|
SCUTTLEBUTT 1785 - March 1, 2005Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal attacks for elsewhere. SCHWAB GETS HERO'S WELCOME Despite the cold there were many of our enthusiastic supporters out on the Vendee Globe press boats, whooping it up for the last couple of hours as we reached the end of the journey. Minutes before the line, we were enveloped in a cold fog that added a bit of mystery and suspense, but nothing could stop the feeling of accomplishment that I felt as my finishing time blasted over the radio and the blasting of horns began. We moored on a buoy outside the harbor for a few hours waiting for high tide before entering the channel. At 1500 local time, we released our mooring, and began our way down the channel. Nothing could have prepared me for the next several hours... Thousands of people lined the channel as we slowly paraded into the harbor amid deafening horns, cheering, and bell ringing! It was unbelievable! This was just the beginning! When we arrived at the pontoon, it was nearly sinking with hundred of kids chanting "we love Bruce," along with all the reporters, officials, and everyone else. What a scene. After spraying everyone within range with champagne, I was then brought up on an outdoor stage for the first press conference: This part finished with rocking out on the stage with about a hundred kids to a tune that I had previously selected by a local musician, "Stephan Kolodiez." What fun! Then it was inside to an absolutely packed auditorium for the next press conference. I was joined on stage by two special friends of Ocean Planet, Alice and Melissa, two young French students who sent me great emails for the entire trip around the world. They also had been aboard for our trip down the channel! This finished with my playing a tune on the guitar (by popular demand) and with our entire team onstage. We did it! Yes, I mean we! Ocean Planet carried a lot more hopes and dreams around the world than those of my own! My thanks go out to all of you who have supported to this dream in so many ways, especially the Ocean Planet Official Supplier Sponsors and partners of our Ocean Sciences program! There are countless others that have made this possible… - Bruce Schwab, www.bruceschwab.com A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD The dispute between Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli and his former America's Cup skipper Russell Coutts has taken a significant step forward, with the case now before the review board of sailing's governing body. Coutts's assertion is that Bertarelli altered the rules which prevent sailors from swapping teams, with the express intention of making him ineligible for the next in Cup in Valencia 2007. Coutts is the first sailor to have his eligibility heard by the board. - Tim Jeffery, The Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/6awel SHARK Last week Shark Kahn competed on Sydney Harbour in the Ssangyong JJ Giltinan World Trophy Championship regatta at the helm of the 18ft skiff, Pegasus Racing, the youngest person ever to skipper one of these high powered and technically challenging craft. TheDailySail caught up with him during the regatta, at which time he was lying 17th. In what many considered to be the most competitive 18ft skiff fleet gathered for many year, he finished the regatta yesterday 18th in a fleet of 28 boats. thedailysail: What's been the most challenging aspect of this week's racing? Shark Kahn: Just the fact that we had never sailed an 18ft skiff and had put in only five training days. We are beating ten boats manned mostly by pros that are twice my age. I think that I am the youngest by many years. TDS: How would you rate your results thus far? SK: I am more than pleased with our results. Our goal was to finish every race. We've done much better than that. We're ahead of one third of the fleet. That's exciting! TDS: You sail a variety of boats - do you prefer dinghies or keelboats? SK: I prefer skiffs and offshore racing. I have done three Transpacs and I really enjoy skiffs and dinghies such as the 505. TDS: What is it about sailing that keeps you focused and interested? SK: I'm 15, I like to go fast. Excerpt from a story on The Daily Sail subscription website, http://thedailysail.com/ NEW CAMET PADDED VEST. Our new vest is made of a waterproof, breathable fabric with a Coolmax® mesh liner. Features include a chin flap, spandex-bound armholes for a smooth fit, a wind flap behind the front zipper, and a draw cord hem. Additional inches have been added to the lower back of the jacket for greater protection from the elements. It is designed with two large inside pockets with 9-inch zippers and two outside pockets with 7-inch zippers. The vest has the ability to add an optional foam pad insert for protection against lifelines when hiking out. http://www.camet.com ORANGE II WILL STOP IN TWO DAYS Since its accidental encounter with an orca at the end of yesterday, the maxi-catamaran Orange II is continuing its course towards the NE while awaiting a sea and wind state that enable it to come to a standstill and make a general inspection of the boat. The main focus of Orange II's skipper is to send down a diver under the hull to inspect the damaged rudder. According to Yann Penfornis, the boat's architect : "the impact on the port rudder has provoked delamination across a 30cm area on the leading edge of the rudder. It is the outer carbon skin which is peeling away, so there is no major concern for the moment. The rudder is unlikely to split in two as it made from a single piece of carbon. However, the second carbon skin must not then begin to delaminate. As a result I am moderately optimistic". Several solutions are open to Orange's crew: Work directly on the rudder and carry out the lamination of the zone of impact, underwater. Or remove the rudder, lift it onboard, repair it and then put it back in place. This second solution is not the one retained by Bruno Peyron in principle, as the skipper is seemingly more in favour of an underwater repair. Answer in two days... For the time being, the giant Orange II is continuing to rack up the miles with an average of 25 knots whilst sailing on port tack, thus putting the stress on the starboard daggerboard and rudder. The damaged rudder is not under any stress at present as a result. Extract from today's radio session with Bruno Peyron and Bernard Stamm: "We will certainly go slower, though for the moment we are still going well as we are not using the damaged rudder. We have an eight and a half day lead over Cheyenne and that should increase further still after tomorrow. The boat is structurally intact. The crew is well even though we are tired. Though this problem may slow us up, it won't prevent us from getting to the end. It's going to take more than that to stop us! In 1993, we hit two whales with an exploded daggerboard in the same place, and that didn't stop us picking up the Jules Verne!" The injured orca? "You'll have to tell the children that it must have a big bump on its head ! The rudder is half out of the water the whole time and you can clearly see the traces of it where it is deformed and the impact at the front." - www.maxicatamaran-orange.com/ AMERICA'S CUP Mascalzone Latino, Latin Rascal, are believed to be the latest potential entry in negotiation to purchase Dennis Conner's AC boats. All the teams, defender and all challengers, must have an updated, version 5, AC boat for measurement at Valencia in June and be ready to race in Act 4 on June 16. Otherwise they forfeit the one million Euro performance bond to the organizers. So anyone buying the boats has to get at least one of them updated and measured to the new ACC rule in time for the deadline. A new twist to the story is that Mascalzone's lawyer has filed papers with the jury claiming that former design coordinator, John Cutler, and lead designer, Phil Kaiko did design work for Mascalzone before they left to join Spanish team. There are strict AC rules against teams sharing designers and design information, so the Spanish team could find themselves in trouble. - Sailweb website, full story: www.sailweb.co.uk/default.asp#266 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar LASER MIDWINTER'S EAST Clearwater Yacht Club - The weather god's really didn't want to cooperate for Laser Midwinter's East. Two races were completed on Thursday and on Friday one race did get started, but that had to be abandoned when the wind shut down completely. Saturday started by looking more promising and one race was completed for both Full rigs and the Radial/4.7 fleets. Then the wind got really squirrelly, two more starts were attempted only to have the wind drop to below 3 knots and those races were abandoned. Sunday was dismal with heavy rain and thunderstorms and no races could be completed so the regatta results were based on just three races. Lasers (89 boats): 1. Andrew Campbell, San Diego YC, 9; 2. Brad Funk, Clearwater YC, 10; 3. Mark Mendelblatt, St Petersburg YC, 10. Laser Radials (83 boats): 1. Paige Railey, Clearwater YC, 4; 2. Anna Tunnicliffe, North Cape YC, Open 14; 3. Tania Elias Calles, Club Nautico Avandaro (MEX), 22. Laser 4.7s (8 boats): 1. Courtney Kuebel, Team FOR, 5; 2. Sarah Newberry Miami YC, 7. Complete results: www.clwyc.org/LaserMidwintersEast05/ NEWPORT, NEWPORT, NEWPORT Getting ready for the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge in May, the first ever Jimmy Fund Regatta June 3-5, the NYM Spring Charter Show June 14-17, the Newport Bucket July 15-17, the Rolex Swan Americans July 23-29, or the Newport Brokerage Show at the Newport International Boat Show? If you are thinking... Newport, think Newport Shipyard and book in for work and play. If you love boats, the Shipyard is where you want to be! For details visit http://www.newportshipyard.com NEWS BRIEFS * The scuttlebutt at the Cruising Yacht Club (of Australia) bar suggests Coutts, who won the America's Cup for both the Kiwis and the Swiss, is picking up $US25,000 ($31,000) a day for whispering advice into Plattner's ear (at the Farr 40 Worlds). - DD McNicoll, The Australian, full story: www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12390454%5E2722,00.html * Salina, Kansas (CNN) -- Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett launched his Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer aircraft on Monday evening at Salina Municipal Airport and hopes to land there again in about 65 hours. He is attempting to make the trip in a single-engine airplane without stopping -- an aviation first. "I will be the ultimate test pilot," Fossett, 60, said hours before take-off. Besides the nonstop record, Fossett will attempt to break seven other aviation records, including the longest flight by a jet aircraft. The current record is more than 12,000 miles (19,300 kilometers), set by a B-52 bomber in 1962. - CNN, full story: www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/02/28/globalflyer.fossett.ap/index.html * Junior sailing expert Tom Coleman has been hired as the full time Executive Director of the US Sailing Center of Martin County, a not-for-profit community sailing program located in Jensen Beach, Florida. Coleman was honored as the 2004 Development Coach of the year by US Sailing. Coleman's responsibilities will include planning, staffing and administering a 450-youth, 10-week summer program as well as running a year round community sailing program for all ages. In addition, he will work closely with the center's race committee in scheduling and organizing six to eight national regattas during the winter season. * After twenty-two days at sea in the Oryx Quest 2005 race, Doha 2006 skippered by Brian Thompson crossed the Amundsen Gate at longitude 163° West, and will be awarded the race's Amundsen Trophy. Standings: Doha 2006, 12,880 miles to finish, 2. Cheyenne, 1120 miles to leader, 3. Deadalus, 1545 mtl, 4. Geranimo, 3183 mtl. www.oryxquest.com/ * The ISAF Executive Committee held its first meeting of 2005 in France, from 7-8 February 2005, and the minutes have now been published online: www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j6,FhtA`B&format=popup * Entries for next month's Acura Miami Race Week 2005 (March 10-13) have already topped 130 - more than doubling last year's 59-boat SORC fleet. And there will be no shortage of world-class talent with names such as Butterworth, Melges, Fogh, Larson, Cutler, Dodson, Stead, Bertrand, Haines, and many more. Racing on the Ocean venue will include four one design classes (Transpac 52, Farr 40, J/105 and Mumm 30), and as many as 4 PHRF handicap classes. Four classes will be racing on Biscayne Bay - Melges 24, Etchells, J/24 and a small-boat PHRF class. Regatta information and entry list: www.premiere-racing.com/ * Rigid Inflatable Boat designer and manufacturer Ribcraft signed an agreement with the New York Yacht Club to supply 20 4.8 RIBs that will serve as umpire and support boats for the 2005 ISAF Team Racing Worlds to be held this September. Under the agreement, NYYC purchased the 15'7" boats with 40 HP Honda four stroke engines at a discounted price and has successfully pre-sold all of them to their membership. - www.ribcraftusa.com * Germany's DSV voted to give the 29er full youth status in Germany - an endorsement that is likely to have a huge impact on the class both in Germany and the surrounding nations. 2005 will also see for the first time a fleet of 29ers at Kiel Week. - www.29er.org * The J/22 Midwinter's sponsored by V.C.Performance Rigging and hosted by the Shake-A-Leg Sailing Center in Miami was won by Team Fusion with Scott Nixon and his crew of Mike Wolfs & Andy Horton this past weekend. Seven races were sailed on sunny Biscayne Bay in 5-16 knots of wind with 28 boats. Final results: 1. Scott Nixon, 12 pts; 2. Henry Filter, 27 pts; 3. Terry Flynn, 28 pts.; 4. Greg Fisher, 28 pts.; 5. Dave Van Cleef, 29 pts. - www.music.miami.edu/j22/midwinters/results.html * Cormac Bradley has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Sailing Association. He will take up the appointment in April. A lifetime sailor, Cormac's role in the ISA will be to continue building the delivery of valued services to Irish sailing participants through the successful ISA team which currently comprises 11 employees. www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j67FhtA/? IN MEMORIAM Carolynn Blake, one of the mainstays of Lahaina Yacht Club, passed away in Lahaina on February 24. Carolynn was not only a charter member of Lahaina Yacht Club, but had served on every Victoria-Maui Race Committee since the race's inception. She served as a Race Trustee, Lahaina Technical Chairman, Lahaina Race Chairman and Finish Line Chairman. If you ever sailed in a Vic-Maui you knew her. She ran the finish line with an uncompromising determination to do it right. She also had a hand in writing the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions for each event. Her goal was to put on the best race possible for the sailors. She crewed or served on the race committee for most local events, with great enthusiasm and dedication. She was a great sailor that gave back to the sport. - Robert D. "Dan" O'Brien THE ULTIMATE TRAINING GETAWAY FOR SAILORS WANTING TO WIN Charged with positive energy, NOOD Camp is on-the-water racing instruction with visually stimulating seminars. Led by expert coaches from North U and Offshore Sailing School. Fort Myers Beach, FL, April 10-14/ April 24-28, 2005. Book by March 8 - Save $200! http://www.offshore-sailing.com/HTML/ToWin/nood2005.html 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. This is not a chat room nor a bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree.) * From Jean Quist: Dave Tew's letter brought back old and wonderful memories, but I remember the Wianno Senior (I owned #38) was 30-plus-feet-long. And if he was racing during the summer, well, the Cape Cod winds are not uncharacteristically light and flukey--they're like that all the time on Nantucket Sound--and therein lies the challenge. Part of what made me a good club and college varsity sailor was the experience I gained reading the wind on the lakes of northern New York state and other "flukey " locales such as Narragansett Bay, Buzzard's Bay, San Diego Bay and the sounds of Long Island and Block Island. Sailing Larks at Tufts University was a true learning experience. Thanks, Dave, for bringing to attention a somewhat lost but great class--the Wianno --virtually unknown here on the West Coast: the boat that exemplifies the adage that a wooden sailboat is merely a hole in the water into which we throw money, but pride of ownership makes it all worthwhile. * From Rich du Moulin, Commodore Storm Trysail Club: Congratulations to Bruce Schwab, whose incredible persistence paid off in becoming the fastest lone American going around the world in a very competitive fleet. It's really a historic achievement which should not be under-estimated despite the incredible records being set by Europeans with well funded efforts. Bruce, Brad van Liew, Rich Wilson and a few others have done a great job keeping America in this remarkable long distance end of the sport. * From Ted Beier: In response to Alex Watters in Butt 1782, rating vessels potential speed relative to length is done using the Froude Number, and is based on the square root of length instead of the length itself. Further, this works for vessels of similar shape only, which monohulls and trimarans are not. Ignoring this dissimilarity, the ratio which should be used is 1.12 instead of 1.25. * From Adrian Morgan: Kite sailing, no question, should be accepted gratefully into the sport, along with all the other innovations that have made sailing so vibrant over the years. I have one suggestion that would make it even more exciting. By dusting the strings with ground glass one could have the best of two worlds: fast and furious sailing action with the cut and thrust of Chinese kite fighting. Now that's a sport for television if ever I saw one. *From Norris Bourdow: In following Orange II's progress, I was wondering if you could explain the difference between the "Jules Verne Record" and the "absolute" record set by Cheyenne?? Is it a matter of the course sailed? Maybe, for us neophytes, you could publish that information. Curmudgeon's Comment: Steve Fossett elected not to pay the pricey fee to the Jules Verne organization when he sailed his maxi-catamaran Cheyenne on it's record-breaking round the world passage. So Fossett and Cheyenne have the world record, but were not awarded the Trophee Jules Verne for their impressive accomplishment. Consequently, at this point, the Jules Verne 'record' merely recognizes the second fastest round the world passage by a sailing vessel. * From Matthew Bolton: With all this single and shorthanded racing going on at the moment, you'd think that the only vessels these people would be likely to have a collision with would be each other. CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM Do you think serving alcohol at work would lead to more honest communications? |
