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SCUTTLEBUTT 2776 - Friday, February 6, 2009
Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors, providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
Today's sponsors are Melges Performance Sailboats and North U.
STIRRING UP THE WINDWARD-LEEWARD GAME
by Paige Brooks, Etchells Class Correspondent
Last year the Etchells Jaguar Cup employed windward mark gates in their 90-boat fleet to mixed reviews. Once they added the offset marks, it became a whole new game. In the 08-09 Jaguar Series, the Race Committee has set windward gates in each race for the 60-boat fleet, in addition to utilizing the leeward gate.
The windward gates add a new tactical facet to the regular windward leeward race. It makes the race more challenging for the leaders to hold their lead, diminishes the starboard tack layline parade, and forces the sailors to commit early to a side. Olympic medalist Mike Wolfs points out, “The big question is when to decide whether to go right.” Since you come off the right windward mark on port, you have to check the upwind traffic to make sure the option to gybe right away is there, or that you can easily continue on port.
Going downwind, the racecourse becomes two parallel courses which often does not allow the rich to get richer the way a single windward mark used to. And while the middle used to be off limits due to the wind vacuum created by the boats behind, the greater opening between the left and right offset marks makes it a viable option. -- Read on: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/jaguar/#3
* The third event of the Etchells class Jaguar Series in Miami, the Florida State Championship, will be held this weekend. After two of the four events, Skipper Bruce Golison aboard 'Midlife Crisis' is the current series leader.
TALKING TACTICS WITH SCOTT NIXON
Scott Nixon from Quantum Sails is fast building a reputation as a top flight one design tactician. In the last few months of 2008 he called tactics on the winning boats at both the Melges 24 North American Championship and the Melges 32 Gold Cup. Who better then to talk about tactics with? We sat down with Scott to find out more about the ‘Nixon Way’ and got some great answers to our questions about winning tactics in the Melges 24 fleet….
* Tacticians vary in their approach. Some are dictatorial whilst others are more conversational. What’s the Scott Nixon approach to the tactician’s role?
NIXON: I am a quiet person by nature but I do have a tendency to talk a lot more on the boat. I would say that my style is more conversational, but I am sure there are some teams that I have raced with that would say otherwise! When the competitive juices get going on the water things can get tense amongst the crew so I do try to maintain an even tone on the water. I like to think out loud and paint the picture for the team so that everyone knows the game plan. This helps so that we don’t get caught too often in unexpected situations that can cause big problems on the course. -- Read on: http://www.melges24.com/displayarticles.asp?year=2009&id=1521
A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CHALLENGE
Qingdao, China (Feb. 5, 2009) - With the memories of an upwind pounding in gale force winds and rough seas still fresh in the mind, a challenge of a very different kind is now on the agenda for this weekend's in-port race. For while gusts of 55 knots and more occasionally rocked the boats in leg four, Saturday's race around the buoys will barely reach a tenth of that, according to Chris Bedford.
The Ericsson Racing Team meteorologist is currently forecasting a breeze between two and six knots, with the direction fluctuating between the south-west and south-east. "Right now it looks very, very light," he said. "We seem to have high pressure sitting right over us which is not a good thing as it shuts down the gradient wind. That leaves us with just thermal breezes and it is the middle of winter here. It's not impossible to get a sea breeze and, in fact, we could a bit of one on Saturday but I think it will be light." -- Read on: http://linkbee.com/D1C8
In-Port race crew lists: http://linkbee.com/D1C9
In-Port race audio/video information: http://linkbee.com/D1DA
* The Telefonica team has revealed that the Black boat will soon be loaded onto a container ship in Singapore to be transported to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To properly repair the hull damage incurred on Leg 4, a replacement component is being built in Valencia, Spain, and will be installed when the boat arrives in Rio. Telefonica Black is the second team unable to complete in Leg 4, as Delta Lloyd announced earlier they also would be shipping their boat to Brazil as a result of Leg 4 damage. Leg Five from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will start February 14th, is 12,300 nm in length, with the finish estimated on March 20th.
MELGES ROCKS!
That was the theme at this year’s Key West Race Week as so much of the entire fleet was Melges Boats. The Melges 32 and Melges 24 fleets raced in ideal conditions. On top of that, the new Audi Melges 20 went out sailing each day. At night, Melges Rocked with its annual customer appreciation party. Hands down… it was the party of the week! Plus the Melges 32 was recognized as the Boat of the Week, deemed the most closely contested class of the regatta. Melges Rocks! Race to melges.com for the latest information. -- http://www.melges.com
ARMEL LE CLÉAC’H TO FINISH SATURDAY
(Feb. 5, 2009; Day 88) - Finishing second in last year’s Artemis Transat race that saw three of the favorites retire with problems (Foncia, PRB and BT), Armel Le Cléac’h seems well set to repeat that second place result on this much greater stage, against the biggest and hottest Open 60 fleet ever assembled for this sixth Vendée Globe. Le Cléac’h was west of Cape Finisterre Thursday afternoon, crossing the thorny threshold to the Bay of Biscay in very muscular, difficult NW’ly winds and big, 7-8 metres seas. He is expected to finish between 0700hrs and midday GMT Saturday.
A reminder of the time awards that will impact the top positions:
* Armel Le Cléac’h was awarded 11 hours for taking part in the rescue of Jean Le Cam (damaged keel) on Jan. 6th. This time will be subtracted from his final finishing time.
* Vincent Riou, in third place when he rescued Jean Le Cam and then broke his mast during the rescue, will be ranked third equal in the Vendée Globe with the competitor, who finishes third.
* Samantha Davies (Roxy) and Marc Guillemot (Safran) were awarded 32 hours and 82 hours respectively, as a result of the assistance provided during Yann Eliès’ rescue (broken leg) on Dec. 20th. These times will be deducted from their final finishing times.
Solo, non-stop, around the world race in Open 60s.
Standings as of 18:30 UTC (30 entrants; 11 now competing):
1. Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Foncia, Finished Feb. 1, 15:11 GMT
2. Armel Le Cléac´h (FRA), Brit Air, 401.2 nm Distance to Finish
3. Samantha Davies (GBR), Roxy, 1800.7 nm DTF
3. Vincent Riou (FRA), PRB, Dismasted - Redress Given
4. Marc Guillemot (FRA), Safran, 2085.5 nm DTF
5. Brian Thompson (GBR), Bahrain Team, DTF not available
Event website: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en
Complete standings: http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/ranking.html
Race tracking: http://tracking.vendeeglobe.org/en
COMPETITION STEPS UP AS SECOND ROUND BEGINS
(Feb. 5, 2009) The first day of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series second round presented close matches, as one would suspect now that the scores from the first round robin assigned the top six teams to the gold flight and the bottom four teams to the silver flight. The biggest upset of the day came as the newcomer Damiani Italia Challenge convincingly put away undefeated Emirates Team New Zealand in the best tacking duel seen yet in this series. The only other undefeated team fell as well, with Alinghi finding just the puff they needed to nip TeamOrigin at the downwind finish after trailing throughout the race. The other matches saw China Team earn their first victory of the series by beating Shosholoza, and Pataugas K-Challenge edging out Greek Challenge after an even rounding at the first windward mark.
Event website: http://www.louisvuitton-pacificseries.com
Video coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO6
Audio coverage: http://linkbee.com/CQO7
* Louis Vuitton has established deep running relationships during its quarter of a century commitment to the America’s Cup. Louis Vuitton’s Director, Christine Belanger, explained, “Our relationship has been as a partner in running the event, not a sponsor and there is a big distinction.” -- Lynn Fitzpatrick, read on: http://www.worldregattas.com/ViewInfo.php?ContentID=188
* Angus Phillips reports for Sailing World about load tension alarms, stern sticks, and twisting hulls: http://linkbee.com/D1DL
CUP BOAT NEWBIE
Finally after winning the World Match Racing Tour for the last two seasons, Ian Williams has finally got the gig he has been after - to helm an America’s Cup boat in anger. With the tie-up between China Team and Le Defi dissolved since 2007 in Valencia, so Williams has been brought in to be skipper in the rejigged Chinese team. Typically they sail each race with two or three Chinese sailors on board, many of whom competed with China Team in Valencia. The rest are a high calibre international mix.
“It has been an interesting experience so far,” Williams said. “It is a big challenge for us to come in and just do the five days of official training and then go straight into the racing. Most of the other teams did a fair amount of training in Valencia before they got here for the official training and it has shown really. The learning curve has been very steep and we have been short of time. But it is good to know everyone in the team has been able to get up to standard in the boats.” -- The Daily Sail, read on: http://linkbee.com/D1DM
FOUR RIGHT OF WAY RULES
That’s all there are. And four limiting rules. Grasp those and the Mark-Room and Obstruction Rules, and you’re ready to race. If you are confused by the rules, come to a US SAILING Racing Rules seminar and learn to recognize your rights and obligations in any situation. Presented by North U, the seminars include a Racing Rules Workbook created by Dave Perry. US SAILING members save $40. Check the schedule and sign up by visiting NorthU.com or by calling North U at 800-347-2457 or 203-245-0727. -- http://www.northu.com
GREATER RELEVANCE TO THE YACHTING COMMUNITY
Brett Bakewell-White of leading marine design firm Bakewell-White Yacht Design comments on the new America's Cup class rule that defender Alinghi announced on January 31st:
“The main change over the old IACC boats is that the Meter style rule has been abandoned for a simple box rule with defined dimensional limits,” Bakewell-White explained. “This means that the designer’s efforts will be focused on creating a faster hull form rather than fooling the rule measurement methods.
“The sailplan is clearly defined and essentially one design and so the designers will be concentrating on the best hull form and the best appendage configuration but the boats are likely to be very similar in a short space of time with the biggest dilemma for designers being Righting Moment vs. Drag - how wide do we make the boat? As the boats get lighter, crew weight becomes more relevant. As usual the engineers will be trying to optimize structural weight as much as possible to maximize the ballast weight.
“The most obvious change to the casual observer is that the Americas Cup will be raced in yachts that look very much like and have more relevance to your typical Grand Prix race yacht racing IRC or a TP52, rather than some odd looking drunken canoe that is optimized to a rather complex length measurement process.” -- Sail World, read on: http://linkbee.com/D1DN
SAILING SHORTS
* Soundings, the award-winning news, features and how-to magazine for recreational boaters, has launched a redesigned Web site (soundingsonline.com). The new design allows for easier navigation, and features improved search capabilities. Visitors will find the same informative stories, commentary and expert advice, as well as a used-boat search tool. The site now includes videos, audio clips and Web extras related to magazine content. Other features allow users to comment on blogs, ask questions, read news stories and more. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=6989
* There are three new leaders in the latest release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings on 4 February 2009 with Spain hitting the top of the national standings. The Spanish team moves clear of Australia at the top of the national standings, aided by being the only nation to hold two world #1 spots. Some of the active North Americans ranked highly are Americans Anna Tunnicliffe (1st - Laser Radial) and Stu McNay/Graham Biehl (7th - 470 Men), and Michael Leigh (5th - Laser) and Christopher Cook (6th - Finn). -- Full details: http://www.sailing.org/27195.php
* Organizers of the 2,225 mile Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu announced a new perpetual trophy for competitors in the Open Division. The newly established Open Division was created for those monohulls which utilize waivers under the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) for movable ballast and/or the use of powered sail handling gear. These entries will be eligible for a new shortest elapsed time trophy which is currently under development by TPYC. -- Read on: http://linkbee.com/D1DP
* Sara Kuszak, a chef aboard a yacht, was killed yesterday morning after she was abducted near a marina in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Kuszak, who had arrived on the island to help deliver a yacht, was kidnapped outside Puerto del Rey marina in Fajardo, while she was going for a morning run. She was five months pregnant. -- IBI Magazine, read on: http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20090105160014ibinews.html
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include kids doing some un-racing, Brian Thompson having some un-family time, youth sailors having an un-rivalry, a keelboat doing some un-sailing, a sailing correspondent on an un-work assignment, yachts showing off their un-technology, and Michel Desjoyeaux finishing an unbelievable journey. 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/09/0206
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
Reader commentary is encouraged, with letters to be submitted to the Scuttlebutt editor, aka, ‘The Curmudgeon’. Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and be no longer than 250 words (letter might be edited for clarity or simplicity). You only get one letter per subject, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, a more open environment for discussion is available on the Scuttlebutt Forum.
-- To submit a Letter: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com
-- To post on the Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum
* From John Milburn, Falmouth, ME: (re, "Are we getting bored with buoy racing?") I would say that the real question is "Are we getting frustrated with windward leeward racing?" The answer is yes and will always be yes because it is the true test of our ability.
For most one design fleets the pure windward leeward is by far the most desirable course. The very simplicity is what makes it so challenging. It is the best test of ones, on the course, strategy. It enhances our understanding of the rules because you better know if you have rights with the entire fleet converging at that one point. Other techniques like the ability to slow the boat down, how to plan ahead for your downwind tactics, how to scoop your competition and avoid the pinwheel.
Reaching marks simply make it less difficult on traditional one design boats. Of course asymmetrical boats like J/105s and Melges 24s are the exception as a big part of their skill is in getting the set done and really getting some speed out of the reaching leg.
* From Alan Ouellette: Beware of reading too much into the results on an open on-line survey because you are likely collecting a disproportionate number of dissatisfied responses. J/24s are the largest fleet in our week night series and, as fleet captain, I am certain than 70% of our fleet does NOT want more reaching legs.
* From Gary Smith (The Abbo): I have a serious problem with the attrition rate amongst the Round the World raceboats that we have been following recently. Catastrophic failures seem to have become the norm now. When half the fleet can't make it up a serious beat to China, something is seriously wrong!
When I was doing serious distance racing on maxi boats, having to worry about the boat falling apart under us was not something that even crossed our minds. Yes, we broke sails, halyards, guys and so on, but serious failures were very rare. A catastrophic failure like "Drum" losing a welded-on keel to the south of England was so unexpected.
Today we old timers watch these races as though they are demolition derbies. I happen to have a nephew racing on PUMA who seems to spend most of the race repairing one major failure after another. In their eagerness to "go light", the rulemakers, designers, material engineers and builders have all lost sight of one of the basics of all sailboat racing --- in order to win or place, first one must finish the race (preferably in one piece).
But my question is why is half the fleet having to become "deck cargo"? I think we all know the answer to that one. Good common sense has given way to "winning at all costs". Even if one of those costs will be the loss of a whole crew as one of these "thoroughbreds" breaks apart completely and goes to the bottom in seconds. I hate to think that Casey could be one of that crew.
* From Paul Zupan, Sausalito, CA: In regards to the controversy over the damage that occurred in the last leg of the Volvo Regatta, it seems to me that the nay-sayers are missing the point. It seems they are assuming that the damage that occurred to several of the Volvo boats prove that that the design is inadequate for ocean racing. However, I think just the opposite occurred. I invite any number of “ocean proven” boats to participate in a test of their sea worthiness in an upwind beat in 50+ knots of breeze and huge swells (up to 15 meters?!).
It’s easy to underestimate the ferocity of that scenario, but I’m sure none of the people that experienced it will soon forget. I would bet that more than 50% of any such “ocean proven” designs would drop out with severe damage, not to mention loss of life. With four out of eight boats finishing the Qingdao leg, and only the loss of the end of Ken’s finger, I have nothing but praise for the boats and the crews that put themselves through that nightmare. I would say that the designers have more than done their job in terms of building a safe fast boat for what is an exciting event.
CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION
I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.
Special thanks to Melges Performance Sailboats and North U.
A complete list of preferred suppliers is at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/ssc/suppliers
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