolis, they wanted to make sure that the young (ages 14-18) South Florida sailors could show off their sailing skills. In order to do that, they supplied and transported seven boats, paid the entry fees for six teams, and bought three sets of new sails for the teams to share. Prior to the regatta, Augie arranged for Kathleen Tocke to run a clinic for all of the junior Snipe sailors.

The Diaz team’s efforts paid off. Not only did all of the sailors have a great time and gain valuable experience in the 18 boat regatta, but one of the South Florida junior teams, Taylor Scheuermann and her crew Jackson Fadley, took second and qualified for the Snipe Junior Worlds next year in Denmark.

Augie showed again why he was named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year in 2003. They simply love Snipe sailing and want to share that passion with young sailors. Thanks, Augie and Old Man…. the Snipe class is stronger because of you.

* Winning the Junior Nationals was Nick Voss and Nicole Popp of Miami, FL. The U.S. National Championships are being held August 16-20. Event website: http://www.snipenationals.com

Russian Navy captures Somalian pirates

Info and video submitted by a loyal 'butthead:

This videotape shows Russian Navy commandos on a Somalian pirate ship shortly after the pirates had captured a Russian oil tanker. The EuroUnion navy that patrols these waters would not interfere because they feared there could be casualties.

All explanations are in Russian with a single exception of when a wounded pirate says something in English. All conversations between the commandos are in Russian. If you don't understand Russian, the pictures speak for themselves.

The soldiers freed their compatriots, moved all the pirates to their own (pirate) ship, searched the pirate ship for weapons and explosives, and then they left the ship and exploded it with all remaining pirates on it.

The commandos sunk the pirate ship along with the pirates and without any court proceedings, lawyers etc. That is, they used the anti-piracy laws of the 18th and 19th centuries where the captain of the rescuing ship has the right to decide what to do with the pirates. Usually, they were hung.

I would think from now on, Russian ships will not be targets for Somalian pirates.

At about 4 minutes and 53 seconds into the video is when the Russians blow up the pirate ship.

World circumnavigation

There now appears to be as many young sailors seeking to be the youngest to circumnavigate the world as there are routes to do it. In the past year we saw Zac Sunderland (USA) do it with stops, heading west from Los Angeles and using the Panama Canal. Mike Perham (GBR) did it with stops from England, going east and around all the Capes (correction: he went thru Panama Canal rather than around Cape Horn). Jessica Watson (AUS) also went east and around all the Capes, but began from her country in the southern latitudes and made no stops. Then of course there was the train wreck - aka Abby Sunderland - that tried to go solo non-stop from Los Angeles, but her failed easterly route around all the Capes was plagued by boat failure, and arguably, brain failure.

The latest seeking to join this party is Dutch teen Laura Dekker, who just arrived in Portugal from the southwestern Netherlands to complete a 10-day test cruise with her father leading up to her bid to become the youngest person to sail around the world solo. Sailing her red-hulled 11.5 metre (38 foot) ketch Guppy, the trip was meant to iron out any technical problems before launching her official solo bid, which will leave from Portugal sometime within the next week.

Dekker wants to break the record for the youngest world solo sail set in May by Australian teenager Jessica Watson. Watson completed a non-stop, unassisted round-the-world trip a few days before her 17th birthday. Dekker turns 17 on September 20, 2012, allowing her a little over two years to complete the trip, during which she intends to stop at several ports along the way.

And for the latest variation of world circumnavigation, Dekker has said her route from Portugal will take her across the Atlantic Ocean and into the Pacific via the Panama Canal. She plans to stop at the Galapagos islands before heading to Australia, Thailand then through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, up the Red Sea to the Suez Canal, connecting to the Mediterranean Sea for her return to Portugal. -- Scuttleblog

Source: AFP

Sailing made easy

Ron Lane of Fast Lane Sailing Center demonstrates the Hobie Mirage at San Diego Yacht Club.

Photos and report from T.J. Perrotti of Perrotti Performance Design:




I had some fun last week with the junior sailor students (age 10-11) at Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, RI.

We talked a bit about what makes a sailboat go, along with the basic concepts of things like stability, resistance, lift, and the like. Then, with a clean-slate whiteboard, the kids set out to design their own model sailboat, with just a bit of direction from me. They conceived the "Tritanic" ... a trimaran racer, which we then fabricated out of soda bottles, rigid insulation foam, bits of wood, hot glue, and shower-curtain sails. Bets were running 50/50 on whether it would sail or self-destruct, and I'm happy to report much of the former, and none of the latter.

The pics attached show the construction, launch, and inaugural sail, with Newport Bridge in the background. And smiles all around, of course ... lots of smiles! I think the kids did a fabulous job at putting their creativity into action. Future AC designers, builders, and racers?

Regards,

T.J. Perrotti
Perrotti Performance Design, LLC
107 Coggeshall Ave.
Newport, RI 02840 USA