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Scuttlebutt Updates
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Archived NewslettersSCUTTLEBUTT 1229 - December 30, 2002Powered by SAIC (www.saic.com), an employee-owned company. Scuttlebutt is adigest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. ROLEX SYDNEY TO HOBART RACE Sydney yachtsman Bob Steel with his state-of-the-art 46-footer, Quest, is the Overall Winner of the 2002 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The veteran sloop Zeus II, skippered by another Sydney yachtsman, Jim Dunstan, on his 25th Hobart race missed out on an historic second win by a mere half mile after 630 nautical miles of exhilerating sailing. Zeus II, a Currawong 30 launched in 1979, had to finish by 10.08 AM today to dislodge Quest, a state-of-the-art Nelson/Marek 46 that this year has undergone a major upgrading of its rig and sails. Zeus II crossed the line at 10.16.28 Monday morning, just 4 minutes 47 seconds short of winning Overall. Alfa Romeo, Neville Crichton's super maxi took line honours, surfing up the River Derwent under her massive spinnaker before a fresh sea breeze to cross the line off Hobart's historic Battery Point at 5.58.52 Saturday afternoon. Her elapsed time for the race, 2 days 4 hours 58 minutes and 52 seconds was well outside the 1999 race record set by Nokia, but is the second fastest in the 58 year history of the 630 nautical mile bluewater classic. Dockside this evening, owner/skipper Neville Crichton admitted it was an easy race. "We didn't break any records but we didn't break the boat either. We would love to have started a day later; this would have put the race record under serious threat." Alfa Romeo, designed by USA naval architects Reichel/Pugh and built in Sydney by McConaghy Boats, Alfa Romeo, which began her racing career only four months ago as Shockwave, is the largest yacht to take line honours in the Sydney Hobart race. Apart from the two retirements at the start on Boxing Day, December 26, when the fleet left Sydney Harbour, all 55 yachts have finished the 630 nautical mile passage. Class Winners - IMS: Division C - Another Challenge (Lou Abrahams); Division B - Zeus II (Jim Dunstan); Division A - Quest (Bob Steel); IRC: Division C - Redrock Communications (Chris Bowling); Division B - Quest (Bob Steel); Division A - Starlight Express (Stewart Thwaites); PHS Division: Delta Wing (Bill Koppe); Sydney 38, - Andrew Short Marine (Andrew Short). - www.rolexsydneyhobart.com SYDNEY - HOBART SIDEBAR: Madame Guillotine awaits Christophe Vanek and his French/Australian crew on Peugeot Racing when they arrive in Hobart, probably tomorrow. They will almost certainly be disqualified from the Sydney to Hobart for T-boning the Tasmanian yacht Valheru on Sydney Harbour shortly after the start. The French boat did not have the right of way because it was on port tack, while Valheru was on starboard. That they say they tried to bear away below the stern of Valheru but jammed their mainsheet, disabling the steering, is immaterial. Aside from being responsible for damaging another boat, Peugeot continued to race after such a devastating collision. This was the more serious of their actions. Vanek usually sails Peugeot Racing under the name Savoir Faire ... but if they had any savoir faire, they would not still be at sea. In yachting, honour and principle are as important as the rules that govern the sport. The Peugeot crew are in breach of all three. The French boat wrecked Valheru to such an extent that it is probably unable to be salvaged and will cost owner Tony Lyall, or his insurance company, $500,000 to replace. That is "serious damage'' and Vanek knew it. - Bruce Montgomery, Sailing writer, The Australian, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/ CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Here's what the rules state: 44.1 Taking a Penalty - A boat that may have broken a rule of Part 2 while racing may take a penalty at the time of the incident. Her penalty shall be a 720º Turns Penalty unless the sailing instructions specify the use of the Scoring Penalty or some other penalty. However, if she caused serious damage or gained a significant advantage in the race or series by her breach she shall retire. COMMETTES TAKE "DEAD OF WINTER" TITLE Peter Commette and his daughter, Sheehan, sailed consistently to win this competitive regatta over a wide range of conditions. Chris and Antoinette Klotz were second; Rob and Bridget Hallawell were third. Peter's other daughter, Morgan Commette, was highest placing junior. For a complete report and photos, check http://snipeus.org/. This is just one of many regattas keeping Snipe sailors active throughout the winter months in both Florida and Southern California. Don't just daydream about sailing; get a Snipe, and get racing. Start sailing Snipes and say goodbye to cabin fever. TRADEMARK MONEY A high-powered meeting will be held Saturday over the question of Team New Zealand's use of America's Cup money. The Herald understands that the New York Yacht Club and Prada's club, Punta Ala, have organised the meeting, to which Team NZ have been invited. Team NZ spokesman Murray Taylor said the syndicate were aware of the meeting, but did not know details. The two members most likely to attend it, Team NZ chief executive Ross Blackman and rules adviser Russell Green, were not available. The debate over use of money earned from rights to the America's Cup trademarks has gathered momentum over the past few days with a document doing the rounds of syndicates setting out arguments why challengers should get a slice of cup profits. The issue has been further complicated by a mystery challenger who asked the New York Attorney-General's office to investigate. While the defender and challengers are licensed to use the America's Cup symbol, only the cupholder - in this case Team New Zealand - can raise money through its use. The money raised is used to host the event, but any surplus can be used to run the defender's sailing budget. - Anne Beston, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3048995&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup&thesecondsubsection=teamnz BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD A revised format for the Louis Vuitton challenger series will be debated after the America's Cup amid unrest at a lack of racing during New Zealand's peak holiday period. Challengers' management head Luca Birindelli said he and regatta director Dyer Jones had ideas about the event's format, and an assessment of the current schedule and any recommendations for change would be included in a formal report once racing ends. The new-style racing format for the challenger series has caused some concern, with no racing during the main New Year holiday period. There are only two teams left, and they do not race again until January 11. Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker this year described the format as a shame and said the Viaduct Harbour, bristling with crew activity until now, may end up a ghost town over New Year. Even the elder statesman of skippers, Dennis Conner, has questioned the racing schedule. "How does that make sense? To have everybody gone by Christmas, when the holidays come and you've got all the good weather." - Helen Tunnah, NZ Herald, full story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3048875&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com) (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room or a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Angus Phillips ,Washington Post (Re: letter from Art Engel, who says: "In my experience, reporters virtually always get it wrong in ways they consider minor and unimportant but some of us would consider critical ... I put this down to lack of time and limited experience with the subject rather than evil intent."): I have an idea for Mr. Engel. Walk a mile in my shoes. Or even 50 feet, if you can, which I sincerely doubt. In the meantime, stick a cork in it. * From Peter Huston: Tom Ehman points out the fundamental absurdity that prevails within the America's Cup. Every team has been using a piece of technical equipment, all in plain sight of each other, and just now the question is being asked as to whether or not this is legal? And the answer is "no"? But there's no penalty? Only a question - "hey, do you guys all want to fight with knives or guns?" Everyone says the Cup should be this or that, it should or shouldn't change, it always has been or never really was screwed up. None of what any of us think is relevant except for the two remaining Commodores and officers of the respective clubs left in the LVC and RNZYS. I don't care who wins this cup - except that I hope it is someone with a vision who can make the Cup understandable to and relevant for people who enjoy watching sailboat racing more than document reading and interpretation. Maybe a new group of Judges should be recruited from the New York Time book review section. The dumb part about all this is that with a faster boat, who cares how much distance you are gaining on each leg? And if you are slow, there isn't a radar gun on the planet that is going to make a boat leap up out of the water and sail past the better boat. * From Clark Chapin: Tom Ehman's title, "Director of Rules Compliance" by itself points out the complexity of the interplay between the Deed of Gift, Protocol, Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, IACC Measurement Rule, Measurer's Interpretations, International Jury, Arbitration Panel, ISAF, CORM, and the New York State Attorney General (I'm sure I've omitted a few, but you get my point). * From: David Sligh: I'm perplexed at people getting so worked up over the AC legal maneuvering or OLN's coverage of the sailing. It's snowing in my hometown so OLN is the only sailing I'm going to see until the tundra thaws. Unfortunately, I'm not a billionare, but it sure is fun watching them throw all that cash around. It's the clash of the titans and we get a ringside seat! Please keep the thread going so I've got an alternative to shoveling snow! * From Dick Enersen (edited to our 250-word limit): Spurred partly by Ed Trevelyan's comments, I really wonder about the electronic wizardry in Oracle's "Goose." Another publication speculated that the device might include Doppler radar, which, I gather, can "see" different textures on the water surface a long way away. Ed seems to think Oracle and company were "lucky" in taking "flyers," which enabled them to overtake OneWorld twice in fluky conditions. Maybe so, but I know that Oracle never put a foot wrong in the "crapshoot" conditions which seemed to dominate the series. I read that the Jury says the Goose, whatever it does, is illegal, but no penalty accrues to its use heretofore. We could on about OneWorld's "failure to cover" for a long time, but I would only point out a couple of historical examples of situations in which the boat with a generous lead gets stuck on the wrong side of a free leg and gives up the lead. There are lots of factors, procedural, psychological and meteorological which enter in to the "what do we do now?" decision. Stupidity, interestingly, is not often the problem and, if the Goose is made legal, maybe no lead boat will ever do the wrong thing again. * From John Reiter: As we've all heard, read, and some witnessed, the 'old days' of cup shenanigans were at least as exciting as today's. The conversation surrounding the America's Cup would have been debated ad nauseum by the "internet-erati" had the technology been available in the heyday of NYYC. The only forums available for comment back in those Newport days were coffee shops and pubs on Thames St., and even at that only a select few knew how much the rules were being amended as time ticked off for the challengers. To have Scuttlebutt (and many other sources) for reporting, is it a case of too much of a good thing can be bad? The wise usually recommend, "everything in moderation" - how about filtering the amount of information you read each day, or find an insider from Newport to fill you in on the real old-school forms of skullduggery? Either way, it's just a boat race, and what happens under the America's Cup big-top has no effect on whether you point higher or sail deeper your next time out... * From Tom Ehman (in reply to Rick Merriman in 'Butt 1228): Oracle's Goose is not a LIDAR or similar. LIDAR and similar "on-board instruments capable of sensing wind direction or strength at a distance from the yacht" are explicitly prohibited by the Conditions governing both the LVC and the Match. This rule was adopted after the 1992 Cup as a cost-cutting measure (along with, for example, the "two-boat rule") as LIDARs can cost upwards to a half million dollars. Nonetheless OneWorld had a shore-based LIDAR overlooking the racecourse. Shore- or tender-based LIDAR is not prohibited under the rules, though it goes without saying that yachts may not receive communications from off the boat while racing, i.e., "outside assistance." * From Bob Kiernan: Stanley Rosenfeld - A time in life...I am a sailor, a sportsman and mostly a participant in our sport. All my experiences were great Stanley saw what we did and captured it to give others a view too. As a volunteer for the America's Cup Organizing Committee in '88,'91 & '92 and the media consultant aboard a Photo Boat. Up to this one day he was aboard the big press boats for his elderly age and frailness. I took personal responsibility and pleasure in assisting Stanley Rosenfeld on the racecourse. Also aboard that day were Daniel Forster, Guy Gurney, KOS, Sharon Green, Dan Nerney and Bobby Grieser. They were all in awe of him too. With slight glances they watched as he chose his image and hoped for the same result. I thank Stanley for his enlightenment, inspiration and the images we get to share from him, his followers as well. KIWI CLIP ON (Following are two excerpts from a story by Angus Phillips in the Washington Post.) The challengers are poised to dispute the legality of Team New Zealand's breakthrough design innovation, a clever appendage the Kiwis attached to the bottom of their race boats to increase the working length and thus potential top speed. * Challengers think the clip-on contravenes the intent of the class design rule. They will press their case to international measurers who certified the Kiwi boats as legal. Chief measurer Ken McAlpine says the measurers are not meant to divine a rule's intent, only interpret the actual words. McAlpine also says measurers' rulings are not subject to appeal, but sources in the challenging camps say they will present new evidence which should be considered. If in the end New Zealand's appendages are ruled illegal, it would put the Kiwis in a vulnerable position as they apparently have the attachments on both of their race boats and thus have no fall-back. In the event that they are not ruled out, as seems more likely, both Alinghi and Oracle have been testing copycat appendages of their own. Alinghi's boat shed rang with shrieks of cutting tools over the Christmas break. Team New Zealand has disputed the legality of copying the design and questioned the right of challengers to switch over to boats with the clip-on appendages between the end of semifinal trials and the Cup match. Alinghi skipper Coutts and owner Bertarelli have publicly decried Kiwi efforts to stop them from developing or switching boats. Bertarelli said with the "built-in advantages the defender already has" in competing for the Cup, Team New Zealand ought to focus on winning on the water and not in legal briefs. - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48568-2002Dec28.html CUSTOM SAIL STORAGE BOXES Mr. Wax is now making available convenient storage boxes for your boat trailer. Sturdy fiberglass construction insures dry, secure storage for your sails and hardware. Boxes are 13'4" in length. These boxes are in stock and affordable to ship anywhere in America. Check them out at http://www.mrwax.com/mainfram/Storagebox/storagebox.htm QUOTE / UNQUOTE "If the America's Cup were tomorrow I am not sure we would be ready, but I believe on the day we'll be ready to go. There is still a lot of work to do." Joey Allen, Team New Zealand bowman, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3049022&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup AROUND ALONE The leaders are through the "gate" and are heading south once more. Bernard Stamm on Bobst Group Armor lux and Thierry Dubois on Solidaires have passed north of the obligatory waypoint and are heading back into the Southern Ocean. There are a number of compulsory marks of the course for leg 3 starting with the most obvious one; the start line. The waypoints are there for the safety of the fleet. They are designed to keep the yachts closer together and to keep them out of the deep Southern Ocean. - Brian Hancock STANDINGS 2200 UTC December 29, 2002 CLASS 1: 1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux, Bernard Stamm, 2704 miles from finish; 2. Solidaires, Thierry Dubois, 313 miles behind leader; 3. Hexagon, Graham Dalton, 657 mbl. CLASS 2: 1. Tommy Hilfiger, Brad Van Liew, 3942 miles from finish; 2. Everest Horizontal, Tim Kent, 377 mbl. 3. Spirit of Canada, Derek Hatfield, 432 mbl. - www.aroundalone.com CLIPPER 2002 "A perfect day and a perfect start," reported Colin de Mowbray as the eight Clipper yachts raced away from Panama yesterday, Saturday 28 December, heading into the mighty Pacific. Race Four is 895 miles long and takes the fleet from Panama City to the centre of the Galapagos Islands, just to the south of the Equator. Previous races have found the conditions at the start to be very difficult with light and fluky winds for the first 100 miles in the Bay of Panama. On this race, the start is two weeks later and the northerly winds appear to be holding - a great benefit in getting the fleet out to sea early. The estimated date of arrival in Galapagos is 5 January 2003. - www.clipper-ventures.com THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATIONS Sea captains do not like crew cuts. |
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