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SCUTTLEBUTT 2060 - March 28, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.BIG CHILL OVERCOMES BIG SPILL Heroic antics in the icy Mediterranean off Valencia, Spain, this week by navigator Marc Lagesse saved America's Cup Team Shosholoza some highly specialized computer equipment after a rope inadvertently lassoed the boat's prized black box during a sail training maneuver and flicked it overboard. In the trade the computer is known as a "deckman" and is custom designed for hi-tech America's Cup class racing but in team lingo it is simply "Marc's box." But its value is really priceless as it contains over two years of research and personal programming to enable Lagesse to provide the skipper, helmsman and tactician with vital data relating to wind speed and direction, currents and distances - all of which can determine winning or losing a race. Lagesse said the team was out in the bay off Valencia practicing on Shosholoza RSA 83, when the mainsheet got wrapped around the computer stand and ripped it of, sending 7000 Pounds (British) worth of computer sinking into the Mediterranean. Said Lagesse, "I can't recall much else, but the next thing I knew I was flying through the air after it. The boys say that if I had been at the Commonwealth Games I would have scored 8 out of 10 for technical merit in the diving. I hit the water and dived as deep as I could and just managed to grasp the handle of the computer. I would guess it had already sank at least 2 to 3 meters and we were sailing in 30 meters of water so it would have been lost for sure." Lagesse said the computer, which is marketed as waterproof, just needed a fresh water rinse and some new batteries. - http://www.team-shosholoza.com FOR THOSE WE'VE LOST (Thanks to Scuttlebutt reader Allison Starling, who provided the following poem by Henry Van Dyke, which is a fitting tribute for those friends of ours that we have lost.) I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" "Gone where?" Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!" SEEKING ASIAN RECORDS On the third day of their 906 nm record-seeking leg from Yokohama, Japan to Jeju Island, South Korea, Ellen MacArthur and her team aboard B&Q is sailing in moderate 13-14 knot south-easterly conditions, heading downwind averaging 14-18 knots of boat speed. They are making their way south west against a strong current along the south east coast of Japan. B&Q is hoping to round the southern corner of Japan before the forecasted wind shift to the north west arrives in the next 12 hours. "It will be touch and go if we round the corner of Japan before the wind shifts, but we are hoping to make it as this will allow a more direct course onto our first gate at Jeju Island and also avoid the north west front that is due to hit this area in 12 hours time!" The target time for the leg is four days, eighteen hours. - http://www.teamellen.com THE NEW PORTOFINO PANTS For a night out with the crew or for racing off Valencia, these canvas pants are perfect for all activities. This modern, classic, Italian design is also great for crew dress uniforms! The Portofino Pants are made from 9 oz. brushed, soft cotton canvas, have a relaxed fit with plain front, hemmed legs, zipper fly, belt loops, two deep side pockets, and two stitched rear-pockets with Velcro closures. They're designed with a double seat for protection and gusseted crotch for full range of motion. The stone colored front and mist gray or khaki back give these pants a unique look. http://www.camet.com INTERCLUB NATIONALS Severn Sailing Association, Annapolis, MD - Jim Bowers, sailing with Bridget Murphy, won the 2006 IC Nationals last weekend in convincing fashion. Bowers and Murphy posted single-digit finishes in 14 of 16 races in the no-drop series to win by a comfortable 30-point margin over Ben and Kim Cesare from Larchmont, NY. With this 5th IC Nationals title, Bowers needs only one more win to tie class legend, Jack Slattery. Many figured Slattery's record was unbeatable with so many great sailors competing in the class, but at 37 years old, Bowers has many competitive years ahead of him. Ed Adams can attest to that fact, having posted a third at the event. Adams is a perennial competitor in the IC class, having sailed the last few Nationals with his son, Luke. Adams is just one of many 50-somethings competing well in the IC, and having a great time sailing with kids. "It's tough when they are young because you are essentially single-handing the boat, but then when they turn 11 or 12, and have some experience and size, it all starts coming together." Steve Benjamin has been chasing Slattery's record for a few decades, amassing three IC National titles, and countless runners-up results. However, consistency evaded Benjamin last weekend, who has a real passion for making the "tubs" go just a little faster. One look at his tricked-out wooden IC is testament to that fact, and Benjamin owns a "syndicate" of five actively sailed ICs. At this point, it's been well over a decade since Slattery last made his presence known in the InterClub. Maybe now he'll have a reason to suit up in the frostbite dinghy once again. - Jesse Falsone Results: 1. Jim Bowers and Bridget Murphy, 95 pts; 2. Kim Cesare and Ben Cesare, 125 pts; 3. Ed Adams and Luke Adams, 130 pts; 4. Paul Adam and Gaelen Phyfe Adam, 145 pts; 5. Pete Levesque and Caroline Hall, 153 pts. - http://www.interclub.org/regattas/nationals2006/results.php TOO NICE Sports Minister Trevor Mallard says some Kiwi athletes have shown they lack the "mental toughness" needed to clinch a sporting victory and believes they need to adopt the Australians' "cut-throat" attitude. His view was shared by Sport and Recreation NZ (SPARC) chief executive Nick Hill, who said New Zealanders had lost their risk-taking "give-it-a-go" attitude and need the "ruthlessness" of the Australians. "New Zealanders have a very strong tradition of fairness and letting everyone have a good go and sometimes I think that prevails over that outright desire to be the best in the world. I think Australians are ahead of us in that," said Hill. As a former businessman "my experience is that they are extraordinarily direct and ruthless compared to New Zealand. New Zealanders tend to be too nice." - by Ruth Berry, New Zealand Herald, http://tinyurl.com/k5mz3 Curmudgeon's Comment: These comments were made following the Commonwealth Games, which were recently held in Melbourne, Australia, and have many summer Olympic-type events, but no sailing. VIDEO OF THE WEEK This week's video comes from Par Johansson of Sweden, which we call "Good Iceboating Gone Bad" (Par called it "Breaking The Mast," which reveals a big hint of what happens). It is in WMV format and is 2:30 minutes in length. Send us your suggestions for next week's Video of the Week, and thanks to Geoff Sobering for tipping us onto this one: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/#media BERMUDA RACE: TALES AND TRIALS In 2002, Roy Disney had been setting records in the Pacific and the Caribbean in his new and then radical 86' Pyewacket I, the one with the fixed keel. He sailed to Bermuda in the IMS Racing Division. The wind, weather and Gulf Stream gods were with him that year. Pyewacket caught all of a 100-mile meander and a lot of fair wind on her way to Bermuda. Disney set another record in the race, finishing in Bermuda after only 53hr 39mm 22sec. They brought Pyewacket around to the RBYC marina well after midnight and I stepped out of my role as press officer and interviewed him for local TV since they only sent a cameraman at that early hour. As he stepped off the dock I reached out with the microphone to get the first question. Mr. Disney," I asked. "Now that you have set record in the Pacific and the Caribbean on your way to Newport and now that you've just smashed the Bermuda Race record by about four hours, where do you go from here?" Without hesitation, and with a friendly grin spreading on his face, he said, "I'm going to Disneyworld!" - Talbot Wilson This story was from Scuttlebutt's Newport-Bermuda Race Forum. Post your own story at http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum/2006/nb MAKING WAVES DOWN UNDER UK-Halsey Tape-Drive sails gave John Ellis two bullets in his first two races for his new Elan 37 Sirocco. Out of the box and onto the podium: a neat beginning. They clearly have excellent speed in the short chop off Sydney, AUS and will become quicker as this crew learns the boat and rig. So, what about you in the coming season? Wouldn't you like to have more in your hand at the awards ceremony than a can of beer? It's time you had UK-Halsey in your corner. One of UK-Halsey's more than 50 lofts awaits your call: 800-253-2002, http://www.ukhalsey.com STANDING OUT The only American team in the America's Cup welcomed a boat with a bowsprit into its stable on Monday. BMW Oracle Racing christened its new sloop, USA 87, at its compound in Valencia, Spain, where the next America's Cup will be held in 2007. "This is like a new child coming into the family," skipper and CEO Chris Dickson said by phone shortly before his wife, Sue, smashed a bottle of champagne across the bow of the 80-foot sloop. And this one has quite the birthmark. Although Dickson said USA 87 has many high-tech advancements not visible to landlubbers, it does have one that stands out - the short spar extending from the bow used to attach an asymmetrical spinnaker while sailing downwind. Bowsprits also are designed to save weight and reduce wind drag while sailing upwind. "It's the way the class rule has changed since the last cup," Dickson said. "Although it has quite a visual impression, it has a very minor effect on performance. It's one of many, many sail handling developments, although a very visible one.In general terms, the new boat is lighter, it's stronger, carries more sail area and has more horsepower," Dickson said. "To the untrained eyes it's another AC boat, just like you might get another Formula One or BMW car. But to the trained eye, everything is new and different." - by Bernie Wilson, AP sports writer, Seattle Post Intelligencer, full story: http://tinyurl.com/km35z BMW Oracle Racing staff photographer Gilles Martin-Raget sent Scuttlebutt images of their new America's Cup boat, USA-87, which were taken during their christening ceremony and first sail. - http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/0327 NEWS BRIEFS * Final results from Disabled Open Midwinters at St. Petersburg Yacht Club, FL this past weekend have the Sonar class won by John Twomey, Brian O'Mahoney, and Anthony Hegarty of Ireland, Dennis Peck and Brenda Peck of Florida winning the Martin 16 class, and Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Nick Scandone of California besting the 2.4 Meter fleet. Complete results: http://tinyurl.com/9f3ok * New Scuttlebutt website advertiser - the S850 - is a 28 foot sportboat from Switzerland, that will soon be imported into the US. View the photos, which show the optional teak cockpit floor and generous sailplan: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/06/S850 * Sébastien Col (FRA) overcame Paolo Cian (ITA) 2-0 in the final to become the first Frenchman to win the ISAF Grade 1 Marseilles International Match Race in France over the weekend. Peter Holmberg, from the Alinghi team, finished in third place The victory comes at the perfect time for ninth ranked Col, a member of the K-Challenge America's Cup team, as the next release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings is on Tuesday 28 March. - http://www.ycpr.com * A group of researchers at Brown University, in collaboration with the US Sailing, are trying to learn more about sailing safety and injuries. They are collecting data using a brief on-line survey, which can be accessed here: https://live.datstat.com/RDR-Collector/Survey.ashx?Name=sailing10 * The highlight of Monday, March 27th in Dee Caffari's attempt to become the first woman to sail solo and non-stop westwards round the world was passing to the north of 40 degrees south latitude. This marks the end of the Southern Ocean for Dee, and earns her the distinction of being the first female to sail non-stop single-handed across the Southern Ocean from east to west. Caffari's 72-foot Aviva remains 7,479 miles from the finish in Portsmouth, England. - http://www.avivachallenge.com * The Buzzards Bay Regatta (BBR) has named iBoattrack™ the Presenting Sponsor for the event on August 4-6, 2006. iBoattrack is an interactive mapping website created by Horizon Marine of Marion. Using notebook-size tracking devices, this new technology allows anyone to go to their website (www.iboattrack.com) to follow one or more boats throughout the race. The regatta will provide 20 transponders to a single class, wherein after each day's racing, sailors will be able to watch the replay of their performances - showing every tack and jibe - on the iBoattrack monitor back at the Club. - http://www.buzzardsbayregatta.com * For his Sailing World article "Is it Time to Upgrade to PBO Rigging?" author Jesse Falsone developed a custom Excel spreadsheet to compare the weight savings and performance gains of PBO rigging. The spreadsheet allows you to input your boat's rigging dimensions. To request an electronic copy of Falsone's spreadsheet, e-mail Sailing World at mailto:editorial@sailingworld.com LOOKING FOR A RIDE Rhett Roback is a sophomore at UC Irvine in Southern California (as in, "The OC"), and he is looking to do some keelboat crewing. From his posting on the Forums, it looks like he might have some skills. Take a look at Rhett's info if you have an open spot on your rail: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2299#2299 LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. And please save your bashing, and personal attacks for elsewhere. For those that prefer a Forum, you can post your thoughts at the Scuttlebutt website: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi) * From George Bailey: Now people, if we were all racing one design, or, even worse, a handicap system that we see as at least as equalizing as one design, then exactly who would be responsible for where we finish? Right! And who really wants that? If you want that, you race one design. Better to be the real winner who was beat by the unfair rating system. A guy with a rating almost as great as the guy who beat him. * From James Marta: The better solution for PHRF to remain a viable rating system is to go to a national rating system, thus, reducing the perceived "local politics" influencing ratings. PHRF does have a big advantage in that it can use time on time, or time on distance as determined by local racers, unlike IRC. Yet, IRC seems to be a better choice in spite of only using time on time as the local ratings influencing the setting of standards for speed and sails is missing ("A" sails and symmetrical spinnakers are severely penalized under PHRF if both are used during the same race). Each area has certain unique local conditions that prevail in the thinking of PHRF racers, but as Barry Carroll said to me last summer re these unique conditions, each has wind, tide, waves, land geography, and currents. Hmmmmm, just how different can conditions be from one area to the next? And, IRC seems to allow older comfortable "furniture" boats to remain competitive, while that is questionable under PHRF. Newer racing designs are a quantum leap in design weight and actual speeds that PHRF doesn't yet calculate; IRC seems to accept these differences as reality. The only other alternative would to group similar types of boats into classes of ("sport" boats, moderate weight and/or cruising boats, and water ballasted boats) into similar classes. Waterline length no longer governs boat speed! CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION Give me ambiguity or give me something else. Special thanks to Camet International and UK-Halsey Sailmakers. |
