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Scuttlebutt Updates
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Archived NewslettersSCUTTLEBUTT 2607 - May 30, 2008Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors. ANATOMY OF A WINNER When the new Judel/Vrolijk TP52 Mean Machine won the first event of the 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit two weeks ago in Alicante, Spain, it was a big relief for the team to have produced another winning platform. Chief among those getting praise was Chris Reid, Mean Machine's renowned Kiwi boat builder, who has been with the team for more than five years. Here are some of the new features that the team hopes to keep them on their winning ways: * The most noticeable feature on the rig is that there are no external halyard exits, all the halyards run below deck. "We have a few different things, trying to get the windage down, trying to get the weight down low," explains Reid. "The main thing has been reducing the windage around the foredeck, getting the winches out of the breeze and trying to add stiffness to the boat." * "The rig is Southern Spars is from the same tooling as the other Southern Rigs, the same section we had developed for the '06 boat, with a higher modulus carbon, just a stiffer rig- as stiff as you can possibly get. We can get the sheeting angle in to 4.5 degrees, on the last boat we were probably getting to 5.5 degrees. That is another mode, a function of the boat when you need a bit more height. I don't think it will be possible to go closer than that." * Their much admired pit winch is a new system which they are trialing, and their kite hoists at the weather turn were awesome: Said Reid, "Our hoists are now about three seconds, hand tailing on the last boat the best you could possibly hope for was about five and a half, six seconds. If you can get that extra boat length away from the top mark, that just gives you breathing room. You can extend from there, just one length is all you need. We are very happy with it." -- Complete story: http://2008.medcup.org/news/index.php?id=155 => Fourteen TP52 teams are expected for the City of Marseille Trophy, the second leg of the Audi MedCup Circuit. A series of practice races on Monday, June 2nd will feature guest spots on the boats for media representatives and VIPs. Racing for points will begin on Tuesday, June 3rd and will continue until Saturday, June 7th, with up to three inshore windward-leeward courses scheduled for every race day, except Thursday, when a double points scoring coastal race is planned. The Mean Machine team will be looking to retain their Audi MedCup Circuit lead that they earned by winning the first event in Alicante two weeks ago. -- http://2008.medcup.org/venues/show.php?id=2 THE MEDAL RACE For the 2008 Olympic sailing events in Qingdao, it will be the first games where the race schedule utilizes the "Medal Race" concept. The idea was to avoid the possibility of an entrant winning the Gold Medal with a race to spare, and to create a dramatic ending that might heighten viewing interest. This format has been trialed in Olympic class events now for the past couple years, wherein the top 10 placed teams race in a final race that counts as double points, and may not be discarded (normally you can discard your worst finish of the series). This heavily weighted race often has a big impact on the final standings and we need to know how to manage this race if we are to win a medal in China. Following their sixth place finish in last week's ISAF Grade 1 Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, Holland, US 470 Men's team of Stu McNay and Graham Biehl shared some of the guidelines in their approach to the Medal Race, which are easily applicable to any short course racing event: 1) the course is so short (we sailed three laps of windward-leeward on a 25 minute course) that starboard advantage is key, upwind and downwind, so do not be afraid to gybe set the spinnaker so as to have starboard advantage toward the leeward marks.; 2) the fleet is very close for the whole race, so every decision will matter for your place, but also, you will make so many decisions that everyone will make mistakes and you are looking for a good average on decision making rather than perfection every time. -- http://www.teammb.org 123,000 MILES AND STILL TURNING HEADS Ragtime is reborn. again. Californian Chris Welsh has completed the reconfiguration of the underwater profile of his John Spencer designed 'Ragtime', along with structural improvements to stiffen the hull. Originally launched in Auckland, New Zealand as 'Infidel' in 1964, Ragtime is now preparing for the Los Angeles to Tahiti Race on June 22, 2008, which is a long time from when she first moved to the Northern Hemisphere, and won line honors at both the 1973 and 1975 Transpac Races. She set the stage for the West Coast ultralight revolution that occurred soon thereafter, and now over forty years later, she still turns heads. When she lines up for the start next month to Tahiti, she will be at her lightest weight ever, with more sail area and a modern, lower drag fin package. Ragtime's ability to sustain her competiveness got Welsh to thinking about what other boats are out there like his. "We started to speculate if any racing boats out here anywhere have done the racing miles and total miles Ragtime has done," said Welsh. "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?" * Do you know of any other boats like Ragtime? Post your comments here: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/blog/2008/05/ragtime.html FORGET DRIVING, GO SAILING At Hall Spars & Rigging, we say "leave the pain at the pump." You'll get more pleasure from upgrading to free-running Harken Carbo blocks on the spinnaker sheets or replacing that sticky traveler car with a quality Harken ball-bearing car. June is Harken month at Hall, which means we are bucking the trend and lowering prices. Until midnight June 30, everything Harken is an additional 5% off our already terrific pricing. Only at Hall, and only during June. Visit our online store and log in for the best pricing. http://www.hallspars.com PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include the Melges 24 Worlds in Italy, yellow jersey concept exemplified, a Buccaneer 18 that is admittedly 'fugly', Olympic newlyweds, Laser sailing in the Caribbean, windmills and tornados in Holland, and RC 44s in Austria. If you have images you would like to share, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/08/0530 U.S. BOATERS' FAVORITE WATERWAYS Discover Boating, the national public awareness campaign on behalf of the recreational boating industry, began exploring boating activity hot spots with a call for nominations, searching for boaters' favorite waterways throughout the country. After polling suggestions from hundreds of boaters, industry experts and travel enthusiasts, Discover Boating identified a list of top locales from coast-to-coast to enjoy boating activities and truly experience why life is better on a boat. The list was announced this week, and includes sites for cruising, fishing, watersports; here are the top ten areas for sailing: Barrier Islands - Charleston, S.C. Biscayne Bay - Biscayne Bay, Fla. Block Islands - New Shoreham, R.I. Chesapeake Bay - St. Michaels, Md. Lake Ouachita - Hot Springs, Ark. Lake Superior - Bayfield, Wisc. Lake Washington - Seattle, Wash. Mission Bay - San Diego, Calif. Outer Banks - Nags Head, N.C. San Francisco Bay - San Francisco, Calif. Full report: http://www.discoverboating.com/info/pressrelease.aspx?id=17353 SAILING SHORTS * Overlooking Boston Harbor, Fan Pier has been confirmed as the venue for the Boston stopover when the 2008/2009 Volvo Ocean Race visits the US East Coast port city in April-May 2009. The area is currently under development, with the entire stopover facility including berthing for the seven-boat fleet, race village, entertainment complex, and haul-out area to be accommodated on a five-acre space within the site. Two weeks of festivals and local events are planned for the beginning of May 2009, to celebrate the arrival and departure of the Volvo Ocean Race, Boston's maritime history, and the sport of sailing. -- Complete report: http://abe5.com/4de Google maps aerial: http://abe5.com/4df * Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (Argo Group), an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in niche areas of the property and casualty market, announced today that it is the new title sponsor for the King Edward VII Gold Cup to be sailed October 7-12, 2008 in Bermuda's Hamilton Harbour. The event will be titled the King Edward VII Gold Cup presented by Argo Group, and will be the eighth event of nine events that comprise the 2008 World Match Racing Tour. -- http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com * Gmunden, Austria (May 29, 2008) Following the loss of racing on Wednesday due to a lack of wind, the organisers of the RC 44 Austria Cup were able to complete to complete an entire match race round robin for the nine entrants, with the James Spithill driven Team Ceeref besting Team Aqua/Cameron Appleton in second and BMW Oracle Racing/Larry Ellison in third. The format now switches to fleet racing for the team owners, with races concluding June 1st. -- http://www.rc44.com/en * (May 29, 2008) An Antonov 225, the biggest aircraft in the world, will arrive at El Altet Airport in Alicante, Spain one week from today, and open its doors to discharge one of the new craft of the Telefonica syndicate that will take part in the Volvo Ocean Race that leaves from Alicante next October. The Antonov will in fact unload the VO70 hull of Telefonica Negro that has been under construction in shipyards in New Zealand. The giant aircraft is expected to arrive at 8:30 in the morning, having made refueling stops in Jakarta and Baku in Azerbaijan. -- Valencia Life Network, publisher@valencialife.net NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE * US SAILING recently awarded its Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to three teenage sailors and a father and son team from New Orleans' Southern Yacht Club credited with saving the lives of three adults whose boat had capsized on Lake Pontchartrain in January. Chris Algero, 15 years old, Clerc Cooper, 14, and Jon Nunn, 14, were sailing their Club's 19-foot Flying Scot on a windy January day when they noticed a shallow-draft fishing boat, having difficulty with its outboard engine, being tossed about in the heavy chop. As they watched, the boat swamped and capsized. The teenagers sailed closer to assist the three adults, who had been dumped into the frigid water, noticing as they approached that the victims were without floatation devices and having a hard time keeping their heads above the surface. -- Read on: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/rescue_may.asp * They are successful surgeons and coaches, professors and investment bankers, entrepreneurs and parents. They are nationally and internationally recognized as outstanding athletes. And: they are physically disabled. Dozens of sailors from the United States and Canada will gather on the first weekend in June to compete for US SAILING's Chandler Hovey trophy and the Judd Goldman trophy at a four-day event hosted in Rye, N.Y., by the American Yacht Club (AYC) and neighboring Larchmont Yacht Club (LYC). It is the only national sailing championship for disabled sailors. -- Complete report: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/disabled_preview.asp * US SAILING has announced that a new benefit will be provided to US SAILING members by the title sponsor of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. Effective June 1, all US SAILING members will receive a 15% discount on products and services at participating AlphaGraphics business centers in the US. With more than 225 locations nationwide, AlphaGraphics is an industry-leading print, graphics and visual communications franchise network headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. -- Read on: http://www.ussailing.org/pressreleases/2008/ag_memberdiscount.asp WHERE DO YOU FIND THE BEST BOAT EQUIPMENT? MyBoatsGear.com is a free online magazine dedicated to finding and reviewing the best boating products. When choosing the best products to review we look through hundreds of products. This week's newsletter is the second part of Clean drinking water onboard. We organize gear into 20 easily-accessible categories; our aim is to promote boating products in an unbiased format. MyBoatsGear.com stores product information for access anytime, anywhere. -- http://www.MyBoatsGear.com LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or simplicity (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Robert Wilkes, Secretary, International Optimist Dinghy Association: With reference to the letter of Paul Grevens on coach boats (Issue 2606: "However, I guess that is what's happening at the junior level in Optimist"), please note that the International Optimist Class, in the interests of low costs, restricts such boats at its major events. At the North Americans, for example, the Notice of Race specifies: 11.2 The maximum number of adults per team allowed on the water in support boats (hereinafter 'coaches') at any one time shall be 11.2.a Teams comprising 10 or fewer sailors: one coach. 11.2.b Teams comprising 11 to 20 sailors: two coaches. 11.2.c Teams comprising 21 or more sailors: three coaches. 11.3 Each support boat shall contain at least two coaches at all times. * From Ray Tostado: (re, "Creative marketing" story in #2606) I do not miss the good intentions in this article. It is in line with helping competitors fulfill their dreams of getting into the top level regattas. But back deep in my bleak existential mind lurks a caveat to this generosity. It, in Econ. 560 level thinking, amounts to nothing other than a subsidy for the oil companies. The message it sends is, "charge whatever you want, charity will make it affordable...". I hope the competitors will not grow too fond of this generosity. It could become a bad habit. * From John Cladianos: Why can't US SAILING do like any other insolvent business and take a look at the almost non-existent value proposition for the average member, and build a better product? Is strong-arming the declining customer base you've got the only answer at your company? Jeez, are they awake? * From Keith Burhans: (edited to the 250-word limit) Once we realize that "free" things in life actually have NO value, we can then determine what is important, and how much we value it. I find it easy to support the different organizations that effect the things that matter to me in life. I have been a member of US Sailing since 1981 (age 25) and will continue to do so because I view it as giving back to the sport that has given and continues to give me so much. However, I would recommend US Sailing scuttle the mandatory membership strategy, because after all this is America, where we are told that we are free to choose. Instead, I would suggest that you retool your membership plan strategy to align with the "Rules" quadrennial calendar. Currently, I receive the rule book if I join willingly, and you should keep doing that. But you should also price the rule book to reflect its true 4-year value. I wonder how many will join next year to receive the next rule book (2009-2012), and then toss the barrage of renewal notices during the next three years? When viewed through the larger prism, spending $55.00/ 60.00 annually to support the monumental efforts to manage the rules and appeals, set standards and manage certification of Judges and PRO's, to provide training materials and certification for sailing instructors, foster youth development with junior Olympic festivals, oversee the sanctioned National Championships, and serve as NGB to the International and Olympic components of our sport with US Sailing Team, Pan-Am Team and Youth Teams, it seems like a great value to me. * From Mark Osterman: (regarding photos in #2606) As someone who traveled to China on average 3 times a year for ten years and spent extensive time working in over thirty Chinese cities including Qingdao, I have to respond to the nonsense about food in Qingdao. Yes, you can find some pretty exotic food if you look for it. Some of my pictures will out-gross yours, but so what. In the Qingdao hotels I have stayed in the food was uniformly excellent, healthy and safe. But if your diet is heavy on Big Macs and Deep Dish pizza you can also do very well! I and the consulting team working with me logged literally thousands of days in China eating local food, with nary a day lost to gastrointestinal illness. As for the food itself, try eating as varied a diet of fruit and vegetables in any American city: just about impossible! Bottom line: you aren't in the US of A! Get over it! And enjoy the food. But don't swallow the seawater...therein lies trouble * From Rick Hatch: Like the Ford Frick Award winners commemorated in Cooperstown, does the America's Cup Hall of Fame have a section for journalists? If so, I would like to nominate Cory Friedman for his selfless contribution to our reading enjoyment. Compared to a Grisham novel, which usually only takes a few evenings' reading, it's still anyone's guess how and when this chapter in the Cup's very colourful history will end (if ever, if at all)! => Curmudgeon's Comment: We are proud to host Cory's commentary, which has been fairly presented and invaluable for following the progress of the legal process. We suspect that if/when the America's Cup ever finds itself again in the New York Courts, his words will become mandatory reading for those involved. Link: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf * From Nick Kroeger: The story of Zac Sunderland is great (in Issue 2606), but I'd like to bring your attention to a guy by the name of Jesse Martin; I believe he holds the current record for the youngest person to sail around the world and not Dave Dicks. => Curmudgeon's Comment: As near as we can tell, there are two references here regarding the age of the sailor when they completed their circumnavigations. One is the youngest, non-stop singlehanded, circumnavigation that is held by Jesse Martin (18 years and 66 days old), and then there is the singlehanded, circumnavigation by Dave Dicks (18 years and 41 days old) who did make stops. As Zac reflects, "When faced with the decision of whether or not to try to beat Jesse's record there were two major considerations: my father is uncomfortable with me going around Cape Horn with it's icebergs and violent storms, and I really wanted my journey to be more in the vein of Robin Lee Graham who sailed on the Dove back in the 60's. He stopped and explored so many cool places. With modern technology, many people should be able to experience this trip along with me." -- http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog.html CURMUDGEON'S COUNSEL Basic Flying Rules: Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there. Special thanks to Hall Spars & Rigging and MyBoatsGear.com. A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers |
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